Conceive a child while fasting. Conceiving a child during Lent – ​​is it a sin? Orthodox fasts and conception

“Once a neighbor in a prison cell complained to Vladyka Manuel that he was sitting here innocently. - How so? - he asked. - Why did the Lord allow this to happen? - The guilt that the Soviet court presented is really not yours! - the Lord said sharply. “But you are serving a sentence for the fact that when you were a child, you broke into your neighbors’ house, broke their cabbage, and then opened the bolt on the barn and let the cow out.” Neighbors with many children who had lost their wet nurse fell into extreme poverty. “Grandfather,” another criminal cellmate asked from above. - Why have I been hanging around prisons all my life?

Others don’t steal so much, but are free... “You were conceived on Good Friday,” the bishop answered. “You will die in prison.” — Konyaev N.M. Clad in weapons of light. - M.: Trifonov Pechenga Monastery, “Ark”, 2002, p. 36. There is a blessing for the book.) Metropolitan Manuel (Lemeshevsky), who spent most of his life in camps for his faith and in his old age had from God the gift of foresight. His ascetic activity is studied in seminaries...)

“When a couple with a sick child approached John of Kronstadt and asked to pray for the healing of their child, he sharply refused, saying: “You better remember on what day you conceived him!” As it turned out, the conception took place on Holy Week.” — “Candlemas”, issue No. 2 - February 2009.

Archbishop of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye Vincent: “The overwhelming number of marriages that take place during the period of Orthodox Lent do not bring happiness. Modern scientists say that up to 90% of marriages concluded during Lent or other fasts throughout the year are destroyed. And children who are conceived these days will most likely be sick.” — Interfax-Religion — Here is what priest Sergius Nikolaev writes: “According to a doctor who has been practicing for more than 40 years, children conceived during fasting are very difficult to treat. I have heard opinions that “senior” children are more difficult to raise. The sin of intemperate parents can serve as the basis for sin or misfortune in children. There are modern scientific studies on why children are born sick. Studies have shown that 95% of sick children were conceived on fasting days, and from a scientific point of view, medical scientists advise: if spouses want to have healthy offspring, they should refrain from intimacy on fasting days.” - “Penza Orthodox Interlocutor” No. 11 (52), November 2006, P. 3.

The important role of Christian piety in married life was pointed out by St. Seraphim of Sarov. This is the advice he gave to one young man getting married: “Keep clean, keep Wednesdays and Fridays (fasts), and holidays, and Sundays. For failure to maintain cleanliness, for failure to observe Wednesday and Friday by spouses, children will be born dead, and if holidays and Sundays are not observed, wives die in childbirth” - Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov). World Lamp // M., “Pilgrim”, Orthodox St. Tikhon’s Theological Institute. 1996, p. 191.

The Monk Ambrose of Optina wrote the same thing in one of his letters to the laity: “Your wife’s illness may have been your own fault: either you did not honor holidays in your marital relationship, or you did not observe marital fidelity, for which you are punished by your wife’s illness.” Or another example. One couple had a son who showed some deformity of soul. Reverend Leonid Optinsky said that this was a punishment from his parents for their failure to observe church holidays in their family life. — About Orthodox marriage. St. Petersburg, “Society of St. Basil the Great.” 2001, p. 96.

