Blessed Augustine of Ippona on the participation of the faithful in the Sacrament of the Eucharist

Contents 1. Sacrificium Ecclesiae 2. Sacrum Mysterium unitatis in Christo – in capite et in corpore 3. Panis Quotidianus 4. Probet autem seipsum homo... Conclusion The teaching of Blessed Augustine about the Sacraments of the Church, as well as his ecclesiology, is “terra incognita” for a wide range of people who read the patristic works only in Russian. What is the Church of Christ, what is its mystical nature, what is its purpose, what are the Sacraments of the Church - Augustine wrote about all this mostly in a corpus of polemical works directed against heretics - Manichaeans, Pelagians, Arians and schismatics - Donastists, exegetical works, discussed in numerous sermons 1, epistles. Unfortunately, this vast layer of the heritage of the great teacher of the Universal Church is not yet available in Russian translation. It is in the teaching about the Church and the Sacraments that the theological talent of St. Augustine reaches, according to Archpriest John Meyendorff, his “best manifestations” 2. Augustine “was first of all an apostle and theologian of the unity of the Church, which presupposes the fullness of communion in faith, sacraments and love” 3. “The center of his system is the free redeeming grace of God in Christ, operating through the real, historical Church” 4 . St. Augustine did not leave an extensive treatise on the Eucharist. His judgments about the Sacrament of Communion are scattered in letters and teachings, and other texts. By collecting and comparing them, it is possible to reconstruct the concept of his teaching on the Eucharist, which researchers usually reduce to three “main perspectives” - 1. The Eucharist as a sacrifice of the New Testament; 2. The Eucharist, as the sacrament of the unity of Christ and the Church; 3. Interpretation of the image of the sacramental transfiguration or consecration of St. gifts in the context of Christian Neoplatonism 5. A detailed presentation and analysis of this teaching requires deep and voluminous research. Therefore, the purpose of this report is much more modest, namely, to present the judgment of the Holy Father on the participation of the faithful in the sacrament of St. Communion in relation to the discussion related to the preparation and approval on February 3, 2015 by the Bishops' Conference of the Russian Orthodox Church of the normative document “On the participation of the faithful in the Eucharist.” This topic is still widely and actively discussed by the clergy and active laity in the dioceses and parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church. The document itself, as well as the opinions expressed during its wide discussion, essentially boils down to three main questions: 1) What significance does the Sacrament of Communion have for the spiritual life of the Church and each individual member of it? In other words, why is it necessary to receive communion? 2) How often should one begin the sacrament of Communion? 3) What is meant by the concept of “worthy communion”, therefore, how should one prepare to receive the Body and Blood of Christ? Let us consider how St. answered these questions. Augustine. The Sacrament of the Eucharist is a remembrance of the Sacrifice of the Cross, which Christ offered on Calvary, being at the same time both the Sacrifice and the High Priest - the Intercessor of the New Testament. The only and perfect sacrifice was made for the atonement of sins and the reconciliation of humanity with God. However, “from the rib pierced by a spear, who fell asleep on the cross of Christ, flowed all the sacraments of the Church” 6 , and, above all, the sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord – “So Christ our Lord, who sacrificed through His suffering for us that which He accepted from us, became the High Priest forever and gave us the institution of the sacrifice of His Body and Blood, which you see. Remember when His Body was pierced with a spear, It poured out water and blood with which He destroyed our sins... Recognize in the Bread That which hung on the Cross and in the Cup that which poured out from His side” 7 . In the sacrament of the Eucharist, believers who are in the Church - the Body of Christ, assimilate its fruits and at the same time sacrifice themselves to God the Father through Christ, becoming members of His Body. “...This entire redeemed city, i.e. the cathedral and society of saints, is offered as a universal sacrifice to God by that great Priest, who offered Himself for us in suffering in the form of a servant, so that we might be a body for such a Head... “We, who are many, form one body in Christ” (Rom. 12.5). This is a Christian sacrifice! This is what the Church expresses through the sacrament of the altar, known to believers, by which it is shown to her that in what she brings, she herself is offered.”8 “Therefore, this true Mediator, Who, having taken the form of a servant, became the Mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus, although in the form of God he accepts the sacrifice together