Work: Discourse on the time of the repentance of the Holy Gifts

Orthodox Life

Priest Andrei Chizhenko answers.

This Sacrament is the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Sacrament from the word "secret". And we will never fully comprehend this greatest mystery of the transformation of bread, wine and water into the Body and Blood of Christ. This is a miracle of God. This is the saving secret of God's economy and Providence for man.

In Orthodox theology, the issue of the union of the Divine and the material in the Sacrament of the Eucharist was dealt with in great detail by St. Gennady Scholarius, Patriarch of Constantinople. He wrote that transubstantiation is the greatest miracle, during which an instant transformation of one essence into another occurs while maintaining the properties unchanged. And that in this case transubstantiation does not occur physically, but mysteriously. That is, we cannot talk about the physical transformation of bread atoms, say, into meat atoms. Then, according to the apt expression of Alexei Ilyich Osipov, professor of the Moscow Theological Academy, we will partake of uncooked meat. At the same time, this violates the dogma of a bloodless sacrifice, since meat a priori cannot be without blood.

The Monk John of Damascus wrote interestingly about the issue of the transmutation of the Holy Gifts: “the shewbread and wine and water, through the invocation and coming of the Holy Spirit, are prenaturally transformed into the Body of Christ and the Blood...” And St. John gives another vivid image: “Let us partake of the divine coal... I saw a burning coal Isaiah; but coal is not simple wood, but united with fire, so the bread of fellowship is not simple bread, but united with the Divine.”

Since the 19th century, a number of Russian learned theologians have opposed the merging of the Orthodox understanding of the Sacrament of the Eucharist with Catholic dogma, in which the substance of the Sacrament is physically transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. Among these scientists: A. Khomyakov, N. D. Uspensky, A. I. Osipov.

At the level of canonical statutory decisions, the Orthodox Church is guided in this matter by a document entitled “Epistle of the Patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Church on the Orthodox Faith (1723).”

Among other things, it contains the following lines: “We believe that in this sacred rite our Lord Jesus Christ is present, not symbolically, not figuratively (τυπικός, εἰκονικός), not by an excess of grace, as in other sacraments, not by influx alone, as some Fathers spoke of baptism, and not through the permeation of the bread (κατ´ Ἐναρτισμόν - per impanationem), so that the Divinity of the Word entered into the bread offered for the Eucharist, essentially (ὑποστατικός), as the followers of Luther rather inexplicably and unworthily explain; but truly and truly, so that after the consecration of bread and wine, the bread is broken, transubstantiated, transformed, transformed into the very true body of the Lord, which was born in Bethlehem of the Ever-Virgin, baptized in the Jordan, suffered, buried, resurrected, ascended, sits at the right hand of God the Father, has to appear on the clouds of heaven; and the wine is transformed and transubstantiated into the very true blood of the Lord, which during His suffering on the cross was shed for the life of the world. We also believe that after the consecration of bread and wine, what remains is not the bread and wine itself, but the very body and blood of the Lord under the appearance and image of the bread and wine.”

Let us pay attention, dear brothers and sisters, to the last lines of the document, which are included in almost all Orthodox catechisms: “We also believe that after the consecration of bread and wine, what remains is not the bread and wine itself, but the very body and blood of the Lord under the form and image of bread and wine." This is the Orthodox canonical understanding of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, or the transubstantiation (translation) of the Holy Gifts.

Orthodoxy has avoided Catholic materialism, in whose dogma the substance becomes physically the Body and Blood of Christ, and at the same time the Protestant approach, which is quite versatile, but its main idea still postulates that Christ is not present in the Eucharist, and the bloodless sacrifice is just a symbol, image, memory of the Savior's Redemptive feat.

Orthodoxy, as always, easily and airily followed the path of the golden mean. The Lord is present in the Eucharist. Really. Essentially. Forever. And the rest is unknown to us. The rest is a mystery...

What a wonderful word “secret” is. How much air is there? How many endless worlds and mysteries are hidden under its cover. And humanity immediately becomes a child who is just beginning a beautiful, blissful, joyful and endless path to his God. To your Father...