The Orthodox Church calls on its children, according to pious tradition, to abstain by mutual consent from marital relations through fasting and on the days of great holidays. However, situations are very different. It happens that an unbelieving spouse insists on marital intimacy, and refusal of it will lead to the breakup of the family. It happens that a sailor husband returns from a long journey during the period of fasting, and then goes to sea again. Therefore, this issue is resolved individually with the confessor for each family. The Lord sends a child to the spouses; without His will, conception will not take place. Therefore, I would advise you to refrain from intimacy during the period of fasting and strictly pray at this time for the gift of a child after fasting. It’s one thing if one of the spouses is an unbeliever or, let’s say, unchurched. Everything is clear here: a person does not know what fasting is. And to demand that he observe marital fasting forcibly means subjecting him (and with him, oneself) to tests, the consequences of which can be very disastrous. The Apostle writes: “Do not deviate from one another except by agreement” (1 Cor. 7:5). And with an unbelieving spouse, agreement on the issue of observing the marital fast is not easy to achieve. But there is another side to the question: what if both spouses are believers and churchgoers, if both live a Christian spiritual life, confess and receive communion? And if they are already close to that “unanimity of souls and bodies” for which the Church prays in the Sacrament of Marriage, but one of them wanted to break the marital fast? The fact is that here agreement already exists in advance: both spouses agree that fasting must be observed in all respects. Against this background, the desire of one of them to break the fast looks like a whim, or a temptation. In this case, is it necessary to go after him? Ideally, no. In my opinion, if both spouses are already living a church life, the refusal of one of them to enter into a marital relationship during Lent will serve the common good, and the other half will subsequently only be grateful for this. However, in real life, not everything is as simple as we would like. Therefore, there are no and cannot be universal rules about observing or breaking marital fasting. And if the issue of marital relations during Lent concerns you, discuss it with an experienced confessor whose opinion you trust - I think he will give you good advice on what to do in your particular situation. Priest Mikhail Nemnonov

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The Orthodox Church distinguishes between multi-day and one-day fasts.
Basic rule: WEDNESDAY and FRIDAY throughout the year, except for Christmastide and continuous weeks, are strictly fast days (unless there is special permission to relax fasting). Some monasteries also fast on Mondays (in honor of the Angels). Then, there are 4 major fasts a year:
1) Lent - 40 days; it is joined by Holy Week - the last week before the Holy Resurrection of Christ - Easter; mobile post
2) Peter's Fast begins a week after Pentecost (Trinity Day) and ends on July 12 on Peter's Day; mobile post, of varying duration.
3) Assumption - a two-week fast from August 14 to 27.
4) Christmas fast for forty days from November 28 to January 6.
In addition, the following are considered strictly fast:
Day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 27)
day of the Beheading of St. Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John (September 11)
Christmas Eve (January 6)

There are four fasts in the year during which one should abstain from intimacy; one should also abstain from it on major holidays, on Wednesdays and Fridays (fast days). All this is good, correct and necessary, but to what extent can people adhere to this rule? After all, the Lord himself sends children. Everything seems to be so, but it’s not.

And here we can say the well-known phrase: ignorance of the law does not exempt you from responsibility. Conception can occur during Lent and even on Good Friday, and future parents will never associate a child’s illness or an unpleasant situation that will happen to him in adulthood with conception during Lent. A protest immediately arises: then all children conceived during fasting would be sick, or is it really true that children conceived on the permitted days do not get sick, nothing happens to them? And a lot of things can happen to them and for what reasons - it’s difficult to judge. It just says that this is a sin, but whether the spouses believe in it or not, it will not cease to be a sin.

Many people have a question: where is it written, why conceiving a child during Lent is a sin. They also fasted before Christ, only the fasts were different. The Church established rules so that on days of fasting and holidays, as well as on Sundays, spouses should not have intimacy. Further, the holy fathers of the church speak about the need for abstinence during these days and about possible punishment. And they don’t crown people in fasting.

But during fasting, spouses must amicably renounce intimate relationships. If one spouse does not adhere to fasting, cannot endure so many days without intimacy, then it is impossible to refuse him, and the Apostle Peter speaks about this: “Do not deviate from each other, except by consent, for a time, to exercise in fasting and prayer” (1 Cor. 7:5). It would be a greater sin to refuse your spouse than to tempt him to an even greater sin - to go outside, etc. Because of this, relationships can deteriorate, even families can break up. If two people are churchgoers and fast, then you should not plan to conceive a child during Lent. This is a time of abstinence, prayer, and struggle with one’s passions.

What to do when conceiving a child during Lent

If it so happens that a child was conceived during fasting, then it is urgently necessary to confess this sin to both spouses. If you have your own confessor, tell him, if not, then go to church and repent of it in confession. The Lord forgives a lot. Even if a child is conceived during Lent, one must love him, wait for him, and in no case think about abortion or the possible birth of a sick child. Just tune in to the positive so that the baby feels welcome. After all, our thoughts are material.

