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Joined: Jan 2002
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What are the rules for married priests and marital relations? I've heard that they cannot "know" their wives after sundown before the day in which they are to celebrate Divine Liturgy. Is it sundown, 24 hours, or what?
What's the theology behind this canon?
in Christ,
Marshall
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Christ is risen!
It is from Sundown (Vespers), the beginning of the Liturgical day, until Communion, and falls under the same guidlines as food. While this may be more strictly adhered to this day and age by married clergy, i think this is the norm for the early Church for every body. Like the good Doctor Alex says, "When the Church says 'no meat,' she means 'no meat.'" It is not that sex is bad, but it is one of those things that ought to be abstained from as a part of a good fast, like food (they seem to be in the same category, or at least treated similarly).
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Does anyone know where one can find an ENGLISH translation of the Eastern Code of Canon Law on the 'net? I have been able to find it in Latin, and the translation is tedious for me.
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尼古拉前执事 Member
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Originally posted by Marshall:
What are the rules for married priests and marital relations? I've heard that they cannot "know" their wives after sundown before the day in which they are to celebrate Divine Liturgy. Is it sundown, 24 hours, or what?
What's the theology behind this canon?
in Christ,
Marshall Christos Voskrese! Are you asking for Orthodox Christians or those under the omophorion of the Pope of Rome? As the local so-called "Rudder-Smacker" I could give you the Orthodox ones. God Bless! In Christ, -'Nikolai' http://EuphrosynosCafe.com
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Perhaps it would be better to focus on the positive side of all the canonical thrust in these fasting rules.
If one is to receive the Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ, if one is to focus on Him whom we should love with our whole heart, whole soul, whole mind, and whole strength, is it not perhaps the idea that all these other things interfere with one's total preparation and concentration? If I am to focus on the King of Glory, does not a full breakfast break my focus and concentration? How about an all-night session with my spouse? How about satisfying my thirst?
It seems to me that we get away from the fact that we should be hungering for the Bread of Heaven that a man may eat therof and not hunger again. Or thirsting for the Living Water which we once drink of and will never thirst for other water again. Further, we should be focusing on becoming at one with Christ rather than with another human being, even though by marriage we are one flesh. In this last case, to prefer a creature to the Creator, probably seemed to the Fathers to be almost idolatrous.
Perhaps it is a sense of balance and proportion. Our first love--whole heart, soul, mind, and strength--must be God Himself. And we receive him into the humble tent that we have as part of our being. Does He not deserve our whole-hearted, undivided attention?
When I approach ascetical practice with this in mind, it seems to be a lot less burden than when I come at it as a set of tough rules. It is then something that I embrace as I would embrace someone that I love intensely. And there is One that I do want to love that intensely.
BOB
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Originally posted by Discerning:
Does anyone know where one can find an ENGLISH translation of the Eastern Code of Canon Law on the 'net? I have been able to find it in Latin, and the translation is tedious for me. Discerning, There is no online English translation of the Eastern Code  , unless it has been posted very, very recently. A few weeks back, I posted: Links to on-line translations of Eastern Code the list includes a number of languages other than Latin. Many years, Neil
"One day all our ethnic traits ... will have disappeared. Time itself is seeing to this. And so we can not think of our communities as ethnic parishes, ... unless we wish to assure the death of our community."
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