Eating Before Church

[尼古拉前执事]

Well a lot of the positions of the GOA are not Orthodox.

I found some more tonight on the GOA site: Wonderful web site, pity about the content.

The Patriarch of Constantinople is considered as the highest authority of the Orthodox Church. Since the sixth century he bears the title of Archbishop of Constantinople, the New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch. As "primus" (first) bishop of the Orthodox Church, the Ecumenical Patriarch undertakes various initiatives of Pan-Orthodox character, while coordinating relations between the other Churches of the Orthodox Communion, as well as relations between Orthodoxy as a whole and other Christian Churches or World Religions. Thus, he convokes and presides over councils and Pan-Orthodox meetings; consecrates the Myrrh (chrism) for all Orthodox Churches; grants autocephalous status to local churches which have become mature enough to be elevated to that ecclesiastical rank. ... The ecumenicity of the Patriarchate of Constantinople has been ratified by two Ecumenical Councils: the second (Constantinople, 381) and the fourth (Chalcedon, 451). The primatial privileges of the Patriarch of Constantinople were also solemnly reconfirmed by the Council of Trullo in 691. These primatial prerogatives grant the Patriarchate of Constantinople the jurisdiction over all Orthodox Christians who live in countries where there is not a canonical, autonomous or autocephalous, Orthodox jurisdiction.

Not to mention that whole "He is the spiritual leader of the world's over 300 million Orthodox Christians" that I see on lots of GOA press releases!

[ania]

If your receiving communion, that you can't eat past midnight. However, I've only seen a few parish priests in ROCOR who don't give the antidorian out to those who had eatten. I have also often seen non-Orthodox visitors to our churches receive that antidorian. But, I have gathered this... In San Francisco in the days of St. John, he was about to let people come up to kiss the cross, when suddenly he said "Only those who haven't eatten today may come up and kiss the cross." When those who had gone to Communion & only a few others stepped up, he sighed, gave the cross to one of his priests, and went back into the alter. The priest then allowed everyone up. So I gather that, it is the prefered practice not to eat at all before liturgy, but it is not against any canons or whatever else. Just goes back to tradition.

[Benjamin]

No

[Miriam]

benjamin wrote....NO

No what?

For myself I was raised in the tradition that you did not have breakfast before church unless you were small and/or ill. Boys who were old enough to service, but young enough to receive communion also follwed the no breakfast rule.

[尼古拉前执事]

From the Old Orthodox Prayer Book:

The bread which we receive after the Divine Liturgy, known as Prosphora or 'Dora', is given especially to those who for some reason or other did not or could not prepare for the Holy Communion.  This bread is the remainder of the loaves from which the small particles were taken out to be used in the Liturgy for the Holy Lamb and the other commemorative particles, and therefore it has a special blessing, although it is not the Body of Christ.  The faithful should partake of this blessed bread with great piety, taking care that a single crumb does not fall astray, and then when it is consumed it is done with fasting, and not treated as an ordinary food.  Some pious Orthodox Christians keep a number of small particles of Prosphora at home, and after their morning prayers partake of it, "instead of Holy Communion", as it was intended; in this way the whole week is sanctified and we continue to participate in the previously-celebrated Liturgy.

[_cizinec_]

I would like to emphasize the prospect of discussing a medical issue with your priest if you have a medical necessity. Those who MUST eat breakfast probably have a condition where they really should be receiving. I'm not sure the Church Fathers would be thrilled with the idea of excommunicating the sick, elderly and the very young.

[PFC Nektarios]

My parish allows heterodox to recieve the blessed bread.