Ответы на возражения против непрестанного Причащения Святых Христовых Тайн

There are some reverent people who, not knowing the Scriptures, when they see a Christian taking communion often, prevent him and reproach him, saying that only priests can do this. And if you want to receive communion often, they say, then become a priest too. We respond to such people not in our own words, but according to the words of the Holy Scriptures, the holy Councils and the saints and teachers of the Church. We say that the ministry of priests is that they bring the Divine Gifts and that through them, as organs of the Holy Spirit, by His influx, the consecration of these Gifts is accomplished. And also so that they intercede to God for the people and perform other sacred rites that cannot be performed by those who are not ordained. When the time of Communion comes and they are about to receive communion, then the priests have no difference from the laity or monks, except for the only thing that the priests teach [the Mysteries] and the laity receive, and also that the priests receive communion at the altar and directly, without the sacred spoon, while the laity and monks - outside the altar and through the sacred spoon. That this is true and that in Communion priests do not have a single difference from the laity, let the divine Chrysostom be a witness, saying: “One Father begat us. We all suffered the same childbirth.” That is, everyone was born from one mother - the Holy Font. “The same Drink is given to everyone.” That is, the Blood of the Lord is given to everyone: both priests and laity. “And not just the same [Drink], but also from the same Cup. After all, the Father, wanting to lead us to tender love (φιλοστοργια), came up with the idea that we should all drink from the same Cup, which is a symbol of extreme love” 32. And in another place he says: “In some things a priest is no different from a layman. When, for example, we should partake of the Terrible Mysteries, we are all rewarded with the same thing, not as in the Old Testament: the priest ate one thing, and the uninitiated another. The law did not allow the people to eat what the priest ate. Nowadays it is not so, but one Body and one Cup are offered to everyone” 33. In other words, now, under the grace of the Gospel, the same Body of the Lord and the same Cup are found ready for everyone on the Holy Throne. Simeon of Thessalonica writes: “All the faithful should receive communion. This is not the ministry of the bishop alone, but his ministry is to minister this All-Holy Body of Christ and Blood and give them to all the faithful in Communion, for this is the only purpose they are intended for” 34 . Job Amartol writes in the book “On the Sacraments”: “All the perfection and purpose and work [of the Liturgy] consists in the Communion of life-giving and terrible Mysteries and Sacred Things. Therefore, they are first taught in the altar to the priests, and then to the prepared people outside the altar.” From this it necessarily follows that the first to receive communion are the serving priests, and then the whole people, according to the Hieromartyr Clement, who says: “Let the bishop receive communion, then the presbyters and deacons, and subdeacons, and readers, and singers, and ascetics, and of the women - deaconesses, virgins, widows, then the children, and then the whole people according to rank, with with reverent fear and without noise" 35 . The previously mentioned Job also says that those who are worthy are allowed to receive communion every day, equally, without distinction, both priests and laity, men and women, infants and elders - more simply, all Christians of any age and rank. Those same priests who do not give communion to Christians who approach Divine Communion with reverence and faith are condemned by God as murderers, according to what is written by the prophet Hosea: “The priests hid the way of the Lord, killing Sikima, because they committed iniquity” (Hosea 6:9). In other words, the priests hid the way and will and commandment of God, and did not announce it, killed Shechem and created iniquity among My people. Only I am surprised and perplexed if there are such priests who drive away those approaching the Mysteries. After all, they don’t even think, at least, that the words they themselves say turn out to be lies. After all, at the end of the Liturgy they themselves loudly proclaim and call on all the faithful, saying: “Come with the fear of God, faith and love.” That is, approach the Mysteries and receive communion; and then, again, they themselves renounce their words and drive away those who approach. I don't know what one could call this outrage. Some object, saying that you need to take communion once every forty days and no more often. Those who put forward this objection cite for their own justification the testimony of the divine Chrysostom, who says: “For what reason do we fast these forty days? In the past, many approached the Mysteries simply as it happened. And this happened mainly at the time when Christ gave us this Sacrament. The Holy Fathers, realizing the harm that comes from careless Communion, gathered together and determined forty days of fasting, prayer, listening to the Scriptures and attending church, so that on these days all of us, having been cleansed through diligence, and prayers, and almsgiving, and fasting, and all-night vigils, and tears, and confession, and all other virtues, as far as it is in our power, would thus approach the Sacrament with a clear conscience” 36 . To this objection we reply that those who wish to substantiate their opinion have the custom of bringing to their aid either the sayings of Holy Scripture or one of the saints, so that the hook behind the bait is not seen by everyone. “For,” says the divine Chrysostom, “a lie, when it wants to be believed, unless it bases itself on an imaginary, but not genuine truth, cannot be accepted on faith” 37. So do these blessed ones. However, one should not cut off and tear out the sayings of the Divine Scripture separately from its other parts and forcibly apply them for one’s own purposes, because the same Chrysostom again says: “We should not examine only this saying in itself, but must consider everything that follows it, and what it is said about, and by whom, and to whom, and why, and when, and how. It is not enough to say that it is written in the Scripture, any more than to tear out the sayings, cutting apart the members of the body of the inspired Scriptures, separate and naked from their surroundings, taking upon oneself the power and allowing oneself to damage them. For so many perverted dogmas have entered our lives with the assistance of the devil, who persuades the careless to speak the texts of the Holy Scriptures in isolation from each other, or adding to them, or subtracting from them, and thus darkening the truth” 38 . Therefore, they should not tell them only what Chrysostom says about the definition by the divine fathers of the forty days on which we, while fasting, receive communion, but we should consider both what precedes these words and what follows them, and what this divine father cites in the same word, and on what occasion and to whom his conversation is addressed. Those who object to us assert and prove that the divine Chrysostom limited the use of Divine Communion only to the day of Easter. If these defenders of the forty-day period want to justify this, then they must, in accordance with their opinion, either take communion only once a year, that is, on the Easter holiday, and become like those to whom Chrysostom then spoke, or they must perform ten Great Lents a year - as many times as it is customary for them to take communion. If they do not like the first, and they cannot fulfill the second, let them remain silent, and let them not blame others and the divine Chrysostom and do not present him in this matter as an opponent not only of the apostles and Ecumenical and Local Councils and many other God-bearing fathers who speak out about continuous Communion, but also as an opponent of himself, since he himself writes more than others about constant Communion and in many of his other conversations, and in this very one, saying: “Not Offer this to me, but prove to me that Christ commanded to do this, for I am pointing out to you that He commanded to do the opposite, that He not only did not command us to observe the days, but also freed us from this necessity. Listen to what Paul says - when I mention Paul, I am talking about Christ Himself, because Christ was the one who moved Paul’s soul. So what is he saying? “You observe days, months, times and years. I fear for you, lest I labored for you in vain (Gal.4:10-11) and preached the Gospel to you.” And again he says: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:26). Having said “every time,” he made the one who wants to receive communion master, freeing him from any observation of the days. Because Easter and Lent are not the same thing, but Easter is one thing, and Lent is another. After all, Pentecost happens once a year, while Easter occurs three times a week, and sometimes four, or rather, as many times as we want, for Easter is not a fast, but an Offering (Προσφορ?) and a Sacrifice that occurs at every meeting,” that is, the sacred Liturgy and the Divine Communion that takes place after it. And that this is true, hear from Paul, saying: “Our Passover, Christ, was sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7). So, whenever you approach [the Sacrament] with a clear conscience, you celebrate Easter. Not when you fast, but when you partake of this Sacrifice. After all, the catechumen never celebrates Easter, although he fasts every year, because he does not partake of the Offerings. And the one who does not fast, when he receives Communion, if he approaches [the Sacrament] with a clear conscience, then he celebrates Easter - be it today, be it tomorrow, be it on any day. For preparation is assessed not by observation of the times, but by a clear conscience. We do the opposite: we do not clear our minds, and when we are going to celebrate Easter, we approach the Sacrament on that day, even if we are filled with thousands of sins. But it shouldn't be like that, no! After all, if you approach the Sacrament on [Great] Saturday with an evil conscience, then you will fall away from Communion and leave without celebrating Easter. If today, having washed yourself from sins, you commune, then you are celebrating Easter. This thoroughness and diligence of yours should be used not in observing the times, but in relation to the Sacrament. And just as you now prefer to endure everything, just not to change the custom, so you should neglect the custom and prefer to endure and do everything in order to approach the Sacrament without sins. For it is a shame not to become better, but to remain in inappropriate contention. This also destroyed the Jews, who, wishing to remain with the old custom, sank into wickedness” 39. And again he says: “I know that many of you, out of habit, for the sake of the holiday, will begin this Sacred Meal. You should, however, as I have said many times before, not observe the holidays when you are going to receive communion, but clear your conscience and then touch the Sacred Table. For the foul and unclean, even if he partakes of this Holy and terrible Flesh on a feast day, will not be worthy. But a person who is pure and, thanks to thorough repentance, has washed away his sins both on holiday and is always worthy to partake of the Divine Mysteries and enjoy God’s Gifts. But since this, I don’t know why, is neglected by some, many, even being filled with thousands of evils, when they see that a holiday is being celebrated, as if prompted by the day itself, touch on the Sacred Mysteries, which by law they are not worthy even to see” 40. So, this is how the divine Chrysostom not only openly confirms his intention and opinion to those who love to hear the truth, but also prophetically refutes this custom of forty days, noticed by many. As for the forty days, which he speaks of as established by the holy fathers, the explanation for this will be simple if anyone wants to talk about it. However, we will now provide some data for those who still doubt it. Asian Christians at that time celebrated Easter together with the Jews under the pretext that they allegedly received from John the Theologian and the Apostle Philip and some others. And although the divine fathers, gathering at local councils, wrote against this many times, they did not abandon their custom until the First Holy and Ecumenical Council was convened, which, among other things, established that Easter should no longer be celebrated with the Jews, but should be celebrated after the spring equinox on Sunday and that it should not coincide with the Jewish Passover. Despite this, some continued to adhere to this evil custom. The divine Chrysostom turns this conversation to them, denouncing them for neglecting so many divine fathers just because of one bad custom. For this reason, he so praises the dignity of the divine fathers of the First Council and ascribes to them the rule of Pentecost and says that they established it, thus desiring to convince these Asian Christians and attract them to obedience. After all, who does not know that the fast of the Holy Pentecost was established by the holy apostles, who say in the 69th Rule: “If anyone, a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, or a reader, or a singer, does not fast on the Holy Pentecost before Easter, or on Wednesday, or on Friday, except for the hindrance of bodily weakness: let him be cast out. If he is a layman: let him be excommunicated.” Or, perhaps, he says that the fathers of the First Council established it because they added Great Holy Week to it, as he himself says about this in another place: “Therefore, the fathers continued the field of fasting in order to give us another period of repentance, so that we would approach the Sacrament cleansed and washed” 41 . And the real reason why Chrysostom says that the First Council established Pentecost seems to be this. Since the Christians of that time were careless and did not fast throughout this holy Pentecost, so that some fasted only for three weeks, others for six, and others in some other way, each according to local custom, as Socrates testifies in his “Ecclesiastical History,” the fathers of the First Council again proclaimed the Rule of the Holy Apostles and established that during the entire Pentecost they should fast unconditionally. And the divine Chrysostom says that those fathers established Pentecost, bearing in mind this renewal of the Rule that they then made. Since some cite the divine Chrysostom as a defender of the forty days, and he himself tears apart their arguments like a web, we fall silent and move on to other objections. Some objectors say that the purpose with which the holy fathers teach about continuous Communion is so that we do not completely move away from the Communion of the Divine Mysteries. If some, out of great fear and reverence, partake rarely and approach the Sacrament with great reverence, then they partake worthily. We would like to ask those who say this to show us from where and on the basis of what evidence they knew the intention of Christ and the saints? Perhaps they ascended to heaven, like Paul, and heard it there? But Paul heard unspeakable verbs that man cannot speak. How could they say this? If this is something else, then why is it not written in the books of our divine fathers? And if it is written, but we have not found it, then we ask them to indicate it to us. Only the fear with which they approach the Sacrament is not according to God, as the prophet says: “There they were afraid of fear, where there was no fear” (Ps. 52:6). For there must be fear where there is a violation of the commandments, but not where there is submission and obedience. And the reverence of such is not true, but artificial and hypocritical, for true reverence honors the words and commandments of the Lord and does not neglect them. What these objectors say is not intended to make Christians more attentive and reverent towards Communion, but to deprive them of courage and completely cut them off from it and, consequently, lead them to spiritual destruction. Therefore, the divine Cyril of Alexandria responds to these supposedly reverent ones: “If we desire eternal life, then let us pray that the Giver of immortality will be in us, and let us not withdraw from the blessing [that is, from Communion], as some careless people do. And may the devil, skilled in deceit, not arrange for us a trap and snare in the form of harmful reverence [in relation to the Divine Sacrament. But what are you telling me: “Behold, Paul writes that] whoever eats the Bread and drinks the Cup of the Lord unworthily eats and drinks to condemnation of himself. So, having examined myself, I see myself as unworthy to receive communion.” To this I answer you: “When will you be worthy? When will you place yourself before Christ? If you are always afraid of your smallest sins, then [know that, being a man] you will never stop doing them (“who understands the fall?” (Ps. 18:13), according to the holy Psalmist), and you will remain forever completely uninvolved in the saving Shrine. Therefore, it is more reasonable and pious to live in accordance with [God’s] law, believing that through blessed Communion you are delivered not only from death, but also from illnesses” - mental and physical - that are in us, “for Christ coming into us lulls the raging law of the flesh in our members and revives reverence for God, and mortifies the passions, not imputing to us the sins in which we are, but rather heals us as He frees the sick from the bonds of the broken, and raises up the fallen as the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep.” And again he says: “The Holy Body of Christ gives life to those in whom it finds itself, and keeps them incorruptible when it is united with our bodies. The body is not meant to be anything other than the very nature of Life,” that is, God. “It has in itself all the [Divine] power of the Word united with it and turns out to be filled with His [Divine] energy, through which everything is created and preserved in existence. And since this is exactly how things are, let those baptized [Christians] who are hesitant to go to church to receive communion and are absent from Communion for a long time know that they use artificial and harmful reverence as an excuse. Let them know that by not receiving communion, they are deprived of eternal life, refusing to be quickened. This turns into a trap and temptation, although this refusal of Communion seems to be the fruit of reverence. Therefore, they must try with all their strength and with all readiness to cleanse themselves from sin, and be more diligent to a God-loving life, and strive with courage and love for Communion of Life. For in this way we will overcome the devil’s deception, and we will become partakers of the Divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4), and we will ascend to life and incorruption” 42. And John Zonara, in his explanation of 2 Rules of the Council of Antioch 43, says: “The fathers here called aversion not to hate Divine Communion and therefore not to want to receive communion, but to avoid it, supposedly out of reverence or humility. For if some had refused it as haters and abhorrs of Holy Communion, they would have been condemned not to excommunication, but to complete expulsion and anathema.” The rather divine Cyril and John Zonara exposed the imaginary reverence of the careless, which does not bring the fruit of benefit and salvation, but gives birth to spiritual death and complete deprivation of eternal life, which is acquired by frequent Communion of the Divine Mysteries. After all, those who are truly reverent not only do not