How to Prepare for Communion at 70?translated

Reader's Question:

I will turn 70 in December. Due to my health, I am unable to observe the fast before Communion. The last time it was very bad; I barely made it home and took a long time to recover. Now I'm just afraid. What should I do?

Nadezhda

Answer from the Priest:

Rev. Archpriest Andrei Efanov

May God bless you!

Dear Nadezhda, what fasting rules do you observe during the preparatory period and the eucharistic fast? If you strictly fast but feel poorly after Communion, this is incorrect, and you should consult your physician and the parish priest to find a balance where reasonable abstinence brings you benefit rather than harm.

In general, at such an age, many already have a "bouquet" of illnesses, so fasting should be more of a diet than a monastic rule (which, by the way, is not obligatory for laypeople).

The main thing I wanted to say: physical fasting must be a help to spiritual fasting. If a Christian strictly fasts regarding food but does little prayer and limits neither social interaction nor entertainment, then there will be no benefit from abstinence. And spiritual abstinence is not contraindicated at any age.

With God!

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