For the soul helpful book in regards to frequent communion of holy secrets of Christ

 

A USEFUL BOOK FOR THE SOUL ON FREQUENT COMMUNION OF THE HOLY MYSTERIES OF CHRIST

As

St. Nicodemus the Athonite - Athos and St. Macarius of Corinth

Content:

CHAPTER 1

On the necessity for Orthodox Christians of frequent communion with the divine Body and Blood of our Lord

CHAPTER 2

On the beneficial and salutary nature of frequent communion with the Holy Mysteries

CHAPTER 3

About how if someone waits too long to receive communion, they are doing themselves great harm

ANSWERS TO OBJECTIONS  AGAINST CONTINUOUS COMMUNION OF THE HOLY MYSTERIES OF CHRIST

OBJECTION 1

There are some people with great awe, who, not knowing the Holy Scriptures, when they see a Christian receiving communion frequently, begin to rebuke him, saying that only priests can do that. And if you want to receive communion frequently, then you too can become a priest.

OBJECTION 2

Some object, saying that one should receive communion once every forty days and not more often than that.

OBJECTION 3

Some people object and say that the purpose for which the Holy Fathers teach frequent communion is so that we do not completely distance ourselves from union with the divine Mysteries. If someone with great fear and awe receives communion rarely and approaches the Mysteries with great awe, then he receives communion worthily.

OBJECTION 4

Some say that the God-pleasing Mary of Egypt and many other hermits and ascetics received Holy Communion only once in their entire lives, and that did not prevent them from becoming saints.

OBJECTION 5

Some object, saying that Holy Communion is a terrible thing, and that is why a holy life, perfect and angelic, is required of those who receive Communion.

OBJECTION 6

Some cite the proverb regarding divine communion: "  When you find honey, eat as much as you want, lest when you are full you vomit it up"  (Proverbs 25:16).

OBJECTION 7

Some, fearing atheism, call it heresy to receive communion regularly. They say that those who receive baptism outside the Church's Tradition are heretics, as are those who receive communion regularly.

OBJECTION 8

Some object and say: "Don't those who receive communion often have passions for pleasing the stomach, vanity, laughter, idle talk, and many other similar things? How is it that they receive communion often despite all this?"

OBJECTION 9

At that time, the majority of the people received communion, but the minority did not. That is why the divine Fathers rebuked the minority so that they would not scandalize the majority. However, today, when the majority, except for a few, do not receive communion, even those few should not receive communion so that there will not be a disturbance in the church and many will not be scandalized.

OBJECTION 10

Some say that there is a rule written in the Book of Hours according to which Christians should receive communion three times a year.

OBJECTION 11

Many object, saying that the practice of Holy Communion is not a dogma of the faith that must be observed.

OBJECTION 12

Some are offended by the fact that they cannot convince us with their words (bearing in mind that there is a prohibition on constant communion), and in their defense they cite three conclusions, saying: first - the canons and commandments are kept by priests; second - we do not need to question what priests tell us, but we should simply listen to them with a simple heart; and third - they cite the apostolic saying:  Obey your teachers and be submissive  (Heb 13:17).

OBJECTION 13

Some say: "Here, we are fulfilling the Lord's commandment: let us receive communion two or three times a year, and that is enough for our justification at the Last Judgment."

EPILOGUE

CHAPTER 1

On the necessity for Orthodox Christians of frequent communion with the divine Body and Blood of our Lord

All Orthodox Christians are commanded to receive Holy Communion frequently: 

- according to the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ; 

- in the Acts and Rules of the holy Apostles, the holy Councils, and also in the testimonies of the divine Fathers;

- by the very words, actions and sacred service of the Holy Eucharist; 

- Holy Communion itself.

Our Lord Jesus Christ first of all left us the secret of communion, saying:  The bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world  (John 6:51). That is, the food that I want to give you is my flesh that I want to give for the life of the whole world. This means that divine communion for believers is a necessary component of spiritual life through Christ. And, since this spiritual life in Christ should not be extinguished and interrupted, as the Apostle Paul says,  do not quench the Spirit  (1 Thessalonians 5:19), but should be determined and constant, so that those who live would not live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again (according to the same Apostle), i.e. so that living believers would no longer live their own and bodily life, but the life of Christ, who died and rose again for us: in addition to necessity, it is required that what this life does, i.e. divine communion, should also be constant.

And in another place the Lord commands:  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you  (John 6:53). From these words it follows that divine communion is as necessary for Christians as holy baptism, since the same twofold commandment which He gave for baptism He also gave for divine communion. He said of holy baptism:  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God  (John 3:5). And, concerning divine communion He speaks similarly:  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you . Therefore, as no one can live spiritually or be saved without baptism, so no one can live without divine communion. But since these two Mysteries differ in that baptism is administered only once, and divine communion is administered constantly and daily, it follows that for divine communion there are two necessary things: first, one must receive communion, and second, one must receive communion constantly. In addition, when the Lord taught this Mystery to his disciples, he did not say to them in the form of advice: "Whoever wants, let him eat my flesh, and whoever wants, let him drink my blood," but said:  If anyone wants to follow me  (Mt 16:24) and  if you want to be perfect  (Mt 19:21). But he cried out commandingly:  Take, eat, this is my body , and  drink of it, all of you, this is my blood  (Mt 26:26-28). That is, you must always eat my Body and are obliged to drink my Blood, and again he says:  Do this in remembrance of me  (Lk 22:19). That is, I am handing down this Mystery to you, and not to be performed only once, twice, or thrice, but daily (as the divine Chrysostom explains) in memory of my sufferings, my death, and my entire plan of salvation.

These words of the Lord clearly define two necessary moments in communion: one is contained in the obligatory command, and the other in constancy, indicated by the word  do , which understandably indicates that we are not commanded to simply receive communion, but to do so constantly. Therefore, everyone now sees that an Orthodox Christian is not allowed to violate this command, no matter what rank he holds, but rather it represents his duty and obligation which he must constantly fulfill as the Lord's commandments and precepts. 

The divine apostles, following this constant command of our Lord, at the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel, at the first convenient moment, gathered with all the faithful in a secret place for protection from the Jews (John 20:19), taught the Christians, prayed, and, celebrating the Mystery, themselves received Communion, as St. Luke testifies in the Acts of the Apostles, where he says that three thousand people who believed in Christ on the day of Pentecost and were baptized, were with the apostles, to listen to their teaching and to benefit by praying with them and by receiving communion in the most pure Mysteries, so that they might be sanctified and better established in the faith of Christ.  And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching, and in fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:42). And, so that this necessary tradition of the Lord would be preserved by future Christians and that over time what the apostles did would not be forgotten, they wrote in their Eighth and Ninth Rules, commanding with strict scrutiny and the penalty of separation that no one should be left without communion with the divine Mysteries when the Holy Eucharist is celebrated. "If a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, or any of the clergy, while making the offering, does not receive communion, then he should explain it, and if that reason is blessed, he would be forgiven. And if he does not explain the reason, let him be separated from communion with the Church, thus causing harm to the people by his guilt, who would look with suspicion on the one who makes the offering, and at the same time does it irregularly." That is, if someone does not receive communion when the Holy Eucharist is being served, let him state the reason why he did not receive communion, and if he can be accepted, then he is forgiven, and if he does not state the reason then he should be separated. And in the Ninth Canon they say: “All the faithful who enter the church and listen to the Holy Scriptures, but do not remain until the end in prayer and Holy Communion, commit a scandal and should be separated from communion with the Church.” That is, those believers who come to the church and listen to the Holy Scriptures, but do not remain until the end in prayer and Holy Communion should be separated from the Holy Church, because they commit a scandal. Explaining this canon, Balsamon says: “The purpose of this canon is very strict, for it separates those who come to the church and do not remain until the end and do not receive communion.” And other canons similarly command that all people be ready and worthy of communion. The Council of Antioch, following the holy apostles, first confirmed their above-mentioned rule, and then added: "All who come to church and listen to the Holy Scriptures, but for some evasion of order do not participate in prayer with the people or turn away from communion with the Holy Eucharist, are to be separated from the Church until they confess and show the fruits of repentance and ask for forgiveness, and in this way receive the opportunity to receive communion again." That is, all those who come to church and listen to the Holy Scriptures, but do not pray with the rest of the people or refuse divine communion, are to be separated until they confess and show the fruits of repentance and ask for forgiveness, after which they can be forgiven. So you see, my brothers, that all Christians are subject to unconditional separation and should receive communion often, and at every Eucharist, so that they are not separated either by the apostles or by the holy council.

If we carefully consider the divine and holy Eucharist, we will see that from beginning to end it has an aim that points to the communion of the gathered faithful Christians, for this is indicated by the prayers that the priest reads secretly, and the exclamations, and all the words and sacred actions, and the act that takes place in it. In the prayer called the prayer of the faithful it is written: "Grant them (i.e., the faithful), who always serve you with love and fear, to partake of your holy Mysteries without condemnation." In the prayer that then follows after the celebration of the Mysteries, it is written: "May their communion be for sobriety of soul and the abandonment of sins," i.e., that these holy Gifts be for those faithful who partake of communion for the purification of soul and the forgiveness of sins. In the prayer that is read before communion it is said: "And vouchsafe to give us with your hand your pure Body and precious Blood, and to us all men," i.e. Deign to give us, O Lord, with your mighty hand your holy Body and precious Blood, and through us you will also give it to your people. This is also seen from the exclamation when the priest calls the people as from the Lord himself: "Take, eat, this is my body" and "drink from it, all of you, this is my blood". And when, holding the holy cup with life-giving body and blood in his hands, he comes out of the altar and shows it to the people, then he invites them to divine communion and loudly says: "With the fear of God, faith and love approach". That is, approach with the fear of God, faith and love to partake of the divine Mysteries. After communion, the priest and the people thank God for this great grace, which they have been granted. The people give thanks: "May our mouths be filled with praise to you, Lord, for you have made us worthy to partake of your holy, divine, immortal and life-giving Mysteries," which means: "O Lord, may our mouths be filled with praise to you, for you have made us worthy to partake of your holy and immortal Mysteries." And the priest says: "Having received the divine, holy, pure and life-giving Mysteries, let us worthily thank the Lord," which means: "Brothers, if we have partaken of the holy and life-giving Mysteries with a clear conscience, let us together give thanks to the Lord." But the Cherubic Hymn, sung by the people, if one thinks about it, is also a preparation for communion, for it says: "All of us who secretly represent the full-eyed cherubim and sing the Tri-Holy Hymn to the life-giving Trinity, let us cleanse our minds from all cares and troubles of this world, for we must receive into our souls and unite with the King of all that exists, who is invisibly surrounded by the ranks of heavenly angels." The Lord's Prayer, which is said after the proposed Mysteries, signifies the same thing, for in it Christians ask God and the Father to give them daily bread, which is in fact holy communion. Even the very name Eucharist or "communion" or "gathering" as it is primarily called, in some sense evokes the necessity of frequent communion.For "communion" or "congregation" means that through communion with the Body and Blood of Christ all the faithful gather, commune, and unite with Christ, and make with Him one body and one spirit. Therefore, on the basis of the holy act of the divine Eucharist, I beg you, my brothers, tell me with the fear of God and listening to the conscience of your soul, is it not obvious that those Christians who come to the Eucharist should often receive communion? Are they not obliged to do so, so that the Eucharist may truly be a council and a table, and so that they may not violate what they believe and confess? And if they do not receive communion, as they themselves admit, I fear that they are not then transgressors? And therefore I do not know, is this their true act and is it appropriate that the priest calls them, and the other words and holy actions and the constitution, which takes place at the Eucharist? Because all as one deviate, and there is not a single Christian who would carry them out and listen to the call of the priest or, better said, God, but everyone leaves the Holy Place empty-handed, without taking it and without approaching for Communion. Therefore, the divine Chrysostom, following the holy Rules of the holy apostles and holy councils, which we spoke about earlier, especially reflecting on all these holy actions of the divine Eucharist and seeing that they have as their goal the communion of the faithful, concludes that those who come to the Eucharist and do not receive communion are not worthy even to enter the church. He says: "I see that many are moved to receive communion with the Body and Blood of Christ rather by custom and legal relations than by rational reasoning. For when the time of holy Lent comes, everyone, no matter what he is, i.e. worthy or unworthy, receives communion in the Mysteries. Everyone also does this on the feast of the Epiphany, even if it is not time for him to receive communion. But neither the Epiphany nor Lent make people worthy of communion, but sincerity and purity of soul make them so. With that pure soul you can receive communion every time you attend the Eucharist, and without it you never receive communion, because, says the Apostle Paul, every time you do so you proclaim the death of the Lord, i.e. you remember your own salvation and the good that has been done to you. Just think with how much care people ate from the sacrifices offered in the Old Testament. For what did they not do! And what did they not use! They were constantly purifying themselves. And you, having the intention of receiving communion from that Sacrifice, before which angels tremble, limit your purification to intervals of time. And how will you stand at the judgment seat of Christ, if you dare to receive communion with unclean hands and mouth? I see that there is a great irregularity in this, because at other times you do not receive communion even though you have partially purified yourself, and when Easter comes you dare to receive communion even though you have done something evil. Oh, bad custom! Oh, evil prejudice! In vain is the Eucharist celebrated daily, in vain do we stand at the altar because no one comes to receive communion. I do not say this so that you may receive communion just like that, but so that you may make yourselves worthy. Oh man!Are you unworthy to receive communion? Then you are unworthy to listen to the prayers at the Eucharist. You hear the deacon standing and calling: 'You who are in repentance, all of you, ask God to forgive you.' Those people who do not receive communion are still in a state of repentance. 