with the Father, with whom He is one God, yet in the form of a servant He chose rather to be the sacrifice Himself than to receive it... Thus, He is both the Priest who makes the sacrifice, and at the same time He Himself is the sacrifice offered. By this daily sacrament He deigned to be a sacrifice to the Church, which, being the body of this Head, considers itself to be offered through Him.” 9 Just as Christ made the Sacrifice of the Cross out of love for humanity, the Church also makes the sacrifice of the Eucharist, being moved by grateful sacrificial love for God - “To Him we offer the sacrifice of humility and praise on the altar of the heart with the fire of fiery love. We are cleansed from all filthiness of sins and evil lusts and are sanctified by His name, in order to see Him as He can be seen, and to unite with Him” 10. 2. Sacrum Mysterium unitatis in Christo – in capite et in corpore Through the Eucharist, Christian believers find unity and communion (communio) with Christ and through Christ with each other in the Body of Christ - the Church. The starting point of Augustine's ecclesiology is the image of the Church - the Body of Christ, drawn by St. ap. Paul, and transforms it into his original formula - the Whole Christ (Christus totus). In his teaching against the Arians, Augustine says that in the Bible, “whether it is the Law or the Prophets, or the Epistles of the Apostles, or the faith in what Christ did, which we comprehend from the Gospel,” indicates that “Our Lord Jesus Christ is understood and named in three types (Tribus modis intelligitur et nominatur)”: 1. “As God, who in His Divine nature is equal and co-eternal with the Father, before He took on flesh.” 2. "When He took flesh, He is understood ... as God, who is at the same time both Man and Man, who is at the same time God in His own excellence, which is His own, and Who is not to be compared with other human beings. He is the Mediator and head of the Church." 3. “as the All-whole Christ in the fullness of the Church (Totus Christus in plenitudine Ecclesiae), Who is the Head and Body in the fullness of a certain Perfect Man (Eph. 4.13), a Man in whom we are all His members” 11. The whole Christ (Totus Christus) is called “in relation to the Church, namely, Head and Body. For the Head and Body are One Christ. Not because He is not perfect without a body, but because He deigned to be perfect with us. That is, even without us He is always perfect, not only because the Word is the Only Begotten Son of God, equal to the Father, but also according to the human nature that He assumed, together with which He is God and man. But, brothers, how are we His Body, and one Christ with us? ... The Apostle teaches most clearly: “You are the Body of Christ and members” (1 Cor. 12:27). We are all together members of Christ and his Body.” From the beginning of human history until the end of the world, all those who have led their lives righteously and holyly are numbered among the Body of Christ (Ecclesia ab Abel) - “From Abel even to the end of the world, while people give birth and are born, and even those who have departed from this life, and all those who now - not in this place, but in this life - will be born in the future, together there is the Body of Christ, and each individually is a member of Christ” 12. Through the sacrament of the Eucharist, a believer who has been granted Baptism becomes a member of the Ecumenical Body of Christ. “You see the bread and the cup on the altar of God. For this is what your eyes tell you, but your faith requires the conviction that the bread is the body of Christ, the cup the Blood of Christ. If you want to know what the Body of Christ is, you must listen to what the apostle says: “And ye are the body of Christ, and separately members.” If this is so, then your sacrament (mysterium vestrum) is placed on the altar and you receive your sacrament. ... By answering Amen, you agree that you are exactly that (i.e., the Body of Christ). Be then the Body of Christ, so that your Amen may be true." 13 “The bread that you see on the altar, consecrated by the Word of God, is the Body of Christ, and the cup, or rather, what is in the cup, consecrated by the Word of God, is the Blood of Christ. In these signs, Christ the Lord deigned to entrust us with His Body and His Blood, which He shed for our sins. If you accepted it with dignity, you became what you accepted.” 14 “Let us rejoice now and thank (God) for the fact that we have become not only Christians, but Christ Himself! … For if He is the Head, we are His members, the Whole man is He and we.” 15 For Augustine, the spiritual meaning of the Eucharist has “several levels.” “This is the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. Since the Church is the Body of Christ, it is also the sacrament of the Church. and since the faithful are the Church, this is also their sacrament” 16. St. Augustine, following his spiritual father - St. Ambrose of Milan 17, insists on the need for daily communion of the Eucharist. Just as a person needs to be fed daily with bodily food, so the soul needs to be nourished with “spiritual food,” which is “the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, which we receive daily.” 18 In the mouth of St. Augustine's expression from the Lord's Prayer daily bread, or daily bread - panis quotidianus - means the Word of God, church sermon, liturgical hymns, and communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. “Let the bread of the Eucharist be our daily bread, which we eat in order to live. When we reach Christ Himself, then we will no longer need to receive the Eucharist... So the Eucharist for us is Bread for every day. We must, however, accept not in order to regain bodily strength, but also spiritual strength. For the fruit (virtus) 19 that the Eucharist gives is Unity. This means that we accept the Body of Christ and become members of It, we are what we have accepted. ... However, what I preach to you is also your daily bread, and the same applies to the songs that you hear. All these things are necessary for our journey along the path of earthly life. When we reach the goal of our path, we will not need to listen to the reading of a book. We will see the Word Itself, we will eat, listen and drink It” 20 . In his teachings to those preparing to receive the sacrament of Baptism (competentes), Augustine says: “Our daily food on this earth is the Word of God, which is always taught in churches. Our reward after labor (in the vineyard of Christ) is eternal life. Again, if by daily bread you mean that which the faithful receive, and that which you will receive when you are baptized, then there is a good reason why you ask and say, “Give us our daily bread,” that you may live so as not to be excommunicated from the Holy Altar.”21 However, just like St. Ambrose, St. Augustine admits that daily communion was not a custom among Eastern Christians - “Those, the majority of whom live in the eastern regions, do not partake of the Lord's Supper every day... It follows that it is not considered daily bread in their countries, for if it were not so, then those who do not take communion daily would be accused of committing a serious sin.”22 They justified their abstinence from daily communion “without stumbling” by the establishment of the Church, which caused obvious bewilderment of the saint. Augustine. The reason for this abstinence was declared to be reverence for the shrine and fear of unworthy communion due to real or imaginary sinfulness. Augustine respected the fact that different Christian nations and different churches have customs that may differ significantly from each other. “For example, some fast on Saturday, some don’t, some partake of the Body and Blood of Christ every day, others receive them on set days, in some places not a day goes by without the Sacrifice being offered, in others only on Saturday or the Lord’s Day (Dominica - resurrection), or it can only be the Lord’s Day. With regard to these and all other various customs which may be found everywhere, every one is free to obey them or not, as he pleases. But there is no better rule for the wise and earnest Christian in these matters than to adhere to that practice which is more common in the church he at the time attends. For that custom, which is not clearly contrary to faith and generally accepted morality, should be considered of no importance and observed for the sake of brotherhood with those among whom we live...” 23 4. Probet autem seipsum homo… “Therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. Let man examine himself, and in this way let him eat of this bread and drink of this cup. For whoever eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks condemnation for himself, without considering the Body of the Lord" (1 Cor. 11:27-29) - these are the words of St. ap. Paul is often controversial these days. What is “worthy communion” and “discourse” about the Body of the Lord? Does this mean that before communion a Christian must necessarily spend some time in “preparation”, expressed in fasting and intense prayer, which, in fact, prevents frequent communion, or is this only about a correct understanding of the dogma of the Eucharist, about awareness of the greatness of the sacrament, but does not imply obligatory preconditions for communion? Exactly the same debates were conducted during the episcopal service of St. Augustine. “Some may say that one should not partake of the Eucharist every day,” writes St. Augustine to a certain Jannuarius. “You ask, on what basis? He will answer that in order for a person to worthily begin such a great sacrament, he must choose those days that he spends in deliberate purity and abstinence, “for whoever eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks condemnation to himself.” Another will answer, if the wound inflicted by sin and the fury of mental turmoil is such that ordinary medicines should be postponed for a while, then such a person should be forbidden by the authority of the bishop to approach the Sacrament of the Altar and repentance (poenitentia - penance) should be imposed, and after that he should be restored to communion by the same authority; for to approach during punishment for sin means to receive communion unworthily. But a person does not have the right, according to his personal judgment, to excommunicate himself from communion and admit him again, as he himself wishes. However, if his sins are not so great as to justify excommunication, a person should not withdraw from the daily use of the Body of Christ for the healing of his soul. Perhaps a third party will put forward a more just solution, reminding that the most important thing is to remain in the unity of the world of Christ, and everyone should be free to do what, according to his faith, he consciously considers his duty. Further, Augustine argues that the person who, out of a sense of reverence, abstains from daily communion, and the one who, out of a desire for unity with Christ, receives communion daily equally honor the holiness of the sacrament. Augustine likens the first to the Gospel centurion, and the second to the publican Zacchaeus. “There is no contradiction between Zacchaeus and the Centurion mentioned in the Gospel. None of them considered themselves better than the others, although the first received the Lord with joy into his home (Luke 19.6), the second said: “I am not worthy for you to come under my roof (Matthew 8:8)” - both showed respect, although in different ways and, as it were, mutually opposite; both were worthy of regret for their sins, and both received the mercy they asked for... He who dares not to receive it (the sacrament of the Eucharist) every day, and he who dares not to miss a single day, are both driven by the desire to honor it. This is a sacred food that should not be treated with contempt.” To receive communion unworthily means not to distinguish between the Eucharist and ordinary food and not to give the Sacrament due veneration (veneratio). A Christian receives communion worthily if love for God lives in his heart - “You receive worthily if you avoid the leaven of evil teachings, so that you may be unleavened bread of purity and truth. (1 Cor. 5:8); or if you keep the leaven of love.” 25 “Oh, Eternal Truth, True Love, Beloved Eternity! - Augustine turns to God in prayer - You are my God, I sigh to You day and night. And as soon as I recognized You, You took me to Yourself: and as if from the heights I heard Your voice: “I am food for the great: grow and you will taste Me. And you will not change Me in yourself, like bodily food, but you will change in Me” 26. So, let's summarize briefly: 1. In the sacrament of the Eucharist, according to Augustine, a person gains communion and unity with Christ the Savior, participates in His sacrifice on the Cross and becomes a member of His Body, which is the Church. 2. Augustine, following St. Ambrose, called his flock to daily communion. However, he recognized that there were opposing customs regulating the practice of communion, although he himself did not agree with them. At the same time, he believed that a wise and prudent Christian should, “for the sake of brotherhood,” follow the customs that exist in the church community that he most often visits. 3. The state of “dignity” before communion depends on the person’s inner mood - a feeling of reverence and respect for the sacred and love for God. Augustine himself nowhere claims that he considers any ascetic preparation for communion obligatory. However, it testifies that many contemporary Christians spend some time in fasting and prayer before communion, thereby expressing their reverence for the holiness of the Sacrament. In our time, there are more than 500 authentic sermons of St. Augustine. They are usually divided into 4 large thematic groups - 1. biblical; 2– holidays of the liturgical Year; 3 – memory of saints; 4 – for different occasions. see: Agostino Trapè. Saint Augustine. Pathology ed. by Johannes Quasten. vol. IV. Chapter VI. Allen, Texas b\g s. 398 Meyendorff John, prof. prot.. Introduction to Patristic Theology, ch. 8. St. Augustine. electronic resource: http://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Ioann_Mejendorf/vvedenie-v-svjatootecheskoe-bogoslovie/17 Agostino Trapè. Saint Augustine. Pathology ed. by Johannes Quasten. vol. IV. Chapter VI. Allen, Texas b\g c. 446. Schaff Philip. History of the Christian Church vol. 3. Nicene and post-Nicene Christianity 311–590 AD. St. Petersburg. 2011.from 652 Edward J. Kilmartin SJ. The Eucharist in the West. Theology and History. Liturgical Press. Collegeville, Minessota 2004 c. 23. In Johannis Evangelium tractatus 15. 8. Sacraments. Encyclopedia article: Augustin through Ages. Cambridge 2009. c. 745. “If this is daily Bread, then why should you take it once a year (post annum illum), as is the custom in the East among the Greeks? Take daily what will be useful for you every day. Live in such a way that you are worthy to receive it every day. He who is not worthy to take it daily is not worthy to take it once a year" (Desacramentis. V. 25) De sermone Domini in monte secundum Matthaeum 2. 7. Virtus Sacramenti is the spiritual fruit, result, effect that people receive from participating in the sacrament. De Sermone Domini In Monte Secundum Matthaeum 2. 7.