Holy Communion in the life and teaching of St. Theophan, the Recluse of Vyshensky

Annotation. The article is devoted to the study of the attitude of St. Theophan the Recluse to the practice of frequent communion. It talks about the spiritual fruits of frequent communion, as well as the conditions for worthy participation in this sacrament. The author of the article comes to the conclusion that it is not enough for a confessor to be guided by “external” formal conditions for admission to the sacrament. Instead, based on the teachings of St. Feofan, internal spiritual guidelines are proposed that are essential for the gracious and saving action of the Mysteries of Christ. Abstract. The article is devoted to the research of st. Theophan’s attitude to the practice of frequent communication. It’s told about the results of frequent communication and also about the conditions of worthy participation in this Sacrament. The author of the article makes a conclusion about an insufficiency for confessor to follow the “exterior” formal conditions for allowance to communication. Instead of them, on the ground of st. Theophan’s doctrine, he offers inner spiritual points, which are very important for beneficial and salvational effect of Christos’ Sacrament. During the years of Saint Theophan's earthly life in Russia, a special attitude towards the communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ developed. The Divine Liturgy itself was regularly celebrated in monasteries and parishes, but the participation of the laity in it often did not include communion. The term “listen” to the Liturgy appeared as a prayer sequence or even a concert of musical works. “Attending confession and communion was a legally established duty of every Orthodox citizen of the Russian Empire starting from the age of seven. The fulfillment of the duty of confession and communion by believers was strictly controlled by secular and ecclesiastical authorities. The most important element of this control system were confessional lists - lists of names of all residents of the parish indicating gender, age, class and a note about the existence (or non-existence) of the confession. Such lists were first introduced by a personal decree of Peter I (1718), according to which parish priests were ordered to annually submit a “statement of those who have not confessed” in order to collect a fine from them. This order was confirmed by a decree of 1722, and in 1737 the form of such lists was established: 49 columns with 22 headings. According to the Charter of Ecclesiastical Consistories, confessional records had to be kept by the priests of parish churches in two copies, one of which remained in the church, and the second was submitted to the dean for revision by October 1st every year. He, in turn, transferred the data of the confessional lists of all the churches under his jurisdiction further to the consistory, where a single “list” was compiled for the entire diocese, which was presented to the Synod during the annual report of the bishop. In the painting, the parishioners were divided by estate, and within the estates into the following columns: “those who confessed and received communion,” “those who confessed, but did not receive communion,” “those who did not confess and did not receive communion.” The last column was divided into several more subsections, which indicated the reasons for missing confession. In October 1846, the Holy Synod approved a new form of confessional paintings. In it, in the column “those who did not confess and did not receive communion”, in addition to the already existing sections “those who did not confess due to childhood” and “who did not confess due to negligence”, a new one was added: “those who did not confess due to absences and other obstacles” [other. see: 5]. The results of this strategy were disappointing. According to a contemporary, “Russian intellectuals did not go to church at all, most male workers drank on weekends, and mostly girls and women from the working class went to church, who “conscientiously, to the best of their ability” fulfilled “their duties as Christians” [4, p. 169]. Russia of the 19th century. suffered greatly from the influence of the Western anti-church spirit. The main means of unceasing communion with God - the Holy Eucharist - has become a formal, rare duty of every baptized person. Without partaking of the inner power of the sacrament, most Russians considered it normal to take communion once during every multi-day fast and assumed that by doing so they were fulfilling their Christian duty. It should be noted that contrary to the generally accepted order, the saints of that time supported the idea of ​​the need for frequent communion for the most convenient salvation in the Lord. St. Seraphim of Sarov said: “the more often, the better” [6, p. 153], the holy righteous John of Kronstadt served the Liturgy daily, setting a good example for thousands of pilgrims, the Venerable Ambrose of Optina wrote: “just do not refuse to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ more often - this is the great help and mercy of God” [2, p. 70]. In the patristic tradition, among the sacraments of the Church, Holy Communion occupies a special place and is called the sacrament of sacraments. In the life of Saint Theophan the Recluse, with all the diverse types of his activities in the field of Christ, a special place was occupied by the service of the Divine Liturgy and the teaching about it. Born into the family of a priest and from a young age helping his father at the altar, he was never separated from the Cup of Life, drawing from It grace-filled enlightenment and a guarantee of salvation in Eternity. Upon communion with his spiritual child, St. Theophan wrote: “You have received the Lord: He alone fills your heart so that there is no longer room left for any creature. The