How should a Christian feel during and after communion? Irina A., Blagoveshchensk.” The secretary of the Annunciation Diocese, Priest Oleg Volochai, answers the reader’s question: “Each time, immediately before communion, the priest says the words of a prayer in which he warns the communicants that Holy Communion can be “for judgment or condemnation.” These words force a certain part of believers to search within themselves for certain feelings by which the communicant could determine whether he is receiving communion “for healing” or “for condemnation.” According to the teachings of the holy fathers, one must take communion not in anticipation of some kind of experience, but with a feeling of one’s deep unworthiness, just as a sick person comes to a doctor for healing, so a communicant comes for the forgiveness of sins. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) says that one who often sins does not feel the joy of grace, since such joy is unusual for him, he is not able to perceive it, appreciate it, feel it. For example, a rude person does not understand and does not feel the beauty and harmony of classical music or poetry, and therefore does not receive any joy from listening to a piece of music or a poem. And when it comes to spiritual concepts, there is an even more subtle structure. Therefore, depending on the Providence of God, we can feel the joy of Holy Communion, and sometimes not. And Saint Theophan the Recluse explains that a person does not always have to experience something when receiving communion. This can sometimes be very unhelpful, because many people begin to exalt themselves through such experiences. Objectively, the grace of God still acts on our individual spirituality, even if we do not immediately feel it. The Holy Fathers said that for the most part grace acts invisibly. If a person does not have aggravated mortal sins on his conscience, if he has spoken, prayed properly, confessed and received communion, the sacrament has been completed: the Lord has entered our hearts and our souls. Therefore, when someone says that they feel joy after receiving communion, they should know that this joy is not always gracious. This could be some kind of self-hypnosis or even an act of charm. Strictly following the canons of Orthodox theology and the experience of the holy fathers, we need to go to Holy Communion in order for the Lord to forgive us our many sins - and nothing else. So that through the acceptance of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, the Lord gives us grace that heals us from passions, and not in order to experience some moments of delight or ecstasy, characteristic of the Western, Catholic perception of spiritual life.
Age category of materials: 18+
- Amurskaya Pravda from 08/23/2008
How to explain the bad state after communion?
Good health. Your question can be divided into two directions. What is this and how to get out of this situation.
The very first. The question is why this is happening to you. It must be said honestly that no one knows the answer to this question. The holy people who were before and could give an answer by the Spirit of God, infallible and accurate, are no longer there. And if we suddenly assume that they exist somewhere, then we won’t know about the real ones. For the reason that the holier a person is, the more humble he is, that is, he does not shout about himself at every corner. The conscience within the person himself tells him why this is happening to him. It is important to listen to her if she is not overwhelmed with the rubbish of various sins and has become completely silent.
The other side is preparation for communion. Communion without proper preparation is very dangerous, this has always been said everywhere. Starting with the Apostle Paul (Corinth, chapter 11, verses 27-30):
Therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. Let man examine himself, and in this way let him eat of this bread and drink of this cup. For whoever eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks condemnation for himself, without considering the Body of the Lord. That is why many of you are weak and sick, and many are dying.
And then all the saints of all times and peoples warned about the danger of receiving communion without appropriate preparation. In the future, it is necessary to correct this and not just start communion.
The second direction of answering the question is a specific action plan.
The very first thing is to read. Reading is food for our soul. All literature can be divided into three categories.
- Holy Scripture and interpretation on it. It is necessary to start with the New Testament, with the four Gospels and the interpretations of Theophylact of Bulgaria on them. They are available on the Internet and can be downloaded for free.
- Creations of the Holy Fathers and Lives of Saints. You need to start reading with the ancient, universally recognized fathers and teachers of the church, and not with the new ones.
- Other literature. All emphasis must be placed on the first two categories, that is, solid food for the mind.