So why are you standing? If you are in a state of repentance, you cannot receive communion, because those who do not receive communion are among those who do. Why does the deacon call out: 'Let those who cannot pray to God come out,' and you stand shamelessly? If you do not belong to those who repent, but to those who have the opportunity to receive communion, how is it that you do not worry about receiving communion? Or do you not consider communion a great gift and neglect it? Imagine, please! Here is a royal table, angels serve at this table, the King himself is present here, and you stand like an idler. Are you not worried that the clothes of your soul are unclean? But maybe they are clean? Then sit down and eat from the table. At every Eucharist, Christ must look at those who sit at the table, talk to everyone, and now says to each one according to his conscience: 'Friends, how are you standing here (in church), not having wedding clothes'? Did He not ask: 'Why are you sitting at the table'? For, before he even sat down, He tells him that he is unworthy to enter because He did not say 'why are you standing there', but 'how did you enter' (cf. Mt 22:2-14). Today, Christ is also saying the same thing to all of us who stand shamelessly, because anyone who does not partake of the Mysteries stands shamelessly. For this reason, the deacons first remove those who dwell in sins. For when the Lord is to sit at the table, those servants who are guilty of something should not be there, but they should flee from His presence. This is also unconditionally happening here when the Eucharist is served and when the Lamb is offered as a sacrifice. When you hear: 'Let us all pray together', and when you see the doors of the altar open, then consider that heaven is opening and angels are descending. And just as there should not be any unbaptized here, so there should not be any, even though baptized, unclean and defiled. Tell me, please, if someone is invited to a feast, and goes there, washes his hands, sits down and prepares himself for the feast, and then does not eat, would he not grieve the one who invited him? Would it not have been better if he had not come at all? So you: you came to the feast, sang songs with the others, confessed that you were worthy (since you did not go away with the unworthy), how can you after all this remain at the Eucharist and not receive communion from that Table? But you say: 'I am unworthy'. Then you are unworthy even to participate in the prayers, because the Holy Spirit descends not only on the Holy Gifts but also on those songs. Have you not seen how the servants of their masters first clean the dining room and put the house in order, and then already offer the meal? This is done with us through prayer, through the cry of the deacon: we cleanse the church like a sponge, so that the Mysteries may be offered in a pure church, and that no stain or vice may be found. Unclean eyes are unworthy to see this sight, defiled ears are unworthy to hear these songs. For so the law commands: if even an animal wanted to approach Mount Sinai, it was to be stoned. Thus they were unworthy even to be at the foot of the mountain,although in the end they came closer and saw the place where God was. They should have come closer and seen later. And, when God was present, they should have moved away.

So you too, Christian, if you are unworthy at the end of the Eucharist to approach and see God, go out together with those who have been announced, for Chrysostom continues: "You have nothing more than them. For it is not one and the same: never to receive communion, being unbaptized, and after baptism, having been worthy of communion, to sin and be unworthy of communion. I would like to tell you something more and more terrible, but in order not to overburden your minds, this is enough. For those who are not persuaded by this cannot be persuaded by anything greater. Therefore, so that our words may not be a greater reason for your condemnation, we ask you not to not come, but to make yourselves worthy by attending the Eucharist and communion. Tell me, please, if a king were to command: 'You who do such evil, do not approach my table,' would you not want to make every effort possible to protect yourself from that evil for the sake of that honor? When the priest invites us to receive communion, then the Lord calls us to ascend to heaven, to the table of the great and wonderful King, and we refuse and delay, and do not hurry, do not strive for it. And what hope then remains for us of salvation? We cannot say that illness or nature hinders us, but only our laziness makes us unworthy.'' Do you hear, my brother, what this great teacher of the Holy Church says? That those who are not ready to receive communion without any reason are unworthy to come to the Eucharist? But what do you answer? That if this continues to be the case, you will no longer go to the Eucharist at all. No, my brother, no. You are not allowed to do this either, because then you are subject to separation, as the holy and earthly V-VI Council determines, saying: "If any bishop, or presbyter, or deacon, or anyone who is counted among the clergy, or a layman, having no unconditional need or obstacle for which he would be removed from his church for a long time, but living in a city, does not come to the Eucharist for three Sundays (as days) within three weeks, then the cleric is to be expelled from the clergy, and the layman is to be removed from communion." That is, whoever is in a city and does not go to church for three Sundays (as days) in a row, if he is a priest, he should be deprived of his office, and if he is a layman, he should be separated. The holy local Council of Sardis also determines this in its Eleventh Rule. Therefore, you are subject to the penalty of separation, beloved, if you do not do both, i.e. if you do not go to the Eucharist and if you do not prepare as much as you can for communion, if you have no obstacles. You must not violate either one or the other. For if you do not violate all this, then you completely preserve all the holy actions of the divine Eucharist, as we said before, and you do not violate the act that the holy Church received from our Lord himself, from the apostles, from the councils, and also from the saints. And the act is this: the holy Bread should be distributed at every Eucharist, and those faithful who have no obstacles should approach to receive communion. As Simeon of Thessalonica says: ''The divine Eucharist is a service, the purpose of which is the holy act of consecrating the most holy Body and Blood of Christ itself,that these gifts may be given to all the faithful as communion. Therefore, its goal is communion itself.'' St. Nicholas Cabasilas, Bishop of Dyrrachium, writes: ''The work of the sacred service of the holy Mysteries is the transformation of the divine gifts into the divine Body and Blood. Its goal is that the faithful may be consecrated to them.'' The wise Job, about whom St. Photius testifies in his ''Library'', in his book ''On the Mysteries'' says this: ''The entire sacred service is understood as communion with the Holy Things, because its goal, signification and work is communion with the life-giving and terrible Mysteries and Holy Things.'' Gabriel of Philadelphia, in his book ''On the Mysteries'', says that the divine Eucharist is served for three reasons. First - in glory and praise of God and our Savior and in memory of His death and resurrection, as He Himself said: Do this in memory of me . Secondly, for the repose and sanctification of the souls of the pious Orthodox Christians who have died. And thirdly, for the sake of the living. So that when the Divine Eucharist is celebrated in glory and praise and in memory of the death and resurrection of our Lord, our brothers who have fallen asleep in the faith receive from God repose and sanctification, as far as possible. I do not know how the living faithful who do not partake of the divine Mysteries at the Eucharist can be sanctified. Saint Cabasillas says that they are not sanctified. And listen again to what he says: "If souls are ready to receive Communion, and the Lord who sanctifies all and does all, and who always wants to sanctify and loves to give himself to everyone, what then can be an obstacle to communion? Of course, nothing. But someone will ask: 'If someone from the living, having in his soul the virtues that have been spoken of, does not approach the Mysteries, will he still receive sanctification from the Eucharist that is served'? To such a question we answer that not everyone can receive it, but only those who cannot approach bodily, as is the case with the souls of the dead. If someone can, but does not approach the Table, in order to merit sanctification from it, such a person does not receive sanctification, not only because he did not approach, but also because he did not approach while being able to do so. That is, being able to go, he neglected it and therefore did not go. In accordance with this, not only what we have said so far, and which obliges every Christian who has no obstacles to receive communion constantly, but also that divine communion and union in itself, if we think about it, attracts everyone to enjoy it continuously, because it is an integral part of the life of the soul. Let us now see what this means. Scholastic theologians call an integral part that object without which it is impossible to be what it is. Thus, for example, breathing is an integral part of human life, because without it a person cannot survive. Also, food is necessary for the organism. And just as frequent breathing is necessary for life, and food for the organism, so frequent communion is necessary for the life of the soul and for its essence. Or, to put it better, communion is necessary much and incomparably more.

Let us now call as a witness Basil the Great, that is, the foundation of the righteous dogmas of the Church, so that he may tell us: "For eternal life, union with the Body and Blood of Christ is necessary." And further: "He who has been born again by baptism should be nourished by the communion of the divine Mysteries, for it is necessary for us to continue to be nourished by the food of eternal life, which the Son of the living God has given us." And since he was asked by a certain woman named Caesaria Patricia, he answers in one of his letters: "To unite and to partake of the holy Body and Blood of Christ every day is good and beneficial, just as the Lord Himself clearly says:  He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life . Who doubts that constant communion with life is nothing other than living in a variety of ways?" That is, to live with all the powers and feelings of the soul and body. The monk Job the Confessor says: "If we are talking about Holy Communion, then it is good and natural for a just and regular Christian to consecrate himself often and to have recourse to that holy thing, and to desire it more than we desire to breathe. And therefore everyone has the dispensation to receive Communion constantly, so that the worthy, if possible, have no obstacle to receiving Communion even every day." 

Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople, very wisely explains how necessary Holy Communion is for a Christian, saying: "And now the Mystery brings to its communicants the advancement of life according to Christ. That which constitutes the bodily visible part of the Mystery, i.e. the bread and wine for the body, also mysteriously and invisibly operates in the soul. For the Body of Christ nourishes and fills our soul, much as the bread does for the body. Just as we are born again by receiving baptism and receive a being of grace instead of a being of sin, so also when we are nourished by the mystery of Communion, we receive abiding in grace and progress in spiritual life. Just as the natural heat of the body removes its own moisture if the body does not receive the help of food (and therefore food preserves the bodily system well and replenishes the moisture that the body has lost due to temperature, and human life cannot be maintained in any other way, even for a short time), so the heat of evil, which eats away the soul from within, dries up reverence and would completely displace it if the soul did not receive that spiritual food, which counteracts the poisonous power of evil and renews and restores to us the spiritual gifts of God. The body of Christ, on the one hand, nourishes us in accordance with its physical nature, and on the other hand, in accordance with its purity, it purifies and sanctifies us, being united to the divine nature, giving us spiritual food in abundance, and we in this way, feeding well on this food, regain the spiritual health and purity that we have been deprived of since the moment of tasting the forbidden tree in paradise. Having lost this original purity and health by tasting carnal food, it is necessary to regain them with carnal food. And it is logical to treat like with like, and the opposite with the opposite. For both of these foods are carnal: the one that initially ruined us, and the other that now preserves our health and ensures our spiritual life. However, this food that God has forbidden us, He now permits and gives to us. The first was given to us by the cunning Satan, and the second the Son of God not only recommends but also gives to us. The first was obtained by theft, and to the second we are publicly called. In the first was hidden the poison of transgression, and the second hides within itself a treasury of innumerable treasures . 

Therefore, my brothers, just as frequent communion is necessary for Christians who have no obstacles, as has been proven by the facts we have stated so far, so it is very important for us to receive communion often so that we may have life within us, which is Jesus Christ, and not die of spiritual death. For those who do not often feed on this spiritual food, of course die, although they live physically. However, they are spiritually dead because they have distanced themselves from the spiritual and true life that Holy Communion brings. And just as a newborn baby cries and prays with a great desire for food and milk, and when it does not eat it has no appetite, and this is a sign that it is sick and in danger of dying, so too should we have a desire to eat Holy Communion, the spiritual food that gives life. Otherwise, we are in danger of dying spiritually. Therefore, the divine Chrysostom says: "Therefore, let us not be lazy in deserving such love and honor. Do you not see with what desire children strive for their mother's breasts, and with what eagerness their lips grasp the breast? With such eagerness let us approach that Table, that spiritual breast, forgive us even with greater desire. Let us cling to the grace of the Spirit as children cling to their mother's shirt, and let us have only one problem: the problem of not partaking of that Food for some reason.

CHAPTER 2

On the beneficial and salutary nature of frequent communion with the Holy Mysteries

A Christian, both before and after receiving communion, receives great benefit from the divine Mysteries for both soul and body. He who goes to communion should prepare himself before communion, that is, confess to his spiritual father, repent, correct himself, soften himself, pay attention to his spiritual life, and guard himself from passionate thoughts as much as possible and from every other evil. In this way, he abstains, prays, watches, has more reverence, and does every other good deed, thinking about what a terrible King he should receive within himself, and especially when he reflects on the fact that depending on what kind of preparation he has before communion, such grace will he receive from Him. It is obvious that the more often someone prepares for communion, the greater the benefit he will have. Who can understand what gifts are given to a Christian by divine communion? Or, how can our weak language convey this? Therefore, we will again cite the divine and holy teachers of the Holy Church, so that they may tell us everything in order with their beautifully inspired by God mouths. Gregory the Theologian says: "The Holy Body of Christ, when received well, is a weapon of war for those who receive communion with a clear conscience, for those who are moving away from God, a return, the weak are strengthened, the healthy are joyful, the sick are healed, and health is preserved. Thanks to Him, we are more easily corrected, we can more easily endure work and troubles, we are more ardent in love, more precise in knowledge, more ready in obedience, and we better receive the workings of grace. And, for those who do not receive communion well, the consequences are completely opposite, because they are not sealed with the precious Blood of our Lord." As Gregory the Theologian himself says: "From then on, the Lamb is strengthened, and the work and the word, i.e., the habit and the deed, i.e., the pillars of our doors (by doors I mean the movements and thoughts of the mind), which are easily opened and closed from perception." In other words, they are easily opened for perception and closed again from the perception of a higher and unattainable meaning. The God-pleasing Ephrem the Syrian writes: "Brothers, let us be zealous in silence, fasting, prayer, tears, church councils, manual labor, communion with the holy Fathers, obedience to the truth, listening to the divine Scriptures, so that our reason does not dry up, and most of all let us take care to make ourselves worthy of the communion of the divine and pure Mysteries, so that our soul may be cleansed from thoughts of unbelief and impurity and that the Lord who has taken up residence in us may deliver us from the impure." The divine Cyril of Alexandria says that thanks to divine communion, thought thieves, i.e. evil spirits, do not have the opportunity to enter our soul through feelings: "By the door of the perfect home of the soul are meant our feelings, through which the forms of all things enter the hearts of all people and pour out into them an immeasurably large number of desires. And, the prophet Joel calls feelings windows:  They enter through the window like thieves  (Joel 2:9), because they have not been anointed with the blood of Christ. And, the Holy Scripture says again, that after the slaughter of the lamb "Let them take of his blood and sprinkle it on both doorposts and on the crossbar of the door in the house  (Ex 12:7), indicating that with the precious Blood of Christ we protect our earthly temple, i.e. our body, and cast out the old nature deadened by disobedience, enjoying the communion of life, thereby distancing ourselves from the enemy by the anointing of the Blood of Christ." The divine Cyril also says in another place that thanks to communion we are cleansed of all spiritual impurity and gain readiness and zeal for good: "The precious Blood of Christ not only delivers us from corruption, but also from all impurity hidden within, and does not leave us lazy, but makes us fiery in the Spirit." Saint Theodore the Studite wonderfully describes the benefit that everyone receives from Holy Communion: "Tears, repentance of heart, and above all and most of all communion of the Holy Mysteries have great power, and I wonder why you treat them with negligence. If it is Sunday, you will approach the Mystery, and if the Eucharist is celebrated on some other day, no one will receive Communion. Although in a monastery, those who wish could receive Communion every day. Now the Eucharist is celebrated rarely, but you still do not go to Communion. In saying all this, I do not mean that you want to receive Communion just like that, because it is written:  But let a man examine himself, and then let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord  (1 Cor 11:28-29). I do not speak for that reason, by no means! But in order to purify ourselves as much as possible with the desire for union and to make ourselves worthy of this gift, because to offer the Bread that came down from heaven is the communion of life. If anyone eats of this Bread, he will live forever:  The bread that I will give you is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world . And again:  He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him  (John 6:56). Do you see what an incomprehensible gift this is? He not only died for us, but also offered himself to us as food. What could be a greater sign of true love? What could be more salutary for the soul? Besides, no one refuses to eat ordinary food and drink every day, and if he does not eat it, he grieves terribly. As for not ordinary bread, but the Bread of Life, and not ordinary drink, but the Cup of Immortality, we treat them as if they were unimportant and not absolutely necessary. What could be more foolish than that? Anyway, no matter how you have worked so far, I ask you in the future to be careful, knowing the power of the gift, and to receive the Holy Mysteries as pure as possible. And if we happen to be engaged in some other work, as soon as we hear the bell to leave that work and go to receive the Gifts with great desire. And this (as I think or more precisely as it really is) will help us a lot, because the preparation for communion will keep us pure. If we are indifferent to union, it is as if we are avoiding the struggle with the passions. "May communion be our guide to eternal life."

Therefore, my brothers, if we do as the divine Fathers command us, and if we receive Holy Communion often, not only will we have God's grace as our helper and collaborator in this short life, but the angels of God and the Lord Himself will also help us, and in addition, we will cast far from us our adversaries, that is, evil spirits, as the divine Chrysostom says: "Like lions that breathe fire, so we depart from that holy Table, becoming terrible for the devil, having within us our head Christ, and the love that He has shown us. This Blood makes the royal image of our soul shine, gives birth to inexpressible beauty, does not allow the lordship to wither in the soul, constantly dewing and nourishing it. This Blood, worthily received, drives away evil spirits from us, attracts angels, together with the Lord of all angels. For evil spirits flee when they see the Blood of the Lord, and angels gather. It is the salvation of our souls, the soul rejoices in it, adorns it, warms it with it. It makes our mind brighter than fire. It makes our soul purer than gold. Those who partake of that Blood stand with the angels and the higher powers, being clothed like them in the same royal garments, and having spiritual weapons. But I did not say the greatest thing that those who partake are clothed with the King himself.