Lord is near! If you sigh for Him, then you will not encounter any spiritual need - insurmountable and unsatisfied" [12, p. 88–89]. Finding himself, as determined by the hierarchy, on obedience in the Holy Land and in Constantinople, the future saint had the opportunity to study the treasures of Byzantine patristic writing in the originals. He became convinced that the tradition regarding the Eucharist is represented not by contemporary Russian practice, but by the word and experience of the Orthodox East. “In the East, Christians often receive communion, not only during Great Lent, but also outside of it. Initially, in the Church of Christ, everyone received communion at every liturgy” [8, p. 491]. This is how Saint Theophan presents in his correspondence the Eucharistic practice of the “golden age” of Orthodox theology: “Even in the time of St. Basil the Great, one lady asked him whether it is possible to receive communion often and how often? He replied that it was not only possible, but also necessary; and as to how often, he said: “We receive communion four times a week: on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.” We - that is, of course, all Caesareaians, for the question concerned not the clergy, but the laity. Having said this to that questioner, he did not determine the number of times for her to take communion, but only showed her an example, leaving her free to do as she could, but leaving in force the suggestion that one must take communion often” [8, p. 491–492]. As is known, Saint Theophan worked closely with the publishing house of the St. Panteleimon Monastery, being of the same spirit with the Athonite workers of unceasing prayer and teachers of piety. In the constant practice of Athonite monasteries, which dates back to the first millennium after the Nativity of Christ and continues to this day, the constant communion of the Body and Blood of the Lord is a daily celebration of being in kinship with the Most Holy Theotokos, whose first inheritance is Holy Mount Athos. This is what the Vyshensky Recluse says about closeness to the Most Pure Virgin, which is achievable through Holy Communion: “The Annunciation marked the beginning of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The Flesh and Blood of the Lord Savior were worn, like a divine garment, from the blood of the Ever-Virgin. As in St. At Communion we feed on the same Flesh and Blood, and the Lord deigns to call us His brethren, therefore the Lady Theotokos is also our Mother, not mentally, but essentially” [8, p. 136]. When he was the ruling bishop at the Tambov and Vladimir Sees, Bishop Theophan, according to historians, diligently celebrated the liturgy, tirelessly touring his extensive dioceses, inspiring with his words priests and laity to approach the Cup of Life diligently and frequently, with dignified preparation and extreme reverence. Later, from articles and sermons, the saint compiled the book “On Repentance, Confession and Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ” [16]. In 1866, Saint Theophan arrived to live in the “blessed” Vyshensk Hermitage. At first, he, along with the brethren, constantly went to church for all monastery services. However, after a short time, his routine was changed. With the permission of the Holy Synod, a church was built in the saint’s cells in honor of the Epiphany of the Lord. Beginning with Great Lent in 1872, the saint began to perform cell services in solitude. To the question of one of his closest admirers about how he serves the Liturgy alone, the saint answered: “I serve according to the service book, silently, and sometimes even singing...” Subsequently, the saint’s nephew Ivan Aleksandrovich Krutikov wrote: “The performance of the liturgy, which the saint served first on Sundays and holidays, then every day, constituted the most important part of the service. Even the day before, the cell attendant was preparing everything needed for this service. The Bishop performed the service alone, mostly reading and sometimes singing. None of the Vyshensky monks were present when the bishop performed the service: one of them, who enjoyed the special favor of the saint (the ill abbot Tikhon), asked permission to partake of the Holy Life-Giving Mysteries from him, the saint said: have spare Gifts if, due to weakness, you cannot be in the monastery church" [1, p. 616]. The saint's cell attendant, monk Evlampius, allowed the despondent brethren to enter the hallway of the saint's cell while he was performing divine services, from where they could observe the sacred performance. It was a deeply edifying spectacle that spiritually strengthened and inspired the brethren. Some of the saint's letters reveal his own intense prayer work. The saint himself was a supporter of frequent communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ: “At every liturgy, the priest invites: approach with the fear of God and faith. Therefore, you can begin at any liturgy. Moreover, you can start often. Among us, others even say that it is a sin to take communion often; others interpret that it is impossible to receive communion before six weeks. Perhaps, besides these, there are others in this regard that are wrong. Do not pay attention to these rumors - and take communion as often as the need arises, without any doubt. Just try to prepare in every possible way as you should approach with fear and trembling, with faith, with contrition and repentant feelings” [8, p. 492]. Saint Theophan bases the idea of ​​frequent communion not only on liturgical practice and church tradition, but also on the texts of Holy Scripture. In his interpretation of the apostolic verse: “Whenever you eat this bread, you drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until it comes” (1 Cor. 11:26), the saint wrote: “Whenever you eat this bread, that is, the one of which the Lord said: This is my body,” and you drink this cup, that, that is, about by which the Lord said that it is the new covenant in His Blood, you proclaim the death of the Lord. With this solemn action you proclaim to everyone about the death of the Lord, namely, that there was on earth the Lord, God incarnate, who died on the cross for our sins. It is not faith, not the word that proclaims this, but the communion of the Body and Blood, without a word, publicly speaks about this to everyone. How criminal is non-communion! How unpardonably infrequent communion! At first, not a single meeting of Christians took place without communion among those gathered. Where are the communicants now?! And many liturgies are celebrated, especially in cities. This is very similar to how someone runs into a church, lights a candle and runs out to do his business: let the candle pray! A bloodless sacrifice is made, but Christians don’t even care about that. Let her proclaim the death of the Lord! The Apostle writes that it is not she who proclaims the death of the Lord for everyone, but her communion. The fact that there are no communicants rather means that Christians want to drown out the news of the Lord’s death” [14, p. 535–536]. Frequent communion of infants is especially important, this is how churchliness begins, which creates a “special atmosphere” around the baby: “Frequent communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ (one might add: as often as possible) vividly and effectively unites His new member with the Lord, through His most pure Body and Blood, sanctifies it, pacifies it within itself and makes it impregnable to dark forces. Those who do this notice that on the day when the child receives communion, he is immersed in deep peace, without strong movements of all natural needs, even those that are more active in children. Sometimes it is filled with joy and playfulness of the spirit, in which it is ready to embrace everyone as if it were one of its own. Holy communion is often accompanied by miracles. Saint Andrew of Crete did not speak for a long time as a child. When the contrite parents turned to prayer and grace-filled means, then during communion the Lord, by His grace, loosed the bonds of the tongue, after which he filled the Church with streams of sweet speech and wisdom. One doctor, based on his observations, testified that in most cases of childhood illnesses, children should be taken to Holy Communion, and very rarely had the need to use medical benefits afterwards” [9, p. 46–47]. The saint advises many of his children to resort more often to the saving sacrament of communion: “You can fast without ceasing and receive communion often, as the spirit demands” [11, p. 93]. What does this sacrament of the Church give to a person? What spiritual fruits can a Christian acquire? In the collection “What is spiritual life and how to tune in to it,” addressed to Ekaterina Alexandrovna Arnoldi (1851–?) [On the attribution of letters, see other: 3, p. 116–121], the saint explains: “When approaching the Holy Mysteries, approach in simplicity of heart, with full faith that you are receiving the Lord into yourself, and with corresponding reverence. Whatever happens in your soul after this, leave it to the Lord Himself to do it. Many people desire in advance to receive this and that from Holy Communion, and then, not seeing it, they are confused and even waver in their faith in the power of the sacrament. And the fault is not in the sacrament, but in these unnecessary guesses. Do not promise yourself anything, but leave everything to the Lord, asking Him for one mercy: to strengthen you for every good thing to please Him. The fruit of communion most often resonates in the heart with sweet peace; sometimes it brings enlightenment in thoughts and inspiration in devotion to the Lord; sometimes almost nothing is visible, but then the deeds reveal great strength and steadfastness in the promised serviceability. I will also note here that we do not see tangible fruits from Holy Communion because we rarely receive communion. Commit yourself to receive communion as often as possible – and you will see the comforting fruits of this sacrament” [15, p. 180]. After communion, “the heart knows”, “what it means to be with the Lord and what to be without Him” [7, p. 10], in another letter: “You have good thoughts about St. Communion. The cage is inside. If you are there, the Lord will not be bored with you. Make the effort to engage Him in prayerful conversation, and He will listen without leaving. There you will have a bridal chamber and a wonderful marriage. And behind it is endless bliss” [12, p. 119]. In response to the doubts of a spiritual child about accepting the fullness of the beneficial gift, the saint writes: “Thank God that we received communion. The fact that the beneficial effect of this sacrament was not witnessed in the senses must be attributed to ill health, and as a result, perhaps, to a lack of spiritual tension. But the effect of the sacraments is not always reflected in the feeling, but acts secretly, which of course was the case with you, as usual” [13, p. 125]. Often, before a saving sacrament, a person is attacked by indecision or various embarrassments. For example, thoughts about one’s own sinfulness, which are an obstacle to accepting the Holy Mysteries of Christ: “Approach the Sacrament of Communion without hesitation. If you approach with faith in the Lord present in the Sacraments, with reverence and readiness to devote all your strength to serving Him alone, then there is no need to hesitate through unworthiness. No one can consider himself a fully worthy communicant. Everyone rests in the mercy of God. And so do you. The Lord loves those who receive communion and graciously tolerates shortcomings in the proper mood of the soul. Then communion itself will little by little correct these shortcomings” [12, p. 83]. Sometimes thoughts of condemnation attack the priest who is performing the sacrament; in this case, one must understand that “The Sacrament of the Body and Blood is performed by the Lord through the action of the entire Church. The employee is only a tool. As long as he has no unresolved sin, he can perform the Sacrament and receive communion with bold hope” [10, p. 71]. In some cases, blasphemous thoughts attack: “Concerning Holy Communion... blasphemous thoughts or unbelief... directly from the enemy. Drive and pray. The Lord Himself gave this Sacrament... saying: This is My body, this is My Blood... and commanded: Do this in My remembrance. The Apostles began to do this... and from that time this work in the Holy Church did not stop and will not stop until the end of the century... The Performer of the Sacrament is the Lord Himself. The priest's only mouth is uttering the consecrating prayer, and the hand is blessing the Gifts... The active power comes from the Lord. The Lord is everywhere. And at one moment the whole earth can repeat the Last Supper" [12, p. 103]. The spiritual experience of Saint Theophan, the example of his ascetic life and the spiritual depth of his advice are especially relevant in modern pastoral work. Nowadays, many consider the determining conditions for admitting the laity to communion: the time that has passed since the previous communion, the canons and prayers read, as well as fasting for several days. The saint points first of all not to external, but to internal conditions: 2) revive your faith and love for the Lord, 3) renew your vow of all-round integrity, 4) and approach with reverent fear, but also with confident boldness, surrendering yourself into the hands of the Lord who desires your salvation. 5) At the same time, mentally contemplate the Lord Himself who is giving communion. For He Himself administers communion, the hands of the priest serve only as an instrument [8, p. 117]. The noted conditions can be supplemented and explained from other works of the saint. 1) In the interpretation of the apostolic verse “Even if we reasoned with ourselves, we would not be condemned” (1 Cor. 11:31): “Condemnation, that is, judgment and sentencing of punishment, occurs for unworthy communion, and unworthy communion is allowed because we do not reason with ourselves, do not test ourselves and do not cleanse ourselves from sins by repentance, hiding other things, telling others in half.” [14, p. 543]. 2) On the revival of faith and love for the Lord: “And whoever, without proper preparation, without reflecting on the suffering of the Lord and His atoning sacrifice offered in the sacrament of the Body and Blood, receives communion, not only will he be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord according to the verdict of the judgment of God, but the very execution of the judgment will be carried out by the Lord on him at the very moment of communion” [14, p. 541]. 3) The third paragraph provides for special responsibility for the internal disposition and external actions after communion. In the interpretation on the ap. Paul St. Theophan quotes the words of St. John Chrysostom: “Not only those who do not prepare for this receive communion unworthily, but also those who, after receiving communion, behave unworthy of this communion, like the Corinthians at love suppers” [14, p. 539]. 4, 5) These points concern the way of thinking when approaching the sacrament itself: when receiving communion, one should completely and reverently entrust oneself to the Lord, and those receiving communion should mentally see Christ Himself, and not the priest serving Him for this. The special danger that awaits those who strive to receive communion frequently is identified by St. Theophan as the adoption of the Pharisaic spirit of “blowing the trumpet before oneself.” Here is his answer to the question about frequent communion: “It is possible. Your desire is good and saving. Help you, Lord, to fulfill it. But look, the trumpet will rise again in front of you. Be careful and adjust yourself so that there is not enough air for this pipe” [8, p. 117]. And again: “There is only one possible danger for you - not to dream highly of yourself. Be afraid of this. For then you will be deprived of all fruit from the Holy Spirit. communion, and the communion itself will not be without sin. God forbid you! [8, p. 492–493]. These are the main components highlighted by Saint Theophan in preparation for Holy Communion and in keeping the grace received. In this teaching, he relies not only on church-historical experience, but also on his own unique practice of continuous liturgy. Here, as in ancient and modern monastic rules, there are no formal requirements common today, but there are those spiritual guidelines that are essential for the gracious and saving action of the Mysteries of Christ. The teaching of the saint does not abolish the need for ascetic exercises on the eve of communion with the Holy Chalice, but it brings out the most important thing, without which no work will become fruitful: “We received Holy Communion. Christ's Mysteries and by the grace of God received a peaceful and comforting mood of spirit. Then you add that, in preparation for St. communion, they worked hard for themselves. - Be good! And never forget to do this, to the best of your ability and beyond your strength. For this reason, consolation is given to those who participate. Without labor and hardship, consolation will not be given, except by some special grace of God. This is how God arranged it. Do not forget, however, that it is not work alone that achieves this, but in connection with the true spirit in which one should turn to God. Both are needed” [8, p. 553]. The saint rested in the Lord on January 6, 1894, on the day of communion. 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