Many Orthodox believers ask the priests a question in person, via the Internet, or they are interested in their relatives: can I brush my teeth before the sacrament? But this is far from the only thing that not only beginners can ask. A lot of questions arise in the church. It is worth noting that there are a huge number of near-church myths, misconceptions. This article briefly retells the answers of experienced and pious priests, gives recommendations and useful tips for beginners.
What is the sacrament?
What does Christ say in the gospel about the sacrament? On the eve of a terrible death on the cross, He gathers his disciples together and prepares a meal. On the table is bread and wine. Christ says that in memory of Him they will drink wine and eat bread, as these are symbols of His blood and body.
To this day, liturgies are being performed in churches and the Holy Communion is being prepared using bread and wine. The priests pray with the parishioners with the words "Let us pray for the offered Honest Gifts to the Lord."
What is really meant by bread and wine in the Holy Cup? The prayers read before Communion at home are just as necessary for the Christian as the church ones. Why is prayer needed? Because the Lord connects precisely with the person who calls him to himself.
What is the sacrament?
There is some evidence of how the sacrament is actually being prepared and what is hidden beneath it from human eyes. Once a certain person entered the temple. The royal doors in the temple were opened. Priests stood at the altar. Suddenly, a man who came in saw a priest piercing a baby with a copy. He shouted to the whole temple: “Why are you killing a baby?” All the people standing in the temple turned around. No one could understand what kind of baby they were talking about. In fact, the priest was holding a prosphora (a small loaf of wheat flour and water).
The Lord invisibly and endlessly sacrifices himself for the sake of people, but not materially, but spiritually. Truly His crucifix was seen almost 2,000 years ago at Calvary in Jerusalem.
Let us return to the gospel and to those lines where the Lord is in the Last Supper. He said: “From now on, you will drink my blood (wine) and eat my body (bread) in memory of Me.” But even the apostles did not know how this would happen. Moreover, it is not given to us to know either. This is a divine mystery. We can only take it seriously, and as it is, no doubt. Therefore, the prayers read before Communion are very necessary, first of all for the Communion.
Another living testimony
In the city of Lanciano (Italy), to this day there is true evidence that the Sacrament is not just bread and wine. In the Catholic Church of Saint-Legotius in the 8th century, one priest doubted that Communion was a miracle. When he picked up a piece of bread, he saw something like muscle tissue. He looked into the Chalice and saw - instead of wine there is blood. The priest cried out in horror. Then he realized that it was impossible to doubt. The Lord proved to him that everything is real. To this day, this miracle is located in Lanciano. Many pilgrims come to pray near such a shrine.
What does a Christian need before communion? Of course, first of all, the belief that he will be given the opportunity to taste not just bread and wine, but the body of Christ. Of course, such a meal is a miracle. The Lord gives a part of himself to a sinful person. Therefore, Communion must begin not only with fear, but also by faith. You just can’t take communion.
How to relate?
Above, we examined two testimonies of the miracle of God. It is worth noting that in the altar during the Liturgy there is not only Jesus Christ, but also the Mother of God, the Archangels, saints.
No wonder the holy fathers said that angels mourn because they do not receive communion. After all, they have no body, no need. They are already with God. And the Lord gave such a great gift to man - to unite with Him during the Communion. Let it be invisible.
Let's see what to read before the sacrament:
- canon of penitence to the Savior;
- canon of service to the Mother of God;
- canon to the Guardian Angel;
- follow to Holy Communion.
It is all these prayers, chants, kondakas that will help to prepare correctly to receive the Holy Gifts in the proper way.
Fasting and Confession
Priests say that you need to fast for at least 3 days. If a person is unchurched, rarely visits a temple, sins, then he needs to prepare for almost a week. That is why the best option for such people is the Great, Christmas fasts, as well as Petrov and Uspensky. But it is not necessary for this reason to choose periods of multi-day posts. Indeed, reconciliation with God, and not convenience, is more important.
What to do before the Communion to someone who rarely goes to the temple? First, you must definitely go to the priest for a confession. When the priest accepts the penitents, you can find out in the temple which is closer to your house or which you want to visit. Be prepared for the fact that the priest after confession may not allow the sacrament. There can be many reasons for this. Often, in order to be allowed to receive communion, one needs to fast, repent, and visit the temple many times. Be sure to ask the priest after the confession about whether he blesses coming to the Holy Cup or not. Often priests themselves insist that the confessor partake of the sacrament. You need to take such advice.
What post before communion?
If you are new or have not been to the church for a long time, then be sure to go to the priest for confession. Usually during this sacrament many spiritual issues are resolved. The priest will explain to you what to do, what to watch out for when you can take communion.
What is meant by fasting? Meat, milk cannot be eaten, eggs, too. In addition, food, dishes, drinks that contain the above products are not consumed. Remember that fasting should be spiritual. Eat little food. For example, for breakfast - tea with oatmeal cookies or oatmeal porridge on the water, at lunch - soup on vegetable broth, at dinner - vegetable salad and rice / potato.
Drinking before the sacrament, as during fasting, alcoholic beverages is prohibited. It is also recommended to refuse coffee. After all, the body should be a temple of the soul, a calm "home", sober and cheerful. Junk food (not fasting), coffee and alcohol can not be adjusted to prayers.
Spiritual side
We continue our conversation about fasting. We sorted out the food. As for entertainment, watching movies, you need to put off all this. Any unimportant deeds must be replaced by prayers to God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, her guardian angel and saints.
Let's talk about what to read before the sacrament. Above we mentioned the canons and the follow-up to Holy Communion. In addition to them, they advise reading the Gospel of the Holy Fathers. Be wary of taking near-church literature, or one that is false Christian.
No need to fuss during fasting. If possible, postpone things until later. They can wait. After all, earthly life is fleeting, and a faster needs to think about eternity.
Why such restrictions?
During the Liturgy, before the removal of the Holy Chalice, the choir sings that we (parishioners) leave all the earthly vanity. Not every (especially modern) person understands that sooner or later earthly life will end and all that he worked so hard will go into oblivion. After all, he will not be able to take his passport or favorite work, bank accounts or a computer with valuable information with him into the afterlife. He will appear before God with his conscience, with sins and virtues. The Lord will not ask if you were the CEO, He will ask for an answer for having offended a client grandmother. God doesn’t care if you had a Lexus. He will ask if you brought up the weak, weak without taking money from them.
Why are there restrictions on fasting in relation to entertainment? It is time to sit down at the table or stand in front of the icons and think: what have you done wrong for your whole life, for this period. Is conscience clear? It is more important for a Christian to know not about, for example, whether it is possible to brush his teeth before Communion, but about what sins actually exist and what repentance is, how not to sin. The Lord is upset when a person commits a sin even mentally. Just think: you are mentally angry, even your heart is numb. This is also a sin. One must repent sincerely.
When are they not allowed to receive communion?
Do you know that you need to get rid of your sins? If you have repented, you should try to avoid transgressions. For the priest to admit to Communion, you need to attend evening service every Saturday, then in the morning at the Liturgy. The same should be done on major church holidays. You need to read morning and evening prayers according to the Prayer book at home. Of course, this takes 20-30 minutes. If you do not have time, then you can read the Seraphim rule: three times “Our Father”, three times “Our Lady ...” and once “Symbol of Faith”. But at the same time, during the day you need to pray to yourself, God, saints. These are the most important rules.
They may not be allowed to participate in Communion in such cases, for example:
- murder, abortion;
- fortune-telling, fortune-telling, extrasensory perception, spiritualism, astrology;
- another faith, heretical views;
- cohabitation outside marriage, debauchery, homosexuality, drug addiction and alcoholism and so on.
The priest needs to tell the whole truth during a confession, not to hide any sin. The Lord is standing nearby invisibly, He knows everything, only waiting for the repentance of the heart. If you hide something, it will be even greater sin. You need to completely purify your soul before Communion. What do the holy fathers and priests say? The human soul must be pure, bright, with the hope of correction and a change in life for the better. You should not go to the Cup if you are not sure that you want to live with God.
If the father blessed
When a priest gives a blessing, it should be taken seriously. You should read not only the canon of the Virgin Mary before the Sacrament, but also the canons of the Savior, Guardian Angel, as well as the Follow. All this is in Orthodox prayer books.
The reading volume is very large. Therefore, the canons can be read 2-3 days before communion, but the Follow is read only the night before, after coming from the church from evening service.
You need to make sure that no one distracts you. If you partake with family, friends, pilgrims, then read in turn, pray.
Morning before communion
As you know, Orthodox Christians, you can’t eat anything in the morning before Communion. Even drugs are not allowed to drink. But is it possible to brush my teeth before Communion? There is no ban on this. If you are sure that you do not accidentally swallow water or paste, you can brush your teeth.
If the stomach is sick, there is no way to wait long before noon, then it is better to go to early service. Liturgy is served early in small towns and villages, and in megacities at 7 a.m. or 9-10 a.m.
For the sake of union with God, one can tolerate. It is worth reading prayers to yourself.
The morning before Communion is always exciting. It is necessary to prepare mentally. After reading the morning rule, go to the temple at least half an hour before the Liturgy, to calmly file notes, put candles, and approach your beloved saints.
Before Communion itself
In service, one should listen carefully to prayers. When priests prepare the sacrament, pray that you will receive the Blood and Body of Christ worthily. Moreover, a pious person should sincerely consider himself unworthy of such a Gift.
Remember the Canon of the Virgin before Communion: you need to pray for the Mother of God to intercede for us sinners. And what is the canon of Jesus Christ talking about? We repent to the Lord in our sins. This is what you remember when you wait for Communion.
The very moment of Communion
When the Royal Gates open and the priest leaves with the Chalice, you need to bow down. Then stand in line, arms crossed over his chest. When you approach the Chalice, you need to give the priest your Orthodox name and open your mouth wide. The sacrament should be swallowed immediately so that the particle does not get stuck in the teeth. Accept warmth and prosphora.
Many people ask, “Can I eat before Communion?” Do you know why the answer is no? Because the Lord must be the first to enter the body of a Christian. After all, God is more important to us, not food.
So we talked about whether it is possible to brush our teeth before Communion, how to prepare, what to read, and gave examples of evidence of true faith. It must be remembered that God needs our prayers and repentance, and not the vanity of the earth.