Irmos: Light to the Giver and Creator of ages, Lord, instruct us in the light of Your commandments; Don’t we know another God for You?
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb.
As Thou hast foretold, O Christ, that it would be done to Thy wicked servant; and abide in me as you promised; Behold, Your Body is Divine, and I drink Your Blood.
Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me.
The Word of God and God, may the coal of Your Body be for me, who is darkened, into enlightenment, and the purification of my defiled soul may Your Blood.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Theotokos: Mary, Mother of God, sweet-smelling village, make me a chosen vessel through Your prayers, so that I may partake of Your Son in sanctification.
Is it for You - for besides You. As You foretold - as You said before. Let it be so for Thy wicked servant, so let it be for Thy worthless servant (me). Behold, Your Body is Divine - for here I am eating Your Divine Body. Fragrances are an honest village - a holy fragrant dwelling, a sacred church of fragrance.
+ May the Coal of Your Body be for me, who is darkened, into enlightenment... Burning Coal is one of the symbols of the Divine (let us remember that our God is a consuming fire - Heb. 12:29). This enlightening and purifying coal of the Divine is manifested in the scene of the calling of the prophet Isaiah: Then one of the Seraphim flew to me, and in his hand he had a burning coal, which he took with tongs from the altar, and touched my mouth and said: behold, this has touched your mouth, and your iniquity is taken away from you, and your sin is cleansed (Is. 6: 6-7). The following troparia of the canon also speak about Communion as fire: I tremble, receiving fire, lest I be scorched like wax and like grass (8th canto); Let it be like fire for me, and like light, Thy Body and Blood, my most honorable Savior, scorching the sinful substance, burning the thorns of passions, and enlightening all of me (9th canto), as well as prayers for Holy Communion: Approach with fear, lest you be scorched: for there is fire; But I, the accursed one, dare to perceive Your entire Body, so that I will not be scorched.
“Let us partake of the Divine coal so that the fire in us of love, having received the ignition that comes from the coal, burns our sins and sanctifies our hearts, and so that, as a result of communion with the Divine fire, we are ignited and deified. Isaiah saw coal; but coal is not a simple tree, but connected with fire; so the bread of fellowship is not simple bread, but united with the Divine.”
Venerable John of Damascus