About the Practice of Preparing for Communion
the Holy Fathers. The canons require only one fast: that of abstaining from food after midnight. Everything else is left to the conscience of the communicant. Naturally, this pertains only to those Christians who have not been suspended from Holy Communion for mortal sins. As has already been said, the practice of other local churches likewise gives no grounds for introducing such harsh discipline. Incidentally, it should be noted that, aside from the Typicon cited, there is another artifact in the Russian Church that governs preparation for Communion: this is the “Instructional Notice” printed in the clergy Service Book, approved, unlike the Typicon, by a whole series of late 17th-century Moscow Councils. Here we find a detailed list of all the conditions for receiving the Holy Mysteries, and the repeated statement that these are the same for both priest and layman. This includes reading a specific prayer rule, being present for the full cycle of services on the day of Communion, abstaining from the marriage bed the day before, eating little the previous evening (with no indication of what foods may or may not be eaten), and an absolute prohibition of eating after midnight. The “Notice” likewise requires that the Christian (whether priest or layman) absolutely first make confession if he has fallen into a mortal sin. As for lesser sins, while acknowledging the sacrament of confession to be desirable, the Service Book permits communing without 57