Many Orthodox Christians, especially those who have only recently joined the church, ask priests and believers: “Is it possible to receive communion without confession?” It is impossible to answer unequivocally and categorically, but, nevertheless, it will be more likely “no” than “yes”. Why? So that there is no temptation.

Why was confession invented?

Usually, when answering such a question, clergy begin their introduction by quoting the Old Testament, which talks about Adam and Eve. Initially, our first parents lived without sin in Eden, communicating with each other and with God. But the Serpent (devil) dwelt in him, who tempted Eve, and then Adam sinned. Since that time, man and God have distanced themselves from each other. To be reconciled with God again, people need to repent of their actions.

What is the point of this episode? Remember, God, having created man and woman, said something like this: “Live, enjoy the gifts, but do not eat the fruit of this tree.” When Eve found herself next to the forbidden tree, the Serpent-tempter told her that she would learn a lot if she ate the fruit. She disobeyed God, but agreed with the devil. After such a tragic incident, the person was expelled from heaven forever.

Let's see how this story relates to contemporary times. Is it possible to receive communion without confession and what is Communion? After the Fall in Eden, for many thousands of years the righteous knew God, but lived according to different laws that Moses wrote. After a while, the Son of God came to earth - Jesus Christ - and established a new law - the Gospel (New Testament). On the eve of the day of the crucifixion, He gathered His disciples and said: “In My memory you will eat bread and drink wine, for this is My body and blood.” By these words the Lord meant Communion.

Unfortunately, each of us (even the saints) has sinned and continues to sin. Only Jesus Christ was sinless. In order to be reconciled with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you need to sincerely repent of your actions and cleanse your soul of dirt.

About the sacrament of the Eucharist

Ordinary people are not given the opportunity to see how the preparation of Communion takes place in the altar after the general singing of the Lord's Prayer. Even the priests themselves do not see what is happening, they only know what kind of sacrament this is, so they pray for the transformation of wine and bread into the body and blood of Christ. There is evidence of how some holy people saw the Baby, many angels, and the Mother of God in the altar. This is how, invisible to the human eye, a real miracle occurs, for which you need to seriously prepare. After such stories, as a rule, people no longer ask the question: “Is it possible to receive communion without confession?” After all, every Christian in this case feels his unworthiness before communion.

Great Lent and Christmas

There is a church rule about Lent: if you fasted all days, took communion at least once, and went to church regularly, then you can take communion on Easter night. On Holy Saturday, after the sacrament of confession, one is allowed to take communion in the morning at the liturgy. If a person has not sinned during the day, prayed, and prepared for the night service, then he can receive communion without confession again. The same rule applies on Christmas Eve.

What if I didn’t receive communion before my death?

People often ask with excitement: “A loved one died, but he did not receive communion. Where will his soul be?”

There is one story about a nun who succumbed to temptation and went into the world. She lived there with men and had fun. But the time came, she came to her senses, realized what she had done, and decided to return. While she was on her way to her native monastery, she cried and repented, approaching almost the gates of the monastery, she died. As the nuns of the monastery later miraculously learned, their lost sister went to heaven, she was forgiven by God, because she cried about her sins and sincerely asked the Lord for forgiveness. This case will answer the question: “Is it possible to receive communion without confession?” But we must remember that this is allowed only in exceptional cases, for example, a soldier dies during a battle in a war, or a seriously ill person to whom a priest cannot come.

Unction, confession and communion

Does this happen during Lent, before Christmas? During this sacrament, the seven Gospels are read and believers are anointed with the cross. What is this action? The priests pray for the health of those gathered. Many priests say that unction is necessary for illnesses.

“Is it possible to receive communion after unction without confession, since all sins are removed with this sacrament?” - priests often hear this question. A competent priest will ask the counter: “Who told you that with unction, all your sins are washed away?” In fact, the rite of unction says practically nothing about the forgiveness of sins in general; there is only a prayer for health. Usually you can hear the answer before the unction: “You can go to confession after the unction, if you don’t have time before it.” Nothing is said here about communion.

So we examined the questions about whether it is possible to receive communion without confession during Great Lent, and whether after unction one can proceed to the Eucharist. Any such questions should be discussed only with the priest with whom you are confessing.

The conversation about the parish practice of communion is continued by Hegumen Agafangel (Belykh), rector of the Bishop's Metochion of St. Nicholas Cathedral in the city of Valuyki, Valuyskaya and Alekseevskaya Diocese, employee of the Synodal Missionary Department, head of the missionary camp "Spassky", in the village of Tiksi, Sakha Republic.

– Father Agathangel, how often should you take communion, in your opinion?

– I think we make a big mistake when we talk about the frequency or rarity of communion. This is an imposed term. It is necessary to say not that one should take communion more often or less often, but that it should be done regularly, whenever possible.

Hegumen Agafangel (Belykh). Photo by Y. Nikitin

There are canonical rules that require us to attend services every Sunday. We also know about the canon according to which anyone who misses the Sunday Liturgy three times is excommunicated from the Church.

If a person has the opportunity to receive communion every Sunday and receives communion, it is not often, not rarely, but as needed.

It is clear that in real parish life everything happens differently. In cases where it is possible to form a parish literally from scratch, where there were no traditions that appeared in the Synodal period or later in the Soviet period, people have no doubt that if you come to the Sunday liturgy, you receive communion.

In parishes that have existed for many years, it is often necessary to explain why it is desirable to receive communion every week and that a week of fasting preparation is not at all necessary for this. Because people were a little scared: “Father, if you take communion every Sunday, it turns out that your whole life is just fasting.”

There are no special instructions about fasting before communion by a priest, who is no different from a layman. The priest fasts on the prescribed days - Wednesday and Friday, and receives communion on Sunday, and sometimes more often, but he does not have any special grace different from the laity for this.

In our Tiksi parish, people try to begin the sacrament at every service, in St. Nicholas Cathedral, in Valuyki, where I now serve - regular parishioners receive communion two or three times a month.

– There is a wonderful experience, which is reflected in: Following to Holy Communion, consisting of a canon, prayers, and there is also a pious tradition of adding, if possible, other canons and akathists.

Therefore, if a person reads evening and morning prayers, then adding one canon and ten prayers to them is not difficult. If you have the strength and desire to pray more, then you can add other traditional canons.

Another thing is confessional discipline. Because for some it is easier to torture oneself through insignificant disciplinary mistakes on a weekly basis in order to approach communion more “prepared” than to deeply understand oneself one day.

We know that there are sins that really tear us away from God, separate us from the Chalice of Christ, and they must be confessed before communion. But we are not talking about little things, which, of course, are also not good and require correction, but they are not an obstacle to receiving communion for an adult.

Communion is not an “A” for behavior, but a healing medicine that the Lord provides. Mysterious participation in the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ. Therefore, it is understandable that people approach communion burdened with their imperfections. But why strain out a mosquito?

There is a saying: “You won’t go to hell for food.” But from 90% of those who confess, you hear: “I ate candy on the wrong day, I’m a sinner, I need confession” - despite the fact that a person may be in many years of unrepentant unpeace with his neighbors or in some other spiritual situation.

As for fasting preparation, if a person receives communion every Sunday, then observing the prescribed fast on Wednesday and Friday and some reasonable restriction in food on Saturday is quite enough.

– And in cases where people receive communion almost every day - on Holy Week, on Easter Week? Do they need the same prayer preparation?

– Yes, of course, “Following” is a must. The priest, who receives communion every day on such days and who is no different, as has already been said, from the parishioners, reads the Rule daily.

As for fast preparation before communion on Svetlaya: breaking the fast does not mean overeating and getting drunk. If you want to eat three cutlets, eat two. That's the preparation. And if a person ate a cauldron of pilaf the day before, or drank a barrel of wine, such breaking the fast is harmful.

– Is there a difference in preparing for communion in central Russia and, say, in Yakutia?

– Our parishioners in the north of Yakutia still try to fast, including on the eve of communion, with vegetables and fruits, as is customary in the central and southern regions of Russia. Although the prices for all this are prohibitive, and it would be much cheaper to eat local fish.

But it is difficult to break an established stereotype. Lomonosov also wrote about this, if I’m not mistaken, complaining about the Palestinian and Greek fathers that they imposed their fast regulations on us, the northerners.

But prayer preparation definitely does not depend on the region: the main thing is the Follow-up to Holy Communion - prayers and the canon, and then - according to your strength and desire.

– If a person comes to you about to take communion for the first time...

– This happens rarely. Usually, those who are going to be baptized come for the first time and undergo special training: they participate in conversations, read recommended books, attend services, communicate with parishioners... So when they approach communion, there is no need to specifically talk to them about it.

In those rare cases when a person comes literally “from the street” and says that he has been baptized and would like to receive communion, but does not know how, we conduct a short catechetical conversation, tell him how to prepare, and explain the meaning of the sacrament. To such a person, most likely, I will offer prayers not in Church Slavonic, but in Russian.

– If a person, for various reasons, receives communion irregularly, it means that he needs intensive preparation. Lent – ​​a week of worship, if possible. In a week you can have time to read the Sequence and additional canons, and not all at once - this is difficult, but distributed by day of the week.

– According to the Apostle Paul: abstinence is prescribed by spouses by mutual consent. I do not take upon myself such insolence to climb into someone else’s bed and regulate the relationship between husband and wife. But as a priest, of course, I am obliged to outline some general evangelical framework. And they must make the decision on what to do themselves.

– Do you allow any parishioners to take communion without confession?

– Yes, without confession before each communion, I admit those parishioners whom I have known for a long time, I know their spiritual life. I ask first: “Is there any sin over the past week that would not allow you to come to the Chalice?”

If I don’t know a person well, I will definitely ask him to come to confession.

– Who can you prevent from taking communion?

– I never forbid anyone to come to communion. I can give you some advice: “You know, it’s better for you to abstain from communion today; it seems to me that you are not quite ready.”

If I see a person for the first time, he came to confession, about to take communion (this happens more often in Valuiki, in Tiksi - a small parish, everyone knows each other), and I see that he simply does not know why and how, then I understand, that taking communion in this state would be mentally harmful for him.

I suggest that such a person definitely meet after the service, when I can explain everything. I explain: “And now I see that it will not be useful for you to receive communion.” In most cases, people stay, listen and come back after some time.

– Have there been cases in your parish practice when people still did not understand why they should receive communion?

– I’ll tell you about one of my missionary failures in Tiksi. The unbaptized husband and wife went to church for a long time for public conversations and prepared for baptism. We usually conduct the first part of the conversations first, then the rite of announcement, and after that we talk about the sacraments. The spouses went to all services, participated in conversations, and shared meals.

Finally, the baptism was completed (and we try to perform the sacrament before the liturgy, so that the newly baptized can receive communion), the spouses received Communion and... the woman said: “What is this? Is this the same thing you told us about?! I don’t like this at all!”

They never crossed the threshold of the temple again. A small village, we meet constantly, and only a few years later they began to respond to my greetings. This is a story without a positive ending yet.

But often the majority of parishioners in Central Russia do not fully understand the meaning of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, the importance of common participation in the Eucharist. It’s good that there is now such an abundance of Orthodox websites, newspapers, and TV shows talking about this. Overall, however, this is a big problem that will take time to resolve.

Since the 18th century in Russia, unfortunately, the practice of rare communion has developed. There were many people who received communion only once a year. It was believed that it was enough to take communion once during four fasts and on name day. Some still received communion on major holidays. Even ridiculous opinions have emerged about the harmfulness of frequent communion. People who frequently communed could be suspected of heresy and sectarianism.

Righteous John of Kronstadt writes: “Some people say that it is sinful for the laity to receive communion often, that young people should only receive communion once a year, and only old people during all Lents, that those who frequently receive communion go crazy. How absurd! What blasphemy, blasphemy! What foolishness! And why is the voice of the Savior heard every day during the liturgy, calling for communion?.. Is it really possible to remain stuck in sins all year and only once be cleansed by repentance and communion? Don’t we sin every day, become corrupted, become defiled by sins, don’t we need cleansing, sanctification, renewal every day? Is it really just to accumulate sins every day and only to be cleansed once a year? Is this cool?

Don't you often wash your face and body in the bathhouse, and your face every morning? Should we not wash our soul, which is constantly defiled by sins, every day? Ridiculous, senseless people who think and even speak insanely; They are ignorant, not understanding the needs of the human soul. They are cruel! They did not know the spirit of Christ."

It is not enough to cleanse your soul once or even four times a year. If we tried not to clean the house for a whole year, not to put things back in their place, not to wipe the dust, not to sweep the floor and not to take out the trash - what would our home turn into? It is also absurd not to keep order and cleanliness in the house of your soul.

However, Father John of Kronstadt warns those who receive communion often, so that frequent communion does not become a habit, a formality, and does not cause cooling and neglect of one’s spiritual life. “My so-called spiritual children, who have been partaking of the holy mysteries of Christ daily for several years now, have not learned obedience, kindness and long-suffering love and are indulged in bitterness and disobedience.”

The frequency of communion should be agreed upon with the confessor, and if he sees that, having received communion often, a person loses reverence for the shrine, he can give advice to take communion less often. “I take communion every week and more often. But only this excites them (spiritual children. - O. P.G.) jealousy towards each other, and that’s why sometimes I don’t allow it,” said Father John. One of his spiritual daughters told him that she receives communion once every two weeks, to which he replied to her: “And you do excellently, you don’t need to do it more often.”

So, for each person, his confessor or parish priest should set his own measure of the frequency of communion. Some people can take communion weekly, while others should take the cup less often. But every Orthodox Christian should try to receive communion at least once a month, so as not to be interrupted from the Eucharistic life of the Church.

How to approach the holy cup

Before communion begins, those receiving communion come closer to the royal doors. This needs to be done in advance so that you don’t rush or push things later. When the royal doors open and the deacon comes out with the cup and proclaims: “Come with the fear of God and faith,” you need to bow to the ground as much as possible and fold your arms crosswise on your chest (the right hand is on top).

The priest reads aloud the prayer: “I believe, Lord, and I confess...” and the communicants repeat it to themselves.

People approach the bowl one at a time; usually babies, children and the infirm are allowed in first. Approaching the cup, you need to clearly state your name, received in holy baptism, and open your lips wide. After communion, you should kiss the bottom edge of the holy cup; it symbolizes the Savior’s rib, from which blood and water flowed. The priest's hand is not kissed.

Moving away from the bowl, without taking your hands off, you need to go to the table where they hand out pieces of prosphora and a drink (usually Cahors water diluted with warm water). After the communicant has drunk, he prays until the end of the Divine Liturgy and, together with everyone else, approaches the cross. There is a misconception that you cannot kiss the hand of a priest, but only the holy cross. This is not true, after the communicant has drunk, he can venerate both the cross and the blessing hand, there is no sin in this.

As a rule, after the liturgy in the church, prayers for holy communion are read. If for some reason they are not read, the communicant reads them at home as soon as he comes from church. They are set out in the Orthodox prayer book.

On the day of communion, no bows are made to the ground, with the exception of bows before the Shroud of the Savior on Holy Saturday and kneeling prayers on the Feast of the Trinity.

After communion, you need to be especially attentive to your soul, keep yourself from empty entertainment and conversations, remain in prayer, reading spiritual books, and doing good deeds.

About the communion of children and the sick

Baptized infants, as children of the holy Orthodox Church, are also honored with holy communion “for the sanctification of their souls and for the reception of the grace of the Lord,” as stated in the Teaching Notice. Until a child is seven years old, he can receive communion without confession or fasting. From the age of three to four, infants are usually given communion on an empty stomach. From about the age of three, children together with their parents on the eve of communion can read two or three prayers known to them.

You should come to church with babies not for the communion itself, but in advance, calculating the time so as not to be late for communion, but at the same time so that the child can attend the liturgy to the best of his ability and age. Of course, everyone has their own measure here, but children must be taught to pray in the Church. This should be done gradually so as not to tire the baby and not cause disturbance to those praying in the temple. Children 6–7 years old, if they have been properly accustomed to the service, can be present at almost the entire liturgy.

Fasting before communion after 7 years should be approached gradually, starting with one day before communion.

You can often observe how already quite large babies behave very restlessly at the bowl, cry, scream, and struggle. As a rule, this is due to the fact that these children are rarely given communion. Parents need to set up and reassure the child in advance; they can show him how other children calmly receive communion. And, of course, give your child communion more often.

When approaching the holy chalice, infants should be held horizontally, with their head on their right hand. Handles should be held so that the child does not accidentally push the bowl or grab the spoon. Infants should not be fed tightly before the liturgy, so that after communion they do not vomit.

Parents, when giving communion to their children, should also try to begin the holy mysteries, thereby setting an example for their children. A family is a small church where people go to God together, are saved together and partake of the same cup.

Young children are usually given communion under one form (only the blood of Christ). But if the baby receives communion often and behaves calmly at the chalice, the priest can give the child (not the infant) a small particle.

At the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, infants who do not receive a particle are not given communion, because at this liturgy the body of Christ, watered with blood, is in the chalice, and wine is poured, which has not been transformed into the blood of the Savior.

Some parents, due to their foolishness and lack of faith, are afraid to give communion to their children, thereby depriving them of saving and strengthening grace. They explain this by saying that a child, taking communion from the same spoon and cup with everyone else, can become infected with some kind of disease.

This fear is a lack of faith in the saving power of the sacrament. As a rule, non-church people and people with little church, who know nothing about the life of the Church, reason this way. The Eucharist is the greatest miracle on earth, performed constantly, and another proof of the truth of this miracle is that the liturgy was not interrupted even during terrible epidemics of plague, cholera and other contagious fatal diseases.

In Kyiv in the 18th – early 19th centuries, Archpriest John Levanda, very famous in the city, served. He was famous for his gift as a preacher; people especially flocked to listen to his sermons. He served in an area called Podol. In 1770, a plague epidemic began in the city, which was especially rampant in Podol. The bodies of the dead were taken away in whole convoys. In two months, six thousand people died in the region. And this priest did not interrupt his service. He confessed, gave communion, nourished, consoled his parishioners, and illness did not touch him. And there are a lot of such cases. The clergy - deacons and priests - after communion with the faithful, consume the remaining holy gifts. They always did this, at all times, without fear of becoming infected during terrible epidemics.

Metropolitan Nestor (Anisimov; 1884–1962), a missionary, when he was Bishop of Kamchatka, built a leper colony for lepers and consecrated a temple there. After all the lepers had received communion, the clergy consumed the gifts, and none of them became infected.

One official submitted a report to Saint Philaret (Drozdov) of Moscow, where he spoke about the courageous act of one priest and asked to be nominated for a reward. This official witnessed how a priest came to one of his relatives, who was sick with cholera, to administer the holy mysteries. But the patient was so weak that he could not hold a piece of Christ’s body in his mouth and dropped it from his mouth onto the floor. And this clergyman, without hesitation, consumed the fallen particle himself.

Neither priests nor deacons, who consume the holy gifts and then wash the holy cup by drinking the water, get sick more often than any other people. Therefore, those who give communion to children and those who begin to receive communion themselves must abandon all disgust, fear and lack of faith.

Children's confession

Starting from adolescence (seven years of age), a child must receive communion, having first confessed. A little Christian (of course, if he wants) can begin the sacrament of confession earlier (for example, at the age of 6).

A child must be properly prepared for his first confession. It is necessary to talk calmly and confidentially with the child, explain to him what sin is, why we ask God for forgiveness and what breaking the commandments is. It would not be out of place to say that when committing a sin, a person harms himself first of all: the bad things that we do to people will come back to us. The child may have a fear of confession. It must be dispelled by saying that the priest took an oath, a promise, never to tell anyone what he heard in confession, and there is no need to be afraid of him, because we confess to God Himself, and the priest only helps us with this. It is very important to say that, having named sins in confession, you need to make every effort not to repeat them again. It is very good when parents and children confess to the same confessor.

