Participle(Greek κοινωνία (kinonia) - communion; μετάληψις - acceptance) (- from Greek Εὐχαριστία (Eucharist) - thanksgiving) - in which bread and wine are put into the true Body and true Blood of our Lord, after which the believers consume them for abandonment and into Eternal Life.
In the early Church, communion was also called "kinonia" ( communication), i.e. communication of people with God and in God, i.e. stay in Him and.
The Savior Himself said: “He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the Last Day” (). With these words, the Lord pointed out the necessity for all Christians of the closest union with Him in the Sacrament of the Sacrament.
Whom can a priest not admit to Communion?
Those whose sins fall under the Church canons prohibiting communion. The grounds for prohibiting communion for a certain period of time may be a grave sin (fornication, murder, theft, witchcraft, renunciation of Christ, explicit heresy, etc.), or a moral state that is completely incompatible with communion (for example, refusal to reconcile with a repentant offender ).
What is the Sacrament?
Archpriest Evgeny Goryachev
Leading.
What is Communion? Is this a Sacrament? Rite of passage? A sacred action? Magic or witchcraft?
Father Eugene. Good question. speaks to some extent in a language that is very understandable to all people, but up to a certain point. After this moment, the language of conventions begins, the language of the icon, the language of the sacred. The term "Communion", as well as synonyms: the Eucharist, the Holy Gifts, the Body and Blood of Christ, refer precisely to this. Returning to your question, I would say that, of course, in history, people who were not within the ritual circle, that is, those who perceived it from the inside, being ecclesiastical, the Sacrament of the Eucharist was perceived as a rite, and as magic, and as witchcraft. ... The famous novel by L.N. Tolstoy's "Resurrection" directly indicates that this is something barbaric: "They eat their God." This is something connected with paganism, with some such infernal antiquity, which modern man cannot perceive. But, of course, he does not relate to this in the way that people outside think about it, and from some times Tolstoy became external in relation to the Church, and they perceive it as taught by both Holy Scripture, and tradition, and the Installer of this Sacrament, the Lord. Jesus Christ. I have already pronounced this word - "sacrament". The Church perceives this as something mysterious, which we cannot fully explain, but simply share the experience of experiencing in this sacred rite of every Christian who absorbs the Holy Gifts. In short, I would say that the Sacraments differ from other commandments of God in that they do not speak about ethics, but about mysticism. They were given to us precisely in order to make ethics real, not an abstraction at which we look and say: "Yes, this is beautiful, yes, this is correct, but I cannot fulfill it." Everyone probably remembers the fresco of the Sistine Chapel "The Creation of Adam", where the Divine hand reaches out to meet the human hand. So, I would say this: the Sacraments, including the Sacrament, were given by God so that our human weakness would receive support in the Divine fortress. God from eternity reaches out his hand in order to support the weak hand of man. And all the Church Sacraments, starting with Baptism and ending with the Wedding and Unction - they are addressed precisely to this. God supports us, including through the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
Leading.
What does "Body and Blood" mean? Is this cannibalism?
Father Eugene. It may be perceived this way if we proceed from the linguistic context, but if we turn to the Bible story, we see that the One who established this Sacrament, our Lord Jesus Christ, refers the listeners to the most ancient Biblical story: “Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and dead, the bread that I will give you will be for you to eternal life. " “Give us this bread every day,” the Jews said. "I am the bread that came down from heaven," says the Lord Jesus Christ, "whoever eats the Body and drinks my Blood will have life in him." These terms sound like: Body and Blood, but whenever we eat meat, no matter whose: pork, beef, venison, rabbit meat - we always taste dead separateness. And at the Last Supper, not dead, but living Christ pointed to the bread and said: "This is my body." Not dead, but living Christ pointed to the cup of wine and said: "This is my blood." What is the essence of the Sacrament? In an inexplicable way for man, the whole whole living Christ united with this bread and with this wine, therefore we partake not of the dead separateness, but of the whole living Christ.
Leading.
Yet why - the Sacrament?
Father Eugene. Indeed, it is very interesting. Participle. We see in this word, as it were, two sides: the prefix and, in fact, the root "part" itself, that is, we join something, become parts of something larger. The apostle Paul said, "Do you not know that you are co-bodied with Christ?" What does it mean? We eat in the usual order of laws so that what we have eaten becomes us. If a person is not very picky about the amount eaten, then you can track on the scales how much he recovered after sitting at the table. In the Church Sacrament, the order of laws is exactly the opposite. It is not food that becomes us, but we become that to which we partake. That is why we say, "Communion," we become part of something greater.
Leading.
Can everyone take communion?
Father Eugene. Of course, yes, but for this it is necessary to meet several conditions. Of course, a person must be baptized, because baptism is the pass, forgive me for this image, to participate in the mystical life of the Church, the pass to the rest of the Sacraments. The Church cannot admit an unbaptized person to the Sacrament, because this will be violence against him. If he did not show his desire to be a Christian, to offer him a purely Christian pastime, spiritual mysticism, this would be a violation of his freedom. But, even if a person is baptized in childhood, but has lost faith or perceives the Communion as a magical rite, or he has some other motives and considerations on this score, then the Church reminds that Communion in this case may not only fail to ennoble and heal a person, but it can be harmful to him. By the way, Judas, a participant in the Last Supper, also received communion, and it is said about him that "with this piece Satan entered into him." Why? The greatest shrine, which should both ennoble, and transform, and heal, at the same time becomes for Judas the path to a worse life. Because in his heart he already carried the desire to betray the Savior. The priest, coming out with the Eucharistic cup, always utters the same words: "With the fear of God and with faith, come near." With faith that this is indeed the Body and Blood of Christ. And with fear, because it is possible to partake not in improvement, not in healing, but in judgment and condemnation.
As far as reality is concerned, here, it seems to me, the Christian tradition has divided into two different camps, and Orthodoxy has gone in the middle between them. The Protestants began to say that the Communion should be perceived as a kind of symbol, behind which there is no reality, as a convention. Christ speaks of himself in the Gospel as a door, but we do not perceive him as a door. Talking about the vine, it does not mean that He is a vine branch. Likewise, the Communion is a convention and nothing more. There is another extreme, which perceives it as a hypertrophied form of naturalism: it is meat and blood. In this case, indeed, it is legitimate to talk about anthropophagy, this is cannibalism in its purest form. As I have already said, Orthodoxy chooses the middle path, which does not dare to say that this is only a symbol. It is a symbol, but there is reality behind this symbol. And he does not dare to talk about naturalism, because in this case we partake of dead separateness. I repeat: the living Christ enters a person in order to transform him, but everything depends on the state of the soul in which a person receives communion. Each person can take Communion if he is baptized, but the fruits of this Communion depend on the moral component of each individual person.
Leading.
If a person is baptized and believes in the truth of the Holy Gifts, is it necessary to observe any additional conditions in order to receive the Holy Communion?
Father Eugene. Quite right, such conditions are needed. If a person is baptized, and if at the same time he does not doubt that this is the Body and Blood of Christ, the Holy Gifts, the Church still requires additional preparation from him. It consists in attending divine services, reading the Holy Scriptures, and finally, in fasting. Why is this needed? When we sit down at an ordinary table, at best, we read a short prayer, and at worst, we simply cross ourselves and eat food, nothing more. But the fact is that no matter how connected in their substantial form the Holy Gifts and any other products, this is food, in the end. We still say that this is a special food, and since it is special, then our preparation for it is expressed in the fact that we tune our soul in a certain way. After all, body and soul are very closely related. We partake in order to receive the result in the soul, but before we partake, we influence our body and our soul in order for the Holy Gifts to cause the necessary resonance. Not in the sense that this is some kind of magic: I read so many prayers or fasted, and then the grace of the influence of the Holy Gifts will be such and such, and if I did less, it will be less. No, but because we prove to God - as, say, we prove our love to the bride, our care to a sick mother - we prove to God that we are in awe of this Sacrament. We are afraid to defile the gift that God has given us with our unworthiness. Although, of course, the painful perception of the topic of unworthiness should not lead us to the area where a person does not receive communion at all because of pseudo-piety. I think that if you take the Sacrament as a medicine, then a person, approaching the chalice, keeps in his mind one simple thought: "I am not worthy, Lord, make me worthy."
Leading.
How often should you receive communion?
Father Eugene. If we talk about the church-legal side, then if a person prays, tries to fulfill the commandments, reads Holy Scripture, does good deeds, but does not partake, then we are talking only about a greater or lesser degree of his falling away from church fullness. Because the Lord said: "If you do not take communion, you will not have My life in you." If we talk about the technical side of the matter, then it seems to me that this mood, which I mentioned, the desire to meet with God, to meet in order to fulfill the commandment and receive renewal - it should be multiplied by an internal self-discipline attitude. Why? Because there can be addiction, and in this case, if a person, figuratively speaking, steps into Communion, opening the door with his foot, then he needs to take a break. When he receives communion with trembling and feels that this trembling has not left his soul, he can do it at least every week.
Abbot Peter (Mescherinov):
The Gospel preaches to us the words of Christ: I came in order that they might have life and have it in abundance (). I am the way and the truth and the life (). The Lord, wishing to join us in Himself, to give us this “abundant life,” chose for this not some kind of mental-intellectual or aesthetic-cultural method, but the simplest, most natural for man - through eating.
As food enters us and dissolves in us, penetrates to the last cell of our body, so the Lord wanted to penetrate into us to the very last molecule, to unite with us, to commune with us, so that we could commune with Him to the end.
The human mind refuses and is unable to understand the terrible depth of this action of God; verily, this is the love of Christ, which surpasses all understanding (see).
priest Alexander Torik:
It should be noted that in some cases, usually for the lack of faith of a priest or those praying, the Lord allows a miracle to happen - bread and wine become real human flesh and blood (such cases are even provided for in the priestly "Servant" in the instruction for priests called "Teaching News", (see the section on unforeseen events).
Usually, after some time, flesh and blood again take on the form of bread and wine, but an exception is known: in Italy, in the city of Lanciano, Flesh and Blood, which have miraculous properties, have been stored for many centuries, into which bread and wine were laid at the Divine Liturgy ().
saint († 1923):
“Take Communion more often and do not say that you are unworthy. If you say that, you will never receive communion, because you will never be worthy. Do you think that there is at least one person on earth who is worthy of the communion of the Holy Mysteries? No one is worthy of this, and if we do partake, then only by the special mercy of God. We are not made for the sacrament, but the sacrament is for us. It is we, sinners, unworthy, weak, who more than anyone else need this saving source ... I partake you often, I proceed from the idea of joining you in the Lord, so that you feel how good it is to be with Christ. "
holy righteous John of Kronstadt:
A disaster for the soul is not to partake of the Holy Mysteries for a long time: the soul begins to stink with passions and sins, the strength of which grows as long as we do not approach the Sacrament of the Sacrament.
All seven sacraments are divine, not human, and are mentioned in Holy Scripture. The sacrament of communion was first performed by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Establishment of the sacrament of communion
This happened on the eve of the suffering of the Savior on the Cross, before the betrayal of Judas and the betrayal of Christ for torture was committed. The Savior and His disciples gathered in a large room, prepared in order to celebrate the Passover meal according to the Jewish tradition. This traditional dinner was hosted by every Jewish family as an annual commemoration of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. The Old Testament Passover was a holiday of deliverance, liberation from Egyptian slavery.
But the Lord, having gathered with his disciples for the Passover meal, put a new meaning into it. This event is described by all four evangelists and is called the Last Supper. The Lord establishes the sacrament of holy communion at this farewell supper. Christ goes to suffering and the cross, gives His most pure body and honest blood for the sins of all mankind. And the communion of His Body and Blood in the sacrament of the Eucharist should serve as an eternal reminder to all Christians of the sacrifice made by the Savior.
The Lord took the bread, blessed it and, distributing it to the apostles, said: "Take, eat: this is my body." Then he took a cup of wine and, giving it to the apostles, 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" (Matt. 26: 26-28).
The Lord transformed bread and wine into His Body and Blood and commanded the apostles, and through them, their successors, bishops and elders, to perform this sacrament.
The reality of the sacrament
The Eucharist is not a mere memory of something that happened more than two thousand years ago. This is a real repetition of the Last Supper. And at every Eucharist - both in the days of the apostles and in our 21st century - our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, through a canonically ordained bishop or priest, transforms the prepared bread and wine into His most pure Body and Blood.
The Orthodox catechism of St. Philaret (Drozdov) says: "Communion is a sacrament in which the believer, under the guise of bread and wine, partakes (partakes) of the very Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and for eternal life."
The Lord tells us about the obligation of communion for all those who believe in Him: “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you do not 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. 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 ”(John 6: 53-56).
The Necessity of Communion for Orthodox Christians
He who does not partake of the holy mysteries cuts himself off from the source of life - Christ, puts himself outside of Him. Conversely, Orthodox Christians, who regularly approach the sacrament of communion with reverence and with due preparation, “abide in Him” at the word of the Lord. And in the sacrament, which animates, spiritualizes our soul and body, we, like in no other sacrament, are united with Christ Himself. This is what the holy righteous John of Kronstadt says in his teaching for the Feast of the Presentation, when the Church recalls how Elder Simeon received the forty-day-old Infant Christ into his arms in the Jerusalem temple: “We are not jealous of you, righteous elder! We ourselves have your happiness - to lift not only the Divine Jesus into our arms, but with our lips and hearts, as you have always carried Him in your heart, not yet seeing, but tea; and more than once in a lifetime, not ten, but as many times as we want. Who will not understand, beloved brothers, that I am talking about the communion of the life-giving mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ? Yes, we have b O Greater happiness than Saint Simeon; and the righteous elder, one might say, embraced the Life-Giver of Jesus in foreshadowing how those who believe in Christ afterwards, all the days until the end of the age, will receive and carry Him not only in their hands, but in their very hearts. "
That is why the sacrament of communion should constantly accompany the life of an Orthodox person. After all, we here on earth must unite with God, Christ must enter our souls and hearts.
A person who seeks union with God in his earthly life can hope that he will be with Him in eternity.
The Eucharist and the sacrifice of Christ
The Eucharist is also the most important of the seven sacraments because it depicts the sacrifice of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ made a sacrifice for us at Calvary. He performed it once, having suffered for the sins of the world, resurrected and ascended into heaven, where he sat down at the right hand of God the Father. The sacrifice of Christ was offered once and will not be repeated any more.
The Lord establishes the sacrament of the Eucharist, because "now on earth His sacrifice should be in a different form, in which He would always offer Himself, as on the cross." With the establishment of the New Testament, the Old Testament sacrifices ceased, and now Christians make a sacrifice in remembrance of the sacrifice of Christ and for the communion of His Body and Blood.
The Old Testament sacrifices, when the sacrificial animals were slaughtered, were only a shadow, a prototype of the Divine sacrifice. The expectation of the Redeemer, the Deliverer from the power of the devil and sin is the main theme of the entire Old Testament, and for us, the people of the New Testament, the sacrifice of Christ, the redemption of the sins of the world by the Savior is the basis of our faith.
The miracle of holy communion
The sacrament of communion is the greatest miracle on earth, which is constantly performed. As the once incapable God descended to earth and dwelt among people, so now all the fullness of the Godhead is contained in the holy gifts, and we can partake of this greatest grace. After all, the Lord said: “I am with you all the days until the end of the age. Amen ”(Matthew 28:20).
Holy gifts are a fire that burns out every sin and every defilement, if a person partakes worthily. And when we approach communion, we need to do it with reverence and trembling, realizing our weakness and unworthiness. "Although the food (eat), man, the Body of the Lord, approach with fear, but do not be scorched: there is more fire," says the prayers for holy communion.
Often, spiritual people, ascetics, during the celebration of the Eucharist, there were manifestations of heavenly fire descending on holy gifts, as described, for example, in the life of St. Sergius of Radonezh: - O. P.G.) saw how the heavenly fire descended on the holy mysteries at the moment of their consecration, how this fire moved along the holy throne, illuminating the entire altar, it seemed to curl around the holy meal, surrounding the priest Sergius. And when the monk wanted to partake of the holy mysteries, the Divine fire flashed down “like some wonderful veil” and entered the holy chalice. Thus, the saint of God partook of this fire “unopened, like an ancient bush that burned unopened ...”. Simon was horrified by such a vision and was silent in trembling, but he did not hide from the monk that his disciple was worthy of a vision. Having communed the holy mysteries of Christ, he departed from the holy throne and asked Simon: "Why is your spirit so afraid, my child?" “I saw the grace of the Holy Spirit working with you, father,” he answered. “Look, do not tell anyone about what you have seen until the Lord calls me out of this life,” the humble Abba commanded him. ”
Saint Basil the Great once visited a presbyter of a very virtuous life and saw how, during the celebration of the Liturgy, the Holy Spirit surrounded the priest and the holy altar in the form of fire. Such cases, when especially worthy people open the descent of the Divine fire to the holy gifts or the Body of Christ is visible on the throne in the form of a Child, are repeatedly described in spiritual literature. The Teaching News (Instruction to Each Priest) even tells how to behave for clergymen when the holy gifts take on an unusual, miraculous appearance.
Those who doubt the miracle of the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ and dare to approach the holy chalice can be given a formidable admonition: “Dmitry Alexandrovich Shepelev told about himself to the abbot of the Sergius Hermitage, Archimandrite Ignatius the First, the following. He was brought up in the Corps of Pages. Once in Great Lent, when the pupils were approaching the holy mysteries, the young man Shepelev expressed to his comrade walking beside him his resolute disbelief in the fact that the Body and Blood of Christ was in the cup. When the holy secrets were taught to him, he felt that he had meat in his mouth. Horror gripped the young man, he was beside himself, could not find the strength to swallow a particle. The priest noticed the change that had occurred to him and ordered him to enter the altar. There, holding a particle in his mouth and confessing his sin, Shepelev came to himself and swallowed the holy gifts given to him. "
Yes, the sacrament of communion - the Eucharist - is the greatest miracle and mystery, as well as the greatest mercy for us, sinners, and a visible evidence that the Lord established the New Testament with people "in His blood" (see: Luke 22:20), bringing for us a sacrifice on the cross, he died and rose again, having resurrected all mankind by Himself. And we can now partake of His Body and Blood for the healing of soul and body, abiding in Christ, and He will "abide in us" (see: John 6: 56).
The origin of the liturgy
Since ancient times, the sacrament of communion has also received the name liturgy, which is translated from Greek as "common cause", "common service".
The holy apostles, disciples of Christ, having received the commandment from their Divine Teacher to celebrate the sacrament of communion in remembrance of Him, after His ascension began to perform the breaking of bread - the Eucharist. Christians “continually dwelt in the teaching of the apostles, in the fellowship and breaking of bread, and in prayer” (Acts 2:42).
The rite of the liturgy took shape gradually. In the beginning, the apostles celebrated the Eucharist in the same order that they saw in their Master. In apostolic times, the Eucharist was combined with the so-called agapami, or a meal of love. Christians ate their food and stayed in prayer and fellowship. After the supper, the breaking of bread and communion of the faithful took place. But then the liturgy was separated from the meal and began to be performed as an independent sacred rite. The Eucharist began to be celebrated inside sacred temples. In the 1st-2nd centuries, the order of the liturgy, apparently, was not written down and was transmitted orally.
Gradually, in different localities, their own liturgical rites began to take shape. The Liturgy of the Apostle James was served in the Jerusalem community. The Liturgy of the Apostle Mark was celebrated in Alexandria and Egypt. In Antioch - the liturgy of St. Basil the Great and John Chrysostom. These Liturgies had much in common in their main part, but differed from each other in details.
Now, in the practice of the Orthodox Church, three orders of liturgies are performed. These are the liturgies of St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory the Divine.
Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
This liturgy is celebrated on all days of the year, except for the weekdays of Great Lent, and also except for the first five Sundays of Great Lent.
Saint John Chrysostom compiled the rite of his liturgy on the basis of the previously compiled liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, but he shortened some of the prayers. Saint Proclus, a disciple of Saint John Chrysostom, says that earlier the Liturgy was celebrated very extensively, and “Saint Basil, condescending ... to human weakness, reduced it; and after him even more holy Chrysostom. "
Liturgy of St. Basil the Great
According to the legend of Saint Amphilochius, Bishop of Lycaon Iconium, Saint Basil the Great asked “God to give him the strength of spirit and reason to celebrate the Liturgy in his own words. Through his six days of ardent prayer, the Savior appeared to him in a miraculous way and fulfilled his request. Soon afterwards, Vasily, being imbued with delight and divine trembling, began to proclaim “May my lips of praise be filled” and “Behold, Lord Jesus Christ our God, from Your holy dwelling” and other prayers of the liturgy.
The Liturgy of St. Basil is celebrated ten times a year. On the eve of the twelve feasts of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany (on the so-called Christmas and Epiphany Eve); on the feast day of St. Basil the Great January 1/14; on the first five Sundays of Great Lent, on Great Thursday and on Great Saturday.
Liturgy of St. Gregory the Divine (or the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts)
During the holy Forty-days of Great Lent, the service of the full Liturgy ceases on weekdays. Fasting is a time of repentance, weeping for sins, when all festivity and solemnity are excluded from worship. Blessed Simeon, Metropolitan of Thessaloniki writes about this. And therefore, according to church rules, on Wednesday and Friday of Great Lent, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated. Holy gifts are consecrated at the liturgy on Sunday. And the believers receive communion with them at the liturgy of the presanctified gifts.
