The Most Soulful Book about the Unceasing Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ - St. Nicodemus (Kallivroutzis)

 

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T A L M A C H

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Vladimir Djambov ©

 

St. Nicodemus the Hagiorite (Kallivroutzis)

The Most Soulful Book about the Unceasing Communion of
the Holy Mysteries of Christ

below:
Saint Gregory Palamas

On Divine and Deifying Communion, or
On Divine and Supernatural Simplicity

 

I. That Orthodox Christians must often partake of the Divine Body and Blood of our Lord.

II. About the useful and salutary frequent Communion of the Holy Mysteries.

III. About the fact that if someone hesitates to take communion, then this causes great harm to himself.

IV. Answers to objections to the unceasing Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ
                 Objection 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

V. Epilogue

 

 

 

On the need for Orthodox Christians to often partake of the Divine Body and Blood of our Lord

It is commanded to all Orthodox Christians to partake often, firstly, of the Sovereign Commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ, secondly, of the Acts and Rules of the Holy Apostles and Holy Councils, as well as the testimonies of the divine Fathers, thirdly, by the words themselves, the rite and sacred action of the Holy Liturgy, and fourthly, and finally, Holy Communion itself.

1. Our Lord Jesus Christ , before giving the Sacrament of Communion, said: “The bread that I will give is My Flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” ( John 6:51 ). That is, the food that I want to give you is My Flesh, which I want to give for the revitalization of the whole world. This means that Divine Communion for believers is a necessary component of spiritual and Christ-like life. But since this spiritual and according to Christ life should not be quenched and interrupted (as the Apostle says, do not quench the spirit ( 1 Thess. Risen One (according to the same Apostle ¹), that is, that the living faithful should no longer live a life of their own and of the flesh, but the life of Christ, who died and rose again for them—thus, it is absolutely required that that which constitutes it, that is, Divine Communion, be permanent.

And in another place the Lord says commandingly: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you” ( John 6:53). From these words it becomes clear that Divine Communion is as necessary for Christians as Holy Baptism is necessary. Because the same double command that He spoke about Baptism, He also said about Divine Communion. Of holy Baptism He said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God” ( John 3:5). And about Divine Communion in a similar way: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you.” And so, just as it is impossible for anyone to live a spiritual life and be saved without Baptism, so it is impossible for anyone to live without Divine Communion. However, since these two [Sacraments] have this difference, that Baptism takes place once, while Divine Communion is celebrated constantly and daily, it is concluded from this that there are two necessary things in Divine Communion: firstly, it must be performed, and secondly , take place constantly.

Moreover, when the Lord gave this Sacrament to His disciples, He did not say to them in the form of advice: “Whoever wants, let him eat My Body, and whoever wants, let him drink My Blood,” as He said: “If anyone wants to follow Me " ( Matt.16:24 ) and "if you want to be perfect" ( Matt.19:21 ). But He proclaimed commandingly: “Take, eat, this is My Body”, and “drink everything from it, this is My Blood” (see Matt. 26: 26-28 ). That is, by all means you must eat My Body and must necessarily drink My Blood. And again he says: “Do this in remembrance of Me” ( Luke 22:19). That is, this Sacrament I commit to you, so that it is performed not once, or twice, or three times, but daily (as the divine Chrysostom explains) in remembrance of My sufferings. My death and all My economy of salvation.

These words of the Lord clearly represent two necessary [points] in Communion: one is the obligatory command they contain, and the other is the duration indicated by the word “do”, which, understandably, means that we are commanded not just to take communion but keep communion unceasingly. So, everyone now sees that the Orthodox are not allowed to violate this command, no matter what rank it may be, but he is charged with a duty and duty to keep it without fail, to accept it as the Master's commandments and ordinances.

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2. The divine apostles, following this imperative commandment of our Lord, at the beginning of the sermon [Gospel], at the first opportunity, gathered with all the faithful in a secret place because of fear from the Jews ( John 20:19 ), taught Christians, prayed, and, while celebrating the Sacrament, they communed both themselves and all those assembled, as St. Luke in the Acts of the Apostles, where he says that the three thousand who believed in Christ on the day of Pentecost and were baptized were with the apostles to hear their teaching, to gain benefit from them, to pray with them and partake of the Most Pure Mysteries in order to be sanctified and it is better to be affirmed in the faith of Christ. “They were constantly ,” he says, “ in the teaching of the apostles, in fellowship and breaking bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42 ).

And so that this necessary tradition of the Lord was preserved by subsequent Christians and not forgotten over time, what the apostles then did, they wrote in their 8th and 9th Rules, commanding with a strict test and with the punishment of excommunication, so that no one would be left without Communion of the Divine Mysteries, when the Holy Liturgy is celebrated.

“If a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, or anyone from the holy list does not take communion when making an offering: let him present the reason, and if he is blessed, let him be excused. If he doesn’t imagine: let him be excommunicated from the communion of the Church, as if he had become guilty of harm to the people, and brought suspicion to those who made the offering, as if he had done it wrong” ² . That is, if someone does not take communion when the Holy Liturgy is served, let him say the reason why he did not take communion, and if it is respectful, let him be forgiven, but if he does not say this, then he should be excommunicated.

And in the 9th canon they say: “All the faithful who enter the church and listen to the scriptures, but do not remain in prayer and Holy Communion to the end, as if they are causing disorder in the church, should be excommunicated from the fellowship of the Church” ³ . That is, all those believers who come to church and listen to the Scriptures, but do not remain in prayer and do not partake of Holy Communion, must be excommunicated from the Church, because they are causing outrage in the church.

Explaining this rule, Balsamon says: "The definition of this rule is very severe, for it excommunicates those who come to the church and do not stay to the end and do not take communion." And other canons similarly command that everyone be ready and worthy of Communion.

The Council of Antioch, following the holy apostles, first confirms their above rule, and then adds: “All who enter the church and listen to the sacred writings, but due to some deviation from the order, do not participate in prayer with the people or turn away from Communion of the holy Eucharist, yes they will be excommunicated from the Church until then, as they confess, they will bear the fruits of repentance and will ask for forgiveness, and thus they will be able to receive it” ⁴ . That is, all those who enter the church and listen to the sacred scriptures, but do not pray with the rest of the people or refuse Divine Communion, should be absent until they confess and show the fruits of repentance, and ask for forgiveness, after what can be forgiven.

So, do you see, my brethren, that all Christians are subject to indispensable excommunication and must take communion often, and that they are obliged to do this at every Liturgy, so as not to be excommunicated both by the holy apostles and by the holy Synod?

3. If we take a close look at the Divine and Holy Liturgy, we will see that from beginning to end it all aims and points to the Communion of the assembled Christian believers, for this is revealed by the prayers that the priest reads secretly, and exclamations, and all the words and sacred rites, and the rites that take place on it.

In the prayer, which is called the prayer of the faithful, it is written: “Give them (that is, the faithful), who always serve You with fear and love, innocently and uncondemnedly partake of Your Holy Mysteries.” In the prayer that follows the commission of the Mysteries ⁵ , it is written: "It is as if he were partaking of the soberness of the soul, for the remission of sins." That is, so that these Holy Gifts serve the partaking of the faithful for the purification of the soul and the forgiveness of sins. The prayer that is before Communion says: “And make me worthy by Your sovereign hand to give us Your most pure Body and precious Blood, and to us all people.” That is, make us worthy, Lord, to give us with Your strong hand Your Holy Body and precious Blood, and through us pass it on to all Your people.

We also see this in the exclamations when the priest calls out, as if from the Face of the Lord, to the people: “Take, eat, this is My Body” and “drink from it all, this is My Blood.” And when, holding in his hands the holy Chalice with the life-giving Body and Blood, he comes out of the gate and shows it to the people, then he invites them to Divine Communion and loudly calls out: “Come with the fear of God, faith and love ^. ” That is, approach with the fear of God, with faith and love, partake of the Divine Mysteries.

After Communion, the priest and the people thank God for this great grace that they have received. The people give thanks: “May our lips be filled with Your praise, O Lord, as Thou hast vouchsafed us to partake of Your Holy, Divine, immortal and life-giving Mysteries,” which means: “O Lord, let our lips be filled with praise to You, for You have honored us to partake of the Holy and your immortal secrets. And the priest says: “Forgive me, having received the Divine, Holy, Most Pure and life-giving Mysteries, we worthily thank the Lord,” which means: “Brethren, since with a clear conscience we all partake of the Holy and life-giving Mysteries, let’s give thanks to the Lord together.”

But the Cherubic Hymn that the people sing, if anyone thinks about it, is a preparation for Communion, because it says: “All of us, mysteriously depicting many-eyed cherubim and singing the thrice-holy song to the Life-Giving Trinity, let us clear our minds from all care and trouble of this world, for we have to receive into our souls and partake of the King of all things, Who is surrounded invisibly by the ranks of heavenly angels. The same means the Lord's Prayer , proclaimed after the sacraments, for in it Christians ask God and the Father to give them their daily bread, which is mainly Holy Communion.

And the very names of the Liturgy - "Communion" (Κοινονια) and "Assembly" ( Συνάντηση ), as it is predominantly called, prompt in a certain sense with the necessity of frequent Communion. After all, “Communion” and “Assembly” mean that by Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ all the faithful gather, commune and unite with Christ, and become one body and one spirit with Him.

So, on the basis of all this sacred order of the Divine Liturgy, I ask you, my brothers, tell me with the fear of God and listening to the conscience in your soul, is it not obvious that those Christians who come to the Liturgy are obliged to take communion often? Do they not have a duty to do this, so that the Liturgy may be revealed as fellowship, assembly and meal, and so that they do not turn out to be criminals of what they believe and confess? And if they don't take communion, as they themselves admit, then I'm afraid, I'm afraid they might turn out to be criminals? And therefore, I do not know whether the true order and whether it is appropriate that they are invited by the priest, and other words and sacred actions and the rule that happens at the Liturgy? Because all, as one, retreat, and not a single Christian is found who would fulfill them and obey the invitation of the priest, or, to put it better, God,

Therefore, the divine Chrysostom, following the sacred Rules of the holy Apostles and holy Councils, which we spoke about before, especially reflecting on all these sacred actions of the Divine Liturgy and seeing that they have the goal of Communion of the faithful, passes judgment that those who come to the Liturgy and do not receive communion, they are not worthy even to enter the temple. He says: “I see that many partake of the Body [and Blood] of Christ just as it happens, driven by custom and a legalistic attitude rather than rational reasoning. For when the time of the Holy Forty Day comes, everyone, no matter what he may be, that is, worthy or unworthy, partakes of the Mysteries. Everyone does the same when the day of Theophany comes, even if it is not time for him to take communion.

But neither the Theophany nor the Fortecost make people worthy of Communion, but sincerity and purity of soul make them worthy. With this purity of soul you can take communion every time [when you are present at the Liturgy], but without it, do not ever take communion, for, [Paul] says, every time you do this, you proclaim the death of the Lord, that is, you make a remembrance of your own salvation and the favor that has been done to you.

Consider how careful those who ate from the sacrifices of the old law used. Because what did they do! What did not use! They were constantly being cleansed. But you, having the intention to partake of that Sacrifice before which the angels tremble, you limit the cleansing to intervals of time. And how will you appear at the Judgment Seat of Christ if you dare to take communion with filthy hands and lips?

I see a big mess going on in this case. For at other times you do not take communion, although you are often clean, but when Pascha comes, even if you have done some evil, you dare and take communion. O bad practice! O evil prejudice!

In vain the Liturgy is served daily, in vain we stand in the altar - no one comes to take communion. I say this not so that you would receive communion just as it happens, but so that you would make yourself worthy.

O man! Are you not worthy of Communion? Then you are unworthy to hear the prayers of the Liturgy. You hear the deacon standing and crying: "Those who are in repentance, all ask God to forgive you." Those who do not receive communion are still in the rank of penitents. So what are you standing for? If you are in the rank of penitents, then you cannot take communion, because the one who does not take communion is among the penitents. Why does [the deacon] cry out: “Come out, those who cannot pray to God,” while you stand insolently? If you are not one of the penitents, but one who has the opportunity to receive communion, how can you not take care to receive communion? Or do you not consider Communion a great gift and neglect it?

Think, please! Here is the royal meal, angels serve at this meal, the King himself is present here, and you stand like an onlooker. The clothes of your soul are unclean, and it does not touch you? But [maybe] they are clean? Then sit down and eat from her. Christ at each Liturgy comes to see those who are sitting at the meal, talks to everyone and now says to everyone in his conscience: “Friends, how do you stand here [in the Church] without having a wedding garment?” Didn't He ask, "Why did you sit down to eat?" But even before he sat down, he told him that he was not even worthy to enter here. After all, He did not say, “Why did you lie down?” But, “How did you enter?” (See Matt. 22: 2-14 ).

Christ proclaims the same thing now to all of us who stand insolently and shamelessly, for everyone who does not partake of the Mysteries stands shamelessly and insolently. For this reason [the deacons] remove first those who are in sins.

For when the Master is to enter into the table, those servants who have been guilty should not be there, but they should flee from his face. So, of course, it happens here too, when the Liturgy is served and the Lamb, the Lamb of the Lords, is sacrificed.

When you hear: “Let us all pray together,” when you see that the gates of the altar are opening, then consider that heaven is opening and angels are descending. And just as there should not be a single unbaptized here, so there should not be a single [albeit baptized, but] unclean and filthy.

Tell me, please, if someone were invited to a meal, went there, washed their hands, sat down and prepared for the meal, and then did not eat, would they not offend the one who invited them? Wouldn't it be better if he didn't come at all? So did you: you came to the meal, sang hymns with the rest, confessed that you were worthy (because you did not leave along with the unworthy), how can you [after all this] remain [at the Liturgy] and not take communion from this Meal?

But you say, "I'm not worthy." Then you are not worthy to participate in prayers, because the Holy Spirit descends not only on the present [Holy Gifts], but also on these hymns. Haven't you seen how the slaves of their masters first wash the refectory, clean the house, and then offer the dishes? This is done with us through prayers, through the exclamation of the deacon: we wash the church like a sponge, so that the Mysteries can be offered in a clean church and no stain, no vice can be found in it. Impure eyes are not worthy to see this sight, defiled ears are not worthy to hear [these chants]. For this is what the law commands: if even an animal wanted to approach Mount Sinai, it had to be stoned to death. So they were not worthy to be even at the foot of the mountain, although later they approached and saw the place whereGod . It was necessary to approach and see after. And when [God] was present, it was necessary to leave.”

So you too, Christian, if you are not worthy to approach and see God at the end of the Liturgy, run away together with the catechumens, for [Chrysostom continues] “you have nothing greater than them. After all, this is not the same thing: never to receive communion [being unbaptized] and [after Baptism], having been granted Communion, to turn out to be a sinner and unworthy of Communion.

I would like to tell you even more and more terrible, but in order not to overload your mind, this is enough. For those who do not understand this will not be able to understand more. So, so that our words do not serve to condemn you even more, we ask you not that you do not come, but that you make yourself worthy of both the presence [at the Liturgy] and Communion.

Tell me, please, if a certain king commanded: "He who commits such and such an evil, let him not come near my table," then for the sake of this honor would you not want to apply all your possible strength to protect yourself from evil? [When the priest invites us to come up to take communion, then] the Lord calls us to ascend to heaven, to the meal of the great and wonderful King, but we refuse, and hesitate, and are not in a hurry, and do not strive for this. And what then is the hope of salvation left to us? We cannot say that disease or nature hinders us, but only our negligence makes us ^unworthy .

Do you hear, my brother, what this great teacher of the Church says? That they are not worthy to come to the Liturgy who, having no obstacles, are not ready to take communion?

But what do you say? That, as things are, I won't go to the Liturgy at all.

No, my brother, no. And you are not allowed to do this, because then you are subject to excommunication, as the Holy and Ecumenical Fifty-sixth Council determines, saying: no urgent need or obstacle that would be removed from his church for a long time, but, staying in the city, on three Sundays in the course of three weeks he will not come to the church meeting: then let the clergy be expelled from the clergy, and let the layman be removed from communion » ⁸ . That is, one who is in the city and does not go to churchthree Sundays [in a row], if he is a clergyman, he must be defrocked, and if he is a layman, he must be excommunicated. The same is determined by the Sardic Holy Local Council in its 11th Rule ⁹ .

So, you are subject to the punishment of excommunication, beloved, if you do not do both, that is, you do not go to the Liturgy and do not prepare as much as you can to receive communion, if you have no obstacles. You can't break one or the other.

For if you do not violate all this, then you preserve [in integrity] all the sacred functions of the Divine Liturgy, as we said before, and do not transgress the order that the Church received from our Lord Himself, from the apostles, from the Councils, and also from the saints. And the rite is as follows: the Holy Bread must be divided at every Liturgy, and those faithful who have no obstacles must come to take communion.

As Simeon of Thessalonica says , “The Divine Liturgy is a service, the purpose of which is the sacrament of the Most Holy Body of Christ and Blood, and that they should be given in Communion to all the faithful. And, as such, its purpose is only Communion.”

St. Nicholas Cabasilas , Bishop of Dyrrhachia, writes: “The work of the holy service of the Sacred Mysteries is the transposition of Divine Gifts into the Divine Body and Blood. Its purpose is that the faithful may be sanctified by them . ” ¹⁰

The wise Job, to whom St. Photius in his “Library”, in the book “On the Sacraments”, says this: “The whole sacred service is understood in the Communion of Holy Things, since its purpose, and purpose, and deed is the Communion of life-giving and terrible Mysteries and Shrines».

Gabriel of Philadelphia, in his book On the Sacraments, says that the Divine Liturgy is celebrated for three reasons. First, to the glory and praise of God and our Savior and in remembrance of His Death and Resurrection, as He Himself said: “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Secondly, for the sake of the repose and sanctification of the souls of the departed pious Orthodox Christians. And thirdly, for the sake of the living. So, when the Divine Liturgy is celebrated in glory and in praise and in remembrance of the Death and Resurrection of our Lord, in faith our deceased brothers receive repose and sanctification from God, as far as possible.

The living faithful, who do not partake of the Divine Mysteries at the Liturgy, I wonder how they can be sanctified. Saint Kabasila says that they are not sanctified. And listen again to him: “If the souls are prepared and ready to take communion, and the Lord who sanctifies and [everything] accomplishes is always willing to sanctify and loves to give Himself to everyone, then what can hinder Communion? Of course, nothing. But someone will ask: “If someone from the living, having in his soul the blessings of which it was said, does not approach the Mysteries, will he not nevertheless receive sanctification [from the celebrated Liturgy]?” [To such a question we answer that] not everyone can receive it, but only those who cannot come bodily, as is the case with the souls of the dead. If someone can, but does not approach the Meal in order to be worthy of sanctification from it, it is absolutely impossible for such a person to receive sanctification - not only because¹¹ . That is, being able to go, he neglected and neglected, and therefore did not go.

According to this, not only what we have said so far obliges every Christian who does not have an obstacle to receive Communion without ceasing, but Divine Communion and Communion in itself, if we think about it, attracts everyone to enjoy it constantly, for it is simply integral part of the life of the soul. Let's see what that means now.

The scholastic theologians call an integral part that object, without which it is impossible for what happens to be. So, for example, in human life, breathing is an integral part, because without it it is impossible for a person to survive. It also needs nourishment for the body composition. And just as frequent breathing is necessary for life, and nutrition is necessary to make up the bodily nature, so frequent Communion is necessary for the life of the soul and for the composition of its essence. Or, to put it better, much and incomparably more necessary.

