Saturday or Sunday?
The question may arise: why do the Orthodox honor Sunday and not Saturday, as, in fact, was commanded? Let's figure it out. In the Old Testament, Saturday was a day of remembrance of God’s creation of the world: “And God finished on the seventh day His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for on it He rested from all His work, which God had created and created” (Genesis 2:2-3).
Saturday was the day when the Jews left all their affairs and devoted time to God, thanking Him for His blessings, for the fact that they were a free and beloved people, whom He brought out of Egyptian slavery. However, back in Old Testament times, the prophet Jeremiah wrote: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not such a covenant as I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; They broke that covenant of mine, although I remained in covenant with them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law within them and write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they will be My people” (Jer. 31:31-33). .
For Christians, Sunday became a more important day - the day of remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. From the Acts and letters of the apostles we learn that on this day they received communion (“On the first day of the week... the disciples gathered together to break bread” (Acts 20:7)) and gave alms. John the Theologian calls this day not “the first,” but “resurrection”: “I was in the spirit on the day of resurrection” (Rev. 1:10). Since then, Christians also spend this day piously and rejoice at it, because it is the memory of the Resurrection of Christ and the promised salvation.
The Lord brought us a New Law, which is based not on prohibitions, but on love. He gave us this love. All great rulers and generals know that power cannot be retained for long by force and weapons. Christ holds power through love - and it has been unshakable for more than two thousand years. Power based on fear and hatred destroys over time. Christ brought the commandment of love, which has helped people live in joy for many centuries.
Is it necessary to come to the Liturgy on an empty stomach, even if you do not receive communion?
The custom of coming to the Divine Liturgy on an empty stomach goes back to ancient times - to the first centuries of Christianity. Then the believers partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ at every Liturgy. In fact, the deep meaning of participation in the Eucharist is precisely the communion of each of us with the Body and Blood of Christ. This is why this great Sacrament is served. But, of course, for a worldly person and especially a family person, this is almost impossible at every Liturgy. And yet we must strive to receive communion more than the required minimum (four times a year - during Lent), because the Body and Blood of Christ have enormous power. They burn away our sins and infuse life into us, connecting us with God. One could even probably say that it is in the Sacrament of Communion that the rebirth and resurrection of a person takes place!
The custom of not eating or drinking anything before the Divine Liturgy still remains, even if you do not receive communion. After all, in the temple you can drink holy water, eat a prosphora or antidor. These holy items are also consumed with specific prayer on an empty stomach.
Moreover, experience shows that it is quite difficult to pray to God with a full belly. I even know one sexton who ate heavily before the all-night vigil and was barely able to finish reading the Six Psalms in the morning.
But, of course, cases in life can be different. There are certain categories of people who need to eat: ulcer sufferers, diabetics, pregnant women and nursing mothers. There are hypertensive crises when you need to take a pill in the morning to get to the temple for worship. For example, if such a person wants to take communion (and he is unable to stand through the entire Liturgy on an empty stomach), then he can ask the priest, and the priest will confess him before the service and give him communion with the spare Gifts, and then he can calmly eat and stand through the Liturgy.
But there is also a “slippery” moment here. You need to learn to look into yourself and understand when you are really sick, and when you are simply amusing and pampering your loved one, hiding behind a loophole of relief.
In general, even if a person does not receive communion, it is still advisable to come to the Divine Liturgy on an empty stomach. After all, this also involves your personally completely feasible sacrifice to God. When you, like a candle, both spiritually and physically, like a hollow vessel, stand before God, not burdened by earthly thoughts or the need to digest food at the moment. And the grace of the Holy Spirit flows freely into you without hindrance...
Don't forget the first part of the commandment
The fourth commandment has two parts. In the first, the Lord God tells us to work for six days - to do what we are called to do depending on our talents. The fourth commandment is violated not only by those who work and do not go to church on Sunday, but also by those who are lazy to work on weekdays and shirk their responsibilities. The commandment says: “Work six days,” and we, having gone to work on Monday, look forward to Friday. On Sunday, instead of thanking God that we are alive, healthy and can work, we cry that we will soon go back to work. Those who do not work on Sunday also violate the commandment, but also do not devote this day to God, but spend it in everyday worries, entertainment, revelry and all sorts of excesses.
The second part of the commandment calls for leaving the seventh day for God and godly deeds. What are these things? Concern for the salvation of the soul, prayer in church and at home, studying the Word of God, enlightening the mind and heart with useful knowledge, pious conversations, helping the poor, visiting the sick and prisoners, consoling the mourning and other works of mercy.
conclusions
A Christian should go to church every Sunday if possible. The time spent in worship should bear the good fruit of knowledge and drawing closer to Christ. Let us not forget that the main commandments of Christianity are to love God with all our being and our neighbor as ourselves. Going to church every Sunday is one way to express your love for God, along with praying at home and reading God's Word.
In conclusion of the article I would like to recall the past century and the October Revolution. It was a time of struggle with God, religion and the church. The Bolsheviks wanted to eliminate the habit of people going to church on Sundays; they introduced mass subbotniks on Easter and other holidays. In addition, they wanted to redo the work week and make Sunday a working day. Ordinary believers, despite terrible persecution, tried to come to church on Sundays and they should be an example for us in this. We live in a time when nothing threatens us, however, for some reason we do not want to go to church on Sundays, we do not value these opportunities and will bear certain consequences for this.
