Moderator: Mark Templet
Thank you for this information. Is it possible in the GOC to confess during the week if you want to commune on Sunday? Is it admitted to commune without confession if your last communion occured let's say 7 days before and if you did not commit a "grave" sin?
I know these parishes in France. They use to publish a good orthodox review and good orthodx books too.
Priidite, poklonimsja i pripadem ko Hristu.
I read months ago a good webpage made by people from GOC about marriage (in particular marriage with heterodox people). I am not able to find it again... Could someone give me the link?
I am also looking for the adress of the GOC London parish (e mail address, phone...). Could someone provide it?
I am also looking for the English text of the GOC encyclic where they are said to anathematize the "ecumenists". I would be happy to read GOC official documents explaining their eccesiology... Their position towards other Greek churches in partuclar. Indeed, I was said the GOC asserts it is the only true Greek church...
Finally, why does the GOC have such a lousy website : no information...
Priidite, poklonimsja i pripadem ko Hristu.
Well Im no pro at confession and preparation before Holy Communion, But I will say this, that if a recent confession has been done and nothing really has changed-can you Take Holy Communion?
as an Old "roman catholic" or for better terms a member of a jurisdiction of old catholics in the latin church, this is how we did things, if no "grave sins" (sex before marriage,assult,murder,rape,masturbation,extreme profanity,wet dreams,attempted suicide) if none of these things occured we o.k.then it was o.k. to approach their communion...another thing that swept the latin church when I was an attendee in the 80s is the thought that one could just confess ones sins before mass, not with a Priest but in the church by yourself in prayer to God. here is a recent writing it
ON EUCHARISTIC THANKGIVING
July 11/24, 2006
Saint Euphemia
My Beloved Brethren and Children in Christ,
Saint John Climacus explains that there are three basic warfares of Satan. First, he tries to prevent anyone from performing any virtuous act. Second, he tries to make it so when one performs a virtuous act, it is not done according to God. Third, if one completes a virtuous act he tries to tempt that person with pride.
Preparing oneself for Holy Communion and attending the Divine Liturgy on Sunday is an act of virtue. I exhort you all out of pastoral love to make your Sunday offering with discretion. In my travels I have noticed that there are some of the pious faithful that neglect to stay in Church to hear the Thanksgiving Prayers after Holy Communion or that remain and talk idly amongst themselves and receive no benefit from them.
When we partake of Holy Communion we partake of the very flesh that our Savior took on for our sakes and the very blood that He shed out of self-sacrificing love. How can we give thanks for such ineffably great blessings? As it says in the secret prayer of the priest in Saint Basils Liturgy, “O our God, the God of salvation, do Thou teach us to give thanks to Thee worthily for Thy Benefits, which Thou has done, and still doest toward us, Do Thou, our God, Who acceptest these gifts, cleanse us from all defilement of flesh and spirit, and teach us to perfect holiness in Thy fear; that we, with the pure witness of our conscience, receiving a portion of Thy hallowed things, may be united to the holy Body and Blood of Thy Christ.”
We pay our debt to God for all He has done for us, by giving thanks through partaking of the Holy Eucharist and in giving thanks increase our debt. Our Savior contrives all this to bring us to closer union with Him. The Holy Eucharist is not a reward. The word Eucharist means thanksgiving. Our Savior commanded us to “do this in remembrance” of Him. (Luke 22:19) It is a remembrance of His whole economy of salvation for us. To partake of the Holy Mysteries is to acknowledge and respond to our Saviors love. Let us never say, “Have me excused,” along with those that made light of the wedding banquet of the King’s Son.
We exist by the will of God and our salvation is a free gift that He desires to give us, but our participation in this gift depends on our will. There is no better way to respond than to partake of the thanksgiving feast that is the Eucharist, the antidote of death, the medicine of Immortality that has been granted unto us through the incarnation. In order to partake “according to God” and receive a blessing and have our sacrifice of thanksgiving accepted we must not straightway depart from the Church after receiving Holy Communion. Even if one completes all aspects of preparation and attendance at Liturgy and partakes of Holy Communion, it is not enough. Cain took the trouble to make a sacrificial offering to God and when it was not accepted and he was crestfallen over this, God told him, “Hast thou not sinned if thou hast brought it rightly, but not rightly divided it?” (Genesis 4:7) In the context of Holy Communion we cannot wrongly divide our attention from the Thanksgiving Prayers. Our Savior has nourished us spiritually and having partaken, we should not depart without good reason. If we were guests at a friend’s house we would not think of leaving before thanking the host.
Our Savior expects and appreciates our thanksgiving, as it is written in the 17th Chapter of the Gospel of Saint Luke:
At that time, as Jesus entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them, He said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
Ten lepers were healed and only one returned and the nine went on their merry way. Ten received benefactions and only one acknowledged this and showed grateful worship!
And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? Were there none found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger?
By these words our Savior proclaims that thanksgiving is expected.
And He said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath saved thee.
Our Savior blesses the man that was motivated by his living faith to give thanks. Alas, how often do we imitate the nine and not the one who was grateful and received a greater gift? Whenever we choose to neglect to give thanks we suffer loss. As Saint Isaac the Syrian wrote in his Second Homily:
The thanksgiving of the receiver incites the giver to give gifts greater than the first. He that returns no thanks in small matters is a dissembler and dishonest in greater ones also…. There is no unpardonable sin, save the unrepented one. Nor does any gift remain without addition, save that which is received without thanksgiving. The fool’s portion is small in his eyes.
Let us not offend our Savior by unnecessarily departing from the nave of the Church or speaking idly in the Church during the Thanksgiving Prayers after Holy Communion, so that we all will receive ever-increasing gifts from our Savior and Benefactor, Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Your fervent suppliant unto the Lord,
+Metropolitan Moses
First, and Last, and Always
in CHRIST
Thank you for this information. Is it possible in the GOC to confess during the week if you want to commune on Sunday? Is it admitted to commune without confession if your last communion occured let's say 7 days before and if you did not commit a "grave" sin?
As far as I have been taught, Holy Confession and Holy Communion are not interdependent. It is the practice given to me by my priest (GOC) that we can commune if our conscience is clear and we are prepared. In the spirit of this, we should have confessed within at least 40 days of communion.
I would like to know how to join a GOC cleric speaking English, French or Spanish in Western Europe : I tried the German and British parishes by email but I got no answer... 
Priidite, poklonimsja i pripadem ko Hristu.
Jean-Serge wrote:I would like to know how to join a GOC cleric speaking English, French or Spanish in Western Europe : I tried the German and British parishes by email but I got no answer...
The best bet would be to contact bishop Photios. However, he has been so busy as of late especially after having been arrested by the New Calendarist backed police on the island of Kalymnos the other month. Send me an email or a PM through my profile and I will give you his email address, and if that doesn't work, I will put you in contact with a friend of mine in England.
Anastasios