It’s better not to plan a baby during Lent

It is better not to plan a child during Lent. If a person is a Christian and a member of the church, then it’s not worth drowning your conscience with the fact that there is nothing terrible in this, how many people were conceived during Lent and everything is fine. During Lent you need to mortify your flesh: do not eat savory foods, do not have fun, but turn your eyes to God, fight your passions, and pray. That’s why people don’t get married during Lent, because a wedding is a sacrament in which they also bless the birth of children. Therefore, it is better to abstain.

Those couples who have problems conceiving are constantly being treated: the doctor tells them that they can try, and then just fasting. Well, what to do in such a situation? Many months of treatment, and then lose another month or more. Advice: if you humble yourself, if you put this event (conception) on God, on his shoulders, and not build and calculate it yourself, if you fast and abstain for God, then he will reward you, he will give you a child.

But I want it now, I really want a baby, some spouses cannot get pregnant for many months or years, so it is painfully difficult to wait. Whether or not to wait for the fast to pass is up to the spouses to decide. But children can be sent for joy or for admonition. It’s better not to risk it and wait until the end of the fast.

If conception occurred during Lent, then you should not grieve, but only rejoice at the baby. After all, he feels everything, feels his mother’s fears and worries. It is imperative to repent, confess and take communion, and then prepare to become a mother.

Over the course of 12 months, there are 4 fasts; during these special periods it is necessary to avoid intimacy, as well as on the days of great holidays and fasting days (Wednesday, Friday). Every believer must adhere to these rules. How possible is this to be realized in modern life realities? But what about the statement that says that it is the Lord who sends us children? The answer to this question is not so clear-cut. Let's try to figure out what the consequences of conception during Lent are.

Conception during Lent and the church’s opinion on this matter.

Sometimes spouses do not pay significant attention to exactly when the baby is conceived: during Lent or Good Friday. A serious illness of a child or various troubles that happen to him may be associated precisely with the period of conception. But not all children were conceived at the “allowed” time. Does this mean that they are all seriously ill or that they are haunted by nothing but troubles in life? It is likely that no unpleasant situations will happen to them. Another thing is important - such an act is sinful and it does not matter whether the spouses believe in it or not.

Many believers cannot find a laconic answer to the question of why conceiving a child during fasting is a sin. The Church has established certain rules according to which during fasting days, including Lent, holidays, and Sundays, spouses must abstain from intimacy. But it’s worth evaluating this rule from a different perspective.

After all, both spouses, according to the Holy Scriptures, must refuse sex of their own free will. If one of the couple is unable to bear all the burdens of refusing temptations and cannot live through the days of Lent without intimacy, the spouse cannot refuse. The Apostle Peter wrote about this. An even greater sin is refusal, which entails betrayal. And this will negatively affect family relationships, even to the point of family breakdown.

If the married couple is a believer and follows the rules of fasting, there is no need to conceive a child during this period. It is not for nothing that a certain period of time is given for prayer, repentance and the fight against temptations.

If pregnancy occurs during Lent, a married couple must confess this sinful act as soon as possible. It’s better to go to the church where you regularly go and confess to “your” confessor. But if this is impossible, then you should go to confession at the nearest church. The Lord is merciful to us, therefore he forgives us a lot. When conceiving during Lent, you do not need to think about artificial termination of pregnancy or the birth of a child with all sorts of pathologies. You definitely need to tune in to the best; the baby should feel even in the womb that his birth is welcome. After all, all thoughts can materialize.

Why should you refrain from conceiving during Lent or fasting days?

Planning a child in an Orthodox family must be thought out. You should not convince yourself that conceiving a baby on the “wrong” days is not a sin. Fasting is a time for drawing closer to God, cleansing the soul and body, and renouncing worldly temptations. Prayer and repentance - this is what should be the basis of the life of every Christian during Lent. It is worth noting that during this period they do not marry, since it is during this sacrament that the blessing for the birth of children is given. This is why you should refrain from intimacy during Lent.

There are cases when a married couple has problems related to having children. So it turns out that the end of treatment falls on fasting, when it is necessary to make further attempts at conception. So what to do in this situation? A long period of treatment and several months of abstinence may even be beneficial. You should come to terms with this and take it for granted, there is no need to calculate favorable days and make plans in this regard. Children will be given by God as a reward for humility and undying hope. The wait is painful for those spouses who wait many years for pregnancy. It is up to the married couple to decide what exactly to do. Children are sent by the Lord both for joy and for realizing their own mistakes. Therefore, you should not take risks, but postpone planning until the end of the post.

The opinion of clergy on protection during Lent.

The church does not accept the use of contraception and considers it unnatural. Looking at this from a moral point of view, there should be no contraception in an Orthodox family. The Church perceives such “protection” from possible conception as nothing more than a perversion. It is also worth considering that contraceptives themselves are not as harmless as they seem at first glance; they have a negative effect on a woman’s body. Children are given to a married couple by God, so any obstacle to this is a sin.

Sexual relations during fasting are a passion and temptation that people who are weak in spirit cannot overcome. The ability to control your physical needs on holidays and fasting days is a step towards God, an opportunity to understand why a person lives on earth and what his purpose is.

The concept of “unplanned conception” in the interpretation of the church.

Quite often you can hear the term “unplanned conception,” which is no coincidence in the modern world. The worst thing is that neither the woman nor the man set themselves the goal of creating a child as the fruit of joint love. All this was perceived as an accident. The fetus in the womb is very sensitive to any changes in the mother’s body, this also applies to mood, nervous overexcitation and irritation. All these feelings are experienced by the little unborn man who already has a heart and soul. So how can you hope that a child born from unplanned intimacy can be happy and successful?

All the failures that await such a baby can be associated not only with psychological trauma received before birth, but also as a reflection of parental sins.

How to prepare for conception correctly?

Doctors recommend starting to prepare for a possible pregnancy another 3 months in advance, eating healthy food and vitamins, and abstaining from harmful hobbies. But according to church canons, it takes at least 6 months to be completely ready to conceive. Prayers, following the rules of fasting, calling on the soul - this is what planning consists of. Fasting should be perceived as a kind of cleansing procedure for the soul and body.

There is a way to pray for 41 days to get what you want. It can also be used to summon souls. This method involves carrying out daily procedures for 41 days: lighting a candle on the home altar, incense and fresh flowers, reading prayers, and making a request. All this will be a kind of sacrifice to God for the fulfillment of one’s own desires. Faith in the power of God will help you achieve your plans; the long-awaited pregnancy will come soon.

Take care of the future of your unborn children, do not do things that you will regret. You should not prepare yourself for the possibility that a child conceived during fasting will be born sick. Repent of your actions, remove the heavy burden from your soul. Give the little man all your love, do not pass on the accumulated negativity to him. The confession of both parents will cleanse the soul; know that God’s love for man is limitless.

Children conceived during Lent: what will happen if a child was conceived during Lent? Will this somehow affect his fate? If you are planning a pregnancy, should you do it while fasting? What is actually connected with the idea that conception during Lent is undesirable? A surge in discussion of this topic can be observed every year during Lent on maternal forums on the Internet and in personal discussions. And, as a rule, for advice on this issue they go to a familiar “grandmother” or look for an answer among dubious sources on the Internet. We decided to ask this question to several priests.

Archpriest Alexy Spassky, cleric of the Church of the Holy Blessed Tsarevich Demetrius. Responsible for the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Merciful” at the Morozov Children’s Hospital, Moscow

There is a pious tradition during Lent to abstain not only from fasting food, but also from marital communication. And on the one hand, it is very good to observe marital fasting, but this is still voluntary. In his letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul writes: “Do not depart from each other, except by consent, for a time, to practice fasting and prayer, and [then] be together again, so that Satan does not tempt you through your intemperance” (1 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 5). Here he gives only advice, not command. Many Orthodox Christians, wanting greater achievement, abstain from married life during Lent. Those who can do so do so. And it would be better for the spouses to decide such issues themselves, since they are so old that they got married.

The intimate side of life, deeply personal for spouses, is not the most important thing in our Christian life. All people also have an intellectual, emotional, and social life. But the most important thing for Orthodox Christians is to do good to people, to be a co-worker with God, despite one’s imperfections.

