Слово в день Входа Господня во Иерусалим. (О Святом Причащении). Святителя Илии Минятия Кефалонитского

Hosanna, blessed is the King of Israel who comes in the name of the Lord (John 12:13). Destroyer of hell, conqueror of death, leader of life, our Lord Jesus Christ raised four-day-old Lazarus. When the next day He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was shocked by the news of such a great miracle and the approach of such a Wonderworker. “Who is this?” they asked each other. All this numerous people, who had gathered there for the Passover holiday, as if moved by a Divine beckoning, received Him with great triumph as the King of Israel. Some go in front, others behind; some cut branches, others throw them to the ground, they spread their clothes on the path and all in one voice - even small children - exclaim: Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! I note three circumstances in the current flower-bearing celebration: firstly, the clothes spread on the ground; secondly, branches of dates, signs of victory; and thirdly - a joyful exclamation: Hosanna, blessed is he who comes. There are three necessary conditions that we, Christians, must fulfill when we accept our Lord Jesus Christ in holy communion of His most pure Mysteries. Firstly, with true repentance, having cast off the sinful clothes that we have worn for so long, leaving behind our former bad habits, having put together the old man with his deeds (Colossians 3:9). Secondly, after perfect conversion, raise victorious branches, trampling our three great enemies - the flesh, the world and the devil; and then, with spiritual joy and gladness of a contrite heart, approach St. meal of the Bread of the animal with the words: Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Therefore, I now wish to talk about St. Communion, believing that the word (about this) is very necessary for those preparing on these holy days to partake of the most pure Body and Blood of our Lord. First, I want to show you that this great mystery is one of the greatest works of Divine power, wisdom and goodness. Secondly, to talk about what kind of preparation is necessary for those who want to receive communion, so that this communion will not be for judgment or condemnation, but for the remission of sins and salvation. I will say all this briefly in view of the solemnity of today’s holiday. God, by His nature and essence incomprehensible and invisible, is partly comprehended and contemplated in His three properties, which therefore theologians call external: power, wisdom and goodness. The work of power is miracles, the work of wisdom is sacraments, the work of goodness is gifts. I affirm that the Divine Eucharist is the greatest miracle that the power of God has performed; the highest mystery that the wisdom of God has conceived; and the most precious gift that the goodness of God has bestowed upon us. Let us turn to the evidence, starting with the first. True, all miracles, since they are miracles, are equal, for they all equally exceed the laws of nature. But some of them exceed a greater number of laws, others - a smaller number; therefore one miracle is called greater, another lesser. Among all the miracles of God's power, only this miracle of the Divine Eucharist exceeds all the laws of nature. The entire Body of Christ is holy in everything. bread and the same whole Body - in every particle of St. bread, just like the whole sun is visible in the whole mirror; and if you break the mirror into many pieces, in each of them the whole sun will again be visible. We see the color of the bread and wine, we taste the bread and wine, but we eat and drink the Body and Blood of Christ. The sacrament of the Divine Eucharist acts materially, but also works miracles spiritually; It is eaten with the lips, but feeds the soul; touches the feeling, but also sanctifies the spirit. Divine bread is crushed, but not divided; it is consumed, but is not consumed; it communes everyone and everything, but never ends. The same Jesus Christ - on earth and in heaven; The same one is at the holy table and at the right hand of God and the Father; One is in this holy altar and in all Orthodox altars. The same Body is incorruptible and immortal, the same Blood is the source of eternal life, but they exist only as species (temporarily). This is truly the Body and Blood of Christ. But as if outer clothing it has the forms of bread and wine. So, if the Divine Eucharist exceeds all the laws of nature, all the rites of existence of natural things, it is the greatest miracle of Divine power. Exceeding all the laws of natural reason, it is the highest mystery, exquisite by Divine wisdom. Everything else that the God-Man Word did in His incarnation, he truly did in wisdom, all this is mysterious. But in all this He is, on the one hand, incomprehensible, like God, and on the other, completely comprehensible, like a man. Thus, the mind partly does not understand, partly understands. Therefore (all His works are) sacraments, but not hidden in all respects. In His temporary birth from the Virgin, we do not understand how the Ever-present God is born from a wife in time; but we still understand that He is born, for we see a perfect Man. In His free passion and death, we do not understand how the impassive and immortal God suffers and dies; but we understand that He suffers and dies, for we see Him as a man similar to us, clothed in the weakness of our nature. We understand in part, according to the Apostle (1 Cor. 13:9). In the sacrament of the Divine Eucharist, under the guise of bread and wine, the God-Man Word hides His Divinity, for He is not God, and also hides His humanity, for He is not a man either. He appears only as bread and wine. Therefore, the mind does not comprehend the single nature of the God-man-Word, neither Divine nor human. This sacrament is sacred in all respects. Come, sages of this world, who with the insight of the mind have discovered the secrets of nature; Come, theologians of the Church, who, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, have explored the depths of the Divine Scriptures; especially come, heavenly cherubim, many-eyed mysteries of the Divine mysteries, come here to this holy meal of the terrible Sacrament. What you see is bread and wine, but the whole God-man Jesus is present in them. There is no sign of the Divine in them, from which you would conclude that He is God. But is there a sign of humanity here to make you think that He is a man? No, He is hidden like God, hidden like a man - completely hidden! At Christmas He, in truth, exhausted Himself, but only in Divinity, for, like God, He became in the form of a slave and obedient to death. In passion - and in humanity, for He suffered to death. Then man was visible, although God was. Now, in the Divine Eucharist, He exhausted Himself with perfect exhaustion, being here neither God nor man; Therefore, it is the mystery of sacraments, primarily mysterious, the most secret in all respects, exceeding all the laws of natural reason. Therefore, the Eucharist is the highest invention of Divine wisdom. Further, it is the most precious gift of Divine goodness, for it is a special sign of Divine love. John testifies to this: if you love those who are in the world, love them to the end (John 13:1), i.e. According to Theophylact’s explanation, “he showed perfect love for them,” all the love with which God can love a person. Great love (appeared) in the incarnation, and the same in suffering, but all this is not all love. This happened once, whereas in St. During the Liturgy, He performs secret acts every day, every day He is sacrificed. Moreover, in St. On bread He endures such suffering as He did not experience on the cross, as Chrysostom noted. On the cross there was no breaking of His members: not breaking His legs (John 19:33), but: the bone will not be broken by Him (Exodus 12:46), but in St. He is present in many parts of the bread, in order to fill (with Himself) many. “What he did not endure on the cross, he endures in communion and endures in breaking, to fulfill all.” He is all love with which He loved us to the end. The once ungrateful people of Israel could rightfully boast of the great blessings God had shown them, and say: do not do this to every tongue (Ps. 147:9); – when God parted the Red Sea to bring them to the land of promise; when he nourished them with water that miraculously flowed out of the stone. But all this cannot be compared with the extreme benefits shown to us by God in this Divine sacrament. What is the Red Sea before the animal Blood, for the sake of which we move on to the promise of new grace? What is manna, which they ate and died, before this Divine Bread that came down from heaven, of which if anyone eats, he will live forever? What is the stone from which the waters flowed, before this mysterious Stone, an inexhaustible source of living water flowing into eternal life? We must say and we say this with great right: Thou shalt not do this to every tongue. And what greater proof of His love could the Savior of the world give us than this - transforming bread and wine into His Body and Blood, and giving them to us so that we could eat and drink whenever we want, so that they would be inseparable from us until the end of the age? This is the kind of love that we cannot explain: it is not understandable, that we cannot measure: it is immeasurable. Divine love, perfect love, all love, all the treasure of Divine goodness. In this, God, as strong, revealed the highest power of His omnipotence, - as wise, He performed the sacrament of sacraments, - and as good, (sent down) the highest gift. How should we prepare if we want to partake of this terrible and great sacrament? Let a man tempt himself, says blessed Paul, and let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup (1 Cor. 11:28). Let everyone first examine himself well, let him examine his conscience: if there is any obstacle, let him remove it; if there are any bonds, let him loosen them. Moses tended the flocks of his father-in-law, the Midian priest Jethro, at the foot of Mount Horeb. Suddenly he sees a wonderful sight, it was a bush that was burning, but was not consumed: he saw that a bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not burned up (Ex. 3:2). Moses was amazed at this sight. Prompted by curiosity, he said: as I passed by I will see this great vision, as if the bush were not burned up (3:3). He went, approached, but heard that some voice was calling him: he stopped. The fire in which Moses saw the bush was God, and the voice that he heard. there was the voice of God, who said to him: Moses, Moses, do not come near this: take the boots from your feet: for the place where you stand is holy ground (Ex. 3:5). Christian, do you want to take communion? Do you see this holy bread and cup on St. meal? – this is the Body and Blood of Christ, this is God Himself in the flesh; there is the fire of the Divine, enlightening and purifying the worthy, scorching the unworthy! Do not touch them, do not come close: first rip the boots from your feet, loosen with true confession the bonds of your sins that entangle your soul. Did you quarrel with someone? - First resolve the bonds of enmity and make peace with your neighbor. Did you offend anyone? stole, robbed, kept someone else's thing? - resolve the bonds of resentment and return (what was taken) fairly. Have you given yourself to a harlot or an adulteress, and have you lived so long in sin to tempt everyone? - loosen the bonds of the flesh, free your enslaved soul from the hands of the devil: take the boots from your feet: for the place where you stand is holy. For the sanctuary into which you enter is holy. the meal to which you approach, the place where you (stand) and receive communion, is the Holy of Holies, the ground is holy. Here the holy angels stand invisibly and cover their faces out of fear, trembling and reverence. Here stood Vasily, Chrysostom, people who had completely renounced all earthly ties, saints, withered by abstinence, earthly angels in purity of soul. And yet they confessed their unworthiness; one said: We know, Lord, that I receive communion unworthily; the other - Lord, my God, we know that I am not worthy. And you, who have desecrated your soul with a thousand sins and have not prayed for a single hour for so many years of sins, do not come here! First pluck the boots from your feet, first loosen all bonds, remove all obstacles, free yourself, confess, correct yourself, repent - and thus resolved, forgiven, lightened - come, begin! But again with reverence and attention! Moses, in order to get closer to the place where God was in the burning bush, threw off his shoes. With what fear and trembling he must have walked where there were thorns and fire! You should experience the same fear and trembling when you stretch out your hands and open your lips to receive the Holy Spirit. Participles. I believe, Lord, it must be said that You are God; I confess that I am a sinner; I believe that You are a destroying fire; I confess that I am withered grass. I, a sinner, am not worthy to approach God, so as not to be punished, I am grass - to the fire, so as not to be burned. But since You call and invite me, I, the unclean one, come to You as a source of sanctification in order to be cleansed, the sick person - to the Doctor of souls, to be healed, the dead - to You, the Bread of Animals, in order to be resurrected. I come to be enlightened and sanctified precisely because I am sinful and unworthy; I come so as not to go far from You, so that the enemy does not take possession of my soul. Again I confess that I am unworthy, for I am a sinner. But You came to save sinners. Oh, save me! Hosanna. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! A great misconception reigns among Christians who think that by confessing and receiving communion on these holy days, they have fulfilled their duty once and for all, and that they are again free to do the same and even worse. This is a disastrous delusion, because after confession and communion, on the contrary, one should live with great reverence and caution. This comes from the fact that they do not know what communion means and what happens to the soul after communion. Moses came down from Mount Sinai, holding in his hands the two tablets of the covenant, on which the ten books were written. His face shone with such light that neither his brother Aaron nor the rest of the people of Israel, struck by the intense brilliance, could look at him. So he put his veil over his face so that they could approach him. And Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, and the form of the flesh of his face was glorified: and they were afraid to approach him. And (Moses) put a covering on your face (Ex. 34:30, 33). Where did such a strong light come from on the face of Moses that it blinded the beholder? Moses spent many days on Mount Sinai in conversation with God face to face, and from the long conversation he perceived the Divine radiance by which his face was so glorified. It makes a great difference whether to talk with God in image and fortune-telling, like Moses, or to truly and materially receive God Himself into your mouth, inside yourself, as every communicant receives. Moses was just talking with God, and his face lit up so much; How should the soul of the one who partakes of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Most Pure Mysteries shine?! Divine Scripture says that the Jews were unable to look at the face of Moses, which shone like the sun; and the Divine Chrysostom assures that demons cannot see the face of the ancestor, they tremble and run away from him, for then Divine fire will come from his mouth - a wonderful sight for the angels and terrible for the devil. "Departing from St. meal, we are like lions, breathing fire and becoming terrible for the devil.” No star in the sky shines as much as the soul of the communicant shines with Divine grace during communion. The reason is that Divine communion is, according to Simeon of Thessalonica, nothing more than “our deification and communion with God.” When we receive communion, the Theologian (Gregory) testifies, we receive participation in the grace that Christ possesses, both as God and as man. “Through a bloodless sacrifice we commune with Christ and become participants in His suffering and Divinity.” And with this grace we ascend to such a height of holiness that if we had died at that moment, our soul would have found a place among the martyrs, virgins and ascetics, we would have achieved in an instant what they were awarded after so much time and with such struggle. My God, my Savior! Let me die when it is Your holy will, in a deserted place, in a forest, on a mountain - it makes no difference to me - as long as before death I am worthy to partake of Your Body and Blood. If at that moment I am with You, I am not afraid to die. With such a Companion, I am sure that I will reach the pier of Your heavenly kingdom. So, Christian, having received communion, beware lest you lose what you have acquired. Hold it well, lest the precious pearls fall out of your hands. Beware on every side, lest the evil one snatch it from your soul. Have you been sanctified with the Holy Gifts? - live like a saint. Have you come out clean from the bath of Divine grace? - Do not fall again into the mud of your former sins. Are you healed in soul? – don’t get infected with the same disease again. Have you united with Christ? - abide with Christ and say: Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. - To him be glory forever. Amen 179. Sermons of Saint Elijah Minyaty of Cephalonite. Edition of St. Tr. Sergius Lavra. 1902, pp. 69–76. You might be interested in: