Is it possible to venerate the relics of St. Spyridon when you are menstruating?translated
Hello. I am 15 years old. This week the relics of St. Spyridon will be brought to Moscow for just six days. I planned to venerate the relics, but my period started. The question is, can I venerate the relics, since it is unknown when they will be brought next time, or is it better not to? Will I desecrate the shrine?
Maria
Priest's answer:
Priest Victor NIKISHOV
God bless you!
Yes, you can venerate the relics. In the modern practice of the Church, female ritual uncleanness during menstruation is not an obstacle to the worship of shrines, and especially to prayer. In modern times, hygiene products allow women to enter churches without fear of desecrating them.
The Old Testament had strict regulations regarding ritual purity, including those regarding women during their periods (Lev. 15:19–30). A person who touched it was considered unclean until evening, and was forbidden to enter the Tabernacle.
However, for Christians these Old Testament ritual institutions have lost their force. The Apostle Paul directly says: “Let no one therefore judge you for food or drink, or for any festival, or for the new moon, or for the Sabbath: these are a shadow of things to come, but the body is in Christ” (Col....
