By
the Athonite Hieromonk Arsenius, Holy Monastery
of Stavronikita (+1846).
He
that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in
him. [Jn 6:56]
What
can be loftier and more desirable than these most comforting words of
our Savior in which He expresses all His love, all the boundless
abyss of His compassion which is given to man in the Mystery of
Communion! With what can we compare the state of a man who is united
with the Lord Himself! This is the Mystery of Mysteries, so exalted
that it can only be grasped in part by man's limited mind. It is
sufficient for us to know that in the Mystery of Communion we are
granted, through His grace, the greatest of God's gifts, and
therefore we must by all means try to live in such a way that we may
more often approach this most Holy Mystery, which the ancient
Christians were furnished and partaking of on a daily basis.
Holy
Communion, strengthening our spiritual and bodily powers, also serves
as an invincible weapon for us in defeating the invisible enemy of
our salvation—the devil. This enemy is extremely dangerous for us.
How many snares he sets out for our ruin and destruction, in which he
tries with all his power to entrap us; wherever we go, at almost
every step, this evil spirit tries to wound us, ever trying to
deceive and tempt us. We want to do good, but he lures us into evil;
we want to pray, but he brings upon us foul thoughts, laziness,
heaviness and so forth, taking advantage of our weaknesses and our
inclination towards sin. How much care, attention to self, and
self-discipline is required of us, lest this cruel spirit of malice
prevail over us!
This
enemy of mankind is so much the more dangerous in that he is
invisible to us and is exceedingly cunning and evil. Against such a
dangerous foe we must use a mighty weapon; but what can be more
powerful than the most holy Mystery of Communion? In itself it is an
almighty power, for in partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ we
receive the Master of heaven and earth, Whose might is infinite. On
the other hand, it contains within itself all the power of our great
redemption which was accomplished for us by our Savior, the fruit of
which was victorious triumph over the dark kingdom of the devil.
He
that rarely approaches this saving Mystery is estranging himself from
salvation. Even common sense can grasp the truth of this. He who
receives Holy Communion often, also cleanses his conscience often in
the Mystery of Confession, and in reliving his grief and contrition
over the sins he has committed, he sets the saving fear of God as
seal on his soul, keeping him from sin. To attain this, he must arm
himself more often with good thoughts and good works which keep him
from sin and draw him nearer to God. Then, accord¬ing to the
frequency of Communion, good dispositions and virtues acquire great
power and become essential to the soul.
Each
of us knows from experience that frequent repetition of anything
forms a habit in us. He that repeats a sin often makes himself a
slave to sin; he that strives for virtue becomes a struggler of
piety. Thus, the person who partakes of Com-munion often necessarily
acquires the disposition to serve the Lord with fervor, for he truly
believes in the power of this Divine Mystery; he praises God with
gladness and hope, for he truly trusts that the Lord is his helper
and defender; he submits to Him with humility and love, because he
truly loves the Lord Who has loved him and bestowed upon him every
heavenly gift.
Present-day
Christians, for the most part, rarely approach the saving Mysteries
of Confession and Holy Communion but Christians of the first
centuries were vouchsafed this gift daily. From this it is evident
how piety has decreased in our days, and that it will do so further
in the future. One can sometimes hear people say that they avoid
approaching the Holy Mysteries because they consider themselves
unworthy. But who is worthy of it? No one on earth is worthy of it,
but whoever confesses his sins with heartfelt contrition and
approaches the Chalice of Christ with consciousness of his
unworthiness the Lord will not reject, in accordance with His words,
him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (Jn 6:37).
Others
are so caught up in the vanity of the world that they find no time to
prepare for Communion, or only prepare haphazardly for this most holy
Christian duty. What carelessness concerning such a lofty gift of
God, what negligence concerning the salvation of one's soul!
Throughout the whole year they cannot set aside even a few days for
the salvation of their soul, when before their eyes there are almost
daily examples of sudden death. And we will not remain silent about
the person who indeed approaches the Chalice of Christ unworthily Of
such people the word of God says: He that eateth and drinketh
unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning
the Lord's body. (I Cor 11:29).
Approaching
this awesome mystery, we say, neither like Judas will I give Thee a
kiss. Who is it that gives the Lord the kiss of Judas? Without a
doubt, it is those who, not having cleansed their consciences by
heartfelt repentance, not having grieved over their sins, approach
the Chalice of Christ without the fear of God, or those who, having
been joined to the Lord, having been sanctified by His most holy gift
and freely cleansed of their innumerable transgressions, the spawn of
the spirit of malice, return again to their foul deeds, again become
enslaved to Satan. Woe, eternal woe, to such people!
Let
us conclude our discourse on the communion of the Holy Mysteries of
Christ by pointing out some of the innu¬merable blessings which it
bestows upon those who receive Communion worthily. According to the
teaching of the Church (pre-Communion prayers), this most Holy
Mystery of the Body and Blood gives to those partaking of it worthily
strengthening of joints and bones, healing of divers infirmities,
health, strength, preservation, salvation and sanctification of soul
and body, estrangement and cleansing of a defiled soul, preservation
from every soul-corrupting deed and word, protection from every
action of the devil, a rampart and aid in dispersing the enemy (i.e.,
evil spirits); the driving away of every fantasy, evil act and work
of the devil acting mentally in our members; the burning up and utter
destruction of wicked thoughts and undertakings, and of nocturnal
fantasies of the dark and evil spirits; correction of life and
confirmation in holiness of life, keeping of the commandments,
increase in virtue and perfection, enlightenment of the senses, peace
of the powers of the soul, unashamed faith, fullness of wisdom,
enlightenment of the eyes of the heart, boldness and love towards
God, the gift of the Holy Spirit, an increase of divine grace; the
abiding in our soul of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit; strengthening of life, an earnest of the future life and
kingdom, provision for eternal life, a good defense before the dread
judgment seat of Christ, and communion of heavenly blessings.
With
a conscience cleansed by the Mystery of Confession and with a sincere
desire to correct our life, let us more and more often come to
partake of the Heavenly Meal given us in the Mystery of the Body and
Blood of Christ. And, by worthy reception of this lofty gift, we may
in turn receive those innumerable gifts which are bestowed upon us
through this great Mystery. Those of us who worthily taste this most
Holy Bread here on earth have the eyes of our soul towards Him and we
pray that, one day, we may be deemed worthy in partaking Christ more
completely in heaven as well. And through His grace, we shall remain
eternally in communion with and in the face to face vision of Jesus
Christ, our Creator, Master and Redeemer, of which may we all be
deemed worthy through His good pleasure and beneficence.
Vol.
10, Issue 07-08 Orthodox Heritage
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