Priest Andrey Chizhenko

Alexey Ilyich Osipov

—————————— MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE MOSCOW ORTHODOX THEOLOGICAL ACADEMY AND SEMINARY SECRETARIAT OF THE ACADEMIC COUNCIL In fax e-mail 141300, Moscow region. Sergiev Posad Lavra, Academy September 20, 2007 Ref. No. 177 TO HIS EXTREMENCY THE MOST REPRESENTATIVE FILARET, METROPOLITAN OF MINSK AND SLUTSK, PATRIARIAL EXARCH OF ALL BELARUS CHAIRMAN OF THE SYNODAL THEOLOGICAL COMMISSION Your Eminence! In response to your letter dated June 11, 2007 (out. No. 88) about the preparation of the Moscow Theological Academy’s response to the final document of the Joint Orthodox-Lutheran Commission on Theological Dialogue “The Mystery of the Church: The Holy Eucharist in the Life of the Church,” we inform you that by the decision of the General Meeting The Corporation of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary (magazine No. 4 of June 13, 2007) created a working group consisting of hon. prof. M.S. Ivanova (chairman), prot. prof. Maxim Kozlov, honorary prof. A.I. Osipova and prof. prot. Vladislav Tsypin, who was tasked with developing a draft response to the above document and submitting it to the Academic Council for approval. The working group developed two texts, which were announced at the General Meeting of the Corporation on August 29, 2007 (the texts are given in the Appendix). The first review, signed by the chairman, Emeritus Professor M.S. Ivanov, honorable prof. A.I. Osipov and prof. prot. Vladislav Tsypin, read by the chairman of the working group, honorable. prof. M.S. Ivanov. The second review was voiced by Professor Fr. Maxim Kozlov, author of the text. After a brief discussion of the texts of the reviews, it was proposed to hold a secret vote among the members of the Council, the purpose of which was to determine preferences among the teaching corporation of Moscow Theological Schools. Based on the results of the secret ballot, the review voiced by the Honorable. prof. M.S.Ivanov, supported by 7 members of the corporation, review voiced by prof. prot. Maxim Kozlov, supported by 36 members of the corporation, 9 members of the corporation abstained from voting. A total of 52 people voted. Seeking the blessing of Your Eminence, Secretary of the Academic Council of the Moscow Theological Academy Archpriest (Pavel VELIKANOV) ... REVIEW No. 2 on the final document of the Orthodox-Lutheran Mixed Commission, held November 2-9, 2006 in Bratislava (Slovakia). … . It is not clear from the text of the document what new arguments were presented by Lutheran theologians to their Orthodox interlocutors, but for Orthodox theology such an “agreement” gives rise to a number of serious theological problems: a) It does not agree with the Gospel teaching on the Eucharist. The Lord commands us to eat His real flesh and blood, and not consecrated (deified, hypostatized, united with His humanity) bread and wine. The Lord Himself pointed out to His disciples the essence of the Holy Gifts: “this is My body... this is My blood.” He did not say that along with His body and blood there was something else, for example, bread and wine (in which case He would have said: “in this there is a body.” or “with this there is a body.”, or “under this there is a body”). body." etc.). The Lord rejected any improper understanding of His flesh and blood in the Eucharist as lack of faith (John 6:48-71). b) Contradicts the patristic teaching. For the holy fathers, after consecration, there is no longer bread and wine, but only the body and blood of Christ under the guise of bread and wine. Here are a few examples: St. Cyril of Jerusalem: “(after the transformation - report) the visible bread is not bread, although it is felt by the taste, but the body of Christ; and the visible wine is not wine, although it appears so to the taste, but the blood of Christ.” “In the form of bread the body is given to you, and in the form of wine the blood is given to you, so that by partaking of the body and blood of Christ, you may become co-corporeal and intimate with Him.” “Although feeling presents this to you (bread and wine - report), let faith confirm you. Do not judge a thing according to taste, but by faith know without a doubt that you have been made worthy of the body and blood of Christ.” St. Gregory of Nyssa: “by the power of blessing the nature (φυσιγ) of the visible (bread and wine) turned (μεταστοιχειώσας) into body and blood.” The word μεταστοιχειώσας means “to change the elementary basis,” “to change in essence,” that is, to be transubstantiated. St. Ambrose of Milan: “The power of blessing is greater than the power of nature: for by blessing nature itself is changed.” In the Liturgy of St. Ambrose of Milan has the following words: “Your body is essentially eaten and Your blood is essentially drunk.” Etc. John of Damascus: “the very bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of God.” The Holy Father, describing the state of the Eucharistic Gifts, categorically excludes the idea of ​​“coexistence” (consubstantiatio): “shewbread and wine and water, through the invocation and coming of the Holy Spirit, are prenaturally changed into the body of Christ and blood, and are not two (i.e. the body of Christ with bread or the blood of Christ with wine - report), but one, and the same.” c) The decisions of a number of Church Councils adopted by all Local Churches (1639, 1642, 1672, 1691) are crossed out. d) Faith in the holiness of the Church is undermined, because it turns out that for many centuries it has been professing an erroneous teaching about the Eucharist. ... Conclusions The Orthodox participants of the meeting in dogmatic terms made a very big step towards Lutheran theologians. Undoubtedly more than their dialogue partners, who did not deviate in any fundamental way from their 16th-century Eucharistic ideas, formulated in their symbolic books (Luther's Large Catechism (1529), Apology of the Augsburg Confession (1530). ) and "Formula of Concord" (1580)). The compromise of the Orthodox participants in the conference is great and unexpected and clearly goes beyond the dogmatic provisions of the Orthodox Church. The position of the Orthodox side looks inconsistent and discredits the Orthodox Church. Relatively recently, at similar meetings, Orthodox theologians expressed opposing views: “The Churches - Orthodox, Roman Catholic and pre-Chalcedonian - profess the real transubstantiation of bread and wine into the true body and true blood of Jesus Christ.” At another inter-church interview, the Orthodox also testified: “At the Last Supper, “thanksgiving” produces a mysterious “transformation” of bread into the body and wine into the blood of Christ, to which He Himself clearly indicates: This is My body... and this is My blood... Thus , we see that already at the first celebration of the Eucharist by Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, that mysterious phenomenon occurred, which later received the name “transubstantiation”... The Eastern Church, in full agreement with the Western, has always recognized this firmly and definitely, without any reservations or symbolism. Speaking philosophically, we can say that bread and wine, remaining apparently unchanged, retain their accidents (everything accidental), while their substance is invisibly transformed into the body and blood of Christ. Thus, the body and blood of Christ appear here under the visible images of bread and wine.” While paying due respect to the theological originality of the document's authors, the explanation of the Eucharist presented in it as Orthodox teaching is more reminiscent of the Protestant concept of “coexistence” (consubstantiatio) than the traditional Orthodox teaching established by the decisions of the Councils and the testimonies of the Holy Fathers. Regarding the term “transubstantiation,” the Orthodox participants in the meeting completely switched to the Lutheran position. Why this happened is not clear from the text of the document. However, it is not difficult to imagine that if such a position were widely voiced among the Orthodox community, it could cause a sharp negative reaction. There is a similar precedent in church history. When Saint Gennady of Constantinople was a principled opponent of Catholics, in the middle of the 15th century. began to use the term “transubstantiation” (Greek - μετουσίωσις, Lat. - transsubstantiatio) to explain the Orthodox teaching on the Eucharist - this was received positively. When, in 1633, the “Confession of the Christian Faith” of Patriarch of Constantinople Cyril Lucaris was published in Greek, containing the Protestant teaching on the Eucharist (“We recognize in the Eucharist the presence of the true and real body of Christ, that which faith gives us, but not the one about which transubstantiation teaches") - this “Confession” caused a storm of indignation, the councils we have already mentioned were held, defending the Orthodox understanding of “transubstantiation”, Patriarch Kirill then publicly renounced this book. God grant that something like this will not happen again in the history of the Orthodox Church. … ——————————

Collapse

Work: Discourse on the time of the repentance of the Holy Gifts

Saint Philaret (Drozdov). Selected works, letters, memories. - M.: Orthodox St. Tikhon's Theological Institute, 2003. - P.548-552. // Extracted from correspondence with A.N. Muravyov (Letters from January 19 and March 15, 1847). Reprinted from: Letters of Moscow Metropolitan Philaret to A.N. Muravyov (1822-1867). Kyiv, 1869. S. 224-227, 233-236

• Saint
• Notes

Saint

Filaret (Drozdov)

Discourse on the time of the repentance of the Holy Gifts

The moment of the secret transformation of bread and wine into the true Body and Blood of Christ is incomprehensible to the mind. The teaching about this should be borrowed from the tradition of St. Apostolic Church. The representatives of tradition regarding this point of teaching should primarily be the compilers of liturgies - St. Basil the Great and St. John Chrysostom, and the definition of the moment of the secret action must first of all be sought in the very composition of their liturgies.

