The Christian Church is very important in the fulfillment of the matrimonial duty. However, a question may arise regarding the Orthodox tradition of entering into intimacy by spouses during fasting. This is especially interesting for the novice Orthodox or those who are curious to lift the veil of uncertainty in the marriage of Christians.
A man and a woman who are married become one. And if there was a sacrament of the wedding, then we can already talk about concrete closeness and unity not only in a figurative spiritual sense, but also unity in a Christian interpretation. The Christian family is united to the extent of its thoughts and views on the way of life, relationships with each other, and also thanks to the one Perfector of church marriage - God. It is also very important to consider togetherness from a sexual point of view. In this sense, Orthodox people should not be different from everyone else. The moral framework and norms are the same for all mankind. Marital duty is a family responsibility of each party, so sex should not be viewed as something sinful and unclean. This is a manifestation of love between two people.
Therefore, the question of permission to have sexual contact while fasting has no definite ground for objection. Orthodox Christians can love each other during fasting days or long fasts. The Apostle Paul clearly says in one of his epistles that the wife does not move away from her husband and vice versa. However, he further makes an important observation that abstaining from sex should be for the sake of fasting and prayer, but only by mutual consent.
It turns out that if the spouses unanimously decide to abstain from sexual intimacy for some time because of the desire to fast, then this is good. But if one of the spouses does not want to refrain from intimacy, the second partner has no right to refuse, based solely on the prohibition of having sex on a fast day.
But there are days when it is undesirable or even forbidden to have sex while fasting. Thus, Good Friday and the entire Holy Week can be viewed in this context. A special time in which the Church prohibits entering into an intimate relationship is the days of preparation for the sacrament of Holy Communion. This is a time of special fasting, so abstinence from sexual intercourse is necessary here. But the rest of the time there are no clear indications on this score, and therefore Orthodox spouses themselves have the right to decide how to arrange their sex life.