Do you see, my beloved brother, how many miraculous gifts you receive if you receive communion often? Do you see how frequent communion enlightens the mind, illuminates the intellect, and purifies all the powers of the soul? And if you want to mortify bodily passions, receive communion often and delight in it. Cyril of Alexandria assures us of this: "He who believes in the blessing of communion is not only delivered from death but also from the diseases that are within us. For Christ, who enters into us, calms the untamed law of the flesh in our members and revives the fear of God, mortifying the passions." In this way, without frequent communion, we cannot free ourselves from passions and ascend to the height of passionlessness. Likewise, if the Israelites did not want to eat the Passover in Egypt, they would not have been able to free themselves from it. Egypt signifies life in passions. And if we do not constantly partake of the venerable Body and Blood of our Lord (even every day if possible), we are unable to free ourselves from the imaginary pharaohs. The divine Cyril of Alexandria says exactly this: "What the Israelites, being slaves and working under the rule of the Egyptians, did, i.e. slaughtered the lamb and ate the Passover, means that the human soul cannot find freedom and escape the tyranny of the devil, except by partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ. For He Himself said:  Therefore, if the Son saves you, you will be saved indeed  (John 8:36)". And again this saint says: "By sacrificing the lamb, they did so according to the prototype of Christ, because they could not be freed otherwise, because freedom is gained only by the power of Christ". Therefore, if we also want to leave Egypt, i.e. the dark sin that accompanies us, and Pharaoh, i.e. mental tyrant, as Gregory the Theologian says, and we want to inherit the land of hearts and promises, then we need to, like the Israelites, who had Joshua as their leader, have our Lord Jesus Christ through frequent communion, to defeat the Canaanites and other nations (innumerable carnal passions) and the Gibeonites (thoughts that deceive us), to reach the city of Jerusalem, which means holy peace (as opposed to world peace). In the words of our Lord:  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give, I do not give it to you as the world gives (John 14:27), that is: "My disciples, I give you a holy peace, and not such as the worldly peace which often aims at evil." Abiding in this holy peace, we become worthy to receive the Spirit in our hearts, as the apostles did, remaining in Jerusalem according to the commandment of the Lord, when they received the perfection and grace of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. For peace is a gift that includes all other divine gifts, in peace the Lord lives, because as the prophet Elijah says, God was not in a great and strong wind, nor in an earthquake, nor in fire, but in a calm and still breeze - the Lord was there (1 Kings 19:11-12). However, no one can obtain this peace without having other virtues, because virtue is not obtained without fulfilling the commandments, and the commandment cannot be fully fulfilled without love, and love is not renewed (strengthened) without divine communion. Therefore, without divine communion, we strive in vain. For many often demand of themselves various virtues, hoping that they will be saved on their own and without frequent communion. But this is almost impossible, because they do not want to submit to the will of God, which consists in receiving communion often, in accordance with the church act, i.e., every Eucharist served, when they gather in the temple. To such people God speaks through the prophet Jeremiah:  They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and hewed out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water  (Jer 2:13). In other words, they have forsaken the fountain of virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit and have dug within themselves cisterns that are broken at the bottom and cannot hold any water. And again God speaks through the prophet Isaiah:  Although they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, like a nation that did justice and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they seek from me the judgments of righteousness, they desire to draw near to God. Why have we fasted, they say, and you do not see, and afflicted our souls, and you do not know? Behold, when you fast, you do your own will and drive out all that is due to you. Behold, you fast to quarrel and to fight and to strike with your fists wickedly. Do not fast as you do today, that your voice may be heard above. Is this the fast that I have chosen, that a man should afflict his soul for one day? To bow his head as one who is weary, and to put sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord  (Is 58:2-5). In other words, they seek me every day and want to know the wisdom of my plan, like a people who supposedly were righteous and kept the commandments of God, and they say: “Why do you not see, Lord, that we have fasted? Why do you not want to know that we have suffered so much?” And God answers: “I do not hear you, because when you fast, you again fulfill your evil desires. I do not want such a fast and such suffering. But even if you spread sackcloth and ashes instead of a bed, I will not accept such a fast." Efforts are accepted and virtues bring benefit only when they are done according to the will of God. The will of God consists in doing as our Lord commands us, who tells us: Koji jede moje tijelo i pije moju krv ima život vječni (John 6:54). This is not only a commandment, but a commandment above all commandments, for it is the full force and inseparable part of the other commandments. Therefore, my beloved, if you wish to kindle in your heart the divine flame, and to acquire love for Christ, and with it all the other virtues, approach the Holy Communion often and then delight in what you desire. For it is impossible for anyone not to love Christ and not to be loved by Him, if he constantly partakes of His holy Body and Blood. This happens naturally. And listen to how it happens. Some do not understand why parents love their children, as well as why children also love their parents. We answer: no one has ever hated himself and his body. Since children receive their bodies from the bodies of their parents, and especially because they are nourished by the blood of their mother in the womb, and also after birth (for milk, naturally, is nothing else than blood that has become white), therefore I say that it is a natural law for them (children) to love their parents, as for parents to love their children. For children are also conceived from the bodies of their parents. In this way, those people who often receive the Body and Blood of our Lord will naturally kindle in themselves the desire and love for Him: on the one hand, because this vital and life-giving Body and Blood so warms the love of those who receive it (even the most hardened of hearts), if they receive it often; and on the other hand, because our love for God is not something foreign to us, but is naturally sown within our hearts, as soon as we are born in body and spirit by holy baptism. At the slightest opportunity, these natural sparks instantly flare up into flames, as the wise divine Basil the Great says: "At the same time as the appearance of life (i.e. man) a certain seminal logos is implanted in us, which naturally gives birth to the ability to love God. This power (i.e. logos) is born by the careful fulfillment of God's commandments, nourishes the knowledge of God, and the grace of God leads us to perfection. It should be known that the feat of love is one, but it fulfills and includes in itself all the other commandments." Therefore, this natural power, i.e. to love God, is established and completed by frequent communion with the Body and Blood of our Lord. That is why Saint Cyprian writes that when the martyrs went to their sufferings, they first of all partook of the most pure Mysteries and, having been strengthened by holy communion, were so inflamed with the love of God that they went to the scene like sheep to the slaughter, and instead of the Body and Blood of Christ, which they had partaken of, they shed their own blood and gave their bodies over to various torments. What other good would you, Christians, wish to receive that you have not received through Holy Communion? Do you want to celebrate every day? Do you want to celebrate the bright Easter when you wish and to rejoice in unspeakable joy in this difficult life? Then resort constantly to the Mysteries and partake of Communion with due preparation, and then you will delight in what you wish to delight in. For the true Passover and the true feast of the soul are Christ,which is offered as a sacrifice in the Sacrament, as the Apostle Paul says, and after him the divine Chrysostom: "Lent is only once a year, Passover - three times a week, and sometimes four times, or more precisely as many times as we wish, because Passover - is not a fast, but an Offering (Prosphora) and a Sacrifice, which is offered at every council. And, that this is truly so, we hear from the Apostle Paul: Our Passover is Christ slain for us  (1 Cor 5:7). So that every time you approach the Sacrament with a clear conscience, you observe the Passover. Not when you fast, but when you receive communion from that Sacrifice. For the declared never observe the Passover, although they fast every year, because they do not unite with the Offering (Prosphora), i.e. do not receive communion”. And contrary to that: “And he who does not fast, when he receives communion, if he approaches the Sacrament with a clear conscience, will observe the Passover – whether it be today, tomorrow, or any other day. For preparation is not judged by the number of days, but by the purity of conscience”. That is, the best preparation for communion does not consist in counting eight or fifteen or forty days and receiving communion then, but in purifying the conscience. Therefore, those who, although they fast before Passover (Easter), but do not receive communion on Passover, such people do not celebrate as the divine Father says. Those who are not prepared to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord on every feast day cannot celebrate Sunday or any other feast day of the year, because these people do not have within themselves the cause and occasion for celebration, which is the sweetest Jesus Christ, and they do not have that spiritual joy that is born of divine communion. Those are deceived who think that the Passover and the feast days consist of rich tables, in many candles, fragrant incense, silver and gold ornaments with which they decorate the church. For God does not ask this of us, because it is not the first and main thing, as He says through the prophet Moses:  What does the Lord your God ask of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, keeping the commandments of the Lord and His statutes, which I command you today, for your good  (Deut. 10:12-13)? Of course, it is not a question of us now judging whether or not the gifts we bring to the church out of reverence are good. However, with good gifts, we are obliged, first of all, to offer obedience to the holy commandments of our Lord and to put this obedience before all other offerings, as the prophet and King David says:  The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a broken and humble heart God will not despise  (Ps 50:19). The Apostle Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrews says the same thing, only in a different way:  Sacrifices and offerings you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me  (Heb 10:5), which means: "Lord! You do not want me to offer you all other sacrifices and offerings, you only want me to approach the divine Mysteries and to partake of the holy Body of your Son, which you prepared on the Holy Throne, for such is your will." Therefore, wanting you to show that you are ready to obey, the apostle Paul says:  Behold, I have come to do your will, O my God, and your law is within my heart. (Heb 10:9; Ps 39:8-9). That is, I go to do your will with all my heart and to fulfill your law with all my heart. Therefore, if we want to be saved, then we must with joy and love, as children of God, fulfill the will of God and His commandments, and not with fear as servants. For fear preserves the fulfillment of the old commandments, and love - of the gospel. In other words, those who were under the law fulfilled the commandments and legal provisions out of fear, lest they be punished and subjected to torment. We Christians, since we are no longer under the law, should fulfill the commandments of the Gospel not out of fear, but out of love, as sons we should fulfill the will of God. The will of God and the Father, according to His good will from the very beginning consisted in creating a body for His Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, as the apostle Paul says, i.e. for His Son to become incarnate and shed His Blood for the salvation of the world. And that all of us Christians may partake of His Body and Blood, and that through frequent communion we may be preserved in this life from the snares of the devil, and that when our soul is about to depart, it may soar like a dove, in freedom and joy to heaven, and may not be tormented at all by the spirits of the air. And this is confirmed by the divine Chrysostom, saying: "And another told me of a vision, which he himself was deigned to see, but he did not know from whom. If those who are about to be taken from this world partake of the Mysteries with a pure conscience, then when they die the angels themselves, thanks to communion, will take them up to heaven." Therefore, my brother, since you do not know when death will come: whether today, or tomorrow, or this very moment, you should always partake of the pure Mysteries and be ready. And if it is God's will that you remain in this life, then by the grace of Holy Communion you will live a life full of joy, full of peace, full of love accompanied by all the other virtues. And if it is God's will that you die, then thanks to Holy Communion you will freely pass the toll booths (air stations) of evil spirits, which are in the air, and you will settle in the heavenly families with unspeakable joy. For if you are always united with the sweetest Jesus Christ, the almighty King, then you will also live a blessed life here, and when you die the evil spirits will flee from you, like lightning, and the angels will open the gates of heaven for you and solemnly escort you to the very throne of the blessed Trinity. O majesty, with which Christians enjoy frequent Communion both in this life and in the life to come! Do you, Christians, want to cleanse yourself even from those smallest sins that you, as a man, allow either with your eyes or with your mouth? Then approach the Sacrament with fear and a contrite heart, and you will be cleansed and forgiven. Saint Anastasius of Alexandria assures us of this: "If we commit some small, human, and forgivable sins, being hidden either by the tongue, or by hearing, or by the eyes, or by worry, or by sorrow, or by anger, or by something similar, while we reproach ourselves and confess to God, while receiving the Holy Mysteries and believing that Communion cleanses us from all of these, however,not from grave or evil and impure sins that we have committed." Many other saints testify to this. Saint Clement says: "Having partaken of the holy Body and Blood of Christ, let us thank Him who has made us worthy to partake of His holy Mysteries and ask Him that they may not be for our condemnation, but for our salvation and the remission of sins." Basil the Great says: "And grant us to partake of Your most pure and life-giving Mysteries without condemnation for the remission of sins." And the divine Chrysostom says: "May our communion be for the sobriety of the soul and the remission of sins," i.e., that these Mysteries serve those who partake for the purification of the soul and the forgiveness of sins. Although both confession and the performance of the prohibition (epitimia) can bring the forgiveness of sins, divine communion is necessary for liberation from sin. When treating a festering wound, they first remove the marrow, then remove the festering parts, and then apply a healing balm, because if the wound is left without it, it can return to its previous state. So it is with sin: confession removes the marrow, the performance of the interdict (epithemia) cuts off the festering parts, and then divine communion is like a balm and heals from sin. For if he does not receive divine communion, the unfortunate sinner returns to his previous state, and the man is worse off afterwards than before (Matthew 12:45). Do you hear, my Christian, how many gifts you receive from frequent communion? Even the smallest sins are forgiven, and your wounds are healed, and you become completely healthy. What else can be more blessed than always preparing for communion and receiving it, and thanks to the preparation and help of divine communion, always being free from sin, and than for you, an earthly person, to be pure on earth as the angels are pure in heaven? And what other happiness can be greater than that? And yet, I will tell you something more. If you, my brother, approach the Mysteries often and worthily, partaking of that eternal, glorified Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and become a co-corporal and co-blooded person with Christ, the life-giving power and action of that most holy Body and Blood in the resurrection of the just will also quicken your own body, glorified with the body of Christ, and it will rise incorruptible, as the Apostle Paul writes in his Epistle to the Philippians:Although both confession and the performance of the prohibition (epitimia) can bring forgiveness of sins, however, divine communion is necessary for liberation from sin. When treating a festering wound, they first remove the marrow, then remove the purulent parts, and then apply a healing balm, because if the wound is left without it, it can return to its previous state. So it is with sin: confession removes the marrow, the performance of the prohibition (epitimia) cuts off the purulent parts, and then divine communion is like a balm and heals from sin. For if he does not receive divine communion, the unfortunate sinner returns to his previous state, and the man is worse off afterwards than before (Mt 12:45). Do you hear, my Christian, how many gifts you receive from frequent communion? Even the smallest sins are forgiven you, and your wounds are healed, and you become completely healthy. What else can be more blessed than to always prepare for and receive communion, and thanks to the preparation and help of divine communion, to be always free from sin, and than for you, an earthly being, to be pure on earth as the angels are pure in heaven? And what other happiness can be greater than that? And yet, I will tell you something more. If you, my brother, approach the Mysteries often and worthily, partaking of that eternal, glorified Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and become a co-corporal and co-blooded person with Christ, the life-giving power and action of that most holy Body and Blood in the resurrection of the just will also quicken your own body, glorified with the body of Christ, and it will rise as incorruptible, as the Apostle Paul writes in the Epistle to the Philippians:Although both confession and the performance of the prohibition (epitimia) can bring forgiveness of sins, however, divine communion is necessary for liberation from sin. When treating a festering wound, they first remove the marrow, then remove the purulent parts, and then apply a healing balm, because if the wound is left without it, it can return to its previous state. So it is with sin: confession removes the marrow, the performance of the prohibition (epitimia) cuts off the purulent parts, and then divine communion is like a balm and heals from sin. For if he does not receive divine communion, the unfortunate sinner returns to his previous state, and the man is worse off afterwards than before (Mt 12:45). Do you hear, my Christian, how many gifts you receive from frequent communion? Even the smallest sins are forgiven you, and your wounds are healed, and you become completely healthy. What else can be more blessed than to always prepare for and receive communion, and thanks to the preparation and help of divine communion, to be always free from sin, and than for you, an earthly being, to be pure on earth as the angels are pure in heaven? And what other happiness can be greater than that? And yet, I will tell you something more. If you, my brother, approach the Mysteries often and worthily, partaking of that eternal, glorified Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and become a co-corporal and co-blooded person with Christ, the life-giving power and action of that most holy Body and Blood in the resurrection of the just will also quicken your own body, glorified with the body of Christ, and it will rise as incorruptible, as the Apostle Paul writes in the Epistle to the Philippians:As the apostle Paul writes in his Epistle to the Philippians:As the apostle Paul writes in his Epistle to the Philippians: Who will transform our humble body to be like the body of His glory, by the power that even he can subject all things to himself  (Philippians 3:21). All this glory and gifts, these great and supernatural goods, of which we have spoken so far, every Christian receives, when he partakes with a pure conscience of the divine Mysteries of our sweetest Jesus Christ, - and others, even greater, which we will not speak of for lack of space. Finally, when a Christian takes communion, then, reflecting on what terrible and heavenly Mysteries he has been united to, he takes care of himself, so as not to dishonor grace, fears his thoughts, gathers them and guards them, lays the beginning of an austere and virtuous life and distances himself as much as possible from every evil. When he again imagines that he is about to receive communion in a few days, he redoubles his attention, adds readiness to readiness, abstinence to abstinence, vigilance to vigilance, labor to labor, and does as much as possible of the feat. Because he is literally squeezed on two sides: first, because he has just received Holy Communion, and second, because he will soon receive Holy Communion again.

