Instructions to the communicants of the Holy Mysteries of Christ according to the works of St. John Chrysostom

Sacrament of St. Communion is the most important of all the sacraments of the Orthodox Church. This Sacrament, according to the teaching of our Church, surpasses all others and more than others contributes to obtaining our salvation (Right Confession of the Eastern Church, part I, answer to question 106). In the sacrament of the Eucharist, God reveals His inexpressible, highest love for us, and this sacrament surpasses all other sacraments of the Church in the abundance of the Lord’s love for us and the extraordinary greatness of the gift taught in this sacrament. In other sacraments, the Lord Jesus communicates to those who believe in Him certain particular gifts of saving grace, in accordance with the essence of each sacrament - gifts that He acquired for people by His death on the cross. Here He offers Himself, His own Body and His own Blood as food to the faithful, and the believers, uniting here directly with their Lord and Savior, are thus united with the very source of saving grace. Communion is the closest communication of every believer with the Lord. In this sacrament, says the Orthodox Confession, all the grace and goodness of the Lord Jesus is revealed and revealed to believers (Part I, answer to question 106). “By approaching the cup and communing,” says St. I. Chrysostom, - we remember the ineffable blessings of God and everything that we received, and we thank that He delivered the human race from error, that He brought those who had retreated far away closer to Himself, that He made those who had no hope and were atheists in the world His brothers and co-heirs. The cup of blessing, now we bless, is not the fellowship of the blood of Christ (1 Cor. 10:16)? He (the Apostle) expressed himself very correctly and fearfully; and the meaning of his words is as follows: what is in the cup is the very thing that flowed from the side of the Lord; That's why we join. He called it a cup of blessing because, holding it in our hands, we glorify God, we are surprised and amazed at His ineffable gift, blessing Him that He shed His blood to deliver us from error, and not only shed it, but also gave it to all of us” 1. About the greatness and holiness of the gifts taught to us in the sacrament of the Eucharist, the saint writes: “Think, what honor have you been awarded? What kind of meal do you enjoy? What the angels look at with trepidation and do not dare to look at without fear because of the radiance emanating from here, with this we are nourished, with this we communicate and become one body and one flesh with Christ. Whoever proclaims the mighty powers of the Lord will make all His praises heard (Psalm 105:2)? What kind of shepherd feeds the sheep with his own members? But what am I saying, shepherd? There are often mothers who give their newborn babies to other nurses. But Christ did not tolerate this. He feeds us with His own blood, and through this unites us with Himself. Think then that He was born from our nature. But you will say: this does not apply to everyone. On the contrary, to everyone. For if He came to our nature, then it is obvious that He came to everyone; and if to everyone, then to everyone separately. Why, you say, did not everyone benefit from this? This does not depend on Him who was pleased to do this for everyone, but on those who were not willing. For He unites with every believer through the mysteries, and Himself nourishes those whom He has given birth to, and does not entrust it to anyone else; and hereby he again assures you that He has taken on your flesh” 2. St. Chrysostom teaches that in the sacrament of Communion, through the acceptance of the Body and Blood of Christ, we unite with the flesh of Christ, we become members of this flesh, which is an expression of the Lord’s greatest love for us: “In order for us to become members of the flesh of Christ,” says the saint, “let us unite with this flesh. And this happens through the food that Christ gave to express his great love for us. For this purpose, He mixed Himself with us and dissolved His body in us, so that we would form something single, like a body connected to a head. And this is a sign of the strongest love. Job also pointed out this when he spoke about his household, who loved him so much that they wanted to grow together with his flesh: who would allow us to be satisfied with his flesh (Job 31:31)? This is what they said, wanting to express their great love for him. Christ did the same for the same purpose: in order to bring us into greater fellowship with Himself and show His love for us, He gave those who wanted not only to see Him, but also to touch, and eat, and touch His flesh with their teeth, and unite with Him, and satisfy every desire with Him.” “Often parents give their children to others to raise; but I, says (the Savior), not so, but I feed you with My flesh, I offer Myself to you, wanting you all to be noble, giving you good hopes for the future. For whoever gave himself to you here, much more (will he do for you) there. I wanted to be your brother; For your sake I have partaken of flesh and blood; and this flesh and blood, through which I became related to you, I again teach you” 3. “Let us hear, priests and laymen, what we have been worthy of; Let’s listen and be horrified!” - exclaims St. John, contemplating the full height and comprehensiveness of Christ’s love in the sacrament of the Eucharist. “Christ gave us His holy flesh for food, He offered Himself as a sacrifice: what excuse will we have when, by accepting such food, we sin like this?” 4 “Let us firmly remember,” the ecumenical archpastor teaches, “that in the sacrament of Communion we partake of a body in no way different from the body that sits on the mountain and to which the Angels worship, which is near the incorruptible Power - it is this body that we partake of” 5 . “He offered this body to us as food, which showed his strong love for us; for whom we love very much, we are often even ready to eat. So Christ gave us His own flesh as food, in order to arouse in us the strongest love” 6. The Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, according to St. Chrysostom makes the earth heaven for us. “Open the gates of heaven,” he says, “and look, or better yet, the gates not of heaven, but of the heaven of heavens, and you will be convinced of the truth of what has been said. What is most precious there, you will see the same on earth. Just as in royal palaces the most important thing is not the walls and not the golden roof, but the body of the king sitting on the throne, so in heaven is the body of the King, but you can see the same thing now on earth, see not angels and archangels, not heaven and heaven of heaven, but the Lord of all this Himself. Isn’t it true that you see on earth what is most important, you not only see, but also touch, not only touch, but also taste, and, having tasted, you go to your home” 7? Some in the time of Chrysostom said, as they often say now: “How we would like, like the ancient Jews - contemporaries of Christ, to see the Face of the Savior, to contemplate His external image, to touch His clothes,” etc. Thus St. I. Chrysostom answers that they can not only see Christ, but also touch Him, taste and take Him inside. “How many,” writes St. John, - now they say: would I like to see the face of Christ, the image, clothes, boots? Here you see Him, touch Him, taste Him. You want to see His clothes, but He allows you not only to see Himself, but also to touch, and taste, and take in” 8. “We can have the whole Christ if we want. For His Body has now been offered to us; not only clothing, but also the body itself, so that we not only touch, but also eat and are satisfied” 9 . The saint reminds the communicants of St. The Mysteries of Christ, that in the person of the priest, the sacrament of communion is completed by Jesus Christ Himself. “Believe,” he says, “that even now the same supper is being celebrated at which He Himself reclined. Because one is no different from the other. It cannot be said that this is done by man, and that was done by Christ; on the contrary, He Himself does both. Therefore, when you see that a priest is giving you gifts, imagine that it is not the priest who is doing this, but Christ extending his hand to you. Just as at baptism it is not the priest who baptizes you, but God holds your head with an invisible force, and neither an angel, nor an archangel, nor anyone else dares to approach and touch, so it is in communion. If God alone regenerates, then the gift belongs to Him alone. Don’t you see that among us those who want to adopt someone do not entrust this matter to slaves, but appear in court themselves? So God did not entrust the gift to the angels, but He Himself is present, commands and says: do not call the Father on earth (Matthew 23:9). This is not forbidden to you to honor your parents, but you are commanded to prefer the One who created you and accepted you as one of His children. And who gave you more, i.e. offered Himself, much less will He consider His greatness unworthy to give you His body” 10 . “The actions of this sacrament are not performed by human power. The One who performed these actions at that supper is still performing them. We occupy the place of ministers, and Christ Himself sanctifies and transforms the gifts.” 11 “It is not man who transforms what is offered into the Body and Blood of Christ, but Christ Himself, crucified for us. The priest stands, wearing His image, and pronounces words, and the power and grace of God acts. This is My body,” He said. These words translate what was proposed, and just as the following saying: grow and multiply and fill the earth (Gen. 1:28) was spoken once, but at all times actually gives our nature the strength to bear children, so that saying, spoken once, from that time until now until His coming makes a perfect sacrifice at every meal in the churches.” “The offering (in the Eucharist),” explains St. AND. Chrysostom is the same, no matter who does it - Paul or Peter; it is the same that Christ taught to His disciples, the priests do the same now, it is not at all lower than that; for it is not people who sanctify this, but God Himself, who sanctified both then and there. Just as the words now spoken by the priest are the same as those spoken by the Lord; so the offering is the same. And this offering is the Body (of Christ) just as much as that; and whoever thinks that it is lower than that does not know that Christ is now present and now active” 12. How should one begin communion with St. Tine? With what thoughts, feelings, desires should we approach the cup of Christ? Answering these questions, St. I. Chrysostom says that those who approach the Sacrament of Holy Communion are required, firstly, to have faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God, the confidence that in the sacrament of the Eucharist Christ Himself teaches the Holy Spirit to the believers. Gifts - Your true Body and true Blood, and fiery love for the Lord, combined with the memory of His great benefits to us sinners. “No one should partake if he is not one of Christ’s disciples,” the saint teaches 13. “If anyone is not a disciple of Christ, then let him go away; the meal does not admit those who are not from among the disciples. For with My disciples, says Christ, I will create the Passover (Matthew 26:18). 14 “Believe,” says St. Chrysostom to the communicants - that even now the same supper is being celebrated at which He Himself reclined. And one is no different from the other. It cannot be said that this is done by man, and that was done by Christ; on the contrary, He Himself does both. Therefore, when you see that a priest is giving you gifts, imagine that it is not the priest who is doing this, but Christ is stretching out his hand to you” 15. “The actions of this sacrament are not performed by human power... This meal is the same one that Christ offered, and nothing less than that. It cannot be said that this is arranged by Christ, and this by man, but by Christ Himself. This place (i.e. the church) is the same upper room where He was with the disciples.” “Let us approach this Body with fiery love,” cries the saint, “so that we do not suffer punishment. For the more we are blessed, the more we will be punished if we turn out to be unworthy of blessings. This Body was honored by the Magi when It lay in a manger. People who did not know the true God and were foreigners, leaving home and fatherland, took a long journey and, having come, worshiped Him with great fear and trembling. Let us, though we, citizens of heaven, imitate these strangers. They, seeing Him in the hut and in the manger and not seeing anything like what you see now, approached with great trepidation, but you see Him not in the manger, but on the altar, you see not the wife holding, but the priest standing and the Spirit overshadowing what was offered with great grace; and not only do you see this Body, as they saw, but you know its power and all its economy; you know everything that happened through him, having been taught all the secrets. Therefore, let us approach with trepidation and show more reverence than those strangers, so that by approaching it simply and inattentively, we will not bring fire on our own heads.” 16 Secondly, those who approach the Lord's Table must take care of the purity of their soul and body. Inner purity is the most necessary condition for receiving Holy Communion. Tine: Let a man tempt himself, says Ap. Paul, - let him eat from the bread and drink from the cup (1 Cor. 11:28). Explaining these words of the Apostle, St. I. Chrysostom worthy preparation for St. Communion is believed to cleanse the conscience. “We are not trying,” he says, “to begin, having prepared, cleared of all this and with complete reverence, but so that on holidays and when everyone comes. This is not what Paul commands; he knows only one time to begin the mysteries and receive communion: when his conscience is clear. If we do not approach a sensual meal, suffering from a fever and a rush of bad juices, so as not to suffer death, then even more so we should not touch this meal with vicious desires, which are worse than a fever. By the name of vicious desires I mean both bodily desires and covetousness, anger, rancor, and generally all vicious inclinations. The one who approaches must cleanse himself of all this and then touch this pure sacrifice, but not with negligence and laziness, as if forcing himself to do this on a holiday, but on the other hand, when there is contrition and readiness, without delaying because there is no holiday. Therefore, the Apostle says: let everyone tempt himself, and so let him come; commands to test not one another, but oneself, hastening the judgment without publicity and denunciation without witnesses” 17. “I beg you, let us not destroy ourselves by shamelessness, but let us approach the body of Christ with trembling and with all purity. When you see Him offered, then say to yourself: through this Body I am no longer earth and ashes, no longer a captive, but free; through Him I hope to reach heaven and the blessings prepared there - immortal life, bliss with the Angels, union with Christ; death could not resist when this Body was nailed and wounded, the sun hid its rays when it saw this Body crucified; At that time the curtain was torn, the stones fell apart, the whole earth shook; It is that very Body that was bloodied, pierced by a spear and exuded to the entire universe the sources of salvation - blood and water" 18. “Let us not be ungrateful to our benefactor,” cries St. John, - but let us all bring everything within our power: faith, hope, love, chastity, mercy, friendliness. Why did I convince you before, and now and always will not stop convincing you. Why exactly? If you intend to begin the terrible and Divine meal and the holy sacrament, do it with fear and trembling, with a clear conscience after fasting and prayer” 19. “As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup,” says the Apostle, “you proclaim the death of the Lord (1 Cor. 11:26), i.e. make a remembrance of your salvation and My good deed. Do you remember with what fear they began to participate in ancient sacrifices? What did they do that they didn't use beforehand? Whenever and wherever they made their sacrifices, they were always purified in advance: but you, when you begin the Sacrifice, at which the Angels tremble, do you determine the completion of this deed in conscientious time?!” 20 “If you wish to partake of the Holy Offering (i.e., the Holy Mysteries), says St. archbishop to his listeners, then in a few days they should cleanse themselves with repentance, prayer, almsgiving and occupation with spiritual objects and not return back, like a dog to his vomit (2 Peter 2:22). Isn’t it strange that they take such care of bodily things: a few days before the holiday, they take out the best clothes from the chests and put them in order, buy shoes, make abundant supplies for the table, come up with a lot of all kinds of preparations and clean and decorate themselves in every possible way; but the soul that is neglected, uncleaned, defiled, languishing with hunger and remaining unclean, is not cared for at all; is the body brought here (to church) decorated, but the soul is left naked and ugly? Meanwhile, your body is seen by a slave similar to you, and no harm will come to you, no matter how it is dressed; but the Lord sees the soul and subjects it to the greatest punishment for negligence. Do you not know that this meal is full of spiritual fire, and just as springs abound with natural water, so it contains an inexpressible flame? Do not approach it with straw, wood and hay, lest you intensify this flame and burn the participating soul, but approach it with precious stones, gold and silver (1 Cor. 3, 12–13) in order to make this substance more pure and come out of here with great profit. If there is anything bad in your soul, vomit it out, drive it out of it” 21. Those preparing to approach the chalice to receive St. Mystery of St. Chrysostom said: “Let us all approach with proper wisdom and attention; and let no one be a Judas, let no one be evil, let no one hide poison in himself, carrying one thing on his lips and another in his mind. Christ is coming... Let no one be treacherous, let no one harbor malice, let no one have poison in his soul, so as not to partake of condemnation... No one will be a Judas; let no one, when approaching, have the poison of malice in himself... So, let no one have vicious thoughts within himself, but let us cleanse the mind; for we come to the pure sacrifice; let us make our soul holy" 22. Only then can we partake of the Body and Blood of the Lord without condemnation, when peace reigns in our souls, when we do not harbor in our hearts any anger, enmity or malice against any of our neighbors. “This sacrament requires,” the saint writes, “that we be completely clean, not only from theft, but also from minor enmity. It is the mystery of the world" 23. “If you have something against the enemy,” the universal teacher teaches, “then leave your anger, heal the wound, stop the enmity, so that you can benefit from this meal; for you are about to begin a terrible and holy sacrifice. Be ashamed of Him who is offered; the slain Christ is presented. Why was He slain and for what? In order to pacify the heavenly and earthly, in order to make you a friend of the Angels, in order to reconcile you with the God of all, in order to make you a friend from an enemy and adversary. He gave His life for those who hated Him, and you remain at enmity against a servant like you? How can you begin to eat the meal of peace? He did not even refuse to die for you, and you want to leave the wrath of a slave like you for yourself? How can this be worthy of forgiveness? He offended me, you say, and took a lot from me. So what? The damage is only in money; he has not yet wounded you as Judas did Christ, but Christ gave His very Blood, which was shed, for the salvation of those who shed it. What can you say like this? If you do not forgive the enemy, then you do not harm him, but yourself; You can often harm him in this life, and you make yourself unrequited in the future. And God turns away nothing more than a vindictive person, an arrogant heart and an irritable soul. Listen to what He says: if you bring your gift to the altar and remember her, standing before the altar, as if your brother was offering something to you, leave your gift before the altar, and go first, reconcile yourself with your brother, and then come and bring your gift. What are you saying: will I forgive? Yes,” He says, “this sacrifice was made for peace with your brother.” Therefore, if this sacrifice was made for peace between you and your brother, and you do not make peace, then you are participating in this sacrifice in vain; this matter becomes useless for you. Do in advance what this sacrifice was made for, then you will receive it with benefit. For this reason the Son of God descended to reconcile our race with the Lord; and not only for this purpose did He come, but also in order to make us who do this partakers of His name. Blessed,” He says, “are the peacemakers, for these will be called the sons of God (Matthew 5:9). What the only begotten Son of God did, do the same according to your human strength, becoming the cause of peace both for yourself and for others. Therefore, He calls you, the peacemaker, the Son of God, and therefore, during the establishment of this Sacrifice, He did not mention any other commandment except reconciliation with one’s brother, expressing that this is most important” 24. “Knowing this, beloved, let us take care of the brethren and maintain unity with them. Our great and terrible Sacrifice prompts us to this, obliging us to approach it with perfect unanimity and fiery love, to take wings like eagles, and thus soar to the sky itself” 25. In addition, thirdly, to be suitable for receiving St. The Mysteries of Christ must be entered into church with fear and trembling, without any noise, in reverent silence, without pushing each other and without talking, as often happens with us. “When you intend to begin the terrible and Divine meal and the Holy Sacrament,” says the saint, “do it with fear and trembling, with a clear conscience, after fasting and prayer, without noise, without interrupting or pushing your neighbors, for this serves as a sign of extreme pride and extraordinary contempt, and therefore brings upon those who do so great punishment and torment. Imagine, man, what kind of Sacrifice you intend to partake of, what kind of meal you will begin; think that you, earth and ashes, partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. When the king invites you to a feast, you sit in fear and accept the offered dishes with reverence and calm; and when God invites to His table and offers His own Son, when the angelic forces approach with fear and trembling, the Cherubim cover their faces and the Seraphim cry out with trembling: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord,” how do you, tell me, dare to shout and noisily approach this spiritual feast? Don't you know that at this time the soul should be filled with peace? What is needed is great peace, silence, and not noise, anger and confusion, otherwise the approaching soul becomes unclean. What kind of forgiveness can there be if, after so many sins, even while approaching the sacrament, we do not cleanse ourselves of our insane passions? What is more necessary than what is offered here? Or what prompts us to hastily leave it behind? No, I ask and exhort you, let us not incur the wrath of God upon ourselves. Let us approach with trembling, give thanks, bow down, confessing our sins, send up fervent prayers to God and, thus purifying ourselves, quietly and with proper decorum we will approach as if approaching the King of Heaven” 26 . “Let’s get started, I exhort you,” says St. Chrysostom - with great respect and reverence. Don't you know how the Angels stood at the tomb that did not have His Body, at the empty tomb? Since it already contained the Body of the Lord, they give great honor to the place itself. Angels, superior to our nature, stood with such respect and reverence at the tomb, and we, intending to approach not the empty tomb, but the very meal containing the Lamb, approach with noise and confusion? What kind of apology will we have after that? It is not in vain that I say this, but because I see how many this evening are making noise, shouting, crowding each other, pushing, slandering and rather preparing punishment for themselves than salvation; Therefore, I offer this admonition. What are you doing, man? When the priest stands before the table, raising his hands to heaven and calling on the Holy Spirit to come down and touch what is presented, there is great silence, great silence. When the Spirit sent down grace, when He descended, when He touched the gifts that were laid out, when you see the Lamb already slain and ready, then you begin to make noise, then confusion, then argument, then fighting? How can you partake of this Sacrifice, approaching the meal with such confusion? It is not enough for us that we approach with sins, but even during the approach itself we do not want to abstain from sins? For when we argue, when we make noise, when we bite each other, how can we be without sins? Why are you in a hurry, tell me? Why are you crowded when you see the slain Lamb? Even if I had to look at this Sacrifice all night, then really, tell me, such a sight could produce satiety? You waited all day, spent most of the night, and you lose and destroy such a feat in a short moment of time? Think about what this is and what is it for? The lamb was slain for you, and you look with disdain at the slain. Where, it is said, a corpse, there and orli (Matthew 24:28). And we approach not like eagles, but like dogs; such is our shamelessness! Think about what is being poured out. This is blood, blood that blotted out the handwriting of sins, blood that cleansed the soul, that washed away your impurities, that triumphed over principalities and powers. For, says the Apostle, he has stripped off the principalities and powers, and brought them to shame with boldness, exposing them on the cross (Colossians 2:15) 27 There are sometimes people who think that if they donate a gold or even a precious vessel to the church for St. Gifts, then with this they will honor the Body of Christ and, approaching St. Communion, they do not need to worry much about cleansing their body and spirit from sinful filth. In denouncing such errors, St. Chrysostom points out that Christ demands from us love and mercy for our neighbors than golden vessels and expensive coverings for Himself. “We would not consider it sufficient for salvation,” says the saint on this occasion, “if, having robbed widows and orphans, we bring a gold vessel decorated with precious stones for the saint. meals. If you want to honor the Sacrifice, then offer your soul for which the sacrifice was made, make your soul golden. If it is worse than lead and clay, and the vessel is gold, what good is it to you? Therefore, let us take care not only to bring golden vessels as a gift, but to bring from righteous labors. For more valuable than gold is anything acquired without covetousness. The Church is not for melting gold or forging silver; she is a solemn assembly of Angels. Therefore, we demand your souls as a gift, for God accepts other gifts for souls. It was not a silver meal then, and it was not from a golden vessel that Christ gave His Blood to his disciples to drink. However, everything there was precious, everything aroused reverence, because everything was filled with the Spirit. Do you want to honor the Body of Christ? – Do not despise when you see Christ naked. And what is the benefit if here you honor Him with silk veils, but leave Him outside the church to endure cold and nakedness? He who said: “This is My Body” (Matthew 26:26) and confirmed it in a word, also said: “You saw Me hungry, and did not feed me”; and further: you have not created anything with Me (Matthew 25:45). This mysterious Body requires not coverings, but a pure soul; members of Christ, that is, the poor, have great need of our care. Let us learn to be wise and honor Christ as He Himself wants. What is most pleasing to a person being honored is the honor that he himself desires, and not the one that we recognize as better. And Peter thought to honor the Lord by not allowing Him to wash his feet; however, it was not respect, but something contrary to that. Therefore, you too honor Him with the honor that He Himself commanded, that is, he spent his wealth on the poor. God does not need golden vessels, but golden souls. Saying this, I do not forbid making rich deposits, I only demand that you give alms along with the deposits and even before them... What is the use if the table of Christ is full of golden vessels, and Christ Himself is languishing in hunger? First feed His hunger, and then use the rest to decorate His table. You make a golden cup, and don't give cups of cold water! What is the use of arranging gold-woven covers for a meal, but not giving Christ the necessary covering? What fruit comes from that? 28. Anyone who recognizes himself as completely unprepared to receive the most holy Gifts of Christ, who does not feel sincere contrition for his sins, who does not have firm faith in the love of Christ and in the supernatural nature of this sacrament, should not begin communion. St. John Chrysostom wants to stop the attention of those approaching communion on the exclamation of the priest during the liturgy: holy to holies. “The priest then shouts, calling on the saints,” says the Ecumenical Teacher, “and with this cry, as it were, he tests everyone, so that no one approaches unprepared. Just as in a flock, where there are many healthy sheep, and many also affected by scabs, it is necessary to separate the latter from the healthy ones, so in the Church, where there are healthy and sick sheep, with this exclamation the priest separates the latter from the former, announcing to everyone such a terrible saying, and calls and invites the saints. Since no man can know the soul of his neighbor, who, says the Apostle, is of man, even in man; exactly the spirit of a person living in him (1 Cor. 2:11)? - then the priest makes such an exclamation after completing the entire sacrifice, so that no one, without attention and as it happens, approaches the spiritual source. And in the herd - nothing prevents us from using the same comparison again - we lock up sick sheep, keep them in the dark, feed them other food, depriving them of clean air and fresh grass, and an external source. So here, too, this exclamation serves instead of some kind of bond. You cannot say: I did not know, I did not understand that such a thing was in danger, especially when Paul also testified to this. Or will you say: I didn’t read? But this does not serve to justify you, but to condemn you; Every day you go to church - and you haven’t heard this yet? However, so that you cannot imagine this pretext, the priest, like some kind of herald, raising his hand up, standing on a dais, being visible to everyone, in a terrible silence with a loud voice pronounces a formidable appeal, with which he calls on some and excommunicates others, doing this not with his hand, but with a word that is much more effective than the hand; for this appeal, reaching our ears, as if by the hand of some, repels and rejects, while others attract and present... When he says: holy to holies, he says: he who is not holy, do not approach. He doesn’t just say: pure from sins, but: holy; and what makes one holy is not only the remission of sins, but also the influx of the Spirit and the abundance of good deeds” 29 And if someone turned out to be so impudent and shameless that with foul lips and an unclean soul, without repentance, he decided to approach the reception of the Most Pure Mysteries of Christ, whoever he was, the communicant priest should forbid him, if he knows the wickedness of the one approaching. “We need to talk with you too,” the saint addresses the priests, “so that you divide these Gifts with great care. No small punishment awaits you if, having recognized someone as wicked, you allow them to partake of this meal. His blood will be required at your hands. Even if someone was a commander, even a commander, even if he himself was adorned with a diadem, if he approaches unworthily, then forbid him; you have more power than him. If you were tasked with keeping a source of water clean for your flock and you saw a sheep with a lot of dirt on its mouth, you would not allow it to bend down and disturb the source. But now you have been given a source not of water, but of Blood and Spirit, and you, seeing some who have sin approaching this source, are not indignant, will you not hinder? What kind of forgiveness can you receive? For this reason, God has awarded you this honor so that you consider such matters. This is your dignity, your importance, your crown, and not that you put on white and shining clothes. But how, you say, can I know this or that? I'm not talking about unknown people, but about famous people. I will say something more terrible: it is not so dangerous for those who are possessed to approach this sacrament as for those who, as Paul says, trample on Christ, do not consider the Blood of the Covenant to be holy and mock the grace of the Spirit (Heb. 10:29). For he who sins is worse than he who is possessed. Those who are possessed are not punished because they are possessed, but those who attack unworthily are given over to eternal torment. So, we will remove not only those who are possessed, but also everyone whom we see approaching unworthily. No one should partake if he is not one of the disciples of Christ. No one should accept the Gifts like Judas, so as not to suffer the fate of Judas. This congregation of believers is also the body of Christ. Therefore, you, minister of the Sacraments, be careful not to irritate the Lord if you do not cleanse this body - so as not to give a sword instead of food. But even if someone came foolishly to receive communion, forbid him, do not fear. Fear God, not man. If you fear man, you will be humiliated by God; and if you fear God, then you will be honored by people. If you don’t dare, then bring it to me, I won’t allow this insolence. I would rather give up my soul than commune with the Blood of the Lord of someone unworthy; I would rather shed my own blood than partake of such a terrible Blood of someone who should not. If, after many trials, someone does not find someone unworthy, he will not be guilty. For I said this about famous people” 30. A terrible, grave punishment from God awaits those who despise the saint. Gifts for the unworthy communion of St. Secrets or blasphemous treatment of them! “How great and wonderful this sacrament is,” says St. Chrysostom about the Sacrament of the Eucharist - how true it is that if you approach it with purity, you will approach it to salvation, but if you approach it with an evil conscience, you will enter into punishment and torment. For he who is poisonous, it is said, and drinks the Lord unworthily, eats and drinks judgment for himself (1 Cor. 11:29)” 31. Whoever receives communion unworthily is guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord, because he kills the Lord and sheds His Blood. “If anyone eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord and is not worthy, he will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord (1 Cor. 11:27). Why? - asks the saint. Because he sheds blood and carries out the slaughter, and does not offer a sacrifice. How then those who pierced the Lord pierced not in order to drink, but in order to shed His Blood; So does the one who partakes unworthily and does not receive any benefit” 32. he who eats and drinks is unworthy, he will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord (1 Cor. 11:27-29). The meaning of his (the Apostle’s) words, writes St. father, the following: “Like those who crucified Jesus,” he says, “so those who unworthily partake of the Mysteries will suffer punishment. Let no one suspect these words of exaggeration. The body of the Lord is a royal robe, and he who tore the royal scarlet and soiled it with unclean hands equally causes offense; therefore they are punished equally; this also happens in relation to the Body of Christ. The Jews tore him to pieces with nails on the cross, and you, who live in sins, torment him with an unclean tongue and thought” 33 . “No small punishment is due to those who partake unworthily,” St. warned. John is unworthy of the communing Christians of his time. “Think how much you are indignant at the traitor and at those who crucified Christ.” So, beware that you too do not become guilty against the Body and Blood of Christ. They killed the entire holy Body, and you accept it as an unclean soul after so many good deeds. For it was not enough for Him that He became a man, was strangled and killed; but he still communicates himself to us, and not only by faith, but also by his very deed makes us his body. How pure must be the one who enjoys this sacrifice? How purer than all the rays of the sun must there be - a hand crushing this Flesh, a mouth filled with spiritual fire, a tongue stained with terrible Blood? Think about what honor you have received? What kind of meal do you enjoy? What the Angels look at with trepidation and do not dare to look at without fear because of the radiance emanating from here, with this we are nourished, with this we communicate and become one body and one flesh with Christ” 34 . He who unworthily partakes of the Body and Blood of Christ tastes and drinks condemnation for himself and incurs God's punishment. He who eats and drinks is not worthy; he who eats and drinks his own judgment is unworthy (1 Cor. 11:29). “What are you saying?” exclaims the saint. – “The source of so many blessings, the meal that exudes life, turns into condemnation? Not according to one’s own essence,” he says, “but according to the will of the one who approaches. Just as the coming of the Lord, which brought us great and unspeakable benefits, served to great condemnation of those who did not accept Him, so these mysteries bring great punishment on those who partake unworthily. Why do you judge yourself? Without considering the body of the Lord, i.e. without reflecting, without imagining, as one should, the greatness of the proposed secrets and without thinking about the importance of the gift. If you fully understood who stands before you and to whom He offers Himself, you would not need any admonition, and this alone would be enough to arouse complete reverence in you, unless you have fallen too deeply. For this reason, there are many in you who are weak and sickly, and fall asleep contentedly (1 Cor. 11:30). Having said: the judge will eat and drink and be guilty, and meaning that this should not be taken for mere words, he also points to deeds, calling them themselves as witnesses, which is stronger than the threat, expressing that the threat has already turned into action. Many in bewilderment ask each other why premature deaths occur, why long-term illnesses? “The cause of many,” he says, “of such unexpected disasters lies in sins” 35. “Many similar (examples) happen even now,” explains the universal Teacher. – Precisely, since the priests do not know all the sinners and people who unworthily partake of the Holy Mysteries, God often does this and betrays them to Satan. For when illnesses occur, when slander occurs, when sorrows and misfortunes occur, when similar (disasters) befall (people), it occurs from this cause. And Paul reveals this to us, saying this: For this reason there are many in you who are weak and ill, and sleep contentedly (1 Cor. 11:30). How does this (happen), you say, when we approach (the Holy Mysteries) once a year? All evil consists in this, that it is not by the purity of your thoughts, but by the distance of time that you measure your dignity when approaching (the Holy Mysteries), and you consider this a sign of piety, that you do not approach them often, not knowing that to approach them unworthily - even if it happened once - means to offend (the shrine), and to approach it worthily, even if often, is saving” 36 . He who unworthily participates in communion violates the Lord’s commandment not to throw our beads before swine. St. Chrysostom writes: “Do not, says Christ, holy dog, do not cast your pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6)... We violate this very terrible commandment not only in relation to others, but also in relation to ourselves, when, having the need to partake of the immortal Mysteries, we often do this with our inherent impurity and shamelessness 37. The devil, according to St. I. Chrysostom, especially attacks those approaching St. He receives Communion without fear or reverence and often enters into them, just as he entered the heart of Judas during the Last Supper. Talking about the betrayal of Judas and the last Easter supper of the Savior, the saint notes: “Then, after accepting what was offered, the devil entered into Judas, despising not the Body of the Lord, but despising Judas for his shamelessness, so that you would know that those who unworthily partake of the Divine mysteries are especially attacked and often possessed by the devil, just as he was then in Judas. For honors benefit the worthy, but those who use them unworthily are subject to great punishment. I say this not to frighten, but to warn. This sacrifice is spiritual food; and as bodily food, falling into the belly, which has bad juices, the disease intensifies even more, not due to its own properties, but due to the disorder of the womb, this usually happens with spiritual sacraments. For they, too, when they are communicated to a soul filled with wickedness, they damage and destroy it more, not because of their own properties, but because of the disorder of the receiving soul” 38 . Eternal torment and death on a par with the Christ-killers await the unworthy communicants beyond the grave! “When we partake of the Mysteries unworthily,” says St. Chrysostom, “we perish along with the Christ-killers” 39. “How will you appear before the judgment seat of Christ,” the saint denounces, “you, who dare to accept His Body with unclean lips and hands? You don’t even dare to kiss the king when you have a bad smell from your mouth, how can you dare to kiss the King of Heaven with a fetid soul? Such an act is a clear insult to Him. Please tell me if you would dare to begin the sacrifice with unwashed hands 40. Don't think. On the contrary, you are more likely to decide at all not to begin, rather than to begin with unclean hands. And yet, showing such great prudence in small things, you proceed and dare to touch (the great sacrifice), having an unclean soul? After all, it is in your hands only temporarily, but it completely penetrates your soul. Moreover, don’t you see how clean the vessels are washed and how brightly they shine? Our souls must be even purer, holier and brighter. Why is this so? Because the vessels are thus washed and cleansed for us; they do not absorb what is poured into them, they do not feel what is in them; We are communing with St. We feel it. How, after this, do you, who probably would not want to use an uncleaned vessel during worship, nevertheless approach such a great Sacrament with an uncleaned soul? I see a great inconsistency here” 41. “I’ll say something more terrible,” the Archpastor of Christ admonishes: it is not so dangerous for those who are possessed to approach this Sacrament as for those who, as Paul says, trample on Christ, do not consider the Blood of the Covenant to be holy and mock the grace of the Spirit (Heb. 10:29). For he who sins is worse than he who is possessed. Those who are possessed are not punished because they are possessed, but those who attack unworthily are given over to eternal torment” 42 . Whoever among the Christians with the fear of God, with faith and love approaches the Holy Mysteries, whoever worthily partakes of them, is granted from the merciful Lord wonderful and rich spiritual gifts: in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ he is given healing and sanctification of his soul and body, forgiveness of sins, boldness and love for God, communion of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling of God in his soul, eternal and blissful life in heaven. “How dangerous,” says St. John Chrysostom, - to approach (the holy Mysteries) without reasoning, and not to partake of this mystical supper is famine and death. She is strength for our soul, strength for the heart, the basis of hope, hope, salvation, light, life. Having gone there (to heaven) with this sacrifice, with great boldness we will enter the sacred monasteries, as if fenced on all sides by golden weapons. But what am I talking about the future? This sacrament makes the earth heaven for you here too. Open the gates of heaven and lean in, or better yet, the gates not of heaven, but of the heaven of heavens, and you will be convinced of the truth of what has been said. Whatever is most precious there, you will see the same on earth. Just as in royal palaces the most important thing is not the walls or the golden roof, but the body of the king sitting on the throne, so in heaven it is the Body of the King. But you can see the same thing now on earth, see not angels and archangels, not heavens and heavens of heavens, but the Lord of all this himself. Isn’t it true that you see on earth what is most important, you not only see, but also touch, not only touch, but also taste, and, having tasted, you go to your home” 43? The Savior, teaching in the Capernaum synagogue, said to the unbelieving Jews: Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you have eaten the flesh of the Son of Man or drunk His blood, you have not life in you. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood will have an eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is truly meat, and My blood is truly beer. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me, and I live for the Father’s sake, and he who eats Me will also live for My sake (John 6:53–57). Explaining these words of Christ, St. Chrysostom, by the way, expresses himself this way about the necessity and benefit of St. Communion: “Truly I tell you,” says Christ, “unless anyone eats My flesh and drinks My blood, he will not have life in himself.” Since the Jews before this said that this was impossible, He shows that it is not only not impossible, but also very necessary. Therefore he adds: he who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has an eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. His words: “If anyone eats of this bread, he will never die” could easily seem strange to them, just as when they said: “Abraham died, and the prophets died, how can you say: you will not taste death” (John 8:52). Therefore, in order to resolve such confusion and show that he who eats His flesh and drinks His blood will indeed not die forever, He mentioned the resurrection. He often speaks about the Sacrament of Communion in order to show how necessary it is and that it must certainly exist. My flesh is truly meat, and My blood is truly beer. What do these words mean? With them He either wants to say that His flesh is true flesh, saving the soul, or to assure them of what was said, so that they do not consider His words a riddle and a parable, but know that His body must certainly eat. Further he says: he who eats my flesh abides in Me; this shows that such a person is united with Him. The following words, if you do not delve into their meaning, seem to have no connection with the previous ones. What, in fact, they say, is the sequence - first to say: he who eats My flesh abides in Me, and then to continue: as the living Father sent Me, and I live for the Father's sake? However, there is a great correspondence between these words, since Christ spoke many times about eternal life, and in confirmation of the same he added: abides in Me. If he abides in Me, and I live, then it is clear that he will also live. Then he says: Just as the living Father sent Me. This is comparison and likening. He seemed to say: “I live like the Father”... What does it mean: for the Father’s sake? Here Christ indicates only the reason, saying as it were: “As the Father lives, so I live. And the one who is poisoned by Me will live for My sake.” Life here does not mean ordinary, but glorified. And what he says about life is not ordinary, but about that glorious and indescribable life, this is clear from the fact that everyone: both unbelievers and uninitiated, also live, although they do not eat that flesh. You see that we are not talking about this life, but about that one. He seems to say this: “Whoever eats My flesh will not perish by death and will not be punished.” And he is not talking about a general resurrection, since everyone will be resurrected equally, but about a special, glorious resurrection, combined with a reward” 44. In the Sacrament of St. Through communion, according to the teachings of the saint, we are spiritually united with Christ, acquiring for ourselves through this many of the greatest benefits. Discussing the power of the love of Jesus Christ, expressed in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the saint says: “In order to bring us into great fellowship with Him and to show His love for us, He gave those who wanted not only to see Him, but also to touch, and eat, and touch His flesh with their teeth, and unite with Him, and satisfy every desire with Him.” “Often parents give their children to be raised by others, but I, says the Savior, do not do that, but I feed you with My flesh, I offer Myself to you, wanting you all to be noble, and giving you good hopes for the future. For whoever gave himself to you here will do much more for you there. I wanted to be your brother; For your sake I have partaken of flesh and blood; and this flesh and blood, through which I became related to you, I again teach you.” This blood gives us a blooming and royal appearance; gives birth to indescribable beauty; does not allow the nobility of the soul to fade, constantly feeding and nourishing it. Our blood, formed from food, does not suddenly become blood, but first becomes something else; but this Blood is not like that, but immediately infuses the soul and imparts to it some great power. This blood, received with dignity, removes and drives demons far away from us, and calls Angels and the Lord of Angels to us. Demons flee from where they see the Master's Blood, and Angels flock there. Shed on the cross, this blood washed the entire universe. Blessed Paul also spoke a lot about this Blood in his letter to the Jews. This blood cleansed the inaccessible place and the holy of holies. If her image had such power both in the Jewish church and in Egypt, when the doorposts were anointed with blood, then much more is the truth itself. This blood sanctified the golden altar. Without her, the bishop did not dare to enter an inaccessible place. This blood was supplied to the priest. She washed away sins in images. If she had such power in images, if death was so afraid of the shadow, then tell me, can she not be afraid of the truth itself? This blood is the salvation of our souls. The soul is washed by it, adorned by it, and ignited by it. It makes our mind brighter than fire, it makes our soul purer than gold. This blood poured out - and made heaven accessible to us. The sacraments of the Church are truly terrible, the altar is truly terrible. A spring came out of paradise, pouring out sensual rivers; from the same meal comes the source that flowed out sensual rivers; From this same meal comes the source that flows out the spiritual rivers. At this source, it is not barren willows that are planted, but trees that reach to the very sky and bear fruit that is always ripe and never withers. If anyone is languishing from the heat, let him go to this source and cool his heat, because this source destroys drought and refreshes everything that has been burned - burned not by the sun, but by the fiery arrows of the devil. Its beginning is from above, and its source is there, and from there it is soldered. This source has many streams, which the Comforter produces, and the Son is the mediator, not paving the way for them with a spades, but opening in us the disposition to receive them. This source is a source of light, shedding rays of truth. Heavenly powers also flock to it to contemplate the beauty of its streams, because they see more clearly both the power of the gifts presented and their unapproachable radiance. If it were possible for someone to put their hand or tongue into molten gold, they would immediately become rich. Exactly the same, even greater effect is produced here, in church, on the soul by the mysteries presented. This river boils and rushes stronger than fire. but it does not burn, but only cleanses everything it touches. This blood was anciently represented on altars, in slaughters determined by the law. She is the price of the universe: with her Christ bought the Church; with it He adorned it all. Just as someone who buys servants gives gold for them and then, wanting to decorate them, decorates them with gold, so Christ bought us with blood and decorated us with blood. Those who partake of this blood stand together with the Angels, Archangels and other heavenly powers, clothed in the royal robe of Christ and having spiritual weapons. But with this I have not yet said anything great: they are clothed in the Tsar himself” 45. Ap. Paul writes: The bread we break is not the fellowship of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 10:16). “Why didn’t the Apostle say: communion?” - asks St. John Chrysostom, interpreting these words, and then answers: “Because I wanted to express something more, to show a perfect union. For by communing, we not only become participants and accomplices, but also unite ourselves with Christ. Just as the body of Christ is united with Christ, so through this bread we are united with Him. And why did he add: we’re breaking it? This is done in the Eucharist; but on the cross this did not happen, but even the opposite happened: for a bone, says Scripture, will not be broken by him (John 19:36). What He did not endure on the cross, He endures in the offering for you and allows Himself to be broken in order to fulfill everyone. Further, since what is participated is different from that to which it is participated, the Apostle destroys even this apparently small difference. For having said: fellowship of the body, he wants to express even closer intimacy and says: as there is one bread, one body we are many (1 Cor. 10:17). “What am I saying: communication? - he continues, - we constitute His very body. For what is this bread? Body of Christ. What do those who receive communion do? The body of Christ, not many bodies, but one body. Just as bread, being composed of many grains, becomes one, so that, although there are grains in it, they are not visible and their difference is imperceptible due to their union, so we are united with each other and with Christ. For we feed not one on one thing, another on another, but all on the same body. That is why the Apostle adds: for we partake of one bread (1 Cor. 10:17)” 46. St. Chrysostom says that, just as during the earthly life of the Savior, the sick who touched the hem of His robe were healed (Matthew 14:45-36), so those who worthily partake of the Mysteries of Christ receive bodily health: “If those who touch the hem of His robe,” he exclaims, “attracted miraculous power to themselves, will not those who receive the whole Christ attract it to a much greater extent” 47? According to the saint, all true partakers of Christ on the day of the second coming of the Lord will be awarded great honor from God - they will be caught up in the clouds to serve the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:17): “Those who commune worthily now will one day meet the Lord coming from heaven” 48. But now we received Holy Communion. Christ's Mysteries, tasted the heavenly gift! How should we behave after communion? What do we need to do so that even after receiving the Heavenly Gifts we remain in God’s mercy and preserve God’s love for ourselves? Not everything will be done by us that should be done, if only before communion we begin to arrange our soul and body in accordance with the will of God, and after communion of the Holy Mysteries we behave carelessly and leave the gift of heavenly love - the Body and Blood of Christ - without proper pious attention; this should not happen to true Christians; With such behavior we will deeply offend the Lord, our Benefactor, who gave His Flesh for the faithful to eat in St. sacrament of the Eucharist. Then we will find ourselves guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord and, for our carelessness, we will be deprived of those saving fruits of Communion, which, according to the promise of the Lord, we will be rewarded with if received by St. We will keep the gifts reverently and holy. St. John Chrysostom teaches that after Communion we must behave decorously, maintain purity of body and soul, treat others with meekness, remain in Christian silence and abstinence and perform works of Christian mercy, and not indulge in drunkenness, satiety, satanic pleasures and all kinds of excesses and not despise the poor. Honored to taste St. The Mysteries of Christ, a Christian must, according to the saint, be in a prayerful mood of spirit, contemplating with the spiritual eyes of faith the love of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist and remembering the greatness of the gift that he was awarded in St. Communions. “Having accepted the immaculate and holy sacrifice (i.e., the Holy Mystery), St. instructs. father, - let us kiss her, embrace her with our eyes, warm our soul, so that our meeting 49 does not serve to judge or condemn us, but to chastity of the soul, to love, to virtue, to reconciliation with God, to lasting peace and the acquisition of countless benefits, in order to sanctify ourselves and bring edification to our neighbors" 50 . Pointing to the words of the ap. Paul: Whoever eats this bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord (1 Cor. 11:27), St. Chrysostom says: “Let us all heed the words of the Apostle, who here (i.e. in church) begin the sacred meal together with the poor, and when we leave here we do not want to look at them, but, indulging ourselves in drunkenness, we leave the hungry unattended. When do you say this is done? Always, especially on holidays, when you especially should not do this. Then, after communion, drunkenness and neglect of the poor immediately begin; then, after receiving the Blood of the Lord, when you should have observed fasting and abstinence, you indulge in drunkenness and disorder. Having eaten something pleasant at dinner, you are careful not to spoil what you had before with another, bad dish; and having received the Spirit, you indulge in satanic pleasures. Remember what the Apostles did when they partook of the Holy Supper; Didn’t they turn to prayers and chants, to sacred vigils, to long teaching and filled with great wisdom? For the Lord taught and explained great and wondrous mysteries to them when Judas went to call His future crucifiers. Likewise, three thousand believers, having been granted communion, did not they constantly remain in prayer and teaching, and not in drunkenness and disorder? But if you fast before communion in order to somehow prove yourself worthy of communion, then after communion, when you should strengthen your abstinence, you will ruin everything. But it is not the same thing to fast before or after; must be abstinent at both times, but especially after receiving the Bridegroom; first in order to become worthy of acceptance, and then so as not to be unworthy of the gifts received. Really, you say, should one fast after communion? I don't say this and I don't force it; it’s good to do this as well; but I do not demand this, but exhort you not to indulge in immeasurable satiety. For if in general one should never be satiated, as Paul instills in the words that one who eats abundantly is alive and dead (1 Tim. 5:6), then all the more does death threaten those who are satiated after communion. If satiety is death for a wife, much more so for a husband; if it is harmful at any time, then even more so after communion of the Mysteries. And you, having received the bread of life, do the works of death and do not tremble? Or don’t you know how many evils come from satiety? Inappropriate laughter, obscene speech, harmful jokes, useless idle talk and much more, which is indecent to even talk about. You do all this after you have partaken of the table of Christ, on the very day on which you were worthy to touch His flesh with your tongue. Therefore, so that this does not happen, let everyone keep clean his hand, tongue and mouth, which served as the threshold of the coming of Christ, and, having offered his sensual meal, turn his thoughts to that spiritual meal, to the Lord's Supper, to the vigil of the disciples on that sacred night; or better to say, if we look carefully, then now is the same night. Let us watch with the Lord and revere with His disciples. You should pray unceasingly, and not get drunk, especially on holidays. So, I exhort you: so that communion does not lead to our condemnation, let us nourish Christ, give him something to drink and clothe; this is worthy of such a meal. You heard sacred songs, saw a spiritual marriage, enjoyed the royal meal, and were filled with the Holy Spirit. joined the ranks of the seraphim, became an accomplice of the forces on high! Do not disturb such joy, do not lose such treasure, do not indulge in drunkenness - this source of sorrow, the consolation of the devil, the culprit of countless evils: for it causes sleep like death, and dizziness, and illness, and oblivion, and exhaustion. You, of course, would not dare to meet even a friend while drunk; How dare you, tell me, indulge in drunkenness, having Christ in you? But do you like pleasure? That's why stop indulging in drunkenness. And I wish you pleasure, but pleasure that is true and never fades. What kind of pleasure is this true and always blooming? Call Christ to your dinner, share with Him your, or, better, His goods; This is where endless and ever-blooming pleasure lies! But sensual pleasures are not like that; as soon as they appear, they immediately disappear, and the one who enjoys them is in no better or even worse condition than the one who does not enjoy them 51 . “Let us listen, priests and laymen, to what we have been rewarded with,” the saint addresses, “after communion of the Holy Mysteries; Let's listen and be horrified! Christ gave us His holy flesh for food, He offered Himself as a sacrifice: what excuse will we have when, by accepting such food, we sin like this? By eating the Lamb, we become wolves! Having devoured the sheep, we are as ravenous as lions! This sacrament requires that we be completely clean, not only from theft, but also from minor enmity. It is the sacrament of the world and does not allow you to chase wealth. If the Lord did not spare Himself for us, then what will we be worthy of when, while saving wealth, we do not save our soul, for which He did not spare Himself?” 52 “Oh, how many paths to salvation are open to us,” argues St. Archpastor - he made us His body, gave us His body, and all this does not distract us from evil?! O delusion! O great humiliation! O shamelessness! Be wise above, it is commanded, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God (Col. 3:2); and some of us care about wealth, others are mired in passions!” 53 Having been worthy of communion of the Holy Gifts, neglecting them is the same as never partaking of them. Isn’t it all the same, says St. I. Chrysostom, “never partake of the Mysteries and, after having been awarded them, neglect them, insult them and make yourself unworthy of them?” 54 Every Christian, according to the teachings of the saint, who does not abstain from sins after communion, tramples on the Son of God. Dwelling on the words of the Apostle Paul: How grave a punishment do you think the one who tramples on the Son of God and does not consider holy the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified and insults the Spirit of grace will be subject to (Heb. 10:29) 55, St. Chrysostom notes: “And how does someone trample on the Son of God? If, while communing with Him in the Mysteries, he commits sins, tell me, is he not trampling on Him? Doesn't he despise Him? Just as we regard people who are trampled upon as nothing, so those who sin regard Christ as nothing, and that is why they sin. Have you become the body of Christ and are you giving yourself over to the devil so that he can trample on you? And blood, says the Apostle, imagining defilement. What does it mean: defilement? Unclean or not at all better than anything else. And reproaching the Spirit of grace; one who does not accept a benefit insults the benefactor. Christ made you a son, and you want to be a slave? He came to live with you, and you introduce evil thoughts into yourself? He wants to dwell with you, and you trample on Him with gluttony and drunkenness? Listen, you who unworthily partake of the Mysteries; Listen, you who approach the Lord's table unworthily. Do not give, He says, the holy dog, lest they trample them under their feet (Matthew 7:6), that is, lest they be despised, lest they be spat upon” 56 . A severe punishment awaits those careless Christians who, after communion with St. Gifts defile themselves with unclean deeds and words. “Just as food,” says St. John, “is nutritious in itself, when it enters an upset stomach, it produces harm and disorder throughout the body and becomes the cause of illness; this also happens after communion of the terrible Mysteries. Do you become worthy of a spiritual meal, a royal meal, and then again defile your lips with uncleanness? Do you anoint yourself with myrrh and then again become filled with the stench? Tell me, I exhort you: when you start communion after a year, do you really think that forty days is enough for you to cleanse your sins for all this time? And then, after a week, you indulge in the same things again? Tell me: if you, having recovered for forty days from a long illness, then again took up the same foods that caused the illness, would you not have lost the previous work? Obviously so. If the natural order is transformed in this way, then even more so the moral order.”57 “If someone, intending to put fragrant ointment somewhere, cleared the place for this and then, soon after placing it there, added manure to it, would the fragrance not be destroyed? This happens to us too. At the time when we approached the sacrament 58, we were, as far as our strength allowed us, worthy of it, and then we defiled ourselves again. What good does it do us? Let us not, I beg you, neglect our salvation, lest our labor be in vain. For a man who turns from his sin and returns to it again and acts as before, is like a dog when he returns to his vomit (Proverbs 26:11)” 59. By the way, St. Chrysostom in his conversations bitterly complained that many communicants left the church, leaving it before the end of the liturgy: they barely received St. The Eucharist, how they hurried into the house without listening to the songs and prayers of thanksgiving in the church for the communion of St. Tyne. “Do you want me to tell you,” says the Archpastor of Constantinople, “whose work is being done by those who leave before the end, without performing thanksgiving chants at the end of the meal 60? It may seem cruel what I say, but it must be said because of the negligence of many. Judas, having partaken of the last supper that last night, hurriedly went out, while everyone else was still reclining. This is who those who go out before the last thanksgiving imitate! If he had not left, he would not have become a traitor: if he had not left his fellow disciples, he would not have died; if he had not moved away from the herd, the wolf would not have captured him alone and devoured him; If he had not separated from the shepherd, he would not have become the prey of the beast. Therefore he was with the Jews, and they went out with the Lord, singing. Do you see by what model the last prayer is performed after the sacrifice?.. Christ gives you His Flesh, but you do not even repay him with words and do not thank him for what he received? When you eat bodily food, after the meal you turn to prayer, and when you partake of spiritual food that surpasses every creature, visible and invisible, you, a man and humble by nature, do not remain to thank Him in words and deeds? Isn’t this worthy of extreme punishment?” 61 How often should one receive Holy Communion? Tine? The more often, the better, according to St. John Chrysostom, but certainly under one condition: proceed to St. Always prepare for Communion in advance, with sincere repentance for your sins and with a clear conscience, otherwise, without a repentant feeling and cleansing of your own heart, it is better not to ever dare to begin. Some in the time of Chrysostom thought that on holidays, especially great ones, such as Easter, one could fearlessly, even without preparation, approach St. Mysteries of Christ. Refuting this absurd idea, the saint claims that St. You can always partake of the Mysteries, both on holidays and on weekdays, but only after first preparing yourself by repentance for sins, combined with fasting and prayer, and at the same time he notes that on holidays and weekdays the same terrible sacrifice of Christ is offered, and the time of communion should not be determined by holidays or fasting. Pentecostals, but by the good will of your soul. “Many partake of this sacrifice,” says St. Chrysostom about St. The mysteries of Christ - once throughout the year, others twice, and others several times. Our words apply to everyone, not only to those present here in the church, but also to those in the desert; they receive communion once a year, and sometimes every two years. So what? Who should we approve? Are those who receive communion once, or those who often, or those who rarely? Neither one nor the other, nor the third, but those who receive communion with a clear conscience, with a pure heart, with an impeccable life. Let such people always begin; and not like that - not once. Why? Because they bring upon themselves judgment, condemnation, punishment and torment... I say this not to forbid you to begin once a year, but rather to desire that you continually approach the Holy Mysteries. For this reason, the priest then shouts, calling on the saints, and with this exclamation, as it were, tests everyone, so that no one approaches unprepared” 62. “We are trying for the wrong thing,” St. denounces. Archbishop of Constantinople - to approach having prepared, cleansed of all evil and with complete reverence, but so that on holidays and when everyone is approaching. This is not what Paul commands; he knows only one time for approaching the Mysteries and communion - when his conscience is clear. If we do not approach a sensual meal, suffering from a fever and a rush of bad juices, so as not to suffer death, then even more so we should not touch this meal with vicious desires, which are worse than a fever. By the name of vicious desires I mean both bodily desires and covetousness, anger, rancor, and generally all inclinations. The one who approaches must cleanse himself of all such things and then touch this pure sacrifice, but not with carelessness and laziness, as if forcing himself to do this on a holiday; and on the other hand, when there is contrition and readiness, do not delay because there is no holiday. The holiday is the performance of good deeds, piety of the soul and severity of life; if you have this, you can always celebrate and always get started. Therefore, the Apostle says: let everyone tempt himself, and so let him approach” 63. “And now,” says the saint, “many of the believers have reached such madness and neglect that, filled with a multitude of sins and not caring at all about themselves, carelessly and as it happens, they begin this meal on holidays, and they do not know that the time of communion is determined not by a holiday and celebration, but by a clear conscience and an impeccable life. Just as a person who is not aware of anything bad in himself can partake every day, so, on the contrary, it is unsafe for someone who is mired in sins and has not repented to start this meal on a holiday. The fact that we approach only once a year does not free us from guilt if we approach unworthily: on the contrary, this very thing serves to greater condemnation, that we, approaching once a year, do not approach clean. Therefore, I exhort you all to begin the Divine Mysteries not only on occasion of the holiday; but if you wish to partake of this holy offering, then in a few days you must cleanse yourself with repentance, prayer, almsgiving and occupation with spiritual objects” 64. “Proceed to St. It is unworthy of the secrets, even if it happened once, it means to insult the shrine, but to approach it with dignity, even if often, is salutary. Insolence does not consist in starting often; but - in the fact that they begin unworthily, even if someone has done this even once in their entire life. And we are so senseless and pitiful that throughout the whole year, committing a thousand iniquities, we do not care at all about freeing ourselves from them, but think that it is enough if we do not often dare to approach the Body of Christ with an insult to Him, not thinking that Christ’s crucifiers crucified Him only once. Does sin really become less because it happens only once? And Judas betrayed Christ one day. So what? Did this save him? And why do we measure this matter by distance of time? Let a clear conscience be the time for us to approach the holy mysteries. The sacrament celebrated on Easter contains nothing more than the one that is celebrated now. It is one and the same, the same grace of the Spirit; it is always Easter. Those who are initiated into the secrets know this. And on Friday, and on Saturday, and on Sunday, and on the day of martyrs, the same sacrifice is made. As often as he says, if you eat this bread or drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord (1 Cor. 11:26). He did not limit the sacrifices to a time limit. Therefore, no one should proceed differently to the first, and differently to the last sacrifice. They have one strength, one dignity, one grace, one and the same body; one is not more holy than the other, and the latter is not inferior to the former” 65. Using these invaluable instructions of the great universal teacher and Saint, Father of the Church of the 4th century, let us constantly remember and reflect on what great and holy meal the Lord offers us in the sacrament of the Eucharist; let us learn to look with sacred awe at the great mystery of bloodless sacrifice and, imagining all the greatness of St. The Sacraments of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us always approach the great Mysteries with the fear of God and faith, with love and gratitude to Christ, with prayer, reverence, with strict attention to ourselves and a clear conscience; let us try with sincere zeal to worthily partake of the Lord's table (1 Cor. 10:21), and then, after communion, to carefully enjoy the fruits of the sacrament, to be sober, to be vigilant, to be courageous, to be strengthened spiritually, to grow in goodness, to be perfected into salvation, and the God of peace Himself will sanctify us in its entirety, and our spirit and soul and body will be preserved in their entirety without blemish at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 5:23). Conversations on the first last. to Corinth. St. Petersburg 1859, part II, pp. 30–31. Conversations on Gospel. Matthew. Part III, ed. 5-u, pp. 510–511. Conversations on Gospel. John the Theologian. St. Petersburg 1862, part I, pp. 552–553. Conversations on Gospel. Matthew, Part II, ed. 5th, p. 361. Conversations on the first last to Corinth., part II, p. 41. Conversations on the last to Ephesus. Ed. 2nd, p. 49. Conversations on the first sent. to Corinth., part II, p. 43. Conversations on Gospel. Matthew, part III, page 509; Word VI against Anomeev. Conversations on Gospel. Matthew, Part II, pp. 360–361. Conversations on Gospel. Matthew, part III, page 512. Conversations on the second last. to Timothy. St. Petersburg 1859, p. 33. Ibid., part III, p. 512. Conversations on Gospel. Matthew, part II. Conversations on the first last. to Corinth., part II, p. 42. Conversations on the first last. to Corinth.. Part II, pp. 112–113. Conversations on the last to Corinth., vol. II, p. 41. Conversations on various topics cases. vol. II, p. 41. Conversations on the last to Eph., page 51. Creations of St. our father I. Chrysostom in Russian. lane, t 1st. St. Petersburg 1895, pp. 543–544. Conversations on various topics cases. vol. II, pp. 92–94. Conversations on Gospel. Matthew, part II, page 361. Words and conversations in various ways. cases. vol. II, pp. 91–92. Conversations on the first last to Corinth., part II, p. 38. Conversations on various topics cases. vol. II, pp. 41–43; compare ibid., pp. 72–73. Conversations for different occasions. vol. XI, pp. 132–134. Conversations on Gospel. Matthew, Part II, pp. 362–364. Conversations on the last to the Jews. St. Petersburg 1859, pp. 289–291. Conversations on Gospel. Matthew, Part III, pp. 513–514 Conversations on Gospel. John, part I, page 555. Discourses on the First Epistle to Corinth., Part II, pp. 105–106. Words and conversations for different occasions. St. Petersburg 1864, part I, pp. 22–23. Conversations on Gospel. Matthew, part III, page 510. Discourses on the First Epistle to Corinth., Part II, pp. 113–114. Conversations on the First Epistle to Timothy. St. Petersburg 1859, pp. 78–79. Creations of St. John Chrysostom in Russian translation. T. I, p. 139. Words and conversations for different occasions. vol. II, p. 92. Conversations on Gospel. John, part II, p. 17; Wed Conversations on the First Epistle to Corinth., Part II, p. 38. During the time of St. John Chrysostom The Body of Christ was taught to the laity separately from the Most Pure Blood, to men directly in their hands, and to women in a clean scarf. But later, according to church tradition, Chrysostom himself introduced the spoon into liturgical use. And the motivating reason for this was the following incident: one woman, having received in church from the hands of St. Chrysostom took part of the Body of Christ, took it to his house and mixed it with some kind of enchantment for sorcery. Having learned about this, St. I. Chrysostom commanded all churches not to give particles of the Body of Christ into the hands, but to teach the Body of the Lord into the mouth of believers in a spoon together with the Most Pure Blood of Christ, and thereby stop, as far as possible, the abuse. For the same purpose, the use of antidor and warmth after communion was established, so that the person receiving communion could not hide the Holy Mystery in his mouth (See New Tablet, part II, chapter VII, 81). Conversations on the Epistles to Ephesus. pp. 51–52. Conversations on Gospel. Matthew, Part III, pp. 513–514. Discourses on the First Epistle to Corinth., Part II, pp. 42–43. Conversations on St. John God. Part II, pp. 3–5. Ibid., part I, pp. 552–555. Conversations on Gospel. Matthew, part II, page 360. Conversations on the 1st last. to Corinth., part II, pp. 31–32. Conversations on the First Epistle to Corinth., Part II, p. 38. St. I. Chrysostom here means a meeting of Christians at the liturgy in the church. Words and conversations for different occasions. vol. II, p. 43. Discourses on the First Epistle to Corinth., Part II, pp. 107–110. Conversations on Gospel. Matthew, Part II, pp. 361–362. Discourses on the Epistle to Ephesians, p. 49. According to the Church Slavonic translation: How much do you think that the worst one will be worthy of torment, who trampled upon the Son of God and took the blood of the cherished filth, with which he was illuminated, and reproached the Spirit of grace? Discourses on Hebrews, pp. 318–319. Conversation on the last to Hebrews, pp. 288–280. The saint understands the sacrament of St. Communions. Conversation on the first last. to Timothy, page 81. Like St. Chrysostom, as well as many other ancient Fathers of the Church, often call St. The Eucharist is a table, the Lord's table, because in this sacrament the Body and Blood of Christ is offered to believers as saving food, as the Apostle says: you cannot partake of the Lord's table (1 Cor. 10:21). Words and conversations for different occasions. vol. II, pp. 74–75. Conversations on the last Hebrews, pp. 287–289. Conversation on the first last. to Corinth., part II, pp. 112–113. Creations in Russian translation vol. I, p. 543; compare Conversations on various topics cases. vol. II, p. 72. Conversations on the first last. to Timothy, pp. 79–80. You might be interested in: