Sacrament of Communion. What it is? What is necessary?

1. What is Communion?
2. Establishment of the Sacrament of Communion.
3. The meaning of the Sacrament of Communion.
4. Preparation for the Sacrament of Communion.

1. What is Communion?

“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 forgiveness of sins and for Eternal Life” [Orthodox Catechism]. Communion is also called “Eucharist,” which translated from Greek means “thanksgiving.” Communion is the “Sacrament of the Sacraments,” the heart of the Church, the root of the Church, without which the universal gathering of the faithful is unthinkable. By participating in the Sacrament of Baptism, a person becomes a citizen of the Heavenly Kingdom, is born for a new life in Christ Jesus and friendship with God. Further, by accepting Confirmation, the newly baptized person receives grace that strengthens him in this very new life. But just as a physical organism cannot grow and develop, and live generally without food and water, so a spiritual organism cannot do without the Holy Gifts given in Communion.

For this Sacrament, leavened bread and red wine are used, which in the process of the Divine Liturgy, according to the faith of the clergy and laity praying in the church, are transubstantiated (become) the Body and Blood of the Savior Lord Jesus. Christians draw their faith in this from the Holy Scriptures, where the establishment of this Sacrament is first spoken of.

2. Establishment of the Sacrament of Communion (Eucharist).

The Sacrament of the Eucharist is first mentioned in the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament in the Gospel of John. In the sixth chapter, the Lord talks with the Jews and His disciples about the “bread of life” in the context of the miracle of feeding five thousand people with five loaves. The words of Christ “I am the living bread that came down from heaven: whoever eats this bread will live forever; “And the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51), the Jews understood literally and wondered how the Lord Jesus could give Himself to them as food? Further, Christ says that anyone who does not eat His Flesh and Blood will not inherit eternal life. The apostles, hearing these words, were perplexed, like the Jews, for, like the latter, they also understood this expression literally. But the Lord meant eternal life not in the physical, but in the spiritual sense. Accordingly, the consumption of both His Flesh and Blood will not be fulfilled, like the consumption of cannibals. The second aspect of this saying is the reference to a future sacrifice for the sins of the world.

This becomes clear at the Last Supper, on the eve of Christ’s suffering, when He Himself The Lord and the apostles gathered to participate in the world's first Eucharist. This event is mentioned by three synoptic evangelists - Matthew, Mark and Luke, as well as in the letter of the Apostle Paul to Corinthian Christians. “And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat: this is My body. And taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you.” for this is My Blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28). The Apostle and Evangelist Luke, in addition to everything given by St. Matthew, there is a phrase: “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). The Last Supper itself is outwardly quite reminiscent of Jewish Easter meetings, at which all members of each Jewish family were required to attend. But this is what distinguished the dinner of Christ and the apostles from the Jews.What Easter, that the Lord and the disciples were not related by blood. Consequently, at the moment of Jesus’ words “Take, eat...”, that family was born that would later grow into the Church, and in addition to the lamb there was Himself, sacrificing Himself “as a spotless and spotless Lamb, predestined before the foundation of the world” for the salvation of people ( 1 Pet. 1:19-20).

Subsequently, after the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ and the beginning of the activity of the Church, the Eucharist became an integral part of the spiritual life of the first Christians. In book D acts and in the epistles of St. The Apostle Paul repeatedly mentions the “breaking of bread” (as the first Christians called Communion) among believers. As church life develops, Communion also develops. Previously, it was performed at the so-called agapas - love suppers - the prototype of modern services, where Christians listened to the teachings of community elders, prayed, sang psalms, retold the sayings of the Lord and the apostles, and had a joint meal. The crown of this action was Communion. Starting from the 2nd century, Communion was gradually separated from agape and celebrated at the Divine Liturgyand (Greek: “Common cause”). The Divine Liturgy itself in the first millennium AD. had many rites (as a rule, each locality had its own rite, named either by the locality (Bragsky rite) or by the name of a saint whose contribution to the creation of the text of the Liturgy was significant or belonged entirely to its authorship (Ambrosian rite)). Currently, the Russian Orthodox Church uses three rites of the Divine Liturgy, of which the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is the most widespread. Less often (ten times a year) fromThe Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, which is the direct forerunner of the above-mentioned rite of Chrysostom, is tinned. And during Great Lent, on Wednesdays and Fridays, the Liturgy of St. Gregory of Rome is served, otherwise called the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, so named due to the absence of the Eucharistic canon and, as a consequence, the use of the Body and Blood of Christ, consecrated earlier at one of the “Eucharistic » liturgies (as a rule, this is the rite of St. Basil the Great). But the most important elements uniting all ranks have always been prayers for the whole world, teaching in the Holy Scriptures, holy kisses between members of the community and, most importantly, the breaking of bread (in fact, for which Christians gathered).

