Holy Communion
Known as the Eucharistía (derived from 'thanksgiving'), the Holy Eucharist, (also known as the Divine Liturgy), is the most important worship experience of the Orthodox Church and celebrate the Death and Resurrection of Christ offered every Sunday and Holy day. The bread (prosphoro) and the wine are consecrated during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. The celebrant reads the prayer asking God to grant the descent of the Holy Spirit to transform these offered Gifts into the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son. In this Divine exchange, God accepts our earthly offerings and bestows upon us heavenly blessings.
What we receive through the Eucharist is not a mere semblance of bread and wine, nor a symbolic representation, but rather the true and real life-giving Body and Blood of Christ, the Incarnate Word of God. The Eucharist stands as our most immediate and intimate encounter with Jesus Christ, granting us His presence "for the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life."
How do I prepare for Holy Communion?
'With fear of God, faith, and love'…
St Paul tells us that, ‘Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the Body and Blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup’ (1 Cor 11:27). So, what does it mean to receive in a ‘worthy manner’?
Preparation to partake in the Holy Communion, involves fasting (this means, on an ordinary Sunday, eating or drinking nothing from about midnight. Those with health problems or those who work through the night, through oikonomia, have dispensation), praying, attending and participating at Divine Services, and going for confession. But also, to examine our hearts, reconcile with those we have sinned against and forgive those who have sinned against us.
The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ are the medicine for our spiritual and physical ailing and by partaking in them, we grow closer to God and receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Thus Holy Communion connects us with God, it also unites us with one another in God.
As St. John the Apostle tells us, "If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen" (1 John 4:20). Hence, it becomes impossible to approach the body and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ while resentment or hatred still prevail in our hearts. The Lord Himself instructs us, "If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23–24).
Who Can Receive Holy Communion?
Only Orthodox Christians who are in good standing with the church, have received approval from their spiritual father, and have adequately prepared themselves for the reception of the Holy Mysteries are eligible to partake in Holy Communion. Additionally, it is important to note that Orthodox Christians should refrain from receiving Communion in non-Orthodox churches, as doing so would separate themselves from the Orthodox Church.