How does communion take place. How is communion going in church

Communion is one of the most important and significant rites in Christianity. At this moment, there is a union with Jesus Christ - the Son of God. Preparing for an ordinance is a difficult and time-consuming process. For a believer who has the first communion, it is important to know how the sacrament goes in the 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 participle

The first ordinance of the sacrament was performed by Jesus Christ, sharing bread and wine among his disciples. He commanded his followers to repeat this. The ceremony was first performed at the Last Supper, shortly before the crucifixion of God's Son.

Before the celebration, the Divine Liturgy is celebrated, also called the Eucharist, which in Greek means "thanksgiving." Preparation for the sacrament rite must necessarily include the memory of this great ancient event. This will allow you to know the mystery deeply, will touch the soul and mind.

Participle frequency

How often should you receive Holy Communion? The acceptance of the sacrament is a purely individual matter; one cannot force oneself to go for it just because the ceremony seems necessary. It is very important to receive communion at the call of the heart. If in doubt, it is better to talk to the holy father. The priests advise to start the sacrament only in case of complete inner readiness.

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

In ancient literature, it is indicated that it is good to carry out communion daily on weekdays and weekends, but it is also beneficial to perform the rite 4 times a week (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday).

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

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

The sacrament should not pass by inertia. Therefore, with its frequent performance, a Christian must constantly be ready to receive the Gifts, maintain the correct attitude. Few are capable of this. Especially considering the training that has to be done on a regular basis. It is not so easy to observe all the fasts, to constantly confess and pray. The priest sees what kind of life a layman leads, you cannot hide it.

Prayer rule for communion

Home prayer is essential in preparing for the sacrament. In the Orthodox prayer book there is a succession that is involved in the sacred rite. It is read on the eve of the Sacrament.

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

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

The need for fasting

Observance of the fast is a prerequisite and indisputable condition before communion.

Christians who constantly observe one-day and many-day fasts should only observe the liturgical fast. This means that you cannot eat or drink from midnight before the sacrament. Fasting continues immediately until the moment of the Sacrament.

Parishioners who have recently joined the church and do not observe any fasts must complete a three-day or seven-day fast. The terms of abstinence must be set by the priest. Such moments need to be discussed in the temple, do not be afraid to ask questions.

The inner state before the Eucharist

You need to fully realize your sins before the sacrament. What should be done besides this? So that sins do not multiply, it is worth refraining from amusements. Husband and wife should refuse close bodily contact one day before and on the day of communion.

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

It is better to spend personal time alone, studying the Holy Scriptures and the lives of the saints, or in prayer.

The most important thing for accepting the Holy Gifts is repentance. The layman must absolutely sincerely repent of his sinful deeds. It is for this that all the preparation is carried out. Fasting, reading the Bible, prayer are ways to achieve the desired state.

Actions before confession

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

Preparation for the rituals of communion and confession is the 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 don't just list your sins as a list. The main thing is to be sincere. Otherwise, why was such a serious preparation carried out?

It should be understood that the priest is just an intermediary between God and people. You should speak freely. All that has been said will remain only between the person, the priest and the Lord. This is necessary in order to feel the freedom of life, to achieve purity.

Day of the acceptance of the Holy Gifts

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

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

You do not need to be baptized near the bowl, 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 the sacrament

You should also know about what needs to be done after the sacred rite has been performed. It is necessary to kiss the edge of the Bowl and go to the table with to eat a piece... No need to rush to leave the church, you still need 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 the age of seven do not need to undergo training (confession, fasting, prayer, repentance).
• Babies who have been baptized receive communion on the same day or during the next liturgy.
• Seriously ill people also may not prepare, however, if there is such an opportunity, it is worth going through a confession. If the patient is unable to do this, the priest should say the phrase "I believe, Lord, and I confess." Then immediately give the Holy Communion.
• People who are excommunicated from communion for a while, but are in a dying state or in a state of danger, are not denied the sacred rite. But in case of recovery, the ban will take effect again.

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

• Those who did not come to confession (except for small children and seriously ill people);
• Parishioners who are forbidden to receive the Holy Sacraments;
• The insane, in the event that they blaspheme while in seizures. If they do not have this inclination, they are allowed to receive communion, but not every day;
• Spouses who had intimate contact shortly before the Sacrament;
• Women who are having periods at that moment.

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

About what should be the behavior in the church during communion:

1. Come to the liturgy on time.
2. When opening the Royal Doors, cross yourself, then fold your arms crosswise. In the same way, approach the Cup and move away from it.
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, elders, deacons, subdeacons, readers, children, adults.
5. Women should not come to church with painted lips.
6. Before accepting the Sacred Gifts, you must state your name given at baptism.
7. You don't need to be baptized before the Chalice.
8. If the Holy Gifts will be placed in two or more bowls, you need to choose only one of them. Communion more than once a day is a sin.
9. If the prayers of thanksgiving were not heard in the 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 to discern the deep meaning of the Sacrament. This is really a contact with God, after which the life of the believer changes. But it should be remembered that religions that have recently embarked on the path will not be able to receive Holy 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 release of the Jews from Egyptian slavery, the Lord gave the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai and commanded Moses to build a tabernacle of expensive materials, a kind of portable temple, one of the first schools of piety. “When Moses entered the tabernacle, then a pillar of cloud came down and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and [the Lord] spoke to Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy pillar standing at the door of the tabernacle; And all the people arose and worshiped each one at the door of his tent. And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as one would speak 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 magnificent stone temple in Jerusalem. At this temple, the Most Holy Theotokos was brought up, and then our Lord Jesus Christ Himself entered this temple. Unfortunately, due to the fact that most 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 AD. Only part of the wall remains of this temple, which is now called the Wailing Wall.

Now, following the example of the Jerusalem temple, many magnificent and beautiful Christian temples have been built all over the world, and we, like the ancient Jews, believe that they have a special place for the presence of God. All our Orthodox churches are built according to 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, in contrast to 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 forthcoming priest and the people by the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit are transformed into the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we approach with faith the communion of Christ's Holy Mysteries, we invisibly unite with God Himself.

“On a subconscious level, many people are drawn to the temple, they feel that the Lord is here, and they 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 participate also in the Sacraments that are performed here?

- If a person with tears of repentance and prayer came to church and limited himself to lighting a candle, then no one has the right to condemn such a person for not staying here for a longer time, not starting the Sacraments. Perhaps this is his first small experience of communion with 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 sacraments of the Church, no one told them about it either in the family or at school.

- Yes, now most people are baptized in the Orthodox faith, but they are not enlightened, that is, they do not have elementary knowledge about faith, and even more so 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 a specific example?

- For example, a man got married. At first everything went well, there was love and harmony, but as we got to know each other more deeply, the marriage relationship began to get upset and were on the verge of a complete breakup. What to do? In most cases, as official statistics testify, such a marriage breaks up, because in a conflict that has broken out, usually each of the parties blames the other side and there is no end to these mutual accusations. If in the heart of a person there is even a little glimmer of faith in God and he tries to constantly maintain and ignite it through prayer, confession and communion of 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, to make any sacrifices and concessions so that the conflict will exhaust itself. No one can do this without faith and without participation in the Sacraments. Or take another example: someone has a very harsh and picky boss who is not easy to tolerate. And now constant squabbles and scandals begin. If a person has faith, then he is calm, for he is afraid not of a harsh boss, but of God and tries to do everything in the best possible way in order to please Him first of all.

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

- Perhaps the main reason for the lack of change is not the inaction of the Sacraments, but in the wrong attitude towards them. Often people, approaching the Sacrament, are looking for some special sensations and enthusiasm. It happens that they even boast to each other of their feelings after accepting the Sacrament, but at the same time forget about the main essence of it. The essence of the Sacrament is not to experience delight, but to conquer oneself, one's sins and passions with God's help and to become closer to the Lord and other people.

- Shouldn't there be any sensations at all after Communion?

- There can be only one sensation - the realization of one's unworthiness before God. This is stated in the prayer before Holy Communion: "I believe, Lord, and I confess that you are truly Christ, the Son of the Living God, who came into the world to save sinners, from them I am the first." Sometimes, even from the feeling of their unworthiness, tears appear in the eyes of people. I know some priests and lay people who never partake of communion without tears. But the main thing during Communion, I repeat, is not special feelings, but spiritual closeness with the Lord and with other people.

- Can't the Communion have a beneficial effect not only on the soul, but also on the human body, heal him from diseases?

- 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 the Communion can bestow bodily health. It is no coincidence that believers in the event of a serious illness, and especially before an operation, try to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. There are many known cases when the Sacrament worked beneficially, when doctors had long since lost all hope.

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

- An essential aspect of Communion is the unity of all people in Christ. The ancient Christian monument Didache (the teachings of the twelve apostles) contains the Eucharistic prayer, which contains the following words: “As this broken bread was scattered over the hills and, gathered together, became one, so may Thy Church be gathered from the ends of the earth into Thy kingdom, for Thine is glory and power through Jesus Christ forever ”(9, 4). Through Communion, a crowd of people, where everyone worries only for himself, 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 everything in a family is common and often does not hesitate to eat from one dish, so during Communion we become one great family, and therefore we partake from one cup and one lie.

- How often do you need to receive Holy 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 partake at each Liturgy. How to find the middle ground?

- I think that in the 19th century such a recommendation - to receive communion four times a year - was dictated by force, due to the impoverishment of faith and piety among a part of the intelligentsia and the people. Almost all the pastors of that period testify to this in their sermons and publicistic speeches. At that time, many people completely stopped going to church and receiving communion. Hence the following recommendation in the Catechism: better rarely than never. But now the situation is different. Today, we, priests, recommend that people receive communion at least once a month, and always on the Twelve Great Feasts. We do not prohibit 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. On the contrary, it is joyful that in our time there are still people who, first of all, try to please not themselves, not their bliss, relaxation and passions, but God.

- Now people travel a lot and find themselves 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 these religious meetings, although they preserve the ancient rites, have lost their essence. This is a topic for another big conversation. The worst thing is that they have fallen away from the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, which we confess with the whole church at every divine service in the Creed. And a twig on a tree that has broken off can retain its beautiful greenery and fragrance only for the time being, but later without moisture it dries up completely.

The Sacrament is perhaps the greatest and most significant sacrament that is only performed within the walls of the Christian church. Someone takes it regularly, while someone else will have to receive Holy Communion for the first time in their lives. This article is dedicated to the latter, which contains all the basic information on how to properly receive communion in church, so that the process itself is not just a tribute to fashion, but a real celebration of the soul.

Preparing according to all the rules

Any clergyman will tell you that it is wrong, and even sinful, to receive communion spontaneously. Since the ceremony concerns not only the spiritual, but also the physical state of a person, it is advisable to discuss all questions and points of interest with a priest who will never refuse to help you.

1. So, at least a week before you take communion in church, you have to completely reject all entertainment and worldly amusements. This implies a complete refusal to stay in noisy companies, visits to entertainment and entertainment establishments, the use of alcohol and fatty foods, idle chatter, gossip and the like.
2. If such preparation for Holy Communion is difficult for you, try to gain new strength by attending church, making prayers, and communicating with the holy fathers. The day before you need to confess and receive communion, you will have to endure the entire service, from the beginning to the very end.
3. The physical side of preparation is to observe strictly fasting and refusal of sexual intercourse. Three days before the ceremony, exclude alcohol and food of animal origin from the diet, do not think about sex and do not have it. Before the sacrament itself, or rather, a day before such, it is necessary to fast.
4. On the eve, it is better to abstain from supper, the last meal should take place before the evening service the day before communion. The very same Holy Communion should be started strictly on an empty stomach. Even morning tea or coffee is prohibited.

How will the ceremony take place?

Before you need to properly confess and receive communion, it is important to familiarize yourself with the procedure itself, which will allow you to be relaxed and feel the importance of what is happening.

So, what to do on the agreed day:

In no case should one be baptized near the chalice, so as not to knock it out of the hands of the priest and not to spill the Communion. In the old days, the church, in which such a terrible blasphemy was allowed, was demolished, and the abbot was deprived of his rank and went to atone for sin in a monastery. Now the morals are not so harsh, but such an incident will not remain without consequences for the priest - the holy father can forget about moving up the career ladder.

• Immediately after the sacrament, one should not talk, and simply open one's mouth so as not to accidentally drop particles of the Communion on the floor - this is a great sin. The ministers of the temple give the sacraments (as they call those who have accepted the rite) to wash down the Communion with warm water in order to guarantee that they will swallow the body of Christ to the last crumb;
• It is not customary to leave the service immediately after accepting the Sacrament; the sacrament must wait until the end of the service.

If after all that you have experienced, peace and tranquility settled in your soul, it means that you did everything right, and you can return home. Again, on this day it is worth giving up entertainment, observing fasting, meditating on your life, on the Lord, on Faith and on everything sublime and spiritual.

When is it forbidden to take communion, and when can it be done?

Having experienced the first rite, people begin to wonder how often and on what days they can or should receive communion now. The first Christians underwent the ceremony every new day, for which they completely refused food and fun immediately after dark.

1. It is clear that a modern person is unlikely to be able or willing to do this, so you can visit the temple for such a purpose as much as possible, readiness and spiritual craving, at least once a week, at least once a month. The main thing is to understand what exactly the Sacrament means in your life, to feel support from it and to receive strength for new achievements.
2. Now about whether it is permissible to receive communion while pregnant. Undoubtedly, because the church itself insists that a woman carrying a child undergo the ceremony as often as possible, attracting heavenly grace, blessing and support to herself and the unborn child.
3. Pregnant women are allowed not to fast, and the most ideal is the option in which a married couple begins to receive communion from the moment of their wedding in the church, and continues to do so, not yet knowing about the conception of offspring.
4. But in the days " female impurity”Or, to put it simply, menstruation, the church canon does not bless the communion of women.
5. Finally, I would like to clarify the question of whether it is possible to receive communion without prior confession. A positive answer to it is possible only if you go through the ceremony very often, and are a constant parishioner of one temple. His abbot will definitely note your diligence and bless you to approach the Chalice without prior confession.

- from the Greek. Εὐχαριστία (Eucharist) - thanksgiving) - in which bread and wine are bred 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, obvious 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 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 kind of 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 so that ethics would become 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 Communion, were given by God in order for our human weakness to 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 kind of 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, draw 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 the branch of the vine. Likewise, the Communion is a convention and nothing more. There is another extreme, which perceives this as a hypertrophied form of naturalism: it is meat and blood. In this case, indeed, it is legitimate to speak of anthropophagy, this is cannibalism in its purest form. As I 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 into a person in order to transform him, but everything depends on the state of the soul in which a person receives communion. Every 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 perceive the Sacrament as a medicine, then a person, approaching the chalice, keeps in his mind one simple thought: “ I'm 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 the Holy Scriptures, does good deeds, but does not partake, then we are talking only about the greater or lesser degree of his falling away from the church fullness. Because the Lord said: “ If you do not partake, 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 ...

Patriarch Kirill:
Partake of the Body and Blood of the Lord. There are various prejudices about how often one should receive the Holy Communion. Some say once a year, some say four times a year. All this finds no confirmation either in the teaching of the Savior, or in the teaching of the Church, or in the canonical order of church life.

Abbot Peter (Mescherinov):
The gospel preaches the gospel to us the words of Christ: I came so that they might have life and have it abundantly (). I am the way and the truth and the life(). The Lord, wishing to join us to 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 that have miraculous properties have been stored for many centuries, into which bread and wine were laid at the Divine Liturgy ().

"Discourse on the Body of the Lord" is a call to the fact that, approaching the Chalice, the Christian remembered the Last Supper, the sufferings of the Cross, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, just like the Lord Himself said: Do this in remembrance of me ().
Moreover, " discourse on the body of the Lord"- this is all with her following, prayers, chants,. It itself includes a story about the Life of our Savior - from Birth to Death, Resurrection and Ascension. The order of the liturgical service prepares the person who has come for the most important thing - for the apogee of all life, namely: for the Eucharist and Communion. After all, reasoning is expressed in a word or in some actions that generate mental images, associations. And all this is given to us by the Liturgy, so that a Christian approaches the Chalice consciously, realizing that he is partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ Himself.
archpriest

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 actions 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. The Sacrament is often called "the 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 holidays, but those days that are determined according to the church calendar. 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 "Follow-up 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 bread and wine diluted with water. Prayers are read over it, invoking the holy spirit of Jesus Christ. Orthodox Christians fold their hands 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