neglect the words of the Lord and so many sacred rules - apostolic, conciliar and patristic, but also do not accept this in their thoughts, fearing judgment and condemnation for disobedience. The Holy Spirit speaks about these truly reverent ones through the prophet Isaiah: “But this is the one I will look to: the humble and contrite in spirit, and the one who trembles at My word” (Is. 66:2). Some say that the Venerable Mary and many other hermits and ascetics received communion only once in their entire lives and this did not prevent them from being sanctified. We answer them that the hermits do not rule the Church and the Church did not determine the rules for the hermits 44 . As the Apostle says: “The law was not made for the righteous” (1 Tim. 1:9). And the divine Chrysostom adds: “All who were jealous of the wisdom of the New Testament did so not out of fear of punishment or because of threats, but out of divine love and ardent zeal for God. For they had no need of commandments, commandments or laws in order to love virtue and avoid evil, but as noble and free sons, having recognized their own value [that is, the nobility of their nature], they rushed towards virtue without any fear of punishment” 45. But even these hermits, if they had the opportunity and did not receive communion, would be condemned as violators of sacred rules and despisers of the Divine Mysteries. And if they did not have such an opportunity, they are innocent. So Saint Kavasila says: “If souls are prepared and ready to receive communion, and the Lord who sanctifies and [does] everything always wants to sanctify and loves to give Himself to everyone, then what can prevent Communion? Of course, nothing. But someone will ask: “If one of the living, having in his soul the blessings that have been spoken about, does not begin the Mysteries, will he not, nevertheless, receive sanctification [from the ongoing Liturgy]?” [To such a question we answer that] not everyone can receive this, but only those who cannot come bodily, as happens with the souls of the dead, and those who wander in deserts and mountains, in caves and defiles of the earth (cf. Heb. 11:38), for whom it was impossible to see the altar and the priest,” because they did not have a church nearby. “Christ Himself sanctified such invisibly by His sanctification. If someone has the opportunity, but does not begin the Meal in order to be worthy of sanctification from it, it is completely impossible for such a person to receive sanctification - not only because he did not begin, but because he did not begin being able to do so. And therefore it is obvious that such a person’s soul is empty of the virtues that are required for Communion, for how can someone have love and desire for Communion who has the opportunity to go to receive Communion, but does not want to? Or how can one have faith in God who is not at all afraid of the threat contained in the words of the Lord 46 to those who neglect this Table? And how can he believe that he loves what he can get, but [of his own free will] does not receive?” Some object, saying that Holy Communion is a terrible thing, and therefore a holy, perfect and angelic life is required from those who receive communion. No one doubts that the Sacrament of Divine Communion is great and terrible and that a holy and pure life is required. The word “holy” alone has many meanings. Only God is holy, for he has natural holiness, not acquired. People who have been worthy of holy Baptism receive holiness through communion with the Holy God. And they are called saints because they have received sanctification by the grace of the Holy Spirit from rebirth from above. In addition to all this, they always receive sanctification from the Divine Mysteries, because they partake of the Holy Body and Blood of our Lord. And to the extent that they come closer to God thanks to the fulfillment of the Master’s commandments, the more sanctified they ascend to perfection. To the extent that, on the contrary, they move away from God because of abandoning the commandments, to the extent that, deprived of sanctification, they find themselves possessed by passions, and evil increases in them. After all, evil is nothing more than the deprivation of good. So, those who have been worthy of rebirth from the Holy Spirit have no obstacle to be called saints, and therefore, as by grace, holy children of the Holy God, and to frequently partake of the Divine Gifts. Therefore, the divine Chrysostom says: “The Holy Gifts should be given to the saints, and not to the nasty and unclean” 47. Wanting to show the difference between the saints, he says: “Let none of the sinners approach Communion. Although, perhaps, I will not say “none of the sinners,” for otherwise I would be the first to separate myself from the Divine Table, but [it would be better to say this]: “Let no one, while remaining a sinner, approach.” I know that we are all worthy of punishment and that no one can boast of a pure heart. But the trouble is not that we do not have a pure heart, but that, not having a pure heart, we do not even approach the One who can make it pure” 48. And Theodoret says: “Among those who partake of the Divine Mysteries, others partake [of Christ] as a lamb - those who have acquired perfect virtue. Others are like a scapegoat - those who through repentance are cleansed from the filth of sin" 49 . Although our objectors only allow those who are perfect to receive communion continually, the divine fathers, as is clear, do not demand perfection from those who receive communion, but demand correction of life through repentance. After all, just as in this visible world not all people are of the same age, so in the spiritual world of the Church the states of people are different, according to the Parable of the Seed (See Matt. 13:8). And if the perfect one gives to God a hundredfold, then the average one gives sixty, and the beginner thirty, that is, each according to his own strength. And no one is rejected by God for not giving back a hundredfold. Only we, if we think carefully, will understand that it is impossible for anyone to come to perfection without the constant Communion of the Holy Mysteries. For without it one cannot acquire love, and without love one cannot acquire obedience to the Lord’s commandments, and without obedience one cannot achieve perfection. As the wise Solomon says: “The beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire for teaching, and concern for teaching is love, and love is the preservation of its laws, and observation of laws is the guarantee of immortality, and immortality brings one closer to God; therefore, the desire for wisdom leads to the kingdom” (Wisdom 6:17–20), the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, Saint Abba Apollos, knowing that Divine Communion is a force that produces Divine love, classifies it among the commandments of love and says: “On these two commandments, that is, on frequent Communion and on love for one’s neighbor, the whole Law and the Prophets are established” (See Matt. 22:40). But is there a need to talk a lot? Do those who object to us receive communion once every forty days as perfect people or as sinners and imperfect people? If as perfect, then they must receive communion more often, according to their own words, and if as imperfect, they must receive communion more often in order to become perfect, as we said above. After all, if a baby cannot grow into an adult without bodily food, then even more so the soul cannot reach perfection without spiritual food. External sages say that three things are observed in an infant: firstly, the one who feeds, secondly, what he feeds on, and thirdly, what nourishes him. And that which nourishes it is the nourishing essence; that which feeds is the animate body; and what it feeds on is food. So, says Gabriel of Philadelphia, it happens in spiritual rebirth: “He who feeds is a baptized, regenerated person; what he feeds on are the Most Pure Mysteries; and the nourisher is Divine grace, transforming these [Secrets] into the Body and Blood of our Savior.” Therefore, Basil the Great says that those who have been reborn through Baptism must henceforth be nourished by the Communion of the Divine Mysteries 50 . If they receive communion as sinners, then they should not receive communion once every forty days, not once a year, as the golden-speaking John says: “Just as someone who has a clear conscience should receive communion every day, so it is not safe for someone who remains in sin and does not repent even on a holiday to receive communion. But even if we receive communion once a year, this does not save us from our sins if we approach it unworthily. On the contrary, this condemns us even more, for, only once we approach, we also approach uncleanly. Therefore, I ask all of you: do not touch the Divine Mysteries just because of the holiday” 51. And in another place he writes: “Since priests cannot know all sinners and those who partake of the Sacraments unworthily, God often discovers them and delivers them to Satan. For this reason, illnesses, intrigues, troubles and misfortunes, and other similar things happen to them. And Paul shows this by saying: “That is why many of you are weak and sick, and many are dying” (1 Cor. 11:30). “How,” you say to me, “does this happen if we receive communion only once a year?” The trouble is that we determine the dignity of Communion not by purity of thoughts, but by the period of time, and in the fact that you consider it pious to approach the Sacrament infrequently, not knowing that it is unworthy to approach it even once - it will cause harm to yourself, and if it is worthy, even if often, it will acquire salvation. Insolence does not consist in doing it often, but in doing it unworthily, even if someone takes communion once a year. We are so crazy and damned that, committing thousands of sins throughout the year, we do not take any care to confess them. And at the same time, we believe that it is enough for us not to dare to receive communion continuously and [thereby] not to be offensive to the Body of Christ. Reasoning in this way, we do not understand that those who crucified Christ crucified Him once. But really, because once, the sin is less? And Judas betrayed him once. What of this? Did this save him? Why do we measure this matter in time? At the time of Communion, may we have a clear conscience" 52 . And again: “Who should we praise? Those who [take communion] once? The ones that happen often? Those that are rare? Neither those who are once, nor those who are often, nor those who are rare. But those who [start] with a clear conscience, with a pure heart, with an impeccable life. Such people always begin, but those who are not, never. For they acquire judgment for themselves, and condemnation, and torment, and punishment” 53 . But these blessed ones, I don’t know why, do not hear this, demanding from those who partake of angelic life and state. The fact that everyone who is baptized and reborn in holy Baptism makes a promise to live an angelic life is clear, because he forces himself, as much as he can, to fulfill the Master’s commandments, to which he is called. This is the property of the angelic ranks - to fulfill and always carry out Divine commands. So, therefore, those who are baptized and keep the Divine commandments are not far from angelic residence. And also because they try to preserve in the body the purity of disembodied angels, according to the Apostle, who proclaims and says: “But our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20). That is, our Christian life is heavenly and angelic. But the divine Chrysostom also says: “Let us attract to ourselves the invincible help of the Holy Spirit, keeping the commandments. And then we will in no way be less than angels” 54. And again: “He who is saved receives double grace: he revives his soul, and becomes a bird, gaining the vaults of heaven” 55. Some cite the saying of the Proverb in relation to Divine Communion: “If you find honey, eat as much as you need, so as not to be full of it and not vomit it” (Proverbs 25:16). We are ashamed to respond to this sophistry. After all, eating honey cannot mean the Divine Mysteries, since this, according to Gregory of Sinaite and other fathers, means mental contemplation. If they perceive this saying as speaking about the Divine Gifts, then I prefer to listen to the Pritochnik himself, who tells me: “Eat honey, son, for it is good to eat honey, so that your throat may be satisfied: with this you will understand wisdom in your soul. If you find it, your end will be good, and your hope will not leave you” (Proverbs 24:13-14). However, these people should tell us how they understand the words “as much as you need.” After all, we have no other measure than the sacred Rules of the Apostles and the entire Church of Christ, which say that we should receive communion, if possible, daily or four times a week, as Basil and the divine Chrysostom think, or at least every Saturday and Sunday and on other holidays. Thus, the Apostle commands the husband and wife to abstain from each other during these days, so that they may partake of the Divine Mysteries, saying: “Do not turn away from each other except by consent, for a time, to exercise in fasting and prayer” (1 Cor. 7:5). And the divine Timothy of Alexandria says: “It is necessary to abstain on the Sabbath and Sunday, because on these days a spiritual sacrifice is offered to God” (Answer 13). In other words, let the husband and wife protect themselves from marital relations on Saturday and Sunday, because on these days the spiritual Sacrifice is offered, that is, the Divine Liturgy is celebrated, and they must receive communion. And the divine Gregory of Thessalonica speaks about the holidays: “The first day of the week, called the Day of the Lord 56, since it is dedicated to the Lord, who on this day rose from the dead, and who foretold to us the general Resurrection, and confirmed us in it, in the Resurrection, when all earthly work will be abolished, sanctify this day of the week and do not do any earthly work on this day, except for yourself.” necessary. And provide rest to your subordinates and your family, so that together you may glorify Him who redeemed us from death and raised our nature with Himself; so that you remember the life of the next century and study all the commandments and justifications of the Lord. And so that you test yourself to see if you have transgressed or missed any of them, [and if so, then] so that you correct yourself in everything. And so that you remain on this day in the church of God, participate in the liturgical meeting and Communion held there with sincere faith and an uncondemned conscience of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ. And so that you begin a more strict life, and renew yourself, and prepare yourself to accept future eternal blessings. And in this way you will keep the Sabbath holy, keeping the Sabbath by not doing evil. And to Sunday you will add the established great holidays, doing the same things on these days and abstaining from the same things” 57. Some, fearing atheism, call it heresy when someone constantly takes communion. They say that just as those who receive Baptism outside the tradition of the Church are heretics, so are those who constantly receive communion. To be honest, we are at a loss as to how to respond to these impudent words. Is it just that, according to this opinion, not only all those saints who encouraged the faithful to approach Divine Communion are heretics, but also those who accept their words. And also - oh, blasphemy! - and all the priests who serve and receive communion every day. Most of all, Saint Apollos, who was widely known for his holiness and had five thousand disciples under his obedience. The divine Jerome, who himself came and saw him, writes about him: “After we prayed, they washed our feet and served us a meal, kissed us mentally and physically - that is, we partook of the Divine Mysteries with them, which they do every day. Then, after the meal, we rested, and they, retiring into the desert, prayed on their knees until the morning, until the time came for the church meeting. And after the ninth hour and vespers they received communion, and after Communion some sat down to eat, while others, more zealous, withdrew into silence, living only by the power of Holy Communion. The ever-remembered [elder] gave us many soul-helping instructions, especially that we should partake of the Divine Mysteries every day and receive strangers as angels of God, like Abraham, Lot and others like him, for on these two commandments all the Law and the Prophets are based 58 . So, since the entire face of the divine fathers, by universal recognition, consists of saints and true servants of Christ, it follows that those who raise such an objection, contrary to the above, oppose themselves to the apostles, and to the Ecumenical and Local Holy Councils, as well as to the holy fathers. And not only to them, but also to the Lord himself, Who says: “Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life,” and also: “Do this in remembrance of Me” (John 6:54; Luke 22:19), that is, every day and always, as the divine Chrysostom interprets it, which we talked about earlier. Saint Timothy of Alexandria even allows those possessed by demons to receive communion every Sunday, if they do not blaspheme the Divine Gifts. He says: “A faithful demoniac, if he does not violate the Mysteries, or blasphemes in any other way, then let him receive communion, but not every day: only on Sundays is enough for him” 59 . And while the divine fathers constantly accept not only the healthy, but also the possessed into the Communion of the Divine Mysteries, these blessed ones do not even accept those who are of sound mind, but demand that they appear more legitimate than the law. Some object and say: “Do not those who receive communion often, like all people, experience the influence of the passions of gluttony, vanity, laughter, idle talk and many other similar ones? How come they [despite this] want to receive communion often?” Saint Anastasius of Antioch answers these people: “It happens that some, even those who rarely receive communion, betray themselves to sin. Others, who receive Communion more often, protect themselves, as a rule, from many evils, fearing the judgment of Communion. So, if we fall, like all people, into some human and forgivable sins, being concealed either by the tongue, or by hearing, or by the eyes, or by vanity, or by sadness, or by anger, or by something similar, then, reproaching ourselves and confessing to God, let us thus partake of the Holy Mysteries, believing that the Communion of the Divine Mysteries will cleanse us from these sins. If we commit any serious, evil, carnal, and unclean sins and have rancor towards our neighbor, then until we repent in a worthy manner, we should not touch the Divine Mysteries at all. Since we, being carnal and weak people, fall into many sins, God gave us various sacrifices for the remission of sins, which, when we offer them, cleanse us so that we can begin Communion. So almsgiving is a sacrifice that cleanses sins. There is also another saving sacrifice for the remission of sins, as the prophet David says: “A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, a contrite and humble heart, God will not despise” 60 . If we offer these sacrifices to God, then even when we have any human shortcomings, we can still approach the Holy Mysteries - with fear, and trembling, and tenderness, and confession, as that bleeding [woman] did, crying and trembling. For there is a sin leading to death, and there is a sin leading to repentance, and there is a sin that requires the application of a plaster. True repentance can heal everything. He who approaches the Holy Mysteries with fear, trembling, confession, and tenderness receives forgiveness, and