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NEWSLETTER June, 2014

Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church A Parish of the Orthodox Church in America Archpriest John Udics, Rector Demetrios Richards 305 Main Road, Herkimer, New York, 13350 Parish Web Page: www.cnyorthodoxchurch.org

Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church Newsletter, June, 2014

Parish Contact Information : Archpriest John Udics, Rector: (315) 866-3272 – [email protected] Deacon Demetrios Richards – [email protected] Council President and Cemetery Director: John Ciko: (315) 866-5825 – [email protected] Council Secretary: Deacon Demetrios Richards (315) 865-5382 – [email protected] Saint Anna Altar Society President: Barbara Daley: 315-866-7834 -– [email protected]

Birthdays in June 2 – Christine Sokol 18 – Michael Stehnach 10 – Joseph Gale 20 – Kristen Pawlusik 17 – Esther Hladysz

Memory Eternal 4 - Paraskeva Spytko (1973) 22 - Andrew and Paiza Yaneshak 5 - Josephine Sokol (2008) 22 - Mary Behuniak 9 - Anna Malinchak (1980) 22 - Ann Kowalsky 9 - Helen Sobolowski (2007) 23 - Metro Demchko (2002) 10 - Anna Byrda (1971) 24 - Eva Sokol (1992) 12 - Michael Alexczuk (1982) 25 - Paul Sokerka (1970) 14 - Stanley Bayzon 25 - Mary Sokol (1996) 14 -Theodosia Kluka 25 - Michael Rinko Sr (1995) 15 - Jacob Eskoff 25 - Stephen Hladysz (1996) 15 - Ludmilla Sopiski (1974) 27 - George Herko (1992) 17 - Thomas Hubiak (1981) 27 - Michael Pupchek (1991) 17 – Rose Sokol (2013) 28 - Ethlyn Krenichyn (1973) 18 - Thomas Mezick (1991) 29 - Harry Homyk Sr (1973) 18 - William Pupchek (2009) 29 - Helen Nesterak 18 – Rose Sokol (2012) 30 - William Hladysz (1985) 21 - Stanley Wieliczka (2000) 31 - Ksenia Homiak (1983)

COFFEE HOUR HOSTS FOR JUNE AND JULY Jun 1 John Ciko and Sonia Buttino Jul 6 John Elnicky Jun 8 Margaret and Nick Keblish Jul 13 Anne Gale and Family Jun 15 Debie and David Chlus Jul 20 Walt Tirenin and Steve Leve Jun 22 Norma and John Stehnach Jul 27 Norma and John Stehnach Jun 29 Lyszczarz Family