It is wrong to talk about the birth of a sick child if he is conceived during Lent. Obviously, this is another “horror story” that has no place in the Church at all. Moreover, this is absolutely not true: there are sick children who were not conceived during Lent, and vice versa. I, a priest, have no examples from life about the fate of children conceived during Lent, since I do not touch the intimate lives of my parishioners living in marriage. “You have been called to freedom, brethren, but so that freedom should not be a reason for pleasing the flesh,” writes the Apostle Paul. So we need to find a middle ground.

New life and birth are in any case a gift from God. It’s just that some people want to decide everything for God: what is a sin and what is not a sin, and what “retribution” awaits during their lifetime for a “violation.” They still live in the Old Testament, but Christ gave us freedom. But for some reason many are looking for new rules and restrictions for themselves and are willingly enslaved by them.

Going for an abortion if a child is conceived during Lent is completely unthinkable... If abortion is pushed by the words that a child conceived during Lent will be sick, then the one who said this is responsible for all these murders of unborn children. It is very important for those who decide to have an abortion to hear: a new life is a gift from God and the most valuable and important thing you have.

Priest Mikhail Senin, rector of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Polivanovo, Moscow

Orthodox believers have a pious tradition of abstaining during Lent, as far as possible, from marital relations. That is why, as a consequence, the idea has already arisen that children are not conceived during Lent. Conception itself is not a sin. A person can create new life - this is our image and likeness of God. According to the word of the Apostle Paul, husband and wife are like Christ and the Church - a union of love. Sex between husband and wife is not only a fusion of bodies, but also souls, and cannot in any way be a sin.

Not every husband or wife is able to abstain from intimate relationships during Lent for the sake of exercising abstinence. This must be by mutual consent, otherwise one of the spouses will dream about sex and sow lustful thoughts in his heart. And Christ, as we remember from the Gospel, says that the very thought of prodigal thought is a sin. If one or both spouses are not ready to abstain from sex during Lent, then don’t. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians (chapter 7, verse 4): “The wife has no authority over her own body, but the husband does; Likewise, the husband has no power over his body, but the wife.” And then verses 7, 8 and 9: “I wish that all people were like me; but everyone has his own gift from God, one this way, the other another. To the unmarried and widows I say: it is good for them to remain as I do. But if they [cannot] abstain, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to become inflamed!”

The fate of children conceived during Lent cannot be judged only by the date of their conception! This is a misconception that has no place in the Church.

What is our faith? We know that God is not a sadist! God is love! How can one then say that He punishes children conceived during Lent? “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” John 3:16

I believe that a priest has no right to intrude into the intimate area of ​​marital relations, as well as the issue of childbirth. This should only concern the husband and wife.

It is better to refrain from bad actions, words and thoughts, do good, make people happy. Pray more often, think about God and your relationship with him. This is the most important thing in the post. And diet and abstinence are only a help to this. This is an important and useful means to achieving the main goal of fasting, but not the goal itself.

Great Lent is, first of all, prayer and repentance, preparation for the celebrated event of the Resurrection of Christ. Unfortunately, for the majority of those baptized in Christ, Easter and some other church holidays still remain only culinary events (Easter cakes, eggs, etc.), and not “Holidays, Feasts and Celebrations of Celebrations!” And the Church, as a mother, calls her children to spiritual growth during Lent, teaches us to eradicate attachment to sin, fight pride, self-love, envy, condemnation, limit gluttony, entertainment, etc. so that we are ready to celebrate Easter, as the most important event in life.

Our fate – and, as a consequence, the fate of children up to a certain age – is in our hands. The Gospel tells us: seek first the Kingdom of God, and everything else will be added. We do not choose gender and parents, but everything else depends on our own decisions about how to live, where and which way to go. God gives freedom to any person or child, conceived during fasting or not, and calls to salvation.

Priest Nikolai Petrov, cleric of the Church of the Holy Blessed Tsarevich Demetrius at the first city hospital, teacher of the St. Demetrius School of Sisters of Mercy and St. Demetrius Secondary School, Moscow

Of course, there is no need to specifically conceive a child during Lent. Although marital fasting and abstinence are a two-way matter and there are exceptions depending on the situation. The question is different: when the child appears, a new life will begin, no one can guarantee. And it is impossible to plan 100%, despite all the technologies. This is not the place where a person decides. The birth of a new life is in the hands of God. He is the Creator and Himself decides when and who will be born: someone dies in the womb, someone from illness, for someone their parents wait for years.

The new personality created by God, for which He suffered on the Cross, is a work of God's will. No matter how people participate in this, in a sinful way, violating fasting and commandments, a child is a creation of God and his birth cannot be a sin. We know the story of the Old Testament: in the Savior’s genealogy there were many children born outside the family, and yet they even became the Savior’s ancestors in the flesh. There is no sin of the child himself, but parents, of course, bear their own measure of responsibility for their actions. It is important to remember repentance, which can always cleanse any sin. It is always available, but not as easy and simple (“sinned, repented”), as it may seem to those who have never asked for forgiveness from God.

The Lord does not stand with a magnifying glass and does not examine people’s sins. But many mistakenly believe that He punishes immediately and in the same matter in which a person sinned; they look at Him and fear Him as if from afar. But this is not true. If this were really the case, and we received “what we deserved,” we would not be in the world long ago or would be sick and suffering in terrible pain. What other heavenly punishments can be imagined for all the violations that we commit, living not according to the commandments, not obeying God? But look what happens to other sins. If a person steals (and how many people steal from us??), is he immediately caught and put in prison?

The fact that the sin of the parents will certainly affect the child is not at all necessary. A child is a separate person, God gave him life, He will take care of him. Therefore, it is completely wrong to think that everything will be bad further, since life began outside of marriage or during Lent. Nothing will happen to the child, and if the parents repent, then everything will be fine. If they deliberately sin, violate a commandment (in this or any other), specifically as a challenge to God, in order to prove something, then this is already serious and can have consequences. When violation of abstinence during fasting occurs due to human weakness, I think there is no need to be afraid that children will be disadvantaged in some way. On the contrary, you can, through a feat of overcoming difficulties and your fear, carry and give birth to a baby. The Lord will forgive you for this trust and there will be no serious consequences.

Of course, it is better to try to observe fasting and not to break abstinence, to do everything in due time. Understanding at the same time that this question has nothing to do with children and their fate. But if for some reason it didn’t work out, then you shouldn’t be afraid of the consequences, you need to trust God as your Father, come to Him and ask for forgiveness.

Sometimes, the fear of giving birth to an “abnormal” child, if he was conceived during Lent, leads to completely absurd thoughts, even to abortion. What can you answer to this?

Archpriest Dimitry Struev, rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Seeking the Lost”, head of the Orthodox youth center “Ecclesiastes”, father of 10 children, Lipetsk

The idea of ​​having an abortion “out of harm’s way” if the child was conceived during Lent or any other Lent has nothing to do with the Orthodox faith! We, priests, most often encounter the murder of children and their consequences through the example of people who, at the time when they made the decision to have an abortion, had nothing to do with the Church, and came to awareness of sin and repentance later. Moreover, many do so through illness and sorrow.

A few years ago, this happened to me. A young woman approached me, although she had already decided everything unconditionally. The pregnant woman was interested in only one question: what should she do after the abortion, “what prayers will need to be read.” After. “To get lost.” We talked for a long time, and it seemed to me that everything was useless and hopeless. Saying goodbye, she said: “I’ll call you later and tell you that I’ve decided.” I replied: “Don’t even call! I told you everything, I have nothing to add. Do as you please.” She didn't call. Of course, I remembered her at the services. But rather automatically, afraid to even hope for something good.

And six months later we met by chance on the street. I look - my stomach is sticking out. Glory to You, Lord. I don’t want to take credit for the changes that have occurred in the mind of this young lady. What I told her, any other priest or just a believer would have said. The Lord simply had mercy on them - her, her child. And my husband. Then, at the baby’s baptism, when I looked at him, my heart sank at the thought that he was supposed to be killed.

