Слово на утрене, в субботу недели 1-й Великого поста, о причащении

In the hope that the presentation of the greatest importance and extraordinary spiritual fruits from the communion of the Holy Mysteries will incline each of us to begin accepting them with all faith and love, with all the determination to preserve the received gift in the purity of conscience and life, we wanted to end our conversation about the Sacrament of the Eucharist, without touching on the dangerous consequences of unworthy communion. But then the thought occurred to us that we would act badly if we concealed the danger. Some may fall into it precisely out of ignorance of what threatens unworthy communicants of the Body and Blood of the Lord. And who, after themselves, will be held accountable for this if not the shepherds and teachers of the Church, who did not warn them from danger? Therefore, listen now to what was not said before. I must say sad things, but sad things only for those who want to foolishly deprive themselves of eternal joy in the Lord. What would you think, brethren, does one who partakes of the Holy Mysteries eat without the proper disposition of spirit and heart? Not the Body and Blood of Christ, but one simple bread and wine? Oh, and that would be a great deprivation! “But the gifts...of God do not repent” (Rom. 11:29); therefore, the unworthy, as well as the worthy, accept the true Body and true Blood of the Lord. But this very happiness turns into the greatest misfortune for them, because the Divine food, which serves for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life for true participants, leads to judgment and condemnation for false ones. “He who eats and drinks unworthily,” according to the words of the apostle, “will eat and drink judgment for himself” (1 Cor. 11:29). And notice the power of the apostolic expression: he does not say he exposes himself to judgment; “but the court eats and drinks”; that is, the unfortunate person not only pronounces judgment on himself, but also brings it into himself, performs it on himself. So irresistible in this case is the punishment for the crime! It cannot be otherwise, judging by the importance of guilt. For what is the false communicant guilty of? In what is most criminal: he is “guilty,” according to the words of the apostle, “of the Body and Blood of the Lord,” that is, the death of the Lord. Can there be any guilt worse than this? And the Lord’s crucifiers were guilty of this terrible crime; but they are not as guilty as the bad communicant, because they either did not know at all, or knew imperfectly, whom they were crucifying. “If they had understood,” says the apostle, “they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8). But now an unworthy communicant cannot help but know whom he is crucifying: he is crucifying with his sins precisely the Lord of glory; because from infancy I heard a hundred times and constantly hears that Jesus Christ, whose Body and Blood he partakes of, is the Only Begotten Son of God, the true God and Creator of everything visible and invisible. And such and such a Being - omnipotent, omniscient, he despises!.. And how does he despise and insult? In His own Body and Blood!.. In the highest gift of His love! In that sacrament, the establishment of which cost Him death on the cross!.. Such a crime, in the words of Chrysostom, does not deserve lightning and thunder? These thunders are silent for a time, these lightnings are invisible until the predetermined day and hour; our long-suffering and much-merciful Savior and Judge, postponing judgment for the future and giving room for repentance, endures the insults inflicted on His Body and Blood with the same silence as He endured the beatings and strangulations in the courtyard of Caiaphas and Pilate. But Divine gifts, accepted by an unrepentant sinner, without any special order of Providence, in themselves, like Divine fire, burning, essentially unworthy, can have a great punitive effect in the sinner. Thus, in the Church of Corinth, according to the testimony of the Apostle Paul, many of the unworthy communicants were subjected to serious illnesses and death itself for their guilt. Thus, in the Church of Carthage, according to the testimony of Saint Cyprian, one unworthy communicant suddenly, after communion, became dumb, and another’s tongue was torn in two. Thus, in the time of Chrysostom, according to him, unworthy communicants were sometimes apparently subjected to torment from evil spirits. Who can guarantee that even now unworthy communion is not accompanied by similar consequences? If we don’t notice them, then perhaps it’s precisely because we don’t notice, we don’t pay any attention to this matter, we don’t think at all that anything could follow after unworthy communion. How can we not follow something when, in the sacrament of communion, we accept into ourselves, as the Church puts it, the Divine fire? How not to follow something from partaking of the Body and Blood of the Lord, when the use of ordinary food and drink is often accompanied by important consequences? Strong and decisive healings are always of such a nature that if they do not produce saving effects, they are accompanied by great danger for those who receive them. And what medicine is stronger and more decisive than the Body and Blood of the Son of God? This, brethren, I considered it my duty to reveal to you, so that everyone would know and know that one cannot treat the most holy sacrament as if it were an indifferent thing. No, the court does not sleep on such people, does not sleep!.. Unhappy words! But for whom are they sad? For those who arbitrarily and recklessly deprive themselves of joy, without the slightest excuse. Because what's the excuse? If worthy communion required high virtues and special feats, then one could say that not everyone is capable of this. What is required of us? Faith - who is not capable of it? Humility - can a sinner lack it? Love for the Savior - Shouldn’t we love Him with all our hearts? The determination to live from here and act not according to one’s own lusts, but according to the will of God - and who can deny this? Why else should we approach the cup of the Covenant if not for this very reason? Thus, what is joyless in this conversation of ours is not joyless for you, who intend to begin communion of the Holy Mysteries with faith, humility, love and a firm desire to devote your life to the Lord. For you in the cup of the Covenant there is one peace, one love and one joy in the Holy Spirit! Amen. You might be interested in: