Communion is one of the most important church rituals called sacraments. What is its essence? It is as follows. Man is considered by the church as not only a material, but also a spiritual being. Therefore, he also needs spiritual food. During Communion, a person receives the Holy Gifts - the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. IN real life it looks like eating bread and wine, through which a person is cleansed of sins and prepares to enter into eternal life.
The Gospel of John says about this sacrament: whoever partakes of the flesh and blood of the Son of Man will receive eternal life and will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment. And also through it there will be a reunion with God.
Why is the sacrament performed?
Thus, to connect with God and gain from eternal life need to take communion. Similar to earthly healing for infection blood occurs by replacing it with a healthy one; a soul infected with sin needs the blood of Christ to flow to it. Just as a diseased organ is replaced with a healthy one, by consuming the body of Christ under the guise of bread, the soul is healed. The Holy Scripture says: after communion, Christ’s Blood “flows in our veins,” and we become “co-corporeal” with him.
By entering the human soul, Christ heals it of passions and “ulcers,” fills it with life-giving juices, calms it, and gives joy. Thereby spiritual improvement occurs and communion already during the earthly path to the heavenly, eternal path. That is, communion is a kind of path to the kingdom of heaven, a guarantee that a person will reach it upon completion Last Judgment.
How it all began
Other names sacraments - Eucharist. ABOUT but came from Greek language And translated as thanksgiving. The rite during which believers receive communion is called Liturgy - public service. It can be done both at night and in the morning. In the Orthodox Church this is the main sacrament, its basis and core. Without him the Church itself is impossible how it is impossible to build a building without a foundation. This action was established by the Son of God himself during the Last Supper with his disciples on the eve of the passion of the Lord - his suffering on the cross.
As Jesus and his disciples sat at the evening meal, he took the bread, performed a blessing on it, then broke it and distributed it to his followers. After this, he took the cup of wine, said a prayer of thanks to God for his mercy towards people, and also passed it on to the table diners. He accompanied these actions with the words that the bread is his body and the wine is his blood, you need to eat them, since they will be given in the name of forgiveness of humanity for its sins. Jesus also called for communion of the Holy Gifts in memory of him.
After Christ’s ascension into heaven, the disciples, “breaking bread” on the week, which was then the first day of the week, prayed, sang psalms, read the Holy Scriptures and confessed. At times the meal continued until the morning. Gradually, such actions transformed into church service, which today consists of two parts - the evening service and the morning - which includes Communion.
Frequency and purity of communion
At the dawn of Christianity, Communion was celebrated every Sunday. Today, the church fathers recommend joining this sacrament at least once a month. For those who do not have such an opportunity - at least four times a year, coinciding Communion with fasting. The minimum frequency of participation in the Eucharist is annual Communion.
There are situations when people consider themselves as sinners unworthy to partake of the Blood and Body of the Lord. There is another extreme - frequent trips to Communion, performed in a formal manner, without the required preparation, without the necessary emotional mood, without the proper awe and awareness of the sanctity of the rite.
Both approaches are deeply flawed. In the first case, the mistake is that, by and large, each of us is sinful by virtue of human nature itself. And the sacrament of Communion exists to correct this sinfulness, cleanse us from it and introduce us to grace. And after each conscious and prepared participation in the ritual a person becomes better and purer. In the second case, when eating wine and bread “for show,” there will be no approach to eternal bliss.
In order for the Eucharist to correspond to its purpose, it must be carried out by believers as an integral part of the continuous process of spiritual improvement in combination with its inherent attributes - confession, prayers, good deeds. Here, direct communication with a confessor who will be able to guide the religious life of his “child” will help.
How to prepare to receive the Holy Gifts
Spiritual preparation
By figuratively Holy Fathers, preparing for the Eucharist, a person must prepare to meet the Son of God. After all, he partakes of his Blood and Flesh.
Of course, being a churchgoer, you need to follow religious rules: study Holy Bible, turn to the Lord with prayers, confess to committing sins, abstain from light food during Lent. But this alone is not enough. A person must maintain constant internal work, aimed at cultivating such qualities as love for people, conscientiousness, responsible attitude to duty, tolerance and peacefulness.