CHAPTER 3

About how if someone waits too long to receive communion, they are doing themselves great harm

Everything contrary to what has been said above implies a rare communion of Christians, because the one who postpones communion has no preparation, is not attentive and does not have a careful guard against evil thoughts. The cause of postponing communion is that then such a person falls into laziness, and the warmth of awe and divine love cools down. Postponement allows him to spend his life carelessly and carelessly, having no fear in his soul, restraint in his feelings and precaution in his movements, and also allows him complete arbitrariness in taking food, uttering certain words, seeing inappropriate sights and listening to inappropriate things, so that he becomes like a horse, which, having no bridle, falls into the abyss of sin. And, this really happens to all those who postpone communion, as we learn from everyday experience and practice. I am surprised by those Christians who are as worthy as possible, but who also do not hurry to receive communion. How can they receive sanctification and joy from the divine Mysteries, as Cabasilas said, whose quotations we cited at the beginning? How can they quench the fire of their passions, if they do not partake of the most pure Mysteries, which drive away every weakness, calm and mortify bodily and other passions, according to Saint Cyril? How can they purify their minds, enlighten their intellects, strengthen their souls without partaking of the Body and Blood of our Lord, who is the true purification, the true beauty, the true enlightenment and lordship of the soul, as the divine Chrysostom previously told us? Or how can they escape from that imaginary Pharaoh and from the Egypt of bitter sin, when they are not sealed with the precious blood of Christ, as Gregory the Theologian said? Or how can they ignite in their hearts divine love, spiritual joy, divine peace and other fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit, if they do not partake of the body and blood of the beloved Son of the Father and of the identical Holy Spirit, who is our unceasing joy and peace, according to the words of the Apostle Paul (Eph 2:14) and the source of all good things? I do not know and I am amazed how Christians of today can feast on Sunday, or other feasts during the year, and to rejoice spiritually with true joy if they do not constantly partake of divine communion, which is the cause and occasion for every celebration and solemnity. Therefore, unconditionally, those who do not partake are constantly deprived of all these heavenly and divine treasures, and in addition to all this they are also transgressors of the commandments of our Lord, as we have already said, and of the Apostolic Rules, and of the Canons of the Councils, and of the teachings of the holy Fathers, whose testimonies we have cited. They too fall under the penalty of separation, which is imposed by the divine apostles and the Council of Antioch, as we have explained in detail earlier. Such people, by their delay in receiving communion, give space to the devil to draw them into various sins and many other temptations, as the divine Cyril of Alexandria says: "By distancing themselves from the church and communion, they become enemies of God and friends of evil spirits." And the divine Chrysostom says: "Having departed much from communion,will be hunted by the mental wolf''. That is, therefore, Lord, I often approach the Mystery and receive communion, because I fear that by distancing myself for a long time from Holy Communion I will not be covered by grace, and I will be hunted by the mental wolf, who will numb me. The God-pleasing Palladius tells how Father Macarius of Egypt, having healed a woman who, under the influence of the devil, appeared to people like a horse, gave her the following advice and said: ''Woman, never deviate from receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ, but receive communion often, for the influence of the devil has acted on you since you have not received communion for five weeks, and therefore the devil has found room and tormented you.'' In a similar way, the divine Chrysostom, on the day he was ordained, healed a possessed man and taught him to often go to church and approach the divine Mysteries with fasting and prayers, so that the evil spirit would not tempt him in the future. This is what is written about it in the biography of Saint Simeon Metaphrastus: "A certain foolish man, being possessed by an unclean spirit, ran into the church, foaming at the mouth with his tongue hanging out, so that everyone saw this disgusting sight. And then everyone began to pray to that holy soul, that is, the divine Chrysostom, to pray for the healing of the afflicted. He told the man to come closer, looked at him with love, and, crossing himself with his hand, invoked the name of the Holy Trinity, commanding the evil spirit to come out. And at that moment, as he spoke, the word became deed, and the man was immediately freed from the terrible illness caused by the evil spirits. After that, the saint raised him up and advised him to be zealous in visiting church and receiving the Divine Mysteries, to fast and to pray. "For if you act thus," he said, "the enemy will never torment you again, and you will not be caught in his nets." Do you hear, my brothers, what troubles those who do not receive communion often, but who distance themselves from the Mysteries, suffer? Do you hear that they become possessed and turn into irrational animals, just as King Nebuchadnezzar in ancient times was turned into a bull? And they rightly experience this because they can become gods from men by grace thanks to constant divine communion, but they do not want to, but by distancing themselves from divine communion, they lose even the human form they possess and become irrational animals, surrendering themselves to the power of Satan, as the singer of the Psalms says:In a similar way, on the day he was ordained, the divine Chrysostom healed a possessed man and taught him to go to church often and approach the divine Mysteries with fasting and prayer, so that the evil spirit would not tempt him in the future. This is how it is written in the biography of Saint Symeon Metaphrastus: "A certain foolish man, being possessed by an unclean spirit, ran into the church foaming at the mouth with his tongue hanging out, so that everyone saw this disgusting sight. And then everyone began to pray to that holy soul, that is, the divine Chrysostom, to pray for the healing of the afflicted. He told the man to come closer, looked at him with love, and, crossing himself with his hand, invoked the name of the Holy Trinity, commanding the evil spirit to come out. And at that moment, as he spoke, the word became deed, and the man was immediately freed from the terrible illness caused by the evil spirits. After that, the saint raised him up and advised him to be zealous in attending church and receiving the Divine Mysteries, to fast and to pray. "For if you do so," he said, "the enemy will never torment you again, and you will not be caught in his nets." Do you hear, my brothers, what troubles those who do not receive Communion often, but who distance themselves from the Mysteries, suffer? Do you hear that they become possessed and turn into unreasonable animals, just as King Nebuchadnezzar in ancient times was transformed into a bull? And they rightly experience this, because they can become gods from men by grace thanks to constant Divine Communion, but they do not want to, but by moving away from Divine Communion, they lose even the human form they possess and become unreasonable animals, surrendering themselves to the power of Satan, as the singer of the Psalms says:In a similar way, on the day he was ordained, the divine Chrysostom healed a possessed man and taught him to go to church often and approach the divine Mysteries with fasting and prayer, so that the evil spirit would not tempt him in the future. This is how it is written in the biography of Saint Symeon Metaphrastus: "A certain foolish man, being possessed by an unclean spirit, ran into the church foaming at the mouth with his tongue hanging out, so that everyone saw this disgusting sight. And then everyone began to pray to that holy soul, that is, the divine Chrysostom, to pray for the healing of the afflicted. He told the man to come closer, looked at him with love, and, crossing himself with his hand, invoked the name of the Holy Trinity, commanding the evil spirit to come out. And at that moment, as he spoke, the word became deed, and the man was immediately freed from the terrible illness caused by the evil spirits. After that, the saint raised him up and advised him to be zealous in attending church and receiving the Divine Mysteries, to fast and to pray. "For if you do so," he said, "the enemy will never torment you again, and you will not be caught in his nets." Do you hear, my brothers, what troubles those who do not receive Communion often, but who distance themselves from the Mysteries, suffer? Do you hear that they become possessed and turn into unreasonable animals, just as King Nebuchadnezzar in ancient times was transformed into a bull? And they rightly experience this, because they can become gods from men by grace thanks to constant Divine Communion, but they do not want to, but by moving away from Divine Communion, they lose even the human form they possess and become unreasonable animals, surrendering themselves to the power of Satan, as the singer of the Psalms says:as in ancient times King Nebuchadnezzar was transformed into a bull? And they experience it justly because they can become gods from men by grace thanks to constant divine communion, but they do not want to, but by moving away from divine communion, they lose even the human form they possess and become unreasonable animals, surrendering themselves to the power of Satan, as the singer of the Psalms says:as in ancient times King Nebuchadnezzar was transformed into a bull? And they experience it justly because they can become gods from men by grace thanks to constant divine communion, but they do not want to, but by moving away from divine communion, they lose even the human form they possess and become unreasonable animals, surrendering themselves to the power of Satan, as the singer of the Psalms says: Those who distance themselves from You will perish  (Ps 72:27). That is, Lord, this is how completely those who distance themselves from Your grace perish. And, not to mention those who do not hurry to receive communion and whom sudden death finds unprepared, because they remain without divine communion. What will become of these unfortunate ones? Will they be able to freely pass the aerial toll stations (stations) of evil spirits? What fear and horror then passes through their souls, which could have been freed from it thanks to frequent communion, as the divine Chrysostom said. God be merciful to them! Therefore, my brothers, since rare communion brings us such great and unspeakable troubles, and frequent communion grants us such high, great, heavenly and supernatural goods both in this life and in the life to come, why then do we delay communion so much? Why do we not prepare ourselves with the necessary preparation to receive the divine Mysteries, if not every day, then certainly every Saturday or Sunday or every feast day? We should often approach the Holy Table with great joy and unite ourselves with the sweetest Jesus Christ, who is our whole life, breath, being, and all our hope and salvation, so that we may be forever united and inseparable with Him both in this life and in the life to come. However, we agree and rejoice in postponing communion and distancing ourselves from Him. If someone deprives us even for one day of our daily table, which consists of bodily food, we are sad and upset, and this seems to us a greater evil than depriving ourselves for a day, or two, or even whole months, of the spiritual and heavenly Table of the divine Mysteries. Oh, the great folly that today's Christians commit, not seeing the difference between the physical and the spiritual! For they accept the former with all their love, and do not want the latter at all!

Many Christians who love God spend a lot of money, make great efforts, and endure various dangers both on sea and on land in order to venerate the life-giving tomb of the Lord and other holy places in Jerusalem. And then they rejoice when they are called devotees of these holy places. Many, when they hear that in some distant place the holy relics of a saint are found, go with great preparation to venerate them and receive grace and sanctification. But to receive the Most Pure Mysteries and to be worthy to receive not the life-giving tomb, nor the holy places, nor the relics of the saints, but the King of all and the Holy of Holies, they either have little desire or are not interested at all. In order to go to the holy places, they spend money, and travel a long way, and endure various dangers, while for communion neither money, nor a long journey, nor enduring dangers is required. It is enough just to go to confession contritely, fulfill the prohibition (penance or epitimia) and preparation, and immediately become a co-corpor and co-sacrificer of Christ. And, despite all the simplicity, everyone still treats it carelessly and continues to deviate from communion. Ah, my brothers, if we only saw with the eyes of our soul what high and great treasures we are renouncing, we would not only receive communion constantly, but would invest all our strength in preparing and receiving communion every day if there is an opportunity for that. Therefore, if we have been careless in relation to Holy Communion until now, from now on, I beg you from the depths of your brotherly heart, to wake up from the heavy sleep of laziness, and to prepare and make an effort. And if any of those who have spiritual authority try to prevent us from this God-pleasing work, let us not immediately cool the warmth of our resolve and not despair, no, but let us fall on our knees, and kiss his feet like a harlot, and persistently knock at the door, begging for permission. And of course, I do not believe that anyone would be so hard-hearted as to prevent us, seeing our ardent readiness to approach Holy Communion. And more than that, no matter how cruel he was, and he would not be afraid to break that pernicious custom established in such a decision, his heart would yield and he would give us permission to do what we wanted.

OBJECTION 1

There are some people with great awe, who, not knowing the Holy Scriptures, when they see a Christian receiving communion frequently, begin to rebuke him, saying that only priests can do that. They say: "If you want to receive communion frequently, then you too should become a priest." 

We do not answer such people with our own words, but with the words of Holy Scripture, the Holy Councils, the Saints and Doctors of the Church. We say that the priestly ministry consists in their offering the divine Gifts and that through them, as organs of the Holy Spirit, the consecration of these Gifts is effected by His descent. And they also represent the people before God and perform other sacred actions, which cannot be performed by someone who is not ordained to the priestly office. When the time for communion comes, they themselves prepare to receive communion, and then they do not differ in anything from laymen or religious, except that priests administer the Mysteries, and laymen receive them. And the difference is also that priests receive communion in the altar and directly, without a holy spoon, while laymen and religious receive it outside the altar and with a holy spoon. That this is truly so and that priests do not differ in any way from laymen during communion is also testified by the divine Chrysostom, who says: "One Father has begotten us. We are all His children who suffer." That is, we are all born of one mother, i.e., from holy baptism. "One and the same Food is given to all." That is, the blood of the Lord is given to all: both priests and laymen. "And not only is one and the same Food given to us, but it is also given to us from the same cup. For the Father, wishing to lead us to tender love, has devised that we should all drink from one cup, which is a symbol of boundless love." And, in another place, Chrysostom says: "A priest does not differ in any way from a layman in some respects. When, for example, communion follows the Holy Mysteries, we all become worthy of one and the same, and not as in the Old Testament: the priest ate one thing, and the unconsecrated person another. The law did not allow the people to eat what the priest ate. Today this is no longer the case, but one body and one cup are offered to all. In other words, today, under the grace of the Gospel, one and the same body and one and the same cup are ready for all on the Holy Throne. Simeon of Thessalonica writes: "All the faithful should receive communion. This is not only the ministry of the priesthood, but the ministry consists in making the holy body and blood of Christ holy and giving it to all the faithful for communion, because only for this purpose are they predestined." Job Amartol writes in the book "On the Mysteries": "The whole perfection and goal and work of the Eucharist consists in the communion of the life-giving and terrible Mysteries and Holy Things. Therefore, they are first given to the priests in the altar, and then to the people who have prepared themselves and are outside the altar." From this it follows unconditionally that the priests should be the first to receive communion from the offered Gifts, and then the whole people, in accordance with the holy martyr Clement who says: "The bishop should receive communion, then the presbyters and deacons, and the readers, and the singers, and the bearers of the feat, and of the women: deaconesses, virgins, widows, then children, and then all the rest of the people according to rank, with reverence and without noise."The aforementioned Job also says that a person who is worthy can receive communion every day in the same way as priests, without distinction, because what applies to priests also applies to laypeople, men and women, children and the elderly, or, more simply, to all Christians regardless of age and rank. Those priests who do not give communion to Christians who approach divine communion with reverence and faith are condemned by God as murderers, in accordance with what is written in the prophet Hosea: The priestly assembly is like a band of robbers: they kill on the way to Shechem; indeed, they commit shame  (Hos 6:9). In other words, the priests who have hidden the way and the will and the commandment of God, and have not made it known, have committed iniquity among my people. I only wonder and do not know whether there are such priests who turn away those who approach the Mysteries. For they have not even thought about the fact that the words they themselves speak are a complete lie. For they themselves at the end of the Eucharist loudly call all the faithful, saying: "With the fear of God, faith and love draw near." That is, draw near to the Mysteries and receive communion, and then they themselves renounce their words and turn away those who approach. I do not know what such a bad deed could be called.

OBJECTION 2

Some object, saying that one should receive communion once every forty days and not more often than that. 

Those who raise this objection cite for their own justification the testimony of the divine Chrysostom, who says: "For what reason do we fast these forty days? In the past, many approached the Mysteries just like that. And this was primarily at the time when Christ gave us this Mystery. The Holy Fathers, realizing the harm that results from irregular communion, gathered together and determined forty days of fasting, prayer, listening to the Scriptures and visiting the church, so that during these days we might all be purified thanks to attention and prayers, and almsgiving and fasting, and all-night vigils, and tears and confession, and all other virtues, as far as is in our power, and in this way approach the Mystery with a clear conscience." 

To this objection we reply that those who wish to prove their opinion are accustomed to cite to their aid either the sayings of Holy Scripture, or the sayings of some saint, lest everyone should see the hook in the bait. Therefore the divine Chrysostom says: "For a lie, when it wishes to be believed, cannot be accepted and cannot be believed unless it lays at its foundation a concealed but not permanent truth." This is what these blessed ones do, but we should not cut out and separate the sayings of the divine Scripture from the rest of its parts and forcibly apply them to our own ends, because again the same Chrysostom says: "We should not only examine the saying itself, but we should also consider everything that follows it, and what is said, and who is saying it, and to whom, and why, and when, and how. It is not enough to say that it is written in Scripture, singling out sayings and dissecting parts of the body of divinely inspired Scripture, separated and stripped of their proper environment, taking upon themselves the right and allowing themselves to misinterpret them. For thus many perverted dogmas have entered our life under the influence of the devil, who has persuaded careless people to speak texts from Holy Scripture separately from one another, adding or subtracting something from them, and thus obscuring the truth.

And therefore they should not only say that Chrysostom said that the divine Fathers prescribed a fast of 40 days, in which we fast and receive communion, but they should also consider what precedes these words, as well as what follows them, and what the divine Father states in the same teaching, and on what occasion and to whom the teaching was addressed. Those who object to us claim and prove that the divine Chrysostom limited the use of divine communion only to the days of Easter (Passover). If the supporters of communion only once in forty days really want to prove this, then they are obliged either to receive communion only once a year at Easter (Passover), in accordance with their opinion, and to become like those people to whom Chrysostom then addressed, or they should have ten Great Lents a year, that is, as many fasts as they consider it possible to receive communion. If they do not like the first, and cannot fulfill the second, let them be silent, and let them not blame others and the divine Chrysostom, and let them not present him on this issue as an opponent not only of the apostles and the earthly and local Councils and many other God-bearing fathers who speak of constant communion, but also of themselves, because he writes more than others about constant communion in many other teachings, as well as in this one, saying: "Do not suggest this to me, but prove to me that Christ commanded it to be done this way, for I point out to you that He commanded it to be done the opposite, for He not only commanded us to study the days, but also freed us from that need. Listen to what the apostle Paul says, and when I mention Paul, I am speaking of Christ Himself, for it was Christ who moved Paul's soul. So what he says:  You look at days and months and times and years. I fear for your sakes lest I should labor in vain for you, and preach the Gospel to you  (Gal 4:10-11). And again he says:  For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew forth the Lord's death, till he come  (1 Cor 11:26). Saying  whenever,  he made him lord of him that will receive communion, freeing him from every observation of the day. For the Passover and Lent are not one and the same, but the Passover is one, and the Lent another. For Lent is but once a year, and the Passover three times a week, and sometimes four times, or rather, as many times as we desire, for the Passover is not a fast, but an offering and a sacrifice, which is offered at every assembly, that is, the holy Eucharist, and the divine communion, which is performed therein. And, if this is truly so, hear the apostle Paul who says:  Our Passover is Christ, slain for us. (1 Cor 5:7). So that every time you approach the Sacrament with a clear conscience, you keep the Passover. Not when you fast, but when you receive communion from that Sacrifice. For the declared never keep the Passover, because they do not receive communion, although they fast every year. And, she who does not fast, when she receives communion, if she approaches the Sacrament with a clear conscience, keeps the Passover whether it be today, tomorrow or any other day. For preparation is not judged by a period of time, but by a clear conscience. We do the opposite: we do not purify our minds, and when we gather to eat the Passover, we approach the Sacrament on that day even though we have thousands of sins. This must not be done, no! For if you approach the Sacrament even on Holy Saturday with an insincere conscience, you fall away from communion, and you leave without having kept the Passover. And, if you cleanse yourself from sins today, you unite as if you were also keeping the Passover itself. You should apply this care and diligence of yours to the Mystery, and not to the observation of time. And since you are now ready to endure everything just to not change the custom, you should neglect it and do everything to approach the Mystery without sin. For it is shameful not to become better, but to dwell in inappropriate pronunciation of words. This also destroyed the Jews, who, wishing to remain in the old custom, turned into dishonesty. " And again he says: "I know that many of you, out of habit, approach this holy Table because of the holidays. However, you should, as I have said many times before, not follow the holidays when you are preparing to receive communion, but cleanse your conscience and then approach the holy Table. For a corrupt and unclean person will not be worthy even if he receives communion with this holy and terrible Body on a holiday. And he who has been cleansed by diligent repentance and having washed away his sins is worthy to partake of the divine Mysteries both on the feast day and always, and to enjoy the divine Gifts. But since some, for some reason, neglect this, many, even being full of a thousand evils, when they see that it is a feast day and literally being aroused by the day itself, partake of the holy Mysteries, which according to the law they are not even worthy to see.” So, here is how the divine Chrysostom not only openly convinces those who love to hear the truth of his intentions and opinions, but also prophetically refutes that custom of the forty-day fast, which many have noticed. As for the forty days, which he speaks of as days established by the holy Fathers, then this explanation will be simple for anyone who wants to discuss it. However, we will now state some things for those who still doubt. At that time, the Asian Christians were eating the Passover together with the Jews, on the pretext that they had supposedly received it from John the Theologian and the Apostle Philip and some others. Although the divine Fathers, gathering in local councils, wrote against it many times, they did not abandon their custom until the First Holy and Earthly Council was convened, which, among other things, established that the Passover (Easter) was no longer to be eaten together with the Jews,but to eat on the Sunday after the vernal equinox, so that it would not fall on the same day as the Jewish Passover. However, despite this, many still continued to observe this bad custom. The divine Chrysostom addresses this lesson to them, exposing them for neglecting the decisions of so many divine Fathers for the sake of one bad custom. For this reason he so praises the dignity of the divine Fathers of the First Council and, attributing to them the rule of Lent, says that they established it in order to convince those Asian Christians in this way and to attract them to obedience. For who does not know that the fast of Holy Lent was established by the holy apostles, who say in the 69th Rule: "If a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, or a reader, or a singer does not fast in the holy Lent before Pascha (Easter), or on Wednesday or Friday, unless he is physically weak - let him be expelled from the priesthood. And if he is a layman, let him be separated." "Or it is possible," he says, "that the Fathers of the First Council established it, because they added to it the Great Passion Week," as he himself speaks of it elsewhere: "Therefore the Fathers proposed the scene of fasting, so that they would have time for repentance and that they might approach the Mysteries purified and washed." And, the truest reason for which, says Chrysostom, the First Council established Lent seems to be the following. Considering that the Christians of that time were negligent and did not fast for the entire holy Lent - some fasting only three Sundays, others six, and still others in some other way, each according to their local custom, as Socrates testifies in "Church History," the Fathers of the First Council re-proclaimed the Rule of the Holy Apostles and established that the entire Lent is to be fasted unconditionally. And the divine Chrysostom says that those Fathers instituted the Forty-year keeping in mind the restoration of the Rules, which they then did. Since some cite the divine Chrysostom as the patron of forty days, and he himself scatters their conclusions like a cobweb, we silence them and move on to other objections."Or it is possible," he says, "that the Fathers of the First Council established it, because they added to it the Great Passion Week," as he himself speaks of it elsewhere: "Therefore the Fathers proposed the scene of fasting, so that they would have time for repentance and that they might approach the Mysteries purified and washed." And, the truest reason for which, says Chrysostom, the First Council established Lent seems to be the following. Considering that the Christians of that time were negligent and did not fast for the entire holy Lent - some fasting only three Sundays, others six, and still others in some other way, each according to their local custom, as Socrates testifies in "Church History," the Fathers of the First Council re-proclaimed the Rule of the Holy Apostles and established that the entire Lent is to be fasted unconditionally. And the divine Chrysostom says that those Fathers instituted the Forty-year keeping in mind the restoration of the Rules, which they then did. Since some cite the divine Chrysostom as the patron of forty days, and he himself scatters their conclusions like a cobweb, we silence them and move on to other objections."Or it is possible," he says, "that the Fathers of the First Council established it, because they added to it the Great Passion Week," as he himself speaks of it elsewhere: "Therefore the Fathers proposed the scene of fasting, so that they would have time for repentance and that they might approach the Mysteries purified and washed." And, the truest reason for which, says Chrysostom, the First Council established Lent seems to be the following. Considering that the Christians of that time were negligent and did not fast for the entire holy Lent - some fasting only three Sundays, others six, and still others in some other way, each according to their local custom, as Socrates testifies in "Church History," the Fathers of the First Council re-proclaimed the Rule of the Holy Apostles and established that the entire Lent is to be fasted unconditionally. And the divine Chrysostom says that those Fathers instituted the Forty-year keeping in mind the restoration of the Rules, which they then did. Since some cite the divine Chrysostom as the patron of forty days, and he himself scatters their conclusions like a cobweb, we silence them and move on to other objections.

OBJECTION 3

Some people object and say that the purpose for which the Holy Fathers teach frequent communion is so that we do not completely distance ourselves from union with the divine Mysteries. If someone with great fear and awe receives communion rarely and approaches the Mysteries with great awe, then he receives communion worthily. 

