Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) on the significance of the Eucharist in human salvation

Restore the purity and renewal brought by holy baptism through repentance... and, if possible, frequent Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) Without a doubt it can be said that Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), Bishop of the Caucasus, is one of the greatest ascetic writers in the Russian Orthodox Church. His literary heritage is simply enormous; his works comprise seven volumes, which have gone through several reprints. The most widely known work of Saint Ignatius is, in our opinion, his “Ascetic Experiences”. Saint Ignatius assessed this book in one of his letters: "You rightly say that the Essays are not my work. They are a gift from God to modern Orthodox Christians. I was only an instrument..." 1. The goal of Bishop Ignatius was to preach repentance and correction of life. The saint attached great, one might say, central importance to ascetic work, universally obligatory for all Christians. In the preface to the “Ascetic Experiments”, Saint Ignatius wrote: “A reader familiar with the tradition of the Orthodox Eastern Church will easily see that in the “Experiences” brought to his attention, the teaching of the holy fathers about the science of sciences, about monasticism is set forth - a teaching applied to the requirements of our time.” 2. The saint in his writings constantly reminded Christians of the vows that we all made at holy baptism, about the obligation to follow and serve Christ. The saint considered the need to read the Holy Scriptures and patristic works to be especially important, since there were practically no living vessels of Divine grace left in his time 3 . This is, if I may use such words, what we also experience. In the introduction to the collection “Fatherland,” the saint writes: “Careful reading of these sayings and stories (that is, patristic - author’s note) brings to the reader - as from heaven - from the first centuries of Christianity the fragrance of holy simplicity and true service to God, overshadowed abundantly by Divine grace. It can direct the activities of a monk on the true path of pleasing God, providing the most correct views on this activity; it can bring consolation in various sorrows that arise in the soul of a monk - rushing at him from the outside; it can nourish and maintain the peaceful and prayerful mood of a monk, just as oil nourishes and maintains the burning of a lamp. Whoever assimilates the teaching of the fathers proposed here, he, being among human society, will acquire heartfelt silence. Whoever remains alien to this teaching will be outraged by the rumors of thoughts and the picturesque dreams, both in the most solitary desert and in a never-ending seclusion, and will lead a worldly life. The heart is brought into silence by spiritual activity, combined with pain or crying of the heart” 4. Some may say that all this is necessary for monks, but for us, those who live in the world, very little is enough. But this is a completely wrong opinion, it is fundamentally erroneous and, moreover, harmful to spiritual life. The "ascetic monk" equation is incorrect. Ascetic work is obligatory for every Christian 5. Therefore, it will be especially useful for us to turn to the literary heritage of St. Ignatius, so that his works will help us understand the essence and meaning of Christian asceticism. What does the saint write about repentance as preparation for Communion and about the actual Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ? “The sacrament of confession decisively cleanses all sins committed in word, deed, and thought. In order to erase from the heart the sinful habits that have been ingrained in it for a long time, it takes time, you need to constantly remain in repentance. Constant repentance consists in constant contrition of the spirit, in the struggle with thoughts and sensations with which the sinful passion hidden in the heart reveals itself, in curbing the bodily feelings and belly, in humble prayer, in frequent confession,”? writes Saint Ignatius 6. Repentance inextricably accompanies faith in Christ; in principle, it must precede faith in the Lord, and after baptism, repentance heals the sins into which a person has fallen due to his weakness and sinful habit. Repentance must be accomplished not only with the lips, not by short-term crying, not only by external participation in confession, but by internal contrition, repentance for sins, as well as the desire to leave a sinful life and not return to it. Bishop Ignatius says that “for one who constantly betrays his friends, they become his enemies, they retreat from him as from a traitor, and whoever confesses his sins, they retreat from him, because sins, based and strengthened on the pride of a fallen nature, do not tolerate reproof and shame” 7 . But often a person cannot dominate the sin that entails him, and sin, in turn, dominates the person. Thus, we become slaves of sin, and a person can spend his entire life in such a slave state. Saint Ignatius reminds every Christian that God gave repentance to help man in the fight against sin, but we do not always use this help, but even in the hope of repentance we sin arbitrarily and intentionally, we try to “outsmart” the Lord. Such “will be struck by sudden death, and they will not be given time for repentance and good deeds” 8 . Repentance heals the sinful wounds of a Christian and is a preparation for receiving the Savior Jesus Christ into one’s soul and heart in the sacrament of Communion. The Sacrament of Communion, established by the Lord Himself at the Last Supper through the command: “And taking the cup and giving thanks, he said: Take it and divide it among yourselves, for I tell you that I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. And he took the bread and gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them, saying: This is My Body, which is given for you; Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:17–19), “is an omnipotent command operating throughout the entire earth, operating through centuries and millennia” 9. What happens during the Divine Liturgy, performed by a bishop or priest, is incomprehensible to the human mind, but is accepted only by our faith that, under the guise of bread and wine, we partake of the true Body and true Blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. The saint writes: “What a wonderful institution! It is natural for the human mind to become perplexed before a supernatural and incomprehensible establishment... Carnal wisdom speaks of this sacrament: “Cruel... is this word” (John 6:60), but this word was pronounced by God, who accepted humanity for the salvation of men: and therefore attention to the word and judgment about it should not be superficial. Obedience to the word must be accepted by faith, with all the soul, just as God incarnate must be accepted” 10. By partaking of the Most Pure Body and Blood of Christ, every Christian enters into the closest communion with the Lord. In confirmation of this truth, Saint Ignatius quotes the words of Saint John Chrysostom: “We are one body with the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are flesh of His Flesh, bone of His Bones. Secret teaching! Listen to what is said: we are united with the all-holy Flesh of the Lord not only through love, but also through the sacrament itself. The All-Holy Flesh of the Lord becomes our food! He gave us this food, wanting to show the love he has for us” 11. Jesus Christ replaced the forefather Adam, through whose fall the entire human race was condemned to death. Having headed the human race instead of the old Adam, the Lord replaces with His Flesh and Blood the flesh and blood borrowed by humanity from Adam, giving people eternal life. The Savior Himself said: “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you” (John 6:53). The Holy Mysteries are the true Body and Blood of Christ, but for the external perception of man They remain under the guise of bread and wine. This great sacrament is perceived by faith, revealing its power for sincerely believing people. Saint Ignatius, based on his deep spiritual experience, says that during the Communion of the Holy Mysteries, the touch of Christ on the soul of the communicant, the union of Christ with the soul of the communicant, is clearly felt. A Christian begins to feel this wondrous touch, without instruction by word, in calmness, meekness, humility, love for everyone, coldness towards everything earthly and in sympathy for the future age. These wonderful sensations are implanted in the soul of a Christian by the grace of Christ. “Everyone who joins with attention and reverence, with due preparation, with faith, feels a change in himself. If not immediately after Communion, then after some time. A wonderful world descends on the mind and heart; the members of the body are clothed with tranquility; the seal of grace falls on the face; thoughts and feelings are connected by sacred spiritual bonds, prohibiting reckless freedom and ease, curbing them” 12. That is, just as natural food strengthens the human body, so Divine food - the Body and Blood of Christ - strengthens and nourishes not only the spiritual, but also the physical being of man, strengthens the will, mind and heart, and the desires and feelings of a person acquire the right direction, receiving liberation from sin. The Holy Eucharist - the Body and Blood of Christ imparts to man the properties of the Savior: “As material wine spreads in all the members of the drinker, and there is wine in him and he in wine: so he who drinks the Blood of Christ is filled with the spirit of the Divine, dissolves in the perfect Soul (meaning the soul of Christ - author's note.), and this Soul is in him, - having thus been sanctified, the participant is made worthy of the Lord" 13. Naturally, a Christian who approaches the sacrament of Holy Communion is obliged to properly, properly prepare his soul for the meeting with the Lord and Savior: “Let a man examine himself, and in this way let him eat of this bread and drink from this cup. For whoever eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks condemnation for himself, without considering the Body of the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:28-29). Preparation for receiving the Holy Mysteries, according to Saint Ignatius, should consist of an in-depth understanding of one’s inner state, cleansing oneself of sins through repentance and confession, constant reading of the Gospel, and constant prayer. All deviations from the path of the Gospel Commandments, even the most insignificant (as it seems at first glance), must be corrected by returning to the path of obedience to Christ and a firm determination to always follow the path of the Gospel, leading to eternal life. It is useful for those preparing for Communion to reflect on their unworthiness, insignificance, sinfulness, man’s inclination to sin, as well as on the greatness of God, capable of regenerating a person for eternal life, on the ineffable love of the Savior for the human race, feeding this fallen, changeable creation with His Flesh and Blood, thereby elevating the human being to the highest degree of communion with God. As a result of such reflections, contrition should arise in a person, a sincere consciousness of his own unworthiness to accept the Holy Mysteries of Christ should appear. Sincere awareness of one's unworthy fallen state is an indispensable condition for the remission of sins and worthy Communion. “Beware of daydreaming, which may imagine that you see the Lord Jesus Christ, that you touch Him, embrace Him. This is an empty game of pompous, proud conceit! This is destructive self-delusion! Follow the commandments of the Lord - and miraculously you will see the Lord in yourself, in your properties. This is how the holy Apostle Paul saw the Lord in himself: he demanded this vision from Christians; those who did not have it, he called those who had not achieved the state due to Christians. If you lead a sinful life, satisfy your passions and at the same time think that you love the Lord Jesus Christ, then His closest disciple, who reclined on His chest during the Last Supper, convicts you of self-deception. He says: “He says that he knew Him and did not keep His commandments; it is a lie, and in this there is no truth. And if anyone keeps His word truly, in this the love of God is complete" (1 John 2:4-5)" 14. The feelings that should be present in every Christian before receiving the Holy Life-giving Mysteries are fully expressed and described in the prayers compiled by the holy fathers before Holy Communion. The saint points out that the holy fathers “with these prayers will help our bitterness, clothe our souls in wedding garments, in humility, so beloved by our Savior” 15. A Christian who has a contrite spirit and consciousness of his unworthiness, even if he is insufficiently prepared, approaches the Eucharistic Chalice, will not be condemned by the Lord. What makes a Christian an unworthy communicant is not the number of canons, akathists and prayers read, or the days spent in dry eating, but the absence, first of all, of internal fasting and abstinence, frivolity, lack of a virtuous life, and heartfelt contrition. Probably, the fact that a person who leads a deliberately sinful life and, despite this, approaches the Holy Chalice, does not require any special explanation is a criminal who acts blasphemously with the Body and Blood of Christ, mocking the grace of almighty God. The holy Apostle Paul in his epistles equates such a sin with the sin of deicides: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes. Therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:26-27). In one of his letters, Saint Ignatius wrote: “Christ came to earth to save sinners, not the righteous. In exactly the same way He descends with His holy Body and His all-holy Blood into sinful man and saves him. It is not sympathy for our righteousness and our virtues that attracts the Lord to us, but His mercy for our sinfulness and weakness, which we recognize and mourn. Whoever, if possible, makes every effort to abstain from sins and, with the consciousness of his sinfulness and weakness, approaches the Lord, the Lord accepts him. He turns away from those sinners who approach Him without reverence and without the intention of leaving a sinful life. Such people accept the Holy Mysteries as condemnation for themselves” 16. Remember what the holy Apostle Paul writes to the Hebrews: “If he who rejects the law of Moses, in the presence of two or three witnesses, is punished without mercy with death, then how much more severe punishment do you think will be guilty of 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? We know the One who said: I have I will repay vengeance, says the Lord. And again: the Lord will judge His people. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God!” (Heb. 10, 28 – 31). If a Christian realizes that he is bound by sin, then first of all he needs to free himself from these heavy shackles through repentance, cleanse his soul by confessing his sins, and then only proceed to the greatest shrine, for, as we have already shown, desecration of the Holy Mysteries is a desecration of the Savior Himself. Only the Christian who has left a sinful life receives communion worthily. He resolutely repented of all his sins and sealed his repentance with confession and strict fulfillment of the commandments of Christ. Saint Ignatius addresses Christians and says that when considering one’s sins and realizing one’s fallenness, one must not despair, since there are no unforgivable sins, and despair can lead to false shame and mortal despondency; a person may dwell on the thought that he cannot achieve salvation, but he is forever doomed to suffer in hell. The saint writes: “The Holy Orthodox Church recognizes that there is no human sin that cannot be washed away by the Blood of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ. No matter how many times human sin is repeated, the Blood of the God-Man can wash it... He remains unhealed who himself rejects the healing and salvation granted to him and all people” 17. Saint Ignatius also touches on how a Christian should behave and what to do after receiving the Holy and Life-Giving Mysteries of Christ. The saint devotes one of his letters to this issue: “A Christian should never be embarrassed by anything, for the Providence of God carries him in His arms. Our care should be that we remain faithful to the Lord. If the tempter dared to approach the Lord Himself made man, then it should not be surprising that he approaches us, even if it was after we had accepted the Lord into our vessel. The larger the treasure, the more the thieves try to steal it. The greater the treasure, the more vigilant one must be about keeping it. After communion of the Holy Mysteries, after fervent prayer, after any deed that is especially beneficial for the soul, we need, according to the experienced instruction of the fathers, special observation of ourselves, for then the enemy is especially inflamed against us with envy and malice; seeing earth and ashes ascend into heaven, from whence he was cast down. The spiritual paradise, which, according to the teachings of the Savior, is within us, must be cultivated and preserved, as it was commanded by God in the person of Adam to all people at creation itself. As usual, I assumed that after the confusion, you must have felt the consolation that the Lord sends to His lawfully struggling servants as reinforcement, to increase faith, hope and love. Do you understand that you owe the Lord more than you did before? As those who have received the pledge and the announcement of the promises! "But more has been given, and more will be required," says the Scripture. Having known this, be careful how you walk dangerously, that is, live with caution and attention."18 You must not only properly prepare to receive Christ into your being, but you must worthily keep Him in yourself. This is a feat no less than Communion itself. What saving will it be for a person if, having received communion, he indulges in worldly entertainment and vanity. Christian feat does not know the concept of rest from work, there is only the concept of virtue and vice, just as there is no concept of a good person - a bad person, but a righteous person and a sinner. Therefore, if we have taken upon ourselves the yoke of Christ, we must bear our cross to the end. Until Golgotha, where we must crucify ourselves to the world and the world to ourselves: “Your cross is made for the disciple of Christ by the cross of Christ... The Cross of Christ lifts up from the ground the disciple of Christ crucified on it. The disciple of Christ, crucified on his cross, philosophizes on high, lives in heaven with his mind and heart and contemplates the mysteries of the spirit in Christ Jesus our Lord" 19 . Taking into account all of the above, our main task, as shepherds of the Church of Christ, is to explain to believers the meaning and significance of the Christian feat, based and drawing its strength from the constant communion of the holy Body and Blood of Christ. Without the Eucharist, the feat will turn into self-delusion, and the Church will turn into a sect. Awareness of this is especially important in the modern world, when dozens of new “churches” arise every day, hundreds of “preachers” appear, often dressed in Orthodox vestments, but in essence are servants of the father of lies. The truth is not where cheerful, understandable verses are sung instead of Psalms, and not where they repeat “Hallelujah!” after every word. There is only one Truth - the Lord Jesus Christ, who incessantly abides in the Church and unites with the believers in the Eucharist. If there is no true Eucharist, then there is no life. In conclusion, it should be said that many parallels can be found between the writings of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov and St. Theophan the Recluse. I mean their writings on the Holy Eucharist. Just like St. Ignatius, St. Theophan writes about the deep relationship between Repentance and Communion. Both saints see in repentance the main preparatory moment for a person’s acceptance of Christ; they also speak of repentance as the primary means of cleansing ourselves from the sins into which we, through our weakness, fall after holy baptism. Just like Saint Ignatius, Saint Theophan writes about the “all-forgiveness of the sacrament of repentance” 20, that “without real repentance and confession, ascetic deeds remain fruitless, and Holy Communion will not be a healing of soul and body” 21. We can say that such a thought is characteristic of all fathers, both ancient and modern. There is no doubt that Saints Ignatius and Theophan were based both on the Holy Scriptures and on the writings of the early fathers of the Church. It would be especially interesting to compare with the works of Russian saints the creations of some Church Fathers, for example, Saints John Chrysostom and Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Nicholas Cabasilas. Thus, St. Nicholas Kavasila, in the fourth Word of Life in Christ, writes about Holy Communion (Eucharist): “From the meal (Eucharist) we receive the Risen Himself, and not the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we can receive, but the Benefactor Himself, the very church in which is the fullness of the gifts of grace...” 22. And here are the words from the fourth secret teaching of St. Cyril of Jerusalem “On the Body and Blood of Christ”: “Why, with all confidence, let us accept this as the Body and Blood of Christ. For in the form of bread the Body is given to you, and in the form of wine the Blood is given to you, so that by partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, you may become bodily and intimate with Him. For, in this way, we become Christ-bearers when His Body and Blood are communicated to our members. Thus, according to Blessed Peter, we are “partakers of the Divine nature” (2 Pet., 1, 4)” 23. Collection of letters of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), Bishop of the Caucasus. M.–SPb., 1995. Letter 321. P. 576. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov). Ascetic experiences. M., 1996, p. 83 In the already quoted 321st letter, the saint says a terrible thing, which was a real characteristic of that time: “... A terrible time! The living organs of Divine grace have become decidedly impoverished; wolves appeared in their clothing: they deceive and destroy the sheep. It is necessary to understand this, but few understand it.” It should be said that every priest, and especially those preparing to become a clergyman, must understand the importance of their ministry and be wary of falling into the category of destroyers rather than shepherds of the flock of Christ. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov). Otechnik. Minsk, 2002. P. 30. The question of the universal obligatory nature of ascetic work is the subject of a separate study and it is not entirely appropriate to consider it in our work. This is discussed in detail in such works as “Asceticism according to Christian Orthodox teaching” by S. Zarin, “The Meaning of Christian Deed” by Archbishop Theodore (Pozdeevsky). These books, based on the patristic works, reveal the meaning of ascetic work and the struggle with passions as necessary conditions for achieving salvation, and also conclude that in the ancient Church there was no division into ascetics and laity (as they are trying to do now), and all Christians carried out the ascetic feat equally. Ascetic experiences. M., 1996. P. 102. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov). Ascetic sermon and letters to the laity. / Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov). Essays. St. Petersburg, 1886. T. 4. P. 130. Collection of letters of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), Bishop of the Caucasus. P. 197. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov). Essays. St. Petersburg, 1886. T. 4. P. 123. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov). Ascetic experiences. M., 1996. P. 105. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov). Essays. T. 4. P. 127. Collection of letters of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), Bishop of the Caucasus. M.-SPb., 1995. Letter 278. P. 527. Right there. Letter 202. P. 383. Right there. Letter 324, pp. 578–580. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov). Ascetic experiences. P. 355. Saint Theophan the Recluse. About our salvation. M., 2003. P. 614. About Repentance, Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ and correction of life. Words of the Right Reverend Theophan. M., 1991. P. 77. Rev. Nicholas Kavasila. Seven words about life in Christ. M., 2002. P. 51. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem. Catechetical and secret teachings. M., 1991. P. 330.