Communion is the great Sacrament of the Orthodox Church. How important is this rite of Christianity? How to prepare for it? And how often can you take communion? You will learn the answers to these questions and many others from this article.
What is communion?
The Eucharist is communion, in other words, the most important rite of Christianity, thanks to which bread and wine are consecrated and served as the Body and Blood of the Lord. Through communion, the Orthodox are united with God. The need for this Sacrament in the life of a believer can hardly be overestimated. It occupies the most important, if not central, place in the Church. In this Sacrament, everything ends and consists: prayers, church hymns, rituals, prostrations, the preaching of the Word of God.
The Background of the Sacrament
If we turn to prehistory, then the sacrament of the sacrament was established by Jesus at the Last Supper before death on the cross. He, having gathered with his disciples, blessed the bread and, having broken it, distributed it to the apostles with the words that it was His Body. After that, he took a cup of wine and served it to them, saying that it was His Blood. The Savior commanded the disciples to always celebrate the sacrament of communion inHis memory. And the Orthodox Church follows the commandments of the Lord. At the central service of the Liturgy, the Sacrament of Holy Communion is performed daily.
The Church knows a story that confirms the importance of communion. In one of the deserts of Egypt, in the ancient city of Diolka, many monks lived. Presbyter Ammon, who stood out among all for his outstanding holiness, during one of the divine services saw an angel who was writing something near the sacrificial cup. As it turned out, the angel wrote down the names of the monks present at the service, and crossed out the names of those who were absent from the Eucharist. Three days later, all those who were crossed out by the angel died. Is this story really true? Perhaps many people die prematurely precisely because of their unwillingness to take communion? After all, even the Apostle Paul said that many people are sick, weak because of unworthy communion.
The need for Holy Communion
Communion is a necessary rite for the believer. The Christian who neglects the Eucharist voluntarily turns away from Jesus. And thus deprives himself of the possibility of eternal life. On the contrary, the one who communes regularly is united with God, strengthened in faith, and becomes a partaker of eternal life. From this we can conclude that for a churched person, communion is undoubtedly an important event in life.
Sometimes after accepting the Holy Mysteries of Christ, even serious illnesses recede, willpower increases, the spirit strengthens. It becomes easier for the believer to struggle with his passions. But worth itretreat from communion for a long time, as in life everything starts to go awry. Ailments return, the soul begins to be tormented by what seemed to be receded passions, irritability appears. And this is not a complete list. It follows that a person who is a believer, a church-goer tries to take communion at least once a month.
Preparation for Holy Communion
You should properly prepare for the Sacrament of Holy Communion, namely:
• Prayer. Before communion, it is necessary to pray more and more diligently. Do not skip a few days of the prayer rule. By the way, the rule for Holy Communion is added to it. There is also a pious tradition to read the canon for communion: the canon of repentance to the Lord, the canon of prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos, the canon to the Guardian Angel. On the eve of Communion, attend the evening service.
• Fasting. It must be not only carnal, but also spiritual. It is necessary to reconcile with everyone with whom they were in litter, pray more, read the Word of God, refrain from watching entertainment programs and listening to secular music. Spouses need to give up bodily caresses. Strict fasting begins on the eve of Communion, from 12 o'clock in the morning you can neither eat nor drink. However, the confessor (priest) can establish an additional fast of 3-7 days. Such a fast is usually prescribed for beginners and those who have not observed one-day and multi-day fasts.
• Confession. You must confess your sins to a clergyman.
Repentance (Confession)
Confession and Communion play an important rolein the performance of the Mystery. An indispensable condition for Communion is the recognition of one's absolute sinfulness. You should understand your sin and sincerely repent of it with a firm conviction never to commit it again. The believer must realize that sin is incompatible with Christ. By committing a sin, a person, as it were, tells Jesus that His death was in vain. Of course, this is possible only through faith. Because it is faith in a Holy God that illuminates the dark spots of sins. Before repentance, one should reconcile with the offenders and the offended, read the canon of repentance to the Lord, pray more fervently, if necessary, take a fast. For your own convenience, it is better to write down sins on paper so that you do not forget anything during confession. Especially serious sins that torment the conscience should be told to the priest especially. The believer also needs to remember that when revealing his sins to a clergyman, he, first of all, reveals them to God, since God is invisibly present at confession. Therefore, in no case should you hide any sins. Batiushka sacredly keeps the secret of confession. In general, both confession and communion are separate sacraments. However, they are closely related, because without having received the remission of their sins, a Christian cannot proceed to the Holy Chalice.
There are times when a seriously ill person sincerely repents of his sins, makes a promise to go to church regularly, if only healing occurs. The clergyman forgives sins, allows you to take communion. The Lord provides healing. But the man subsequently does not fulfill his promise. Why is this happening? Possibly humanspiritual weakness does not allow to cross over himself, through his pride. After all, lying on your deathbed, you can promise anything. But in no case should we forget about the promises made to the Lord himself.
Communion. Rules
In the Russian Orthodox Church there are rules that should be followed before approaching the Holy Chalice. First, you need to come to the temple to the beginning of the service, without being late. An earthly bow is made before the Chalice. If there are many who want to take communion, then you can bow in advance. When the gates open, you should overshadow yourself with the sign of the cross: put your hands on your chest with a cross, the right one on top of the left. Thus, take communion, depart without removing your hands. Approach from the right side, and leave the left free. The servants of the altar should be the first to take communion, then the monks, after them the children, then everyone else. It is necessary to observe courtesy with each other, let the elderly and infirm people go forward. Women are not allowed to take communion with painted lips. The head must be covered with a scarf. Not a hat, a bandage, but a scarf. In general, dressing in the temple of God should always be decorous, not defiant or vulgar, so as not to attract attention and distract other believers.
When approaching the Chalice, you must say your name loudly and clearly, accept, chew and immediately swallow the Holy Gifts. Attach to the lower edge of the Cup. It is forbidden to touch the Chalice. It is also not allowed to make the sign of the cross near the Chalice. At the drinking table, you need to eat antidor and drink warmth. Only then can you talk andkiss icons. You can't take communion twice a day.
At home, it is necessary to read thanksgiving prayers for Communion. Their texts can be found in prayer books. If you have any doubts about which prayers to read, then you should clarify this point with the clergy.
Communion of the sick
At the First Ecumenical Council, it was determined that a seriously ill person should not be deprived of communion. If a person is not able to take communion in the church, this is easily solved, because the church allows the sick to receive communion at home. The clergyman is ready to come to the sick at any time, except for the time from the Cherubic Hymn to the end of the liturgy. At any other divine service, the priest is obliged to stop the service for the sake of the afflicted and hasten to him. In the church at this time, psalms are read for the edification of believers.
Sick people are allowed to receive the Holy Mysteries without any preparation, prayer, or fasting. But they still need to confess their sins. Seriously ill people are also allowed to receive communion after eating.
Miracles often happen when seemingly incurable people get back on their feet after communion. Priests often go to the hospital to support the seriously ill, take confession, and commune them. But many refuse. Some because of disgust, others do not want to invite trouble into the ward. However, those who have not succumbed to all doubts and superstitions can be granted miraculous healing.
Communion of children
When a child meets God, it is a very important event, just like in lifethe child himself, as well as his parents. Communion from an early age is also recommended because the baby gets used to the Church. It is imperative that the child be given communion. With faith. Regularly. This plays an important role in his spiritual development, and the Holy Gifts have a beneficial effect on well-being and he alth. And sometimes even serious diseases recede. So how should children be given communion? Children under seven years of age before the Eucharist are not prepared in a special way and are not confessed, because they cannot realize their adherence to Communion.
They also partake only of Blood (wine), as babies cannot eat solid food. If a child is able to eat solid food, then he can also partake of the Body (bread). Baptized children receive the Holy Gifts on the same day or the next day.
After receiving the Holy Gifts
The day when the Sacrament of Communion is performed is, of course, a significant time for every believer. And you need to spend it especially, as a great holiday of the soul and spirit. During the Sacrament, the one who takes communion receives the Grace of God, which should be kept with trepidation and try not to sin. If possible, it is better to refrain from worldly affairs and spend the day in silence, peace and prayer. Pay attention to the spiritual side of your life, pray, read the Word of God. These prayers after communion are of great importance - they are joyful and energetic. They are also able to multiply gratitude to the Lord, engender in the one who prays the desire to receive communion more often. Not accepted after communion in churchget on your knees. The exceptions are bowing before the Shroud and kneeling prayers on the day of the Holy Trinity. There is an unfounded argument that, allegedly, after Communion it is forbidden to venerate icons and kiss. However, the clergy themselves, after receiving the Holy Mysteries, are blessed by the bishop, kissing the hand.
How often can I receive communion?
Every believer is interested in the question of how often you can take communion in church. And there is no single answer to this question. Someone believes that communion should not be abused, while others, on the contrary, recommend starting to receive the Holy Gifts as often as possible, but not more than once a day. What do the holy fathers of the church say about this? John of Kronstadt urged to remember the practice of the first Christians, who used to excommunicate those who did not receive communion for more than three weeks from the Church. Seraphim of Sarov bequeathed to the sisters from Diveevo to take communion as often as possible. And for those who consider themselves unworthy of Communion, but have repentance in their hearts, in no case should they refuse to accept the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Because, by taking communion, one is cleansed and brightened, and the more often one takes communion, the greater the likelihood of salvation.
It is very auspicious to take communion on name days and birthdays, for spouses on their anniversary.
At the same time, how to explain the eternal debate about how often you can take communion? There is an opinion that both monks and ordinary laity should not receive communion more than once a month. Once a week is already a sin, the so-called "charm" coming fromevil one. Is it true? Priest Daniil Sysoev in his book gave a detailed explanation of this. He claims that the number of people who take communion more than once a month is negligible, they are church-going individuals, or those who have a spiritual mentor over themselves. Many clergy agree that if a person is ready for this at heart, then he can take communion at least every day, there is nothing wrong with that. The whole sin lies in the fact that a person without proper repentance approaches the cup without properly preparing for this, without forgiving all his offenders.
Of course, everyone decides for himself with his confessor how often he should take the Holy Chalice. It depends primarily on the readiness of the soul, love for the Lord and the power of repentance. In any case, for a churched, righteous life, it is worth taking communion at least once a month. Fathers bless some Christians for communion more often.
Instead of afterword
There are many books, manuals and just tips on how to take communion, the rules for preparing the soul and body. This information may differ in some ways, it may define different approaches to the frequency of communion and the severity in preparation, but such information exists. And it is numerous. However, you will not find literature that will teach a person how to behave after receiving the Holy Mysteries, how to keep this gift and how to use it. Both worldly and spiritual experience suggests that it is much easier to accept than to keep. And it's really true. Andrei Tkachev, archpriest of the Orthodox Church, says,that the inept use of the Holy Gifts can turn into a curse for the person who received them. He uses the history of Israel as an example. On the one hand, there is a huge number of miracles happening, the wonderful relationship of God with the people, His patronage. The other side of the coin is heavy punishments and even executions of people who behave unworthily after communion. Yes, and the apostles spoke about the diseases of the communicants, behaving inappropriately. Therefore, keeping the rules after Holy Communion is extremely important for a person.