Let's start from the place where the celebrant, starting to celebrate the Eucharist, proclaims: Woe to our hearts! Thank the Lord

.

How is this thanksgiving expressed? The sacrifice of praise: 1) in the next two prayers addressed to God the Father; 2) in imitative secret action.

In the first prayer, praising the incomprehensible perfections and blessings of God, revealed in the whole creation and providence of the created and filling heaven and earth, the servant thanks for his acceptance and his services, although all verbal and intelligent creation, all the powers of heaven, constantly send praise to him, singing a song : Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts: fill Heaven and earth with Your glory

(Isa. 6:3).

In the second prayer, imitating the heavenly powers, the servant praises the ineffable blessings of God, revealed, in particular, to the human race - in its creation and re-creation through the Son of God (the entire economy of salvation is set out in historical order), Who, in remembrance of His suffering, instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist, reception His holy bread and His most pure hands, showing God and the Father, thanking, blessing, sanctifying, breaking, He gave to His holy disciples and Apostles the rivers: take, eat... drink from it all...

[] These words end the second prayer of praise or gratitude to God the Father. By the very composition of the speech, the words of the Lord relate to the introductory sentence and constitute a continuation of the previous prayer - a calculation of the benefits of redemption, set out in historical order.

Now the servant begins to offer the sacrifice of praise in an imitative sacramental action: Those who remember the saving commandment: do this in remembrance of Me... and everything that was for us... Yours from Yours... We sing to You, We bless You, We thank You...

The first part of the imitative action (according to the order in which the Savior himself performed the sacrament -
thanking, blessing, sanctifying
) has been completed.
But the consecration of the Gifts has not yet taken place - and therefore St. Basil the Great in prayer before invoking the Holy Spirit says: You have offered
a substitute for the holy Body and Blood of your Christ
.
He who dares to approach the holy altar for the blessing and consecration of the Gifts is struck with fear, feeling his unworthiness to serve as a visible instrument for the accomplishment of the great mystery, and therefore prays to God the Father for the sending of the all-sanctified and cleansing Holy Spirit from all filth upon us and upon the Gifts that are presented: We call upon You, Holy One. saints, with the reverence of Thy goodness, Thy Holy Spirit come upon us and on these gifts that are presented, and bless and sanctify and show.

Here the unfinished prayer to God the Father is interrupted, and a prayer is introduced to God the Son for the sending of the Holy Spirit upon us, as a visible instrument of the sacrament of transmuting bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. Consequently, the prayer of invoking the Holy Spirit: Lord, Who is Most Holy...

and the verses appended to it from the 50th Psalm - still constitute a preparation for the consecration of the Gifts and refer to the invocation of the Holy Spirit as an instrument, and not on the Gifts themselves.

At the end of the prayer to God the Son, the servant returns to the prayer to God the Father for the sending of the Holy Spirit on the gifts that are presented: And I bless and sanctify and show this bread the most honorable Body... and this cup the most honorable Blood of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ

- like Basil the Great;
or as in Chrysostom: And make this bread
, and so on,
and put the precious Blood of your Christ in this cup, translating it with your Holy Spirit
.
Man and God are united in a single action: man, as an instrument through blessing and uttering prayer words and create, etc.
, God the Holy Spirit through the consecration of the Gifts. The action of blessing and sanctification is not sequential, but cumulative - the transformation of the Gifts into the true Body and Blood of Christ. Therefore, the moment of transformation cannot be divided into initial and final, but must be simultaneous in the total action of blessing and sanctification.

In the service book (Kiev edition), in the 1st section of the teacher's news, the penultimate rule reads like this: For this purpose, the fulfillment of sowing secrets

(Eucharist)
through prayer and words with the blessing of the hand of the Priests: and make therefore this bread the honorable Body of Thy Christ.
And in this cup, the precious Blood, transposed by Your Holy Spirit, as the Holy One philosophizes and contains. Apostolic Eastern Church .

In vain do the Latins think that we degrade the words of the Lord. They have power and importance in their place, consistent with the purpose of pronouncing them in preliminary prayer, as an expression of the greatest benefit of the Redeemer and as a commandment in action. And the offering of the Eucharist that we make is the fulfillment of that commandment. It is in vain that we are reproached for the fact that we attribute a lot of power to the clergy. We represent it only as a visible instrument, and the finishing power in the Eucharist, as in all other sacraments, is the single grace of the Holy Spirit.

This objection of the Latins is a repetition of their ancient reproach, which was very easy and soon to be born if, at the Council of Florence, the pope himself admitted to the Greek Emperor that he could not serve according to the Eastern rites because he did not know him. The spirit of hostility even now prevents them from thoroughly knowing what they accuse us of.

Did you find it strange that I accused the Latins that they, attributing

all the mysterious
action of one word of Christ makes prayer and blessing unnecessary
.
You refer me to their missal, I know it and I can tell you that according to the book Antonis Praxis rituum, more than 20 signs of the cross are prescribed over the presented Gifts during secret prayer. But nevertheless, I do not deviate from my words, which, by being incomplete, only gave you the right to object. Let me explain more fully. If, as the Latins say, transubstantiation is accomplished by pronouncing the words of Christ, then after this the blessing of the Gifts is unnecessary. But the blessing of the Gifts is prescribed by the Apostle, therefore, the Latin teaching contradicts the Apostolic word and in this is precisely wrong. This conclusion has its force, no matter what the Latin missal says. If he does not use the blessing, he is guilty against the Apostle. If he uses it, he thereby contradicts Latin teaching. Is there actually a prayer in the Latin missal for the consecration and transposition of the Holy Gifts and the actually secret blessing of the Holy Gifts, like in the Eastern liturgy: Do this
and so on? Take the trouble to find out for yourself in the intricate course of the so-called: canon. It says: benedicas haec dona [], - but after this the Gifts are not yet recognized as blessed and transubstantiated. Further, after pronouncing the words of Christ, they are recognized as transubstantiated, but after this the Body and Blood of Christ are blessed with many signs of the cross. Please find order, meaning and meaning here.

You ask: isn’t it a great fault that the author did not sufficiently differentiate the teaching, and should it be defended? I am responsible and do not defend, because I admit guilt. But in order to judge whether the guilt is great, I offer you another short way, rewriting the controversial words of the magazine with a small addition from my accusatory reasons.

Bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ when the words of Jesus Christ are proclaimed, accept, etc.

, which constitute the eternal law, the basis and preparation of the sacrament, and therefore are essential in it, as all liturgies testify, when the
Holy Spirit is invoked
as the performer of transubstantiation, and
the Holy Gifts are blessed
, through which the sacramental transubstantiation is truly and finally accomplished.

Even now it seems to me that it is better to remain silent about this when the book has already been distributed, rather than start a trial and smartly correct an inaccuracy that, so far throughout Russia, as far as we know, has been noticed by one enlightened writer who will not receive any harm from this, and, according to his reminder, one bishop, who also, I hope, will see that verbal guilt is not a threat to Orthodoxy.

I completely agree with you that this is not the time to raise the issue. But who raises it? The one who let slip or the one who starts a war because of the slip of the tongue?

If anyone opened his mouth with such an opinion about the Eucharist, in which the English kings take an oath, it would be necessary, although one against all, to raise a dispute for the true Body of Christ and the true Blood of Christ and for the preservation of souls of the true faith in the sacrament and Divine food. But the Western Church, just like the Eastern Church, reveres the Divine Mystery. The Latin thought about the time of transubstantiation is simply incompatible with ancient tradition and, if I may say so, stupid, but is there something in it that should be feared as deadly, why should one use merciless zeal against such words that, while preserving Orthodox teaching, are not reflect the Western rather sharply? I submit this question to your impartial consideration, asking myself and you for the prayerful help of St. The Apostle Paul, who commanded not to resist any word for any reason, for the ruin of those who hear

(2 Tim. 2:14).

Notes

1. Eucharistic prayer from the rite of the liturgy of St. Basil the Great. — Note. comp.

2. Bless these Gifts. — Note. comp.

Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist

DEFINITION

The Great Sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is called the Eucharist (ευχαριστια), which means “thanksgiving” in Greek. Celebrating the Eucharist, the people of God thank the Lord “for all the blessings that have been upon us, manifested and unmanifested,” “for everyone and for everything.” By participating in the Sacrament, believers are present at the actual remembrance of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ and thank Him for the salvation of all mankind. The essence of the Eucharist is in sacrifice and thanksgiving.

The Eucharist is celebrated during the divine service, which is called “Liturgy” (from the Greek - λειτουργία, λειτος - “public” and εργον - “work”). Liturgy is the “common work” of the people of God.

To celebrate the Eucharist, believers gather together and constitute the Church, which is revealed in a given place in their prayer meeting. “The people of God gather in the Church to serve God, where everyone serves together with others under the leadership of one.”1

Unlike all services of the daily cycle, a Sacrament is celebrated during the Liturgy, the Sacrament of the Eucharist. In addition to prayers and chants, a bloodless sacrifice is offered during the Liturgy and the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is taught to the believers. Therefore, the Divine Liturgy is the main Christian service. She is the sacramental center of all church services of the daily circle. The Holy Fathers called the Eucharist the “Sacrament of the Sacraments.”

The Divine Liturgy is a school of theology and thought. It reveals to a Christian the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, fills him with the Holy Spirit and connects him with God.

ORIGIN OF THE EUCHARIST

The first Eucharist was celebrated by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself during the Last Supper. “And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat: this is My body. And taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28). Thus, the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ was established.

After the ascension of the Lord, the apostles and their successors continued to celebrate the Eucharist, fulfilling the behest of their Teacher.

The farewell meal of Christ with the apostles became the basis of the liturgical worship of the first Christians.

PERFECTOR

The rite of the Liturgy is built on the principle of co-service between the primate and the people of God. This concelebration is expressed in the dialogical form of Eucharistic prayers. “The congregation “seals” each of them with the word “Amen,” one of the key words of Christian worship, linking the primate and the people of God led by him into one organic whole.”2

The Church is the Body of Christ. Christ dwells in the Church and with the Holy Spirit performs all sacred rites and Sacraments. “The priest is not a “representative” or “substitute” for Christ. In the Sacrament he is Christ Himself, just as the congregation is His Body. Heading the meeting, He reveals in Himself the unity of the Church, the unity of all its members with Himself. Thus, in this unity of the primate and the congregation, the divine-human unity of the Church is revealed - in Christ and with Christ.”3

In the Church, believers perform various ministries. Not only priests, but also laity are dedicated to the service of Christ. Their most significant prayer service is the offering of a bloodless Sacrifice.

When celebrating the Liturgy, the priest’s service consists in the fact that he is the image of the Head of the Church - Christ. The sacrament of the Eucharist is performed by Christ Himself, but it is performed through the priest and through the entire being of the priest. “The actions of this Sacrament are not performed by human power. He who performed these actions at that supper still performs them now. We occupy the place of ministers, and Christ Himself sanctifies and transforms.”4

In apostolic times, each local Church gathered in one Eucharistic assembly. In the Ancient Church, Eucharistic assemblies were headed only by the apostles or their successors, the bishops. “The unity of the local Church was manifested in the unity of the Eucharistic Assembly, which determined the unity of the episcopate in the local Church”5.

Presbyters began to celebrate the Eucharist over time due to the increase in the number of Christians. Since the bishops could no longer personally perform the Sacrament in numerous church communities, they began to delegate the right to serve the Liturgy to the presbyters, issuing them special letters.

The persecution of the Church also stimulated the process of dividing the single city Eucharistic meeting, since it was dangerous for the entire community to gather in one place. Moreover, the celebration of the Sacrament by separate groups of believers was considered not independent Eucharistic meetings, but an expansion of a single episcopal meeting. The bishop remained the sole head of the Church and the sole performer of the Sacraments of the Lord. When later presbyters headed individual communities, they became nothing more than authorized representatives of the bishop, who entrusted them with the administration of the Sacrament, thereby spatially expanding the single Eucharistic meeting of the local Church.

MEMORY

“The entire Liturgy is a remembrance of Christ, the entirety is a Sacrament and the experience of His presence”6. The rites of the Divine Liturgy do not “depict” the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, but actually reproduce it, introducing the faithful to it. “To remember means to remember and live in what is remembered, to receive and store it”7.

The Eucharist is not only a remembrance of the Last Supper, but of the entire life of the Lord: the incarnation, preaching, sacrifice on Calvary, resurrection and ascension. Saint Justin (Popovich) writes: “In the Eucharist, the entire Divine-human economy of salvation is revived with grace: from the Incarnation to the Ascension, as the life of our life and as the soul of our soul.”8

Eucharistic remembrance is not an abstract reflection, but a living contemplation of the life and sacrifice of Christ.

TRUTH OF THE PROPOSAL

Throughout its existence, the Orthodox Church has confessed that the bread and wine of the Eucharist are the true Body and Blood of Christ, and not their symbols.

The Orthodox teaching about the Eucharist is based on the words of the Lord Jesus Christ: for My Flesh is truly food, and My Blood is truly drink. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him (John 6:55–56).

In accordance with the Gospel teaching, the holy fathers and teachers of the Church argued that the Eucharistic bread and wine are the true Flesh and true Blood of Jesus Christ. Thus, Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer wrote in his Epistle to the Romans: “For me there is no sweetness in corruptible food, nor in the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, the bread of heaven, the bread of life, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, born in recent times from the seed of David and Abraham. And I desire the drink of God—His blood, which is imperishable love and eternal life.”9

During the transformation, bread and wine become not illusory, but the real Body and Blood of Christ. Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem, writes: “When Christ Himself declared and said about bread: this is My body; After this, who dares not to believe? And when He Himself assured and said about the cup: This is My blood, who will doubt and say that this is not His blood? “10.

St. John of Damascus asserted: “Bread and wine are not an image of the body and blood of Christ (let it not be!), but the deified body of the Lord itself, since the Lord Himself said: this is not an image of the body, but my body, and not an image of blood, but my blood."11

Most of the fathers and teachers of the Church who wrote about the Eucharist believed that “the Eucharistic bread and wine, after their consecration, leave their substance and are made true, real by the body and blood of Christ”12.

HOW THEY ARE DONE

The human mind cannot comprehend the mysterious nature of the transformation of bread and wine into the Flesh and Blood of Christ. According to the words of St. John of Damascus, at the Eucharist “the action of the Spirit accomplishes that which exceeds nature and which nothing can contain except faith alone”13. Therefore, the holy fathers did not discuss this topic in their writings. And at the Ecumenical Councils the question of how bread and wine become the Flesh and Blood of the Lord was not raised.

The Eucharist, like all Sacraments, goes beyond rational perception and explanation. The sacrament of the Eucharist is performed under the influence of the Holy Spirit. “The shewbread, wine and water are supernaturally transformed into the body and blood of Christ through the invocation and influx of the Holy Spirit.”14 The human mind is limited and cannot accommodate the action of Divine grace.

TIME OF PRESENCE

Regarding the moment of transubstantiation, Archimandrite Cyprian (Kern) wrote: “The search for a “mystery-fulfilling” formula and the exact moment of the transfusion of the Gifts has always been alien to the Church consciousness. This later scholastic wisdom was replaced in ancient times by faith in the sanctifying power of the entire text of the Eucharistic canon (anaphora) “15.

Professor N.D. Uspensky agrees with Archimandrite Cyprian. He writes: “There is not a single conciliar definition, just as there is not a single patristic statement in the sense that the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord is accomplished with certain words of the anaphora as a perfect formula. Conveyance of the Eucharistic da-

a ditch is a supernatural, metaphysical phenomenon, incomprehensible by reason and only accepted by faith. Therefore, the Fathers of the Church did not connect the consecration of gifts with any specific phrase of the anaphora”16.

The liturgical tradition of the Ancient Church emphasized the importance of the common prayer of the people of God and did not single out individual prayers, giving them the character of a sacramental formula. However, over time, the theological and liturgical literature has established the idea that during the Liturgy there is an increase in the pneumatological significance of prayers. The culmination of the invocation of the Holy Spirit is achieved in the epiclesis, which thus becomes the decisive moment in the consecration of the Holy Gifts.

VICTIM

During the Eucharist, a bloodless sacrifice is made. This is clearly stated in the Gospel. At the Last Supper, the Lord, taking bread and giving thanks, broke it and gave it to them, saying: this is My body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. Likewise the cup after supper, saying: This cup is the New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you (Luke 22:19-20).

The Apostle Paul called on Christians to remember the sacrifice of Christ performed at the Eucharist: “As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:26).

The Eucharistic sacrifice encompasses the entire life of Christ and His ministry to the human race. And in an ontological sense, the Eucharistic sacrifice also extends to the eternal sacrifice of God the Son, which He offers to God the Father. This sacrifice consists of sonship, self-giving and perfect obedience up to death on the cross for the life of the world.

The Eucharist is a sacrifice that the Lord commanded His disciples to perform in His memory. Primarily the Eucharist is the remembrance and repetition of the Calvary sacrifice of the Son of God.

Christ offered the sacrifice to God the Father once (Heb. 9:28). This sacrifice cleansed people from all sins and sanctified them. Thanks to Christ's sacrifice, humanity received the fullness of salvation. No other sacrifices are required to save the world.

However, at each Liturgy a sacrifice is made again. Is she the new victim? No. “The Eucharistic sacrifice, performed everywhere and every day, always remains the same, because the same Lamb of God is always sacrificed. Therefore, it is not some new sacrifice, but one and the same, and since the Calvary sacrifice was inexhaustible, this one does not serve to replenish it.”17

The Eucharist is independent of time and space. It is performed throughout the earth at different times by many clergy, but at the same time remains completely identical to the one that the Lord performed at the Last Supper. First celebrated in the Upper Room of Zion, the Eucharist was, is, and will be celebrated throughout human history until the end of the world.

Saint John Chrysostom says: “This meal is the same one that Christ offered, and nothing less than that. It cannot be said that this one was proposed by Christ, and this one by man, but both are proposed by Christ Himself.”18

The sacrifice performed during the Divine Liturgy is mysterious and incomprehensible. In each Eucharist, Christ Himself eternally and once sacrifices Himself for the sins and salvation of the world. In this Sacrament, Christ is both the High Priest who brings the sacrifice and the sacrifice itself, who cleanses the sins of humanity.

Why, during the consecration of the Holy Mysteries, does the clergyman pray to God the Father? Saint Nicholas Kavasila answers this question: “So that you know that the Savior sanctifies not as a man, but as God, according to His Divine power, which He has one with the Father.”19.

The Eucharistic sacrifice is not limited by spatial and temporal boundaries. The sacrifice of Christ in God’s plan existed from eternity, was offered at a certain historical moment, but is performed “always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.”

CHURCH AND EUCHARIST

The word "church" - εκκλησια - means "assembly". When believers in Christ gather together, they constitute the Church, which is realized and manifested in that gathering. This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote to the Corinthians: when you gather together for church (1 Cor. 11:18). “From the first days after Pentecost, to be or belong to the Church meant to participate in its Eucharistic meeting. Where there is a Eucharistic meeting, there is the Church, and where the Church is, there is a Eucharistic meeting.”20

The gathering of believers is an indispensable condition for the celebration of the Eucharist. It does not take place outside such a meeting. The church meeting can also be considered the first Eucharistic act of the community that has gathered to celebrate the Sacrament. “From the very beginning, the Eucharist was the manifestation and realization of the unity of the New People of God, gathered by Christ and in Christ. We must firmly know and remember: we do not go to church for individual prayer, we go to gather in the Church, and the visible temple itself is only an image of the miraculous temple that it marks. Therefore, “gathering into the Church” is truly the first liturgical action, the foundation of the entire Liturgy”21.

When believers gather in the Church, they form the Body of Christ. The bishop or priest who leads the congregation becomes an image of Christ, the Head of the Body. “Thanks to the Eucharist, which unites believers into one Body of Christ, the Church becomes the Body of Christ, and without the Eucharist there would be no Church.”22

The Church cannot exist without the Eucharist. Believers cannot unite into the single body of the Church without it. The Eucharist is an integral part of the nature of the Church. “The Church is the body of Christ. The Eucharist is the body of Christ. The Church is in the Eucharist, and the Eucharist is in the Church.”23 The Sacrament of Christ is the core of the entire church life of Christians.

At the same time, the Eucharist itself cannot be celebrated outside the Church. Being a Sacrament, it receives sanctification under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He condescends only in the Sacraments of the Orthodox Church. Therefore, the Eucharist celebrated in communities that have broken away from the Mother Church is without grace. “The Church is where the Eucharist is celebrated, and where the Eucharist is celebrated, there is the Church”24.

The Church combines two natures: divine and human. The believer participates in the divine nature through the Eucharist. This Sacrament of the Church connects a person with God.

Through the Eucharist “we enter into communion and are united with each other. For we all, since we partake of the one bread, become one body of Christ and one blood, and members of one another, being co-corporeal with Christ.”25

MEANING FOR A CHRISTIAN

When a Christian participates in the Eucharist, he assimilates the fruits of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Just as the liturgical life of the Church is based on the Eucharist, so the spiritual life of every believer should be based on participation in the Sacraments of Christ.

Deification is the highest meaning of a Christian’s life. Communion of the Most Pure Mysteries enables the believer to become one flesh with Christ. St. John of Damascus writes that in the Eucharist “we unite with the body of the Lord and with His Spirit and become the body of Christ”26.

A Christian must receive communion with a humble but ardent desire for the deification of his nature. “So that by partaking of the body and blood of Christ, you may become bodily and intimate with Him. For in this way we also become Christ-bearers, when His body and blood are communicated to our members. Thus, according to blessed Peter, we are partakers of the Divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) “27.

For those who partake of the Mysteries of Christ, the process of deification becomes a reality. “Having united with Christ, the believer becomes a temple of the Holy Trinity. Since the entire fullness of the Divinity is concentrated in the body of Christ, the Holy Trinity abides in those co-corporeal with Christ.”28

By receiving communion, the believer receives the opportunity to live in Christ already on earth. Communion helps you walk the path of salvation, fills you with spiritual strength and protects you from the attacks of dark forces. “The body and blood of Christ enter into the composition of our soul and body, without being exhausted, without decaying, and without being thrown out (let it not be!), but enter into our essence for protection, repelling from us all harm, cleansing all filth”29.

By partaking of the Holy Mysteries, a person receives a guarantee of life with Christ in eternity. Even during earthly life, a Christian becomes a member of the Kingdom of the next century. “For those who receive the sacrament with faith worthily, it serves for the remission of sins, and for eternal life, and for the preservation of soul and body.”30

Archpriest Vyacheslav Tulupov

_______________

1 Afanasiev Nikolay, protopr. The Lord's Table. Kyiv, 2003. P. 8.

2 Schmeman Alexander, prot. Eucharist: The Sacrament of the Kingdom. Paris, 1988. P. 19.

3 Ibid. P. 30.

4 John Chrysostom, St. Collection of teachings. TSL., 1993. Book. 2. P. 290.

5 Afanasiev Nikolay, protopr. The Lord's Table. Kyiv, 2003. P. 95.

6 Schmeman Alexander, prot. Eucharist: The Sacrament of the Kingdom. Paris, 1988. P. 251.

7 Ibid. P. 277.

8 Justin Popovich, archim. Dogmatics of the Orthodox Church. Beograd, 1978. P. 567.

9 Scriptures of the apostolic men. Riga, 1995. P. 332.

10 Kirill, Archbishop. Jerusalem, St. Catechetical and secret teachings. M., 1991. P. 329.

11 See: John of Damascus, St. An accurate exposition of the Orthodox faith. M., 2011. pp. 372–373.

12 Malakhov V. Ya. Transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts in the Sacrament of the Eucharist / TSL., 2008. P. 62.

13 See: John of Damascus, St. An accurate exposition of the Orthodox faith. M., 2011. P. 370.

14 Ibid. P. 372.

15 Cyprian (Kern), archim. Eucharist. Paris, 1947. P. 285.

16 Uspensky N.D. Anaphora: Experience of historical and liturgical analysis // Theological works. M., 1975. Sat. 13. P. 138.

17 Ibid. P. 140.

18 John Chrysostom, St. Collection of teachings. TSL., 1993. Book. 2. P. 290.

19 Nicholas Kavasila, Archbishop. Explanation of the Divine Liturgy // Christ. Church. Mother of God. M., 2002. P. 162.

20 Afanasyev Nikolay, protopr. The Lord's Table. Kyiv, 2003. P. 12.

21 Schmeman Alexander, prot. Eucharist: The Sacrament of the Kingdom. Paris, 1988. P. 27.

22 Sergiev I.I., prot. Thoughts about the Church and Orthodox worship. M., 1894. P. 136.

23 Justin Popovich, archim. Dogmatics of the Orthodox Church. Beograd, 1978, pp. 567–568.

24 Afanasiev Nikolay, protopr. The Lord's Table. Kyiv, 2003. P. 23.

25 See: John of Damascus, St. An accurate exposition of the Orthodox faith. M., 2011. P. 376.

26 Ibid. P. 375.

27 Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem, St. Catechetical and secret teachings. M., 1991. P. 330.

28 Manzaridis Georgiy. Deification of man. TSL., 2003. P. 49.

29 See: John of Damascus, St. An accurate exposition of the Orthodox faith. M., 2011. P. 374.

30 Ibid. P. 372.

Literature:

Afanasyev Nikolay, protopr. The Lord's Table. Kyiv, 2003.

Hilarion (Alfeev), Metropolitan. Orthodoxy. M., 2009. T. 2.

John of Damascus, St. An accurate exposition of the Orthodox faith. M., 2011.

John Chrysostom, St. Collection of teachings. TSL., 1993. Book. 2.

Justin Popovich, archimandrite. Dogmatics of the Orthodox Church. Beograd, 1978.

Cyprian (Kern), archimandrite. Eucharist. Paris, 1947.

Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem, St. Catechetical and secret teachings.

M., 1991.

Malakhov V. Ya. Transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. TSL., 2008.

Manzaridis Georgiy. Deification of man. TSL., 2003.

Nicholas Kavasila, Archbishop. Explanation of the Divine Liturgy // Christ. Church. Mother of God. M., 2002.

Scriptures of the Apostolic Men. Riga, 1995.

Sergiev I.I., prot. Thoughts about the Church and Orthodox worship. M., 1894.

Uspensky N.D. Anaphora: Experience of historical and liturgical analysis // Theological works. M., 1975. Sat. 13.

Shmeman Alexander, Rev. Eucharist: The Sacrament of the Kingdom. Paris, 1988.

In his notes, the abbot of Feodosia (Popov; + 1903) cites his grandmother’s memories of her childhood, when she was seven or eight years old. “In church, I stood at the very pulpit, opposite the Royal Doors, and vigilantly watched all the actions of the priest. The reason for my observations of the priest was that once, on a holiday with my parents at mass, I saw above the throne, a little higher than the head of the priest, right above the holy chalice, a soaring Dove, which was white as snow and motionless, barely noticeably fluttering its wings , stayed in the air. And I saw this not once, and not twice, but several times, which I told my friend about, and she and I always, as soon as we heard the bell ringing, we ran with all our might, wanting to outrun each other, and Let us stand together at the pulpit, waiting for the appearance of the brilliant white Dove. And how we loved Him because He was so white and so handsome!

But there were days when we could not wait for this miracle, which took place only during the service of the old priest Rosnitsky. It was only during his service that we always saw our Dove. This did not happen under another priest. When we told our parents about this, and our parents told priest Rosnitsky, since then my friend and I have never seen the wonderful Dove again.”

Who appeared to a child's eye in the form of a dove? Without a doubt, the Holy Spirit. It is under His influence that the entire liturgy is performed. The grace of the Holy Spirit is especially strongly manifested during the most important part of the liturgy - the Eucharistic canon, which begins with the exclamation of the priest: “We thank the Lord.” With these words, calling on the faithful to give thanks to God, the priest begins to celebrate the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. An example of this beginning of the sacrament was given by the Savior Himself, when at the Last Supper he began the sacred rite of the Bloodless Sacrifice with thanksgiving to God the Father.

In a secret prayer read during the Eucharistic canon, the priest on behalf of all believers glorifies the greatness of God, His infinite perfection and His benefits to the human race. The priest confesses the holiness of God and at the same time glorifies the infinite love of God the Father for us, who sent His Only Begotten Son for our salvation.

The Savior who came to earth performed the sacrament of Holy Communion and bequeathed to us to perform it in remembrance of Him. The words of the Lord spoken by Him at the Last Supper are pronounced out loud by the priest: “Take, eat, this is My body, broken for you for the remission of sins. Drink from it, all of you, this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins.”

When pronouncing the words “Thine from Thine, offered to Thee, for all and for all,” the deacon or the priest himself, folding his hands crosswise, takes the paten with his right hand and the chalice with his left, raises them above the altar and then puts them back in place. This sacred rite is the offering of the Holy Gifts as a sacrifice to God from all believers.

When Righteous John of Kronstadt performed the offering of the Holy Gifts, his mind ascended to the heavenly world. He wrote: “I imagine the solemnity and greatness of this moment, when standing face to face with the eternal, perfect, unchangeable truth of the Heavenly Father, punishing sin, I offer on behalf of all and for all the one immeasurable, all-righteous propitiatory Sacrifice of Christ the Son of God, the only powerful to bend to the mercy of God the Father, to redeem the whole world from the righteous curse and to intercede for all believers forgiveness of sins and blessings.” In these sacred moments, our whole heart should be completely given to God. We need to forget about everything earthly, so as not to offend the Lamb of God, who sacrifices Himself, with any passionate thought.

What happens at the liturgy after the offering of the Holy Gifts? While the choir is singing “We sing to You, we bless You...” and the priest is saying secret prayers, the transfusion, or transubstantiation, of the Holy Gifts into the Most Pure Body and Blood of Christ takes place. At this moment, everyone present in the temple, together with the clergy, should pray that the Heavenly Father would send down His Holy Spirit on them and on the Gifts that are presented. “Most especially at this time may our souls be like burning lamps, like a censer lit and fragrant, like the smoke of incense rising from the mountain, for at this moment a terrible, life-giving sacrament is being accomplished - the transformation by the Spirit of God of bread and wine into the Most Pure Body and Blood of Christ, and God in the flesh appears on the throne.”

Schema-Archimandrite Gabriel (Zyryanov; 1844 - 1915), a disciple of St. Ambrose of Optina, was once honored with a vision of grace during the liturgy during the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts. The elder said that the High Place in the altar seemed to recede and he saw the Savior surrounded by many angels, archangels, cherubim and seraphim. Angels hovered around Christ above, below and on both sides. Around the Lord were the faces of the holy prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, saints and other saints. The whole sky was filled with angels and saints. They all stood with their heads bowed and turned to the Savior; they kept their arms crossed on their chests.

The angels and saints were in great reverence, fear and silence and seemed to be saturated with the ethereal pink light emanating from the Savior and His wounds. The same light from the wounds of Christ fell like a ray onto the Holy Mysteries that were on the throne.

Another light came from the heights of heaven. According to Elder Gabriel, this light was softly bright, of indescribable beauty and grandeur. It was to him that the Savior was addressed, Who sacrificed Himself.

When Father Gabriel came to his senses, it turned out that his lips were uttering the words of prayer: “And create this bread, the honorable Body of Thy Christ. Amen. And in this cup, the precious Blood of Thy Christ. Amen. Transformed by Your Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Amen". Out of fear and trembling, the elder began to cry bitterly.

Subsequently, Elder Gabriel could not perform the liturgy without tears - such a strong impression remained on him from the vision of Christ’s Sacrifice for the sins of people. As soon as the elder said: “Yours from Yours, offered to You, for everyone and for everything,” his voice broke, tears flowed from his eyes, and he completely renounced everything earthly, indulging in spiritual experiences and reverent prayers. Sometimes at such moments, Father Gabriel could not contain his crying, and then, mingling with the singing of the choir, his sobs were heard from the altar, which shook the souls of the people praying during the service.

After the transfer of the Holy Gifts, the priest secretly prays to God for the communicants, as well as for all those who have died in the faith. He also prayerfully remembers the deceased righteous. This commemoration testifies to the fruits of Christ’s Calvary Sacrifice. The priest especially (“fairly”) remembers the Mother of God as the head of the redeemed, recreated humanity and the intercessor for all people before the Son of God. The priest, taking the censer, exclaims: “Exactly about the Most Holy...”. After this exclamation, the priest secretly prays, remembering on behalf of the Church the saints saved by the Savior’s Sacrifice on the Cross and already glorified by God, thanks the Lord and glorifies Him for making them intercessors for us in Heaven, and also prays for the deceased and living members of the Church.

The Valaam schema monk Kyriak had a vision during the liturgy. He stood in the altar, and when the serving priest exclaimed: “Thine from Thine, offered to Thee, for all and for all,” an extraordinary fragrance poured out from the throne. When the priest began to pray for the condescension of the Holy Spirit on the presented Gifts, Cyriacus saw that the altar was filled with cherubim, which surrounded the throne. The priest was engulfed in fire, and as soon as he bowed to the ground before the throne, a white dove flew from above and began to hover over the paten. Then the dove flew to the top of the holy bowl and, clenching its wings, sank into it. And immediately the angels, falling on their faces, bowed to the holy throne. When the priest exclaimed: “Exactly about the Most Holy One,” the Heavenly Powers again bowed to the ground. After singing “It is Worthy to Eat,” they bowed for the third time. Then the angels surrounded the priest, overshadowed his head with a wonderful shroud, and after that they became invisible.

The Eucharistic canon is followed by the prayerful preparation of believers for the reception of the Mysteries of Christ and Holy Communion itself.

Righteous John of Kronstadt wrote: “From the constant miracle of the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the true Body and Blood of Christ, united with His Divinity and soul, I see the miracle of the constant revival of man. And this is all before my eyes; and I experience it with my soul and body, I feel it vividly. My God! What terrible mysteries you create! What unspoken mysteries You have made me a spectator and a participant. Glory to Thee, my Creator! Glory to Thee, Creator of the Body and Blood of Christ!”

Each of us must strive to have in our hearts during the liturgy the same holy feelings with which the soul of Righteous John of Kronstadt was filled!

34 - The power of God and human weakness. M., 1994. P. 12.

35 — Quoted. By: Veniamin (Fedchenkov), Archbishop. Heaven on earth. P. 114.

36 - Veniamin (Fedchenkov), archbishop. Heaven on earth. P. 36.

37 — Quoted. By: Veniamin (Fedchenkov), Archbishop. Heaven on earth. P. 36.

[To contents: “The Miracle of Holy Communion” ]

[ ]

Read also : How to Prepare Before Communion

Recommend this page to a friend!