Unwed Mother & Holy Communion
Can an unwed mother (single, not divorced) receive Holy Communion? If not, how is her sin different from, say, an adulterer’s?
The Divine Liturgy
The Nature of Our Worship
Why do Orthodox Christians attend the Divine Liturgy and other religious services of the Church? What is the purpose of such services? Is the purpose of such attendance “to get something out of it” or is it an offering? I...
The Divine Liturgy
Can you say something more about the Divine Liturgy? It is obviously the center of the Orthodox life.
The Christian Mystery
We are now back where we started, speaking about the Liturgy and its place in the Orthodox Church. Would you agree then that the Liturgy reveals what Orthodoxy really is?
Receiving Communion
I have a question about receiving communion. I am Roman Catholic and I know we normally do not allow non-Catholics to receive communion during our services. However, I see in our catechism that there is an exception for...
Leavened Bread vs. Unleavened
Why does the Orthodox church use leavened bread and most Protestant fellowships use unleavened bread? I am a member of the Church of Christ (Restoration Movement) and we use unleavened bread because we assume that is the...
Function in Worship / Symbolism / Meaning
I am a teacher of Religion at a High School in England. At the moment I am teaching 10 pupils (they are 15 years old) about function in worship / symbolism / deeper meaning of the items that can be found in the church...
Frequency of Communion
I would like to know when I may receive holy communion, besides receiving it on Sundays.
How many times a year should one receive communion?
Communion Questions
In the country I visit often I am denied communion for the following reasons:
1. Frequent communion is bad for you.
2. There is no one here that can hear your confession in English and you do not speak enough of our...
Common Chalice & Spoon / Kissing Icons
With regard to the reception of Holy Communion:
If one receives Communion in the proper manner, one would tilt one’s head back and open one’s mouth as wide as possible, thereby allowing the priest to simply drop the Body...
Common Chalice & Spoon / Kissing Icons
This question does not mean to be offensive, but the issue of the possibility of spreading disease from contact with icons and the cross during veneration, and also from the communion spoon, has come up more than once from...
Catechumens, Depart!
I have been a “fly on the wall” in the local Orthodox cathedral over the last few Sundays. I’ve enjoyed staying throughout services, though of course I don’t take communion. However, at one point during the proceedings the...