Well, even these days a woman with Becker can't kiss an icon, nor have Communion - because she is bleeding - and with Communion you are taking the Body and Blood of Christ into you, and it becomes part of you, so to have that then bleed out of you is the reason why a menstrating woman can't have Communion. (There are physical reasons why a man can't have Communion or kiss icons sometimes too BTW, which are not nice to talk about on a board that could be read by youngsters). Also if after Communion I got a cut and bled, I'd have to do my best to mop up that blood, and burn it when it is dried, or perhaps bury it.
Is this in all Orthodox faiths, or just Russian? It sounds like something that all of them would have (as most of the Orthodoxies do exactly the same thing on the majority of rules and traditions). But when I converted to Greek Orthodoxy, no one told me about this! I'm therefore certain I have at some point wronged by kissing an icon or taking Communion whilst "Becker" was present. Why did no one tell me this? Not either priest of the church (though perhaps they don't discuss such things with teenage girls of their community), nor my godmother or anyone else! And certainly no one questioned my "time of the month" before I was baptised- I just got lucky on the scheduling of the event and it didn't coincide, thank God! But if this is such a harshly-followed, practiced tradition, how come no one bothered to inform me as a convert??
Also- my priest DID tell me that even sick people are allowed to take communion, because no one should be excluded from taking the sacrament. If we were to use the reasoning that you will "bleed out God" on your period (or other wound), can't you argue that sick people often vomit? Wouldn't that do the same thing? Not to be graphic, I'm just confused...
Thanks in advance for an answer, anyone! I don't mean this question in a bad way, I just feel bad now, even though unwittingly, I know I've probably gone against the rules.