3. The meaning of the Sacrament of Communion.

By eating the Flesh and Blood of Christ, the believer becomes one organism with the Lord, thereby healing his nature, his soul from sin and death; By burning passions, we inherit eternal life. In the Holy Eucharist, believers are given the sacred “medicine of immortality,” as the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer said, “an antidote so as not to die.” God made man a material being. That is why He uses such material things as bread and wine to impart new life into us. Rare participation in the Eucharist is not a completely healthy phenomenon. This is rather a consequence of weakening spiritual life than a rule. Many try to explain this practice by saying that they are not always worthy of Communion. But I don’t think that the frequency of participation in the Sacraments makes someone more or less worthy. Unfortunately, this trend, introduced in pre-revolutionary times, continues today. Of course, careful preparation for the Eucharistic encounter with Christ is necessary. In particular, Saint Gennady of Constantinople speaks about this: “He who invites the emperor to his house first cleanses his house; so you, if you want to accept God into your bodily home, must first sanctify your body by fasting.” St. rights John of Kronstadt received communion daily, calling his flock to do the same. “Take Communion more often and do not say that you are unworthy. If you talk like that, you will never receive communion, because you will never be worthy. Do you think that there is at least one person on earth worthy of receiving the Holy Mysteries? No one deserves this, and if we do receive communion, it is only by the special mercy of God. We are not created for communion, but communion is for us. It is we, sinners, unworthy, weak, who more than anyone else need this saving source” (St. Alexy Mechev).

4. Ppreparation for the Sacrament of Communion.

You must prepare yourself for the Sacrament of Holy Communion through prayer, fasting and repentance. In addition, it is very important to remember that preparation for Communion should not only be the fulfillment of certain instructions, but our entire life, built on Gospel principles. It is necessary not only to comply with disciplinary regulations, but to thirst for Christ, with all the strength of the soul to desire union with Him.

There is home and church prayer. Anyone who wishes to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ must prayerfully prepare himself for this: pray more and more diligently at home, attend church services. On the eve of communion, it is customary to attend evening church services. For prayer preparation for Holy Communion on the eve of communion, you need to read:

— Follow up to Holy Communion;

- a canon of repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ;

- canon of prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos;

- canon to the Guardian Angel (all of the above prayer rules are found in any Orthodox prayer book).

Before Communion there is a liturgical fast. The practice of fasting (fasting) for seven days before Communion is pious. Now some priests, due to bodily weakness, give their blessing to begin the Sacrament of the Eucharist even after at least three days of fasting. Fasting, in addition to food restrictions, also consists of eating and drinking less than usual, and also refraining from visiting the theater, watching entertaining films and programs, and listening to secular music. It is necessary to maintain bodily and mental purity. Spouses should abstain from physical contact on the day before and after communion. On the eve of communion, from 12 o'clock at night, a strict fast begins - complete abstinence from drinking and food (in the morning, going to church for communion, you are not allowed to eat or drink anything; those suffering from tobacco addiction must also abstain from their passion).

Those preparing for Holy Communion must make peace with everyone and protect themselves from feelings of anger and irritation, refrain from condemnation and all indecent thoughts and conversations, spending time, as far as possible, in solitude, reading the Word of God (Gospel) and books of spiritual content.

Those who wish to receive communion must, on the eve, before or after the evening service, verbally confess their sins to God in the presence of a witness - a priest, sincerely opening their soul and not hiding a single sin they have committed and have a sincere intention to correct themselves. Before confession, you must certainly reconcile with both the offenders and the offended, humbly asking everyone for forgiveness. The task of preparing for confession is to find specific qualities of your soul, character traits, actions, events or conditions that violate the Commandments of God, preventing communication with God. During confession, it is better not to wait for the priest’s questions, but to tell him everything that weighs on your soul, without justifying yourself in anything and without shifting the blame to others. It is more correct to confess in the evening on the eve of communion in order to participate in the liturgy in the morning. As a last resort, you can confess in the morning, before the start of the liturgy. Coming to confession when the liturgy has already begun is extreme neglect of the Sacrament. Having confessed, you need to make a firm decision not to repeat your previous sins again. Without confession, no one can be admitted to Holy Communion, except for children under 7 years of age and in cases of mortal danger.

Even before the opening of the royal doors and the removal of the Holy Gifts, it is best soon after singing “Our Father,” you need to approach the altar and wait for the removal of the Holy Gifts with the exclamation “Come with the fear of God and faith.” In this case, it is necessary to let the children who receive communion first go ahead, before the adults. By When approaching the Chalice, you need to bow in advance, from afar, and fold your arms crosswise on your chest (right over left). There is no need to cross yourself in front of the Holy Chalice, so as not to accidentally push it. Approaching the Chalice, you need to clearly pronounce your full Christian name, open your lips (mouth) wide and reverently, with full consciousness of the holiness of the great Sacrament, accept the Body and Blood of Christ and immediately swallow.

Having received the Holy Mysteries, without crossing yourself, kissed the edge of the Chalice and immediately went to the table to taste a particle of the antidor and wash it down with warmth. It is not customary to leave the church before kissing the altar cross in the hands of a priest. After this, you need to listen to prayers of gratitude (or read them when you come home). On the day of Holy Communion - behave reverently and decorously, in order to “honestly keep Christ accepted within you.”

Communion (Eucharist) is one of the most important Sacraments of the Orthodox Church. The Sacrament of Communion allows the believer to gain eternal life for his soul and unite with God through eating His flesh and blood, presented in the form of bread and wine. Only in communion do we become truly Orthodox, for what defines us as such is not the wearing of a cross on the body and the baptism performed on us, but our life in Christ, His grace to us and His presence in us.

Why do you need to take communion?

Communion is the only church Sacrament that allows us to unite with Christ. Anyone who does not partake of the Holy Mysteries deprives himself of the most important source of life - the Lord God, and defines himself outside of Him. Believers who regularly participate in the Sacrament of Communion with a pure heart and reverence are cleansed of all filth and become “partakers of the Divine.”

The Sacrament of Communion should be an integral part of the life of every Orthodox Christian, for we who live on earth need to be reunited with Christ Himself, in His presence in our soul and heart. Only by receiving communion can a person unite with God and feel His protection, grace and mercy.

In certain historical eras, different frequencies of communion were noted. At the birth of Christianity, believers sought to take communion daily, and those who missed the Eucharist for more than three days were considered excommunicated from the Church and the Lord Himself.

Now Orthodox people receive communion much less often. Some turn to the Sacrament of Communion during church fasts, others - on name day or before participating in other great Orthodox Sacraments.

Priests are inclined to believe that a believer should receive communion, first of all, when he is really ready for it. Participation in the Sacrament of Communion must be conscious and desired. You cannot be with the Lord without faith in Him and without love for Him. Anyone who receives communion not at the behest of his own soul, but under compulsion or for the approval of others, will not be able to experience the true miracle of the union of Jesus Christ Himself with man.

For those wishing to receive communion, a special day is provided in the church year - Maundy Thursday. Our Savior Himself confirmed on the day of Maundy Thursday the Sacrament of Holy Communion. The priests call on all believers not to forget about the will of the Lord and on this day to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

Before accepting the Sacrament of Communion, an Orthodox Christian must carry out special preparation of his soul and body.

1. Understanding the true meaning of the Sacrament. A believer should participate in the Eucharist only when he truly recognizes and feels a deep and irrepressible need to receive the Holy Mysteries. The goal of a person who comes to Church for communion should be the desire to unite with Christ, to be cleansed of his sins by tasting the Lord’s Supper.
2. The command of the soul. You need to take communion only with a pure heart and at the behest of your own soul, which does not know hypocrisy and insincerity. A person must be worthy of communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. The believer needs to remember that by drinking the Cup of the Lord and eating this Bread unworthily, he will become guilty against the Blood and Flesh of our Savior.
3. Peace of mind and purity. Every believer must approach the Chalice, being in spiritual balance, in reconciliation with others, in a state in which there is no place in the soul for anger, hatred and heartfelt resentment towards anyone living on earth.
4. Churchliness. A person has the right to receive communion only when he lives according to the Law of God and observes all the canons of the Orthodox Church.
5. Sacrament of Confession. According to church traditions, before receiving communion, a person must repent, realize his own sinfulness and confess his sins. You can undergo the Sacrament of Confession before communion the day before the morning or evening, as well as before the liturgy or a few days before the Eucharist.
6. Liturgical fast. In order for a believer to be spiritually ready for communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, he must fast before the Sacrament and not eat or drink at least 6 hours before communion. At the Holy Chalice, people receiving communion must be “in hunger” (on an empty stomach).
7. Bodily fasting (fasting). All Orthodox people who wish to receive communion must prepare for this Sacrament with dignity and in full accordance. A person’s consciousness and mind should not be scattered for fun and over everyday trifles. In preparation, it is important to attend all services in the temple and diligently perform home prayer. If a person has not received communion for a long period, strict physical fasting should be observed for at least 3-5 days. At the same time, bodily fasting includes not only restrictions on food consumption and abstinence from worldly entertainment, but also a complete renunciation of carnal marital relations. Only being in a state of purity of his soul and body can a believer begin the Sacrament of Communion.

Communion is one of the most important church rituals called sacraments. What is its essence? It is as follows. Man is considered by the church as not only a material, but also a spiritual being. Therefore, he also needs spiritual food. During Communion, a person receives the Holy Gifts - the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. In real life, this looks like eating bread and wine, through which a person is cleansed of sins and prepares to enter eternal life.

The Gospel of John says about this sacrament: whoever partakes of the flesh and blood of the Son of Man will receive eternal life and will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment. And also through it there will be a reunion with God.

Why is the sacrament performed?

Thus, to unite with God and gain eternal life, you need to receive communion. Similar to earthly healing for infection blood occurs by replacing it with a healthy one; a soul infected with sin needs the blood of Christ to flow to it. Just as a diseased organ is replaced with a healthy one, by consuming the body of Christ under the guise of bread, the soul is healed. The Holy Scripture says: after communion, Christ’s Blood “flows in our veins,” and we become “co-corporeal” with him.

By entering the human soul, Christ heals it of passions and “ulcers,” fills it with life-giving juices, calms it, and gives joy. Thereby spiritual improvement occurs and communion already during the earthly path to the heavenly, eternal path. That is, communion is a kind of path to the kingdom of heaven, a guarantee that a person will reach it at the end of the Last Judgment.

How it all began

Other names sacrament - Eucharist. ABOUT but came from the Greek language and translated as thanksgiving. The rite during which believers receive communion is called Liturgy - public service. It can be done both at night and in the morning. In the Orthodox Church this is the main sacrament, its basis and core. Without him the Church itself is impossible how it is impossible to build a building without a foundation. This action was established by the Son of God himself during the Last Supper with his disciples on the eve of the passion of the Lord - his suffering on the cross.

As Jesus and his disciples sat at the evening meal, he took the bread, performed a blessing on it, then broke it and distributed it to his followers. After this, he took the cup of wine, said a prayer of thanks to God for his mercy towards people, and also passed it on to the table diners. He accompanied these actions with the words that the bread is his body and the wine is his blood, you need to eat them, since they will be given in the name of forgiveness of humanity for its sins. Jesus also called for communion of the Holy Gifts in memory of him.

After Christ’s ascension into heaven, the disciples, “breaking bread” on the week, which was then the first day of the week, prayed, sang psalms, read the Holy Scriptures and confessed. At times the meal continued until the morning. Gradually, such actions were transformed into a church service, which today consists of two parts - an evening service and a morning service - which includes Communion.

Frequency and purity of communion

At the dawn of Christianity, Communion was celebrated every Sunday. Today, the church fathers recommend joining this sacrament at least once a month. For those who do not have such an opportunity - at least four times a year, coinciding Communion with fasting. The minimum frequency of participation in the Eucharist is annual Communion.

There are situations when people consider themselves as sinners unworthy to partake of the Blood and Body of the Lord. There is another extreme - frequent trips to Communion, performed in a formal manner, without the required preparation, without the necessary emotional mood, without the proper awe and awareness of the sanctity of the rite.

Both approaches are deeply flawed. In the first case, the mistake is that, by and large, each of us is sinful by virtue of human nature itself. And the sacrament of Communion exists to correct this sinfulness, cleanse us from it and introduce us to grace. And after each conscious and prepared participation in the ritual a person becomes better and purer. In the second case, when eating wine and bread “for show,” there will be no approach to eternal bliss.

In order for the Eucharist to correspond to its purpose, it must be carried out by believers as an integral part of the continuous process of spiritual improvement in combination with its inherent attributes - confession, prayers, good deeds. Here, direct communication with a confessor who will be able to guide the religious life of his “child” will help.

How to prepare to receive the Holy Gifts

Spiritual preparation

According to the figurative expression of the holy fathers, when preparing for the Eucharist, a person must prepare to meet the Son of God. After all, he partakes of his Blood and Flesh.

Of course, being a churchgoer, you need to follow religious rules: study the Holy Scriptures, turn to the Lord in prayer, confess your sins, and abstain from light food during Lent. But this alone is not enough. A person must carry out constant internal work aimed at cultivating in himself such qualities as love for people, conscientiousness, responsible attitude to duty, tolerance and peacefulness.

If you turn to the Gospel of Matthew, you can find the following lines. Having come to the altar, and remembering that he was in a quarrel with his brother, must first make peace with him, and then turn to God with gifts and prayers. That is, in order to correctly approach the rite of Communion, you need to settle your “worldly” affairs. Understand your relationships with loved ones, and if there is a conflict, grievances, or complaints, try to correct the situation by establishing peace in the family and among friends. And after that, go to, ease your soul and put your thoughts in order.

Who can receive communion? It is important to know that only those who baptized according to the Orthodox rite. Thus, he becomes one of the members of the Church and can be admitted to the Eucharist. It must be remembered that an obstacle to participation in the ritual is a grave sin. Its implementation requires special work on oneself and active repentance. One of the principles of the church is the motto: “Faith without works is dead.” It follows from it that it is not enough to atone for sins, you need to correct your mistakes and try not to commit them in the future, to do good deeds.

Thus, preparation for Communion consists of following the rules. It is necessary: ​​repentance of sins, fasting and prayer vigils - provided that this is done sincerely and heartfeltly.

As stated in First Epistle to the Corinthians Apostle Paul, going to Communion, a person tests himself. And if “anyone eats and drinks unworthily,” while “not considering the Body of the Lord,” “he eats and drinks judgment upon himself.” From these words we can conclude: when a believer picks up bread and a cup of wine, he must understand that this is not just food, but an introduction to the highest meaning of existence, to true faith, to its essence, to the divine essence. And this must be done with reverence and awe, since during the sacred act of the Eucharist God reveals himself to man, and man to God.

How to actually prepare

How the ritual is performed

First Communion

How do children receive Holy Communion for the first time? The first time a child receives communion is immediately after the baptismal ceremony. It is believed that after this he falls under the “care” of his guardian angel, who will be with him all his life.

It is advisable for his parents - biological and godparents - to participate in the sacrament together with the child. One of them brings the child to the Chalice. They must also prepare the day before by following the same rules as for an adult receiving communion: fasting, confessing, and saying prayers.

When a child is being prepared for communion, if he less than three years old, it can be fed immediately before the ceremony in the morning, but no later than half an hour. Otherwise, he may vomit while in church.

You need to make sure that he is not overexcited the night before, goes to bed early and gets a good night's sleep.

• participation in noisy games,
• watching a lot of cartoons,
• listening to loud music,
• eating chocolate.

Then during the service he will not be capricious. You also need to take care of comfortable clothes, which will not be small or large and should correspond to the season, since both hypothermia and overheating are especially harmful to the child’s body.

When bringing the child to the Holy Chalice, he is placed on his right hand and gently held, not allowing him to wave his arms or push the filled vessel or the priest’s hand holding it.

If a child is under seven years old, he is not confessed. When he is very young, his parents say his name; later he must do it on his own.

There are cases where unhealthy children immediately after the first Communion felt much better and even recovered completely. If it was not possible to give the baby communion during baptism, it is advisable to do this as soon as possible. As a rule, church ministers recommend giving communion to children regularly, for example, on Sundays. The Church views the first Eucharist as a step towards ascension to a full religious life.

After participating in the holy sacrament of Communion, if all the rules are followed, a person is overcome by a feeling of joy, gratitude to God for his mercy, and the desire for a pure and beautiful life in the bosom of the Christian Church.

Communion is one of the most important and significant rites in Christianity. At this moment there is unity with Jesus Christ - the Son of God. Preparing for the sacrament is a difficult process that takes a long time. For a believer making first communion, it is important to know how communion takes place in church, what needs to be done before and after the ceremony. This is necessary not only in order to avoid mistakes, but also to gain awareness of the future union with Christ.

What is a participle

Jesus Christ performed the first sacrament of communion, dividing bread and wine among his disciples. He commanded his followers to repeat this. The ritual was first performed at the Last Supper, shortly before the crucifixion of the Son of God.

Before the ceremony, the Divine Liturgy is performed, also called the Eucharist, which translated from Greek means “thanksgiving.” Preparation for the rite of communion must necessarily include the memory of this great ancient event. This will allow you to experience the mystery deeply and touch your soul and mind.

Communion frequency

How often should you take communion? Accepting the sacrament is a purely individual matter; you cannot force yourself to do it just because the ritual seems necessary. It is very important to take communion according to the call of your heart. If in doubt, it is better to talk to the Holy Father. Priests advise proceeding to the sacrament only in case of complete internal readiness.

Orthodox Christians, in whose hearts there is love and faith in God, are allowed to perform the ritual without any restrictions. If there are doubts in your heart, then you can take communion no more than once a week or once a month. As a last resort, during the periods of each major post. The main thing is regularity.

Ancient literature indicates that it is good to perform communion daily on weekdays and weekends, but performing the ritual 4 times a week (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday) also brings benefits.

The only day when communion is obligatory is Maundy Thursday. This is a manifestation of respect for the ancient tradition that stands at the origins.

Some priests argue that taking communion too often is wrong. In truth, according to the laws of the canon, this opinion is incorrect. However, you need to see and feel the person well in order to understand whether he needs to perform this action or not.

Communion should not happen by inertia. Therefore, when it is performed frequently, a Christian must constantly be ready to accept the Gifts and maintain the right attitude. Few are capable of this. Especially considering the training that must take place on a regular basis. It is not so easy to keep all the fasts, constantly confess and pray. The priest sees what kind of life a layman leads; this cannot be hidden.

Prayer rule for Communion

Home prayer is of great importance in preparing for communion. In the Orthodox prayer book there is a sequence that is involved in sacred rites. It is read on the eve of the Sacrament.

The preparation includes not only prayer read at home, but also church prayers. Immediately before the ceremony, you must attend a service. Also you need to read three canons: the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel.

This preparation will allow you to consciously approach confession and communion and feel the value of the Sacrament.

Necessity of fasting

Fasting is a mandatory and indisputable condition before communion.

Christians who regularly observe single-day and multi-day fasts should only perform liturgical fasting. This means that you cannot eat or drink from midnight before the ceremony. The fast continues immediately until the moment of the Sacrament.

Parishioners who have recently joined the church and are not observing any fasts are required to undergo a three-day or seven-day fast. The duration of abstinence must be set by the priest. Such points need to be discussed in church; you should not be afraid to ask questions.

Internal state before the Eucharist

You need to fully realize your sins before communion. What needs to be done besides this? To prevent sins from multiplying, you should abstain from entertainment. Husband and wife must avoid close physical contact one day before communion and on the day of communion.

You need to pay attention to the birth of your thoughts and control them. There should be no anger, envy, or condemnation.

Personal time is best spent alone, studying the Holy Scriptures and the lives of saints, or in prayer.

The most important thing for accepting the Holy Gifts is repentance. A layman must absolutely sincerely repent of his sinful acts. This is what all the preparation is for. Fasting, reading the Bible, prayer are ways to achieve the desired state.

Actions before confession

Confession before the ceremony is very important. It is necessary to ask the priest of the church in which the Sacrament will take place.

Preparing for the rites of communion and confession is a process of examining one’s behavior and thoughts, getting rid of sinful actions. Everything that has been noticed and consciously needs to be confessed. But you shouldn’t just list your sins like a list. The main thing is to be sincere. Otherwise, why was such serious preparation carried out?

It is worth understanding that the priest is just an intermediary between God and people. You should speak without hesitation. Everything said will remain only between the person, the priest and the Lord. This is necessary in order to feel freedom in life and achieve purity.

Day of Reception of the Holy Gifts

On the day of the Sacrament, certain rules must be followed. You can only accept gifts on an empty stomach. A person who smokes must abstain from his habit until the body and blood of Christ are received.

During the removal of the Chalice, you need to approach the altar. If children come, you should let them go first; they always receive communion first.

There is no need to cross yourself near the chalice, you need to bow with your arms crossed over your chest. Before accepting the Gifts, you need to say your Christian name, and then immediately taste them.

Actions after communion

You should also know what needs to be done after the sacred rite has been completed. You need to kiss the edge of the Cup and go to the table to eat a piece. There is no need to rush to leave the church, you still need to kiss the altar cross in the hands of the priest. More prayers of gratitude are read in the church, which also need to be listened to. In case of extreme lack of time, you can read prayers at home. But this must be done.

Communion of children and the sick

There are the following points regarding the communion of children and sick people:

• Children under seven years of age do not need to undergo preparation (confession, fasting, prayer, repentance).
• Infants who have been baptized receive communion on the same day or during the next liturgy.
• Seriously ill people may also not prepare, however, if possible, it is worth going to confession. If the patient is unable to do this, the priest must say the phrase “I believe, Lord, and I confess.” Then immediately take communion.
• Those people who are temporarily excommunicated from communion, but are in a state of death or in a state of danger, are not denied sacred rites. But in case of recovery, the ban will come into force again.

Not all people can accept the gifts of Christ. Who can't do this:

• Those who did not come to confession (except for small children and seriously ill people);
• Parishioners who are prohibited from receiving the Holy Sacraments;
• Insane, if they blaspheme while in a fit. If they do not have such an inclination, they are allowed to receive communion, but not every day;
• Spouses who had intimate contact shortly before the Sacrament;
• Women who are currently menstruating.

In order not to forget anything, you should read the memo compiled on the basis of all of the above:

About what behavior should be in church during communion:

1. Arrive at the liturgy on time.
2. When the Royal Doors open, cross yourself, then fold your hands crosswise. Approach the Chalice and move away from it in the same way.
3. You need to approach from the right, and the left side should be free. Do not push other parishioners.
4. Observe the order of communion: bishop, presbyters, deacons, subdeacons, readers, children, adults.
5. Women are not allowed to come to the temple with lipstick.
6. Before accepting the Sacred Gifts, you must say your name given at baptism.
7. There is no need to be baptized in front of the Chalice.
8. If the Holy Gifts will be placed in two or more bowls, only one of them must be chosen. Communion more than once a day is a sin.
9. If prayers of thanks were not heard in church, you need to read them at home.

Preparing for communion is a very serious sequence. All advice must be strictly followed in order to be ready to receive the Sacred Gifts. Prayer is needed for awareness, fasting for bodily cleansing, and confession for spiritual cleansing.

Meaningful preparation will help you discern the deep meaning of the Sacrament. This is truly contact with God, after which the life of a believer changes. But it should be remembered that those who have recently embarked on the path of religion will not be able to take communion and radically correct everything at once. This is natural, because sins accumulate over the years, and you also need to get rid of them consistently. Communion is the first step on this difficult path.

After the Jews left slavery in Egypt, the Lord gave the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai and ordered Moses to build a tabernacle from expensive materials, a kind of portable temple, one of the first schools of piety. “When Moses entered the tabernacle, then the pillar of cloud came down and stood at the entrance of the tabernacle, and [the Lord] spoke to Moses. And all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tabernacle; and all the people stood up and worshiped, every one at the door of his tent. And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as one speaks to his friend” (Ex. 33: 9-11).

This is how the Lord determined the place of His special presence. Later, at the command of God, the wise King Solomon built a majestic stone temple in Jerusalem. The Most Holy Theotokos was brought up in this temple, and then our Lord Jesus Christ Himself entered this temple. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the majority of the Jews did not accept the Savior and crucified Him, the temple, like the entire city, was destroyed during the Jewish uprising in 70. From this temple only part of the wall remains, which is now called the Wailing Wall.

Now, following the example of the Jerusalem Temple, many majestic and beautiful Christian temples have been built all over the world, and we, like the ancient Jews, believe that in them there is a special place of the presence of God. All our Orthodox churches are built on the model of the ancient tabernacle, that is, they consist of three parts: the Holy of Holies - the altar, the main part where the people stand, and the vestibule...

- Father, how does our Orthodox church differ from the Old Testament?

Perhaps the most significant difference is that in the Orthodox church, unlike the Old Testament, where innocent animals were sacrificed, a bloodless sacrifice is made - the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is performed, when simple bread and wine, through the prayers of the upcoming priest and people, are transformed by the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit into the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we approach with faith the communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, we are invisibly united with God Himself.

Many people on a subconscious level are drawn to the temple, feel that the Lord is here, and try to go in and at least light a candle and briefly pray for themselves and their loved ones, but they limit themselves to this. How important is it to also participate in the Sacraments that are performed here?

If a person came to church with tears of repentance and prayer and limited himself to only lighting a candle, then no one has the right to condemn such a person for not staying here for a longer time and not proceeding to the Sacraments. Perhaps this is his first small experience of joining the spiritual life. Some time will pass, and this person will have a need to deepen his relationship with God.

But such a need may not appear! It is no secret that today, despite the abundance of necessary information, many people have no idea about the Church Sacraments; no one told them about it either in the family or at school.

Yes, now most people are baptized in the Orthodox faith, but are not enlightened, that is, they do not have basic knowledge about the faith, and especially about the Church Sacraments. But when a person does not participate in the sacraments of the Church, it is very difficult for him or, it would not be an exaggeration to say, impossible to resist those temptations and temptations into which worldly vanity constantly plunges him.

For people who live in the world, although they constantly step on the same rake, this is not obvious. Can you give any specific example?

For example, a person got married. At first everything went well, there was love and harmony, but as we got to know each other more deeply, the marriage began to deteriorate and was on the verge of a complete break. What to do? In most cases, as official statistics testify, such a marriage breaks up, because in a conflict that has flared up, usually each side blames the other side and there is no end to these mutual accusations. If faith in God glimmers at least a little in a person’s heart and he tries to constantly support and ignite it through prayer, confession and the Holy Mysteries of Christ, then in the light of faith he sees the cause of the conflict not in another person, but first of all in himself and tries to do everything, make any sacrifices and concessions, so that the conflict exhausts itself. No one can do this without faith and without participation in the Sacraments. Or let's take another example: someone has a very harsh and picky boss who is not easy to tolerate. And so the constant squabbles and scandals begin. If a person has faith, then he is calm, because he fears not a stern boss, but God, and tries to do everything in the best way, in order to please Him first.

However, there are many cases when people regularly go to church, confess, take communion, but do not become better or become even worse than they were. Why does this happen?

Perhaps the main reason for the lack of change is not the ineffectiveness of the Sacraments, but the wrong attitude towards them. Often people, when they begin Communion, are looking for some special sensations and delights. It happens that they even brag to each other about their feelings after receiving the Sacrament, but at the same time they forget about its main essence. The essence of the Sacrament is not to experience delight, but to overcome yourself, your sins and passions with God’s help and become closer to the Lord and other people.

- Should there really be no sensations at all after Communion?

There can be only one feeling - awareness of one’s unworthiness before God. This is stated in the prayer before Holy Communion: “I believe, Lord, and confess that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who came into the world to save sinners, from whom I am the first.” Sometimes, from the feeling of their unworthiness, tears appear in people’s eyes. I know some priests and laity who never receive communion without tears. But the main thing during Communion, I repeat, is not special sensations, but spiritual closeness with the Lord and with other people.

But can’t Communion have a beneficial effect not only on the soul, but also on a person’s body, and heal him from illnesses?

Yes, in the prayer before Communion there are the words: “May the communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ be not for judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body.” This means that Communion can also grant physical health. It is no coincidence that believers, in case of serious illness and especially before surgery, try to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. There are many cases where the Communion acted beneficially, when doctors had long ago lost all hope.

- Why do believers take communion with one cup and one spoon?

An essential aspect of Communion is the unity of all people in Christ. In the ancient Christian monument Didache (the teaching of the twelve apostles), the Eucharistic prayer is given, which contains the following words: “As this broken bread was scattered over the hills and, gathered together, became one, so may Thy Church from the ends of the earth be gathered into Thy kingdom, For Yours is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ forever” (9:4). Through Communion, a crowd of people, where everyone worries only for themselves, turns into a Church, where all people become close and dear, ready to perceive other people's pain as their own, other people's joys as their own. And just as in a family everything is common and they often do not disdain to eat from the same utensils, so during Communion we become one great family, and therefore we receive communion from one cup and one spoon.

How often should you take communion? In the 19th century, according to the Catechism of St. Philaret (Drozdov), the laity were recommended to receive communion 4 times a year, that is, during the Great, Petrov, Dormition and Nativity fasts. And now we see that some people receive communion at every liturgy. How to find the golden mean?

I think that in the 19th century such a recommendation - to take communion four times a year - was dictated by necessity, due to the impoverishment of faith and piety among part of the intelligentsia and the people. Almost all the pastors of that period testify to this in their sermons and journalistic speeches. At that time, many people completely stopped going to church and receiving communion. Hence the recommendation in the Catechism: better rarely than never. But now the situation is different. Nowadays, we priests recommend that people take communion at least once a month and always on the twelve feasts. For those who want to receive communion more often, for example, seminary students, novices, monks, or people who go to church more than once a week and try to lead an active spiritual life, we do not prohibit this. On the contrary, it is joyful that in our time there are still people who, first of all, try not to please themselves, not their bliss, relaxation and passions, but to God.

Nowadays people travel a lot and end up in places where there are no Orthodox churches. Can they receive communion in a Catholic or schismatic church?

It is better not to do this, because although these religious meetings preserve ancient rituals, they have lost their essence. This is a topic for a separate big conversation. The worst thing is that they fell away from the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, which we as a whole church confess at every service in the Creed. And a branch on a tree that has broken off can only retain its beautiful greenery and fragrance for the time being, but later, without moisture, it dries out completely.