Some mothers and fathers make a big mistake by naming their child’s sins themselves or writing them on a piece of paper for him. Parents can only gently and delicately talk about sins, but not confess for them. And after confession, it is completely unacceptable to ask the priest about the content of a child’s confession.

Communion of the weak and sick at home. Farewell to the dying with holy mysteries

There are times when people, due to illness, infirmity and old age, cannot come to church themselves, confess and receive communion. Then a priest is invited to their home to give them communion. The sacrament of communion at home is also performed on dying Orthodox Christians.

Holy sacraments are performed only on a conscious person. Parting words cannot be left until the last minute. If a person is seriously ill, you should immediately call a priest to see him.

Communion at home is performed with spare holy gifts. They are prepared once a year, on Maundy Thursday during Holy Week, and are stored in a special tabernacle, which stands on the holy altar in the altar.

Communion at home is performed according to the rite “Whenever soon a sick person is given communion.” This is a small sequence during which the priest reads prayers for the healing of the sick person and the forgiveness of his sins.

It is necessary to consult with a priest about how to prepare a particular patient for communion. The sick also receive communion at home on an empty stomach (only those who are dying can receive communion without an empty stomach).

To invite a priest to a sick person’s home, you need to come to the church in advance (preferably a few days before the priest’s expected visit, if the patient’s condition allows it) and personally present your request to the priest. Agree with the priest about the time and day of the visit, and also leave your address and telephone number. If it is not possible to meet with the priest, you should leave your telephone number, address, and also write down the condition of the patient at the candle box (where they accept notes and sell candles). If the sick person’s condition is very serious and his parting words cannot be delayed, but for some reason it was not possible to find a priest in the church, you should go to another church and try to find a priest on duty there. Of course, this can only be done if there is more than one temple in your city.

Before visiting the priest, in the room where the patient is, you need to prepare a table (there should be no foreign objects on it), cover it with a clean tablecloth or napkin, and place an icon. Warm boiled water, a cup and a teaspoon are also prepared.

After communion, the sick person should be given a piece of prosphora or antidor and warm water. If the sick person cannot read the prayers of thanksgiving for Holy Communion himself, you need to read them aloud to him.

We partake of the holy mysteries of Christ for the healing of soul and body, and in times of illness and infirmity, communion is especially necessary for Orthodox Christians. Many examples can be given when, after confession, unction and communion, seriously ill people, whom relatives already considered dying, rose from their sickbeds.

I had occasion to observe at the moment of communion for seriously ill people some special enlightenment of their minds and feelings.

One of my relatives was dying, and I came to her for confession and communion. She was already 90 years old and during her last illness her consciousness was very clouded, she started talking, and did not always recognize her loved ones. But during confession, before communion, her mind returned to her again, and she confessed with full understanding and contrition of heart, she herself named her sins.

Another time I was invited to visit one of our old parishioners. Her condition was very serious. Frankly, I didn’t even know if I could give her communion. She lay on her back with her eyes closed, did not react to anything, but only breathed hoarsely. But as soon as I brought the cup with a particle of the holy gifts to her and began to read the prayer before communion, the woman crossed herself with a clear sign of the cross and opened her lips for communion.

D Good day, dear visitors of the Orthodox website “Family and Faith”!

Why then, when you receive communion, do the Holy Mysteries sometimes taste like bread, and sometimes like Flesh? Does this mean that at some time you partake of eternal life, and at another time you partake in condemnation?

When you take communion, you feel that your soul is light, but after a while (on the same day) this state passes, and your soul is heavy again. You feel the absence of God. The same passions arise again. What do we have to do?

Answers these questions Archimandrite Ambrose (Fontrier):

"TO When Righteous John of Kronstadt served in the cathedral, two young people came to him. They gathered to take communion. One read the rule, but the second, very tired, could not. And both came to church. The one who read it calmly approached Communion, and the righteous John of Kronstadt did not allow him. And the other with a contrite heart said to himself: “Lord, I so want to accept You; but I didn’t read the rule, I’m so vile, so disgusting...” Condemning himself, he approached the Chalice, and Righteous John of Kronstadt gave him communion. The most important thing for the Lord is our contrite heart, the awareness of our unworthiness. Saint John Chrysostom says: “If we prepare for a thousand years, we will never be worthy - we must hope for the mercy of God. If the Lord does not help, we will not be able to receive communion worthily.”

- Why then, when you receive communion, do the Holy Mysteries sometimes taste like bread, and sometimes like Flesh? Does this mean that at some time you partake of eternal life, and at another time you partake in condemnation?

— If a person feels that he accepts the Flesh, then the Lord gives it to strengthen faith. But it’s right to feel the taste of bread. The Lord Himself says: “I am the bread of Life” (John 6:35).

Many people told me about this. Just recently, one woman called from Kyiv and said: “Father, my faith is weak. When I went to Communion today, I was poorly prepared. Father gave me a small particle, and at the Chalice I thought: “What kind of Flesh can there be here? When I can’t even feel with my tongue that he put something in my mouth? He gave me a little bit, a tiny bit. And I couldn’t eat that piece. It stayed like that in my mouth. I came home and my mouth was full of meat. I just can't swallow it. For several hours I sobbed, cried, asked the Lord - it’s a pity to throw it away, but I just can’t swallow it! Then the Lord freed me - I swallowed it and now I’m calling. What, have I sinned terribly?” “Repent for doubting this,” I tell her.

We know that the Lord performed the first miracle when he transformed water into wine. It costs him nothing to transform His Blood from wine, or His Flesh from bread. A person does not receive part of the flesh, but the Living Christ enters entirely into each person who receives communion.

— When you take communion, you feel light in your soul, but after a while (on the same day) this state passes, and your soul is heavy again. You feel the absence of God. The same passions arise again. What do we have to do?

- We need to prepare ourselves the day before. You need to fast well - “This same generation of demons is driven out only by prayer and fasting”(Matthew 17:21), so you need to pray well the day before, warm up your soul, fast - the passions will subside.

After Communion, we must try to remain in prayer and maintain peace of mind. Those who like to be arbitrary and rebel do not value Communion. They took communion - and immediately there was resentment, hysteria, and rebellion. This is because everything happens not according to their will. They need to rebel, completely break off everything, all relationships. There are still many such people, they are called rebels. They don't value anything, they don't value anything. The most important thing is that everything is according to their wishes. And if (God forbid) something is against them, everyone around them becomes enemies, and there will never be peace in the soul, until death. This is the most terrible state of the human soul. A person lives according to his own will, and no one has the right to say anything to him. And everything is fine with them, just don’t touch them - they’ll sting...”

How to spend the day after the Sacrament of Communion? Can anyone take communion and how should one take communion during Lent? The rector of the Kyiv Theological Academy, Bishop Sylvester (Stoichev), tells in detail.

- Vladyka, is Communion a gift or a medicine?

Communion is both the greatest gift and, naturally, medicine, because, as it is said in the prayers, “for the healing of soul and body.” The works of the holy fathers often say that Communion is a medicine that is given to us so that we have grace-filled strength for life in Christ. Many Byzantine authors consider Holy Communion within the framework of the scheme: Baptism-Confirmation-Communion, where Baptism is adoption in Christ, new birth in Him; Confirmation is the receipt of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the Eucharist is the strengthening of a renewed person. This is how, for example, St. Nicholas Kavasila thinks, although, of course, one must understand that the Eucharist is the “formative” Sacrament of the Church. One of the famous religious Russian philosophers, Alexei Khomyakov, even once said that the Church is walls erected around the Eucharistic chalice. Christians gather together in worship to pray together.

- When and for whom was the Sacrament of Communion established?

The Sacrament of Communion was established by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself during the Last Supper, the participants of which, according to the Gospel text, were the apostles. The Eucharist is intended for all Christians for all times: “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Based on the Epistles of the Apostle Paul, we can say that already in those days there were recommendations for the correct approach to this Sacrament: “Let a person examine himself, and in this way let him eat from this bread and drink from this cup. For whoever eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks condemnation for himself, without considering the Body of the Lord. Because of this, many of you are weak and sick, and many are dying” (1 Cor. 11:30).

- How often can you take communion?

Complex issue. It must be said that for a long time there was such a practice that one must take communion 4 times a year - every fast. We will not go into details of the historical factors that led to the emergence of such a practice, one thing is obvious: church life involves more frequent participation in the Sacraments.

In the 20th-21st centuries, a certain Eucharistic revival took place in our Church, and in most parishes the clergy say that we need to receive communion often: every Sunday or, as St. Seraphim of Sarov, every twelfth holiday.

- But doesn’t frequent communion cause a danger of cooling towards the shrine?

It depends on the person, the confessor, the parish. Everything is very individual. The life of an Orthodox Christian is impossible without constant communion. I am glad that most of our parishioners receive communion often. In some Orthodox Churches this is not observed, for example, in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, where parishioners rarely receive communion. A friend of mine from Bulgaria told me that she visits a church in which the priest recommends frequent communion, but he adopted this practice from familiar priests of the Russian Church. But such a parish is the only one in their diocese.

-Can anyone take communion?

No one can say with boldness that he is worthy of the Sacrament of Communion. Everyone must understand that they have obstacles.

- What are serious obstacles?

Deadly sins. We are all sinners: we get irritated, offended, and fuss every day, but this is not a radical obstacle to Communion. If a person commits serious sins: murder, fornication, then he cannot be allowed to the Chalice without going through a certain course, which will be assigned to him by his confessor in the form of penance. According to the tradition of clergy, the priest decides whether to bless the approach to Communion or not. Our confessors know all the intricacies of our soul. We must follow their advice.

- How should and can one receive communion during Lent?

Considering that Lent is a special time for repentance, one must take communion every week, unless there are serious obstacles.

How should you spend the day after the Sacrament of Communion? They say that you cannot bow. Is it possible to kiss a priest’s hand or an icon after Communion?

There are many myths associated with this. I even heard that you shouldn’t take a shower (smiles). There is, of course, no logic in such statements. The time after Communion should be spent in chastity, silence, and reading spiritual literature. The Lord's Day must be dedicated to Him. Everyone has daily worries, but try to deal with things in advance or spend a minimum of time on them on the day of Communion. Communion is a day of joy, spiritual celebration, and it should not be exchanged for fussy everyday affairs.

As for the practice of not kissing a hand or an icon. After Communion, the Blood of Christ may remain on the lips. The priest who administers communion, or the deacons holding the plate, monitor this, but anything can happen. Until you have taken a drink, it is customary not to kiss either the cross, or the hand, or the icon, so that there is no temptation. There are no other purely practical recommendations. On Sunday, bowing to the ground is not required by the rules.

- What would you advise a person before First Communion?

Much depends on a person’s initial preparation: one person attends Church for six months and only then approaches the Chalice, another does not go to church, but decides to take communion on Maundy Thursday, because that is the custom. You need to consult with the priest who confesses you. As a rule, beginners need a detailed confession, during which the depth of their intentions and the degree of churching are established. The priest must also explain how to fold his hands and how to approach the Chalice. The prayerful mood is very important: some are accustomed to performing morning and evening prayers and will not find it a burden to read 3 canons and the canon, and prayers for Communion, others can only say the “Our Father” once a year. Such people should divide the prayer rule over several days so that they do not lose the desire to pray. It is customary to fast for several days before Communion. Communion must be received with reverence. If a person does not have reverence at the moment, then it is better to explain to him that Communion should be postponed, so that there is no sin either on this person or on the priest, who, seeing such a state, nevertheless gave his blessing to approach Communion.

Interviewed by Natalya Goroshkova