If you turn to the Gospel of Matthew, you can find the following lines. Having come to the altar, and remembering that he was in a quarrel with his brother, must first make peace with him, and then turn to God with gifts and prayers. That is, in order to correctly approach the rite of Communion, you need to settle your “worldly” affairs. Understand your relationships with loved ones, and if there is a conflict, grievances, or complaints, try to correct the situation by establishing peace in the family and among friends. And after that, go to, ease your soul and put your thoughts in order.
Who can receive communion? It is important to know that only those who baptized by Orthodox rite . Thus, he becomes one of the members of the Church and can be admitted to the Eucharist. It must be remembered that an obstacle to participation in the ritual is a grave sin. Its implementation requires special work on oneself and active repentance. One of the principles of the church is the motto: “Faith without works is dead.” It follows from it that it is not enough to atone for sins, you need to correct your mistakes and try not to commit them in the future, to do good deeds.
Thus, preparation for Communion consists of following the rules. It is necessary: repentance of sins, fasting and prayer vigils - provided that this is done sincerely and heartfeltly.
As stated in First Epistle to the Corinthians Apostle Paul, going to Communion, a person tests himself. And if “anyone eats and drinks unworthily,” while “not considering the Body of the Lord,” “he eats and drinks judgment upon himself.” From these words we can conclude: when a believer picks up bread and a cup of wine, he must understand that this is not just food, but an introduction to the highest meaning of existence, to true faith, to its essence, to the divine essence. And this must be done with reverence and awe, since during the sacred act of the Eucharist God reveals himself to man, and man to God.
How to actually prepare
How the ritual is performed
First Communion
How do children receive Holy Communion for the first time? The first time a child receives communion is immediately after the baptismal ceremony. It is believed that after this he falls under the “care” of his guardian angel, who will be with him all his life.
It is advisable for his parents - biological and godparents - to participate in the sacrament together with the child. One of them brings the child to the Chalice. They must also prepare the day before by following the same rules as for an adult receiving communion: fasting, confessing, and saying prayers.
When a child is being prepared for communion, if he not fulfilled three years , it can be fed immediately before the ceremony in the morning, but no later than half an hour. Otherwise, he may vomit while in church.
You need to make sure that he is not overexcited the night before, goes to bed early and gets a good night's sleep.
- participation in noisy games,
- viewing large quantity cartoons,
- listening to loud music,
- eating chocolate.
Then during the service he will not be capricious. You also need to take care of comfortable clothes, which will not be small or large and should correspond to the season, since both hypothermia and overheating are especially harmful to the child’s body.
When bringing a child to the Holy Chalice, he is placed on right hand and gently hold her, preventing her from waving her arms and pushing the filled vessel or the priest’s hand holding it.
If a child is under seven years old, he is not confessed. When he is very young, his parents say his name; later he must do it on his own.
There are cases where unhealthy children immediately after their first Communion felt much better and even recovered completely. If it was not possible to give the baby communion during baptism, it is advisable to do this as soon as possible. As a rule, church ministers recommend giving communion to children regularly, for example, on Sundays. The Church considers the first Eucharist as a step towards the ascent to full religious life.
After participating in the holy sacrament of Communion, if all the rules are followed, a person is overcome with a feeling of joy, gratitude to God for his mercy, the desire for pure and beautiful life in the womb Christian Church.
Many Orthodox Christians, especially those who have only recently joined the church, ask priests and believers: “Is it possible to receive communion without confession?” It is impossible to answer unequivocally and categorically, but, nevertheless, it will be more likely “no” than “yes”. Why? So that there is no temptation.
Why was confession invented?
Usually, when answering such a question, clergy begin their introduction by quoting Old Testament, Where we're talking about about Adam and Eve. Initially, our first parents lived without sin in Eden, communicating with each other and with God. But in the Garden of Eden lived the Serpent (devil), who tempted Eve, then Adam sinned. Since that time, man and God have distanced themselves from each other. To be reconciled with God again, people need to repent of their actions. 
What is the point of this episode? Remember, God, having created man and woman, said something like this: “Live, enjoy the gifts, but do not eat the fruit of this tree.” When Eve found herself next to the forbidden tree, the Serpent-tempter told her that she would learn a lot if she ate the fruit. She disobeyed God, but agreed with the devil. After such a tragic incident, the person was expelled from heaven forever.
What is Communion?
Let's see how this story relates to contemporary times. Is it possible to receive communion without confession and what is Communion? After the Fall in Eden, for many thousands of years the righteous knew God, but lived according to different laws that Moses wrote. After a while, the Son of God - Jesus Christ - came to earth and established new law– Gospel ( New Testament). On the eve of the day of the crucifixion, He gathered His disciples and said: “In My memory you will eat bread and drink wine, for this is My body and blood.” By these words the Lord meant Communion. 
Unfortunately, each of us (even the saints) has sinned and continues to sin. Only Jesus Christ was sinless. In order to be reconciled with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you need to sincerely repent of your actions and cleanse your soul of dirt.
About the sacrament of the Eucharist
Ordinary people are not given the opportunity to see how the preparation of Communion takes place in the altar after the general singing of the Lord's Prayer. Even the priests themselves do not see what is happening, they only know what kind of sacrament this is, so they pray for the transformation of wine and bread into the body and blood of Christ. There is evidence of how some holy people saw the Baby in the altar, many angels, Mother of God. This is how, invisible to the human eye, a real miracle occurs, for which you need to seriously prepare. After such stories, as a rule, people no longer ask the question: “Is it possible to receive communion without confession?” After all, every Christian in this case feels his unworthiness before communion.
Great Lent and Christmas
There is a church rule about Lent: if you fasted all days, took communion at least once, and went to church regularly, then you can take communion on Easter night. On Holy Saturday, after the sacrament of confession, one is allowed to take communion in the morning at the liturgy. If a person did not sin during the day, he prayed, prepared for night service, then he can receive communion without confession again. The same rule applies on Christmas Eve.
What if I didn’t receive communion before my death?
People often ask with excitement: “A loved one died, but he did not receive communion. Where will his soul be?” 
There is one story about a nun who succumbed to temptation and went into the world. She lived there with men and had fun. But the time came, she came to her senses, realized what she had done, and decided to return. While she was on her way to her native monastery, she cried and repented, approaching almost the gates of the monastery, she died. As the nuns of the monastery later miraculously learned, their lost sister went to heaven, she was forgiven by God, because she cried about her sins and sincerely asked the Lord for forgiveness. This case will answer the question: “Is it possible to receive communion without confession?” But we must remember that this is allowed only in exceptional cases, for example, a soldier dies during a battle in a war, or a seriously ill person to whom a priest cannot come.
Unction, confession and communion
During Lent, before Christmas, unction takes place. What it is? During this sacrament, the seven Gospels are read and believers are anointed with the cross. What is this action? The priests pray for the health of those gathered. Many priests say that unction is necessary for illnesses.
“Is it possible to receive communion after unction without confession, since all sins are removed with this sacrament?” - priests often hear this question. A competent priest will ask the counter: “Who told you that with unction, all your sins are washed away?” In fact, the rite of unction says practically nothing about the forgiveness of sins in general; there is only a prayer for health. Usually you can hear the answer before the unction: “You can go to confession after the unction, if you don’t have time before it.” Nothing is said here about communion.
So we examined the questions about whether it is possible to receive communion without confession in Lent, is it possible to proceed to the Eucharist after unction. Any such questions should be discussed only with the priest with whom you are confessing.
About the Sacrament of Communion
(Luke 22:19).
15.6. Who can receive communion?
–
About the Sacrament of Communion
15.1. What does Communion mean?
– In this Sacrament under the guise of bread and wine Orthodox Christian eats the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and through this is mysteriously united with Him, becoming a partaker of eternal life, for in every particle of the crushed lamb the Whole Christ is contained. Comprehension of this Sacrament surpasses the human mind.
This Sacrament is called the Eucharist, which means “thanksgiving.”
15.2. Who established the Sacrament of Communion?
– The Sacrament of Communion was established by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
15.3. How and why did Jesus Christ institute the Sacrament of Communion?
- This Holy Sacrament The Lord Jesus Christ established the Last Supper with the apostles on the eve of His suffering. He took the bread into His Most Pure hands, blessed it, broke it and divided it among His disciples, saying: “Take, eat: this is My Body"(Matthew 26:26). Then he took the cup of wine, blessed it and, giving it to the disciples, said: “Drink ye of it, all of you, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”(Matthew 26:27,28). Then the Savior gave the apostles, and through them all believers, the commandment to perform this Sacrament until the end of the world in remembrance of His suffering, death and Resurrection for the closest union of believers with Him. He said: “Do this in remembrance of Me”(Luke 22:19).
15.4. Why do you need to take communion?
– To enter the Kingdom of Heaven and have eternal life. Without frequent Communion of Saints Mysteries of Christ It is impossible to achieve perfection in spiritual life.
The grace of God operating in the Sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion revives the soul and body, heals them, acts tangibly so that a Christian person becomes sensitive to his sins and weaknesses, does not easily succumb to sinful deeds and is strengthened in the truths of faith. Faith, the Church and all its institutions become family and close to the heart.
15.5. Is repentance alone enough to cleanse oneself from sin, without Communion?
– Repentance cleanses the soul from defilements, and Communion fills by God's grace and prevents the return of the evil spirit expelled by repentance to the soul.
15.6. Who can receive communion?
– All baptized Orthodox Christians can and should receive communion after the required preparation for this by fasting, prayers and Confession.
15.7. How to prepare for Communion?
– Anyone who wishes to receive communion worthily must have heartfelt repentance, humility, a firm intention to correct himself and begin godly life. You need to prepare for the Sacrament of Communion for several days: pray more and more diligently at home, be at evening worship on the eve of Communion.
Prayer is usually accompanied by fasting (from one to three days) - abstinence from fast food: meat, milk, butter, eggs (with strict fasting and from fish) and in general moderation in food and drink. You should become aware of your sinfulness and protect yourself from anger, condemnation and obscene thoughts and conversations, and refuse to visit places of entertainment. The best time to spend is reading spiritual books. One must confess in the evening before the day of Communion or in the morning before the Liturgy. Before Confession, one must reconcile with both the offenders and the offended, humbly asking everyone for forgiveness. On the eve of the day of Communion, abstain from marital relations, after midnight do not eat, drink or smoke.
15.8. What prayers should you use to prepare for Communion?
– There is a special rule for prayerful preparation for Communion, which is found in Orthodox prayer books. It usually consists of reading four canons the night before: the canon of repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ, the canon of prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos, the canon to the Guardian Angel, the canon from the Follow-up to Holy Communion. In the morning, prayers from the Follow-up to Holy Communion are read. In the evening you should also read prayers for the coming sleep, and in the morning - morning prayers.
With the blessing of the confessor, this prayer rule before Communion can be reduced, increased, or replaced by another.
15.9. How to approach Communion?
– After singing “Our Father,” you must approach the steps of the altar and wait for the Holy Chalice to be taken out. Children must be let ahead. When approaching the Chalice, you need to fold your arms crosswise on your chest (right over left) and not cross yourself in front of the Chalice, so as not to accidentally push it.
Approaching the Chalice, you should clearly pronounce your christian name given at Baptism, open your mouth wide, reverently accept the Holy Gifts and immediately swallow. Then kiss the bottom of the Cup like the rib of Christ. You cannot touch the Chalice or kiss the priest’s hand. Then you should go to the table with warmth and wash down Communion so that the holy thing does not remain in your mouth.
15.10. How often should you take communion?
– This must be agreed upon with the spiritual father, since priests bless in different ways. For people seeking to churchize their lives, some modern pastors recommend taking communion one to two times a month. Other priests also bless more frequent Communion.
Usually they confess and receive communion during all four multi-day fasts church year, on twelve, great and temple holidays, on their name days and births, spouses - on their wedding day.
One should not miss the opportunity to use the grace bestowed by communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ as often as possible.
15.11. Who does not have the right to receive communion?
– Not baptized in Orthodox Church or baptized in other religious denominations, who have not converted to Orthodoxy,
- one who does not wear pectoral cross,
– who has received a priest’s ban on receiving communion,
– women during the period of monthly cleansing.
You cannot take communion just for show, for the sake of certain quantitative norms. The Sacrament of Communion should become a need of the soul for an Orthodox Christian.
15.12. Is it possible for a pregnant woman to receive communion?
– It is necessary, and as often as possible, to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, preparing for Communion by repentance, confession, and all possible prayer. The Church exempts pregnant women from fasting.
The churching of a child must begin from the moment the parents find out that they will have a child. Even in the womb, the child perceives everything that happens to the mother and around her. Echoes reach him outside world and in them he is able to detect anxiety or peace. The child feels the mood of his mother. At this time, it is very important to participate in the Sacraments and pray for parents so that the Lord, through them, will influence the child with His grace.
15.13. Can an Orthodox Christian take communion in any other non-Orthodox church?
– No, only in the Orthodox Church.
15.14. Can you take communion on any day?
– Every day in the Church there is Communion of believers, with the exception of Great Lent, during which you can receive communion only on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
15.15. When can you receive communion during the week of Lent?
– During Lent, adults can receive communion on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; small children - on Saturdays and Sundays.
15.16. Why are infants not given communion at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts?
– The fact is that at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the Chalice contains only blessed wine, and the particles of the Lamb (the Bread transposed into the Body of Christ) are pre-saturated with the Blood of Christ. Since infants, due to their physiology, cannot be given communion with a part of the Body, and there is no Blood in the Chalice, they are not given communion during the Presanctified Liturgy.
15.17. Is it possible to take communion several times on one day?
- No one and under no circumstances should receive communion twice on the same day. If the Holy Gifts are given from several Chalice, they can only be received from one.
15.18. Is it possible to receive communion after Unction without Confession?
– Unction does not cancel Confession. At the Unction, not all sins are forgiven, but only forgotten and unconscious ones.
15.19. How to give communion to a sick person at home?
– The patient’s relatives must first agree with the priest about the time of Communion and about measures to prepare the sick person for this Sacrament.
15.20. How to give communion to a one-year-old child?
– If a child is not able to remain calmly in church for the entire service, then he can be brought to the end of the Liturgy - to the beginning of the singing of the Lord’s Prayer and then given communion.
15.21. Is it possible for a child under 7 years old to eat before Communion? Is it possible for sick people to receive communion without an empty stomach?
– Only in exceptional cases is it allowed to receive communion without an empty stomach. This issue is resolved individually in consultation with a priest. Infants under 7 years of age are allowed to receive communion without an empty stomach. Children should be taught to abstain from food and drink before Communion from an early age.
15.22. Is it possible to receive communion if you have not attended the all-night vigil? Is it possible to receive communion if you have fasted, but have not read or did not finish reading the rule?
– Such issues can only be resolved with the priest individually. If the reasons for absence from the all-night vigil or failure to fulfill prayer rule are respectful, then the priest can allow communion. It is not the number of prayers read that is important, but the disposition of the heart, living faith, repentance for sins, intention to improve your life.
15.23. Are we sinners worthy to receive communion often?
– “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick”(Luke 5:31). There is not a single person on earth worthy of Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and if people do receive communion, it is only by the special mercy of God. It is the sinners, the unworthy, the weak, who more than anyone else need this saving source - like the sick in treatment. And those who consider themselves unworthy and exclude themselves from Communion are like heretics and pagans.
With sincere repentance, God forgives a person’s sins, and Communion gradually corrects his shortcomings.
The basis for deciding the question of how often one should receive communion is the degree of preparedness of the soul, its love for the Lord, and the strength of its repentance. Therefore, the Church leaves this issue to priests and spiritual fathers to decide.
15.24. If you feel cold after Communion, does this mean that you received Communion unworthily?
- Coldness occurs in those who seek consolation from Communion, but who considers himself unworthy, grace remains with him. However, when after Communion there is no peace and joy in the soul, one must see this as a reason for deep humility and contrition for sins. But there is no need to despair and mourn: there should be no selfish attitude towards the Sacrament.
In addition, the Sacraments are not always reflected in the feelings, but also act in secret.
15.25. How to behave on the day of Communion?
– Communion Day is a special day for the Christian soul when it mysteriously unites with Christ. These days should be spent as great holidays, devoting them as much as possible to solitude, prayer, concentration and spiritual reading.
After Communion, we must ask the Lord to help us preserve the gift with dignity and not return back, that is, to previous sins.
It is necessary to especially protect yourself in the first hours after Communion: at this time, the enemy of the human race is trying in every possible way so that a person insults the shrine, and it would stop consecrating him. A shrine can be insulted by sight, a careless word, hearing, or condemnation. On the day of Communion, one must eat moderately, not have fun, and behave decently.
You should protect yourself from idle talk, and to avoid it, you need to read the Gospel, the Jesus Prayer, akathists, and the lives of saints.
15.26. Is it possible to kiss the cross after Communion?
– After the Liturgy, all those praying venerate the cross: both those who received communion and those who did not.
15.27. Is it possible to kiss icons and the priest’s hand after Communion? prostrations?
– After Communion, before drinking, you should refrain from kissing icons and the priest’s hand, but there is no such rule that those receiving communion should not kiss icons or the priest’s hand on this day and not bow to the ground. It is important to keep your tongue, thoughts and heart from all evil.
15.28. Is it possible to replace Communion by drinking Epiphany water with artos (or antidor)?
– This is a misconception about the possibility of replacing Communion Epiphany water with artos (or antidor) arose, perhaps, due to the fact that people who have canonical or other obstacles to Communion of the Holy Mysteries are allowed to use for consolation Epiphany water with antidor. However, this cannot be understood as an equivalent replacement. Communion cannot be replaced by anything.
15.29. Can children under 14 years of age receive communion without Confession?
– Without Confession, only children under 7 years old can receive communion. From the age of 7, children receive communion only after Confession.
15.30. Is Communion paid for?
– No, in all churches the Sacrament of Communion is always performed free of charge.
15.31. Everyone receives communion from the same spoon, is it possible to get sick?
– You can fight disgust only with faith. There has never been a single case of someone becoming infected through the Chalice: even when people take communion in hospital churches, no one ever gets sick. After Communion of believers, the remaining Holy Gifts are consumed by a priest or deacon, but even during epidemics they do not get sick. This greatest sacrament The Church, given, among other things, for the healing of soul and body, and the Lord does not disgrace the faith of Christians.
D Good day, dear visitors of the Orthodox website “Family and Faith”!
Why then, when you receive communion, do the Holy Mysteries sometimes taste like bread, and sometimes like Flesh? Does this mean that at some time you partake of eternal life, and at another time you partake in condemnation?
When you take communion, you feel that your soul is light, but after a while (on the same day) this state passes, and your soul is heavy again. You feel the absence of God. The same passions arise again. What do we have to do?
Answers these questions Archimandrite Ambrose (Fontrier):
"TO when righteous John Kronstadt served in the cathedral, two young people came to him. They gathered to take communion. One read the rule, but the second, very tired, could not. And both came to church. The one who read it calmly approached Communion, and the righteous John of Kronstadt did not allow him. And the other with a contrite heart said to himself: “Lord, I so want to accept You; but I didn’t read the rule, I’m so vile, so disgusting...” Condemning himself, he approached the Chalice, and Righteous John of Kronstadt gave him communion. The most important thing for the Lord is our contrite heart, the awareness of our unworthiness. Saint John Chrysostom says: “If we prepare for a thousand years, we will never be worthy - we must hope for the mercy of God. If the Lord does not help, we will not be able to receive communion worthily.”
- Why then, when you receive communion, do the Holy Mysteries sometimes taste like bread, and sometimes like Flesh? Does this mean that at some time you partake of eternal life, and at another time you partake in condemnation?
— If a person feels that he accepts the Flesh, then the Lord gives it to strengthen faith. But it’s right to feel the taste of bread. The Lord Himself says: “I am the bread of Life” (John 6:35).
Many people told me about this. Just recently, one woman called from Kyiv and said: “Father, my faith is weak. When I went to Communion today, I was poorly prepared. Father gave me a small particle, and at the Chalice I thought: “What kind of Flesh can there be here? When I can’t even feel with my tongue that he put something in my mouth? He gave me a little, a tiny bit. And I couldn’t eat that piece. It stayed like that in my mouth. I came home and my mouth was full of meat. I just can't swallow it. For several hours I sobbed, cried, asked the Lord - it’s a pity to throw it away, but I just can’t swallow it! Then the Lord freed me - I swallowed it and now I’m calling. What, have I sinned terribly?” “Repent for doubting this,” I tell her.
We know that the Lord performed the first miracle when he transformed wine from water. It costs him nothing to transform His Blood from wine, or His Flesh from bread. A person does not receive part of the flesh, but the Living Christ enters entirely into each person who receives communion.
— When you take communion, you feel light in your soul, but after a while (on the same day) this state passes, and your soul is heavy again. You feel the absence of God. The same passions arise again. What do we have to do?
“We need to prepare ourselves the day before.” You need to fast well - “This same generation of demons is driven out only by prayer and fasting”(Matthew 17:21), so you need to pray well the day before, warm up your soul, fast - the passions will subside.
After Communion, we must try to remain in prayer, to maintain peace of mind. Those who like to be arbitrary and rebel do not value Communion. They took communion - and immediately there was resentment, hysteria, and rebellion. This is because everything happens not according to their will. They need to rebel, completely break off everything, all relationships. There are still many such people, they are called rebels. They don't value anything, they don't value anything. The most important thing is that everything is according to their wishes. And if (God forbid) something is against them, everyone around them becomes enemies, and there will never be peace in the soul, until death. This is the most terrible state of the human soul. A person lives according to his own will, and no one has the right to say anything to him. And everything is fine with them, just don’t touch them - they’ll sting...”
Sacrament Participles established by the Lord Himself last supper - last meal with students in Easter night before His arrest and crucifixion.
“And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat: this is My body. And, taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said: drink from it, all of you, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:26-28), "...do this in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19). In the Sacrament of the Flesh and Blood of the Lord ( Eucharist - Greek. “thanksgiving”) there is a restoration of that unity between the nature of the Creator and the creation that existed before the Fall; this is our return to paradise lost. We can say that in Communion we receive, as it were, the germs future life in the Kingdom of Heaven. The mystical mystery of the Eucharist is rooted in the Savior's Sacrifice on the Cross. Having crucified His Flesh on the cross and shed His Blood, the God-man Jesus brought the Sacrifice of Love to the Creator for us and restored the fallen human nature. Thus, the communion of the Body and Blood of the Savior becomes our participation in this restoration. « Christ is risen from the dead, death by death trampled down, and gave life to those in the tombs; and giving us eternal life...”
Eating the Flesh and Blood of Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist is not a symbolic action (as Protestants believe), but quite real. Not everyone can accommodate this secret.
« Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”
He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
For My Flesh is truly food, and My Blood is truly drink.
He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent Me, and I live through the Father, so he who eats Me will also live through Me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers ate manna and died: whoever eats this bread will live forever.
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Many of His disciples, hearing this, said: What strange words! who can listen to this?
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From that time on, many of His disciples departed from Him and no longer walked with Him” (John 6:53–58, 60, 66).
Rationalists try to “bypass” the mystery, reducing mysticism to a symbol. The proud perceive what is inaccessible to their reason as an insult: Leo Tolstoy blasphemously called the sacrament “cannibalism.” For others it is a wild superstition, for others it is an anachronism. But the children of the Church of Christ know that in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, under the guise of bread and wine, they truly partake of the Body and Blood of Christ in Their essence. Indeed, it is not human nature to eat raw flesh and blood, and therefore at Communion the Gifts of Christ are hidden under the image of bread and wine. Nevertheless, hidden under the outer shell of perishable matter is the incorruptible substance of the Divine nature. Sometimes, by special permission, the Lord lifts this veil of mystery and allows those in doubt to see the true nature of the Holy Gifts. In particular, in my personal practice there were two cases when the Lord wanted to allow those who were communing to see His Body and Blood in their authentic form. Both times were first communions; in one case, a person was sent to the Church by psychics for their own reasons. In another, the reason for coming to the temple was very superficial curiosity. After such a wonderful event, both became faithful children of the Orthodox Church.
How can we at least approximately understand the meaning of what is happening in the Sacrament of Communion? The nature of creation was created by the Creator akin to Himself: not only permeable, but also, as it were, inseparable from the Creator. This is natural given the holiness of created nature - its original state of free unity and submission to the Creator. They remain in this state angelic worlds. However, nature our the world is distorted and perverted by the fall of its guardian and leader - man. Nevertheless, she did not lose the opportunity to reunite with the nature of the Creator: the clearest evidence of this is the incarnation of the Savior. But man fell away from God voluntarily, and he can also reunite with Him only through free will (even the incarnation of Christ required the consent of a person - the Virgin Mary!). In the same time deification
inanimate, without free will, nature, God can do naturally, without permission
. Thus, in the divinely established Sacrament of Communion, the grace of the Holy Spirit at the established moment of the service (and also at the request of a person!) descends on the substance of bread and wine and offers
them into a substance of a different, higher nature: the Body and Blood of Christ. And now a person can accept these highest Gifts of Life only by showing his free will! The Lord gives Himself to everyone, but those who believe Him and love Him—the children of His Church—accept Him.
So, Communion is the grace-filled communion of the soul with the highest nature and in it with eternal life. Bringing this down greatest secret to the realm of everyday image, we can compare Communion with the “nutrition” of the soul, which it should receive after its “birth” in the Sacrament of Baptism. And just as a person is born into the world by flesh once, and then feeds for the rest of his life, so Baptism is a one-time event, and we must resort to Communion regularly, preferably at least once a month, possibly more often. Communion once a year is the minimum acceptable, but such a “hungry” regime can bring the soul to the brink of survival.
How is Communion celebrated in the Church?
It is necessary to properly prepare for participation in the Eucharist. A meeting with God is an event that shakes the soul and transforms the body. Worthy communion requires a conscious and reverent attitude towards this event. There must be sincere faith in Christ and an understanding of the meaning of the Sacrament. We must have reverence for the Savior’s Sacrifice and awareness of our unworthiness to accept this great Gift (we accept It not as a well-deserved reward, but as a manifestation of mercy loving Father). There must be reconciliation of the soul: you need to sincerely forgive in your heart everyone who has “saddened us” in one way or another (remembering the words of the Lord’s Prayer: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”) and try, if possible, to reconcile with them ; This applies even more to those who, for one reason or another, consider themselves offended by us. Before Communion, one should read the prayers defined by the Church and compiled by the holy fathers, which are called: “Following to Holy Communion”; these prayer texts are present, as a rule, in all publications Orthodox prayer books(collections of prayers). It is advisable to discuss the exact amount of reading of these texts with the priest to whom you turn for advice and who knows the specifics of your life. After the Sacrament of Communion is performed, it is necessary to read “Prayers of Thanksgiving for Holy Communion.” Finally, preparing to accept into yourself - into your flesh and into your soul - the Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ, terrible in their greatness, you must cleanse yourself with body and soul. Fasting and Confession serve this purpose.
Corporal fasting involves abstaining from eating savory food. The duration of fasting before Communion is usually up to three days. Directly on the eve of Communion one must abstain from marital relations and from midnight one must not eat any food (in fact, one must not eat or drink anything in the morning before the service). However, in specific cases, significant deviations from these norms are possible; They should, again, be discussed individually.
Communion in Church
The Sacrament of Communion itself takes place in the Church at a service called liturgy . As a rule, the liturgy is celebrated in the first half of the day; The exact start time of services and the days they take place should be found out directly in the temple you are going to go to. Services usually begin between seven and ten o'clock in the morning; The duration of the liturgy, depending on the nature of the service and partly on the number of communicants, is from one and a half to four to five hours. In cathedrals and monasteries, liturgies are served daily; in parish churches on Sundays and on church holidays. It is advisable for those preparing for Communion to attend the service from the beginning (for this is a single spiritual action), and also to be at the evening service the day before, which is prayer preparation to the liturgy and the Eucharist.
During the liturgy, you need to stay in the church without going out, prayerfully participating in the service until the priest comes out of the altar with a cup and proclaims: “Approach with the fear of God and faith.” Then the communicants line up one after another in front of the pulpit (first children and the infirm, then men and then women). Hands should be folded crosswise on the chest; You are not supposed to be baptized in front of the cup. When your turn comes, you need to stand in front of the priest, say your name and open your mouth so that you can put in a spoon with a particle of the Body and Blood of Christ. The liar must be thoroughly licked with his lips, and after wiping his lips with the cloth, reverently kiss the edge of the bowl. Then, without venerating the icons or talking, you need to move away from the pulpit and take a drink - St. water with wine and a particle of prosphora (in this way, as if the oral cavity is washed, so that tiny particles Gifts cannot be accidentally expelled from oneself, for example, by sneezing). After communion you need to read (or listen in Church) thanksgiving prayers and in the future carefully guard your soul from sins and passions.
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