O. Daniil Sysoev about communion on Easter. Modern practice of receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ on Easter Day

Opinion of the clergy: Is it possible to receive communion on Easter? It would seem that the question is strange and not suitable for discussion in an official church publication. If you cannot receive communion, then why is the liturgy celebrated? Why is it necessary to shy away from the greatest Sacrament on the greatest Holiday?

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In the mid-80s, as a student at Moscow theological schools, and then as a novice and resident of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, I remember that people almost did not receive communion on Easter. One of the reasons is related to the difficult situation in which the Church found itself during the years of Soviet power. But that power fell, and the situation changed dramatically: there have been a lot of communicants in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra for many years both on Easter and Bright Week. This is a correct, competent tradition. The fact that today there are still churches where they do not receive communion on Easter is a relic of the past. Let's pray that merciful Lord corrected the situation.

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His Eminence Vincent, Archbishop of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye, when asked by the Church Bulletin about cases of refusal of Communion on Easter, he answered:

Unfortunately, we have such a problem. On Easter, when some priests are already tired, they would not want to “delay” the service. Therefore, they limit the people with Communion - some to babies, others somehow at their own discretion. In fact, of course, everyone can and should receive communion. And, thank God, in many churches on Easter and other major holidays this correct order is slowly recovering.

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I am very surprised that such a tradition exists of not taking communion on Easter! In general, every time the liturgy is celebrated, the priest addresses those present in the church: “Come with the fear of God, faith and love,” that is, it is understood that there are always communicants at the liturgy, we serve for the sake of Communion.

Easter is the pinnacle of all holidays. If we do not receive communion, then how can we show that we are participating in this holiday, that we really want to be with the Lord Jesus Christ, Who said: “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me and I in him”? Of course, in the Jerusalem Church, Communion is celebrated in all churches on Easter. On this day, thousands of pilgrims come to Jerusalem, who, of course, want to partake of the Holy Gifts. Previously, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher there was no custom of bringing out several Chalice, and the priest stood with the Chalice and administered communion from 4 to 9-10 o'clock in the morning until everyone had received communion. It was only under Patriarch Diodorus that the practice of carrying out several Cups was introduced, and now we give Communion to everyone in just an hour and a half.

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Schegumen Abraham Reidman, confessor of Novo-Tikhvinsky convent Ekaterinburg diocese:

Is it possible to receive communion on Easter? It would seem that the question is strange and not suitable for discussion in an official church publication. If you cannot receive communion, then why is the liturgy celebrated? Why should you avoid greatest sacrament on the greatest holiday? However, as it turns out, there are persistent misconceptions about this. Many believers believe that they should avoid it precisely because the Holiday is the greatest. Allegedly, approaching the Chalice on such a day is a sign of pride. The strangest thing is that not only church neophytes or superstitious grandmothers think so. This opinion is shared by many of our clergy brothers, including the rectors of churches. As a result, on Easter they are deprived of St. Sacraments for entire parishes.

I don’t know what is the basis for the conviction of some priests and parishioners that it is pride for adults to receive communion on Easter. But the Church’s opinion on this matter is well known.

The Holy Fathers say little about communion specifically on Easter (probably due to the fact that this issue was not raised in ancient times), but the statements found in their works are very categorical. From St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain and St. Macarius of Corinth we read: “Those who, although they fast before Easter, do not receive communion on Easter, such people do not celebrate Easter.” The saints base this judgment on the fact that, in fact, Easter is Christ, as the Apostle says: “Our Easter, Christ, was sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7). Thus, celebrating Easter means communing with Easter - Christ, His Body and Blood.

“The meal is complete, enjoy, all of you. The well-fed calf, let no one come forth hungry...” What is St. John Chrysostom talking about in the Catechetical Sermon read at the Easter service, if not about communion? The Church calls Christ the well-fed calf. So, in the interpretation of the parable of the prodigal son, where under prodigal son means all of us, and by father - our Heavenly Father, it is said: “And the fatted calf for his sake (that is, for our sake. - Ed.) the Father slaughters His only begotten Son, and gives to His flesh to partake of the Blood” (Synaxarion on the Sunday of the Prodigal son).

Great Gregory Palamas lays down the law in the Decalogue for Christians to commune every Sunday and every great Feast. It is also noteworthy what is said in the “Tomos of Unity” about penances. Even persons subject to penance can receive communion on Easter, and specifically on Easter, but in our country a believer who spends Lent in abstinence and purity is deprived of what the Church prays for even before the start of Lent: “... the Lamb of God will be carried away by us in the sacred and the luminous night of the Resurrection" (Meat Empty Week. Stichera on the verse of the evening). By the way, about chants. Is it any coincidence that it is on Easter and Bright Week that the Church sings “Receive the Body of Christ” (see Easter communion) before the Chalice is taken out, calling everyone present at the service to Communion?

However, I would not like to go to the other extreme. It cannot be argued that literally everyone should receive communion on Easter, including those who happen to be in church by accident. One can understand those pastors who fear that in the festive bustle people who are not prepared, who have not fasted, who have not been to confession, or who do not even belong to the Orthodox Church at all, will approach the Chalice. The same John Chrysostom said that it is unacceptable for people who are not ready to receive communion on Easter: “I see that there is a great disorder in this matter. For at other times you do not receive communion, although you are often pure, and when it comes "Easter, even if you have done some evil, you dare and take communion. O bad custom! O evil prejudice!" Let us emphasize that the great teacher of the Church said this not at all in order to prohibit communion on Easter, but in order to call people to be worthy of Communion: “Neither Epiphany nor Pentecost make people worthy of Communion, but sincerity and purity of soul make them worthy.” With this purity of soul you can receive communion whenever you are present at the Liturgy, and without it never receive communion... So that our words do not serve to condemn you even more, we ask you not that you should not come, but that you have made yourself worthy of both presence [at the Liturgy] and Communion.” So, the question of whether this or that person is worthy to receive Communion on Easter comes down to whether he is worthy of Communion at all. This question is decided by the confessor in confession, and of course he is not guided at all by whether the person in front of him is an adult or a child, a layman or a monk.

Those clergy who say that it is impossible to confess everyone on the eve of Easter can be advised to perform the Sacrament of Confession not the day before Easter, but from the first days of Holy Week. One of the most authoritative manuals on pastoral theology says: “If... for the multitude of those confessing, the presbyter cannot manage on one day before communion, as is the custom, then nothing prevents those preparing to confess in two or three, or a whole week.” You can find several more options to solve the problem. The main thing is that people who are faithful Orthodox traditions, were not left without Communion on the Feast of Feasts.

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Priest Oleg Davydenkov - Doctor of Theology, Associate Professor, Head. Department of Eastern Churches and Eastern Christian Philology of PSTGU:

The tradition of not receiving communion on Easter is historically connected with the fact that in the Russian Church before the revolution they received communion quite rarely - usually from one to four times a year. They received communion during Great Lent: either in the first week or on Holy Week, but not on Easter.

In the 20s and 30s, as always happens in times of persecution, the tradition of frequent communion was revived, including on Easter. But already in the post-war 50-60s, for a number of reasons, the practice of rare communion returned again. One of the reasons is that after the war there was a very large influx of clergy coming from the western regions annexed to Soviet Union in 1939. These are the areas Western Ukraine and Belarus, which did not experience persecution of faith to the same extent as other regions of Russia, and therefore retained

Another reason is purely technical. It was almost impossible to administer Communion on Easter. There were so many people that, firstly, it was impossible to confess everyone. Secondly, since due to the crowded conditions people could literally hang in the air, pressed on all sides by the crowd in the church, it was physically impossible to come out with the Holy Chalice - it was dangerous to receive communion. It was also impossible to ensure that people who had not confessed did not approach the Chalice. Because of this, not only on Easter, but also on many twelve holidays, on parents' Saturdays they simply did not receive communion - if not in all, then in most Moscow churches. There is nothing even to say about cities like Novosibirsk, where there was generally one temple per city of a million.

Thus, the practice of not receiving communion on Easter, contrary to ancient church tradition, was established. But now, at least in Moscow, it has been almost completely overcome. This happened primarily thanks to preaching and personal example. His Holiness Patriarch Alexy, who always calls for frequent communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ and personally administers communion to the church people at every patriarchal service. This is consistent with general Orthodox practice in other local Churches. For example, in Greece they receive communion on Easter, and this is considered normal.

The Holy Tradition of the Church clearly says that it is necessary to receive communion on Easter and every believer should strive for this. However, this is only possible for those who have complied with Lent, confessed, prepared and received the priest’s blessing for Communion.

