After the priest raises the Most Pure Body on the paten, it is broken into pieces on it, following the example of how Christ did with the bread at the Last Supper; and these parts, four in number, are placed crosswise, representing the Crucified Lord. During this action, the priest says: The Lamb of God is fragmented and divided (that is, into parts and between the faithful who partake): fragmented and indivisible, always eaten and never consumed, but sanctifying those who partake, signifying by this that in every particle of this Lamb the Whole Christ is contained, never consumed because the Christian Church until the end of centuries will partake of His Most Pure Body and Blood. One of these parts (namely the upper one) is lowered into the chalice, which action, called the union of the Sacraments, represents the moment of the Resurrection of Christ, on the basis that just as the flesh, with the cessation of the action of blood on it, receives death, so, being united with it, it perceives life. By this time, warmth is brought to the meal (i.e.
warm water), which, with the blessing of the priest, is poured into the chalice to give the blood the proper warmth in the mouths of those receiving communion. Pouring it in, the priest says: Blessed is the warmth of Your Saints, blessing with these words the warm faith of those approaching communion; and the deacon, in the words: The warmth of faith filled with the Holy Spirit testifies that this warmth is the action of the Holy Spirit.
Then the priest, and from him the deacon, having received part of the Divine Lamb in their right hand, confess, bending over it at the throne, that this is truly Christ, the Son of the Living God, and then they eat it, following this by partaking of the blood from the chalice. Having kissed the edges of this latter, they pronounce the words spoken by Seraphim to the Prophet Isaiah, when touching his lips with a burning coal from the altar of the Lord: Behold, I will touch your lips, and he will take away your iniquities and cleanse your sins.
The remaining parts of the Lamb are then placed into the chalice, and the celebrants, calling on the Resurrection of Christ to see, worship the Lord Jesus and pray to Him to grant them communion in the eternal days of His Kingdom.
Following this, the church veil is taken away and the royal doors are opened: the deacon, holding a chalice in his hands, appears with him to the people, thereby depicting the appearance of Christ upon the resurrection to His disciples - and proclaims: With the fear of God and faith, approach! Those present, prostrating themselves, exclaim Blessed is the One who comes in the Name of the Lord, and those who were preparing to receive the Holy Mysteries, having publicly testified to their faith, approach the chalice and receive communion from the priest.
With the end of Communion, the Holy Gifts are again placed on the throne, and now their stay here depicts the Savior’s forty-day stay on earth after His resurrection.
At this time, the priest, having invoked God’s blessing on those present, with the words: Save, O God, Thy people, etc., places a paten with an asterisk on the head of the deacon; and this one, appearing with them to the people, when carrying them to the altar, depicts the ascension of the Savior into heaven.
At the same time, when those present, upon receiving the blessing of the priest, in touching feelings of gratitude for all the blessings of God, chant, in the person of the clergy: We have seen the Light of truth, by receiving the Heavenly Spirit, etc., ask the Holy Trinity to save them, the priest ends the image of the Ascension of Christ, overshadowing those praying with the cup and saying: always, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages, reminding blessing of the ascended Savior: Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Acts 1:11).
Those present, remembering the Apostles, who joyfully returned to Jerusalem, praising and thanking God (Luke 24:52) cry: May our lips be filled with Your praise, Lord, etc.
After this, the deacon, going out before the royal doors, thanks, together with the communicants, for their sanctification with the Holy Mysteries; and the priest concludes this thanksgiving with the invocation: For You are our Sanctification and we send up glory to You, etc.
With these words, having folded the Holy Antimension and overshadowing it crosswise with the Gospel, the priest places this last on it, and this signifies that the Divine service has been completed and that those who contemplated it with faith can leave the church of the Lord in peace, which he announces with the words: We will depart in peace. But as those who prayed would like to do this in the name of the Lord, that is, once again praying to God and receiving a blessing from Him, the priest, leaving the altar and standing in the middle of them, reads the prayer: Bless those who bless Thee, etc.
Then those present, having exclaimed: Blessed be the Name of the Lord from now on and forever, and having received back the blessing of God by the hand of the priest, together with him they cry: Glory to Thee, Christ God, our hope, receive release, that is, final permission to leave the church. At this time, the clergy proclaims many years to the Reigning House, the Holy Synod and all Orthodox Christians. This ends the Liturgy, after which the closing royal doors represent the end of the age, when no sacrifice, no offering can open the gates of God's mercy.