Go to church if you're on your period. Menstruation: New Testament

Oh, how many times a day does a priest serving in a church have to deal with this topic!.. Parishioners are afraid to enter the church, venerate the cross, they call in panic: “What should I do, I was preparing so much, I was preparing to take communion for the holiday and now...”

From the Diary: One girl calls on the phone: “Father, I could not attend all the holidays in the temple due to uncleanness. And she didn’t pick up the Gospel and holy books. But don't think that I missed the holiday. I read all the texts of the service and the Gospel on the Internet!”

Great invention of the Internet! Even in the days of the so-called ritual impurity can be touched on the computer. And it makes it possible to prayerfully experience the holidays.

It seems, how can the natural processes of the body separate us from God? And educated girls and women themselves understand this, but there are church canons that prohibit visiting church on certain days...

How to solve this issue?

To do this, we need to turn to pre-Christian times, to the Old Testament.

In the Old Testament there are many instructions regarding the purity and impurity of a person. Uncleanness is, first of all, a dead body, some diseases, discharges from the genitals of men and women.

Where did these ideas come from among the Jews? The easiest way to draw parallels is with pagan cultures, which also had similar regulations about uncleanness, but the biblical understanding of uncleanness is much deeper than it seems at first glance.

Of course, there was the influence of pagan culture, but for a person of the Old Testament Jewish culture, the idea of ​​external impurity was rethought; it symbolized some deep theological truths. Which? In the Old Testament, uncleanness is associated with the theme of death, which took hold of humanity after the fall of Adam and Eve. It is not difficult to see that death, and illness, and the flow of blood and semen as the destruction of the germs of life - all this reminds of human mortality, of some deep-seated damage to human nature.

Man in moments manifestations, detection this mortality, sinfulness - must tactfully stand aside from God, Who is Life Itself!

This is how the Old Testament treated uncleanness of this kind.

But in the New Testament the Savior radically rethinks this topic. The past has passed, now everyone who is with Him, even if he dies, will come to life, especially since all the other impurities have no meaning. Christ is the incarnate Life itself (John 14:6).

The Savior touches the dead - let us remember how He touched the bed on which they were carrying to bury the son of the widow of Nain; how He allowed a bleeding woman to touch Him... We will not find in the New Testament a moment when Christ observed the instructions about purity or impurity. Even when he is faced with the embarrassment of a woman who has clearly violated the etiquette of ritual impurity and touched Him, He tells her things that contradict conventional wisdom: “Courage, daughter!” (Matthew 9:22).

The apostles taught the same. “I know and am confident in the Lord Jesus,” says St. Paul - that there is nothing unclean in itself; Only to him who regards anything as unclean, it is unclean to him” (Rom. 14:14). He: “For every creation of God is good, and nothing is blameworthy if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (1 Tim. 4:4).

In a very real sense, the apostle speaks of food uncleanness. The Jews considered a number of products unclean, but the apostle says that everything created by God is holy and pure. But ap. Paul does not say anything about the impurity of physiological processes. We do not find specific instructions on whether a woman during her period should be considered unclean, either from him or from the other apostles. If we proceed from the logic of the sermon of St. Paul, then menstruation - as natural processes of our body - cannot separate a person from God and grace.

We can assume that in the first centuries of Christianity, believers made their own choices. Someone followed tradition, acted like mothers and grandmothers, perhaps “just in case,” or, based on theological convictions or other reasons, defended the point of view that on “critical” days it is better not to touch shrines and not take communion.

Others always received communion, even during menstruation. and no one excommunicated them from Communion.

In any case, we have no information about this, on the contrary. We know that ancient Christians gathered weekly in their homes, even under the threat of death, served the Liturgy and received communion. If there were exceptions to this rule, for example for women in a certain period, then ancient church monuments would have mentioned this. They don't say anything about it.

But this was the question. And in the middle of the 3rd century the answer to it was given by St. Clement of Rome in his essay “Apostolic Constitutions”:

“If anyone observes and performs Jewish rites regarding the ejaculation of semen, the flow of semen, legal intercourse, let them tell us whether they stop praying, or touching the Bible, or partaking of the Eucharist in those hours and days when they are exposed to something like this? If they say that they stop, then it is obvious that they do not have in themselves the Holy Spirit, Who always abides with believers... In fact, if you, a woman, think that during the seven days when you have your period, you do not have in you Holy Spirit; then it follows that if you die suddenly, you will leave without the Holy Spirit and boldness and hope in God. But the Holy Spirit, of course, is inherent in you... For neither legal copulation, nor childbirth, nor the flow of blood, nor the flow of semen in a dream can defile the nature of man or separate the Holy Spirit from him; only wickedness and lawless activity separate him from [the Spirit].

So, woman, if, as you say, during the days of menstruation you do not have the Holy Spirit in you, then you must be filled with an unclean spirit. For when you don’t pray and don’t read the Bible, you unwittingly call him to you...

Therefore, woman, refrain from empty speech and always remember the One who created you, and pray to him... without observing anything - neither natural cleansing, nor legal copulation, nor childbirth, nor miscarriages, nor physical defects. These observations are empty and meaningless inventions of stupid people.

...Marriage is honorable and honest, and the birth of children is pure... and natural cleansing is not abominable before God, Who wisely arranged for it to happen to women... But even according to the Gospel, when the bleeding woman touched the saving edge of the Lord’s robe in order to get well, the Lord did not reproach her but he said, “Your faith has saved you.”

In the 6th century St. writes on the same topic. Grigory Dvoeslov. He answers a question asked about this to Archbishop Augustine of the Angles, saying that a woman can enter the temple and begin the sacraments at any time - both immediately after the birth of a child and during menstruation:

“A woman should not be prohibited from entering church during her menstruation, for she cannot be blamed for what is given by nature, and from which a woman suffers against her will. After all, we know that a woman suffering from bleeding came up to the Lord from behind and touched the hem of His garment, and immediately the illness left her. Why, if she, while bleeding, could touch the Lord’s garment and receive healing, a woman during her period cannot enter the Church of the Lord?..

It is impossible at such a time to forbid a woman to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion. If she does not dare to accept it out of great respect, this is commendable, but by accepting it, she will not commit a sin... And menstruation in women is not sinful, for it comes from their nature...

Leave women to their own understanding, and if during their menstruation they do not dare to approach the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord, they should be praised for their piety. If they... want to accept this Sacrament, they should not, as we said, be prevented from doing so.”

That is, in the West, and both fathers were Roman bishops, this topic received the most authoritative and final disclosure. Today, no Western Christian would think of asking questions that confuse us, the heirs of Eastern Christian culture. There, a woman can approach the shrine at any time, despite any female ailments.

In the East, there was no consensus on this issue.

An ancient Syrian Christian document from the 3rd century (Didascalia) says that a Christian woman should not observe any days and can always receive communion.

St. Dionysius of Alexandria, at the same time, in the middle of the 3rd century, writes another:

“I don’t think that they [that is, women on certain days], if they are faithful and pious, being in such a state, would dare either to begin the Holy Table, or to touch the Body and Blood of Christ. For even the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years did not touch Him for healing, but only the hem of her garment. Praying, no matter what state someone is in and no matter how disposed they are, remembering the Lord and asking for His help is not forbidden. But let him who is not entirely pure in soul and body be prohibited from approaching what is the Holy of Holies.”

100 years later, St. writes on the topic of natural processes of the body. Athanasius of Alexandria. He says that all of God's creation is “good and pure.” “Tell me, beloved and most reverent, what is sinful or unclean in any natural eruption, as, for example, if someone wanted to blame the discharge of phlegm from the nostrils and saliva from the mouth? We can talk about more, about the eruptions of the womb, which are necessary for the life of a living being. If, according to Divine Scripture, we believe that man is the work of God, then how could a bad creation come from pure power? And if we remember that we exist the race of God(Acts 17:28), then we have nothing unclean in us. For only then are we defiled when we commit sin, the worst of every stench.”

According to St. Athanasius, thoughts about the pure and the unclean are offered to us by “the tricks of the devil” in order to distract us from spiritual life.

And after another 30 years, the successor of St. Athanasius in the department of St. Timothy of Alexandria spoke differently on the same topic. When asked whether it was possible to baptize or allow a woman to receive Communion if “the usual thing happened to women,” he answered: “It must be postponed until she is cleansed.”

This last opinion, with different variations, existed in the East until recently. Only some fathers and canonists were more rigoristic - a woman should not visit church these days at all, others said that it is possible to pray and visit church, but not to receive communion.

But still - why not? We do not receive a clear answer to this question. As an example, I will cite the words of the great Athonite ascetic and polymath of the 18th century, Ven. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain. To the question: why not only in the Old Testament, but also according to the Christian holy fathers, the monthly purification of a woman is considered unclean, the monk replies that there are three reasons for this:

1. Because of popular perception, because all people consider unclean what is expelled from the body through some organs as unnecessary or superfluous, such as discharge from the ear, nose, phlegm when coughing, etc.

2. All this is called unclean, for God teaches through the physical about the spiritual, that is, the moral. If the body is unclean, something that happens outside of human will, then how unclean are the sins that we commit of our own free will.

3. God calls the monthly purification of women unclean in order to prohibit men from intercourse with them... mainly and primarily because of concern for offspring, children.

This is how the famous theologian answers this question. All three arguments are completely frivolous. In the first case, the issue is resolved with the help of hygienic means, in the second - it is not clear how menstruation has anything to do with sins?.. It’s the same with the third argument of Rev. Nicodemus. God calls the monthly cleansing of women unclean in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament much of the Old Testament was abolished by Christ. Moreover, what does the question of copulation on menstrual days have to do with Communion?

Due to the relevance of this issue, it was studied by the modern theologian Patriarch of Serbia Paul. About this he wrote an article, republished many times, with a characteristic title: “Can a woman come to church for prayer, kiss icons and receive communion when she is “unclean” (during menstruation)”?

His Holiness the Patriarch writes: “The monthly cleansing of a woman does not make her ritually, prayerfully unclean. This uncleanness is only physical, bodily, as well as discharge from other organs. In addition, since modern hygienic means can effectively prevent the accidental flow of blood from making the temple unclean... we believe that from this side there is no doubt that a woman during her monthly cleansing, with the necessary caution and taking hygienic measures, can come to church , kiss icons, take antidor and blessed water, as well as participate in singing. She would not have been able to receive communion in this state, or if she was unbaptized, she would not have been able to be baptized. But in a mortal illness he can both receive communion and be baptized.”

We see that Patriarch Paul comes to the conclusion that “this uncleanness is only physical, bodily, as well as discharge from other organs.” In this case, the conclusion of his work is incomprehensible: you can go to church, but you still cannot take communion. If the problem is hygiene, then this problem, as Bishop Paul himself notes, has been solved... Why then cannot one receive communion? I think that out of humility, Vladyka simply did not dare to contradict tradition.

To summarize, I can say that the majority of modern Orthodox priests, respecting, although often not understanding, the logic of such prohibitions, still do not recommend that a woman receive communion during her period.

Other priests (the author of this article is one of them) say that all these are just historical misunderstandings and that one should not pay attention to any natural processes of the body - only sin defiles a person.

But both of them do not ask women and girls who come to confession about their cycles. Our “church grandmothers” show much greater and commendable zeal in this matter. It is they who frighten new Christian women with a certain “filth” and “uncleanness”, which must be vigilantly monitored while leading church life and, in case of omission, confessed.

The menstrual cycle is inherent in nature. Women experience a lot of discomfort, some severe pain. Believers perceive such a ban as unfair.

The Russian Orthodox Church does not have a consensus on why you cannot go to church while on your period. All clergy interpret the ban at their own discretion.

Reasons for the ban

To decide whether you can attend church during your period, you need to read the Bible and try to find the answer in it. The prohibition for entering the church during the Old Testament was physical disorders in the human body:

• Infectious diseases;
• Inflammatory processes in the active phase;
• Discharge from the urethra in men;
• Menstruation in women.

In addition, it was forbidden to visit temples for those who had physical contact with the deceased (washing, preparation for burial). Young mothers should attend church 40 days after the birth of a son and 80 days after the birth of a daughter.

The ban for menstruating women is associated with the fact that blood cannot be shed in church. Priests or parishioners who are injured must leave the temple and stop the bleeding outside. Getting blood on the floor, icons or holy books is unacceptable, since after this it must be re-consecrated.

With the advent of the New Testament, the list of conditions prohibiting church attendance decreased. It still has 40 days left from the birth of the children and menstruation. The latter are considered a sin. The onset of the menstrual cycle, according to some interpretations, indicates a dead egg and spontaneous abortion.

In the New Testament there is evidence of Jesus healing a woman with uterine bleeding. During the ceremony, she touched it with her hand and the bleeding stopped. Some clergy associated this condition of a woman with the possibility of giving birth to a new life, which the Almighty awarded her to women. Others believed that bleeding was a punishment for the sins of the first woman, Eve.

Attitude of the modern church

Is it possible to go to church while on your period?! With this question, young women come to the clergy and ask for advice. Whether to allow it or not is a personal matter for the minister.

Priests allow you to be present in church, but you cannot:

1. Light candles;
2. Touch the images.

You are allowed to enter and pray in the temple. The clergy are lenient towards the sick. Some women and girls are concerned about uterine bleeding when the menstrual cycle begins and ends. Unfortunately, medicine is not able to stop them at once. Periodic treatment does not bring results. Then they go with prayer to the Lord and the saints for health.

In such situations, the first prayer must be said in church by lighting a candle. Before prayer, it is customary to undergo the rite of confession and communion. In front of him, the holy father is warned about his situation and asked for his blessing.

Is it possible to receive communion during menstruation?

Confession, communion and baptisms are not carried out for girls, young women and women during menstruation. The church is a place of bloodless sacrifice and, according to the laws, people with bleeding wounds cannot visit it.

On the issue of baptism

The sacrament of baptism consists in the death of sinful flesh and its rebirth by the Holy Spirit. A person is cleansed of sins and reborn according to church customs. During baptism, prayers are read and people are washed with holy water.

Infants are completely immersed; adults have their head and face washed. Afterwards the person is dressed in clean clothes. Despite modern means of hygiene, a woman with her period is pure in soul, but not pure in body. Therefore, the sacrament of Baptism is not performed during the cycle.

They prepare for baptism in advance, and if suddenly menstruation began earlier and fell on that day, then it is better to move it to another date. The clergyman is notified in advance f. When baptizing a child, the clergyman may prohibit the mother from participating in the baptism due to her menstrual cycle.

Possibility of confession

Every believer goes through a ritual of confession. It is aimed at spiritual cleansing. With worldly problems and misdeeds, people turn to the clergy.

The priest absolves a person of sinful thoughts and deeds, gives advice and instructions for a righteous life. In addition to spiritual cleansing, bodily cleansing is also necessary. This is impossible during menstruation, so there is no time for confession on such days.

Sacrament of Communion

This is the sacrament of unity with the Lord, established by him himself before suffering. Then he divided the bread and wine among the apostles, like his own flesh and blood. The ritual has much in common with the actions of Christ.

After the service and prayer, people approach the altar to await the chalice. Children are allowed to go ahead. They do not drink from the cup, but open their mouth to receive the church drink and kiss its base. Prosphora serves as bread.

The sacrament of communion is prohibited during menstruation, with an exception being made for diseases that cause uterine bleeding. For communion, a person cleanses his soul and must be physically clean. This condition cannot be met given the physiological characteristics of the female body.

Sincerely believing women treat the covenants and canons of the Gospel with understanding and accept the will of the clergy with dignity. Therefore, it is not difficult for them to refuse communion or prayer in church.

A strict ban on women visiting the temple during menstruation has been passed down from generation to generation. Some people believe in this and strictly enforce the rule. Others are indignant and outraged by the ban, thinking why it’s not possible. Still others, not paying attention to critical days, come to church at the behest of their souls. So is it permissible to go to church during your period? Who, when and why forbade women to visit her on these special days for the female body?

The creation of man and woman

You can get acquainted with the moments of the creation of the Universe by the Lord in the Bible in the Old Testament. God created the first people on the sixth day in his own image and likeness and called the man Adam and the woman Eve. It follows from this that initially the woman was pure and did not have menstruation. Conceiving a child and giving birth should not have been painful. In their world, filled with perfection, there was nothing unclean. The body, thoughts, actions and soul were pure. But the perfection was short-lived.

The devil incarnated himself in the form of a serpent and began to tempt Eve so that she would eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He promised her power and knowledge. The woman tasted the fruit herself and treated her husband to it. This is how the fall of mankind occurred. Adam and Eve were expelled from Paradise. God doomed the woman to suffer. He said that from now on she would conceive and give birth in pain. It is from this moment that a woman is considered unclean.

Prohibitions of the Old Testament

Rules and laws were important to the people of that time period. All of them were spelled out in the Old Testament. Temples were created for communication with God and for making sacrifices to him. A woman was not a full member of society, but was a man's complement. Everyone remembered Eve’s sin, after which she began to menstruate. Menstruation was a reminder of what the woman had done.

The Old Testament clearly answered the question of who was allowed and who was forbidden to visit the Holy Temple and why. Didn't visit:

• with leprosy;
• with ejaculation;
• those who touched the corpses;
• with purulent discharge;
• women during menstruation;
• women who gave birth to a boy - 40 days, women who gave birth to a girl - 80 days.

In Old Testament times, everything was looked at from a physical point of view. A dirty body was considered a sign of an unclean person. During critical days, women were forbidden to visit the Temple., as well as places with big amount of people. She was far from the gatherings of the people. Blood could not be shed in holy places. This lasted until the coming of Jesus Christ and the bringing of the New Testament.

Uncleanness Abolished by the New Testament

Jesus Christ focused on the spiritual and tried to reach the human soul. He came to atone for all human sins, including Eve's sin. If a person did not have faith, all his deeds were considered unspiritual. A person's dark thoughts turned him into an unclean person, even with the purity of his body. The Holy Temple did not become a specific place on Earth, but was transferred to human souls. Christ said that the soul is the Temple of God and His Church. Men and women have become equal in rights.

One day a situation occurred that outraged all the clergy. While Christ was in the Temple, one woman, who had suffered from bleeding for many years, walked through the crowd to him and touched his clothes. Christ, sensing her, turned around and said that her faith saved her. Since that time, a split has occurred in the consciousness of mankind. Some remained faithful to physical purity and the Old Testament. They were of the opinion that a woman should never go to church during her period. And those who obeyed the teachings of Jesus Christ and followed faith in the New Testament and spiritual purity stopped adhering to this rule. After his death the New Testament came into force. The shed blood became a sign of the beginning of a new life.

Answers of priests to the question about the ban

So is it possible to go to church during your period?

Catholic priests have long decided for themselves the issue of women attending church on menstrual days. They consider periods to be a natural occurrence and see nothing wrong with them. Blood has long stopped spilling on the floors of the church, thanks to modern hygiene products.

But Orthodox priests cannot come to a common opinion. Some say that a woman should not go to church while on her period. Others say that you can come if your soul requires it. Still others allow women to come to church during menstruation, but prohibit some sacred sacraments:

1. wedding;
2. confession.

Bans are mostly related to physical aspects. For hygienic reasons, you should not go into water during menstruation. It's not very pleasant to look at blood mixing with water. The wedding takes a long time and a woman’s weakened body during menstruation may not be able to withstand it. Fainting often occurs, the woman experiences weakness and dizziness. During confession, the psycho-emotional state of a woman is affected. And during her period she is in a slightly inadequate state. Therefore, if a woman decides to confess, she may say something that she will regret for a long time. This is why you cannot confess during your period.

Is it possible to go to church during menstruation or not?

Modernity has mixed the sinful with the righteous. Nobody knows the origins of this ban. Priests ceased to be the spiritual ministers that they were considered to be during the times of the Old and New Testaments. Everyone perceives information in the way that is most convenient for them. The church is a building, the same as it was under the Old Testament. It follows that everyone must adhere to the rules established in those times. You can't go to church while you're on your period.

But the modern democratic world has made its own amendment. If we consider that shedding blood in the temple was considered sinful, then in the present period of time this problem has been completely solved. Hygiene products such as tampons and pads absorb blood well and prevent it from leaking onto the floor of the sacred place. A woman is not unclean. But there is a downside to this too. During menstruation, the female body cleanses itself. This means that the woman is still unclean, and she cannot attend church during her period.

But the New Testament and its purity of soul come to her aid. This means that if the soul feels the need to touch the shrine, to feel Divine support, then you can come to the temple. Even necessary! After all Jesus helps those who sincerely believe in him. And cleanliness of the body does not play a big role in this. Those who adhere to the rules of the New Testament are not prohibited from going to church during menstruation.

But there are amendments here too. Since the Church and the Holy Temple are in a person’s soul, then it is not at all necessary for him to come to a certain room for help. A woman can pray to God anywhere. And if the prayer comes from a pure heart, then it will be heard much faster than when visiting a temple.

Bottom line

No one can say for sure whether it is possible to go to church during menstruation. Everyone has their own opinion on this matter. A woman must answer this question herself and decide why she wants to go to church.

There is a ban and there is no ban. You need to look at what intentions a woman wants to go to church with.

If the purpose of the visit is to ask for forgiveness, repentance of sins, then you can go at any time, even during menstruation. Purity of soul is the main thing.

During critical days, it is best to reflect on your actions. Sometimes during your period you don’t want to leave the house at all. And during menstruation you can go to temple, but only if your soul requires it!

There is an opinion that a woman during her period is prohibited from entering church and attending services. This prohibition has been observed for many centuries, so religious women still doubt whether they can go to church during menstruation. Maybe bleeding makes them unclean, so they have no place in the church?

Is it possible to visit a temple or church if a woman is menstruating?

Where did the ban on visiting the temple during Regulus come from, and is it still relevant in the 21st century? Some women continue to strictly observe this injunction and are very worried that menstruation does not begin in church. Others calmly attend church services, considering such warnings outdated. Is it possible or not to go to church while menstruating? The answer to this question can be given by studying the Old and New Testaments.

According to the Old Testament

According to the Old Testament, the first woman, Eve, succumbed to temptation and ate fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and then persuaded her husband Adam to eat it. For this, God punished Eve. Punishment for misconduct was imposed on the entire female sex. The birth of children since then occurs in suffering, and monthly bleeding is a reminder of the sin committed.

The Old Testament contains instructions that women are prohibited from approaching or entering the temple in certain situations:

• during regulation;
• after the birth of a boy - within 40 days;
• after the birth of a girl - within 80 days.

The clergy explained this by the fact that the female sex bears the imprint of the Fall of man. During menstruation, a woman becomes dirty, unclean, so she should not defile the house of God. In addition, the Most Holy Bloodless Sacrifice - prayer - is performed in the house of God, therefore any bloodshed within its walls is unacceptable.

According to the New Testament

With the coming of Jesus Christ, the emphasis shifts from the physiological to the spiritual. If earlier, during the times of the Old Testament, a person was considered a defiler because of physical dirt, now only thoughts matter. No matter how pure a person may be outwardly, if he has dirty thoughts and intentions, no faith in his soul, all his deeds are considered unspiritual. And, conversely, even the dirtiest and sickest believer can be as pure in soul as a baby.

The New Testament describes a story that occurred when Christ went to the sick daughter of the arch-synagogue Jairus. A woman who had suffered from bleeding for many years approached him, touched the hem of Jesus’ robe, and immediately the bleeding stopped. Feeling the power emanating from him, Jesus Christ asked his disciples who touched him. The woman admitted that it was her. Christ answered her: “Daughter! Your faith has saved you; Go in peace and be well from your illness.”

The origins of the ban

Where did the idea come from in the minds of society that a woman during menstruation is unclean? This point of view was widespread in ancient times among many peoples who did not understand why a woman bleeds, so they tried to explain this phenomenon in all possible ways. Since many physiological secretions were considered a sign of illness, regula began to personify bodily dirt.

Pagan period

During pagan times, different tribes treated women during periods of bleeding almost the same. How can a person shed blood, considered a sign of wounds and disease, every month and yet remain alive? Ancient peoples explained this by connection with demons.

Girls on the verge of puberty underwent an initiation rite that was directly related to menarche. After this, they were considered adults, they were initiated into the feminine sacraments, they could get married and give birth to children.

In some tribes, women were expelled from home during periods of bleeding. They had to live in a special hut and only after that, having cleansed themselves, could they return home. In remote corners of the planet, similar customs have been preserved to this day.

Old Testament Times

Researchers believe that the period when the Old Testament was created dates back to the 1st–2nd millennium BC. To understand why prohibitions against the female sex were included in the Bible, it is necessary to pay attention to the social position of women at that time.

The female sex in ancient society was considered lower in status than the male sex. Wives and daughters did not have the same rights as husbands and sons. They could not own property, conduct business, and did not have the right to vote. In fact, a woman was the property of a man - first the father, then the husband, and then the son.

The idea of ​​the Fall of man, caused by Eve, explained why women should occupy a lower position compared to men. Another reason why menstruation made the female sex unclean is hidden in the concept of disease. Ancient peoples had no knowledge of what causes various diseases.

Blood and pus were dangerous because they were an obvious sign of disease that could infect another person. That is why in the times of the Old Testament it was forbidden to enter the church not only during menstruation, but also for those who had purulent wounds, suffered from leprosy, or touched corpses.

What restrictions on visiting a holy place exist today?

Despite the fact that the New Testament placed spiritual purity above physical purity, the opinion of the clergy remained unchanged for many centuries. For example, in the Kiev “Trebnik” of the early 17th century there is an order that if a woman with her period enters the temple, she should be punished in the form of a 6-month fast and 50 bows daily.

Nowadays, there is no such strict ban on visiting temples. A woman can go to church, pray, light candles. If she is worried about the possible desecration of a holy place with her presence, then she can simply stand to the side, at the entrance.

However, some restrictions still remain. The Church does not recommend performing the Sacraments during menstruation. Communion, baptism, confession and wedding - it is better to move these events to other days of the cycle.

In addition, the parishioner should not forget about other rules for visiting churches. Women are supposed to enter the temple only with their heads covered and in a skirt. Excessively deep necklines and miniskirts are not allowed. However, many churches, especially those located in tourist areas, have become more loyal to the appearance of believers. If a woman feels an irresistible urge to go inside, she can do so in trousers and without a headscarf.

How do other religions view women's menstruation?

In Islam, the opinion on this issue is ambiguous. Some Muslims believe that it is better to refrain from visiting the mosque. Others insist that such bans should be abandoned. It is forbidden to desecrate a mosque with bodily fluids, but if a Muslim woman uses hygiene products (tampons, pads or menstrual cups), she can enter.

In Hinduism, women are not allowed to enter temples during regula. In Buddhism, unlike other religions, there has never been a ban on visiting. A woman can enter the datsan at any time.

The opinion of the clergy

Catholic clerics believe that the ancient ban on visiting churches was due to poor hygiene in past centuries. Unable to wash or change their underwear regularly, women often contracted infections. During the regula, they smelled unpleasantly, and drops of blood could flow onto the floor of the church. Due to the fact that the hygiene problem has now been solved, the ban on entering the temple has no original meaning.

The opinion of Orthodox priests is not so clear. Some of them continue to adhere to strict prohibitions and recommend refraining from performing the Sacraments, but explain this with concern for the health of the parishioner. Weddings, baptisms, and confessions last a long time, and a believer may feel ill during her menstruation; the smell of incense may make her dizzy. Other clergy insist that the woman herself must make the decision. If she feels the need to attend church, she should not limit this desire.

To enter or not to enter to church during menstruation, is it possible to pray or receive Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ during menstruation. These questions often arise for many women. Many times they are asked by church ministers, who, unfortunately, do not even always know what to answer people about the actual origin of such a ban. All these ambiguous questions take us into the depths of the past. Yes, exactly to the very depths.

What is pure and unclean in a person according to the church?

This is due to the fact that death, illness, bleeding and other ailments happen to people - as a reminder of man’s sinfulness and mortality.

Interestingly, pagan cultures had the same regulations. According to these rules, women were allowed to pray and ask for help, but Baptism and Communion were prohibited. This was the opinion, for example, of Dionysius of Alexandria in the 3rd century.

Church opinions regarding the uncleanness of women during menstruation in history

But Gregory Dvoeslov, 6th century, argued that people are equal by nature and it is not their fault, therefore everything is permissible even during menstruation.

Athanasius of Alexandria III century - all of God's creation is “good and pure.” And that if phlegm from the nose or saliva from the mouth is natural, then other phlegm - in particular menstruation - is also natural. We are all God's race.

But his disciple Timothy already argued that Baptism and Communion should be postponed until cleansing and the cessation of bleeding.

Such different opinions about the purity of women in the church understanding and traditions existed even at that time. In the Old Testament, impurity and women are also associated with the fall of Adam and Eve and their short-sighted actions.

About menstruation in the New Testament

New Testament. He brings new, more positive thinking on the topic of pure and unclean. Here Jesus Himself allows us to touch him. “And so the woman, who had suffered from bleeding for 12 years, came up from behind and touched the hem of His robe, for she said to herself: If I only touch His robe, I will be healed. Jesus, turning and seeing her, said: Be of good cheer, daughter! Your faith saved you. From that hour the woman became healthy.” (Matthew, chapter 9).

The apostles taught the same. The Apostle Paul said: “I know and am confident in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean in myself.” What everything created by God is holy and pure.

Is it okay to go to church during your period?

Based on this, we can conclude that every woman has the right to decide for herself what to do when she has her period, that the Master Jesus, as the purest person on earth recognized by the church, did not prohibit Communion and Baptism during menstruation.

One could say that He even encouraged such actions based on a person's faith. There is a simple but true saying of Jesus: "God is love". Therefore, if a woman wants to visit a temple during her period, then it is possible. Love will not prohibit it, Love wants to see everyone happy.

Also, many priests and the modern official church at this time allow this to be done, there are simply others who still recommend, according to tradition, to refrain from these actions. We will tell you where this tradition came from, and specifically why girls on their period are forbidden to go to church in a separate article.

Menstrual blood and its secrets

It is even stored as a wound healing agent. It can be said that in some religions and beliefs, a woman's menstrual blood is an expression of the feminine principle - the source of all things.

Although women themselves often view menstrual bleeding as some kind of inconvenience, it is better to understand that this is the source of their strength. After all, women's blood carries the genetic code. The whole history and connection with ancestors is in the blood.

They say that you can even ask your blood for health or removal of damage if you think that you have it (genetic memory of the family and connection with it).

What does a woman's menstrual blood symbolize?

For example, aboriginal peoples have a tradition of bleeding on the ground during menstruation in order to give a sign that the Goddess is REBIRTH. After all, when blood is transferred to the earth, the Divine Feminine Energy is transferred and circulates.

And menstruation is not a curse, but on the contrary, a connection with the Goddess.

In ancient times, the Feminine Divine Principle was revered, and there were no wars or disagreements. There is a very simple method - dilute the monthly blood with water and water the garden or vegetable garden - it will bloom.

Menstrual blood also carries decoded DNA, i.e. at this time, a woman is at the highest peak of intuition and understanding.

Therefore, most “esotericists” believe that the concept of impurity of menstrual blood is simply a religious distortion, introduced at one of the stages of departure from the original correct Christianity, in order to earn more money from it and keep people in fear and obedience. What was often required in past times, and remains in this religion to this day, but has no practical and truly useful application.

Why should you go to church while on your period?

A woman is also initially a pure being; moreover, she can give and generate life within herself, which in itself is a great miracle. And today it is more important to love and respect them for this, and not burn them at the stake, as they did in darker times without understanding their structure and psychology. But today everything is gradually getting better, that’s a fact. The Era of Ignorance is ending and you now have much more understanding on this topic.

And let’s end this story with one positive expression from Clement of Rome, 3rd century: “The main thing is to have the Holy Spirit within you, then no defilement, including bleeding during menstruation, will defile you.” I AM THAT I AM.

We also invite you to familiarize yourself with another alternative point of view on the question, as well as other religious and esoteric topics on our Training and Self-Development portal, for example, about that and many other interesting topics for spiritual self-development.