Although the Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, Jews, and Muslims, all reckon that a liturgical day begins and ends with sunset, most people (apart from those living in monastic communities) prefer to utilize our more modern, standardized practice of determining a day as beginning and ending at twelve o’clock midnight (12:00 a.m.). Therefore, when we are preparing ourselves to receive the Eucharist (Holy Communion) at a following morning’s Divine Liturgy, fasting from all food and drink should commence from midnight onwards. This of course also applies to the use of all tobacco products, chewing gum, candy, and/or breadth fresheners.
When fasting for an evening service such as the Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts, the typical practice is that you fast from your noon meal onward (although a more ancient practice is to fast fully from breakfast time).
This protocol places no impediments upon the practice of good oral hygiene. Those who are preparing to receive the Eucharist may still brush their teeth, rinse with water, and use mouth wash before coming to services.
There also exists in some parishioner’s minds the nagging concern whether it is permissible to take oral prescription medications (with water and in some instances a limited amount of food) or peculiarities regarding those persons who suffer from various ailments such as diabetes. In these instances there can be no hard, fast rule or “blanket answer” covering all situations. If you have a specific question regarding your own unique situation, please discuss this with the priest individually or during your next Confession. In this way a determination will be made upon a case by case basis.