And now let us call as witnesses Basil the Great - the foundation of the righteous dogmas of the Church, so that he would say to us: "It is necessary for eternal life the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ" ¹² . And also: “The one regenerated by Baptism must subsequently feed on Communion of the Divine Mysteries. For in the future it is necessary for us to feed on the food of eternal life, which the Son of the Living God has given us” ¹³ . And, being asked by a certain woman named Caesarea Patricia, he answers in one of his letters: “It is good and beneficial to commune every day and partake of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ, since [the Lord] Himself clearly says: “He who eats My Flesh and drinks my blood, has eternal life. Who doubts that to partake unceasingly of life is nothing but to live in many ways?” ^fourteen. That is, to live with all mental and bodily forces and feelings.

Monk Job the Confessor says: “If we talk about the Holy Communion, then it is good and fair and natural for a righteous and decent Christian to often be sanctified and resort to this Holy Icon, and thirst for it more than we want to breathe. Therefore, everyone has permission to receive communion constantly, so that, if possible, the worthy do not have an obstacle to commune even every day.

Gennady, Patriarch of Constantinople, very wisely sets out how necessary Holy Communion is for a Christian, saying: “And now the Sacrament makes its participants prosper in life according to Christ. What the bodily visible part of the sacrament [that is, bread and wine for the body] does, it does the same mysteriously and invisibly in the soul. For the Body of Christ nourishes and composes our soul, just as bread does for the body. Just as we are reborn when we receive Baptism and receive a life of grace instead of being sinful, so when we feed on the Sacrament of Communion, we receive a stay in grace and prosper. Just as the natural heat of the body removes from it its inherent moisture, if the body does not receive help from food (and therefore the composition of the body is well preserved by food and drink and replenishes the moisture that the body has lost from heat,

But the body of Christ, on the one hand, nourishing us according to its bodily nature, on the other hand, according to its purity, cleansing and sanctifying, being united with the Divine nature, supplies us with spiritual nourishment in abundance, and we, thus, eating well this food, we regain spiritual health and purity, which were deprived of us then in paradise by eating the forbidden tree.

It was necessary for us, having lost those first cleanliness and health by eating bodily food, to regain them again with bodily food. Like should be healed by like, and opposite by opposite. After all, both of these foods are bodily - and spoiled us in the beginning, and preserving health and spiritual life now. However, God forbade us that food , but now He allows and serves this one. The evil demon gave us that food, the Son of God becomes not only an adviser, but also a servant of this food. That food was obtained by theft, and to this we are clearly invited. In that one the poison of crime was hidden, and this one hides in itself a treasure of innumerable blessings” ¹⁵ .

And so, my brethren, since frequent Communion is necessary for unhindered Christians, as has been proved on the basis of the testimonies we have given so far, it is also a great necessity for us to commune often in order to have life in ourselves, which is Jesus . Christ , and lest we die a spiritual death. After all, those who do not often eat from this spiritual food, of course, die, although it seems that they live bodily. However, they are spiritually dead, for they have withdrawn from the spiritual and true life that Holy Communion delivers.

And just as a baby, when it is born, cries and asks with great eagerness for food and milk, and when it does not eat, has no appetite, then this is a sign that he is sick and in danger of dying, so we must have a desire to eat Holy Communion, spiritual I am writing to bring us to life. Otherwise, we are in danger of mentally dying.

Therefore, the divine Chrysostom says: “So, let us not neglect, having received such love and honor. Do you not see children, with what eagerness they yearn for their mother's breasts, with what zeal their lips seize the breasts? With the same zeal, let us come to this Meal, to this spiritual breast, perhaps even more willingly. Let us grasp, like children, for a mother's shirt, for the grace of the Spirit. And may we have only one sorrow - not to partake of this Food” ¹⁶ .

* * *

¹            See “Christ died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” ( 2 Corinthians 5:15 ). - Approx. per.

²            8th Canon of the Holy Apostles.

³            9th Canon of the Holy Apostles.

⁴            2nd rule.

⁵            That is, after the change of the Holy Gifts. - Approx. per.

⁶            So in the Greek rite of the Liturgy. - Approx. per.

⁷            Discourses on the Epistle to the Ephesians. Conversation 3. See: Creations of our holy father John Chrysostom , Archbishop of Constantinople, in Russian translation. T.11. Book. 1. St. Petersburg, 1905, pp. 29–32. – Here and below, all patristic quotations are given in our translation. Rev. Nicodemus quotes these quotes first in the original, and then gives his own translation-interpretation. In our translation, we are guided by how St. Nicodemus understands the text of the Holy Father.

⁸            Rule 80

⁹            At the same time, remember that in the previous time our fathers determined: if a layman, staying in the city, on three Sundays, for three weeks, does not come to the meeting, let him be removed from the fellowship of the church.

¹⁰          Interpretation of the Liturgy, ch.1.

¹¹          In his interpretation, Nicodemus adds: "But being able to go, he neglected and neglected, and therefore did not go."

¹²          Moral rules, 21, 1. See: Creations of others in the saints of our father Basil the Great , Archbishop of Caesarea Cappadocia. Part 3. M., 1993, p.391.

¹³          Concerning Baptism word 3. PG 31, 1573.

¹⁴          Epistle 93, 1. See: Rules of the Orthodox Church with interpretations of Nicodemus, Bishop of Dolmatia-Istria. T.2. Holy Trinity Sergeeva Lavra, 1996, p.612.

¹⁵          Discourse on the Mysterious Body of Christ.

¹⁶          Conversation 82 on the Gospel of Matthew. See: St. John Chrysostom . Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew. M., 1993, p. 827.

 

 

On the Useful and Savingly Frequent Communion of the Holy Mysteries

And before a Christian takes communion, and when he takes communion, and after he takes communion, he receives great benefit from the Divine Mysteries both for the soul and for the body. Before anyone takes communion, he needs to make proper preparation, that is, he confesses to his spiritual father, is distressed, corrected, moved, gains attention to his spiritual life, is protected from passionate thoughts, as far as possible, and from any other evil.

In the same way, he refrains, prays, stays awake, becomes more reverent, and performs every other good deed, thinking about what a terrible King he will have to receive into himself, and especially when he thinks about what kind of preparation he will make, the same is given to him. there will be grace from Holy Communion. It is obvious that the more often one makes such preparation, the more one benefits.

When a Christian takes communion, who can comprehend what gifts and gifts are given to him from Divine Communion? Or how can our feeble language convey this in order? Therefore, let us bring again the divine and sacred teachers of the Church, so that they tell us everything in order with their eloquent and inspired lips.

Gregory the Theologian says: “The Most Holy Body of Christ, when well received, is a weapon for those who are at war, a return for those who are moving away from God, a return, strengthens the weak, rejoices the healthy, heals illnesses, preserves health, thanks to it we are more easily corrected, in labors and sorrows we become more patient. more ardent in love, more refined in knowledge, more ready in obedience, more receptive to acts of grace. And for those who partake badly, the consequences are the opposite, because they are not sealed by the precious Blood of our Lord. As Gregory the Theologian himself says: “From then on the Lamb is slain; and deed and word are imprinted with honest Blood, that is, skill and action are the pillars of our gates (I mean [by gates] the movements and thoughts of the mind), which are easily opened and closed from contemplation” ¹⁷ . In other words, they are easily opened for contemplation and again closed from contemplation of higher and incomprehensible meanings.

Rev. Ephraim the Syrian writes: “Let us diligently, brothers, silence, fasting, prayer, tears, church meetings, needlework, fellowship with the holy fathers, obedience to the truth, listening to the divine Scriptures, so that our mind does not dry up, but most of all we will try to make ourselves worthy Communion of the Divine and Immaculate Mysteries, so that our soul is cleansed of the thoughts of unbelief and impurity that are born, and so that the Lord who dwells in us delivers us from the evil one.

The Divine Cyril of Alexandria says that thanks to Divine Communion, mental thieves - demons - do not find permission to enter our soul through the senses: countless wishes. And the prophet Joel calls them, feelings, windows: “They enter windows like thieves” ( Joel 2:9 ), for they were not anointed with the Blood of Christ. And again [Scripture] says that after the slaughter of the lamb “let them take from its blood and anoint it on both jambs and on the crossbar of doors in houses” ( Exodus 12:7), pointing out that with the honest Blood of Christ we preserve this earthly temple of ours, that is, our body, and drive out the ancient mortification of disobedience by enjoying the communion of life, furthermore removing the destroyer from us by the anointing of the Blood of Christ.

The Divine Cyril says in another place that thanks to Communion we are cleansed of all spiritual impurity and receive readiness and zeal for goodness: in carelessness, but makes us more ardent in the Spirit.”

Saint Theodore the Studite miraculously describes the benefits that everyone receives from frequent Communion: “Tears, tenderness have great power, but above all and most of all, the Communion of Holy Things, in relation to which, seeing you, I don’t know why, disposed negligently, I am very surprised. If it is Sunday, you still proceed to the Sacrament, but if the Liturgical Assembly happens on another day, no one takes communion. Although in the monastery, anyone who wishes could receive communion every day. Now, the Liturgy is served less often, but you still do not receive communion.

When I say this, I don’t mean that you want to take Communion just like that and as it happens, for it is written: “Let a man examine himself, and in this way let him eat from this bread and drink from this cup. For whoever eats and drinks unworthily, he eats and drinks condemnation to himself” ( 1 Corinthians 11:28-29 ), without distinguishing where the Body and Blood of the Lord are. That's not why I say no! But in order that, with the desire of Communion, as far as possible we purify ourselves and make ourselves worthy of this gift, for the communion of life is the present Bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this Bread, he will live forever: "The bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." And again: “He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him” ( John 6:56 ).

Do you see the incredible gift? He not only died for us, but also offered Himself to us as food. What can be a great sign of strong love? What could be more saving for the soul? In addition, no one refuses to eat ordinary food and drink every day, and if he does not eat, he is extremely upset. As for not ordinary bread, but the Bread of Life, and not ordinary drink, but the Chalice of Immortality, we regard them as unimportant and not absolutely necessary. What could be more insane and reckless? However, no matter how things have been until now, for the future, I ask you, we will be protected, knowing the power of the gift, and, as far as possible, cleansed, let us partake of the Holy. And if it happens that we are busy with some kind of work, as soon as the bell sounds, let's leave the matter and go to partake of the Gifts with great eagerness. And this (as I think, or rather, how true it really is) will help us a lot, because the preparation for Communion will keep us clean. If, however, we are indifferent to Communion, how shall we avoid working for the passions? May Communion be our guide to eternal life^{18 19} .

And so, my brethren, if we do as the divine fathers command us and partake of communion often, then not only will we have Divine grace as an assistant and co-worker in this short life, but the angels of God and the Lord of angels himself will help us, but moreover, let us cast aside demonic opponents far from us, as the divine Chrysostom says: “Like lions breathing fire, so we depart from this [Holy Meal], having become terrible for the devil, having in ourselves both our Head Christ, and the love that He gave us. This Blood makes the royal image of our soul radiant, gives birth to inexpressible beauty, does not allow the nobility in the soul to fade, irrigating it incessantly and nourishing it. This Blood, worthily received, drives demons away from us, but attracts angels, together with the Lord of angels. For the demons flee when they see the Sovereign Blood, but the angels gather. She is the salvation of our souls, the soul rejoices with her, she decorates with her, she warms up with her. It makes our mind brighter than fire. It makes our soul purer than gold. Those who partake of this Blood stand together with the angels and the higher powers, being dressed in the same royal clothes as they are, and having spiritual weapons. But I have not yet said about the greatest thing: those who take communion are dressed in the King Himself.”²⁰ .

Do you see, my beloved brother, how many miraculous gifts you receive if you take Communion often, do you see how with frequent Communion the mind is enlightened, the mind brightens, all the forces of the soul are purified? And if you want to kill the passions of the flesh, take communion often and enjoy it. Cyril of Alexandria assures us of this : “He who believes in the blessed Communion not only from death, but also from the diseases that are in us, gets rid of. For the Christ who comes into us lulls the raging law of the flesh in our members and enlivens reverence for God, and mortifies the passions.

Thus, without frequent Communion, we cannot free ourselves from passions and ascend to the height of dispassion. So the Israelites: if they did not want to eat the Passover in Egypt, they would not be able to free themselves from it.

Egypt means passionate life. And if we do not unceasingly partake of the Holy Body and Blood of our Lord (if it were possible, then every day), we are not able to free ourselves from the mental pharaohs. The divine Cyril of Alexandria says exactly this: “What the Israelites, being slaves and working under the authority of the Egyptians, did [that is, slaughtered the lamb and ate the passover], this means that the soul of a person cannot otherwise come to freedom and escape the tyranny of the devil, except for the Communion of Christ. For He Himself said: “Therefore, if the Son sets you free, then you will be truly free” ( John 8:36)". And again this saint says: “Those who sacrificed a lamb did this, representing Christ, for they could not be freed in any other way,” because freedom is acquired only by the power of Christ.

So, if we also want to escape from Egypt, that is, from sin that is dark and pursuing us, and from Pharaoh, that is, a mental tyrant, as Gregory the Theologian says , and we want to inherit the land of the heart and promise, then we must, like the Israelites, who had the leader of Joshua, to have our Lord Jesus Christ through frequent Communion in order to defeat the Canaanites and foreigners (countless passions of the flesh), and the Gibeonites (deceptive thoughts), so that we can settle in the city of Jerusalem, which means the sacred world (Here and further - ειρήνη) ( as opposed to the mundane world). According to the word of our Lord: “My peace I give you; not as the world gives, I give to you” ( John 14:27). That is: "My disciples, I give you My world sacred and holy, not like the world of the world, often having evil as its goal." Being in this sacred world, we will be worthy to receive in our heart the betrothal of the Spirit, just as the apostles, remaining in Jerusalem at the command of the Lord, received the perfection and grace of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. After all, the world is a gift that includes all other divine gifts, and the Lord lives in the world, for, as the prophet Elijah says, God was not in a big and strong wind , not in an earthquake, not in fire, but in a quiet and peaceful wind - the Lord was there (See 1 Kings 19: 11-12 ).

However, no one can acquire the world without having other virtues, but virtue is not acquired without the fulfillment of the commandments, and the commandment, in turn, cannot be fulfilled perfectly without love, while love is not renewed without Divine Communion. So, without Divine Communion we labor in vain.

After all, many often seek in themselves various virtues, hoping to be saved thanks to them and without frequent Communion. But this is almost impossible, for they do not want to submit to the will of God, which consists in taking communion often, according to the order of the Church, that is, at every Liturgy celebrated, when they gather in church.

God speaks to such people through the prophet Jeremiah: “They left me, the source of living water, and carved out for themselves broken cisterns that cannot hold water” ( Jer. 2:13 ). In other words, they left the source of virtue and gifts of the Holy Spirit and dug in themselves cisterns, perforated from below, which cannot hold water.

And again God speaks through the prophet Isaiah: “They seek me every day and want to know my ways, like a people who do righteousness and do not leave the laws of their God; they ask Me about the judgments of righteousness, they desire to draw closer to God: “Why do we fast, but You do not see? we humble our souls, but you do not know?” “Behold, on the day of your fast, you do your will and require hard work from others. Behold, you fast for strife and strife, and in order to strike others with a bold hand; you do not fast at this time so that your voice will be heard on high. Is this the fast that I have chosen, the day on which a man torments his soul, when he bends his head like a reed and spreads sackcloth and ashes under him? Can you call this a fast and a day pleasing to the Lord?” ( Isaiah 58:2-5). In other words, they seek Me every day and want to know the wisdom of My providence, as if they were a righteous people who kept the commandments of God, and they say: “Why don’t you see, Lord, that we have been fasting? Why don't You want to know that we have suffered so much?" And God answers: “I do not hear you, because when you fast, then again you fulfill your evil wishes. I do not want such fasting and such suffering. But even if you spread sackcloth and ashes instead of a bed, I do not accept such a fast.

But then labors are accepted and virtues are beneficial when done according to the will of God. The will of God is that we do as our Lord commands us, Who tells us: “He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life” ( John 6:54 ). This is not just a commandment, but the head of all commandments, for it is a perfecting power and an integral part of the rest of the commandments.

And so, my beloved, if you want to kindle divine zeal in your heart and acquire love for Christ, and with it acquire all the other virtues, come often to Holy Communion, and then you will enjoy what you desire. After all, it is impossible for anyone not to love Christ and not be loved by Christ, if he constantly partakes of His Holy Body and Blood. This happens naturally. And listen to how it goes.

Some people wonder why parents love their children. Similarly, why children also love their parents. We answer: no one has ever hated himself and his body. Since children have their bodies from the bodies of their parents, and especially because they feed on the mother's blood both in the mother's womb and after birth (for milk, naturally, is nothing but blood turned white), then I say that it is natural law for them (children) to love their parents, just as it is for parents to love their children. After all, children are conceived from their own bodies of their parents. Thus, those who often partake of the Body and Blood of our Lord will naturally kindle in themselves aspiration and love for Him - on the one hand, because these life-giving and life-giving Body and Blood so warm in love those who partake (even the most unworthy and hard-hearted) as much as they partake unceasingly; and on the other hand, because the knowledge of love for God is not something alien to us, but is naturally planted inside our hearts as soon as we are born in the flesh and reborn in the spirit in holy Baptism.

At the slightest opportunity, these natural sparks instantly ignite into a flame, as Basil, wise in the Divine, says: “Simultaneously with the appearance of an animal (that is, a person), a certain seed logos ( σπερματικος λογος ) takes root in us, which naturally gives rise in us to the ability to love [God ]. This power (i.e. the logos) is cultivated by the careful observance of the commandments of God, nourished by the knowledge [of God] and brought to perfection by the grace of God. You should know that there is only one feat of love, but it fulfills and includes all the other commandments” ²¹ .

So, this natural power - to love God - is strengthened, cultivated and perfected by the frequent Communion of the Body and Blood of our Lord. Therefore, Saint Cyprian writes that the martyrs, when they went to their sufferings, first of all partake of the Most Pure Mysteries and, having been strengthened by Holy Communion, were so inflamed with the love of God that they ran into the field like sheep to the slaughter, and instead of the Body and Blood of Christ, whom they communed, shed their own blood and committed their body to various torments.

What else good would you, a Christian, want to receive and would not receive from Holy Communion? Do you want to celebrate every day? Do you want to celebrate Bright Easter whenever you wish, and rejoice in unspeakable joy in this sad life? Resort unceasingly to the Sacrament and receive communion with due preparation, and then you will enjoy what you desire. After all, the true Pascha and the true feast of the soul is Christ Who is sacrificed in the Sacrament, as the Apostle says, and after him the divine Chrysostom: more precisely, as many times as we want, for Easter is not a fast, but an Offering and a Sacrifice that happens at every meeting ²² . And that this is true, hear from Paul, who says:"Our Passover, Christ, was slain for us ( 1 Corinthians 5:7 )." So every time you approach [the Sacrament] with a clear conscience, you celebrate Pascha. Not when you fast, but when you partake of this Sacrifice.

After all, the catechumen never celebrates Pascha, although he fasts every year, because he does not partake of the Offering. That is, he does not take communion. And vice versa: “He who does not fast, when he partakes of Communion, if he proceeds [to the Sacrament] with a clear conscience, then he celebrates Pascha - be it today, be it tomorrow, be it any day. ^{For preparation is judged not by the observation of times, but by a clear} conscience . That is, the best preparation for Communion is not to count eight, or fifteen, or forty days and then receive Communion, but to cleanse one's conscience.

And so, those who, although they fast before Pascha, do not receive communion on Pascha, such people do not celebrate Pascha, as this divine Father says. Those who are not prepared to partake of the Body and Blood of the Lord on every holiday cannot truly celebrate Sundays and other holidays of the year, because these people do not have in themselves the cause and reason for the holiday, which is the Sweetest Jesus Christ , and do not have that spiritual joy that is born from Divine Communion.

Those who believe that Easter and holidays consist of rich meals, many candles, fragrant incense, silver and gold ornaments, with which they clean the church , are seduced . For this is not what God requires of us, since it is not primary and not the main thing, as He also says this through the prophet Moses: “What does the Lord your God require of you? Only that you fear the Lord your God, walk in all His ways, and love Him, and serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you keep the commandments of the Lord [your God] and His ordinances ”( Deut . 10:12-13 ).

Of course, our word now is not about judging whether or not the gifts that we bring to the church out of reverence are good or not. They are good, but with them we must first of all bring obedience to the holy commandments of our Lord and prefer this obedience to all other offerings, as the prophet and king David says: “A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; a contrite and humble heart You will not despise. God” ( Ps. 50:19 ).

The Apostle Paul, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, says the same thing in a different way: “You did not desire sacrifices and offerings, but prepared a body for Me” ( Heb . 10:5 ), which means: “Lord! You do not want me to bring you all other sacrifices and offerings, You only want me to approach the Divine Mysteries and partake of the All-Holy Body of Your Son, which You have prepared on the Holy Throne (Τρ? πepsilon; ζα), for such is Your will " . Therefore, wanting you to show that you are ready for obedience, the Apostle says: “Behold, I am going to do Thy will, my God, and Thy law is in my heart” ( Heb.10.9 ; Ps.39.8-9 ) . That is, I go to do Your will with all my readiness and to fulfill Your law with all my heart.

Therefore, if we want to be saved, then we must fulfill with joy and love, like sons, the will of God and His commandments, and not with fear, like slaves. After all, fear keeps the fulfillment of the old commandments, and love - the gospel ones. In other words, those under the law kept the commandments and ordinances of the law out of fear, lest they be punished and tortured. But we Christians, since we are no longer under the law, must fulfill the commandments of the Gospel not out of fear, but out of love, as sons must do the will of God.

The will of God and the Father, according to His good pleasure from the very beginning, was to compose the Body for His Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, as the Apostle said, that is, that His Son be incarnate and shed His Blood for the salvation of the world. And so that all of us, Christians, would unceasingly partake of His Body and His Blood, so that through frequent Communion in this life we ​​would be saved from the snares and tricks of the devil, and when our soul will be exodus and it will fly like a dove, in freedom and joy to heaven , she was completely unhindered by the air spirits.

And this is confirmed by the divine Chrysostom, saying: “And the other told me about a certain vision, which he was honored with himself, and did not learn from someone. If those who are to be taken from here turn out to be partakers of the Sacraments with a clear conscience, then when they die, they are carried and taken up from here to heaven by angels, thanks to ^Communion .

Therefore, my brother, since you do not know when death comes - either today, or tomorrow, or at this hour - you must always be partaker of the Most Pure Mysteries and be ready. And if it is God's will that you still live in this life, then with the grace of Holy Communion you will lead a life full of joy, full of peace, full of love and accompanied by all other virtues. And if it is God's will for you to die, then, thanks to Holy Communion, you will freely pass through the demonic ordeals that are in the air, and with inexpressible joy you will settle in eternal monasteries. After all, since you are always united with the Sweetest Jesus Christ, the all-powerful King, you will live a blessed life here too, and when you die, demons will flee from you like lightning,

Oh, the greatness that Christians enjoy from frequent Communion both in this life and in the next!

Do you, a Christian, want to be cleansed of those smallest sins that you, as a person, allow either with your eyes or with your ears? Then approach the Sacrament with fear and a contrite heart - and you will be cleansed and you will be forgiven. This is confirmed by St. Anastasius of Antioch : “If we commit some small, human and forgivable offenses, being concealed either by the tongue, or by hearing, or by the eyes, or by vanity, or by sadness, or anger, or something like that, then, reproaching ourselves and confessing to God, let us partake of the Holy Mysteries in this way, believing that Communion is performed for the purification of all this” – but not from the heavy or evil and unclean sins that we have committed ²⁵ .

Many other saints testify to this. Sacred Clement says: “Communion of the Precious Body and Precious Blood of Christ, let us give thanks to Him who made us worthy to partake of His Holy Mysteries, and let us ask that they be not for judgment, but for salvation and for the remission of sins” ²⁶ .

Basil the Great says: “And make me worthy to partake without condemnation of these Most Pure and Life-Giving Your Mysteries for the remission of sins” ²⁷ .

And the divine Chrysostom says: "It is as if one were to partake of the sobriety of the soul, for the forgiveness of sins" ²⁸ . That is, to serve these Mysteries to those who partake in the purification of the soul and the forgiveness of sins.

Although both confession and the performance of penances can grant forgiveness of sins, however, Divine Communion is necessary for liberation from sins. In the treatment of a foul-smelling wound, the worms are first removed, then the rotted parts are cut off, and then an ointment is applied for healing, because if the wound is left without it, it will return to its previous state. The same happens with sin: confession removes the worms, the fulfillment of penance cuts off the rotten, and then Divine Communion becomes, as it were, an ointment and heals from sin. For if Divine Communion is not received, the unfortunate sinner returns to his former state, and the last for that person is worse than the first ( Matt. 12:45 ).

Do you hear, my Christian, how many gifts do you receive from frequent Communion? And your smallest excusable sins are forgiven, and your wounds are healed, and you are all made healthy. What else can be more blessed than to always prepare and receive communion, and, thanks to the preparation and help of Divine Communion, to be always free from sins, than to be you, earthly, pure on earth, just as the angels are pure in heaven? And what other happiness could be greater than this?

And yet I will tell you more. If, my brother, you approach the Mysteries often and worthily partake of this incorruptible, this glorified Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and become a co-corporeal and treasurer of Christ, the life-giving power and action of this Most Holy Body and Blood in the resurrection of the righteous will also give life to your own body. , and it will rise incorruptible, as the divine Apostle writes in the Epistle to the Philippians, glorified with the Body of Christ, “who will transform our humble body so that it will be in conformity with His glorious body” ( Phil. 3:21 ).

All this glory and gifts, these great and supernatural blessings, which we have been talking about so far, are received by every Christian when, with a clear conscience, he partakes of the Divine Mysteries of our Sweetest Jesus Christ, and other, even greater ones, which we, for the sake of brevity, leave .

Finally, when a Christian takes communion, then, reflecting on what terrible and heavenly Mysteries he has partake of, he pays attention to himself so as not to dishonor grace, is afraid of his thoughts, collects and preserves them, lays the foundation for a more rigorous and virtuous life and moves away, as far as possible, from all evil. When he again thinks that he is to receive communion in a few days, he redoubles his attention, applies readiness for readiness, abstinence for abstinence, vigil for vigil, work for work, and strives as much as possible. After all, he turns out to be as if constrained from two sides: firstly, by the fact that he has just received Communion, and secondly, by the fact that he will soon take Communion again.

* * *

¹⁷          Word 45, for Holy Pascha. See: Saint Gregory the Theologian , Archbishop of Constantinople. Collected works in 2 volumes. T.1. Holy Trinity Sergeeva Lavra, 1994, p.671.

¹⁸          See glory. “into the path of eternal life” from the prayer for Holy Communion,

¹⁹          catechetical teaching 107. In the Russian "Philokalia" - teaching 309. Philokalia. V.4, pp.581–582.

²⁰          Conversation 43 on the Gospel of John. See: St. John Chrysostom . Selected creations. Book 1. M., 1993, pp. 304–305.

²¹          Rules, extensively set out in questions and answers, 2. See: Creations like in the saints of our father Basil the Great , Archbishop of Caesarea Cappadocia. Part 5. M., b.g., p.82.

²²          That is, at the Eucharistic Assembly, at the Liturgy. - Approx. per.

²³          against the Jews. Word 3, See; The Complete Works of St. John Chrysostom . T.1. Book 2. M., 1991, pp. 673–675.

²⁴          About the priesthood. Word 6. See: The Complete Works of St. John Chrysostom . T.1. Book 2. M., 1991, p.471.

²⁵          It means if we do not confess these sins. - Approx. per.

²⁶          Book 8, chapter 14.

²⁷          Liturgy of St. Basil the Great , a priest's prayer on "Bow your heads to the Lord".

²⁸          Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom , the priest's prayer after the transposition of the Holy Gifts.

 

 

On the fact that if someone hesitates to take communion, then this causes great harm to himself

Everything opposite to what has been said before gives Christians a rare Communion, for he who postpones Communion does not make any preparation, is not attentive, does not have careful protection from evil thoughts. Delay in Communion becomes the reason that he falls into negligence, and the warmth of reverence and Divine love cools down. The length of time allows him to go through life carelessly and casually, to have no fear in his soul, restraint in feelings and caution in his movements, and also allows him complete freedom in eating, and in words, and in inappropriate sights and hearings, so that he becomes like a horse, which, having no bridle, slips into every abyss of sin. And it is true that all this happens to those who postpone Communion, as we ourselves experience in daily experience and practice.

I am surprised by those Christians who are, as far as possible, worthy, but are in no hurry to receive communion. How can they receive sanctification and joy from the Divine Mysteries, as Cabasilas said, whose words we quoted at the beginning? How will they be able to quench the fire of passions if they do not partake of the Most Pure Mysteries, which cast out all weakness, pacify the wild war of the flesh and mortify the passions, according to the holy Cyril?

How can they purify their minds, enlighten their minds, fertilize all the forces of the soul, without partaking of the Body and Blood of our Lord, which is true purification, true beauty, true enlightenment and nobility of the soul, as the divine Chrysostom told us before?

Or how is it possible for them to escape from the mental pharaoh and from Egypt, the bitter and pursuing sin of them, when they are not sealed and not marked by the Holy Blood of Christ, as Gregory the Theologian said ? Or how will they kindle in their hearts Divine love, spiritual joy, Divine peace, and other fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit, without partaking of the Body and Blood of the beloved Son of the Father and consubstantial with the Holy Spirit, Who is our true joy and peace, according to the Apostle (See ch. Ephesians 2:14 ), and the source of all blessings?

I am perplexed and surprised how Christians of today can celebrate either Sundays or other holidays throughout the year and spiritually rejoice with true joy if they do not constantly partake of Divine Communion, which is the cause and reason for every holiday and celebration.

So, of course, those who do not receive communion constantly are deprived (oh woe!) of all these heavenly and Divine blessings, and in addition to all this, they are also criminals of the commandments and Sovereign commands of the Lord, as we said, and the Apostolic Rules, and the canons of the cathedral. , and [instructions] of all the saints, whose testimonies we have given. And they are subject to the penalty of excommunication imposed by the divine apostles and the Council of Antioch, as we have previously detailed.

Such, moreover, give permission and place to the devil by their delay in Communion to plunge them into various sins and many other temptations, as the divine Cyril of Alexandria says : “Those who remove themselves from the Church and Communion become enemies of God and friends of demons.”

And the divine Chrysostom says: “Let me not depart from Your fellowship, I will be hunted by the mental wolf” ²⁹ . That is, because, Lord, I often approach the Sacrament and commune, because I am afraid that if I move away for a long time from Your Holy Communion, then, being uncovered by grace , ³⁰ I will be caught by a mental wolf, the devil, and he will kill me.

The Monk Palladius tells about Abba Macarius of Egypt that after he healed that woman who, through the devil’s assistance, seemed to people a horse, he gave her such advice and said: “Woman, never be absent from the Communion of the Mysteries of Christ, but take communion often, for this diabolical action happened to you because you did not take communion for five weeks, and because of this the devil found a place and annoyed ^you .

Similarly, the divine Chrysostom on the day when he was ordained, having healed one possessed, instructed him to often go to church and approach the Divine Mysteries with fasting and prayers, so that the demon would not tempt him in the future. This is how Metaphrastus writes about this in the life of Saint Simeon: “A certain insane man, being possessed by an unclean demon, ran inside the church, foaming at the mouth, with his tongue sticking out, so that everyone saw this disgusting sight. And then everyone began to pray to this holy soul - the divine Chrysostom, so that he would pray for the healing of the suffering. He told this man to approach, looked at him with love, and signing him with his hand and invoking the Name of the Holy Trinity, commanded the evil demon to come out. And immediately, when this was said, the word became deed, and the person was instantly freed from a terrible demonic disease. After that, the Saint, lifting him up, advised him to be diligent in attending church and Communion of the Divine Shrines, to be attentive to fasting and prayers. “For if you do this,” he said, “the enemy will never hurt you again, and you will not be caught in his net.”

Hear, my brethren, what misfortunes do those who do not receive communion often, but distance themselves from the Mysteries, suffer? Do you hear that they become demon-possessed, and turn into foolish animals in their appearance, as in ancient times King Nebuchadnezzar was transformed into a bull? And they rightly endure this, for they can become gods from people by grace thanks to the incessant Divine Communion, and they do not want to, but, moving away from Divine Communion, they lose the human appearance that they have, and turn into unreasonable animals, and surrender to the power of Satan, as the Psalmist says: "Behold, he who removes himself from Thee will perish" ( Ps.72:27 ). That is, Lord, this is how those who estrange themselves from Your grace perish completely.

Not to mention that sudden death happens to those who are in no hurry to receive Communion and finds them unprepared, for they are left without Divine Communion. What will happen to them, unfortunate ones? Will they be able to freely pass the publican demons in the air? What fear and horror the soul will experience, while it could, with frequent Communion, be freed from all this, as the divine Chrysostom said above. Have mercy, God, on them!

And so, my brethren, since a rare Communion causes us such great and inexplicable misfortunes, and a frequent Communion bestows on us such high, such great, such heavenly and supernatural blessings both in this life and in the next, why are we so slow to receive Communion? Why do we not prepare with due preparation to partake of the Divine Mysteries, if not every day, then at least every Saturday or Sunday and every holiday? We should, with great joy, often resort to the Holy Meal and partake of our Sweetest Jesus Christ, Who is our whole life, breath, our being, and all our hope and salvation, so that we can always be united and inseparable with Him in this life, and in another. We, however, agree and greatly rejoice in delaying and withdrawing ourselves from Him.

If someone deprives us even for one day of a meal consisting of bodily food, then we are sad and worried, and this seems to us a great evil; if we are deprived for a day, and for two, and for whole months of the spiritual and heavenly Meal of the Divine Mysteries, then we do not consider this evil. O great folly committed by today's Christians who do not see the difference between the bodily and the spiritual! For they accept the first with all their love, but they absolutely do not desire the second.

Many God-loving Christians invest a lot of money, endure great labors, endure many dangers both at sea and on land in order to go to Jerusalem to worship the life-giving Sepulcher of the Lord and other holy places. And then they rejoice when they are called pilgrims of these shrines. Many, hearing that the holy relics of some saint are in some distant place, run with great readiness to bow down to them and receive grace and sanctification.

But in order to partake of the Most Pure Mysteries and be worthy to receive not the life-giving Tomb, not holy places, not the relics of saints, but the King of all and the Holy of Saints, they either have a small desire, or they don’t care at all. To go to holy places one spends money, one travels long roads on foot, and one endures many dangers, while to receive communion one does not need to spend money, nor long walking journeys, nor enduring dangers. It is enough just to make a contrite confession, to fulfill a truly penance and preparation, as soon as you can receive it and become co-corporeal and co-treasure troves of Christ. And, despite all this simplicity, again, everyone is negligent in relation to this, everyone immediately retreats.

Ah, my brethren, if we could only once see with the mental eyes of our souls what lofty and what great blessings we are deprived of if we do not receive communion without ceasing, then, of course, we would exert all our strength to prepare ourselves and receive communion, if there were opportunity, every day.

So, if until now we have shown great negligence in relation to Holy Communion, from now on and henceforth, I ask you from the depths of a brotherly loving heart, let us wake up from the heavy sleep of laziness, apply readiness and diligence. And if anyone with spiritual authority tries to hinder us in this charitable deed, let us not immediately cool the warmth of our determination and let us not lose heart, no, but let us fall on our knees and kiss his feet like a harlot, and we will urgently knock at the door and ask for permission. And, of course, I don't believe that someone so hard-hearted would be found who, seeing our ardent readiness to proceed to Holy Communion, would hinder us. Moreover, I am sure that no matter how severe he may be, no matter how afraid he is of breaking the harmful custom that has been established in this matter, his heart will bow,

* * *

²⁹          Prayer 2 for Holy Communion.

³⁰          Literally - "naked from grace." - Approx. per.

³¹          See "Lavsaik" by Palladius, Bishop of Helenopolis. M., 1992, pp. 37–38. Chapter 18. About Macarius of Egypt .

 

 

Answers to objections to the unceasing Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ

Objection 1

There are some reverent people who, ignorant of the Scriptures, when they see a Christian taking communion often, hinder him and reproach him, saying that only priests can do this. And if you want to take communion often, they say, then become a priest too.

To such people we do not answer with our own words, according to the words of the Holy Scriptures, sacred Councils and saints and teachers of the Church. We say that the ministry of priests is that they bring Divine Gifts and that through them, as organs of the Holy Spirit, by His influx, the consecration of these Gifts is accomplished. And also that they intercede to God for the people and perform other sacred rites that a non-ordained person cannot perform. When the time of Communion comes and they are about to take communion, then the priests have no difference from the laity or monks, except for the only thing that the priests teach [Mysteries] and the laity receive, and also that the priests commune in the altar and directly, without a sacred liar, the laity and the monks are outside the altar and through the sacred liar.

That this is true and that in Communion the priests do not have a single difference from the laity, let the divine Chrysostom be a witness, saying: “One Father gave birth to us. We all suffered the same childbirth. That is, they were all born from the same mother - Saint Kupel. "The same drink is given to all." That is, the Blood of the Lord is given to everyone: both priests and laity. “And not even just the same [Drink], but also from the same Chalice. After all, the Father, wishing to lead us to tender love (φιλοστοργια), devised 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, the priest is no different from the laity. When, for example, it is necessary to partake of the Terrible Mysteries, we all receive the same thing, not in the same way as in the Old Testament: the priest ate one, and the uninitiated the other. The law did not allow the people to eat what the priest ate. Now it is not so, but one Body is offered to all and one Chalice” ³³ . In other words, now, under the grace of the Gospel, the same Body of the Lord and the same Chalice are found ready for all on the Holy Throne.

Simeon of Thessalonica writes: “All the faithful should take communion. This is not only the service of a bishop, but his service is to serve as a priest this All-Holy Body and Blood of Christ and to give it to all the faithful in Communion, for this is the only thing 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 the life-giving and terrible Mysteries and Holy 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 serving priests should be the first to partake of the Offerings, and then the whole people, according to Hieromartyr Clement, who says: “Let the bishop partake, then the presbyters and deacons, and subdeacons, and readers, and singers, and ascetics, and from women - deaconesses, virgins, widows, then - children, and then already - all the people in order, with reverent fear and without noise ” ³⁵ .

The aforementioned Job also says that it is permissible for those who are worthy to receive communion every day, equally, without distinction, both priests and laity, men and women, infants and elders - to put it more simply, all Christians of any age and rank.

The same priests who do not partake of Christians who approach Divine Communion with reverence and faith are condemned by God as murderers, according to what was written by the prophet Hosea: “The priests hid the way of the Lord, killing Sikima, as if they had committed lawlessness” ( Os.6,9 ). In other words, the priests hid the way and the will and the commandment of God, and did not announce it, they killed Shechem and did iniquity among My people.

Only I am surprised and perplexed if there are such priests who drive out those who approach the Mysteries. After all, they do not even think, at least, that the words that 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, come to the Mysteries and partake; and then, again, they themselves renounce their words and drive out the attackers. I don't know what to call this outrage.

 

Objection 2

Some object, saying that one should take communion once every forty days and not more often.

Those who raise 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 have approached the Mysteries just as it happens. And this was predominantly at the time when Christ gave us this Sacrament. The Holy Fathers, realizing the harm that comes from negligent Communion, having gathered, determined forty days of fasting, prayers, listening to the Scriptures and attending church, so that these days we all, having been cleansed thanks to 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, thus approached the Sacrament with a clear ^conscience .

To this objection we answer that those who wish to substantiate their opinion have a custom to bring 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 in, if it does not put an imaginary, but not genuine truth as its basis, 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 investigate only this saying in itself, but we must also consider everything that it follows, and what it is about, and by whom, and to whom, and why, and when, and how. It is not enough to say that it is so written in Scripture, just as it is not enough to tear out sayings, cutting the members of the body of inspired Scriptures, separately and naked from their proper environment, taking power and allowing themselves to damage them. For so many perverted dogmascame into our lives with the assistance of the devil, who persuades the negligent to speak the texts of the Holy Scriptures in isolation from each other, either adding to them or subtracting from them, and thus darken the truth” ³⁸ .

Therefore, they should not only say what Chrysostom says about the definition by the divine fathers of the forty days on which we, while fasting, take communion, but we should also consider what precedes these words, and what follows them, and what leads in that in the very word this divine father, 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 on the day of Pascha. If these defenders of forty days want to substantiate 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 make ten Great Lent a year - so many how many times they take communion.

If they do not like the first, but they cannot fulfill the second, let them be silent, and let them not accuse others and the divine Chrysostom and do not represent him in this matter as an adversary not only of the apostles and Ecumenical and Local Councils and many other God-bearing fathers who speak about the unceasing Communion, but also an opponent of himself, since he himself writes more than others about constant Communion and in many of his other conversations, and in this same one, saying: “Do not offer me this, but prove to me that Christ commanded to do so, for I point 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'm talking about Christ Himself, because Christ was the one who moved Paul's soul. So what does he say? “Watch days, months, times and years. I fear for you that I have not labored with 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 Corinthians 11:26 ). Having said “every time”, he made the one who wants to take communion master, freeing him from any observation of the days. Because it's not the same thing - Easter and Lent, but Easter is one thing, and Lent is another. After all, Fortecost happens once a year, Easter - 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 happens 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 slain for us” ( 1 Corinthians 5:7 ). So every time you approach [the Sacrament] with a clear conscience, you celebrate Pascha. Not when you fast, but when you partake of this Sacrifice.

After all, a catechumen never celebrates Pascha, although he fasts every year, because he does not partake of the Offering. And the one who does not fast, when he partakes of Communion, if he proceeds [to the Sacrament] with a clear conscience, then he celebrates Pascha - be it today, be it tomorrow, be it any day. For preparation is judged not by observation of the times, but by a clear conscience.

We do the opposite: we do not cleanse our minds, and when we are going to celebrate Easter, we proceed to the Sacrament on this 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, leave without having celebrated Pascha. If today, having been cleansed from sins, you partake, then you are doing the very Pascha.

This care and diligence of yours should not be used in observing the times, but in relation to the Sacrament. And just as you now prefer to endure everything, if only not to change the custom, so you should have neglected the custom and preferred to endure and do everything in order to approach the Sacrament without sins. For it is a shame not to become better, but to linger in inappropriate strife. This also destroyed the Jews, who, wishing to remain in the old custom, deviated into wickedness” ³⁹ .

And again he says: “I know that many of you out of habit, for the sake of the holiday, will start this Holy Meal. It would be necessary, however, as I have said many times before, not to observe the holidays when you are going to take communion, but to cleanse your conscience and after that touch the Holy Meal. For the filthy and unclean, if he partakes of this Holy and terrible Flesh on a feast day, he will not be worthy. But pure and, thanks to careful repentance, having washed away his sins on a holiday, and 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 full of a thousand evils, when they see that a feast is being celebrated, as if prompted by the very day, they touch the Sacred Mysteries, which they are not worthy even to see by ^law .

So, this is how the divine Chrysostom not only openly assures those who love to hear the truth of his intention and opinion, 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. We will, however, now provide some data for those who still doubt.

The Asian Christians at that time celebrated Pascha together with the Jews under the pretext that they supposedly 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 all did not leave their custom until the First Holy and Ecumenical Council was convened, which, among other things, established that Easter should no longer be celebrated together with Jews, but was celebrated after the spring equinox on Sunday and that it did not coincide with the Jewish Passover. Despite this, some continued to adhere to this evil custom. The divine Chrysostom directs this conversation to them, accusing them of neglecting so many divine fathers only because of one bad custom.

It is for this reason that he so much praises the dignity of the divine fathers of the First Council, and ascribes to them the canon of Fortecost, and says that they instituted it, thus desiring to convince these Asiatic Christians and win them over to obedience. After all, who does not know that the fast of the Holy Forty Days is established by the holy apostles, who say in the 69th Canon: “If anyone is a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, or a reader, or a singer, does not fast on Holy Forty Days before Pascha, or on Wednesday, or on the heels, except for the obstacle from bodily weakness: let him be cast out. And 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 the Great Holy Week to it, as he himself says about it elsewhere: cleansed and washed to the Mystery” ⁴¹ .

And the real reason why Chrysostom says that the First Council established the Fortecost seems to be this. Since the Christians of that time neglected and did not fast all this holy Fortecost, so that some fasted only three weeks, others six, and others in some other way, each according to the local custom, as Socrates testifies in the "Ecclesiastical History", the fathers At the First Council, they again proclaimed the Rule of the Holy Apostles and established that throughout the whole of Forty Days fasting must be done. And the divine Chrysostom says that those fathers established the Fortecost, referring to this renewal of the Rule, which they then made.

Since some cite the divine Chrysostom as the defender of forty days, and he himself tears their arguments like a web, we fall silent and move on to other objections.

 

Objection 3

Some objectors say that the purpose with which the Holy Fathers teach about unceasing Communion is that we do not completely stray from the Communion of the Divine Mysteries. But if some, out of great fear and reverence, rarely commune 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 testimonies they learned the intention of Christ and the saints? Perhaps they ascended to heaven, like Paul, and heard it there? But Paul heard unspeakable words that man cannot speak. And how could they say that? If it is something else, then why is it not found written in the books of our divine fathers? And if it is written, but we did not find it, then we ask them to point it out to us.

Only the fear with which they approach the Sacrament is not according to God, as the prophet says: “There you are afraid of fear, where there is no fear” ( Ps.52.6 ). For there must be fear where there is transgression of the commandments, but not where there is humility 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 despise 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, therefore, lead them to spiritual death.

Therefore, the divine Cyril of Alexandriaanswers these allegedly reverent ones: “If we desire eternal life, then let us pray that the Giver of immortality be in us, let us not move away from blessing [that is, from Communion], as some negligent ones do. And let the devil, skillful in deceit, not arrange for us a trap and nets in the form of harmful reverence [in relation to the Divine Mystery. But what are you saying to me: “Behold, Paul writes that] whoever eats Bread and drinks the Cup of the Lord unworthily, eats and drinks in condemnation of himself. So, having tested myself, I see myself unworthy to take communion.” To this I answer you: “When will you be worthy? When will you put yourself before Christ? If you will always be 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 so you will forever remain completely unparticipated in the saving Holy.

Therefore, it is more reasonable and pious to live in accordance with the law [of God], believing that by the blessed Communion you are delivered not only from death, but also from illnesses ”- both mental and bodily that are in us,“ for Christ coming in us puts to sleep in our members the raging law of the flesh and revives reverence for God, and mortifies the passions, not imputing to us the sins in which we are, but rather heals us as sick, frees us from the bonds of the contrite, raises the fallen, as the Good Shepherd and laid down his soul for the sheep " .

And again he says: “The Holy Body of Christ gives life to those in whom it finds itself, and keeps in incorruption when it is united with our bodies. The body is meant not by any other, but by the very nature of Life itself, that is, God. “It has in itself all the [Divine] power of the Word united with it and turns out to be full of His [Divine] energy, through which everything is given life and preserved in being. And since this is the way things are, let those baptized [Christians] know who are reluctant to go to churchcommunion and are excluded from communion for a long time, that they put forward an artificial and harmful reverence as a pretext. Let them know that without communion, they are deprived of eternal life, refusing to be quickened. This turns into a trap and a temptation, although this refusal to take Communion seems to be the fruit of reverence. Therefore, they should strive with all their might and with all their readiness to be cleansed of sin, and adhere more to the God-loving life, and strive with courage and love for the Communion of Life. For in this way we will overcome the devil's deceit, and become partakers of the Divine nature (Pet. 1:4), and ascend to life and incorruption” ⁴² .

And John Zonara, in an explanation of Canon 2 of the Council of Antioch ⁴³ , says: “Here the fathers called disgust not that they hate Divine Communion and therefore do not want to receive communion, but avoiding it, allegedly out of reverence or humility. For if some would refuse it as hating and abhorring Holy Communion, they would be condemned not to excommunication, but to complete expulsion and anathema.

Sufficiently divine Cyril and John Zonara denounced the imaginary reverence of the negligent, which does not bring the fruit of benefit and salvation, but gives rise 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, catholic and patristic, but do not accept this in their thoughts, fearing judgment and condemnation for disobedience. Of these truly reverent, the Holy Spirit speaks through the prophet Isaiah: “But this is whom I will look upon: the humble and contrite in spirit, and the one who trembles at My word” ( Is.66,2 ).

 

Objection 4

Some say that the Monk 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 hermits do not govern the Church and the Church did not define rules for hermits ⁴⁴ . As the Apostle says: “The law was not laid down for the righteous” ( 1 Tim . 1:9 ). And the divine Chrysostom adds: “All those who were jealous of the wisdom of the New Testament did so not out of fear of punishment and not because of threats, but out of divine love and fervent zeal for God. For they had no need of commandments, or 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 to virtue without any fear of punishment. ⁴⁵ .

But even these hermits, if they had the opportunity and did not take communion, they would be condemned as violators of sacred rules and contempt of the Divine Mysteries. And if they did not have such an opportunity, they are innocent. So Saint Cabasilas says: “If souls are prepared and ready to receive Communion, and the Lord who sanctifies and [everything] accomplishes, always desires to sanctify and loves to give Himself to everyone, then what can hinder Communion? Of course, nothing. But someone will ask: “If someone from the living, having in his soul the blessings of which it was said, does not approach the Mysteries, will he not nevertheless receive sanctification [from the celebrated Liturgy]?” [To such a question we answer that] not everyone can receive it, but only those who cannot come bodily, as is the case with the souls of the dead, and wandering through deserts and mountains, through caves and ravines of the earth (cf.Heb. 11:38 ), who could not see the altar and the priest, "because they did not have a church nearby. “Such are Christ Himself sanctified invisibly by His sanctification. If someone has the opportunity, but does not approach the Meal in order to be blessed with sanctification from it, it is absolutely impossible for such a person to receive sanctification - not only because he did not start, but because he did not start being able to do it. And therefore, it is obvious that such a person has a soul empty of the virtues that are required for Communion, for how can someone who has the opportunity to go to Communion, but does not want to, have love and desire for Communion? Or how can one have faith in God who does not fear at all what is contained in the words of the Lord ⁴⁶a threat to those who neglect this Meal? And how can he believe that he loves what he can get, but [of his own free will] does not get?

 

Objection 5

Some object, saying that Holy Communion is a terrible thing, and therefore those who take communion are required to have a holy, perfect and angelic life.

No one doubts that the Sacrament of Divine Communion is great and terrible and that a holy and pure life is required. Only the word "saint" has many meanings.

Only God is holy , for he possesses natural holiness, and not acquired. People who have received holy Baptism receive holiness through communion with Holy God. And they are called saints because they 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 draw closer to God through the fulfillment of the Master's commandments, the more sanctified they ascend to perfection. To the extent, on the contrary, they move away from God because of the abandonment of the commandments, to the extent, being deprived of sanctification, they turn out to be possessed by passions, and evil grows in them. After all, evil is nothing but the deprivation of good.

So, those who have been honored with rebirth from the Holy Spirit have no obstacle to be called saints, and therefore, as by grace, holy children of the Holy God, and often partake of the Divine Gifts. Therefore, the divine Chrysostom says: "The Holy Gifts should be given to the saints, and not to the filthy and impure" ⁴⁷ . Wishing to show the difference between the saints, he says: “Let no sinner come to Communion. Although, perhaps, I will not say “none of the sinners”, because otherwise I will be the first to separate myself from the Divine Meal, but [it is better to say this]: “Let no one, remaining a sinner, come.” 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 create it pure.⁴⁸ .

And Theodoret says: “Among those who partake of the Divine Mysteries, others partake [of Christ] like a lamb—those who have acquired perfect virtue. Others are like scapegoats, those who are cleansed from the defilement of sin by repentance” ⁴⁹ .

Although those who object to us allow us to partake incessantly only of those who are perfect, yet the divine fathers, as it is clear, do not demand perfection from those who partake, but demand the 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 God a hundredfold, then the average one - 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 reflect well, will understand that it is impossible for anyone to reach perfection without the unceasing Communion of the Holy Mysteries. For without it one cannot acquire love, and without love one cannot acquire obedience to the Master's commandments, and without obedience one cannot achieve perfection. As the wise Solomon says: “The beginning of wisdom is a sincere desire for teaching, and concern for teaching is love, while love is the keeping of its laws, and observing the laws is a guarantee of immortality, and immortality brings you closer to God; therefore, the desire for wisdom leads to the kingdom” ( Wisdom 6:17–20 ), the Kingdom of Heaven.

Therefore, the holy Abba Apollos, knowing that Divine Communion is a power that produces Divine love, ranks it among the commandments of love and says: “On these two commandments, that is, on frequent Communion and on love of one’s neighbor, all the Law and the Prophets are established” ( See Mt. 22:40 ).

But is there any need to say much? Do those who object to us commune once every forty days as perfect or as sinners and imperfect? If as perfect, then they should commune more often, according to their own words, and if as imperfect, they should commune 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. The outer sages say that three things are observed in the infant: first, the feeder itself, secondly, what he feeds on, and thirdly, what feeds him. And that which nourishes it is the nourishing essence; that which is nourished is the animate body; and what it eats is food.

So, says Gabriel of Philadelphia, it also happens in spiritual rebirth: “The one who eats is a baptized, reborn person; what he feeds on is the Pure Mysteries; and the nourisher is Divine grace, transmuting these [Mysteries] into the Body and Blood of our Savior.” That is why Basil the Great says that one who has been reborn by Baptism must henceforth feed on the Communion of the Divine Mysteries ⁵⁰ .

If they partake of it as sinners, then they should not partake of communion not once every forty days, not once a year, as the golden-spoken John says: communion is not safe. But if we take communion once a year, this does not deliver us from our sins if we approach unworthily. On the contrary, it just condemns us even more, for, only once approaching, we approach uncleanly. Therefore, I ask all of you: do not touch the Divine Mysteries just for the reason of the holiday” ⁵¹ .

And in another place he writes: “Since the priests cannot know all sinners and those who unworthily partake of the Sacraments, God often discovers them and betrays them to Satan. For this reason, when illnesses happen to them, when intrigues, when troubles and misfortunes, when anything else like that. And Paul shows this when he says: “Therefore, many of you are weak and sick, and many die” ( 1 Corinthians 11:30 ).

“How then,” you say to me, “is it possible if we take communion only once a year?” The trouble is that we define the dignity of Communion not by purity of thought, but by an interval of time, and that you consider it piety to approach the Sacrament infrequently, not knowing that it is unworthy to approach the Sacrament even once is to harm yourself, and if it is worthy, even if and often, to obtain salvation.

Insolence does not consist in the fact that they approach often, but in that it is unworthy, even if someone takes communion once a year. But we are so insane 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 take communion incessantly and [thus] not to be offensive to the Body of Christ.

Arguing in this way, we do not understand that those who crucified Christ crucified Him once. But really, because once, the sin from this is less? And Judas once betrayed. What of it? Did it save him? Why do we measure this by time? The time of Communion may we have a clear conscience” ⁵² .

And again: “Whom should we praise? Those who [commune] once? The ones that often? The ones that are rare? Neither those that are once, nor those that are often, nor those that are rare. But those who [approach] with a clear conscience, with a pure heart, with an impeccable life. Such let them always approach, but those who are not such, never. For judgment, and torment, and punishment also acquire ^judgment .

But these blessed ones, I do not know why, do not hear this, demanding from those who partake of angelic life and fortune. The fact that everyone who has been 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 fulfill the Divine commands.

So therefore, those who are baptized and keep the Divine commandments are not far from angelic residence. And also because they are trying to keep the purity of the incorporeal angels in the body, according to the Apostle, who proclaims and says: “Our residence is in heaven” ( Phil. 3:20 ). That is, our Christian life is heavenly and angelic.

But the divine Chrysostom also says: “Let us draw to ourselves the invincible help of the Holy Spirit, keeping the commandments. And then we will in no way be less than ^angels . And again: “He who is saved receives double grace: he revives his soul, and becomes a bird, gaining the vaults of heaven” ⁵⁵ .

 

Objection 6

Some cite in relation to Divine Communion the saying of the Parable: “You found honey - eat as much as you need, so as not to get fed up with it and not vomit it” ( Prov . 25:16 ).

We are ashamed to answer this sophism. After all, by eating honey the Divine Mysteries cannot be meant, since by this, according to Gregory of Sinai and other fathers, intellectual contemplation is meant. If they perceive this saying as speaking of Divine Gifts, then I prefer to listen to the tributary himself, telling me: “Eat honey, son, it’s good that there are honeycombs, so that your throat will enjoy: you will understand wisdom with your soul. If you find it, your end will be good, and your hope will not leave you” ( Prov . 24:13-14 ).

However, these people should have told 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 take 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 the rest holidays. Thus, the Apostle commands the husband and wife to refrain from each other on these days so that they partake of the Divine Mysteries, saying: “Do not deviate from each other, except by agreement, for a while, for exercise in fasting and prayer” ( 1 Corinthians 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 up, that is, the Divine Liturgy is performed, and they must take communion.

And the divine Gregory of Thessalonica speaks of 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 foretold us the general Resurrection, and confirmed us in it, in the Resurrection, when every earthly business is abolished, - sanctify this day of the week and do not do any worldly work on this day, except for the essentials. And give rest to your subordinates and your family, so that together you glorify Him who redeemed us from death and resurrected our nature with Himself; so that you remember the life of the future age and study all the commandments and justifications of the Lord. And that you test yourself, whether you have transgressed or missed any of them, [and if so, then] that you correct yourself in everything. And so that you stay on this day in the temple of God, participate in the liturgical assembly and Communion performed in it with sincere faith and an uncondemned conscience of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ. And so that you start a more rigorous life, and renew yourself, and prepare yourself for the acceptance of future eternal blessings. And thus you will keep the Sabbath holy, keeping the Sabbath by doing no evil. And on Sunday you will add the established great holidays, doing the same on these days and abstaining from the same.⁵⁷ .

 

Objection 7

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 also heretics.

We, to tell the truth, are perplexed as to what to answer to these impudent words. Unless, according to this opinion, not only all those saints who urged the faithful to come to Divine Communion are heretics, but also those who accept their words. And also - oh shit! - and all the priests who serve daily and take communion. Most of all, Saint Apollos, who was widely known for his holiness and had five thousand disciples in his obedience. The divine Jerome, who himself came and saw him, writes about him: “After we had prayed, they, having washed our feet and set a meal, kissed us mentally and bodily - that is, together with them we partook of the Divine Mysteries, which they do every day .

Then, after the meal, we rested, and they, having retired to 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 took communion, and after Communion some sat down to eat, while some, more zealous, retired into silence, living only by the power of Holy Communion. The ever-remembered [elder] gave us many soul-beneficial instructions, especially that we 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 the whole Law and the Prophets are established ⁵⁸ .

And so, since the entire face of the divine fathers, by universal recognition, is made up of the holy 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: “He who 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, about which we spoke earlier.

Saint Timothy of Alexandria even allows the possessed to receive communion every Sunday, if they do not blaspheme the Divine Gifts. He says: “If a faithful demon-possessed person does not violate the Mystery, or blasphemes in any other way, then let him take communion, but not every day: it is enough for him only on Sundays” ⁵⁹ .

And while the divine fathers, not only the healthy, but also the possessed, incessantly receive Communion of the Divine Mysteries, these blessed ones do not receive even those who are of sound mind, but demand that they appear more lawful than the law.

 

Objection 8

Some object and say: “Is it really true that those who take communion often do not, like all people, experience the influence of the passions of gluttony, vanity, laughter, idle talk, and many other similar things? How do they, [despite this], want to receive communion often?”

Saint Anastasius of Antioch answers these people : “It happens that some, even those who rarely take communion, betray themselves to sin. Others, who commune more often, as a rule protect themselves from many evils, fearing the judgment of Communion. So, if we fall, like all people, into some human and pardonable sins, being concealed either by the tongue, or by the ear, or by the eyes, or by vanity, or by sadness, or by anger, or by something like that, then, reproaching ourselves and confessing to God, let us partake of the Holy Mysteries in this way, believing that the Communion of the Divine Mysteries will be for us to be cleansed from these sins. If we commit any heavy, crafty, and 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 come to Communion. Similarly, 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 some 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 unto death, and there is a sin unto repentance, and there is a sin requiring the application of a plaster. True repentance can heal everything. He who approaches the Holy Mysteries with fear, and trembling, and confession, and tenderness receives forgiveness, but he who approaches without fear and with disdain receives punishment. Not only is the forgiveness of sins not given to such, but, in addition, the devil gets even greater access to them. And those who come to the Divine Mysteries with fear are not only sanctified and receive the remission of sins, but also drive the devil away 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:

 

Objection 9

At that time, the majority of the people took communion, and the minority did not. Therefore, the divine fathers punish the minority so that there is no temptation for the majority. However, now that the majority, except for a few few, do not receive communion, even these few should not commune, so as not to commit disorderly acts 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, a temptation is and is called that which removes a person from God and brings him closer to the devil. So the Great Basil says: “The act of 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 stumbling block" ⁶² . And to put it more clearly, a temptation is any obstacle placed on the road so that the traveler stumbles over it. So the Prophet asks God to deliver him from this, saying: “Keep me, Lord, from the hand of sinners, from the people of the unrighteous, save me: whoever thought the back of my foot. Hiding a network of pride to me, and already a network of my feet: by the path lay down temptations for me ” 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 with ropes and nets they tied my feet, and near my path they placed stumbling blocks and obstacles to overthrow.

So, since at that time a few seduced the many in this way, for they led them into negligence and transgression of the commandment of God, and now many seduce the few, leading them to reject the commandment, what to do? Just as then the few cut off their own will and followed the many in doing the will of God, so now the many must cut off their own will and follow the few in doing the will of God. But it is not so that the few left the commandment of God without fulfillment just because they are a minority, and for the sake of the majority they followed him to the transgression of 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.

That is why the Great Basil says: “Those who do the will of the Lord must show uncompromising boldness, even if some are tempted” ⁶⁴ .

Although some say that those who lack the strength to see them commune are tempted, let them understand for themselves that this happens [in those people] due to either envy or hatred of a brother.

So, we should not neglect the commandments of God so that people would not be offended, as Chrysostom says: “We should be so careful not to offend people as much as necessary, so as not to give them a reason to accuse us. If we do not give them a reason, but 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, do not worry about it at all. So Christ said about those who are offended: “Leave them: they are the blind leaders of the blind” ( Matt. 15:14 ). For if the cause of temptation is ourselves, then woe to us. And if not we, then there is no sin on us. It also says: “Woe to you, for your sake the name of God is blasphemed” (Romans 2:24 ). How to be? If you do what you must 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 charitable work is hindered by the fact that it becomes a temptation for someone. We should then be truly worried when others do not force us to resist the will of God.

After all, please tell me, if now, when we are talking, I would want to expose drunkards and one of them would be tempted, should I really stop talking about them? No. In everything you need to know the measure. When a beautiful girl did not want to marry, preferred virginity and became a nun, many blasphemed and scolded those who led her to this. What? Because of this, it was necessary for those people to refuse to cut her hair? Certainly not. For they did nothing contrary to God. On the contrary, they did a very pious deed.

So, in every matter, we must, following the laws of God, try not to give any reason for temptation, in order to be innocent of us and receive from God the gift of ^philanthropy .

Here's what we can say about temptation. As for outrage, it is such a thing that is done outside of its rank. Since the order and law of the Church is that Christians who are at the Divine Liturgy and are not under penance should commune, as we said before, it is obvious that those who do not partake of communion commit outrage, thereby violating the laws of the Church. Therefore, the prophet Habakkuk says: “The sun is risen, and the moon is a hundred in its rank” (Song 4) ⁶⁶ . In other words, the Sun of righteousness - Christ our God - ascended to the heights on the Cross, and the moon - the Church - was established in her rank, that is, in the will and command of God, from which she had previously fallen away.

And so, those who go beyond the limits of the commandment of God, they produce temptations and outrages, and not those who strive to the best of their ability to keep the Master's commandments.

 

Objection 10

Others put up the Tomos of Unity and say that there is a rule written in the Book of Hours that determines that Christians take 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 that it should 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, which is also Royal, the law turns out to be contrary to the sacred canons of the divine fathers, then let it be invalid.

Divine Chrysostom says that a custom that opposes divine laws must be eradicated. He also says: “Custom seems to be a thing that is inconvenient to get around and difficult to keep from. So, how strong, as you know, custom, apply as much strength to get rid of a bad custom and to acquire a good ^custom .

Then why do these people want to establish this mentally harmful custom? But since they wish to hide the truth with this rule, we will show briefly what this rule really says, so that the pure truth will be revealed and no one will be deceived anymore.

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 Nikolai, and the tsar deposed Nikolai from the patriarchal throne because he did not want to forgive him four marriages. Instead of Nicholas, he elevated Euphemia to the 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 again to him. And when Alexander also died, his nephew reigned, that is, the son of Leo, Konstantin Porphyrogenitus, with his father-in-law. Roman, was the title "Father-King".

Those who assembled the Council in the year 992 from the Nativity of Christ forbade not only four marriages, but also established this rule against three marriages, saying: taking care, only through the action of passionate desire, falls into a third marriage, let him, with all diligence and observation, not partake of the Holy Communion for five years, and this period can in no way be reduced ⁶⁹ . But even after he has been honored with the Most Pure Communion, let him not be allowed to receive communion at any other time, except for 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, is combined with a third wife, let him not let him partake of the Holy Things for four years. And after he can partake of the Sacraments, then let him be honored to enjoy them only three times a year: the first time - on the saving Resurrection of Christ our God, the second - on the Assumption of the Most Pure Lady of Our Mother of God and the third time - on the day of the Nativity of Christ our God, for the sake of the previous these days of fasting and the benefits that come from it.

This Act of the Council was called the Tomos of Unity, because the hierarchs and all the people, who had previously been divided by Leo's quadruple marriage, united again on it.

However, I do not know which blessed one - either out of ignorance, or intending to put an obstacle for Christians to eternal life - shortened this rule and placed it in such a truncated form in the Book of Hours. And our blessed confessors, having discovered it, trumpeted this rule throughout the universe, imposing penance and the rule of three-marriage on all Christians: second-married, first-married, virgins, and in general for every age.

But I am not so much surprised at the confessors as I am surprised that the good bishops and pastors did not immediately shout into the inspired trumpets of truth 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 all good and correct what needs to be corrected.

Probably, the bishops give the justification 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 together withdrawing and shifting the burden on each other, hide, as in a coffin, the word of God and the truth and silently make it clear that they agree that happens, as the divine Meletius the Confessor says:

When someone, having reached knowledge

and truly knowing the truth,

trying to hide it

inventing some tricks,

and boldly does not proclaim

openly speaking loudly;

who, about honest worries without having

and about the Divine Canons,

does not protect the Rules given

holy glorious fathers,

he is subject to no less punishment,

than those who violated them.

"The one who is silent about the truth,

hides the resurrected Christ in the tomb,

That's what a father says

and the speech of another agrees with him:

"Very dangerous indeed.

be silent about piety,

and the deadly ditch, and flour

forever and ever."

Unrighteous, unacceptable

not good pious

be silent when the Lord

blatantly breaking laws

when they try to justify a lie

and evil charm.

As one great one said:

"When the pious sees

danger of separation from God

and an insult against God,

then will he be silent?

Will he be completely calm?

After all, to remain silent then is the same,

what to agree and approve ⁷¹ .

The example gives us

Holy Forerunner of the Savior John,

and with it -

holy brothers Maccabees.

After all, even for small statutes

they are the law of God,

defying mortal danger,

stood firm to the end,

not betraying the slightest iota

sacred law.

Commendable is often recognized

and just war

and the battle is incomparably the best,

than a soulful, muddy world.

After all, it is better to fight with such,

who philosophizes unkindly, evilly,

than to follow them and freely

to agree with them in untruth,

forever separated from God,

and connect with these ⁷² .

And the divine Chrysostom says: “If it is not safe for a person to remain silent when he is offended, then will not the one who is silent and does not look at when damage to Divine laws be worthy of all punishment?” ⁷³ .

 

Objection 11

Many objectors say that the practice of Communion is not an article of faith that should be kept without fail.

Although frequent Communion is not a dogma of faith, it is nevertheless a sovereign commandment, which is contained in many sayings of our Lord, especially in the following: “Do this in remembrance of Me” ( Lk. 22:19 ), that is, unceasingly and every day, while this world stands. And therefore, as a Commandment of the Lord, it must be kept without fail, as we spoke about in the first part of the book.

However, those who raise such objections, thereby reveal that they want to lay bare the dogmas and leave them empty of all ecclesiastical definition and establishment. But we will ask them: on what can these dogmas be based? Did not the divine Chrysostom tell us that human life needs correct dogmas, and dogmas need a pure life; But pure life is 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 also disappear. And when pure life disappears, then we will lose the correct dogmas, and we will remain devastated and in darkness.

I don't have enough time to list thousands of examples of saints who endured torment and died for the Church's ordinances and rules. And yet there are some so shameless that they not only do not suffer for the truth, but even resist it and boldly reject the Master’s commands, placing before those who partake of Communion an obstacle to Divine Communion without any fault or reason on their part. This is a very bold behavior, if we remember that the Lord did not even reject Judas himself from Communion, although He knew that this was a vile vessel of evil.

Every day, Christ receives all those who take communion and those who are worthy, cleanses, enlightens and sanctifies, and first commits the unworthy to remorse and then, if they correct themselves, accepts them with mercy. And if they remain uncorrected, then he betrays them to various diseases, as the Apostle says: “Because they partake unworthily, many of you are weak and sick, and many die” ( 1 Cor. 11:30 ).

These same blessed ones, not knowing the state of those who take communion, only in order to preserve the bad custom that has been mentally harmfully established, place obstacles for Orthodox Christians to Divine Communion.

However, let us ask 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 the one to whom such a command is given from fulfilling it or obey those who hinder, especially if the one who hinders is a true child of God? Or does this thought only seem acceptable, but in fact it 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” ( Matt. 11:29 ), it is obvious that everything else is best to learn 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: “Let it go now, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” ( Mt. 3:14-15 ) [That is, it is necessary that I perform every work that will justify a person]. And how He indignantly answered Peter when he tried to dissuade the Lord from suffering, which He prophetically announced to His disciples on the way to Jerusalem: “Get away from Me, Satan! you are a temptation to me! because you think not about what is God's, but what is human" ( Matt. 16:23 ). And again, when the same Peter, saluting the Lord Christ, refused to have Him wash his feet, the Lord again said: “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me” ( John 13:8 ).

If it is necessary to help the soul more with examples of people kindred to us, then let us remember the Apostle saying: “Why do you weep 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 can be more glorious than John? Or who can be sincere Peter? Or what other thoughts can be found more reverent than theirs? [After all, both of them were driven by a sense 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, in spite of this, they could not 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. Through all these saints we learn that we must neither contradict the will of God, nor hinder others from fulfilling God's commandment, nor obey those who hinder its fulfillment.

If from these examples the Word of God taught us what we should not allow, then all the more so 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 whether it is right before God to listen to you more than to God? We cannot but speak what we have seen and heard” ( Acts 4:19-20 ).

And Basil says again: “He who does the will of God should not be hindered, whether he does it according to the commandment of God or with a goal in accordance with the commandment of God. Likewise, the one who fulfills the commandment should not obey those who hinder him, even if they are true friends of God, but he should remain in his ^decision .

Also: “If someone does not follow the commandment of God out of sound disposition [that is, not with the right purpose and without right reasoning], however, apparently, he follows the teaching of the Lord exactly, then such a person should not be hindered. For by doing so, this man 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 would correspond to the dignity of a feat ⁷⁵ , so that he fulfills the commandment with a charitable purpose. And again: "One should not follow the traditions of men when the commandment of God is violated" ⁷⁶ . And again: “One should not prefer one's own will to the will of the Lord, but in every deed one should seek and do the will of God” ⁷⁷ .

And the divine Chrysostom says: “One should courageously stand against everything that hinders 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 some work that is pleasing to God, let everyone who hinders us in it be an enemy and adversary for us, even if it is a father, or mother, or anyone ^else .

God-bearer Ignatius says: “Everyone who tells you something contrary to what God has commanded , even if he is trustworthy, even if he fasts, even if he does signs, even if he prophesies, let him be in your eyes a wolf in sheep’s clothing, destroying sheep” ⁷⁹ .

And the divine Confessor Meletios says:

You don't have to listen to the monks

Yes, and presbyters are not worth it,

When their speech is lawless

When their advice is for evil.

And what do I say "presbyters", "monks"!

Do not yield to the bishops themselves,

If they are not useful to the soul

create and speak and think

suddenly persuading insidiously will ⁸⁰ .

 

Objection 12

Some are tempted because they cannot convince us with their own words (meaning that there is a ban on unceasing Communion), and in their defense put forward three arguments: firstly, they say that the canons and commandments are at the disposal of the bishops; secondly, we should not experience what the bishops, teachers and confessors tell us, but should only obey them in simplicity; and thirdly, they expose the apostolic saying "obey your leaders and be submissive" ( Heb.13:17 ).

To these three parts of the objection, we will not say anything from ourselves, so as not to cause confusion and embarrassment in anyone. But we consider it harmless to remain completely silent here. Therefore, so that no one complains, let's see what the saints say [in this regard].

Great Basil answers the first remark, saying: “If the Lord himself, in whom the Father was pleased, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and the secrets 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 told Me” ( John 12:50 ), if the Holy Spirit does not speak from Himself, but only says that He will hear from Him ⁸¹ - how much more pious and safe for us to think and act like that! ⁸² . In other words, we must not transgress the Divine commandments, but must obey them submissively.

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 the sign of the authority to which he obeyed (for if the authority is not limited by anything, then it is unbearable, and when it has a symbol other power over herself, then shows by this that she obeys the law); therefore the Law commands that the head of the bishop should not be naked, but that it should be covered, so that the head of the people may know that he has another Head. Therefore, in the Church, at the consecrations of priests - [here the saint means bishops, speaking of the priesthood in general, for only bishops wear God-devoted symbols on their heads, according to Dionysius the Areopagite] - the Gospel of Christ is placed on the head, so that the one who is ordained knows that he receives the true gospel tiara, and so that he knows that although he is the head for everyone, he must act according to these gospel laws, holding everyone in his power, but himself being kept under by the power of laws, being a legislator for everything, but also having a legislator over him - the gospel law.

Therefore, a certain valiant ancient man (Ignatius 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 .

As for the second, that is, that we should not test the bishops, teachers and confessors, but obey them in everything, then Basil the Great answers this : deliberation and testing, with the aim of pleasing God both to do and to speak, because he must be tested and witnessed by those who are entrusted to him ⁸⁴ " ⁸⁵ .

Also: “Those hearers who are trained in the [Divine] Scriptures should test what the teachers say. And what is in accordance with the Scriptures should be accepted, and what is alien to them should be rejected. But those teachers who insist on such a teaching must be completely turned away” ⁸⁶ . Also: “Those who do not have a great knowledge of the Scriptures should know the distinguishing qualities 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 just and without trial to be carried away by those who only pretend to speak the truth. Everyone must be known on the basis of the testimonies of Scripture, [truth or falsehood is taught by this teacher]" ⁸⁹. And also: “It is necessary to check every word or deed on the basis of the testimonies of God-inspired Scripture, so that the good of them will be recognized, and the evil ones will be 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 those in authority. But perhaps someone will tell us that there is also a third evil - when the leader himself is evil. I know this too. And this evil is not small, but even much worse than anarchy. For it is better not to be under any superiors than to obey an evil one. Indeed, in the first case, a person is often saved and often in danger, and in the second, he is always in danger, because they lead him 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 also said: “Obey your leaders and be submissive.” [That is, Paul first testified that these teachers are faithful in everything, and after that he says: “Beholding the good fruit of their virtuous life and preaching , imitate them in faith.”]

What, you will say to me, if the ruler is evil (Hereinafter πονηρ?ς - crafty.), we should not obey him? In what sense do you say "evil"? If it concerns faith, leave him and run away - not only from a man, but also from an angel who came down from heaven. And if it concerns life, then do not be curious. Listen to what Christ says: “On the seat of Moses—[the teaching chair of the Law]—the scribes and Pharisees sat down.” Having first said many terrible things about them, He then says: “They sat down on the seat of Moses ... Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do; do not do according to their deeds” ( Matt . 23:2-3 ). In other words, they are honored, [they have the right to teach], He says, but their life is unclean; however, listen not to their lives, but to their words.

After all, no one will be harmed by their morals. Why? Because they are visible to everyone and because the teacher himself, even being a thousand times evil, will never teach evil morals. As for faith, here evil is not visible to everyone, and the teacher does not refuse to teach in this way. Therefore, “Judge not, lest you be judged” ( Mt. 7:1 ) is said about the way of life, and not about faith.

That is why Paul first presented [the shepherds as true in every respect], and then says: "Obey your leaders" ⁹¹ .

And in another place: “You say that such and such a person is meek, has a sacred dignity, is very prudent, but he does this and that. 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 be Peter or Paul, or even an angel descended from heaven - even then I will not pay attention to the significance of the face. After all, I do not read the slave law, but the Tsar's. When the writings of the King are read, let all slavish significance fall silent.

Why are you giving me examples of this or that? God will judge you not for the negligence of slaves like you, but for non-fulfillment of His laws. I commanded you, [He will tell you on the Day of Judgment], and you should have obeyed, and not set an example for such and such or inquire about the evil deeds of another.

After all, the great David also sinned with 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 jealous only of the exploits of the saints, and carelessness and violations of the law - [which they, as people, could sometimes happen] - with much diligence to avoid. For we will be judged not by the same slaves as we are, but by the Lord himself, - we will give him an answer for everything that we have done in ^life .

That's what the saints say. But we, my brothers, since the Lord has called us to the world (Here and further - ειρ?νη), must submit to the bishops, and confessors, and teachers for the sake of their rank, which they have from God. But if any of them does something foolish or hinders us in any charitable deed, then let us not stop asking him and praying until we convince him that God's will be done, so that peace reigns between us, unanimity and harmony prevailed, there was love between shepherds and sheep, between bishops and Christians, between priests and laity, between the upcoming and subordinate. So that temptations, upheavals, schisms, divisions move away 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,

 

Objection 13

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 such people that this is good and useful, but to receive communion more often is much better. For the closer one approaches the light, the more enlightened; the closer one approaches the fire, the more one warms up; the closer one approaches the holy, the more one is sanctified. Thus, the more often one approaches God in Communion, the more one is enlightened, and warmed, and sanctified. My brother, if you are worthy to take communion two or three times a year, then you are worthy to take communion more often, as the divine Chrysostom says, just prepare carefully and do not lose this dignity. So, what prevents us from communion? Our negligence and laziness, which defeat us. And so we don't prepare as much as we can to partake.

Answering in a different way, we must say that these people do not fulfill, contrary to what they think, the commandment of God. For where did God, or any of the saints, command us to take communion two or three times a year? You can't find this anywhere. Therefore, we need to know that when we fulfill any commandment, we must look to keep it in accordance with the commandment. That is, the place and time, and the purpose, and the mode of action, and all the circumstances in which it must be performed, must be observed, so that the good that we will do is thus perfect in everything and pleasing to God.

All of this applies to Divine Communion. Communion unceasingly is both necessary and beneficial to the soul, and in accordance with the commandment of God, and a perfect and pleasing good. And to take communion only three times a year is both not in accordance with the commandment, and imperfect goodness, for it is not good that it is not done good.

Therefore, just as all other commandments of God require the necessary time for themselves, according to Ecclesiastes: “A time for every thing” ( Ecclesiastes 3:17 ), so we should devote due time to the fulfillment of the commandment about Communion. In other words, the appropriate time for Communion is the moment when the priest proclaims: "Come with the fear of God, faith and love."

But is this heard in the church only 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. But does an unfortunate soul have to eat this life-giving food only three times or even once a year in order to live a spiritual life? Isn't this a great folly?

Otherwise, I'm afraid, I'm afraid that the fulfillment of the commandments will not be useless for us - after all, we distort and distort them and therefore we are not executors of the law, but counter-lawmen. When we fast, we often think that we are fulfilling God’s commandment, but in fact, as the divine Chrysostom says, we sin: “Don’t tell me that they are fasting, but prove to me whether they do it in accordance with the will of God. And if not in agreement, then this fast is more lawless 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 to be the best, is actually the worst and most illegal.⁹³ .

* * *

³²          Conversation 32 on the Gospel of Matthew. See: Creations of our Holy Father John Chrysostom , Archbishop of Constantinople. T.7. Book 1. SPb., 1901, pp. 359–360.

³³          Commentary on the Second Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. Conversation 18. See: Decree. edition. T.10. Book 1. SPb., 1904, p.632.

³⁴          See: Writings of Blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessaloniki. M., 1994, p.93.

³⁵          Ch. thirteen.

³⁶          against the Jews. Word 3. See: The Complete Works of St. John Chrysostom . T.1. Book 2. M., 1991, p.674.

³⁷          Word 2. On the creation of the world.

³⁸          Word 28.

³⁹          against the Jews. Word 3. See: The Complete Works of St. John Chrysostom . T.1. Book 2. M., 1991, pp. 673–676.

⁴⁰          Conversation about the Baptism of the Lord and the Epiphany. Cm ; Decree. ed. T.2. Book 1. M., 1993, p.406.

⁴¹          A word about seraphim. See: Creations of our Holy Father John Chrysostom , Archbishop of Constantinople. T.6. Book 1. SPb., 1900, p.427.

⁴²          Book 4, chapter 2. On the Gospel of John.

⁴³          “All who enter the Church and listen to the Holy Scriptures, but, due to some deviation from the order, do not participate in prayer with the people or turn away from Communion of the Holy Eucharist, let them be excommunicated from the Church until then, as they confess, bear the fruits of repentance and ask for forgiveness, and thus they will be able to receive it.”

⁴⁴          Compare: “These were exceptional cases, not common to everyone; but what happens exclusively for some, only a few, that the Holy Church does not recognize 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.

⁴⁵          Word 56.

⁴⁶          “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 will not have life in you” ( John 6:53 ).

⁴⁷          Wed "Holy to the saints" in the Liturgy of John Chrysostom .

⁴⁸          Word 26.

⁴⁹          Compare: “What does God say to the prophet? “And let them eat the goat that is offered on the day of fasting for all sins” - note carefully - “and let only the priests, all, eat the entrails unwashed with vinegar.” Why? - “Because of Me, said the Lord, when I once offer My flesh as a sacrifice for the sins of a new people, you will drink gall with vinegar: then you 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 the commandment He gave. “Take two goats, good and identical, and sacrifice them: let the priest take one of them as a burnt offering.” And what should they do with the other? "The other," it is said, "let him be damned." Notice how the transformation about Jesus is revealed here. “Spit all over him, and smite him, and lay a scarlet wave around his head, and let him thus be cast out into the wilderness.” After this action, the porter takes the goat into the desert, removes the scarlet wave from it and lays it on a bush called wild rose, whose sprouts we usually eat when we find it in the field, and which alone among the bushes has sweet fruits. And why even that, notice that one goat is placed on the altar, and the other is made cursed, and why is the cursed one crowned? Because the Jews will see Him that day in a long scarlet robe around His body and will say: “Is not 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 amazed at the likeness of a goat. Here is a type of Jesus who had been hurt." Messageapostle Barnabas . Ch. VII. - Approx. per.

⁵⁰          Word 8. About Baptism.

⁵¹          Word 71 Philologist.

⁵²          Commentary on the First Epistle to Timothy. Conversation 5. See: Creations of our holy father John Chrysostom , Archbishop of Constantinople. T.11. Book 1. SPb., 1905, pp. 656–657.

⁵³          Discourses on the Epistle to the Hebrews. See: Decree. ed. T.12. SPb., 1905, pp. 153–154.

⁵⁴          Conversation 75 on the Gospel of John. See: St. John Chrysostom . Conversations on the Gospel of John. Book 2. M., 1993, p.504.

⁵⁵          Word 4. On the creation of the world.

⁵⁶          In Greek, Sunday is called Κυριακ? - the day of the Lord. - Approx. per.

⁵⁷          Decalogue of the statute of Christ. Commandment 4.

⁵⁸          See: “on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” ( Matt. 22:40 ).

⁵⁹          Rule 3. So in the Greek Book of Rules - "Pilots" ("Πηδ?λιον", θεσσαλον?κη, 1991). This edition of the rule is confirmed by Aristin and Armeiopoulos, while the Slavic version “at times” is Balsamon and Zonara. In the Greek "Pilots" the following note is given: "See. and page 1046 of "Evergetinos", where Abba Cassian says that Holy Communion was given to demon-possessed people and was never forbidden to them by the ancient elders, and that the Holy Gifts are not given as food for a demon, but rather to purify the soul and body and into the fall of an evil spirit that resides in the members of the human body, and that if we forbid the Communion of the possessed, then we give the opportunity for the demon to act more often and harder in them because of their deprivation of God's help given from Divine Communion. Referenced edition, p. 668.- Approx. per.

⁶⁰          See: “Sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; You will not despise a contrite and humble heart, O God” ( Ps. 50:19 ).

⁶¹          Moral rules, 22, 1. See: Creations of others like the saints of our father Basil the Great , Archbishop of Caesarea Cappadocia. Part 3. M., 1993, p.393.

⁶²          Moral rules, 33, 2. See: Ibid., p.402.

⁶³          See: “Observe me. Lord, from the hands of the wicked, save me from the oppressors who plan to shake my steps. The proud hid snares and nooses for me, they spread a net along the road, they laid out a net for me ”( Ps . 139:4–6 ).

⁶⁴          Moral rules, 33, 5. See: Ibid., p.404.

⁶⁵          Conversation 46 on Acts. See: St. John Chrysostom . Discourses on the Acts of the Apostles. M., 1994, pp. 405–406. We give a translation according to the text of Rev. Nicodemus.

⁶⁶          "The sun and the moon stopped in their place" ( Hab . 3:11 ).

⁶⁷          Announcement words. Word 2. See: The Complete Works of St. John Chrysostom . T.2. Book 1. M., 1993, p.258.

⁶⁸          Leo VI the Wise, Byzantine Emperor 886–912 - Approx. per.

⁶⁹          Of course, except for the case when a person is near death. 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. per.

⁷⁰          That is, it is allowed to receive communion only on Easter. - Approx. per.

⁷¹          Rev. Nicodemus interprets this passage thus: "Silence is betrayal and renunciation of the truth."

⁷²          Poetic arrangement by Sergey Dyachenko.

⁷³          A word about blessed Babyl and against Julian. See: The Complete Works of St. John Chrysostom . T.2. Book 2. M., 1994, p.589.

⁷⁴          Moral rules, 19, 1. See: Creations of others like the saints of our father Basil the Great , Archbishop of Caesarea Cappadocia. Part 3. M., 1993. p.387.

⁷⁵          Moral rules, 19, 2. See: Ibid., p.388.

⁷⁶          Moral rules, 12, 2. See: Ibid., p.378.

⁷⁷          Moral rules, 12, 4. See: Ibid., p.379.

⁷⁸          About virginity. See: Complete Works. T.1. Book 2. M., 1991, p.367.

⁷⁹          Epistle 10, Irone, deacon of Antioch. Ch. 2, 1.

⁸⁰          Poetic arrangement by Sergey Dyachenko.

⁸¹          See: “When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth: for he will not speak of himself, but will speak what he hears ...” ( John 16:13 ).

⁸²          About faith. See: Creations like in the saints of our father Basil the Great , Archbishop of Caesarea Cappadocia. Part 5. M., pp. 21–22.

⁸³          Word 62.

⁸⁴          That is, he must receive evidence from his subordinates, confirmation that his deeds and words are true. - Approx. per.

⁸⁵          Moral rules, 70, 37. See: Ibid., p.476.

⁸⁶          Moral rules, 72, 1. See: Ibid., p.478.

⁸⁷          See: “The fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” ( Gal. 5:22-23 ).

⁸⁸          Moral rules, 72, 2. See: Ibid., p.478.

⁸⁹          Moral rules, 28, 1. See: Ibid., p.398.

⁹⁰          Moral rules, 26, 1. See: Ibid., p.396.

⁹¹          Word 34.

⁹²          Catalogue 1. See: The Complete Works of St. John Chrysostom . T.2. Book 1. M., 1993, p.257.

⁹³          against the Jews. Word 4. See: The Complete Works of St. John Chrysostom . T.1. Book 2. M., 1991, p.680.

 

 

Epilogue

Behold, my beloved brethren, with the help of God, this book has been completed, and it has been clearly proved on the basis of the testimonies of both the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Fathers that the unceasing Communion of the Most Pure Mysteries is a necessary and most beneficial thing for the soul, and that without this it is impossible for us to rise to the love of our Lord. Who created us, once non-existent, and when we died, recreated again.

So, now nothing else is required, except to prepare with due preparation - contrition, confession and the performance of penances - and thus approach the Sacrament, commune with fear and trembling. All those of us who want life and love to see good days ⁹⁴ , according to the Psalmist, come to our Lord, the sweetest Jesus Christ, who calls to us every day from the Holy See and says: “Come, eat My Bread and drink Wine, which I have dissolved for you in the holy Chalice, so that you may be enlightened spiritually and bodily, so that you may be nourished and fertilized with the food of immortality and made to drink with the drink of incorruption, so that in the hour of need your faces will not be ^ashamed .

As long as we have time, let's do good, as the Apostle says ⁹⁶ . “Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” ( 2 Corinthians 6:2 ). Let us strive and follow the Lord, and then we will find Him as the dawn, which will enlighten us, as Hosea says, and He will come to us, as early and late rain comes to ^earth . Let us listen to Jeremiah, who says: “Stand in your ways and look, and ask about the ancient ways, where is the good way, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls” ( Jer.6,16). May we repent with all our heart and with all our heart for our former negligence, and may we correct ourselves so that we do not hear how the prophet Jeremiah would accuse us again: “Oh, Lord! Are your eyes not on the truth? You hit them and they feel no pain; You destroy them, but they do not want to accept admonition; They have made their faces harder than stone, they do not want to turn ... The prophets prophesy lies, and the priests rule through them, and My people love it.

To whom should I speak and whom should I exhort to be listened to? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hear; behold, the word of the Lord is a mockery among them; it is unpleasant for them .... For from small to big, each of them is devoted to self-interest, and from the prophet to the priest - all act deceitfully ”( Jer.5,3,31. 6,10-13 ).

Let's listen to those speeches that benefit the soul, and let's not investigate who speaks them - wise or unwise, eminent or humble. For of what use is it to us that such and such is an important and great man? Or what damage will we have if this person is insignificant and inconspicuous? We are not going to buy either one or the other. For our benefit, we need only the words of Scripture, and who says them - wise or unwise - does not concern us. Therefore, what we are told, we must compare with what is written in the Holy Scriptures .and if it is in accordance with Scripture, let us accept it, but if it is not in agreement, we do not need it from either one or the other. After all, the one who goes to the market to buy wheat or something else does not think about who sells it, whether he is a good person or a bad one, but only looks at whether the goods are good.

Thus, we must look carefully at the words and not transgress what the divine fathers handed down to us, if only we want not to lose the direct path.

If modern sectarians really studied the Divine Scriptures, they would not have followed those first heretics to perish with them. And then among those the treacherous devil sowed various heresies, depriving them, among other things, of holy Baptism. And he tries to destroy us, Orthodox, by removing us from the continuity of Divine Communion. Since he did not manage to shake our attitude towards holy Baptism, he is looking for some other way to kill us.

And do not think that the one has any difference from the other, for the decision of our Lord was equal in regard to both of them, as we said before. After all, not to be born at all and, having been born, to die of hunger - these two cases have no difference.

So we, of course, are reborn by holy Baptism. However, if we then do not feed on frequent Communion in order to live a spiritual life, then we again die of hunger - a lack of grace - and we fall into passions even worse than those who are not baptized.

Therefore, I ask you, let us fear the words of our Lord now, while we are still living, in order to gain salvation and not to tremble then, at the coming Judgment, without receiving any consolation. May we not be like those to whom the Lord spoke: “Having abandoned the commandment of God, hold fast to the tradition of man” ( Mark 7:8 ).

Let us not be deceived by the superstitions and prejudices that have spread, but let us heed what is written. For Basil the Great says : “It is certain that the worst custom has deceived us; it is certain that the cause of great evils was a distorted human tradition” ⁹⁸ . And also: “If anyone who promised God in holy Baptism not to live at all for himself, but to live for the Dead and Risen for his sake, seeks righteousness from the [fulfillment] of the Law, then for this he should be condemned as for adultery. [So, if a Christian is so condemned for such an attitude towards the Law], then what can be said about human traditions?

As for human traditions, following them will entail punishment, as is evident from the words of the Lord. As for our own thoughts, sought out by human wisdom, the Apostle taught us to asceti- cally reject them: “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God to destroy strongholds: with them we overthrow thoughts and every high thing that rises up against the knowledge of God” ( 2 Corinthians 10, 4 ). [This the Apostle said both about human thoughts], and about all visible [human] righteousness, even if for the sake of God they try to achieve it. From all this it becomes obvious what kind of condemnation will follow those who, by their sophistication, distort the commandments of God. For it is written: "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own eyes!" (Isaiah 5:21 ). Therefore, it is necessary to reject all this together: the devil's lusts, and worldly cares, and human traditions, and one's own desires, even if they seem well- ^intentioned .

Let us not transgress the commandments of God, so as not to turn out to be even worse than dumb animals and more foolish than fish, which do not contradict the law of God, as the same Basil says: “The fish does not argue with the law of God, but we, people, are saving we refuse to accept the doctrine” ¹⁰⁰ .

Let's leave those who want to live negligently, or rather ask God to give them jealousy. Let us all wake up from the sleep of laziness and accept warmth and love in our hearts in order to obey the spiritual call of the priest ¹⁰¹ , and let us approach the Sacrament with a contrite heart. It is a great disregard for God that such a multitude of Christians come to the Liturgy, at the end of which the Lord, through the priest, invites us to come to take communion, and none of such a multitude is called to fulfill the Divine call - not because of some other sin or pretext, but only out of bad habit.

Ah, my brethren, I'm afraid it's not about us that the Lord said: "None of those invited will taste my supper" ( Lk.14:24 )? And besides this, will He not punish us in the most severe way if we do not repent and correct ourselves?

I want to ask you this: if during the Last Supper one of the apostles said: “I don’t take communion today,” I wonder what the Lord would say then? Certainly, it seems to me, He would have said what he said to Peter during the sacred washing of the feet: “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me” ( John 13:8 ). Surely, even at the Last Supper, He would have said to those who did not receive Communion: “Unless you eat My Body and drink My Blood, you have no part with Me.”

The Lord tells us the same thing now, beloved, at every Liturgy: “Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you” ( John 6:53 ), unless someone deprives himself of such heavenly grace, not because he has an obstacle due to his sins and is excommunicated from Communion by his confessor, but only because of a bad custom.

O wicked custom! This evil custom is so rooted that we not only do not partake of Communion ourselves, but if we see any other people that they often come to Divine Communion, then we condemn them, condemning them as supposedly irreverent and not respecting the Divine Mysteries, while we should take their example.

So, the prophecy of Isaiah was justly fulfilled for us: “Hear with your ears and you will not understand, and you will look with your eyes and you will not see. For the heart of this people is hardened, and they can hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes” ( Is.6:9-10 ). For indeed, we have all become as if insensible and do not understand either what we say, or what we hear, or what we see.

And I know that because of our miserable condition, no matter how much I talk about this subject, few will listen. For many have become hard of hearing, so that they cannot hear what Isaiah said.

And for these few, I want to give one example and finish. Imagine that a certain king sits on a high throne, staying outside the palace, on a certain plain, and all the princes, and officers, and all military detachments stand before him with great fear and trembling. And now, if that king ordered one of them to come forward and come up to him in order to give him some assignment, and some others, envious of his closeness to the king, would try to dissuade him from fulfilling the royal order, then, tell me, listened would he have them, would he have expressed disdain for the king? I think that he would not have paid the slightest attention to these people and would have run to the king with great readiness, considering it a great honor and glory for himself to fulfill his order.

So, if we want to show that we are so obedient in relation to a mortal king, why do we not become even more obedient in relation to the King of Heaven and our Lord? The earthly king is capable, perhaps, of depriving us of honor, glory and property - all that today or tomorrow death will destroy. And who can then plead with God, who is able to condemn us to eternal death?

What will we then, unfortunate ones, do - those of us who transgress the Sovereign commandments - when the Great Judgment begins? How can we then find an excuse before God, in relation to whom we now show disdain, justifying ourselves by the fact that, they say, “such and such a person prevented us, and therefore we did not fulfill Your command”? Probably, many of us will say this then, but it will not bring us any benefit.

Therefore, we must repent now, before that hour comes. They must renounce the desires of the devil and the customs of men. We must fulfill the commandments of God and, preparing ourselves with the necessary preparation, often partake of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in order to be strengthened in the grace of God, thanks to Divine Communion. And thus strengthened, let us do every day on earth the will of God, good, and pleasing, and perfect, as angels do it in Heaven. And if someone hinders us in this, then we have in relation to them, as to spiritual fathers, the duty to persuade them, with hot tears in our eyes, until we convince them in any possible way to give us permission to to be worthy to receive the betrothal of the Spirit in our hearts with a perfect feeling and awareness of this. And here and there let us be honored to glorify, together with the angels and all the saints, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit - in the Trinity Unity and in the Unity Trinity, infinitely perfect God, in endless ages of ages. Amen.

* * *

⁹⁴          See: “Whoever is a man, though he belly, love to see good days” ( Ps. 33:13 ). This psalm is sung at the end of the Liturgy after Communion. - Approx. per.

⁹⁵          See: “Come to Him, and be enlightened, and your faces will not be put to shame ( Ps . 33:6 ).

⁹⁶          See: "Therefore, while there is time, let us do good" ( Gal.6,10 ).

⁹⁷          See: “Therefore let us know, let us strive to know the Lord; as the morning dawn is his appearance, and he will come to us like rain, like the latter rain will water the earth” ( Hosea 6:3 ).

⁹⁸          About the judgment of God. See: Creations like the saints of our father Basil the Great , Archbishop of Caesarea Cappadocia. Part 5. M., p.16.

⁹⁹          Word 2. About Baptism. PG 31, 1557.

¹⁰⁰         Conversation 7 on Shestodnev. Creations like in the saints of our father Basil the Great , Archbishop of Caesarea Cappadocia. Part 1. M., b.g., p.114.

¹⁰¹         “Come with the fear of God, faith and love!”

  

Saint Gregory Palamas

On Divine and Deifying Communion, or On Divine and Supernatural Simplicity

 

 

1. Let us state what is openly said by both sides and, as it seems, contains some reason for the difficulty. Our opponents say: “If you call the grace bestowed on the saints uncreated, only because they partake of God, Whom all created things partake of – after all, He extends to everything, giving to another being, to another, besides being, also sensual, or rational, or thinking life, then in everything there will be something uncreated: in one - being, in the other - life, in the third, moreover, - reason and thinking. But we, in agreement with the saints, would consider them not worthy of objection - in Christian dogmas, faith, and not proof, predominates; but for the sake of those who are carried away by these seemingly plausible speeches, they should have answered: that everything created is partaker of God, then everything will be glorified among you as saints, and you will worship any creature; not only rational creatures - or rather, those of them that have become partakers of the deifying gift of the spirit - will turn out to be holy, but also unreasonable ones, and besides them - having no soul. What happens if one gets a better existence and a better life than the other? You will see the difference between your saints. This means that a bee will be holier than a fly for you, a lamb will be a bee, other animals will be a lamb, and a person will be holier than them, even if it is Jezebel. And one more thing: an ant is holier than a mosquito, and its holier than a ram, or, if you like, a bull or an elephant, or some other animal, and again a man is holier than them, even if he is like Ahab. Such a saint will be the one who, with his ridiculous teachings, pushes us to such ridiculous reasoning,

 

2. For if the deifying gift of the Spirit is created and abides in the saints like some kind of natural state or imitation, as the one attacking us everywhere teaches, then the deified saints do not rise above nature, and are not born of God, and are not the Spirit, as those born of the Spirit, and not one spirit with the Lord, for they cling to Him, and not only to those who believe in His name did Christ give the power to be the children of God when He came to His people, and not to His only, but instead - if He is already present in us according to nature - he dwelt with all the Gentiles, and even now he abides with the ungodly and the godless. Listen to what the god-like Maximus says, talking with Pyrrhus: “At the command of God, both Moses and David walked, and all who, by the deposition of human and carnal properties, became receptacles of Divine action.” And again, in another place: "...

 

3. This means that the deified do not simply improve their nature, but acquire the Divine action itself, the Holy Spirit Himself; therefore, according to the words of the great Basil, “when we reflect on His own dignity, we see Him with the Father and the Son, but when we think about the grace acting in the communicants, we say that He dwells in us.” But if He is present in the saints as well as in the creatures, and, as God, works holiness in the saints in the same way, according to your wise reasoning, as other properties in everything else, then what need is there for Christ and His coming? What is the need for Christ's baptism and the authority and power that comes with it? What is the need first for a second breath, and for the sending down of the spirit, and for its indwelling? And so, after all, He was de in us, as in everything. And God, it turns out, both creates and adores. However, the great Basil wisely says: “If God creates and gives birth equally, then Christ is equally our Creator and Father, because He is God, and there is no need for adoption by the Holy Spirit.” “He resurrected,” says the apostle, “and seated him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he will manifest the exceeding riches of his grace in goodness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you, but is the gift of God; not by works, so that no one can boast." And you will invent for us deification, achieved by mere deeds of imitation by nature, asserting that natural imitation is a deifying gift and Divine grace? “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that is not His,” and “the Spirit of God dwells in us,” and “all are made to drink of one Spirit,” and “he who cleaves unto the Lord is one Spirit,” and Christ dwells in the hearts of the faithful by the Spirit,

 

4. And you, and those who, in perfect purity of heart, clearly saw and experienced the radiance of the glory of God and received the Son who came with the Father to make an abode in them and appear to them, as He promised, you call partakers and contemplators of creation? What are you saying? the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit of promise, the pledge of the inheritance of the saints, the Spirit of adoption, the promise of the Spirit, which the Son received from the Father and gave to those who believe in Him, the Spirit, according to the word of the prophet Joel, poured out from the Spirit of God on His servants and maidservants - you do you imagine to be created and consider natural imitation, and those who refrain from blaspheming in your own way, you everywhere proclaim impious? Are you not ashamed of the apostle, who says, “that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in us”, and also: “You are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you"? Could he honor the dwelling of a slave with the name of a temple? If in us, as in everything, then the temple of God is also every unreasonable creature, and every wild beast, and every reptile, not to mention the fact that every one of the Hellenes worshiping them, and every other idol of them. And in vain, in spite of this, does the apostle exalt those who believe and are righteous in faith: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwells in you?” "Unless," he says, "you are not what you should be." and the spirit of God dwells in you?” "Unless," he says, "you are not what you should be." and the spirit of God dwells in you?” "Unless," he says, "you are not what you should be."

 

5. But our adversary says: “You split the Divine Spirit, calling the lower uncreated, and measure God, attributing to one saint a greater, to another a lesser grace, which, in addition, is not that likeness to God, which everyone achieves in his measure by imitation, but something from it is different, coming from above, bestowed, uncreated. To whom do you want to object in this way, to us or to the prophet? Rather, to the God of the prophets, who said through the mouth of one of them: “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh,” and to the apostle, who speaks of the “distribution of the Holy Spirit,” and to Dionysius, who wisely writes: “That to which all like the One strive is one but although it always remains the same and unchanged, not all partake of it in the same way, but the Divine scales weigh out each share according to his dignity. This means that it is not the spirit that is weighed and measured, but rather He Himself measures what that he partakes of Him, and gives Himself to each according to his dignity, in accordance with His saving justice. And He does not share, but we are able to accommodate only a small fraction of His immeasurable radiance.

 

6. That is why it is written of Paul that he was in communion with the radiance of the great light for a short time. And those who ascended the mountain with the Lord saw His glory “not entirely, so that they would not lose their lives with the sight.” The Spirit, however, not only abides indivisibly in the separate, but also those who partake of Him to the extent of their ability, as a unifying force, unites and elevates them to the unity and deifying simplicity of the unifying Father. Thus, the Spirit, as befits a good thing, proceeds and multiplies for the sake of uniting those about whom it has providence, while remaining in its abode with supernatural power. And since this outpouring, sending down and emanating turns out to be a manifestation - “after all, it is given to everyone,” according to the apostle, “the manifestation of the Spirit for the benefit,” then will the Spirit really be measurable, determining the measure of Theophany for those who mysteriously meet with Him? And useless to all never fully manifested and infinitely transcending all appearance and thinking, will be divided and composed of the lower and the higher? And this you do not understand, all-knowing, that what appears, or is thought, or received by communion, is not a part of God, so thatGod did not tolerate division over us, but all of Him in some way both is and is not, is thought and is not thought, is given in communion and is not available for communion?

 

7. And since, according to the words of the great Dionysius, “deification is likeness to God and union with Him,” how can we accept that deification is a natural imitation? After all, we need likeness in order to correspond to this union, with which deification is completed. Without union, likeness will not suffice for deification. Moreover, what is needed, I say, is the likeness that comes from doing and keeping the commandments of God, and this is accomplished not just by natural imitation, but by the power of the Spirit, descending to us from above during holy rebirth and inexpressibly uniting with those who are baptized. By her, those who “were born not from blood, nor from the desire of a man, nor from the desire of the flesh, but from God,” like newborn babies, “can come to the measure of the fulfillment of Christ.” After all, “never,” says Dionysius, “nothing bestowed from God will be known and fulfilled by him, who have not been given a divine existence." So, dear one, learn thoroughly, as they say, about the supernatural nature of deification: since nature does not give it a beginning from itself, then how will its completion be natural and created? And if in its beginning it is far superior to natural imitation, how, when completed, will it be natural imitation? John, the son of Zechariah, baptizes, but with only water. Jesus, the Son of God, also baptizes, but with water and the Spirit. What is added? Is it just the name? Far from it. But the deifying grace and power itself, the Holy Spirit Himself, is not poured out by nature on the person being baptized, but descends according to the inherent grace of sanctification. But if it is created, and having received from it, we become partakers of something created, how will the Holy Spirit be uncreated? about the supernatural nature of deification: since nature does not give it a beginning from itself, then how will its completion be natural and created? And if in its beginning it is far superior to natural imitation, how, when completed, will it be natural imitation? John, the son of Zechariah, baptizes, but with only water. Jesus, the Son of God, also baptizes, but with water and the Spirit. What is added? Is it just the name? Far from it. But the deifying grace and power itself, the Holy Spirit Himself, is not poured out by nature on the person being baptized, but descends according to the inherent grace of sanctification. But if it is created, and having received from it, we become partakers of something created, how will the Holy Spirit be uncreated? about the supernatural nature of deification: since nature does not give it a beginning from itself, then how will its completion be natural and created? And if in its beginning it is far superior to natural imitation, how, when completed, will it be natural imitation? John, the son of Zechariah, baptizes, but with only water. Jesus, the Son of God, also baptizes, but with water and the Spirit. What is added? Is it just the name? Far from it. But the deifying grace and power itself, the Holy Spirit Himself, is not poured out by nature on the person being baptized, but descends according to the inherent grace of sanctification. But if it is created, and having received from it, we become partakers of something created, how will the Holy Spirit be uncreated? will it be a natural imitation? John, the son of Zechariah, baptizes, but with only water. Jesus, the Son of God, also baptizes, but with water and the Spirit. What is added? Is it just the name? Far from it. But the deifying grace and power itself, the Holy Spirit Himself, is not poured out by nature on the person being baptized, but descends according to the inherent grace of sanctification. But if it is created, and having received from it, we become partakers of something created, how will the Holy Spirit be uncreated? will it be a natural imitation? John, the son of Zechariah, baptizes, but with only water. Jesus, the Son of God, also baptizes, but with water and the Spirit. What is added? Is it just the name? Far from it. But the deifying grace and power itself, the Holy Spirit Himself, is not poured out by nature on the person being baptized, but descends according to the inherent grace of sanctification. But if it is created, and having received from it, we become partakers of something created, how will the Holy Spirit be uncreated?

 

8. “If, by the participation of the Spirit,” in the words of the great Athanasius, “we become partakers of the Divine nature, then only a fool can say that the Spirit has a created nature, and not the nature of the Son.” If Christ Himself, the Son of God, baptized, like John, in the created and instilled in the baptized the created power and grace, how could He, according to the word of Paul, “reveal”, that is, be definitely recognized, “the Son of God in power, in the Spirit holy things, through the resurrection from the dead”?. What kind of power was revealed and revealed Jesus as the Son of God - is it really created? And how could He then be known through her as God? And don't tell me that she cleansed the lepers, enlightened the blind, straightened the bent, strengthened the paralyzed - after all, paying attention to this is characteristic of the myopia of the Pharisees first of all - but think that at first she invisibly destroyed the fetters of sin, and prepared a place for the Holy Spirit, and corrects and enlightens the inner man, and through union with God raises the soul from the dead and gives it life in God - the Divine and truly eternal life of God. After all, the resurrection of the body is only a consequence of this resurrection, just as death initially followeddeathsouls; and the death of the soul is alienation from life in God. It is this death that is truly terrible, and the bodily death that follows it is very desirable, when it has taken place, and there is the grace of God, which, alas, many condemned will be deprived of at the coming judgment. This is the kind of resurrection that awaits those who have not used for good the talent of Divine grace given by God - a resurrection forever united with that other death, as John revealed to us in Revelation, and worse than death. If in this way some live immortally, although they have died, and many others who live here are dead, as the Lord of life and death has shown, then there is also the death of the soul, although by nature the soul remains immortal. How will she live if she has received created life as her inheritance, and while living it, she is dead? This means that in order to be reborn to a better existence, she needs to receive a share in the uncreated life, without separating from the spirit. Therefore, Vasily, who communed with her, says from experience: “And the life that the Spirit inspires in someone else’s hypostasis does not separate from Him, but He also has life in Himself, and those who partake of Him live like God, having acquired Divine and heavenly life.”

 

9. Would you also like to know for sure that those who have been worthy of deification acquire the Holy Spirit Himself not by nature, but by uncreated illumination and grace? Listen to what Dionysius says: “The goal of the hierarchy is to become as close as possible to God and unite with Him, making those who worship Him Divine likenesses, the clearest, unspotted mirrors capable of receiving the rays of the Divine First Light.” But if what everyone partakes of is the same, but is given not equally, but differently, then what prevents both saints and non-saints from partaking of God, with the difference between these communions that one is uncreated and the other is created? Like Athanasius the Greatwho said: “One God is the Father”, the beginning of everything, according to the apostle, “and the Word is from Him in the way of begetting, and the Spirit is from Him in the way of proceeding”, - if someone asked him why he only calls the Son and the Spirit God true and inseparable from the Father, although everything comes from the Father, in essence he would answer that because of the difference in being: after all, the Son and the Spirit receive being from the Father - it is true, as independent hypostases as a radiance and a ray from light, and all the rest - as creations from the creator - we will also say that although everything participates in God, we see the greatest difference in the communion of the saints. After all, why, tell me, is the life of none of the creatures, sensually, or rationally, or mentally partaking of the Divine life, is not and is not called god-like or inspired by God, and none of them is Divine, or God-chosen, or God-bearing, much less by God, unless it is from among the deified? Those who, by their nature, live only sensuously - and some live and are completely devoid of feeling - are in no way capable of Divine life, although they also partake of God.

 

10. Do you see that although in everything there is the Divine, and everything partakes of Him, yet only in the saints does He fully dwell, and only they fully partake of Him? And thus, it is true and true that, as we have one Godtrue, although there are many gods, and so they are called, and just as one is truly glorified among us, the Son of God, for He is the only begotten Son, although there are many sons of God, and so they are called, so also the saints alone are called partakers of God and partakers of Christ, although many - or rather, all - partake of God "For it is impossible," says Paul, "once enlightened, and partakers of the gift of heaven, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit ..." it is as if they had not received communion before. And the Lord promises to come and make an abode with those who love Him and those beloved by Him, as if He had not been with them before and had not lived in them. This means that it was necessary that those who were deified become very like God, and those who were adopted by nature became like the Son. As one God is existing, living, holy, good, “one having immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light,” although many exist,

 

11. Don't you think that such a great difference is enough for us to consider the communion of those who live the Divine life uncreated, even if Paul had not said: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me"? Even if Maxim had not once again said about Paul and those like him: “They carry in themselves not a temporal life that has a beginning and an end, but the Divine and eternal life of the indwelling Word”? And again: “The divine and incomprehensible life, even if it allows those who partake of it by grace to taste themselves, does not allow them to comprehend; after all, she always, even with the communion of those who partake of her, remains incomprehensible, because, as unborn by nature, she possesses infinity. And again: “Giving unborn deification as a reward to those who obey Him”; unborn deification is called “enhypostatized in appearance, which has not birth, but an incomprehensible manifestation in the worthy.”

 

12. And the great Athanasius says: "That we are called partakers of Christ and partakers of God, shows our anointing and sealing, which does not have the nature of the begotten." And again: “The philanthropy of God is also in the fact that for whom He was the creator, for those, by grace, then he becomes a father - when created people receive “in their hearts the Spirit of the Son, crying out:“ Abba, Father! Otherwise, being creatures by nature, they would not have become sons if they had not received the Spirit of Him Who by nature is Existent and True. Therefore, "the Word became flesh" in order to make human nature capable of receiving the Divine. And again: “As the Spirit and power of the Most High were promised to the apostles, so was the Virgin.” And the great Basil says: “Become a sharer of the grace of Christ by the Holy Spirit, be called a child of light, partake of eternal glory.” And again: “That to which the Holy Spirit communicated perpetual motion, became a holy animal. By indwelling the Spirit in him, man received the dignity of a prophet, an apostle, an angel, a god, having previously been earth and dust. And again: “Not by accepting slavery does a slave become a son, and not by slavish communion does he receive the freedom to call God father.” And again: “They are created in His image, and therefore born of the Spirit. After all, all created things would be pitiful in comparison with God and, by their created nature, deprived of the glory of the Creator, if they did not partake of the Divine. It would be unworthy to say of God that He neglects the creation, as if it were completely deprived of Him and abandoned by Him. However, neither creation is so pathetic nor “Participated in the Creator created in His image, and therefore born of the Spirit. After all, all created things would be pitiful in comparison with God and, by their created nature, deprived of the glory of the Creator, if they did not partake of the Divine. It would be unworthy to say of God that He neglects the creation, as if it were completely deprived of Him and abandoned by Him. However, neither creation is so pathetic nor “Participated in the Creator created in His image, and therefore born of the Spirit. After all, all created things would be pitiful in comparison with God and, by their created nature, deprived of the glory of the Creator, if they did not partake of the Divine. It would be unworthy to say of God that He neglects the creation, as if it were completely deprived of Him and abandoned by Him. However, neither creation is so pathetic norGod is not so powerless that the holy provision should not be sent down to creatures. And again: “The creation was renewed, having received from the Spirit, having lost Whom it became dilapidated”; “after all, the current renewal and harmony must correspond to the original novelty. This means that it was not someone else who breathed that breath that originally breathed, but the same one to whom God gave the breath - then together with the soul, now into the soul. And Father Chrysostom, singing the grace of Divine Baptism, says: “Then “man became a living soul,” and now “a life-giving spirit.” And the difference is great: after all, the soul does not communicate life to another, but the spirit not only lives itself, but also communicates life to others. This is how the apostles raised the dead.”

 

13. The divine Cyril expounds this more extensively, refuting and asserting that the Divine breath has become the soul of man. Already concluding his speech, he says: “What He breathed in is thought to be completely His, or His nature. Was the Spirit that came from God cast down into the nature of the soul? Therefore, the animal received a soul,” he says, “by the inexpressible power of God, and through the likeness of God, it became, as far as possible by nature, good, righteous and capable of all virtue. It was sanctified by becoming a partaker of the Divine Spirit, which it lost through sin.” What can those say to this who affirm that the deifying gift of the Spirit is a created and natural imitation, and not a Divine, and inexpressible, and inexpressibly indwelling action? And Saint Maximus says: "We experience deification as something beyond nature, but we do not commit it."

 

14. Let us return, however, to what we digressed from, and continue the speech in order. Nothing prevents us from saying that, just as “no one is good, but God alone,” so also nothing participates in God, except for good angels and those people who mysteriously again received into their souls the divine breath that receded at the beginning. from Adambecause of the violation of God's command. To one who denies this thought, I would willingly ask: “Is it not absolutely necessary that what partakes of another could exist before this communion and be first something in itself? However, beings who live by the communion of God in a sensual, or rational, or mental way, what kind of feeling - or reason and mind - have not fallen to the lot, have they not yet partaken of God? Will someone say that they had only being, to which these abilities were added? But after all, they also have being through the participation of God. It is clear, therefore, that they do not partake of God completely, but in the way, as it is said about the creations of God, that they partake of His creative energy and power - like any products that, in the form of an obscure reflection, contain the artisan’s intention, but have absolutely no participation in active thinking. ".

 

15. The saints, having originally created nature, attach supernatural and divine communion to it - not as a craft is attached to what is done according to its rules, but as they perceive and assimilate the skill, “always present, but manifested by action when necessary” - in a variety of gifts Spirit." And just as the word abides in us,” says the great Basil, “so is the Spirit in us: sometimes it is in our heart, when “the Spirit bears witness to our spirit” and when He “cries out in our hearts: “Abba, Father!” ", sometimes expressed in language - "for you will not speak," in the words of the one who teaches the wisdom of non-contradiction, "but the Spirit of your Father will speak in you." But, as the apostle says, regarding the distribution of gifts, He must think as a whole in parts. Therefore, we are all members of one another. In addition, “like the power of vision in a healthy eye, so is the action of the Spirit in a purified soul.” Therefore, he also calls the radiance that comes from the Spirit and His outflow. “Just as it lies next to something brightly colored,” he says, “and itself is colored in a flowing brilliance, so the one who clearly sees the Spirit is transformed by His glory and enlightened, as if illuminated by a certain light from the truth emanating from Him.” And Gregory, who received the nickname in theology, listing what awaited his deceased sister Gorgonia, says, turning to her: “I know for sure: what you are now in is immeasurably better and much more precious than what is visible bodily - the doxology of the celebrating, the round dance of angels, the heavenly host, the contemplation of glory, the purest and most perfect brilliance of another, higher Trinity, shining on our souls with the full light of the Divine, ”and then, continuing the speech, briefly sums up:“ You eat from everything, what was given to you in the form of outflows on earth, according to the sincerity of your striving for this. Such, then, is the nature of the outflow, that it is given without being separated from the giver, and while giving, it does not suffer any diminution; and how could light experience anything like that by emitting a ray, or a ray by producing radiance?

16. And, please, do not start talking about outflows of matter, but, if possible, consider the way of giving the spirit to the saints, clearing this word of any inappropriate meaning. How can He inexpressibly shine in all the saints in a manifest manner? “Like the rays of the sun,” says the great Basil, “they make the cloud glow and shine, giving it, as it were, the appearance of gold.” Imagine, please, that such clouds, garments of light, are able to feel this Divine light and become, as it were, some kind of eyes through participation in this light; then they become almost equal in light and see in that light. In the same way, the saints, having become divinely inspired and god-like, alone fully partake of God. Not only do they partake, but they partake. Not only can they judge what has already happened, but they also know something of what has not yet been brought out of non-existence. Not only live, but also give life, which is impossible for the created force. However, after the presentation of the truth, it is necessary to listen again to the preachers of the truth, who affirm that only the saints partake of God; after all, we always expose them as witnesses of the truth.

17. So, the great Basil says: “Having cleansed himself of the shame with which vice has stained, and returning to natural beauty, as if restoring the purity of the original appearance to the royal image, this is the only way to approach the Comforter.” And again: “The Holy Spirit is inaccessible by nature, we can accommodate it by goodness; fills everything with power, and is given only to the worthy; is not given equally, but according to the degree of faith, measuring His action. And again: “What should be honored by one who is incomprehensible to the world, but seen only by saints in purity of heart, or what honor is due to Him?” And again: “The Lord, having testified to the purity of the life of His disciples according to the teaching, will already grant them the vision and contemplation of the Spirit.” And again: “It is testified that those who trample on the earthly and exalt themselves above it are worthy of the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

 

18. And in order to give you an example in a vague semblance of the difference of communions, let's say that an earthen bowl partakes of fire, retaining traces of fire even after it is taken out of the oven for use; for both the reddishness of the color, and the appropriate dryness, and the strength of the material are directly from the fire, because when moisture is exterminated from it, and the fire devours it and blackens it with heat, the yellowness of the fire is combined with the natural whiteness of clay, and thus from the mixed yellow, white and black, a color appears on the surface of the fired batch, and the loose clay shrinks, because in the depths of its pores are so contracted from the power of fire that it no longer passes water, consisting of thick particles. Therefore, even poured with water, it does not collapse, since it is not wetted. And stone or earth, taken in the same amount, it is much lighter and warmer, which, of course, acquired from the fire. This means that an earthen bowl partakes of fire even when it is already put out for consumption. He takes communion even when he lies in a burning furnace and, being burned through and through, unites with the fire. But then it partakes not only of the accomplishments of the action, but also of almost all the actions of fire themselves, yielding neither in heat nor in burning power. She can easily give from the action that she herself participates to everything that comes close to her, if only it is capable of such communion, although her nature does not change and is the earth itself. Taken out of the furnace for consumption, the cup is involved only in the performance of the action of fire, but not the actions themselves. connects with fire. But then it partakes not only of the accomplishments of the action, but also of almost all the actions of fire themselves, yielding neither in heat nor in burning power. She can easily give from the action that she herself participates to everything that comes close to her, if only it is capable of such communion, although her nature does not change and is the earth itself. Taken out of the furnace for consumption, the cup is involved only in the performance of the action of fire, but not the actions themselves. connects with fire. But then it partakes not only of the accomplishments of the action, but also of almost all the actions of fire themselves, yielding neither in heat nor in burning power. She can easily give from the action that she herself participates to everything that comes close to her, if only it is capable of such communion, although her nature does not change and is the earth itself. Taken out of the furnace for consumption, the cup is involved only in the performance of the action of fire, but not the actions themselves.

19. Now imagine, please, choosing as far as possible for the present consideration from the example of vessels, that natural life, and existence, and knowledge, and all the like, are the accomplishments of Divine actions, and not quite the actions themselves. The divinely inspired life and grace of those who exist and live in God in a supernatural way, are truly Divine and supernatural action, by which the union of God and those worthy of God is accomplished. After all, the created - everything that was brought out of non-existence by a creative command - is also the accomplishment of Divine actions, but not the actions themselves. When the Lord, according to the promise, creates with the Father an abode with the worthy, then what arises in the God-bearing ones is accomplished not by a creative command, but by Divine union with God and the indwelling of God, deifying power and grace of those who have merged with Him from what belongs to His nature. Consequently, not only the accomplishments, but also the very actions of God, the saints partake in a way worthy of angels and in an angelic way; in the angels, after all, the great Basil sees that difference from the Holy Spirit, "that the sanctuary belongs to Him by nature, and they are sanctified by communion."

20. In the same way the righteous will shine, as the Lord shone on the mountain, and their kingdom will not be created and not completely different, but the same as His. So Christ once lived and spoke in Paul, although Paul also lived and spoke. So Peter put to death and gave life, although God alone puts to death and gives life. So James and John, who went up the mountain with Him, saw with their bodily eyes an unceasing and unceasing light, which then illumined Paul too, darkening his vision, which could not endure an excess of radiance - after all, carnal nature does not contain the power of this light. So Stefan from the earth looked into the sky, remaining in the body. And through the touch of bodily hands, the giving of the Holy Spirit takes place, who approached with sincere faith, giving from the Divine action and grace, which through him can be given again to another, and through him to a third, and so alternately spreads all the time. O, Who will sing with dignity, the only begotten Word of God, the power of Your coming to earth? Indeed, on your Divine altar, not an alien, earthly fire is kindled, but in another sense alien - heavenly, preserved inextinguishably by transmission, which you came to scatter on earth along the incomparable abyss of humanity, which serving spirits partake of and from which demons flee, which Moses saw on a thorn bush and by which Elijah was caught up from the earth, which the host of Your apostles saw pouring out from Your body and by which Paul was illumined, who turned from a persecutor into a disciple, who is the power of resurrection and the effect of immortality, the radiance of holy souls and the union of all verbal forces.

21. But in order to testify to what was said, proofs that were obvious to the senses were obtained for a time, so that even those who were not completely stubborn in obstinacy could be convinced: after all, the life of the child of the ruler of the synagogue and the son of the widow were partaken by the touch and voice of the Lord, Tabitha of Joppa and the young man Eutychus partook from Troas, one by the voice of Peter, the other by the touch of Paul. What kind of life did they partake of? Is it not that life-giving, which the Lord possesses, although he did not partake of it? Can anyone else say that all the saints partake of the God that is not inherent in nature and the uncreated action, who by their own will set aside the natural and are known by one grace, by which they will show as much strength as God by nature, having incarnated, received from our weakness – for He knew that the deification of those saved by grace would be in proportion to His humiliation? How could it be otherwise if they inherit the kingdom of God, which is "the appropriation by grace of the good that belongs to the nature of God"? He allows them to completely enter into Himself and gives from His own glory and radiance, so that it is absolutely impossible to distinguish Him from them - like transparent air, wholly enlightened by light, or rather like genuine verbal gold, calcined by immaterial Divine fire: “by deification they became gods and By the victorious grace of the Spirit, they appropriated to themselves only one Divine action, so that the action of God and those worthy of God is one and the same in all respects, ”saying the divinely inspired words of Maximus,“ when God completely and completely embraced the worthy, as befits the Good. belonging to the nature of God"? He allows them to completely enter into Himself and gives from His own glory and radiance, so that it is absolutely impossible to distinguish Him from them - like transparent air, wholly enlightened by light, or rather like genuine verbal gold, calcined by immaterial Divine fire: “by deification they became gods and By the victorious grace of the Spirit, they appropriated to themselves only one Divine action, so that the action of God and those worthy of God is one and the same in all respects, ”saying the divinely inspired words of Maximus,“ when God completely and completely embraced the worthy, as befits the Good. belonging to the nature of God"? He allows them to completely enter into Himself and gives from His own glory and radiance, so that it is absolutely impossible to distinguish Him from them - like transparent air, wholly enlightened by light, or rather like genuine verbal gold, calcined by immaterial Divine fire: “by deification they became gods and By the victorious grace of the Spirit, they appropriated to themselves only one Divine action, so that the action of God and those worthy of God is one and the same in all respects, ”saying the divinely inspired words of Maximus,“ when God completely and completely embraced the worthy, as befits the Good.

22. For just as all imprints partake of the seal, although each one nevertheless moves wherever it is carried, and if you take one of them and attach it to the seal, it will no longer be able to move anywhere except by moving in one movement. with its prototype, having become one with it, with the exception of the difference in substance, - so when the Divine image in us returns to the prototype, what was asked in that wonderful prayer for us is fulfilled: give them, says Christ, “so that they may all be one: like me, Father, in Thee, and Thou in Me, and let them be one in Us” in truth. So "he that clings to the Lord is one spirit." So it is truly a great mystery when bodies unite into one flesh and flock - but, after all, “into Christ and into the Church". After all, printing gives all of itself to the impressions, and each of them, if possible, receives to its share, mind you, letters, but also unity with what imprints.

23. What else are you afraid of, lest there be difficulty in God, when His actions are uncreated, and that is what they are called? Rather, you should be afraid that you would not make God created, considering that His natural actions are created, while the divine Damascene speaks of two actions in Christ, that "the created will reveal the created nature, and the uncreated will express the uncreated essence - for it is necessary that the natural manifestations corresponded to natures. According to him, the divine Maxim speaks: “If we take away the natural will and essential action, as well as the Divine and human essence, how can He be God or man?” Well, aren't the properties of the hypostases of the Supreme Trinity uncreated, although there are many of them? Why, then, are there not many gods, or is the One not complicated because of this? Or will you call these properties completely merged into one, and identical to the essence of God, and completely indistinguishable, how do you deal with the action? I'm afraid you might introduce us to a god that is completely insubstantial and non-existent, because all these properties in themselves have no independent existence at all. And you say that they are identical in everything with the essence of God, and God is in all respects one and has no parts, not understanding that He multiplies, remaining one, and divides, remaining indivisible, and is given in various ways in communions, everywhere remaining inseparable and superessential power without being separated from His unity.

24. Tell me, does not each individual hypostasis have many properties? After all, the Father is both causeless, and the cause, and the parent and the one who gives birth - and, of course, the Father possesses all these properties in an uncreated way. Do you really consider hypostatic properties to be completely identical with hypostases, as if natural properties did not differ from nature and essential properties from essence? So you will call hypostatic properties hypostasis, as you have already called natural nature, meaning not similarity, but identity? But the fathers did not speak like this: they call hypostatic properties enhypostatized, and not a hypostasis, just like essential ones - not an essence, but fully existing. Especially when each individual hypostasis has many and different properties, How can hypostasis and property be identical? And since many and various uncreated properties of hypostases were revealed, then according to your witty, and sublime, and irrefutable reasoning, it turns out that either there are many gods, or each Divine hypostasis is complex. Thus, self-appointed defender of simplicity beyond all understanding, you proclaimed God to be supercomplex to us.

25. But, my dear, independently existing elements are subject to composition, and not contemplated in another (and this is the general teaching of both external and ancient sages), and that which exists is not called complex because of its own action - after all, no burning force is complex due to the fact that it also warms, not a ray because of the light. Therefore, you, an admirer of the imaginary indistinguishability of the uncreated in all respects, will rather have to call the Trinity of Hypostases complex - after all, several uncreated Persons merge into one, and Each of Them is incarnated as independently existing. And in God, although many natural and hypostatic properties merge together, none of them exists as an independent hypostasis, and did not exist before, and will not later; and none of these natural properties can belong to any other entity, for they are innate in this one. ^* , because they do not merge together and do not add up; because of them, the complex contains a difference either in the difference of essences, or in the presence of essence and various essential properties and opposites, which are contemplated as being subject to it. However, not to her alone, but to other natures, they are internally inherent, because of which everything created is subject to change through increase and decrease, addition and subtraction, the action of undergoing - and thus experiences the separation of the previously connected, which fully shows its divisibility; and everything divisible by necessity is complex.

 

26. And since there is one indivisible essence in God, there is no decrease, no increase, no application, no withdrawal - hence, there is no difference that would reveal to us the previous complexity. And “all the properties that God possesses,” I will say in the words of the great Athanasius, “He possesses by nature, and not by acquisition,” and only acts on them, but does not suffer. Therefore, there can be no opposite in Him that carries a change, and one of all that exists, He does not have essential differences, but has, as has already been proven, actions through which everything is subject to Him as matter, even rational creatures, and He contains everything and He rules over everything by His utterance, or rather, by will, that is, by eternal, and inexhaustible, and impassive action. But in no case will you see anything that is inherent in Him innate in anything else. And it is precisely for this reason that He only acts: “no one,” says the evangelist, “is not good, but God alone,” “blessed and the only strong one, the only one who has immortality, dwelling in impregnable light.” Where do you get the multi-natural complexity of the Divine, when everything shows His unity? And each of the three Hypostases is perfect and different, even in the most indescribable unity, surpassing all understanding and reasoning. But no one can even conceive of any of Them ever separated from the others, lest this entails complexity: “I will scarcely think of the One,” says when everything shows His oneness? And each of the three Hypostases is perfect and different, even in the most indescribable unity, surpassing all understanding and reasoning. But no one can even conceive of any of Them ever separated from the others, lest this entails complexity: “I will scarcely think of the One,” says when everything shows His oneness? And each of the three Hypostases is perfect and different, even in the most indescribable unity, surpassing all understanding and reasoning. But no one can even conceive of any of Them ever separated from the others, lest this entails complexity: “I will scarcely think of the One,” Gregory the Theologian says, - "as I am illumined by the Trinity." This means that the union and at the same time the independence of Hypostases eliminates the complexity here.

 

27. In this way, please, guard the simplicity of God, and do not eliminate His natural manifestations as non-existent, and do not consider the undying and unceasing light to be subordinate (arktou), and do not say that there are two Deities, and two Divine Beginnings, and two good ones - of course, the created and the uncreated: so, indeed, two are obtained. But since both essence and action together are uncreated, nothing prevents unity - just as the ray and the sun are one light. And do not think that the very divinity of God and His Kingdom are created, for they are the natural actions of God. And do not bring down deifying grace into the created, lest at the same time bring down Him Who by nature possesses this grace and bestows it. And do not rashly prove that the Son of God was born like us; for how could a birth for our sake be revered like ours, as if He did not give from the Holy Spirit, but from the creature, or even as if He did not give us the Spirit of adoption in exchange for our flesh, which He took from the Virgin in order to become a son of man? And do not make the temples of God - that is, the saints - the dwellings of the created, nor yourself so miserable, so as not only to have the Divine and deifying Communion, but absolutely no hope in it - nor God so powerless that He could not place the holy division of Himself into the sentient beings He created, when they are purified. Moreover, do not make Him non-essential and non-existent, affirming His complete identity with actions, non-essential and non-existent in themselves - after all, they, of course, are not essence and hypostasis. Do not make the super-essential, and surpassing all names, and in itself inaccessible for communion, and the inexpressible essence of God, do not make accessible for communion, saying that everything is an uncreated essence. And do not appear as a second Eunomius, under the pretext of upholding Divine simplicity, asserting, like him, that all hypostatic properties relate to essence, since they are uncreated. And do not become a monothelite, assuming the Divine nature of Christ devoid of action, nor a new Sabellius in a different way, considering the names of God without real content, because they all mean one thing, and retaining one name of essence. And so that all this does not happen to you, declaring the actions of God as created - after all, there is never any simplicity in empty fabrications - believe me that one and the same contains and does not contain division that all hypostatic properties refer to essence, since they are uncreated. And do not become a monothelite, assuming the Divine nature of Christ devoid of action, nor a new Sabellius in a different way, considering the names of God without real content, because they all mean one thing, and retaining one name of essence. And so that all this does not happen to you, declaring the actions of God as created - after all, there is never any simplicity in empty fabrications - believe me that one and the same contains and does not contain division that all hypostatic properties refer to essence, since they are uncreated. And do not become a monothelite, assuming the Divine nature of Christ devoid of action, nor a new Sabellius in a different way, considering the names of God without real content, because they all mean one thing, and retaining one name of essence. And so that all this does not happen to you, declaring the actions of God as created - after all, there is never any simplicity in empty fabrications - believe me that one and the same contains and does not contain division God , unites in difference and differs in unity, Himself is not separated from Himself in processions and eternally moves in immobility, is inseparably divided and wholly given in communion in the image of a sunbeam.

 

28. But let the great Basil—for if anyone has declared God to be one and simple, it is he—sit back into the pulpit and make it clear that God does not become complex because of His actions. “How,” he asks, “will there not be no complexity in Him who is simple in nature? For the expressions that point to His properties do not in any way affect the reasoning about His simplicity; otherwise, everything that is said about God will proclaim His complexity, and, apparently, if we want to keep the idea of ​​simplicity and indivisibility, then either we will say nothing about God, except that He is not born, and we will avoid calling His incorruptible, unchanging, Creator, Judge, and all the other names that we now use to glorify Him - or what will we do if we accept these names? Let's eliminate them shall we attribute all this to essence? Then we will show God not only complex, but also consisting of heterogeneous parts, because each of the names means something else.

 

29. So, when you hear from us that essence is one. And the action is different, understand that we are talking about the difference between what each word means, as the great Basil also said. And again: “If we would consider the unborn as a part of the essence, then the reasoning would take place that consisting of various parts is complex; If, however, we consider the essence of God to be light, or life, or good, so that all God will be completely life, and all light, and all good, and unbegottenness will be, as it were, a companion of life, then how will there not be no complexity in Him Who simple in nature? And objecting to the heretics, who then said the same thing as those recently arguing with us - that God is simple, and any enumeration of His properties is de knowledge of the essence, the great Basil also says that “this is sophism, containing an abyss of absurdities; After all, with such a multitude of enumerated properties, do these names refer to the same entity and are equivalent to each other? And again: "We say that we know the greatness of God, and the power, and wisdom, but not the very essence." Therefore, when you hear from us that in God the essence is one thing, and the power or action is another, know that we are saying that the power or action of God is somehow known, but the essence is not recognized by anyone.

 

30. Possessor of all knowledge, teaching man knowledge, giving wisdom and correcting wise men, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” “may he give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to know Him, and let it enlighten the eyes of your heart, so that you know that there is the hope of His calling, and what is the richness of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and how abundant is the greatness of His might in us who believe, according to the operation of His mighty power, which He acted in Christ, "Who can do incomparably more than we ask or think, by his power that works in us,” to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

* * *

^*        so in the text; meaning, it seems, should be "no less".

Source: Treatises / Gregory Palamas. - [transl. from Greek and approx. archimandrite. Nectarius (Yashunsky)] - Krasnodar: Text. 2007. - 256 p. / On the Divine and deifying Communion. 90-120 s. ISBN 978-5-903298-05-1