We would like to ask those who say this to show us from where and on what evidence they knew the intention of Christ and the saints? Perhaps they ascended to heaven, like the apostle Paul, and heard it there? But Paul heard unspeakable words, which man cannot utter. And how could they say this? And if it is something else, why is it not written in the books of our divine Fathers? And if it is written, and we have not found it, then we ask them to show us where they found it. Only the fear with which they approach the Mystery is not according to God, as the prophet says:  They will tremble with fear where there is no fear  (Ps 52:6). For fear should exist where the commandments are broken, but not where there is submission and obedience. And the reverence of such is not genuine, but artificial and hypocritical, because true reverence respects the words and commandments of the Lord and does not neglect them. What the people who object to this say is not intended to make Christians more careful and more reverent in relation to Holy Communion, but to deprive them of courage and completely separate them from it, and thereby lead them to spiritual peril. That is why the divine Cyril of Alexandria responds with these, supposedly, full of reverence: "If we want eternal life, let us pray that the Giver of immortality may dwell within us, so that we may not distance ourselves from the blessing, that is, Holy Communion, as some careless ones do. And that the cunning devil may not set us a bait and net in the form of harmful reverence in relation to the divine Mysteries. But what do you say to me: 'Here Paul writes that whoever eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily, eats and drinks to his own condemnation. Therefore, examining myself, I see myself unworthy of Communion'. But I answer you: 'When will you be worthy? When will you stand before Christ? If you are always afraid of your smallest sins, then know that as a future man, you will never stop committing them ( who will know all your mistakes?) (Ps 18:13), according to the holy singer of the Psalms), and so you will forever remain completely deprived of the saving Holy Mysteries.' Therefore, it is more reasonable to live piously in accordance with the law of God, believing that through blessed communion we are delivered not only from death, but also from the diseases - mental and physical, that are in us, because Christ who enters us and calms the law of the flesh in our members and revives the fear of God, mortifying the passions, does not remember our sins in which we are, but heals us as if we were sick, frees from the clutches of the contrite, raises the fallen, like the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.'' And he says again: ''The holy body of Christ gives life to those in whom it is, and makes them eternal, uniting with our bodies. By body is not meant some other body, but that which corresponds to the nature of Life, that is, God. It has within itself all the divine power of the Word united to it and is filled with His divine energy, through which everything is made alive and kept alive. And since this is exactly how things are, let those baptized Christians know this, who carelessly go to church to receive communion and who for a long time separate themselves from communion, thereby showing an artificial and harmful reverence. Let them know that by not taking communion they deprive themselves of eternal life, refusing to be made alive. This becomes a lure and a stumbling block, although this distancing from communion is covered up by the fruit of reverence. And therefore they should strive with all their strength to cleanse themselves from sin, to begin to live a life pleasing to God, and to approach the communion of Life courageously and with love. For in this way we will overcome the devil's deceptions, and we will become partakers of the divine nature and we will enter into life and eternity. And, John Zonara, in his explanation of the 2nd Canon of the Council of Antioch, says: "The Fathers here did not call turning away from communion that which one does not love divine communion and that therefore there is no desire for communion, but rather distancing oneself from Him out of awe or humility. For if someone were to distance oneself from communion because one does not love and abhors it, then he would be condemned not only to separation, but to a complete ban (anathema)." The divine Cyril and John Zonara sufficiently exposed the hidden reverence of the negligent, which does not bear the fruit of benefit and salvation, but gives birth to spiritual death and the complete loss of eternal life, which is gained by frequent communion of the divine Mysteries. For he who truly has reverence not only does not neglect the words of the Lord and so many holy rules of the apostolic, conciliar and patristic ones, but does not even accept it in his thoughts, fearing judgment and condemnation due to negligence. The Holy Spirit speaks of those people who have true reverence through the prophet Isaiah:  But to whom will I look? To him who is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembles at my word  (Is 66:2).

OBJECTION 4

Some say that the God-pleasing Mary of Egypt and many other hermits and ascetics received Holy Communion only once in their entire lives, and that did not prevent them from becoming saints.

We answer them that hermits do not govern the Holy Church and that the Church has not established rules for hermits(44). As the Apostle Paul says:  The law was not established for the righteous  (1 Tim 1:9). And, the divine Chrysostom adds: "All who were zealous for the wisdom of the New Testament did so not out of fear of punishment or because of threats, but out of divine love and ardent aspirations towards God. For they had no need of commandments or laws to love virtue and distance themselves from evil, but as lordly and free sons, recognizing their own value, that is, the lordship of their nature, they aspired to virtue without any fear of punishment." But even these hermits, if they had the opportunity and did not receive Holy Communion, would have been condemned as destroyers of the holy rules and those who despise the divine Mysteries. And, if they did not have such an opportunity, they are not guilty. Thus Saint Cabasillas says: "If souls are ready to receive communion, and the Lord who sanctifies all and does all and loves to give himself to everyone, what then can be an obstacle to communion? Of course, nothing. But someone will ask: "If someone from the living, having the virtues of the soul, which have been spoken of, does not approach the Mysteries, will he not nevertheless receive sanctification from the Eucharist that is served?" To this question we answer that not everyone can receive it, but only those who cannot approach bodily, as is the case with the souls of the deceased, and those who are in deserts and mountains, in caves and gorges, who are not able to see the Altar and the priest, because they are not near the church. Such people Christ Himself sanctified invisibly by His sanctification. If someone has the opportunity, but does not approach the Holy Table in order to be sanctified by it, such a person cannot receive sanctification at all, not only because he did not approach, but also because he did not approach while being able to do so. And therefore it is obvious that the soul of such a man is empty of the virtues necessary for communion, for how can someone have love and desire for communion if he has the opportunity to receive communion but does not want to? Or how can someone have faith in God who does not fear the threats contained in the words of the Lord, neglecting that holy Table? And how can we believe such a man who loves what he can get, but does not receive it at his own discretion?

OBJECTION 5

Some object, saying that Holy Communion is a terrible thing, and that is why a holy life, perfect and angelic, is required of those who receive Communion. 

That the Mystery of Divine Communion is great and terrible and that it demands a holy and pure life is beyond doubt. The very word "holy" has many meanings. Only God is holy, because He possesses natural holiness, not acquired holiness. People, having been worthy of holy baptism, receive holiness by communion with the holy God. And they are called saints, because they have received sanctification by the grace of the Holy Spirit through birth from above. In addition to all this, they always receive sanctification from the divine Mysteries, because they partake of the holy body and blood of our Lord. And the closer they draw to God through the fulfillment of the Lord's commandments, the more sanctified they become towards perfection. On the contrary, the more they distance themselves from God through the abandonment of the commandments, the more they deprive themselves of sanctification, becoming slaves of passions, and evil increases in them. For evil is nothing else than the deprivation of good. Therefore, he who has been worthy of being born of the Holy Spirit has no obstacle to being called holy, and accordingly the holy children of the holy God are by grace worthy of frequent communion with the divine Gifts. That is why the divine Chrysostom says: "The Holy Gifts should be given to the saints, not to the wicked and impure." Wishing to show the limit of holiness, he says: "Let no sinner approach communion. Although, excuse me, I will not say 'no sinner', because I will first distance myself from the divine Table, but I will better say this: 'Let no one who continues to commit sins approach.' I know that we are all worthy of punishment and that no one can boast of a pure heart. But the trouble is not that we do not have a pure heart, but that, not having a pure heart, we do not approach Him who can make it pure." And Theodoret says: "Among those who partake of the divine Mysteries, some partake of Christ as the Lamb - those who have acquired perfect virtue, and others as bearers of the sins of others - those who are cleansed by repentance from the vices of sin." Although those who object to us believe that only the perfect can partake, the divine Fathers do not require perfection from the communicants, but the correction of life through repentance. For just as in this visible world there is no one of the same age, so in the spiritual world of the Church there are different states of people, according to the Parable of the Seed (chap. Mt 13:8). And if the perfect offer to God - a hundredfold, the intermediate - 60, and the beginners - 30, i.e., each according to his ability. And no one is rejected by God because he did not offer a hundredfold. Only if we think carefully will we understand why it is impossible for someone to achieve perfection without constant communion with the Holy Mysteries, because without communion one cannot gain love, and without love one cannot gain obedience to the Lord's commandments, and without obedience one cannot achieve perfection. As the wise Solomon says:  The beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire to learn, and the care for learning is – love, love is – the observance of its laws, and the observance of the laws is – a pledge of immortality, and immortality brings one closer to God,because the desire for wisdom leads to the Kingdom (Wisdom 6:17-20), to the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, the holy father Apollos, knowing that divine communion is the power that produces divine love, counting it among the commandments of love, says: "On these two commandments hang the Law and the Prophets" (chap. Mt 22:40). But is there any need to say much? Do those who object to us think that we should receive communion once every forty days as perfect or as sinners or imperfect? ​​If we receive communion as perfect, then we should receive communion more often, according to their words, and if we receive communion as imperfect - we should receive communion more often in order to become perfect, as we have said before. For if a child cannot grow into an adult without physical food, much less can the soul attain perfection without spiritual food. The wise say that three things are seen in a child: first, the child himself who is fed, second, what he is fed with, and third, what feeds him. And what he is fed with is – the nourishing core; what he is fed with is – the spiritual body; and what it is fed with is – food. Thus says Gabriel of Philadelphia, even in spiritual birth: “He who is fed is – a baptized, reborn man; what he is fed with is – the pure Mysteries; and what feeds him is – divine grace, which transforms these Mysteries into the body and blood of our Savior.” That is why Basil the Great says that he who has been reborn through baptism should in the future be fed by communion with the divine Mysteries. If they receive communion as sinners, then they should not receive communion even once during the forty days, and even once in a year, as John Chrysostom says: "Just as one who has a clear conscience should receive communion every day, so it is not without danger for one who dwells in sins and does not repent to receive communion even on a holiday. But if we receive communion even once a year, this does not free us from our sins if we approach it unworthily. On the contrary, it condemns us even more, because even though we approach it only once, we approach it impurely. Therefore, I beg you all: do not approach the divine mysteries just because of the holidays." And in another place he writes: "Since priests cannot know all sinners and those who unworthily receive the Mysteries, God often exposes them and delivers them over to Satan. Because of this, they are sometimes sick, exposed to intrigues, troubles and misfortunes, and the like. And that is why the apostle Paul points out, saying:  That is why many among you are weak and sickly, and quite a few die. (1 Cor 11:30). You say to me: 'What if we only receive communion once a year'? The trouble is that we determine the worthiness for communion not according to pure thoughts, but according to the period of time, and that you consider it piety to approach the Mysteries rarely, not knowing that even if you approach the Holy Mysteries once, you do yourself harm, and if you receive communion worthily and even often – you gain salvation. Boldness does not consist in approaching often, nor in approaching unworthily, even if someone receives communion only once a year. We are so foolish and cursed that, committing thousands of sins during the year, we do not bother to confess them. And yet we consider it enough for us not to dare to receive communion often and thus not to treat the body of Christ humiliatingly. In reasoning like this, we do not understand that even those who crucified Christ – crucified Him only once. But is sin less for just one time? And Judas betrayed the Lord only once. Did that save him? Why do we measure this deed by time? The measure of time for communion should be our clear conscience.” And again: “Whom shall we praise? Those who receive communion only once? Or those who receive communion often? Or those who receive communion rarely? None of the above, but those who approach with a clear conscience, and pure hearts, and who lead a blameless life. Such should always approach, and those who are not like that – never. For they approach themselves to judgment and condemnation, and torment and punishment.” But these blessed ones do not know why angelic life is required of those who receive communion. That everyone who has been baptized and reborn in holy baptism gives a promise to live an angelic life – this is clear, because he forces himself as much as he can, fulfilling the commandments of the Lord, to which he is called. This is the characteristic of angelic actions – that they always fulfill the commandments of God. For the baptized and those who fulfill God's commandments are not far from the angelic life. And also because they strive to preserve that bodily purity of the disembodied angels, according to the words of the Apostle Paul who says:  For our life is in heaven  (Phil 3:20). That is, our Christian life is - heavenly and angelic. But the divine Chrysostom also says: "Let us draw to ourselves the invincible help of the Holy Spirit by observing the commandments. And then we will not be inferior to the angels in anything" (54). And once again he adds: "He who is saved obtains a double grace: he makes his soul alive and becomes like a bird that flies in the firmament of heaven".

OBJECTION 6

Some cite the proverb regarding divine communion: "  When you find honey, eat as much as you want, lest when you are full you vomit it up"  (Proverbs 25:16).

We are ashamed to answer this sophism. For the divine Mysteries cannot be compared to the taking of honey, because according to Gregory of Sinai, this implies mental contemplation. If they think that this saying refers to the divine Gifts, then I give priority to the Preacher himself who says to me:  My son, eat honey, for it is good and sweet to your throat. Thus will be the knowledge of your wisdom, when you find it; and there will be a reward and your hope will not be cut off  (Eccl. 24:13-14). However, these people should tell us how they understand the words "as much as you need". For we have no other measure than the holy apostolic Rules and the whole Church of Christ, which say that we should receive communion if possible and daily or four times a week, as St. Basil and the divine Chrysostom think, or at the very least every Saturday or Sunday and on other feast days. Thus the Apostle Paul commands husband and wife to abstain from each other on those days, in order to partake of the divine Mysteries, saying:  Do not deprive each other, except by agreement, from time to time, that you may devote yourselves to fasting and prayer to God  (1 Cor 7:5). And the divine Timothy of Alexandria says: "It is necessary to abstain on the Sabbath and Sunday, because on those days a spiritual sacrifice is offered to God" (Response 13). 

