In church services, terms are often used to designate their individual components, which are not particularly clear to people who are not familiar with them. That is, ordinary parishioners who did not attend Sunday schools and did not understand the intricacies of the organization of the service and the list of its concepts.
One of these terms is “Eucharist”. What is and what is the essence of this sacrament is not as difficult to understand as it seems at first glance. It is necessary to have an idea of this concept, since this sacrament is present not only in Orthodox services, it is practiced by all Christian denominations.
What it is?
The Eucharist - what is it in simple words? It is nothing but an integral part of the mass or liturgy. The sacrament is served in all churches of any Christian denomination. But the term itself is used only in three of them:
- Anglicanism;
- Catholicism;
- Orthodoxy.
Protestants call the sacrament of the Eucharist bread-breaking or simply the Lord's Supper.
What is this sacrament?
The essence of this religious rite is the consecration of wine and bread, their special use. In other words, this is the part of the church service during which the sacrament is performed.
It is believed that the first apostle Paul described this sacred act. He explained the essence of the concept and its meaning. For the first time, the Eucharist took place during the last meal of Jesus, known to most people who are not even believers, as the Last Supper. Paul described this ritual of communion with the body and blood of Christ. But of course, this is a kind of metaphor. The essence of the rite has a much deeper meaning than simply swallowing what the priest is holding out at the service.
What is the essence of the sacrament?
The mystery of the Eucharist was established by Jesus himself during his last meal with his disciples. The essence of this religious ritual is defined as the reunion of a believer with God through the flesh and blood of Christ.
According to the sacred texts, Jesus spoke during the supper with his disciples about food - "this is my flesh." But he said of wine - "this is my blood." Of course, after a couple of millennia, it is impossible to affirm what exactly Christ said and on what - bread, fruit or other food. However, representatives of various faiths often argue about what should be communed.
Absolutely everyone knows about the participation of the “faithful” in the Eucharist, a lot has been written about this, feature films have been shot and other works have been created. The most famous of them is probably Leonardo’s Last Supper fresco. But not every person associates the meal of Christ with the disciples with the communion rite held in temples. Meanwhile, the first Eucharist is precisely the supper of Christ with the disciples, during which Judas pointed to Jesus.
The essence of this ritual is not quite simple - it is a portent of the symbolic meaning of the crucifixion, that is, the sacrifice that Christ made for the sake of people. By joining the sacrament of communion, man becomes one with God. The "flesh and blood" of Christ is a kind of bridge between them - God and man, serve as a means of ensuring their reunion. You can compare the rite using a telegraph or other means of communication - the functions are similar.
Often the essence of what the Eucharist is is explained as giving the Christian the opportunity to become an accomplice in the Lord's Supper. This is one of the oldest interpretations of the meaning of the ritual.
What does “faithful in the Eucharist” mean?
This phrase is often less clear than the essence of the communion rite. The reason for this is that it is this expression that clergy often use when explaining, but they forget to interpret it.
The faithful in the Eucharist are those supporters who did not betray Jesus. This is the simplest and most concise explanation of the meaning of this expression. Of course, when applying it not to the apostles, but to the parishioners of Christian churches, the interpretation will be more complicated. Briefly, those are already baptized.
When applying this expression to believers, it is given a slightly different meaning. The faithful are those who entrust themselves to God through the tasting of the "body and blood" of Christ. That is, those who were baptized, following Christ into the kingdom of heaven, saved through him.
About preparing for the sacrament
Asking questions about why the Eucharist is needed, what it is, how the ritual is conducted, one cannot but get acquainted with its key points. Like most church ceremonies, this one has special rules that every believer should adhere to. They concern preparations for the sacrament of communion.
You can’t just come to the temple, defend the service, swallow the contents with the spoon outstretched by the priest and consider yourself partaking of the sacrament. There is no sense in such an action, since the essence, the spiritual component of the ritual is lost, its value is lost.
Participation in the Eucharist requires special preparation from the believer. There is nothing complicated in this process. From a person about to receive communion, it is required:
- observe a fast lasting three days;
- pray for the gift of humility and enlightenment;
- refrain from bad deeds and thoughts.
Fasting is the refusal to eat foods of animal origin - meat, eggs, milk and others. Strict fasting implies the exclusion from the daily diet and fish dishes, as well as seafood.
Often, people believe that preliminarily participating in a ritual restriction in nutrition is the only thing the Eucharist requires. What is a Christian rite? This is a spiritual ritual, not a diet. Fasting is only necessary in order to contribute to spiritual purification, to be distracted from the bodily, physiological needs and to turn to eternal values that are not related to materiality.
This means that the most important thing in preparing for the sacrament is the spiritual attitude towards it. It should be understood not only the importance of connecting the soul with God through Christ, but also the responsibility that it imposes on man.
The Significance of the Sacrament for Believers
It is widely believed that demons fear more than just three things:
- holy crucifix;
- baptism
- communion.
This is due to the fact that during participation in the sacraments a special grace descends upon a person, which is similar to a protective aura, something invisible, but clearly tangible and able to protect from various disasters.
The concept of “demons” should not be taken literally. These are not the devils jumping over the chimneys that are described in village fairy tales. These are temptations, sins, vanity, soullessness and much more. In other words, everything that leads a man astray from the true path and alienates him from the Lord.
That is, it helps to protect oneself from dangers that await not the body, but the human soul. That is what the Eucharist is for. What is a danger to the soul in the modern world? First of all, everyday fuss, endless pursuit of material values, excesses, goods, in which there is no true need. This race is carried out to the detriment of spirituality. For example, how many people devote all their thoughts every day only to what to buy in the store, cook for dinner, how to earn more to buy a new phone? However, none of them recalls spiritual needs.
The Eucharist helps a person to feel protected, helps to overcome life's difficulties, adversities without loss of spirituality.
Features of the ritual
The Eucharist - what is it in simple words? Taste of the Holy Gifts. Accordingly, the apotheosis of the ritual itself is the moment of eating. This happens as follows - the priest partakes of all those present at the service, using a silver spoon for this.
Of course, there can be no talk of any individual and even more so disposable tableware, parishioners take communion “all over the world”. This feature of the religious ritual confuses a lot of people, especially during mass epidemics of respiratory, colds, infectious diseases. No less concern is the risk of contracting other diseases, especially people are afraid of HIV.
The clergy are not doctors, and they cannot give guarantees that participation in the Eucharist is safe for health. It is possible, of course, to argue that the Lord will save the communion, but for people in whose heart there is no absolute or even fanatical faith, such statements are not an argument. Therefore, each person decides whether to partake of communion or not, the church does not coerce and does not force anyone.
Features of the liturgy
The liturgy has some nuances that you need to know about before attending a service. It is divided into three large component parts, the first of which is called proskimidia. During the proskomedia, ceremonies are performed on wine and bread. In other words, everything that is necessary for the implementation of the sacrament of communion is being prepared.
The second part of the ministry is called the liturgy of the catechumens. This part of the ceremony received its name in ancient times, when not everyone was allowed to attend the service. The announced are those who were just preparing to be baptized. During the service they stood in the narthex, that is, outside the prayer hall. They entered only after the deacon or other clergyman called and announced them. These people left the room after announcing that they needed to leave. This component of the liturgy is aimed at preparing worshipers for the sacrament of communion and attune them spiritually.
The third part of the service is called the liturgy of the faithful. From the name it is clear that only the faithful can remain in the temple hall during this stage of the service. Only they also take part in the Eucharist. The term "faithful" in this context refers to "those who have been baptized." That is, they are baptized people.
What should you remember when taking part in the rite?
As soon as the words of the Eucharist begin to sound, those present in the service line up for communion. Those who attend church services rarely and do not particularly understand what exactly is happening in the church will have no trouble navigating, taking an example from other parishioners.
It is important not to forget that immediately before the acceptance of the Holy Gifts, one should bow and cross himself. In addition, you need to behave properly after eating.
At the sacrament, the rite does not end. This means that one cannot accept the “body and blood of Christ” and immediately leave the church. One must step back so as not to delay others awaiting the sacrament. After everyone who wishes to take part in the ritual takes communion, clergymen read prayers of thanks. They should definitely be heard. While reading thanks, you need to pray to yourself to the Lord.
The Eucharist in Early Christianity
The performance of this rite is based on the ancient rituals described in the Old Testament. By the first Christians, the rite of the Eucharist was not performed as it is now. There were no temples, in the sense that modern man has about them. Believers gathered secretly, using any suitable place for this.
The Eucharist in early Christianity was part of a special dinner, which was not only a meal, but also a religious ritual. Such meals were called - agapa. It was a gathering of believers held at night or late in the evening. On them, Christians listened to the preachers, prayed, ate, sang the Psalms. At the beginning of the meeting, bread and wine were solemnly laid aside “before the place of Jesus”. Before the end of the agapa, those present took communion. Such gatherings of believers existed until the beginning of the fourth century.
What was the first meaning of the Eucharist?
During the emergence of Christianity as a religion, the Eucharist paid special attention. It was believed that it is the pinnacle of service, a kind of center of the rituals of the Christian cult.
In connection with such an important place that the Eucharist occupied at the beginning of the formation of religion, all other Christian sacraments united with it. The Eucharist was an integral part:
- baptism
- weddings;
- anointing;
- ordination;
- cathedral;
- funeral services;
- repentance and other rites.
Nowadays, the importance of the Eucharist for parishioners is no longer as obvious as for the first followers of Christ. However, the clergy are still perceived as one of the most important sacraments.