he who approaches without fear and with disdain receives punishment. Such people are not only not given forgiveness of sins, but in addition, the devil gains even greater access to them. And those who come to the Divine Mysteries with fear are not only sanctified and receive remission of sins, but also drive away the devil from themselves.” However, despite all these indisputable testimonies of the holy teachers of the Church, some still do not calm down and offer a different objection, saying: At that time, the majority of the people received communion, and the minority did not receive communion. Therefore, the divine fathers punish the minority so that there is no temptation for the majority. However, now that the majority do not receive communion, except for a few, these few should not receive communion, so as not to create disorder in the Church and not to tempt many. Those who say this should know what “temptation” and “outrage” mean, and then put forward their objection. After all, temptation is and is called that which removes a person from God and brings him closer to the devil. So the Great Basil says: “Committing sin alienates [a person] from God and assimilates [him] to the devil” 61. He also says: “Everything that opposes the will of the Lord is a temptation” 62. And to put it more clearly, temptation is any obstacle placed on the road so that the traveler will stumble over it. So the Prophet asks God to deliver him from this, saying: “Save me, O Lord, from the hand of sinners, from the unrighteous people, take me away from those who thought the heels of my feet. You hid the snare of pride for me, and the snares bound the snare for my feet: I have laid temptations along the path” 63. That is, save me, Lord, from the hands of sinners, deliver me from unjust people who planned to put something under my feet in order to overthrow me; proud people or demons set a trap to catch me, and tied my feet with ropes and nets, and placed temptations and obstacles near my path in order to overthrow me. So, since then the few seduced the many in this way, for they drew them into negligence and the transgression of the commandment of God, and now the many seduce the few, drawing them to renounce the commandment - what to do? Just as then the few cut off their will and followed the many in fulfilling the will of God, so now the many must cut off their will and follow the few in fulfilling the will of God. But it is not so that the few left the commandment of God unfulfilled simply because they were a minority, and for the sake of the majority they followed him to transgress the commandment. For if this were the case, then the prophet Elijah, and the apostles, and so many fathers who fought for the truth would have to hide the truth and follow the majority, since they themselves were few. Therefore, the Great Basil says: “Those who do the will of the Lord must show unyielding boldness, even if some are tempted” 64. Although some say that those who lack the strength to see them receive communion are tempted, let them themselves understand that this happens [in those people] as a result of either envy or hatred of their brother. So, we must not neglect God’s commandments in order to prevent people from being tempted, as Chrysostom says: “We must be as careful as possible not to seduce people, as much as necessary, so as not to give them a reason to accuse us. If we don’t give them a reason, and they still condemn us - just like that and for no reason - then we can only laugh and cry about their foolishness. You try to behave well before God and people. If you do well and someone condemns you, don’t worry about it at all. So Christ said about those who are tempted: “Leave them alone: ​​they are blind leaders of the blind” (Matthew 15:14). For if the cause of temptation is ourselves, then woe to us. And if not us, then there is no sin on us. It also says: “Woe to you, for for your sake the name of God is blasphemed” (Rom. 2:24). How can this be? If you do what you should do, and someone blasphemes, then you have no sin, the sin is on him, for [the name of God] is blasphemed by him. We should not pay attention when some godly deed is hindered by the fact that it becomes a temptation for someone. We should then be truly concerned when others do not force us to resist the will of God. After all, tell me, please, if now, when we are talking, I would like to expose drunkards and one of them would be tempted, should I really stop talking about them? No. In everything you need to know when to stop. When one beautiful girl did not want to get married, chose virginity and became a nun, many blasphemed and scolded those who brought her to this. What then? Because of this, should those people refuse to cut her hair? Certainly not. For they did nothing contrary to God. On the contrary, they did a very godly deed. So, in every matter, we must, following the laws of God, try not to give any reason for temptation, so that we can be innocent and receive from God the gift of love for mankind” 65. This is what we can say about temptation. As for outrage, it is a deed that is committed outside of its rank. Since the rite and law of the Church is that Christians who are at the Divine Liturgy and not under penance should receive communion, as we said before, it is obvious that outrage is committed by those who do not receive communion, thereby violating the laws of the Church. Therefore, the prophet Habakkuk says: “The sun is risen, and the moon is a hundred in its order” (Song 4) 66. In other words, the Sun of righteousness - Christ our God - ascended high on the Cross, and the moon - the Church - was established in its order, that is, in the will and command of God, from which it had previously fallen away. So, those who go beyond the limits of God’s commandment are the ones who produce temptations and outrages, and not those who strive to the best of their ability to keep the Lord’s commandments. Others put forward the Tomos of Unity and say that there is a rule written in the Book of Hours that stipulates that Christians should receive communion three times a year. Tell me, please, even if the rule put forward by these blessed ones is genuine (although in fact it is distorted), would it be fair for it to be stronger than so many trumpets of the Holy Spirit, the evidence of which we have cited? The royal laws write that if any of them, that is, also being royal, the law turns out to be contrary to the sacred canons of the divine fathers, then let it be invalid. The Divine Chrysostom says that customs that are contrary to divine laws must be eradicated. He also says: “Custom seems to be a thing that is inconvenient to bypass and from which it is difficult to preserve. So, as strong as you know the custom is, exert as much strength to get rid of the bad custom and to acquire for yourself a good custom” 67 . Then why do these people want to establish this harmful custom? But since they wish to hide the truth with this rule, we will show briefly what this rule actually says, so that the pure truth will be revealed and no one else will be deceived. This rule was adopted for the following reason. Leo the Wise 68, since he entered into a fourth marriage, was excommunicated from the Church by Patriarch Nicholas, and for this the Tsar deposed Nicholas from the patriarchal throne, since he did not want to forgive him for his quadrugamy. Instead of Nicholas, he elevated Euthymius to patriarch, who allowed the king to be excommunicated. So, for this reason, both the bishops and the rest of the people were divided into two camps: some were for Patriarch Nicholas, and others were for Euthymius. When Tsar Leo died, his brother Alexander reigned after him, who deposed Euthymius from the throne and elevated Nicholas to it again. And when Alexander died, his nephew, that is, the son of Leo, Constantine Porphyrogenitus, reigned under his father-in-law. Roman, had the title “Father-Tsar”. Those who convened the Council in 992 from the Nativity of Christ prohibited not only quadrugamy, but also established this rule against trigamy, saying: “If anyone, having reached forty years of age and not being ashamed of his age, nor caring about the proper Christian decent life, only through the action of passionate lust falls into a third marriage, let him, with all care and observation, not partake of the Holy Place for five years.” Communions, and this period cannot be shortened in any way 69. But even after he has been awarded the Most Pure Communion, may he not be allowed to receive communion at any other time than on the saving Resurrection of Christ our God, for the sake of cleansing, as far as possible, from the previous abstinence of [Great] Lent 70 . If someone, being thirty years old and having children from previous marriages, marries a third wife, he must not partake of Holy Things for four years. And after he is able to partake of the Sacraments, then let him be worthy to enjoy them only three times a year: the first time - on the saving Resurrection of Christ our God, the second - on the Dormition of the Most Pure Lady of Our Lady, and the third time - on the day of the Nativity of Christ our God, for the sake of the fast preceding these days and the benefits that come from it. This Act of the Council was called the Tomos of Unity, because it again united the bishops and the entire people, who had previously been divided by Leo’s quadrugamy. However, I do not know which blessed one - either due to lack of education, or intending to put an obstacle for Christians to eternal life - shortened this rule and, in such a truncated form, placed it in the Book of Hours. And our blessed confessors, having discovered it, trumpeted this rule throughout the entire universe, imposing penance and the rule about trigamists on all Christians: second-marrieds, first-marrieds, virgins, and indeed for all ages. But I am not so much surprised at the confessors as I am surprised that the good bishops and