In some Local Orthodox Churches on the day of commemoration of the holy Apostle James, October 23 / November 5, a liturgy is served according to his order. This is the oldest liturgy and it is the creation of all the apostles. The holy apostles, before they dispersed to different countries to preach the Gospel, gathered together to celebrate the Eucharist. Later this rite was recorded in writing under the title of the Liturgy of the Apostle James.
People go to the temple of God to participate in the Holy Eucharist - the main event for which the church and temples were created. The Holy Eucharist is the Communion. What is the Sacrament in the church, what it is for and by whom it is established - we will analyze in this article.
The Eucharist (and for Protestants the Lord's Vespers or the Breaking of Bread) is the sacrament of the church, the central part of the divine service and the main event in the life of a Christian. In the sacrament, Christ unites with man: having consumed him worthily, it becomes possible to assimilate the Son of God, as far as it is accessible to everyone. Christ gave Himself to us - in every sense.
Communion in the church: what is it and why?
The sacrament is bread and wine, which after a special prayer, "transubstantiation," symbolizes the Body and Flesh of the Lord. The Lord left His Body and Blood to us at the Great Supper before His sufferings on the Cross, as it is written in the Gospel.
And when they were eating, Jesus took the bread and, having blessed it, broke it and, distributing it to the disciples, 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 covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins (Matt. 26, 26-28)
"... do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22, 19)
The sacrament is hidden from us in its true form and the image of bread and wine is preserved, since it is not natural for a person to consume flesh for food, even if it is Divine. But after the transubstantiation, that is, after the sacrament has been performed, the property is changed - this is already the true Body and the true blood of Christ.
The sacrament was created and introduced by the Lord Himself on the eve of the betrayal of Judas, just before the arrest, scourging and execution. The communion that is consumed in the church is union with God the Father in Christ, reconciliation with Him for the sake of His Son. This is the New Testament between man and God, who brought the Savior to earth. Christ gave himself up as a sacrifice so that we eat His Body and drink His Blood and through this we have eternal life in us, once lost in Paradise, as He told us in the Gospel.
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, he abides in me and I in him (John 6: 53,56)
Communion in the Catholic Church is different from the Orthodox. So, the first one uses non-leaven bread for the sacrament, and the second uses yeast bread.
How to Prepare for Communion in Church?
Preparing for the Sacrament in the church is primarily about observing yourself. One should not approach the Holy Gifts if an insult to someone lives in the heart, if something is not forgiven, if forgiveness is not asked from those who have been offended. Be sure to pass another sacrament on the eve of Communion - Repentance. Repentance consists in sincere repentance for sins and a firm decision not to repeat them again.
You need to bring your contrition for your sins to confession to the priest. It is not enough to repent "in the soul" - the apostles have bequeathed us to perform the sacrament of confession in the presence of their successor, who is a priest. We cannot break this hierarchy. Confession is told in private to a priest - for Catholics it happens completely incognito, while for Orthodox Christians the confessing priest sees a person's face, but confession is hidden from prying ears. The service, during which the sacrament of confession takes place, is served in the evening, on the eve of the Liturgy, usually it begins at 17.00.
Another important matter is the physical and prayer preparation for the reception of the sacrament. In order to adequately receive Christ into oneself, the church recommends reading special prayers before Communion and abstaining from meat and dairy dishes for several days. In Orthodoxy, prayers for Communion include a rule from the prayer book:
- a rule for a dream coming on the eve of communion;
- three canons: to the Lord, the Virgin Mary, the Guardian Angel;
- following to Holy Communion;
- morning rule before service.
The listed prayers are of a recommendatory nature; it is not easy for a beginner to read everything thoughtfully. Therefore, the rule is allowed to be reduced - down to the most necessary ten prayers, which are contained in the sequence to Holy Communion. But the reduction of the rule - as well as other indulgences for Communion - is recommended to be discussed with the priest after confession, since the required number of prayers must be selected individually.
How is the sacrament in church?
Liturgy is served in the Orthodox church in the morning. What time the service begins can be found in a particular church behind a candle box, since the schedule is different for everyone. The Liturgy ("common cause") is the most important divine service, an amazingly beautiful act, filled with deep content and meaning. It consists of the most ancient hymns and is aimed at approaching Communion with the necessary prayers and the correct consecration of the Gifts. Participants pray heartily at this service and at the end they reverently receive communion.
In the Catholic Church, Communion takes place at Mass, without the rite of consecration, also after special prayers, which are established by the Catholic catechism. Catholic worship is filled with beauty, which is conveyed by a skilful choir and the famous organ - an instrument that accompanies the sacred performance.
After Communion, a prayer of thanks is read and then, after kissing the cross, everyone can go home in order to carefully preserve the grace received from the Lord with purity of heart, silence and concentration.
What is the Sacrament in the church can only be understood by experience. The ineffable connection between man and God, so natural for the intact Adam, became again available to people. The human soul longs for Divine communion, but sometimes it seeks it not at all there. How often do we choose vice and questionable pleasures? The soul seeks paradise, but often makes mistakes in its search. The state of communion with the Lord, subject to the worthy reception of the sacrament, can give the desired completeness. But it is important to remember that Judas also received the Holy Communion (one of the first), and his Communion was his condemnation. Therefore, we will approach such an important sacrament with extreme responsibility in order to find the desired connection.
One of the main sacred rites of the Orthodox Church is the communion of the believer. The sacrament of the Eucharist, performed sincerely, at the call of the soul, is of great importance for a Christian. Passing the rite with an understanding of the essence and importance of the ritual leads to sincere repentance, receiving forgiveness, and spiritual cleansing.
What is communion
Belonging to a person's religious denomination implies the observance of traditions. What is the Eucharist? The most important religious ceremony involves receiving from the hands of a priest and then eating bread and wine, symbolizing the Flesh and Blood of Jesus Christ. The sacrament includes prayers, obeisances, chants, and sermons. The sacrament in the church connects a person to God, strengthens the spiritual connection with the Higher powers. To conduct a ceremony in a church requires the purity of the believer, both physical and mental. Communion must be preceded by confession and preparation.
Sacrament of the sacrament
The rite originates from the Last Supper, which preceded the crucifixion of Christ. Having gathered with the disciples at the table, the Savior took the bread, divided it into parts and distributed it with the words that it was His Flesh. Then Christ blessed the cup of wine, calling its contents His Blood. The Savior instructed his followers to always perform a ceremony in memory of Him. This custom is followed by the Russian Orthodox Church, where the Eucharist is held daily. In pre-Petrine times, there was a decree according to which all laity were obliged to receive communion in church at least once a year.
Why is the holy sacrament necessary
The sacrament of communion is of great importance for a believer. A layman who does not want to perform the rite of the Eucharist moves away from Jesus, who commanded to observe the tradition. Breaking the connection with God leads to confusion, fear in the soul. A person who regularly receives communion in church, on the contrary, strengthens his religious faith, becomes more peaceful, closer to the Lord.
How to take communion in church
The Eucharist is the first step that a person takes towards God. This act must be deliberate, voluntary. To confirm the purity of his intention, the layman should prepare for the sacrament in the church. First, you need to ask for forgiveness from those who may be offended by you. For several days before the ceremony, an adult needs:
- Observe the fast, refusing to eat meat dishes, eggs, dairy products. Food restrictions are imposed for a period of one to three days, depending on the physical condition.
- Give up the habit of "eating" yourself and others. Internal aggression should be minimized. You need to behave kindly to others, disinterested help to others is useful.
- Eliminate profanity, tobacco, alcohol, intimacy from everyday life.
- Do not attend entertainment events, do not watch entertainment TV programs.
- Read evening, morning prayers.
- Attend Liturgy, listen to sermons. It is especially recommended to attend the evening service on the eve of the day of the sacrament, read the Follow-up.
- Study spiritual literature, read the Bible.
- Confess on the eve of communion in church. This requires an understanding of life, events, actions. Sincere confession is needed not only as preparation for communion. Repentance makes a believer cleaner, gives a feeling of lightness and freedom.
The rite of communion
On the day of the ceremony, you need to skip breakfast and come to the temple early, feel the atmosphere of the place, get ready, tune in to the desired mood. What is communion in the church? The sacrament begins during the service, closer to its end. The Royal Gates are opened, and a relic is brought to the visitors - a bowl with consecrated gifts - Cahors and bread. Foods are symbols of the Savior's Flesh and Blood. The bowl is placed on a special platform called the pulpit. The priest reads a prayer of thanks for the sacrament.
How to receive communion in church? Each parishioner who comes up to the bowl is given a spoonful of food by the priest. You need to get closer, fold your arms in a cross on your chest, say your name. Then you should kiss the base of the bowl. You can leave the temple after the end of the service. Before leaving, you need to kiss the cross. The ritual, done sincerely and from the bottom of the heart, brings the believer closer to Christ, gives the soul happiness and salvation. It is important to preserve holy grace in the heart after communion, not to lose it outside the church.
How children receive communion
The sacrament of a child is important for his spiritual maturation. The ritual is needed for the baby to be under the care of a guardian angel, in whose honor he was baptized. The first communion in the church takes place after baptism. Children under the age of seven do not need to confess the day before. At the same time, it does not matter how often the parents of the baby take communion in church or whether they do it at all.
An important rule of communion for children in the church is to conduct the rite on an empty stomach. A very small child is allowed to have breakfast. It is better to feed the baby at least half an hour before the ceremony so that he does not burp. After three years, it is advisable to bring children to church on an empty stomach, but there is no strict rule. It is important that the child gradually gets used to the restrictions during preparation. For example, you can remove games, cartoons, meat, something delicious. Children are not required to follow prayer rules.
With infants, you can come to the sacrament itself. With older children, it is allowed to come early, depending on how long the child can withstand standing in the temple. Children often lack patience; on the contrary, they have a lot of energy. You need to understand this and not force the baby to stand in one place, instilling a dislike for the ceremony. During the sacrament, an adult pronounces the name for a small child. When the baby grows up, he must name himself.
How is the communion of the sick
If a person for health reasons is unable to listen to the Liturgy, to receive communion within the walls of the church, this is easily solved by conducting the ritual at home. Severely ill patients are admitted by the canons of Orthodoxy to the procedure. Reading prayers and fasting are optional. However, confession with repentance of sins is necessary. Patients are allowed to receive communion after eating. Priests often visit hospitals to confess and commune people.
How often can you have the sacrament ceremony?
The ceremony must be performed when the soul desires it, when there is an inner need. The number of participles is not regulated by representatives of the Patriarchate. Most believers receive Communion once or twice a month. The ceremony is necessary for special occasions - at weddings, baptisms, at name days, during great holidays. The only limitation is the prohibition of communion more than once a day. Holy gifts are served from two church vessels, you need to try only from one.
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Prepared, three days before it, you should give up fast food, i.e. observe fasting, and after twelve at night do not take it or drink it at all. Also refrain from marital relationships. You can not cross the threshold for women during cycles. Follow these simple rules, and in this way you will achieve physical purification. In order for your soul to be ready to perform this sacred act, try not to commit any unseemly deeds for three days, do not scold, do not use foul language and do not kiss anyone. To keep your thoughts pure, sincerely forgive all your enemies and make peace with those with whom you are in a quarrel. Participle often called "communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ." Therefore, communion is very important for every Christian believer. However, the frequency of this ceremony depends on the spiritual state of the person. If this is your first time deciding to go through the communion process, contact the priest where you are going to confess. He will “evaluate” the degree of higher churching and will tell you about the timing and methods of preparing for the Sacrament. Church services are performed only on Sundays and holidays. Of course, these are not secular, but those days that are determined by. The sacrament of the sacrament is performed at the morning Divine Liturgy. If you really felt the need for confession and further communion, on the eve of this action, attend the evening service, and read three canons at home: the canon of repentance, the canons of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Guardian Angel. Before going to church, read the canon "Following to Holy Communion." Of course, if you do not have church literature, you can skip this "step" of preparation for the sacrament of the sacrament. But without confession, you will not be admitted to the rite of communion, because according to Orthodox customs, this is a great sin. Children under seven years of age, who, according to church canons, are considered babies at this age, are allowed to take communion without confession. You can also go through the sacrament rite without confession if you were baptized no more than a week ago. The rite itself looks like this: during the service, they bring out a bowl with small pieces of consecrated wine diluted with water. Prayers above her, invoking the holy spirit of Jesus Christ. The Orthodox fold their arms on their chests and take turns approaching the bowl. Having called their name given at baptism, they receive the holy gifts, swallow them, wipe their mouths with a prepared towel and kiss the bowl. After eating "the flesh and blood of Christ," the believer receives the blessing of the priest, kisses his hand and walks away, giving way to others who wish. At the end of the service, you should once again go to the cross and kiss it.