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No Holy Communion for women who just gave birth!!!!!!?????

abrahamfabrahamf
edited December 1969 in Faith Issues
I was reading "Dictionary of Church Terms" by Fr Tadros Malaty, and i quote:

"Women cannot receive the Holy Communion before forty days after a birth of a male child, and eighty days incase of a female child. SPecial prayers are recited on their behalf before they are allowed to receive Holy Communion"

WOW!!! It sounds as though they committed a grave crime. I wanted to know what is the significance of this rite? Why can't the mother have Holy Communion AFTER she has given birth? And why does she have to wait longer in case of a female child?

This is soo confusing


Please remember me in ur prayers.

Comments

  • f753789f753789
    The mother can't take Communion for that time period for the same reason why girls can not take communion for a certain time period each month. I will leave the details for the doctors on the forum to explain.
  • ophadeceophadece
    Many of our church rites derive from the Jewish practice, as Christ came to complete not to cease. Therefore we hold on to such practice, but there could be exceptions agreed to by fathers of confession. It is said that Jesus Himself approved of such an exception when the lady who was bleeding touched Him. Some believe it was something to do with the womb...
    Oujai
  • Christforlife7Christforlife7
    It is better to look at this Rite from a spiritual sense because it doesn't seem to carry much physical. There is nothing wrong with the woman, she has not committed any type of crime. This is a very Jewish thought of impurity, and the church doesn't seem to really hold this against a woman after her giving birth.

    When you look at it from a spiritual perspective it makes a bit more sense. The mother who had given birth in the older times, was usually healing and in bed for a lot longer than normal practices now-a-days call for. This obviously kept her from going to liturgy, church in general, and just about anywhere else. Because of this, when anyone is away from the Body and Blood of Christ for that long, we seem to lose unity and spiritual strength. When we don't take Holy Eucharist, we more likely to fall and not be in a spiritual state of mind, simply because we have lost that connection with out source of life for so long. So because of this, it was tied into the old testament rite of how long the the mother waits for the baptism of the child from Leviticus 12, and at this time the Father who is baptizing also needs to pray for the mother, to be reconciled to the church, just like an absolution after confession, so she can also take communion again. Since we take communion a bit more lightly in our day and age, we forget how valuable it is, and what steps are necessary to be taken in order to receive it. Everyone, no matter the circumstance, needs to have confessed and given absolution of any sin or obstacle in the way of us taking communion with a whole heart. It is in this same way the mother needs to be forgiven and absolved for needing to be away from the body for so long. So basically it's a welcome back, and a necessary absolution for being away from the body for so long.

    It has nothing to do with the Jewish rite, nor is there a reason for the woman to wait longer after a female's birth. Medically, they are exactly the same. This again is just a Jewish mindset, which was just absorbed in order to have biblical foundation to our practices. We must follow what our beloved church provides for us, for through it we gain salvation, reaching the redeeming blood of our Lord.

    Happy Feast of the Nativity everyone,

    Please pray for God's love to replenish our hearts always.
  • sodr2sodr2
    [quote author=Chirsts' servant link=topic=10395.msg126453#msg126453 date=1294293610]
    I was reading "Dictionary of Church Terms" by Fr Tadros Malaty, and i quote:

    "Women cannot receive the Holy Communion before forty days after a birth of a male child, and eighty days incase of a female child. SPecial prayers are recited on their behalf before they are allowed to receive Holy Communion"

    WOW!!! It sounds as though they committed a grave crime. I wanted to know what is the significance of this rite? Why can't the mother have Holy Communion AFTER she has given birth? And why does she have to wait longer in case of a female child?

    This is soo confusing

    Please remember me in ur prayers.

    umad?  ;D
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