shepherds did not immediately shout the truth into the inspired trumpets in order to brand the evil sower of these tares with shame and uproot this rotten plant from the Church. After all, they have the power from the grace of the Holy Spirit to support every good thing and correct what needs correction. Probably, the bishops give the excuse that since they are under the yoke of the Turks and are bound by many concerns, they trust teachers and preachers to resolve such issues. But in this way, these blessed ones - one not wanting to lose their peace, the other giving other excuses - all withdrawing together and shifting the burden onto each other, hide, as in a tomb, the word of God and the truth and silently make it clear that they agree with what is happening, as the divine Meletius the Confessor says: When someone has achieved knowledge and does not boldly proclaim, who doesn't care about honest things and about the Divine Canons, does not protect the Rules, data he is subject to no less punishment, "He who is silent about the truth hides the risen Christ in the tomb,” and the speech of another agrees with him: and the pit of destruction, and the torment Unfair, unacceptable be silent when the Lord when they try to justify deception As one great man said: "When a pious man sees danger of separation from God and an insult against God, Then will he really remain silent? Will he be completely calm? After all, remaining silent then is the same thing what to agree and approve 71. Saint John the Baptist of the Savior, defying mortal danger, Often recognized as commendable and the battle is incomparably better, than the soul-harming, murky world. After all, it’s better to fight with such who philosophizes unkindly, evilly, than to follow them and freely agree with them in lies, forever separated from God, and connect with these 72 . And the divine Chrysostom says: “If it is unsafe for a person to remain silent when he is offended, then will not he be worthy of all punishment who is silent and does not look at when damage is caused to the Divine laws?” 73. Many objectors say that the practice of Communion is not an article of faith that should be strictly preserved. Although frequent Communion is not a dogma of faith, it is still the Sovereign commandment, which is contained in many sayings of our Lord, especially in the following: “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19), that is, continually and every day as long as this world stands. And therefore, as the Lord’s commandment, it must be kept without fail, as we talked about in the first part of the book. However, those who express such objections reveal that they want to expose dogmas and leave them empty of all ecclesiastical definition and establishment. But we ask them: on what can these dogmas be based? Didn’t the divine Chrysostom tell us that human life needs correct dogmas, and dogmas need a pure life; Is pure life born and achieved thanks to the divine commandments, the sacred laws of the Church and the honest traditions and definitions of the divine fathers? So, if we abandon the sacred rules, the Lord’s commandments and the rest, then pure life will disappear. And when pure life disappears, then we will lose the correct dogmas, and we will remain empty and in darkness. I do not have enough time to list thousands of examples of saints who suffered torment and died for church institutions and rules. And yet there are some so shameless that they not only do not suffer for the truth, but also resist it and boldly reject the Master’s commands, placing before those who begin to receive Communion an obstacle to Divine Communion without any guilt or reason on their part. This is very daring behavior, if we remember that the Lord did not even reject Judas himself from Communion, although he knew that he was a nasty vessel of evil. Every day Christ receives all those who receive communion and those who are worthy, cleanses, enlightens and sanctifies, and first gives over to remorse the unworthy and then, if they improve, accepts them with mercy. And if they remain uncorrected, he gives them over to various diseases, as the Apostle says: “Because they receive communion unworthily, many of you are weak and sick, and many die” (1 Cor. 11:30). These same blessed ones, and not knowing the state of those receiving communion, only in order to preserve the bad custom that has been established in a harmful way, set up obstacles for Orthodox Christians to receive Divine Communion. However, let us ask the Great Basil to tell us the truth: “Is it necessary, O divine and sacred head, or is it not dangerous to refuse any command of God? Is it permissible to prevent someone who has been given such a command from fulfilling it or to obey those who are hindering, especially if the one who is hindering is a true child of God? Or does this thought only seem acceptable, but in fact is contrary to the Divine command?” To this the saint replies: “Since the Lord said: “Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29), it is obvious that everything else is best learned from Him. So in this case, let us remember our Lord Jesus Christ himself, the Only Begotten Son of the Living God. When John the Baptist said to Him: “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” - He answered: “Leave it now, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:14-15) [That is, it is necessary that I fulfill every work that will justify a person]. And how He answered Peter with indignation when he tried to dissuade the Lord from suffering, which He prophetically announced to his disciples on the way to Jerusalem: “Get behind Me, Satan! you are a temptation to me! because you think not about the things of God, but about the things of men” (Matthew 16:23). And again, when the same Peter, giving honor to the Lord Christ, refused to have Him wash his feet, the Lord again said: “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me” (John 13:8). If we need to help the soul more with examples of people who are kindred to us, then let us remember the Apostle who says: “Why do you cry and break my heart? I not only want to be a prisoner, but I am ready to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13). Who could be more glorious than John? Or who could be more sincere than Peter? Or what other thoughts can be found more reverent than theirs? [After all, both of them were moved by a feeling of reverence and reverence, so that one did not want to baptize the Lord, and the other did not want the Lord to wash his feet. However, despite this, they were unable to persuade Christ]. I know that neither Saint Moses nor the prophet Jonah escaped reproach from God for refusing to obey Him, preferring to follow their own reasoning. By all these saints we learn that we must neither contradict the will of God, nor hinder others from fulfilling the commandment of God, nor obey those who hinder its fulfillment. If from these examples the Word of God has taught us what we should not allow, then all the more in everything else we need to imitate the saints who once said: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), and another time: “Judge, is it right before God to listen to you rather than to God? We cannot help but say what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). And Vasily says again: “One should not hinder the one who fulfills the will of God, whether he does it according to the commandment of God or for a purpose consistent with the commandment of God. Also, one who fulfills a commandment should not obey those who hinder him, even if they are true friends of God, but should remain with his decision” 74 . Also: “If someone fulfills the commandment of God not out of a sound disposition [that is, not with the right purpose and without correct reasoning], however, apparently, he follows exactly the teaching of the Lord, then such a person should not be hindered. For by doing this, this person will not harm himself. Sometimes it even happens that people benefit from it. However, it is good to instruct such a person so that his reasoning corresponds to the dignity of the feat,” 75 so that he fulfills the commandment with a godly purpose. And again: “One should not follow human traditions when the commandment of God is violated” 76. And again: “You should not prefer your own will to the will of the Lord, but in every matter you should seek and do the will of God” 77. And the divine Chrysostom says: “We should courageously stand against everything that interferes with our good intentions. Listen to what Christ says: “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37). So, when we do something pleasing to God, let anyone who hinders us in it be an enemy and adversary for us, even if it is a father, or a mother, or anyone else.” 78 The God-bearer Ignatius says: “Whoever tells you something contrary to what God has commanded, even if he is worthy of trust, even if he fasts, even if he performs signs, even if he prophesies, let him be in your eyes a wolf in sheep’s clothing, destroying sheep.”79 And the divine Confessor Meletius says: No need to listen to monks Yes, and there are no elders, When their speeches are lawless, When their advice is evil. And why do I say “presbyters”, “monks”! Do not yield to the bishops themselves, create, and speak, and think suddenly they will become insidiously persuasive 80 . Some are tempted because they cannot convince us with their own words (meaning that there is a ban on continuous Communion), and put forward three arguments in their defense: firstly, they say, the canons and commandments are at the disposal of the bishops; secondly, we should not experience what bishops, teachers and spiritual fathers tell us, but should only simply obey them; and thirdly, they put forward the apostolic saying “obey your leaders and be submissive” (Heb. 13:17). We will not say anything on our own about these three parts of the objection, so as not to cause confusion and