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About Communion on Bright Week

In the 66th canon of the VI Ecumenical Council it is said: “From the holy day of the Resurrection of Christ our God until the new week, throughout the entire week, the faithful must in the holy churches unceasingly practice psalms and spiritual songs, rejoicing and triumphant in Christ, and listening to the reading of the Divine Scriptures and Enjoying the Holy Mysteries. For in this way we will be resurrected together with Christ and ascended."

Metropolitan Timothy of Vostra, Patriarchate of Jerusalem:

Regarding communion on Bright Week, we adhere to the fact that the week following Easter represents one Easter day. This is what the Church itself says, and this is evident in the services of this week. Therefore, our Patriarch Theophilus blessed everyone who observed the entire Great Lent until Great Saturday to receive communion on Bright Week without fasting. The only thing is that in the evening before communion, everyone is recommended to abstain from meat. And if during the day a person ate meat and milk, this is normal.

Question about receiving communion without fasting in others continuous weeks We leave it to the confessor for consideration. In general, the Jerusalem Church is for frequent communion. Our parishioners receive communion every Sunday. And it is right. Communion prevents a person from sinning. Look - he took communion on Sunday, and then tries to retain grace within himself for at least two or three days. “Why, I have accepted Christ into myself! I cannot insult Him.” Then the middle of the week comes, and he remembers that on Sunday he will go to Communion - he needs to prepare, fast, and maintain purity in his deeds and thoughts. This is how a correct Christian life is formed, this is how we try to be with Christ.

Your Eminence Georgy, Archbishop of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas:

Another question during Bright Week is related to fasting and confession. The confessors of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra always bless this way: the fast is weakened, but in the evening before Communion it is necessary to abstain from fasting food, and you can receive communion. If you feel that your conscience is troubled, you need to go to a priest and confess.

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P.S. We simply cannot help but mention the arguments of opponents of communion on Easter:

Here are the words of Archbishop of Novosibirsk and Berdsk Tikhon Emelyanov:“In the Ascension Cathedral, lay people do not receive communion on Easter, only children. This is an ancient Russian tradition for the laity to abstain from receiving communion on Easter night. Church people Those who strive for spiritual life know that they could receive communion throughout Great Lent, and on Easter the Orthodox break their fast. Those who strive to receive communion on Easter are, as a rule, people who lack humility. They want to be higher in spiritual life than they actually are. Moreover, in some places it is already becoming fashionable to take communion on Easter, even among completely unchurched people who did not fast during Lent. They say it is a special grace to receive communion on this day. To be a spiritual person, you need to carry the cross of Christian life throughout your life, live according to the commandments, and observe the Church Charter. There are many conditions for saving the soul, but some people think: he took communion on Easter and was sanctified for the whole year. We must remember that taking communion can not only lead to healing of the soul and body, but also to judgment and condemnation.

If a priest in his parish allows the laity to receive communion on Easter, then he does not sin in anything, and that is why the Liturgy is celebrated. And those laity who decide to take communion on this holy day must take a blessing from their confessor."

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Note by M.S. The words of the Novosibirsk bishop reminded me only of this:

"... and said: The scribes and Pharisees sat in the seat of Moses; therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do; but do not do according to their deeds, for they say and do not do: they bind you with burdens that are heavy and unbearable and impose on the shoulders of people, but they themselves do not want to move a finger... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, close the Kingdom Heavenly to people, for you yourself do not enter and you do not allow those who want to enter" (Matthew 2-4, 23:13)

And the words “ancient Russian tradition” cause great bewilderment. Unfortunately, for a considerable number of people, antiquity becomes synonymous with truth.

1917 taught many nothing...

Is it necessary to take communion on Easter, fast on Easter, and how to regulate your diet on Easter? Holy Week— Bishop Clement of Irpen shares his experience (Evenings).

— How do you feel about the phenomenon that some people do not receive communion on Easter? This often happens because the parish priest does not advise receiving communion on Easter.

— The not very good tradition observed in some parishes of not giving communion on Easter is rooted in our totalitarian past. The Soviet government made a lot of efforts to ensure that people did not come to church on Easter, did not receive communion, etc. Special groups were organized that cordoned off churches ( open churches there were not so many then) and tried not to let people into the temple for the holiday. Particular attention was paid to preventing youth from visiting churches as much as possible.

Active explanatory work was also carried out among priests regarding the ban on giving communion to people on Easter.

Today you can often hear “pious reasons” for refusing communion in Easter night. One of them: since after the Easter service and Communion people celebrate the end of Lent and Easter itself too vigorously and do not behave piously, then it is not worth taking communion on this day.

If we delve deeper into church tradition, deep meaning Easter holiday in particular and Divine Liturgy in general, we will understand that everyone religious holiday is such only in the context of its Eucharistic understanding.

Therefore, Easter of Christ - the Feast of Feasts - can be experienced by a Christian only if he celebrates It by communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

Participants in the plenum of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church, held in February of this year, drew special attention of the clergy to the fact that no pious pretexts can justify the ban on Christians receiving communion on Holy Easter night.

— What about Bright Week? How should those who are going to receive communion fast on these days, and is it even possible to receive communion on these days?

— During Bright Week, the church charter prohibits fasting. Therefore, many people have a question: how to receive communion during this period, and is it not forbidden to receive communion on days when fasting is prohibited by the church canons of the Orthodox Church? Having carefully studied the traditions and practices that currently exist in the Orthodox Church, the bishops agreed that Communion during Bright Week should be performed on the advice of the confessor.

If a person leads godly life, observed fasting during Great Lent and reverently treats the Eucharist, then, according to the reasoning of the confessor, he can begin Communion during Bright Week without fasting. Because such a person, without abstaining from food, can abstain spiritually. And in this case, the spiritual attitude of a Christian will correspond to the state in which a person should approach the reception of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

— Vladyka, let’s return to Holy Week. During Holy Week the canon prescribes strict fast. What about people who are engaged in physical labor or are on the road all the time and cannot regulate their diet? To what extent can you violate the food regulations? What should you do in such cases?

— In spiritual life you should always be guided by your conscience. If we can observe fasting, but do not do this, if our conscience denounces us for this, we need to reproach ourselves, confess it and correct ourselves. If circumstances develop in such a way that it is not possible to observe the full severity of fasting as prescribed by the canon, we must humbly accept the circumstances in which we find ourselves by God’s providence.

— Regarding visiting cemeteries after Easter: is it possible to visit the graves of your loved ones on Bright Week?

— The liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church prescribes special commemorations of all the departed on Tuesday after Bright Week. This day is called Radonitsa.

At the word "Radonitsa" Slavic roots. And this day is named so because we rejoice in the Resurrection of Christ together with our departed ones. From Holy Scripture we know that with God there are no dead, with Him all are alive (Luke 20:38). And those who are in eternity, of course, also participate in the Bright Feast of Easter and feel it with even greater clarity than we do.

Radonitsa - the day of remembrance of the dead - our co-celebration of Easter, mysteriously unites the earthly Church with the Heavenly Church.

And on Bright Week they come to the cemetery in order to pray for the repose of the souls of our departed loved ones. However, the Liturgical tradition does not prescribe commemorating the dead on these days. The canons of the Orthodox Church cancel funeral services during Bright Week. And the first funeral service, according to the charter, is performed precisely on Radonitsa.

Communion is one of the main and obligatory rites for every Orthodox Christian. Its other name is Eucharist, and if translated from Greek, this word means “thanksgiving.” Its deepest essence lies in the communion of a person with God, union with him spiritually and physically: having drunk wine and tasted bread, a Christian seems to taste the very blood and body of Christ. This is a demonstration of readiness to accept the Lord with all your soul. But in order to confirm the sincerity of his intentions, a layman must undergo purification by fasting and prayers of repentance. The practice of preparing for the sacrament on Bright Week constitutes a special case.

The Charter of the Orthodox Church before the Eucharist prescribes the fulfillment of certain rules, which include:

observing spiritual and physical fasting for three days;
reconciliation with those who offended and asking for forgiveness from the offended;
abstaining from slander and condemnation;
visit evening service on the eve of the Eucharist;
repentance of sins and receiving a blessing from the priest for communion;
reading the prayer rule for communion;
observing the Eucharistic fast (not eating or drinking after midnight).

Until recently, there was controversy surrounding the issue of communion with the holy sacraments on Bright Week. Different practices followed in different parishes, based mainly on the thesis that without repentance there is no communion. Easter fills the soul of every believer with rejoicing, and the sacrament of the Eucharist is always associated with confession of committed sins. According to established tradition, repentance and a joyful mood on the day of the Resurrection of the Lord were considered incompatible.

The document “On the Participation of the Faithful in the Eucharist,” approved by the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, defines the believer’s need to receive the holy gifts as a special spiritual and moral state, the desire to unite with the Savior, forming one body with him. In this way, all apparent contradictions between the content of the great holiday and the essence of communion on Easter week are eliminated.

The same document also stipulates some aspects of the rite of communion during the Easter period. Bearing in mind that the church charter does not provide for fasting during Bright Week, and the day of Easter itself was preceded by the seven-week feat of Great Lent. Christians who observe it can begin communion, limiting themselves only to the Eucharistic fast.

A blessing by a confessor of a lay person for the communion of the holy gifts can occur without confession, except in those cases when the communicant himself experiences a special need for it.

How to prepare for communion on Bright Week

Every Christian believer should also know how the Easter procession for Holy Communion takes place. Prayerful preparation for the Eucharist in common days includes morning and evening prayer rules, following the holy communion, as well as canons.

Those who wish to receive communion should

wives lead these prayers privately and in church. Order on Bright Week prayer preparation changes, so you should know what to read before communion Easter week. In a day Happy Resurrection the communion canons of the usual sequence are replaced by the Easter canon before communion . This is the central chant of the festive matins, the main idea of which is associated with the Resurrection of Christ.

The souls of believers should be filled with bright, enthusiastic feelings, therefore the church charter replaces repentance prayers Easter Canon for Holy Communion. Another feature of the sacrament celebrated on Bright Week is that the passage to Holy Communion is read without psalms, and the morning and evening rules are replaced by the hours of Holy Easter.

Remain unshakable thanksgiving prayers on the Eucharist, which should be read at the end of the service. After the completion of the sacrament, it is necessary to maintain spiritual purity in order to preserve in thoughts the grace of the most important holiday - Easter.

The Orthodox Church does not recognize communion on Easter without repentance of sins. However, this does not mean that Easter communion should be attended by random church parishioners. Many priests are afraid to meet people unprepared for it. After all, before going to receive communion, a person must prepare: go through Lent (the central fast in all historical churches) and confess. There is no talk at all about persons who do not belong to the Orthodox Church.

The inadmissibility of unprepared people to receive communion has been known since ancient times. The question boiled down to the confessor’s decision as to whether a person was generally worthy of uniting with Christ. However, according to historical data, confession was tied to communion not so long ago and rather became a forced measure. This happened due to the fact that the Christian spirit cooled: people previously took communion every weekend, and then began to do it only 4 times a year during multi-day fasts.

So that people who rarely visit church can receive communion, Orthodox religion decided to make sure to confess the person first. On this moment this measure still justifies itself, however, not always. This happens due to the fact that people go to confession not for the purpose of repentance, but rather as a necessary event, without which the priest will not allow them to participate in the church sacrament.

Many spiritual mentors are categorically against receiving communion without confession.

He brings to the temple not only baptized, but also unbaptized people. Also in church you can meet those who have no idea about church canons, but still want to take communion. On a bright holiday, it is necessary to tighten control in order to prevent unprepared people from accessing the Chalice (a vessel for Christian worship, used when receiving Holy Communion). Often on this great holiday an unpleasant sight occurs when parishioners who are intoxicated come to bless Easter cakes during the night service.

How to prepare for confession on the eve of Easter

Confession is understood as a person’s repentance of committed sins, where the priest acts as a witness as a conductor between the repentant and God. It is important to be able to distinguish this sacrament from a confidential conversation with a spiritual mentor. During it, of course, you can also get answers to exciting questions, however it will take a lot of time. That is why it would be better to contact the priest with a request to schedule another time for a long conversation.

To prepare for confession you need to know the following.

Preparation	Explanation
Repentance begins with awareness of sins.	A person thinking about confession admits that he has done or continues to do something wrong in his life.
There is no need to prepare a “list of sins” in advance.	Communication with the Lord must come from the heart.
You need to talk only about your own actions, and not about the fact that they were committed because of a relative or neighbor.	Every sin is the result of a person's personal choice.
When addressing God, one should not worry about the correctness of the chosen words.	You need to speak in simple, accessible language, and not come up with complex terms.
Don't talk about little things like "watched TV" or "wore the wrong clothes."	The topics of conversation should be serious: about the Lord and neighbors ( we're talking about not only about family, relatives, but also about people you meet throughout your life).
Repentance should not be simply a story about one's actions.	It should change a person's mind and not return him to past actions.
You need to learn to forgive people.	And not just ask God for forgiveness.
To express the “repentant” state you need to read Penitential Canon Lord Jesus Christ.	One of the greatest liturgical texts that can be found in almost every prayer book.

The priest may ask you to refrain from reading for a while special prayers or from communion. This process is called penance and is carried out not for the purpose of punishment, but for the elimination of sin and its complete forgiveness. After confession, believers must receive communion.

How to prepare for Easter Communion

Despite the fact that confession and communion are different sacraments of the church, you should still prepare for them at the same time. Communion on Easter assumes that a believer who has repented of his sins has come to the sacrament. Parishioners who come to receive communion after confession must first of all understand the meaning of the sacrament: it is not simply performed religious rite, and the communicant is reunited with God.

In addition, the following points are important:

a person must, without hypocrisy, sincerely seek union with God;
a person’s spiritual world must be pure (no malice, hatred, enmity);
violation of the arch is unacceptable church rules(Canon of the Church);
compulsory confession before communion;
You can receive communion only after liturgical fasting;
fasting (fasting) for several days, abstaining from dairy and meat foods;
prayers at worship services and at home.

An integral part of the festive matins is the singing of the prayer of John of Damascus (). In addition to the usual morning and evening prayers, believers need to read “Proceedings to Holy Communion.” Also, according to ancient church traditions, one should go to the sacrament on an empty stomach (on the eve of communion on Easter, they do not drink or eat from midnight). However, sick people, for example, people with diabetes mellitus, fasting is prohibited: a sick person must take medications and eat according to their daily diet.

When receiving communion before Easter, one must remember that a worthy sacrament is always connected with the state of the soul and heart of a believer. Moreover, fasting and confession are preparation for communion, and not an obstacle on the way to it.

I have been asked the following question several times:

“Can we receive communion on Easter? And on Bright Week? To receive communion, do we need to continue fasting?”

Good question. However, it betrays a lack of clear understanding of things. On Easter it is not only possible, but even necessary to receive communion. In favor of this statement, I would like to summarize a number of arguments:

1. In the first centuries of the history of the Church, as we see in the canons and patristic works, participation in the Liturgy without communion of the Holy Mysteries was simply unthinkable. (I advise you to read the article about this: “When and how we should receive communion.”) However, over time, especially in our area, the level of piety and understanding among Christians began to fall, and the rules for preparing for communion became stricter, in some places even excessive (including double standards for clergy and laity). Despite this, communion on Easter was a common practice, continuing to this day in all Orthodox countries. However, some put off communion until Easter itself, as if someone is stopping them from taking the Chalice every Sunday of Lent and throughout the year. Thus, ideally we should receive communion at every liturgy, especially on Maundy Thursday, when the Eucharist was instituted, at Easter and at Pentecost, when the Church was born.

2. Those on whom penance is imposed due to any serious sin, some confessors allow communion (only) on Easter, after which, for some time, they continue to carry out their penance. This practice, which, however, is not and should not be generally accepted, took place in ancient times, to help penitents, to strengthen them spiritually, allowing them to join in the joy of the holiday. On the other hand, allowing penitents to receive communion on Easter indicates that the mere passage of time and even the personal efforts of the penitent are not enough to save a person from sin and death. Indeed, for this it is necessary that the risen Christ Himself send light and strength to the soul of the repentant (just as Reverend Mary Egyptian, who led a dissolute lifestyle until the last day during her stay in the world, she was able to take the path of repentance in the desert only after communion with Christ). From here it appeared and spread to some places misconception that only robbers and fornicators receive communion on Easter. But does the Church have a separate communion for robbers and fornicators, and another for those who lead a Christian life? Isn't Christ the same at every liturgy throughout the year? Doesn’t everyone commune with Him - priests, kings, beggars, robbers, and children? By the way, the word of St. John Chrysostom (at the end of Easter Matins) calls everyone without division to communion with Christ. His call: “Those who have fasted and those who have not fasted, rejoice now! The meal is plentiful: be satisfied, everyone! Taurus is big and well-fed: no one will leave hungry!” clearly refers to the sacrament of the Holy Mysteries. It is surprising that some read or listen to this word without realizing that we are not called to eat with meat dishes, but to communion with Christ.

3. The dogmatic aspect of this problem is also extremely important. People are jostling in lines to buy and eat lamb for Easter - for some, this is the only “biblical commandment” that they observe in their lives (since the other commandments do not suit them!). However, when the book of Exodus speaks of the slaughter of the Passover lamb, it refers to the Jewish Passover, where the lamb was a type of Christ the Lamb slain for us. Therefore, eating the Passover lamb without communion with Christ means returning to Old Testament and refusal to recognize Christ as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). In addition, people bake all kinds of Easter cakes or other dishes, which we call “Easter”. But don’t we know that “Christ is our Passover” (1 Cor 5:7)? Therefore, all these Easter dishes should be a continuation, but not a replacement, for the communion of the Holy Mysteries. This is not particularly talked about in churches, but we should all know that Easter is, first of all, Liturgy and communion with the Risen Christ.

4. Some also say that you cannot take communion on Easter, because then you will eat the savory meal. But doesn't the priest do the same thing? Why then is the Easter Liturgy celebrated, and after it it is blessed to eat dairy and meat? Isn’t it clear that after communion you can eat everything? Or maybe someone perceives the Liturgy as a theatrical performance, and not as a call to communion with Christ? If eating the humble meal were incompatible with communion, then the Liturgy would not be celebrated on Easter and Christmas, or there would be no breaking of the fast. Moreover, this applies to the entire liturgical year.

5. And now about communion on Bright Week. Canon 66 of the Council of Trullo (691) orders that Christians “enjoy the Holy Mysteries” throughout Holy Week, despite the fact that it is continuous. Thus, they begin communion without fasting. Otherwise there would be no liturgy, or fasting would continue. The idea of the need to fast before communion concerns, first of all, the Eucharistic fast before receiving the Holy Mysteries. Such a strict Eucharistic fast is prescribed for at least six, or even nine hours (not like Catholics, who receive communion an hour after the meal). If we are talking about a multi-day fast, then the seven-week fast that we kept is quite enough, and there is no need - moreover, it is even forbidden - to continue fasting. At the end of Bright Week, we will fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, as well as during three other multi-day fasts. After all, priests do not fast on Holy Week before communion, and then it is unclear where the idea came from that the laity should fast on these days! However, in my opinion, only those who have observed the entire Great Lent, who lead an integral, balanced Christian life, always strive for Christ (and not just through fasting) and perceive Communion not as a reward for their works, but as a cure for spiritual illnesses.

Thus, every Christian is called to prepare for communion and ask the priest for it, especially at Easter. If the priest refuses without any reason (in the event that the person does not have such sins for which penance is imposed), but uses various kinds of excuses, then, in my opinion, the believer can go to another temple, to another priest ( only if the reason for leaving for another parish is valid and is not deceit). This state of affairs, which is especially widespread in the Republic of Moldova, needs to be corrected as soon as possible, especially since the highest hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church has given clear instructions to priests not to deny the faithful communion without obvious canonical grounds (see Resolutions of the Councils of Bishops in 2011 and 2013) . Thus, we should look for wise confessors, and if we have found them, we must obey them and, under their guidance, receive communion as often as possible. You shouldn't entrust your soul to just anyone.

There have been cases when some Christians began to take communion on Easter, and the priest laughed at them in front of the entire church meeting, saying: “Wasn’t seven weeks enough for you to take communion? Why are you violating the customs of the village?” I would like to ask such a priest: “Wasn’t four or five years of study at a religious institution enough for you to decide: either you will become a serious priest, or you will go to herd cows, because you are “stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor 4:1) They can’t say such nonsense...” And we must talk about this not for the sake of ridicule, but with pain about the Church of Christ, in which such incompetent people serve. A real priest not only does not forbid people to receive communion, but also encourages them to do so and teaches them to live so that they can approach the Chalice at every liturgy. And then the priest himself rejoices at how different the Christian life of his flock becomes. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Therefore, “let us approach Christ with the fear of God, faith and love” in order to better understand what “Christ is risen!” means! and “Truly he is risen!” After all, He Himself says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have 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.” "(John 6:53-54).

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