Hundreds and hundreds of people who confess, whose personal problems and difficult situations we have to delve into, pass before each priest. And we inevitably pay attention to certain patterns in their destinies. I don’t really like to scare people with retribution, especially hellish torment. You cannot truly come to Christ for fear of posthumous frying pans. But what (fear of giving birth to a sick child or his unfortunate fate) or for what (career, study, disruption of plans) people go to the murder of their own children often goes to waste, and this terrible price turns out to be paid for something unknown.

In this article I want to answer the following question received from a portal reader

Is it true that conceiving a child during Lent or on a holiday is a sin? They say that these children may be born with disabilities, various diseases, or parents they will suffer a lot with them. If there are special instructions about this in the Bible or what are the Holy Fathers based on when talking about this? Thank you in advance for your response.

This teaching is delusion

I have not yet encountered in the writings of the Holy Fathers a teaching according to which children conceived on days of fasting or on a holiday will have physical disabilities or other defects. This is a pagan teaching, or even most likely a delusion. For example, Russians believe that the moment of conceiving a child is very important; they think that its future fate depends on it. Villagers believed that a child would be hardworking, healthy, cheerful, and smart if conceived on a lucky day or hour. It was believed that the fate of a child who was born on Sunday or during Lent, or during the Passover of the Dead, would be full of misfortune and that the child would be either a fool, or a thief, or a robber. If someone was born blind or deaf, it was thought that this was the result of being conceived on a Friday.

The Bible doesn't teach that

There is no Biblical teaching that says it is a sin to conceive a child on a holiday or during a fast. Moreover, I do not know a single passage from the Bible that would say that in the case where a child was conceived on a holiday or during a fast, he will be born with defects, various diseases, or that his parents will suffer greatly with him. Even more...

God does not require abstinence from sexual relations during fasting

In First Corinthians, the Apostle Paul wrote the following when teaching about how a Christian husband and wife should relate to each other sexually:

And what you wrote to me about is that it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But, in order to avoid fornication, each have his own wife, and each have his own husband. The husband show his wife due favor; likewise is a wife to her husband. The wife has no power over her body, but the husband does; Likewise, the husband has no power over his body, but the wife does. Do not deviate from each other, except by agreement, for a while, to exercise in fasting and prayer, and then be together again, so that Satan does not tempt you with your intemperance. However, I said this as permission, and not as a command. (1 Corinthians 7:1-6)

So, according to this passage, abstaining from sexual relations during Lent is a permission, not a commandment. And if one of the spouses does not want to abstain from sexual relations during fasting, this will not be a problem for the other and this does not in any way affect their fast and their relationship with God. Moreover, this does not reflect in any way on their children, who may be conceived as a result of sexual relations during the fast.

The physical health of parents at the time of conceiving a child affects his health

This is known all over the world. Men and women who want to have healthy children want to maintain good health and not do things that will affect their health and then affect the health of their children.

The spiritual state of parents affects the health of the child

This is what the second of God's 10 commandments says:

You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth; You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, and showing mercy to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6)

When Moses ascended Mount Sinai for the second time to receive the 10 Commandments...

And the Lord came down in the cloud, and stood there near him, and proclaimed the name of Jehovah. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed: The Lord, the Lord, a gracious and merciful God, long-suffering and abounding in mercy and truth, preserving mercy to thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but not leaving it unpunished, punishing the iniquity of the fathers on the children and children of children up to the third and fourth generation. (Exodus 34:5-7)

Even if you didn't admit it before, I'm guessing that you saw a connection between the problems in your life and the way your parents lived before God. Or maybe you become even more anxious when you think about how your affairs and your spiritual state, which you currently have over your child's future, will reflect. In that case, I'm sure you want to know...

How to save your child's future?

It is necessary to repent. Come to God, ask for forgiveness for conscious and unconscious sins committed, then make a covenant with God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, deciding to be obedient with all your heart to His Word, written on the pages of the Holy Scriptures. Study the Bible, live what it says, and never go back to what you did in the past. In this way, you will gain an inheritance in God's Kingdom and ensure a blessed future not only for yourself, but also for your children.

Translation: Moses Natalya