In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen!
Period
I grew up believing that when on my period I am defiled and dirty. I was always told that when you are on your period you shouldn't “enter a church, take the communion, pray, kiss the holy cross, icon, or touch any holy books.” I have heard different regulation from different churchgoers based on the concept of “ ritual impurities.” I was told I have to stay away from holy things so as not to defile them. The rules that prevented me from praying made me feel unloved and unworthy. Going to church felt like the wrong thing to do. Every month, I dread the thought of my period. I am unclean and unwanted. “I should just stay home today,” I thought whenever it was that time of the month. This has been an obstacle for me because it prevented me from attending church liturgy for many years. Every month, I suffer involuntarily loss of church blessings and for the superfluous matter that nature excretes. I was confused and needed an explanation but it is a taboo in our culture to raise such questions in the church, so I was silent. However, I recently decided to break my silence and approach my spiritual father with my concerns.
My spiritual father clarified to me no one is allowed to enter the church or take communion when they are bleeding, this includes men and women. Any regulation in our church based on the Bible. The earliest biblical evidence to ritual restrictions for women during menstruation is found in the Old Testament, Leviticus 15: 19-33. According to Leviticus, not only was the menstruating woman “impure;” any person who touched her also became “impure” (Lev 15: 24), resulting in impurity by contact. In later chapters of Leviticus (17-26), sexual intercourse with one’s wife at this time was strictly forbidden. Childbirth, like menstruation, was also considered defiling and subjected the woman who had given birth to similar restrictions (Lev 12).
However, in the New Testament, the All-Holy Virgin Mary herself is subjected to the demands of “ritual purity.” Saint Mary lived in the temple from age three to fifteen, until she was betrothed to Joseph and sent to reside in his house so she doesn’t “pollute the sanctuary of the Lord.” When Mary was told to leave the temple she didn't object. Theotokos humbly accepted the tradition restriction even though she was pure in heart and humble.
It’s not only women who are forbidden from entering the church when they bleed, even priests and deacons aren’t allowed to take the communion if blood is flowing from their body for any reason. However, the other restrictions about not being able to kiss the holy cross, touch holy books, or praying are not true. The only thing we can't do is enter the church or take communion. The reason is simple and it is not an attack on women. A woman in her menstrual period is considered unprepared in her body. Similarly, a man who has a nocturnal emission or a married couple who have sexual relations the night before is also considered unprepared in their bodies to receive this Holy Mystery, even though these are all natural, God-given physical processes. For example, there is nothing wrong about the food that God has given us, and yet, we fast and abstain from food as a preparation for the Mystery of the Eucharist. This is the real issue; it has nothing to do with women being ontologically unclean, unworthy, inferior, unequal or anything of the sort. This realization washed over all the thoughts that made me feel ashamed for a church. My spiritual father explained, at church, the only blood that should flow is our Savior, Lord Jesus Christ.
This rule was set by our holy fathers. The earliest canon restricting women in a state of “impurity” is Canon 2 of Dionysius of Alexandria, written in 262 A.D.: "Concerning menstruous women, whether they ought to enter the temple of God while in such a state, I think it superfluous even to put the question. For, I think, not even themselves, being faithful and pious, would dare when in this state either to approach the Holy Table or to touch the body and blood of Christ. For not even the woman with a twelve years’ issue would come into actual contact with Him, but only with the edge of His garment, to be cured. There is no objection to one’s praying no matter how he may be or to one’s remembering the Lord at any time and in any state whatever, and petitioning to receive help; but if one is not wholly clean both in soul and in body, he shall be prevented from coming up to the Holy of Holies.” The Law of the Kings ( THE FITHA NAGAST) it's seriousness when it exclaims, "if a priest or a deacon fails in his duties by allowing a woman who is menstruating to enter int to the church or gives her the Eucharist during the days of her menstruation he shall be deposed even if the woman is from the royal family" ( Chp 6:29).
Another way to understand the whole situation is as a reminder of our sins. The wages of sin is death, and even though Christ died for us, He still left us with a mark to remember this by, which is for men, that "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food” and for women, that "with pain you will give birth to children.” (Gen. 3:19,18).In the case of pregnancy, the woman's menstruation stops, and she is reminded of Eve's original sin by the pains of pregnancy, birth, and delivery, and outside the period of pregnancy she recalls her sin at the time of menstruation and this makes her realize how much her sins forbid her from receiving holy blessings, not only those which are associated with Communion and the Church. Men, on the other hand, are reminded of their first sin because they are supposed to labor throughout their lives on account of earning their daily bread. The remembrance of this is the aim, though the means might vary enormously.
All this to say, the church is not women’s enemy. It doesn’t exist to make our lives difficult even though it may sometimes feel like that. Ladies, don’t be like me quick to feel unjust and misunderstand. The church is actually the only place in the world that is our refuge.
Glory to God, Amen.
Reference: https://lacopts.org/story/women-the-church-is-not-your-enemy/