Then you need to pray morning and evening. It is necessary to establish regular attendance at church services in the temple. You need to master fasting - all four fasts and Wednesdays with Fridays. Start with something simple: give up at least meat and dairy foods during Lent. Spend time reading literature about a spiritual father, what he should be. Pray to God to help you find an undeceived spiritual father. And find him. To go to him for repentance is the sacrament of confession. Consult with him on various spiritual issues. Try to do what your conscience tells you to do. Here are brief instructions for your actions.
Temptations associated with Communion
Communion. Photo: A. Goryainov / Expo.Pravoslavie.Ru
The Holy Mysteries - the Body and Blood of Christ - are the most precious Shrine on earth. Already here, in the realities of the earthly world, the Eucharist introduces us to the benefits of the Heavenly Kingdom. Therefore, a Christian should try to be especially vigilant regarding this Sacrament. There are temptations that await a Christian who wishes to receive communion. You need to know them, and you need to protect yourself from them. Some temptations precede our reception of the Holy Mysteries, while others follow Communion.
For example, one of the main temptations, very common these days, is associated with assessing the personal qualities of the priest performing the Liturgy. Thus, an invisible enemy is trying to sow rumors among believers about the sins of clergy and that not every priest can receive communion. If they notice shortcomings in a priest, then for some reason they think that such a person does not need to receive communion and that the grace of Communion will be diminished from this.
The Fatherland tells the story of how a presbyter from a nearby church came to a certain hermit and taught him the Holy Mysteries. Someone, visiting the hermit, told him about the sins of the presbyter, and when the presbyter came again, the hermit did not even open the door for him. The presbyter left, and the elder heard a voice from God: “People have taken My judgment for themselves.” After this, the hermit was given a vision. He saw a golden well with unusually good water. This well was owned by a leper who drew water and poured it into a golden vessel. The hermit suddenly felt unbearable thirst, but, abhorring lepers, did not want to take water from him. And again a voice came to him: “Why don’t you drink this water? What does it matter who draws it? He only draws and pours into the vessel.” The hermit, having come to his senses, understood the meaning of the vision and repented of his action. Then he called the presbyter and asked him to teach Holy Communion as before. So, before Communion, we should think not about how pious the priest performing the Sacrament is, but about whether we ourselves are worthy of being partakers of the Holy Gifts.
The Holy Mysteries are not the personal property of the priest. He is only a minister, and the administrator of the Holy Gifts is the Lord Himself
Let us remember that the Holy Mysteries are not the personal property of the priest. He is only a minister, and the administrator of the Holy Gifts is the Lord Himself. God acts in the Church through the clergy. Therefore, St. John Chrysostom said: “When you see that a priest is teaching you the Gifts, know that... it is Christ who is stretching out his hand to you.” Shall we reject this hand?
It happens that Christians who regularly partake of the Holy Mysteries, trying to lead an attentive spiritual life, are suddenly tempted by unclean and blasphemous thoughts. The invisible enemy is trying to defile the mind of a Christian with his obsessions, and through this, disrupt his preparation for Communion. But thoughts are like the wind that blows regardless of our desire. The Holy Fathers command not to focus attention on incoming thoughts, so as not to get bogged down in constant internal confrontation. The more we chew on a thought, the more real it becomes in our soul and the more difficult it becomes to resist it. It is better to ignore all mental excuses, and enclose the mind in the words of prayer, knowing that the approaching thoughts are not ours, but the enemy’s. Attentive, warm prayer dispels the twilight of evil attacks, the soul is freed from mental oppression and finds blessed peace.
Photo: Yu. Kostygov / Expo.Pravoslavie.Ru
Such temptation is also possible in our spiritual life. A Christian diligently prepares to receive the Holy Mysteries, fasts, abstains from worldly amusements and affairs, and carefully prepares for Confession. But as soon as he took communion, he joyfully threw off all spiritual labor, as if it were an extra, unnecessary burden. He naively hopes that the received grace will now itself protect and cover him without any effort on his part. As a result, relaxation sets in, a person easily stumbles and again plunges into the cycle of worldly vanity. Carelessly relying on God's help, such a person soon loses the gifts of Holy Communion. It is important to remember that God's grace does not save us without us. And in the ascetic teaching of the Church there is the concept of “synergy”, that is, “co-laboration”. The Lord creates and transforms the soul with our constant personal effort, participation, and assistance.
There is a temptation of the opposite nature. Seeing that some time after the Sacrament the sinful dust again settles on our soul, a cowardly person despairs and decides that there was little point in the Sacraments of Confession and Communion. What is the point of going to the Sacraments when sin still manifests itself in us? However, if we did not confess and receive communion, then we would not notice anything sinful in ourselves, we would lose sensitivity to sin and would begin to treat ourselves and our salvation completely indifferently. A ray of sun, penetrating into a room, shows how much dust is in the air, so in the light of the grace of the Sacraments, our shortcomings and infirmities become visible.
Spiritual life is a continuous struggle against evil, a constant solution of the tasks that life puts before us, the implementation of God’s will under any conditions. And we must rejoice that, despite our constant stumblings, the Lord gives us the opportunity to be cleansed from sins and ascend to the blessings of eternal life in the Sacrament of Communion.
This is a temptation to expect that the grace of the Sacrament will certainly produce an otherworldly feeling in the soul.
You can often encounter such a temptation. The communicant specifically expects that the grace of the Sacrament will certainly produce in him some special, otherworldly feeling, and begins to listen to himself in search of sublime sensations. Such an attitude towards the Sacrament hides behind it a barely recognizable egoism, since a person measures the effectiveness of the Sacrament by a personal inner feeling, satisfaction or dissatisfaction. And this, in turn, poses two threats. Firstly, the person receiving communion can convince himself that some special feelings actually arose in him as a sign of a Divine visit. Secondly, if he did not feel anything otherworldly, he becomes upset and begins to look for the reason why this happened, and falls into suspiciousness. This is dangerous, we emphasize once again, because a person himself creates special “graceful” sensations in himself, internally enjoying the work of his own imagination, or, out of suspiciousness, eats himself away.
In such situations, it is important to remember that spiritual life is not based on feelings and sensations, which can be deceptive, but on humility, meekness and simplicity. Saint Theophan the Recluse said in this regard: “Many desire in advance to receive this and that from Holy Communion, and then, not seeing it, they are confused and even waver in their faith in the power of the Sacrament. And the fault is not in the Sacrament, but in these unnecessary guesses. Do not promise yourself anything, but leave everything to the Lord, asking Him for one mercy - to strengthen you for every good thing to please Him.” It is not insight and pleasure, even through Divine grace, that should be paramount for us, but surrendering ourselves into the hands of God, humility of our will before the will of God. If God pleases, then He will, of course, give us a feeling of His grace. But, as a rule, the words of the Gospel remain effective for everyone: “The Kingdom of God will not come in a noticeable way” (Luke 17:20). Grace mysteriously and gradually accomplishes the transformation of the human soul, so that we ourselves cannot and should not evaluate and weigh how close we have already become to God. But the life of such a person is transformed, and in his actions he becomes more and more a true servant of good.
In the spiritual life of a Christian, everything should be built on sincerity, simplicity and naturalness. There shouldn't be anything complicated or artificially created here. Therefore, it is unacceptable to create special “graceful” states in your soul, to invent some incredible feelings yourself after communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Perhaps the only feeling whose significance is worth paying attention to after Communion is the feeling of spiritual peace, humility, in which it is easy for us to pray to God and in which we are reconciled with our neighbors.
So, when we come to the temple, we will try to avoid focusing on our own, subjective experiences, fantasies about what we see and hear. Let us try to concentrate entirely on the Liturgy itself, to stand before God in simplicity and naturalness.
The Lord gives each participant what he needs at the moment.
Regarding temptations, one can also hear the following question: why does life’s difficulties not always ease after Communion? That is, sometimes we certainly expect that after Communion everything in our personal destiny should become even and smooth. To understand the answer to this question, we must remember that in the Sacrament of the Eucharist we partake of the Body of the crucified Lord and the Blood shed for our sins. We commune with the One who Himself suffered, and if He pleases, He leaves our burdens on us so that we too may endure our cross. However, after worthy Communion of the Holy Mysteries, the soul becomes stronger, and often what seemed an insoluble problem appears as a completely solvable matter, not presenting the difficulties that presented itself before. People who turn to God are under His special Divine Providence. The Lord gives each communicant what he needs at the moment: for some joy, so that a person inspired by Holy Communion can move on with greater confidence, and for others trials and difficulties, because we commune not for temporary well-being, but for eternal, which cannot be achieved without patiently bearing one’s own cross.
In conclusion, I would like to say about the action of the Holy Mysteries, based on one example from life. When I studied at the Moscow Theological Seminary, I often visited one old woman, nun Nina, who lived in Sergiev Posad next to the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. She was already over 80, she suffered from many illnesses, her legs were covered with ulcers, so that Mother Nina could hardly walk. From pain and lonely life, she was sometimes overcome by murmurs, doubts, and worries. But when she confessed and received the Holy Mysteries - and she received communion at home - at that moment an amazing change always happened to her. I brought the priest to her with the Holy Gifts and remember well this regularly repeated miracle. Just before you there was an old, tired person, and after she, having confessed, received the Holy Mysteries, an amazing light emanated from her eyes, it was already a completely new, renewed, brightly transformed face, and in these peaceful and enlightened eyes there was no there was not a shadow of embarrassment, murmur, or anxiety. This light now warmed others, and her word after Communion became completely special, and all the perplexities in her soul were dispelled, so that she herself now strengthened her neighbors.
Thus, the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments of the Church gives a person purity, and purity is an unclouded, clear vision of everything and everyone, a pure perception of life. Even possessing all the treasures of the world, a person cannot become happy - and will not become so unless he acquires inner treasures and is imbued with the grace of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Church offers this ineffable gift to man in the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
I sinned on the day of Communion!
On the day of Communion I sinned by swearing. There is pain, melancholy and belated realization in my soul that this might not have happened if only... but it’s too late! I read the Canon of Repentance, Psalm 50 - relief did not come... I tearfully pray to God for forgiveness. What should I do? Help!!!
Good afternoon. Well, this is a typical situation in spiritual life. At the end of prayers of thanksgiving we often read: “After communion, let everyone keep himself in purity, few words, and self-control, in order to worthily preserve within himself the Christ received.” (I quote from memory, but the essence is conveyed accurately)
When we receive communion correctly, the Lord enters into us, and we feel inner peace and silence. But as soon as we sin, allow sinful thoughts to penetrate us, or be born from us, the Lord leaves us, because we drive them out.
This state is aptly called the bitterness of the soul, realizing that it was deceived and stolen by sin, which promised pleasure, but turned into internal chaos and despondency.
Here I can only help you with advice. Your state of depression is natural, and the cure for it is prayer, repentance and communion, and the healer is the Lord.
When preparing for communion next time, think about how you can preserve “Christ accepted” within you for as long as possible. Usually, on the day of communion, it is advised to stop visiting and communicating with those who could cause temptation. This is just minimal advice, which naturally cannot become a panacea, because sinful passions live primarily in ourselves, and can manifest themselves alone in an empty room. But we have the power to minimize the possibility of sin.
In addition, how quickly we lose what we received in communion can be a litmus test for us - to show our level of piety, and become an incentive next time to last as long as possible in excellent condition after communion. When the moment at which the soul feels that it has lost something beautiful after communion comes, we need to draw conclusions, not repeat the reasons for this, didn’t it work out next time? try again, and so on for the rest of your life. Over time, you should see a dynamic increase in the distance between communion and the feeling of loss of grace as a result of sin. The church's understanding of the regularity of communion is based on this.
In the diary of Father John of Kronstadt there is an entry that after the liturgy the priest read the Gospel at home. It is important after communion to maintain oneself in a pious mood in order to worthily preserve Christ accepted within oneself.
Work hard and everything will work out. Only those who do nothing do not make mistakes, and those who work on the work of their salvation must inevitably be patient and hardworking. Peace and joy to you!
Thank you! I re-read your answer more than once. This morning, before work, I went to church - I couldn’t be with this pain and shame before God! - and tearfully confessed her sin. Little by little the pain recedes. The Lord is long-suffering and merciful! Thank you for your quick and very detailed answer! God bless you and your loved ones!
Orthodox Life
On deepening relationships with God - Archimandrite Markell (Pavuk), confessor of Kyiv theological schools.
After the Jews left slavery in Egypt, the Lord gave the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai and ordered Moses to build a tabernacle from expensive materials, a kind of portable temple, one of the first schools of piety. “When Moses entered the tabernacle, then the pillar of cloud came down and stood at the entrance of the tabernacle, and [the Lord] spoke to Moses. And all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tabernacle; and all the people stood up and worshiped, every one at the door of his tent. And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as one speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:9-11).
This is how the Lord determined the place of His special presence. Later, at the command of God, the wise King Solomon built a majestic stone temple in Jerusalem. The Most Holy Theotokos was brought up in this temple, and then our Lord Jesus Christ Himself entered this temple. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the majority of the Jews did not accept the Savior and crucified Him, the temple, like the entire city, was destroyed during the Jewish uprising in 70. From this temple only part of the wall remains, which is now called the Wailing Wall. Now, following the example of the Jerusalem Temple, many majestic and beautiful Christian temples have been built all over the world, and we, like the ancient Jews, believe that in them there is a special place of the presence of God. All our Orthodox churches are built on the model of the ancient tabernacle, that is, they consist of three parts: the Holy of Holies - the altar, the main part where the people stand, and the vestibule...
– Father, how does our Orthodox church differ from the Old Testament?
– Perhaps the most significant difference is that in an Orthodox church, unlike the Old Testament, where innocent animals were sacrificed, a bloodless sacrifice is made - the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is performed, when simple bread and wine are given through the prayers of the upcoming priest and the people by the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit are transformed into the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we approach with faith the communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, we are invisibly united with God Himself.
– Many people on a subconscious level are drawn to the temple, feel that the Lord is here, and try to go in and at least light a candle and briefly pray for themselves and their loved ones, but they limit themselves to this. How important is it to also participate in the Sacraments that are performed here?
– If a person came to the temple with tears of repentance and prayer and limited himself to only lighting a candle, then no one has the right to condemn such a person for the fact that he did not stay here for a longer time and did not begin the Sacraments. Perhaps this is his first small experience of joining the spiritual life. Some time will pass, and this person will have a need to deepen his relationship with God.
– But such a need may not appear! It is no secret that today, despite the abundance of necessary information, many people have no idea about the Church Sacraments; no one told them about it either in the family or at school.
– Yes, now most people are baptized in the Orthodox faith, but are not enlightened, that is, they do not have basic knowledge about the faith, and especially about the Church Sacraments. But when a person does not participate in the sacraments of the Church, it is very difficult for him or, it would not be an exaggeration to say, impossible to resist those temptations and temptations into which worldly vanity constantly plunges him.
– For people who live in the world, although they constantly step on the same rake, this is not obvious. Can you give any specific example?
– For example, a person got married. At first everything went well, there was love and harmony, but as we got to know each other more deeply, the marriage began to deteriorate and was on the verge of a complete break. What to do? In most cases, as official statistics testify, such a marriage breaks up, because in a conflict that has flared up, usually each side blames the other side and there is no end to these mutual accusations. If faith in God glimmers at least a little in a person’s heart and he tries to constantly support and ignite it through prayer, confession and the Holy Mysteries of Christ, then in the light of faith he sees the cause of the conflict not in another person, but first of all in himself and tries to do everything, make any sacrifices and concessions, so that the conflict exhausts itself. No one can do this without faith and without participation in the Sacraments. Or let's take another example: someone has a very harsh and picky boss who is not easy to tolerate. And so the constant squabbles and scandals begin. If a person has faith, then he is calm, because he fears not a stern boss, but God, and tries to do everything in the best way, in order to please Him first.
“However, there are many cases when people regularly go to church, confess, take communion, but do not become better or become even worse than they were. Why does this happen?
– Perhaps the main reason for the lack of change is not the ineffectiveness of the Sacraments, but the wrong attitude towards them. Often people, when they begin Communion, are looking for some special sensations and delights. It happens that they even brag to each other about their feelings after receiving the Sacrament, but at the same time they forget about its main essence. The essence of the Sacrament is not to experience delight, but to overcome yourself, your sins and passions with God’s help and become closer to the Lord and other people.
– Should there really be no sensations at all after Communion?
– There can be only one feeling – awareness of one’s unworthiness before God. This is stated in the prayer before Holy Communion: “I believe, Lord, and confess that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who came into the world to save sinners, from whom I am the first.” Sometimes, from the feeling of their unworthiness, tears appear in people’s eyes. I know some priests and laity who never receive communion without tears. But the main thing during Communion, I repeat, is not special sensations, but spiritual closeness with the Lord and with other people.
– But can’t Communion have a beneficial effect not only on the soul, but also on a person’s body, and heal him from illnesses?
- Yes, in the prayer before Communion there are the words: “May the communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ be not for judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body.” This means that Communion can also grant physical health. It is no coincidence that believers, in case of serious illness and especially before surgery, try to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. There are many cases where the Communion acted beneficially, when doctors had long ago lost all hope.
– Why do believers take communion with one cup and one spoon?
– An essential aspect of Communion is the unity of all people in Christ. In the ancient Christian monument Didache (the teaching of the twelve apostles), the Eucharistic prayer is given, which contains the following words: “As this broken bread was scattered over the hills and, gathered together, became one, so may Thy Church from the ends of the earth be gathered into Thy kingdom, For Yours is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ forever” (9:4). Through Communion, a crowd of people, where everyone worries only for themselves, turns into a Church, where all people become close and dear, ready to perceive other people's pain as their own, other people's joys as their own. And just as in a family everything is common and they often do not disdain to eat from the same utensils, so during Communion we become one great family, and therefore we receive communion from one cup and one spoon.
– How often should you take communion? In the 19th century, according to the Catechism of St. Philaret (Drozdov), the laity were recommended to receive communion 4 times a year, that is, during the Great, Petrov, Dormition and Nativity fasts. And now we see that some people receive communion at every liturgy. How to find the golden mean?
– I think that in the 19th century such a recommendation - to take communion four times a year - was dictated by necessity, due to the impoverishment of faith and piety among part of the intelligentsia and the people. Almost all the pastors of that period testify to this in their sermons and journalistic speeches. At that time, many people completely stopped going to church and receiving communion. Hence the recommendation in the Catechism: better rarely than never. But now the situation is different. Nowadays, we priests recommend that people take communion at least once a month and always on the twelve feasts. For those who want to receive communion more often, for example, seminary students, novices, monks, or people who go to church more than once a week and try to lead an active spiritual life, we do not prohibit this. On the contrary, it is joyful that in our time there are still people who, first of all, try not to please themselves, not their bliss, relaxation and passions, but God.
– Nowadays people travel a lot and end up in places where there are no Orthodox churches. Can they receive communion in a Catholic or schismatic church?
“It’s better not to do this, because although these religious meetings preserve ancient rituals, they have lost their essence. This is a topic for a separate big conversation. The worst thing is that they fell away from the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, which we as a whole church confess at every service in the Creed. And a branch on a tree that has broken off can only retain its beautiful greenery and fragrance for the time being, but later, without moisture, it dries out completely.
Interviewed by Natalya Goroshkova
Why is there no joy after Communion?
If, having escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they again become entangled in them and are overcome by them, then the latter is worse for them than the first.
(2 Peter 2:20–22).
At Communion, one must show correction, testify to love for God and neighbor, thanksgiving, and diligent care for a new, holy and immaculate life.
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk (1724–1783).
After communion, one must ask the Lord to preserve the gift with dignity and that the Lord will give help not to return back, that is, to previous sins.
When you join, don’t rinse your mouth or spit for just one day.
Rev. Ambrose of Optina (1812–1891).
Always remember that after mass and communion you should always dine slowly and moderately. The same goes for the night.
St. Righteous John of Kronstadt (1829–1908).
Every time the Lord vouchsafes you to partake of the holy and life-giving Mysteries of Christ, think thus: what happiness I have today, the Lord entered the house of my heart, He did not abhor me, a sinner and unclean one! What mercy of God is upon me, what joy to me, because today I am not alone, but Christ Himself, my Lord and Savior, is my guest!
Svschmch. Arseny (Zhadanovsky), bishop. Serpukhovskaya (1874–1937).
Often, after fervent prayer, demons attack us with great force, as if wanting to take revenge on us. Moreover, even after Communion, with the greatest bitterness, they try to instill in us unclean thoughts and desires, in order to take revenge on us for resistance and victory over them, and in order to reduce faith in us, trying, as it were, to prove that we are not there is no benefit from Holy Communion, and on the contrary, the struggle is even worse. But one should not be discouraged by this, understanding the cunning of the enemy - to defeat him with faith and perseverance in the fight against him.
Svschmch. Seraphim (Zvezdinsky), bishop. Dmitrovsky (1883– ca. 1937).
Now every sin we commit will be an offense against the Lord; every vicious action is a clear offense to the Sweetest Redeemer. Every abuse of our body will be the spitting, choking and beating that He suffered from His enemies. Now we are no longer alone, but the Lord is with us and in us. We must not give up good deeds, deeds of piety.
And most importantly, the communicants must be complacent and generous in all circumstances of life.
Archpriest Valentin Amfitheatrov (1836–1908).
Having partaken of the Mysteries of Christ, we must realize What and Who we carry within ourselves. And from the moment of Communion, without pause, without interruption, our preparation for the next Communion must begin. And we should not think that if we received communion today, then we can prepare for the next Eucharist a day or three days before it, and the rest of the time we can live as if Christ is not present in us.
Bishop Hilarion (Alfeev) (XX-XXI centuries).
It has been noted that if a communicant goes to bed soon after communion (especially after a hearty dinner), then when he wakes up, he no longer feels grace. The holiday seemed to be over for him already. And this is understandable: devotion to sleep testifies to inattention to the Heavenly Guest, the Lord and Master of the world; and grace departs from the careless participant in the Royal Supper. It is better to spend this time reading, thinking, even taking a mindful walk. So I had to observe this among the monks. And in the world you can visit a sick person, do something good for someone, or enjoy pious fellowship with brothers or go to a cemetery to visit the dead.
Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov) (1880–1961).
In order for us to more accurately preserve ourselves after confession from repeating sins, we strive, especially at first, while we are not yet morally strengthened, to avoid encounters with sin: to move away from those persons and those places that can give us a reason to fall.
Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) (b. 1919).
There is coldness in those who seek consolation from communion, and those who consider themselves unworthy still have grace.
Rev. Ambrose of Optina (1812–1891).
When you do not have peace and joy after receiving the most pure Mysteries, take this circumstance as a temptation to your faith, or better: see this as a reason for the deepest humility and contrition for your sins. You have very little humility, and therefore you are ready to immediately murmur against God, and not lay the blame on yourself.
St. Righteous John of Kronstadt (1829–1908).
If we have not received fruits after Holy Communion, we must repent, humble ourselves, and consider ourselves unworthy of these fruits. Perhaps you received communion unworthily? He became distracted during the service: you can become distracted not only by prodigal thoughts, but also by other extraneous thoughts. There is no need to despair and grieve that you have not received the fruits of Holy Communion. Otherwise it will be like a talisman for us. This attitude towards the Sacrament is selfish.
Rev. Alexy Zosimovsky (1844–1928).
