Question: Father Andrew, your blessing. I
heard in a sermon that a faithful Christian who observes Wednesday and Friday
fasts can take communion on Sunday without fasting on Saturday. What is your
take on it? Sophia
Answer by Fr. Andrew Lemeshonok: I have the same opinion. This idea was first brought
up by St. John of Kronstadt who said, “If one takes communion regularly, it’ll
suffice him or her to fast only on Wednesdays and Fridays.” He means those
people who live according to the Church calendar. That is why, if you confess
and take communion regularly, you’ll be fine fasting only on Wednesdays and
Fridays during non-fasting seasons. Naturally, you shouldn’t overeat on Saturdays
before communion on Sunday.
If one seldom
partakes of the Eucharist, he or she will naturally need more time to come
round. If one takes communion several times a year or once in a couple of
months, he or she will be hard-pressed to concentrate on the Sacrament. That is
why he or she must prepare for the confession and put some effort into fasting
because he or she has definitely accumulated too many sins and has to examine
and get rid of them somehow.
December
3, 2018
St. Elisabeth Convent
CONVERSATION