AFTER PASCHA – how do we keep the intense feeling of Lent, after the Resurrection? Or - Living the life of an Apostle Lent was so filled with beautiful dramatic services, wonderful prayers and hymns, and even the prayer and fasting we do at home. But after Pascha, some people feel let down. This shouldn’t be. In the Early Church, Lent was the time of preparing catechumens for entry into the Church. This aspect of Great Lent is so important for us as the reminder of our own catechumenate. The 2 Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church Newsletter, June, 2014 catechumens were very important in the life of the Church, not only because they were fresh and new, but also because they were so zealous and energetic about the faith and about being Christians. They rejuvenated the old-timers and encouraged those who were ‘weary in well-doing’ (2 Thessalonians 3:13) or tired from doing charity and good things for others. They were like the addition of fresh leaven or yeast into the dough – remember that in those early times that meant sourdough and it was possible that your leaven would get old or weak… One of the post-baptism instructions to the neophytes (Christian newbies) was heard in the Gospel lesson, "Just as the Father has sent me, even so I send you" (John 20:21) – thus changing them from students into workers and doers. But this is also “The Great Commission” which is addressed to ALL Christians, neophytes and elders alike. Great Lent may be the training ground for catechumens, but it’s also the ‘retreat’ for the older Christians. Great Lent is a time for all of us to hone our skills as missionaries and workers in the vineyard of Christ – the kingdom of Heaven. So, what do we ‘veterans’ need to remember about this Great Commission, this Great Command? First, we need to remember that we are being SENT, and not just asked, or recommended. We are SENT, just as God the Father SENT God the Son. So, we are under obedience, as soldiers are under obedience to their commanders. This is not a willy-nilly ‘sending’ but a part of the strategy in the war of good against evil. Not every soldier is on the front line, but every soldier is one who is prepared to face the fight when the need arises. Not every soldier is called to be a foot-soldier, but some are called to be leaders and officers. That means that everyone has a job to do, and no job is more or less important than another. What else? This sending is not the happiest thing, from the point of view of the non-Christians. That’s because this sending is to labor and served – unpaid, to struggle and overcome – unacknowledged, to be hated and despised because of Our Master and devotion to righteousness and goodness, to be unloved, mistreated, unknown, and unsought. Doesn’t appeal to you? It was part of Our Lord’s life – so if we accept the commission, we shouldn’t be surprised at this aspect of it. But none of this matters, because our food and our reward is to do the will of God. All our needs will be taken care of because as God clothes the fields with lilies, as he feeds the birds of the air, as he finds rest for those who have nowhere to lay their heads, so He cares for us. This reward from God is more beautiful and wonderful and incredible blessing than any praise or reward from men. Sounds like a tall ? Remember that God sent his only-begotten Son to teach us the most important things about life – to love God with all our heart and mind and soul and strength and to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves, by feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, the naked, and by visiting the sick and imprisoned. If we soldiers can do even part of that, we’ll be fed from by the Bread of Heaven. But more than that, we are not sent alone – after being taught the basic training by our Lord Jesus Christ, God promised to send and continues to send us His Holy Spirit, to comfort us and to reward us, and to over us, to help us learn what’s right (because He is the Spirit of Truth), who is everywhere, and who gives life and blessings. He will come and stay with us, guide us and protect us.

SO, having taken up our cross, and having accepted the command to go and be his apostles and disciples and announce His Good Word to the world, let us rely on God’s Holy Spirit to show each of us the way we should go about accomplishing His great work.

3 Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church Newsletter, June, 2014

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

327. Father, where does the clergy collar come from? Is it Orthodox? My says that Orthodox Clergy should never wear clergy , because they are . Fads and come and go, and times change even in clergy and styles. The beginning of the ‘’ can be said to go back to the middle ages to clergy attire adapted for use by students studying for the priesthood. Later, when secular and religious education became separate fields of study, this garb was adapted for use by all academics as the academic , and even later, it was adapted for use by clerkes or clarks, [‘clerks’ in plain English], lawyers, advocates, and judges. Today we see the descendence of this in the academic of university professors and legal apparel of judges. The particular use of black garments can be traced to the Presbyterian clergy in the age of the Puritans – the late 1680s – who protested the use of fancy clothing and for purity’s sake dressed simply, all in black with collars which had two white tabs connected under the chin like an upside-down letter V. These “preacher’s tabs” were kept by the clergy as their particular form of dress long after other clerks gave them up for more modern . In the United States, we see photographs of preachers wearing these tabs from the late 1800’s to the present day. This form of dress was common for most Protestant clergy, though the more ‘evangelical’ they were, the less likely they would be to wear distinctive clergy attire. The ‘clergy collar’ is a relatively recent innovation, dating only from the 1850’s or so. In fact, the collar is simply the normal collar worn on any man’s dress , made of heavily starched white linen, attached to the shirt by special collar buttons which look like miniature mushrooms with a flattened out ‘foot,’ one buttoned under the chin and one at the back of the neck. In times when doing was a backbreaking chore, it was a lot easier to wash only a collar, and allow a shirt multiple wearings before it saw a laundry day. Only within the last 50 years were collars regularly sewn directly onto shirts. This date might be coincidental with the introduction of washing machines. Even today, in the most formal clothing styles for men, as in the tuxedos and worn for weddings, proms, concerts, balls, appearances at a royal court and so on, collars may be separate from the rest of the shirt. However, historically, clergymen came to wear their collar backwards, and without a , in order to distinguish themselves from laymen. Some clergy wear a rabat (pronounced like ‘rabbit’ or ‘rabbee’) which is a sort of bib-front to which the collar is attached. Some men wear rabats instead of shirts for comfort in warm climates and seasons. The rabat is worn under a , which in earlier times was a – much longer than what we think of as a suit coat today, and similar to what we now call a topcoat. Laymen wore white linen rabats with their starched collars and white shirts, but the clergy later came to wear black rabats and reversed white collars. In the case of the Roman or Latin Church, for a long time in America their clergy wore cassocks or monastic habits. The introduction of a black shirt for clerical collars, which further distinguished clergy from , came later. The clerical collar and shirt is only a ‘short form’ for the cassock or habit. The clergy shirt has only been manufactured since the 1920’s or 1930’s or even later. The clergy shirt is worn with a black suit, so that anyone who sees a man dressed in this way recognizes him instantly as a priest or clergyman. The so-called ‘Roman collar’ is simply a version of the clerical collar mentioned above, but with a variety of styles signifying the position or monastic order of the clergyman. Some differentiating signs might be a colored ribbon or stripe in the front of the collar (vertically) or one around the collar 4 Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church Newsletter, June, 2014

(horizontally), as opposed to a plain white neck-band style collar. In some cases, the collar itself was a different color or shade. The ‘Jesuit collar’ or ‘tab collar,’ a bit of white linen stiffened with starch later replaced by a tab made of white plastic, is inserted into a shirt collar made like a flattened tube. The tab collar has gained popularity much more recently, only in the last 40 or 50 years. So, part of the answer to your question is that the clergy collar and clergy shirt can be traced back centuries to Roman Catholic roots or decades to more Protestant roots. It is neither exclusively Roman Catholic nor Protestant, but it is a Western, and more recently British and American invention. The second part of your question concerns the Orthodox clergy and their proper attire – and whether they should wear clergy shirts, which are not traditionally Orthodox in origin. In pre-Revolutionary Russia, most of the population lived in rural farming areas, and the local were allotted parcels of land which they plowed, sowed and harvested, just like their parishioners did. The priests did the same farm work every one of their parishioners did. While working in the fields and barns, priests did not wear their riassa and cassock, but wore the same clothing as all the men in the village. The riassa and cassock were worn when priests were serving in church, teaching, visiting the sick, and performing other priestly duties. In other Orthodox countries, where the clergy are paid by the state, it was and is normal for the clergy to wear riassa and cassock and at all times, without exception, almost as an identifying . Remember that the shirt is basically just a short cassock, and that while working the clergy wore work cassocks which came above the knee, while others wore shirts, like the rubashka (Russian peasant shirt). Even today, some monastic clergy, when working in the fields, wear short cassocks which come down only as far as the knee. When Russian Orthodox clergy were sent to America, like Saint Patriarch Tikhon, Saint Alexis Toth of Wilkes-Barre and Metropolitan Leonty of blessed memory, they were instructed not to wear cassocks, riassas and , but to follow the fashion of American clergy. They wore secular , frock and dressed as American ‘reverendi’ in order to further the mission in America. Photos of Orthodox priests dressed in this fashion can be seen in certain historical books, for example Orthodox America 1794-1976, edited by Constance Tarasar, 1975. In America, since the 1900’s, in situations where the clergy need to have secular jobs in order to support their families, it is considered normal, after obtaining their ’s blessing, for the clergy to find jobs wherever they can, and to dress not in riassa and cassock, but in the clothing appropriate for their trade. It is true that the correct traditional form of dress for an Orthodox clergyman (at least in Church) is a cassock and riassa and hat. We should point out, though, that this clothing was the clothing mandated for the clergy by the Turks during the Turkocratia [Turkish rule of the church and people], and that clergy dress was mandated in that form as identifying clothing. There are clergy today who feel uncomfortable and out of place when wearing cassock, riassa and hat in public. They say that the traditional form of clerical dress is too expensive, too uncomfortable, too difficult to keep clean, too hot, too cumbersome, too monastic, too foreign or un-American, or just too much. So these ‘modern’ American Orthodox clergy prefer the convenience of a black clergy shirt and white collar, especially the tab collar. Clergy in clergy shirts are instantly recognizable as priests, and are shown (or used to be shown) the respect due to that calling and office. Clergy who toy with the Protestant version of clergy shirts in various colors tend to be called ‘Sir’ or ‘Mister’ instead of ‘Father’ and are treated with a quizzical expression from people who aren’t exactly certain who or what they’re dealing with.

5 Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church Newsletter, June, 2014

Very often, contemporary American Orthodox clergy, who wear cassock and riassa at all church functions, parish visitations and religious services, would prefer to be dressed more ‘informally’ when going to go to a bank or restaurant or movie theater (for example), thinking it inappropriate to wear a cassock into such ‘secular temples.’ We should remember that the decision of ‘what to wear’ is not a fashion statement, and is not up to the decision of the individual clergyman, but is in accord with guidelines or at least the examples given by their . Some Orthodox clergy in the United States are directed by their bishops NOT to wear cassocks and riassas outside the liturgical services of the church, others are instructed that they MUST wear cassock and riassa 24 hours a day, 365.25 days a year. The clergy shirt and collar are almost exclusively an American and British ‘institution.’ In many Orthodox Christian countries, it is normal to see the clergy dress in riassa and cassock and hat at all times. However, in many countries, at various times, clergy were forbidden by law to wear cassocks or distinguishing garments in public. Except in Church, clergy would wear secular suits, white shirts and black . In formerly Communist countries, clergy did not wear outside the Church, Again, white shirts with neckties and black suits were the normal clergy garb. Curiously, after the fall of Communism, the clergy have not returned to wearing clerical clothing for various reasons. Only very recently has the clergy shirt begun to gain popularity.

330. In Saint Paul’s (first) letter to the Corinthians 11: 4 & 7, the Apostle to the Gentiles states that a man should not cover his head. Tell me why then we have so many clergy wearing ‘beanies’ as if they were in synagogue? It is even more noticeable in the Roman Catholic tradition where Bishops wear a yarmulke! We have clergy in our own diocese who wear their ’beanies’ all the time - I suspect even in the shower! Some wear bright red so they cannot be missed even in thick fog! You may not be familiar with the phrase ‘preaching heresy bareheaded in the assembly.’ The connotation is inevitably that of arrogance, defiance, incorrigibility. The covering of the head on the part of the clergy and monastic men (monastic women follow the same rules as for lay women) is a sign of humility and of hiddenness (in spite of the bright glow of hats and beanies) much like the recitation of prayers from the text rather than from the imagination. In its own way, this is not too conceptually different from the ‘kippah’ worn by observant Jewish men, or the worn by Jewish women when they light the Sabbath candles. In both instances, covering the head signifies obedience and submission to the Lord, an external sign of relinquishing the ego. There are rules for the wearing/doffing of men’s in the church, both for the clergy and the laity, and they make sense. We would do well to learn those rules and their meaning. The story about Father Dmitri Gisetti and liturgical headgear always brings out a chuckle. Having lived and loved the Church and served it for an estimable time, he was awarded several ‘nagradi’ (‘awards’). On being informed of one such award he said, ‘Not another hat!’

331. Father, what do the marks on food labels ‘Pareve’ or ‘Parve’ and the little K and the U in a circle mean, relative to Jewish kosher laws? What does this mean for us, for fasting? The rules for kosher or kashrut are very complicated and it’s not necessary for us to delve into that here. The basic rules you need to bear in mind are that if something is certified ‘kosher’ it implies that it was produced following strict rules of cleanliness and purity. Kosher laws strictly forbid mixing meat 6 Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church Newsletter, June, 2014 and milk during cooking, eating, preparation etc. to the point that observant Jews have two kitchens with two sets of utensils and plates and so on so that never the twain should meet. The marks ‘pareve’ or ‘parve’ signify that that article of food is produced without meat or poultry or milk products or their derivatives. Eggs and fish are pareve, shellfish are not. The ‘U’ in a circle is the mark of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, and certifies that the food is kosher. This mark replaces the Hebrew letters which spell kosher (resembling the English letters ‘7WD’ – the ‘D’ without a spine) because fewer and fewer Jews in America are able to read Hebrew. The ‘K’ in a circle is the mark of the Organized Kashrus Laboratories. There are quite a large number of such marks to be found on labels on food, K in a small star, K in a heart, and so on. There’s a list of such marks on a webpage at http://www.kosherquest.org. Foods marked ‘kosher for Passover’ are foods which observant Jews can safely eat at any time during the year, but if they are NOT marked ‘kosher for Passover’ they may not be eaten during the Passover season. For us Christians, the implications for fasting are that kosher food is produced according to strict laws of cleanliness and purity, and are certified to be free of additives and chemicals not listed on the ingredients label. If they’re ‘pareve’ then, as long as there’s no eggs or fish on the list of ingredients, you can eat it during Christian fasting seasons and any other time of year. For more information, check: http://www.kosherquest.org and http://www.kashrus.org. If you’re worried that the rabbis who pronounce food to be kosher have said a blessing over the food, and you are going to eat ‘Jewish’ food, don’t worry even for a moment. For Jews, any food which is kosher loses it’s blessing and its kosher status the moment it’s touched by a non-Jew.

332. Father, are the words Sabbath (the day of rest) and Sabaoth (Lord of Sabaoth) the same? No, they’re different words. The Sabbath [in Hebrew – shabbat’] is the day ‘on which God rested,’ and it is Saturday, the day of rest for the Old Testament and for the Jews of today. Christians keep Sunday, the Lord’s Day, as the new Sabbath. The word ‘sabbath’ means cessation or desisting. The word ‘sabaoth’ means an army or host. The phrase ‘Lord of Sabaoth’ is properly translated into English as ‘Lord of Hosts,’ one of the names for God. This is a somewhat old usage of the word ‘host,’ meaning a multitude, a large body of people (like an army), (coming from the Latin word ‘hostis’ meaning stranger or enemy). But ‘host’ might be familiar in the English phrases ‘host of angels’ and ‘heavenly host.’

333. Father, since the Jewish people do not believe that Jesus is the son of God, does that mean that they will not go to heaven? I mean, Judaism is pretty much the foundation of right? The answer which the Church often gives to this question is that we don’t know what God will do for people who don’t know or accept Jesus. However, the Church says, we believe that if they follow the teachings of their religion faithfully they may be saved, so long as those teachings don’t contradict the teachings of Jesus. In other words, if a religion teaches (to use a silly example) that their followers must be prejudiced against and must hate and kill all people with orange eyes, then, that’s against God’s law which teaches us “Thou shalt not kill”, and against Jesus’ teaching that we love one another, and love our enemies. So if the people of that religion went ahead with hating and killing all people with orange eyes, then we believe they’d have a rough time being saved. So, if a Jew or Buddhist or Shintoist or person of whatever religion loves God and follows the Law or teaching given to the Jews 7 Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church Newsletter, June, 2014 or Buddhists or Shintoists or whatever people (and that Law does not contradict the Law of God and the teachings of Jesus), it is quite possible that they may be saved. However, the Church doesn’t pronounce any judgment on who will and who won’t be saved – the Church governs only Christians.

334. Father, when I was a boy, if a piece of bread fell on the floor, we had to pick it up and kiss it and eat it. It was later explained to me that we do this out of respect for bread which becomes the Body of Christ. And recently I was told never to sit on a table because some day that table might have to be used as an altar. Can we say then, that all wood should be respected because of the Cross of the Lord? And all water, which baptized Him? And all grape wine, which becomes His Blood? And all clay because He used it to heal the blind? Where does it end? It would be a wonderful way of seeing the world, but it goes farther than ‘required’ by Christian living. If you live like this, ‘it’ is a blessing which never ends!

335. Hi Father, Can you tell me where I might be able to read what the Holy Fathers teach concerning giving? We had a discussion last night at council meeting and one said that we are to give and not be concerned what the recipient will use it for, be it drugs, alcohol or food. If you know that the person is a chronic alcoholic and is coming to you every week, do you give or not and is your answer in print or scripture? Thanks for being there. Here is what the says in the Early Christian Writings of Hermas: Practice goodness; and from the rewards of your labours, which God gives you, give to all the needy in simplicity, not hesitating as to whom you are to give or not to give. Give to all, for God wishes His gifts to be shared amongst all. They who receive, will render an account to God why and for what they have received. For the afflicted who receive will not be condemned, but they who receive on false pretences will suffer punishment. He, then, who gives is guiltless. For as he received from the Lord, so has he accomplished his service in simplicity, not hesitating as to whom he should give and to whom he should not give. This service, then, if accomplished in simplicity, is glorious with God. He, therefore, who thus ministers in simplicity, will live to God. Keep therefore these commandments, as I have given them to you, that your repentance and the repentance of your house may be found in simplicity, and your heart may be pure and stainless. On the other hand, Our Lord calls us to be good stewards of the gifts He gives to us – He warns us not to cast pearls before swine. So, we should probably be careful, but not overly judgmental and concerned. We should give, but give wisely. If a man is in need, and he comes asking for money so he can eat, yet you suspect he’s an alcoholic or drug addict, then the thing to do is to offer to take him to your kitchen or to a restaurant and feed him. If he says he needs money for for his babies, buy him some diapers, and then take him to an employment agency. If he says he needs money for a ticket to go to his mother’s funeral – go to the train station and make an arrangement with the officers there that the ticket you buy may not be refunded or sold to anyone else, and may be used only for transportation. Or take him to an organization like Traveler’s Aide.

336. In relation to the problem of alcoholism among Orthodox priests, can anyone tell me how a priest can possibly remain “dry” given the requirement to commune himself during the liturgy and consume the Holy Elements afterwards? Can a priest commune himself by taking the Body only and foregoing the Blood? Is there any prescribed way of dispensing the Holy Elements after

8 Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church Newsletter, June, 2014 the liturgy other than by consumption? If there is no deacon or assistant rector available, could an understanding bishop appoint a worthy layman to consume the Elements? (from the Internet) It is curious that your question seems to condemn Orthodox priests as alcoholics. It may be true that there are priests afflicted with this disease, but in most places, it is a rarity rather than a commonplace. It may be true that genetically, some races are predisposed to alcoholism. If a priest is an alcoholic to the degree that he can’t tolerate even one sip of wine in Holy Communion, or if a priest is giving Holy Communion to a layperson who can’t have even one sip of wine (someone with kidney failure, for example), it is permitted for him to be given only the Body of Christ in Holy Communion as ‘the Body contains the Blood’ (not scientifically, perhaps, but spiritually). Sometimes, when Holy Communion is distributed in this way, it is given with Holy Water, or even plain water. But this is not the norm, only an exception in ‘economia’ granted by the bishop. It’s always the priest’s responsibility to prepare enough wine for Holy Communion without using too much. If he misjudges, he has himself to blame. If the priest is so ill with alcoholism that he cannot have even a cupful of wine, then he should inform his bishop of his condition and see to it that there is a deacon or assistant priest available. And if there is no assistant to consume the Holy Gifts, then perhaps it would be better for that priest to serve only matins, instead of the Holy Eucharist. Of course, as always, the Bishop would decide what could or could not be done.

337. Father, I know you wrote about why we don’t have Christmas scenes, or the crèche, or the manger scene in our church, but would it be wrong to have a live Christmas scene, if the children wanted to perform and make such a display? The tricky part would be getting the children to stand still long enough. And of course, the canons prohibit animals in church, so you’d have to do this outside. And then there are all the other worries: union contracts for the shepherds, child labor laws, immigration and naturalization providing visas for the three Magi coming from Persia, taxation questions concerning those three expensive gifts, worker’s compensation, immunization for the animals, the health checks on the cleanliness of the hay and food and water for the animals, regularly scheduled breaks… If it’s wrong to use the crèche, or manger scene, made with statues or dolls in our Churches, part of the reason it’s wrong is that it’s just not in the Orthodox Christian tradition to do so. For the same reason, it would be just as wrong to use children and animals to make the crèche or manger scene.

338. Father, what are the traditional rules / ways of preparing for Communion? I read in the prayer book that I must read 3 canons and an akathist, and I read in the introduction to the Divine Liturgy in Hapgood that there is a whole rule of Canons and Akathists which must be kept during the week prior to communion. How did these practices develop and what do we follow in the modern Church? Also, how did the fasting rule for communion develop? There are a number of different rules for preparing yourself for Holy Communion. Ultimately, your confessor or spiritual father should work with you to set up a rule for you to follow. But here are some guidelines. Start first with simple things. Even before establishing a prayer life for prayers before Communion, you should establish a regular life of prayer for yourself. Be regular in your prayer life, praying morning, noon and night. Having established that good habit, add the reading of the New Testament and the Psalms to your prayer life.

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Fast carefully during the week before Communion, not only abstaining from foods which are not to your benefit, but abstaining also from evil words and behavior and turning to good and charitable deeds. Prepare yourself by thoroughly examining your conscience and coming to Confession. Make certain that you attend the Vigil service or at least the night before you plan to receive Holy Communion, or if there is no service, or if you cannot attend, ask your spiritual father what preparation you can do at home to replace attendance at the Vigil or Vespers. Then, if you’ve done all these things, add the prayers in the prayer book in preparation for Confession and Communion. The reading of akathists and canons in preparation for Holy Communion is a monastic practice, which faithful lay persons may do privately at home. If you can’t do all of the above, do as much as you can – but it’s better to build up good habits in your daily prayer life, rather than going into a marathon of extraordinary punctilious preparations only just before Confession and Communion. Think of your preparation as athletic training – a little every day, and something extra before the competitions… As to the historical development of these rules and practices, they are so much part of the mind of the Church that their history is not recorded.

339. Father, I enjoy very much blood-sausage and eat my steaks rare, but my friend told me that I cannot do this, as it is a violation of law. He said that if I eat blood, I can't go to Communion. Is this true? I thought Jesus abolished these kinds of Old Testament laws. We eat pork, so why not blood? Old Testament fasting laws are not applicable to contemporary Christians. If the Church’s canon law forbids eating Blood Sausage or rare stakes, then you may not partake of Holy Communion. But if canon law forbids something, then it’s forbidden 24/7. I would say that eating blood sausage and rare-cooked meat is not forbidden in the Christian Church and neither is it permitted. Father John Schroedel wrote: Acts 15:28-29 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. And this is indeed a theme in the church canons, e.g. Apostolic Canon 63: If any Bishop, or Priest, or Deacon, and all on the clerical list, eat meat in the blood of its soul, or that which a wild beast has killed, or that which has died a natural death, let him be deposed. For the Law has forbidden this. But if any layman do this, let him be excommunicated. The Council of Gangra Canon 2: If anyone criticize adversely a person eating meat (without blood, and such as is not meat that has been sacrificed to idols or strangled) with reverence and faith, as though he had no hope of partaking, let him be anathema. 4th Ecumenical Council, Canon 67: Divine Scripture has commanded us to “abstain from blood, and strangled flesh, and fornication” (Genesis 9:3-4; Leviticus Chapter 17 and 18:13; Acts 15:28-29). We therefore suitably penalize those who on account of their dainty stomach eat the blood of any animal after they have rendered it eatable by some art. If, therefore, anyone from now on should attempt to eat the blood of any animal, in any way whatsoever, if he be a clergyman, let him be deposed; but if a layman let him be excommunicated. So, we can eat pork because of Peter's vision, but the ban on blood has been reiterated by the Apostles and the Canon Law of the Church. 10