embarrassment in anyone. But we also consider it harmful to remain completely silent here. Therefore, so that no one complains, let's see what the saints say [in this regard]. The Great Basil answers the first remark, saying: “If the Lord himself, in whom the Father was well pleased, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and the secret places of knowledge. Who received all authority, all judgment from the Father - if He himself says: “He gave Me a commandment, what to say and what to say” (John 12:49) and also: “What I say, I say, as the Father spoke to Me” (John 12:50), if the Holy Spirit does not speak from Himself, but only says what He hears from Him 81 - how much more pious and safe for us to think and act like this! 82. In other words, we must not transgress the Divine commandments, but we must obediently obey them. And the divine Chrysostom, using the example of the episcopal consecration itself, shows that bishops are subject to the Divine canons and commandments. He says: “Since the bishop - [the high priest in the Old Testament] - was the head of the people, it was necessary for the head of all to have on his head a sign of the power to which he was subject (for if the power is not limited by anything, then it is unbearable, and when it has a symbol of another power over itself, it shows that it is subject to the law); Therefore, the Law commands that the head of the bishop should not be naked, but should be covered, so that the head of the people knows that he has another Head. Therefore, in the Church, at the ordination of priests - [here the saint means bishops, speaking about the priesthood in general, for only bishops wear God-given symbols on their heads, according to Dionysius the Areopagite] - the Gospel of Christ is placed on the head, so that the one being ordained knows that he is receiving the true Gospel tiara, and so that he knows that although he is the head of everyone, must act according to these Gospel laws, holding everyone in his power, but also being kept under the power of laws, being a legislator for everything, but also having a legislator above him - the Gospel law. Therefore, a certain valiant ancient man (Ignatius is his name), who shone in the priesthood and martyrdom, in a letter to a certain bishop says: “Let nothing be done without your will (γν?μη), but do not do anything without the will of God. Therefore, the bishop has the Gospel on his head - a sign that he is under his authority” 83. As for the second, that is, that we should not test bishops, teachers and confessors, but obey them in everything, then Basil the Great answers this: “He who is in charge of the word - [whether a teacher or a bishop] - must always do and speak with much thought and testing, with the aim of pleasing God, because he must also be tested and witnessed by those entrusted to him 84" 85 . Also: “Those who hear who are trained in the [Divine] Scriptures should experience what the teachers say. And what is in accordance with the Scriptures should be accepted, and what is alien to them should be rejected. Those teachers who insist on such teaching should be completely disgusted" 86 . Also: “Those who do not have a great knowledge of the Scriptures should know the distinguishing characteristics of the saints by the fruits of the [Holy] Spirit 87 . And those who have them should be accepted [as saints], and those who have something else should be turned away." 88 Also: “It is not proper to be carried away simply and without testing by those who only pretend to speak the truth. One must know from the testimony of Scripture each one whether [this teacher teaches truth or falsehood].”89 And also: “It is necessary to test every word or deed on the basis of the evidence of the inspired Scripture, so that the good ones are recognized and the evil ones are put to shame” 90. The divine Chrysostom answers the third part of the objection: “Anarchy is evil everywhere, it is the root of many troubles and the cause of disorder and confusion. No less evil is disobedience to superiors. But maybe someone will tell us that there is also a third evil - when the ruler himself is evil. I know this too. And this evil is not small, but it is still much worse than anarchy. For it is better not to be under any authority than to submit to an evil one. Indeed, in the first case, a person is often saved and is often in danger, and in the second, he is always in danger, because he is led into the abyss. But how did Paul say: “Obey your leaders and be submissive”? Having first said: “Looking at the end of their lives, imitate their faith” (Heb. 13:7), then he said: “Obey your teachers and be submissive.” [That is, Paul first testified that these teachers were faithful in everything, and after that he said: “When you see the good fruit of their virtuous life and preaching, imitate them in faith.”] What, you tell me, if the ruler is evil (Hereinafter πονηρ?ς - evil.), should we not obey him? In what sense do you mean "evil"? If it concerns faith, leave him and run - not only from a person, but also from an angel who descended from heaven. And if this concerns life, then don’t be curious. Listen to what Christ says: “In Moses’ seat—[in the teaching chair of the Law]—the scribes and Pharisees sat.” Having first said many terrible things about them, He then says: “They sat down in the seat of Moses... So whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do; But do not follow their works” (Matthew 23:2-3). In other words, they enjoy honor, [they have the right to teach], He says, but their life is unclean; however, do not pay attention to their lives, but to their words. After all, no one will get harm from their morals. Why? Because they are visible to everyone and because the teacher himself, even if he is a thousand times evil, will never teach evil morals. As for faith, evil is not visible to everyone, and the teacher does not refuse to teach this way. Therefore, “Judge not, lest ye be judged” (Matthew 7:1) is said about a way of life, and not about faith. Therefore, Paul first presented [the shepherds as true in all respects], and then says: “Obey those who teach you.” 91 And in another place: “You say that such and such a person is meek, has a sacred rank, is very prudent, and does such and such. Don't tell me that he is meek, that he is wise, that he is pious, that he is a priest. If you wish, even if it is Peter or Paul, or even an angel descending from heaven, even then I will not pay attention to the significance of the person. After all, I am not reading the slave law, but the Tsar’s law. When the writings of the King are read, let all slavish significance be silent. Why are you giving me examples of this and that? God will judge you not for the negligence of slaves like you, but for failure to fulfill His laws. I commanded you, He will say to you on the Day of Judgment, and you should have obeyed, and not cited the example of so-and-so or been curious about the evil deeds of another. After all, the great David also committed a terrible sin, but does this mean, tell me, that now it is no longer dangerous for us to sin? Therefore, we need to beware and be jealous only of the exploits of the saints, and negligence and violation of the law - [which could sometimes happen to them, like people] - with great diligence to avoid. For we will be judged not by slaves like us, but by the Master himself - to Him we will give an answer for everything we have done in life” 92. That's what the saints say. We, my brothers, since the Lord has called us to peace (Hereinafter - ειρ?νη), must submit to the bishops, confessors, and teachers for the sake of their rank, which they have from God. If any of them does something unreasonable or interferes with us in some godly matter, then let us not stop asking him and praying until we convince him that the will of God should be fulfilled, so that peace reigns among us, unanimity and harmony reign, there is love between shepherds and sheep, between bishops and Christians, between priests and laity, between those in charge and those in charge. So that temptations, shocks, schisms, divisions may be removed from us. For all this destroys our souls, and our homes, and our churches, and every society, and nation. In short: that we may all be one body and one Spirit, all with one hope, to which we are called, so that the God of peace may be with us. Some say: “Behold, we fulfill the commandment of the Lord - we take communion two or three times a year, and this is enough for our justification [at the Last Judgment].” We answer to such people that this is also good and useful, but taking communion more often is much better. For the more someone approaches the light, the more he becomes enlightened; the more he approaches the fire, the more he warms up; the closer he gets to the shrine, the more he becomes sanctified. Thus, the more often someone approaches God in Communion, the more he becomes enlightened, warmed, and sanctified. My brother, if you are worthy to receive communion two or three times a year, then you are worthy to receive communion more often, as the divine Chrysostom says, just prepare carefully and do not lose this dignity. So, what prevents us from receiving communion? Our negligence and laziness that defeat us. And so we do not prepare as much as we can to join. Answering in a different way, we must say that these people do not fulfill, contrary to what they believe, the commandment of God. For where did God or any of the saints command that we should receive communion two or three times a year? This cannot be found anywhere. Therefore, we need to know that when we fulfill any commandment, we must look to fulfill it in accordance with the commandment. That is, we must observe the place, and the time, and the goal, and the manner of action, and all the circumstances under which it must be fulfilled, so that the good that we will do will thus be perfect in everything and pleasing to God. All this applies to Divine Communion. To receive communion unceasingly is both necessary and beneficial for the soul, and in accordance with the commandment of God, and is a perfect and pleasing good. But to receive communion only three times a year is not in accordance with the commandment, and is an imperfect good, for it is not good that not good is done. Therefore, just as all other commandments of God require the necessary time for themselves, according to Ecclesiastes: “A time for every thing” (Eccl. 3:17), so we should devote due time to fulfilling the commandment about Communion. In other words, the appropriate time for Communion is the moment when the priest proclaims: “Draw near with the fear of God, faith and love.” But is this only heard in church three times a year? O misfortune and misfortune! For the material body to survive, it must eat two or three times a day every day. And the unfortunate soul, in order to live a spiritual life, has to eat this life-giving food only three times or even once a year? Isn't this great folly? Otherwise, I am afraid, I am afraid that fulfilling the commandments will not be useless for us - after all, we distort and distort them and therefore are not executors of the law, but contrarians. Often, when we fast, we believe that we are fulfilling God’s commandment, but in fact, as the divine Chrysostom says, we are sinning: “Don’t tell me that they are fasting, but prove to me whether they are doing this in accordance with the will of God. And if not in agreement, then this fast is more unlawful than drunkenness. After all, we must look not only at what they do, but also look for the reason for what is happening [why they do it]. For what is done according to the will of God, even if it seems bad, is actually the best. And what is done against the will of God, although it seems the best, is in fact the worst and most illegal. For deeds are not good or evil in themselves, but the will of God makes them good or evil” 93. Discourse 32 on the Gospel of Matthew. See: Works of our holy father John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople. T.7. Book 1. St. Petersburg, 1901, pp. 359–360. Commentary on the Second Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. Conversation 18. See: Decree. edition. T.10. Book 1. St. Petersburg, 1904, p.632. See: Works of Blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica. M., 1994, p.93. Against the Jews. Word 3. See: Complete collection of works of St. John Chrysostom. T.1. Book 2. M., 1991, p.674. Word 2. On the creation of the world. Against the Jews. Word 3. See: Complete collection of works of St. John Chrysostom. T.1. Book 2. M., 1991, pp. 673–676. Conversation about the Baptism of the Lord and the Epiphany. Cm ; Decree. ed. T.2. Book 1. M., 1993, p. 406. A word about seraphim. See: Works of our holy father John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople. T.6. Book 1. St. Petersburg, 1900, p. 427. Book 4, chapter 2. On the Gospel of John. “All who enter the church and listen to the sacred scriptures, but, due to some deviation from order, do not participate in prayer with the people or turn away from Communion of the Holy Eucharist, may they be excommunicated from the church until they confess, show the fruits of repentance and ask for forgiveness, and thus be able to receive it.” Compare: “Those were exceptional cases, not common to everyone; but what happens exclusively for some, only a few, is not recognized by the Holy Church as a common law for all.” Rev. Simeon the New Theologian. Creations. T.1. Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 1993, p.204. Word 22. – Approx. translator “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 have no life in you” (John 6:53). Wed. “Holy to saints” in the Liturgy of John Chrysostom. Compare: “What does God say in the prophet? “And let them eat the goat offered on the day of fasting for all sins” - note carefully - “and let only the priests, all of them, eat the entrails unwashed with vinegar.” Why? “Because of Me,” said the Lord, when I once sacrifice My flesh for the sins of the new people, you will give them bile and vinegar to drink: then you will eat alone, while the people will fast and mourn, covered with sackcloth and ashes.” And to show that He must suffer for them, listen to what commandment He gave. “Take two goats, good and identical, and sacrifice them: let the priest take one of them as a burnt offering.” What should they do with the other? “The other,” it is said, “may he be damned.” Notice how the transformation about Jesus is revealed here. “Spit on him with everything, and smite him, and lay a wave of scarlet around his head, and let him thus be driven into the wilderness.” After this action is completed, the bearer carries the goat into the desert, removes the scarlet wave from it and places it on a bush called rosehip, the sprouts of which we usually eat when we find them in the field, and which alone among the bushes has sweet fruits. And why, notice, that one goat is laid on the altar, and the other is made damned, and why is the damned one crowned? Because the Jews will see Him on that day with a long scarlet robe around His body and will say: “Isn’t this the one whom we once humiliated, pierced, mocked and crucified? Truly this is the One who then called Himself the Son of God.” Likewise, why should the goats be the same, good and equal? So that the Jews, seeing Him then coming, would be struck by the resemblance of a goat. This is a type of Jesus who had to suffer.” Epistle of the Apostle Barnabas. Ch. VII. – Approx. lane Word 71. On St. Philologist. Commentary on the First Epistle to Timothy. Conversation 5. See: Works of our holy father John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople. T.11. Book 1. St. Petersburg, 1905, pp. 656–657. Conversations on the Epistle to the Hebrews. See: Decree. ed. T.12. St. Petersburg, 1905, pp. 153–154. Discourse 75 on the Gospel of John. See: St. John Chrysostom. Conversations on the Gospel of John. Book 2. M., 1993, p. 504. Word 4. On the creation of the world. In Greek, Sunday is called Κυριακ? - the day of the Lord. – Approx. lane Decalogue of the Law of Christ. Commandment 4. See: “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40). Rule 3. So in the Greek Book of Rules - “The Helmsman” (“Πηδ?λιον”, θεσσαλον?κη, 1991). This edition of the rule is confirmed by Aristin and Armeiopoulos, while the Slavic version “from time to time” is confirmed by Balsamon and Zonara. The Greek “Helmsman” contains the following note: “See. and page 1046 of “Evergetinos”, where Abba Cassian says that Holy Communion was taught to the demon-possessed and was never forbidden for them by the ancient elders, and that the Holy Gifts are not given as food to the demon, but rather for the purification of the soul and body and the capture of the evil spirit residing in the members of the human body, and that if we forbid Communion to the demon-possessed, then by doing so we give the demon the opportunity to more often and more severely them to act due to their deprivation of God’s help given from Divine Communion.” Said edition, p. 668. – Approx. lane See: “A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; You will not despise a broken and humble heart, O God” (Ps. 50:19). Moral rules, 22, 1. See: Works like the saints of our father Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Part 3. M., 1993, p. 393. Moral rules, 33, 2. See: Ibid., p.402. See: “Keep Me. Lord, from the hands of the wicked, save me from the oppressors who are planning to make my steps slip. The proud have hidden snares and snares for me, they have spread a net along the road, they have laid out snares for me” (Ps. 139:4-6). Moral rules, 33, 5. See: Ibid., p.404. Discourse 46 on Acts. See: St. John Chrysostom. Conversations on the Acts of the Apostles. M., 1994, pp. 405–406. We provide a translation based on the text by Rev. Nicodemus. “The sun and the moon stood still in their place” (Hab. 3:11). Catechetical words. Word 2. See: Complete collection of works of St. John Chrysostom. T.2. Book 1. M., 1993, p.258. Leo VI the Wise, Byzantine emperor 886–912. – Approx. lane Of course, except when a person is dying. In this state, he is always allowed to take communion, no matter what penance he is under. If the person recovers, the period of penance continues. – Approx. lane That is, it is allowed to receive communion only on Easter. – Approx. lane Rev. Nicodemus interprets this passage as follows: “Silence is betrayal and renunciation of the truth.” Poetic arrangement by Sergei Dyachenko. The Word about Blessed Babylon and against Julian. See: The Complete Works of St. John Chrysostom. T.2. Book 2. M., 1994, p.589. Moral rules, 19, 1. See: Works like the saints of our father Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea of ​​Cappadocia. Part 3. M., 1993. p. 387. Moral rules, 19, 2. See: Ibid., p.388. Moral rules, 12, 2. See: Ibid., p.378. Moral rules, 12, 4. See: Ibid., p.379. About virginity. See: Complete collection of works. T.1. Book 2. M., 1991, p. 367. Epistle 10, Iron, deacon of Antioch. Ch. 2, 1. See: “When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears, He will speak...” (John 16:13). About faith. See: Works like the saints of our father Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Part 5. M., pp. 21–22. That is, he must receive evidence from his subordinates, confirmation that his deeds and words are true. – Approx. lane Moral rules, 70, 37. See: Ibid., p.476. Moral rules, 72, 1. See: Ibid., p.478. See: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23). Moral rules, 72, 2. See: Ibid., p.478. Moral rules, 28, 1. See: Ibid., p.398. Moral rules, 26, 1. See: Ibid., p.396. Catechetical word 1. See: Complete collection of the works of St. John Chrysostom. T.2. Book 1. M., 1993, p.257. Against the Jews. Word 4. See: Complete collection of works of St. John Chrysostom. T.1. Book 2. M., 1991, p.680. You might be interested in: