Homily 23 Saturday of the 2nd Week of the Great Fast, HOLY COMMUNION by St John Chrysostom

Описание: WHAT IS HOLY COMMUNION AND WHO IS TO Partake of Holy Communion?
Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and made redemption for His people. For He could not bear to see man enslaved by sins, but in His mercy sent His Son to earth, Who, being God indescribable, took flesh from the Holy Theotokos and became man, endured crucifixion, and tasted death for our sins. Because our forefather Adam, having transgressed the commandment of God, fell from the blessed state of our race. For this reason our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, clothed Himself in our flesh and set it forth as bread, when at the supper He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to His disciples and apostles, saying: Take, eat; this is My Body which is broken for you. And again after supper, taking the cup from the fruit of the vine, and having given glorification to God the Father, He gave it to them, saying: This is My Blood of the New Testament. For when the Lord Himself said: This is My Blood and My Flesh, which I gave to My disciples, saying to them: Do this in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this Bread and drink this Cup, you proclaim My death.

Therefore, brothers, we also, having gathered from small to great, with pure hearts and without shame of face, let us all approach the wondrous and fearful God, before Whom the sinless angels tremble. But we, sinning every day, how do we approach without fear and receive the Most Pure Body of the Lord and His Most Pure Blood? How in this hour do we promise, when the priest says: Let us lift up our hearts. And we say: We lift them up unto the Lord; but we lie to Him Who knows all hearts. For we honor Him with our lips only. We come to the Church not for God’s sake, but that we may see one another. Our bodies stand in the Church, but our heart and mind are in our homes, or somewhere else. For one standing here now in his thoughts worries about wealth, how he may arrange it. And another ponders and worries how he might escape poverty. And others among us worry about drinking and eating, how they might be invited to such things. But about this we do not worry at all: how we shall die and stand before God, to Whom we now lie, promising that we have our hearts unto the Lord, while we ourselves speak about other things in the Church and condemn one another, or converse about the vain life of this world.

But listen to the prophet David, who says: Who is the man that desires life and loves to see good days? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit; turn away from evil and do good. For what is worse than to speak about friends in the Church, or about the life of this world, from which we must die? If someone wishes to build a house or to speak about possessions, then speak of such things in your homes. But in the Church it is proper only to weep for one’s sins and to pray to God, not openly but secretly in your soul, and to wash your body with tears so that you may cleanse your soul. And do not occupy yourself with the cares of this world, nor with shameful and empty words, defiling the soul with sin like a pig with stinking filth.

If anyone having such evil things in himself approaches Communion without the fear of God, with anger toward someone, or enmity, or envy, such a one will be worthy of eternal torment. But I entreat you, brothers, if anyone wishes to partake of the Most Pure Body and Blood of Christ, whatever anger you have toward anyone in your heart, go first and make peace with him, and come with joy and love, which is in God, to receive Holy Communion. But if you have committed fornication or some other evil, or have quarreled with someone and have not made peace; or if you have spoken with someone in the Church about worldly things during the time of the Liturgy, then do not approach the Holy Body and Blood of Christ. If you approach and partake without restraining your tongue from evil and from idle words, and without being cleansed from the filth of sins, you are guilty of the unquenchable fire.