In church services, to designate their individual components, terms are often used that are not particularly clear to people who are not familiar with them. That is, ordinary parishioners who did not attend Sunday schools and do not understand the intricacies of the organization of the service and the list of its constituent concepts.
One such term is "eucharist". What is and what is the essence of this sacrament is not as difficult to understand as it seems at first glance. It is necessary to have an idea about this concept, since this sacrament is present not only in Orthodox services, it is practiced by all Christian denominations.
What is this?
The Eucharist - what is it in simple words? It is nothing but an integral part of the mass or the liturgy. The Sacrament is served in all churches of any of the Christian denominations. But the term itself is used only in three of them:
- Anglicanism;
- Catholicism;
- Orthodoxy.
Protestants call the sacrament of the Eucharist the communion or simply the Lord's Supper.
What is this sacrament?
The essence of this religious ceremony is the consecration of wine and bread, their special use. In other words, this is the part of the church service during which the sacrament is performed.
It is believed that the Apostle Paul was the first to describe this sacred action. He also explained the essence of the concept and its meaning. For the first time, the Eucharist took place during the last meal of Jesus, known to most people, even non-believers, as the Last Supper. Paul described this ritual of communion with the body and blood of Christ. But of course, this is a kind of metaphor. The essence of the ceremony has a much deeper meaning than simply swallowing what the priest holds out during the service.
What is the essence of the sacrament?
The mystery of the Eucharist was established by Jesus himself during his last meal with the disciples. The essence of this religious ritual is defined as the reunion of a believer with God through the flesh and blood of Christ.
According to the sacred texts, Jesus spoke during the supper with the disciples about food - "this is my flesh." Of wine, he said, “This is my blood.” Of course, after a couple of millennia, it is impossible to say what exactly Christ said and over what - bread, fruit or other food. However, representatives of different faiths often argue about what exactly should be communion.
About participationAbsolutely everyone knows the “faithful” in the Eucharist, a lot has been written about this, feature films have been shot and other works have been created. The most famous of them is probably Leonardo's fresco "The Last Supper". But not every person associates the meal of Christ with the disciples with the rite of communion held in churches. Meanwhile, the first Eucharist is precisely the supper of Christ with the disciples, during which Judas pointed to Jesus.
The essence of this ritual is not quite simple - it is a foreshadowing of the symbolic meaning of the crucifixion, that is, the sacrifice that Christ brought for the people. By partaking of the sacrament of communion, a person becomes one with God. The "flesh and blood" of Christ, on the other hand, are a kind of bridge between them - God and man, serve as a means of ensuring their reunion. You can compare the ceremony with the use of the telegraph or other means of communication - the functions are similar.
Often the essence of what the Eucharist is is explained as giving the Christian the opportunity to become a partaker of the Lord's Supper. This is one of the most ancient interpretations of the meaning of the ritual.
What does “faithful in the Eucharist” mean?
This phrase is often less clear than the essence of the communion rite. The reason for this is that it is this expression that the clergy often use when explaining it, but they forget to explain it.
Faithful in the Eucharist are those participants in the supper who did not betray Jesus. This is the simplest and most concise explanation of the meaning of this expression. Of course, when applied not to the apostles, but to the parishioners of Christian churches, the interpretation will be more complicated. Briefly, these are those who have already been baptized.
When applied to believers, this expression is given a slightly different meaning. The faithful are those who entrust themselves to God through partaking of the "body and blood" of Christ. That is, those who were baptized, following Christ into the Kingdom of Heaven, saved through him.
On preparing for the sacrament
Having asked questions about why the Eucharist is needed, what it is, how the ritual is performed, it is impossible not to get acquainted with its key points. Like most church rites, this has special rules that every believer should adhere to. They concern the preparation for the sacrament of the sacrament.
You can't just come to the temple, defend the service, swallow the contents from the spoon extended by the priest and consider yourself to have received communion. There is no point in such an action, since the essence, the spiritual component of the ritual is lost, its value is lost.
Participation in the Eucharist requires special preparation from the believer. There is nothing complicated in this process. From a person who is going to take communion, it is required:
- keep a fast for three days;
- pray for the gift of humility and enlightenment;
- refrain from bad deeds and thoughts.
Fasting consists in refusing to eat animal products - meat, eggs, milk and others. Strict fasting implies an exclusion from the daily diet and fish dishes, as well as seafood.
Often people believe that pre-participation in the ritual is a restrictionin nutrition, this is the only thing that the Eucharist requires. What is a Christian rite? This is a spiritual ritual, not a diet. Fasting is necessary only in order to contribute to spiritual purification, to distract from the needs of the body, physiological and turn to eternal values that have nothing to do with materiality.
This means that the most important thing in preparing for the sacrament is the spiritual attitude towards it. One should understand not only the importance of the union of the soul with God through Christ, but also the responsibility that it imposes on a person.
The meaning of the sacrament for believers
It is widely believed that demons fear more than three things:
- holy crucifixion;
- baptism;
- participles.
This is due to the fact that during participation in the sacraments a special grace descends on a person, which is like a protective aura, something invisible, but clearly tangible and capable of protecting from various disasters.
The concept of "demons" should not be taken literally. These are not devils jumping out from behind chimneys, which are told about in village tales. These are temptations, sins, vanity, soullessness and much more. In other words, everything that leads a person astray and separates him from the Lord.
That is, it helps to protect oneself from the dangers that lie in wait not for the body, but for the human soul. That's what the Eucharist is for. What is the danger to the soul in the modern world? First of all, everyday vanity, the endless pursuit of material values,excesses, goods in which there is no true need. This race is carried out to the detriment of spirituality. For example, how many people daily devote all their thoughts only to what to buy in the store, cook for dinner, how to earn more money to buy a new phone? At the same time, none of them remembers spiritual needs.
The Eucharist helps a person to feel protected, helps to overcome life's difficulties and hardships without losing spirituality.
Features of the ritual
The Eucharist - what is it in simple words? Eating the Holy Gifts. Accordingly, the apotheosis of the ritual itself is the moment of eating. This happens as follows - the priest takes communion to all those present at the service in turn, using a silver spoon for this.
Of course, there can be no question of any individual, and even more so disposable dishes, parishioners receive communion "with the whole world." This feature of the religious ritual confuses many people, especially during mass epidemics of respiratory, colds, and infectious diseases. No less worrisome is the risk of contracting other diseases, especially people are afraid of HIV.
Church ministers are not doctors, and they cannot give guarantees that participation in the Eucharist is safe for he alth. It is, of course, possible to argue that the Lord will save those who take communion, but for people in whose hearts there is no absolute and even fanatical faith, such statements are not an argument. Therefore, each person decides for himself whether to take communionto him or not, the church does not force or force anyone.
Features of the Liturgy
The liturgy has some nuances that you need to know about before attending a service. It is divided into three large components, the first of which is called the proskomedia. During the proskomedia, sacred rites are performed over wine and bread. In other words, everything that is necessary for the celebration of the sacrament of the sacrament is being prepared.
The second part of the service is called the liturgy of the catechumens. This part of the ceremony received such a name in ancient times, when not everyone was allowed to attend the service. The catechumens are those who were just preparing to be baptized. During the service, they stood in the porch, that is, outside the prayer hall. They entered only after the deacon or another clergyman called, announced them. These people left the hall after the announcement that they needed to leave. This component of the liturgy is aimed at preparing those praying for the sacrament of communion, attuning them spiritually.
The third part of the service is called the Liturgy of the Faithful. From the name it is clear that only the faithful can remain in the temple hall during this stage of the service. Only they take part in the Eucharist. The term "faithful" in this context means "those who have been baptized." That is, these are baptized people.
What should not be forgotten when taking part in the ceremony?
As soon as the words of the Eucharist begin to sound, those present at the service line up for communion. thosethose who attend church services rarely and do not particularly understand what exactly is happening in the temple, it will not be difficult to find their bearings, taking an example from the rest of the parishioners.
It is important not to forget that just before accepting the Holy Gifts, you should bow and cross yourself. In addition, you need to behave correctly after eating.
The rite does not end at the sacrament itself. This means that you cannot accept the "body and blood of Christ" and immediately leave the church. You need to move away so as not to delay others who are waiting for communion. After everyone who wants to take part in the ritual takes communion, the clergy read prayers of thanksgiving. They should definitely be heard. While reading thanks, you need to silently pray to the Lord.
Eucharist in early Christianity
The execution of this rite is based on ancient rituals described in the Old Testament. The first Christians celebrated the rite of the Eucharist differently than it is done now. Temples, in the sense that modern man has about them, did not exist. Believers gathered in secret, using any suitable place for this.
The Eucharist in early Christianity was part of a special dinner, which was not only a meal, but also a religious ritual. Such meals were called agapa. It was a meeting of believers, held at night or late in the evening. On them, Christians listened to preachers, prayed, ate, sang Psalms. At the beginning of the meeting, bread and wine were solemnly laid aside “before the place of Jesus”. Before the completion of the agapa, those present took communion with them. Such gatherings of believersexisted until the beginning of the fourth century.
What was the first meaning of the Eucharist?
During the formation of Christianity as a religion, the Eucharist was given special attention. It was believed that it is the pinnacle of service, a kind of center of the rituals of the Christian cult.
In connection with such an important place that the Eucharist occupied at the beginning of the formation of religion, all other Christian sacraments were combined with it. The Eucharist was an integral part of:
- baptism;
- wedding;
- chrismation;
- ordinations;
- Unction;
- funeral service;
- repentance and other rites.
Today, the importance of the Eucharist for parishioners is no longer as obvious as for the first followers of Christ. However, the sacrament is still perceived by the clergy as one of the most important sacraments.