In other words, let the husband and wife abstain from marital relations on Saturday and Sunday, because on those days the spiritual Sacrifice is offered, i.e. the divine Eucharist is served, and they should receive communion. And the divine Gregory of Thessalonica speaks of the feasts: "The first day of Sunday is the so-called Lord's day, because it is dedicated to the Lord, who on that day rose from the dead, and foreshadowed the general resurrection, convincing us of the resurrection, when all earthly work will disappear. Honor the Sunday day and do no earthly work, except the most necessary. And let those subject to you and your family rest on that day, so that all together may glorify Him who redeemed us from death and by His resurrection resurrected our nature; so that you may remember the life of the future age and study all the commandments of the Lord. And that you may examine yourself whether you have violated or omitted any of them, and if so, that you may correct yourself in all things. And that on that day you may be in the temple of God, participate in the divine assembly and partake of the holy body and blood of Christ with sincere faith and an uncondemned conscience. And that you may begin a strict life, and change yourself, preparing yourself to receive future eternal goods. And in this way you will honor the Sabbath without doing evil. And, add to Sunday the established great holidays, doing on those days the same as on Sunday and abstaining from the same things. 

OBJECTION 7

Some, fearing atheism, call it heresy when someone constantly receives communion. They say that those who receive baptism outside the Tradition of the Holy Church are heretics, as are those who constantly receive communion.

Frankly speaking, we do not even know what to answer to these impudent words. Are not all the Saints who encouraged the faithful to approach the Divine Communion, but also those who accept their words, heretics, in their opinion. And also all the priests who daily serve the Eucharist and receive Communion. And, most of all, Saint Apollos, who was widely known for his holiness and had five thousand disciples in obedience. The divine Jerome, who himself came and saw him, writes about him: "After the prayer was finished, they washed our feet and set the table, kissed each other spiritually and physically - that is, we communed with them of the Divine Mysteries, which they usually do every day. Then, after the table, we rested, and they, having gone away into the desert, prayed until morning, until the time came for the Eucharist. And after the ninth hour and vespers they received communion, and after communion some sat down at the table to eat something, and some more zealous ones went away to silence, living only by the strength of holy communion. The elder, whom we always mention, gave us many useful lessons for the soul, and especially about receiving the divine Mysteries every day and welcoming strangers as angels of God, like Abraham, Lot and others, for on these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets. Therefore, since the whole figure of the divine Fathers, according to universal recognition, is represented by the Saints and servants of Christ who constantly serve him, then it follows that those who object in this way, contrary to what has been stated above, contradict both the apostles and the councils of the Church, and also the holy Fathers. And not only to them, but also to the Lord Himself, who says:  He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life , and also:  Do ​​this in remembrance of me  (John 6:54; Luke 22:19); i.e. every day and always, as the divine Chrysostom interprets it, which we have previously discussed. Saint Timothy of Alexandria even allows the possessed to receive communion every Sunday, if they do not blaspheme the divine Gifts. He says: "The faithful possessed, if they do not violate the Mysteries, nor blaspheme Them in any other way, let them receive communion, but not every day: it is enough for him to do so on Sunday. And then when the divine Fathers call not only the healthy but also the possessed to constant communion of the Divine Mysteries, these blessed ones in their right mind do not accept this but demand that they be above the law.

OBJECTION 8

Some object and say: "Don't those who receive communion often have passions for self-indulgence, vanity, laughter, idle talk, and many other such things? How is it that they receive communion often despite all this?"

St. Alexander of Antioch answers these people: "It happens that some give themselves over to sin, even if they rarely take communion. Others, on the other hand, take communion more often, as a rule they protect themselves from many evils, fearing the judgment of Communion. Therefore, if we, like all people, fall into some human and forgivable sins, either by language, or by hearing, or by sight, or by vanity, or by sadness, or by anger, or by anything similar, rebuking ourselves and confessing to God, let us partake of the Holy Mysteries, believing that Communion with the divine Mysteries will be for our cleansing from those sins. If we commit some serious, cunning and carnal, and impure sins and have bad memories in relation to our neighbor, then we should not approach the divine Mysteries at all until we repent in a worthy way. Considering that we, as carnal and weak people, fall into many sins, God has given us various sacrifices to put away our sins, which when we offer them cleanse us in order to receive Holy Communion. So is the alms sacrifice that cleanses sins. There are other saving sacrifices for the remission of sins, as the prophet David says: A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit, a contrite and humble heart, God will not despise . If we offer these sacrifices to God, then even though we have some human flaws, we can approach the Holy Mysteries with fear and trembling, and tears of repentance, and confession, as the woman from the Gospel who was bleeding, crying and trembling did. Because there is a sin unto death, and a sin unto repentance, and there is a sin that requires the application of balm. True repentance can heal everything. The one who approaches the Holy Mysteries with fear and trembling, and confession, and tears of repentance receives forgiveness, and the one who approaches without fear and with neglect - receives punishment. Such people not only do not receive forgiveness of sins, but the devil has even greater access to them. And those who approach the divine Mysteries with fear not only sanctify themselves and receive the forgiveness of sins, but also drive the devil away from them. However, regardless of all these indisputable testimonies of the holy teachers of the Church, some still do not humble themselves and propose the following objection, saying: 

OBJECTION 9

"At that time, the majority of the people would receive communion, but the minority did not." That is why the divine fathers rebuked the minority so that it would not offend the majority. However, today, when the majority, except for a few, do not receive communion, those few should not receive communion either, so that there are no disturbances in the church and many are not offended.

Those who say this should know what "outrageous" and "mischief" means, and then object. Because what is scandalous is what distances man from God and brings him closer to the devil. Thus Basil the Great says: "Committing sin alienates man from God, and appropriates him to the devil." He also says: "All that is contrary to the will of God is scandalous." And to put it more clearly - every obstacle placed on the road to trip up travelers is scandalous. So the Prophet begs God to deliver him from that, saying: Save me, God, from the hands of the wicked, bury me from the violent, who think to break my legs. The arrogant set traps and rails for me, they put a net in my path, they crucified me with yarn . That is, save me, Lord, from the hands of sinners, deliver me from unjust people, who have thought to put something under my feet in order to bring me down; haughty men or evil spirits have laid a snare for me, to catch me, and bound my feet with cords and nets, placing stumbling blocks and stumbling blocks in my path so that I may stumble. So then the few deceived the many in this way, drawing them into negligence and transgression of the commandment  God, and now the many offend the few, drawing them into deviating from the commandments - how to proceed? Just as then the few cut off their will and followed the many in fulfilling the will of God, so today the many should cut off their will by following the few in fulfilling the will of God. But not in such a way that the few would stop fulfilling the commandments of God just because they were a minority, and for the sake of the majority they would begin to break the commandments. For if things had been so, then the prophet Elijah, the apostles, and so many other Fathers, who performed feats for the truth, would have had to hide the truth and follow the majority, since they themselves were few. That is why Basil the Great says: "Those who fulfill the will of the Lord should show constant courage, even if some are offended." Although some say that those who do not have the strength to receive communion, offending them, let them themselves understand that this is in these people a consequence of either envy or hatred of their brother. Therefore, we should not neglect God's commandments in order not to offend people, as Chrysostom says: "We should be as careful not to offend people as necessary, so as not to give them a reason to blame us. If we do not give them a reason and they continue to judge us - simply for nothing, - then we are left to laugh and cry because of their unreasonableness. You try to behave well before God and people. If you do well and someone judges you, do not worry about it at all. So Christ also spoke about those who offend: Let them alone: ​​they are blind leaders of the blind  (Mt 15:14). For if we ourselves are the cause of offense, then woe to us. And if we are not, then we have no sin. It is also written: For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you (Rom 2:24).   

How to act? If you do what you are supposed to do, and someone blasphemes because of it, then you do not commit a sin, but the sin is on them, because they blaspheme the name of God. We should not pay attention when a godly deed is preceded by the fact that it becomes a scandal for someone. We should be disturbed when others do not force us to oppose the will of God. For tell me, please, if right now, while we are talking, I want to expose drunkards and one of them is scandalized, should I stop talking about them? No, there should be moderation in everything. When a beautiful girl did not want to get married, but loved virginity and became a nun, many blasphemed God and defended those who led her to it. Should these people then refuse to tonsure her? Of course not. Because they did nothing against God. On the contrary, they did a godly deed. Therefore, in every act we are obliged to live according to God's laws, not to give any cause for scandal, so that we may not be blamed and so that we may receive from God the gift of love for man." Here is what we can say about scandal. As for the incident, it is an act that is performed outside of every act. If the act and law of the Church consists in the fact that Christians who are at the divine Eucharist and who are not under penance - receive communion, then as we said earlier, it is obvious that the incidents are committed by those who do not receive communion, thereby violating the laws of the Church. That is why the prophet Habakkuk says: "The sun and the moon stood still in their dwelling place." In other words, the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, ascended on high on the cross, and the moon, that is, the Church, established itself in its act, that is, in the will and commandments of God, from which it had previously fallen away. Therefore, those who do not respect the commandments of God are the ones who commit scandals and riots, not those who perform feats to the best of their ability to keep the Lord's commandments.

OBJECTION 10

Some say that there is a rule written in the Book of Hours according to which Christians should receive communion three times a year.

Tell me, please, if these blessed ones have established a rule that is continuous (although in fact it is perverted), would it be just that it should be stronger than so many numerous trumpets of the Holy Spirit, the testimonies that we have cited? The royal laws stipulate that if any such law - a law that was also passed by the King - is contrary to the holy canons of the divine Fathers, that such a law should be invalid. The divine Chrysostom says that a custom that is contrary to the divine laws should be eradicated. Thus he says: "A custom is a thing that is unpleasant to circumvent and difficult to protect oneself from. Therefore, the stronger the custom is, the more effort is invested in getting rid of that senseless custom and in acquiring a good custom." Why then do these people want to establish this custom that is harmful to the soul? But since they want to hide the truth by means of this rule, we will show briefly what the rule actually says, so that the truth itself may be shown and no one may be deceived any longer. This rule was accepted for the following reason. Leo the Wise was separated from the Church by Patriarch Nicholas after he had entered into a fourth marriage, and because of this the king removed Nicholas from the patriarchal throne, since the latter did not want to forgive him for his four marriages. Instead of Nicholas he brought Patriarch Euthymius, who also relieved the king of the separation. Therefore, for this reason both the hierarchs and all the rest of the people were divided into two camps: some were for Patriarch Nicholas, and the other for Euthymius. When King Leo died, his brother Alexander reigned after him, who removed Euthymius from the throne and brought Nicholas back. And when Alexander also died, and his cousin, that is, Leo's son, Constantine Porphyrogenitus, reigned, his father-in-law Roman had the title "Father - King". Those who organized the Council in the year 992 of the birth of Christ not only forbade fourth marriage, but also established the following rule against third marriage, which states: "If someone has reached the age of forty and is not ashamed of his age, nor concerned about the Christian pious life, but only because of passionate desire enters into a third marriage, let him carefully observe for five years that he does not partake of the Holy Mysteries, and this period of time cannot be shortened in any way. But even after that, when he is worthy of Holy Communion, let him not be allowed to receive Communion at any other time than on the saving Easter of Christ our God, for the sake of purification, as far as possible, thanks to the previous abstinence during Great Lent (70). If someone is thirty years old and has children from previous marriages, and meets with a third wife, let him unconditionally not partake of the Holy Mysteries for four years. And after that, when one is deigned to receive communion, one is to enjoy it only three times a year: the first time – on the saving Resurrection of Christ our God, the second – on the Assumption of our Most Pure Theotokos, and the third time – on the day of the Nativity of Christ our God,"for the sake of the fast that precedes these feasts and the benefit that is derived from it." This Act of the Council was called the Tomos of Unity, because on it the bishops and all the people, who had previously been divided because of Leo's four marriages, were reunited. However, I do not know which blessed one - either out of ignorance or with the intention of creating an obstacle to eternal life for Christians - shortened this rule and placed it in the Book of Hours in such an abbreviated form. And our blessed clergy, understanding it, trumpeted this rule throughout the whole country, imposing penance and the rule of three marriages for all Christians: those in their second marriage, those in their first marriage, virgins and in general for every age. But I am not so much surprised at the clergy as I am surprised that the good bishops and pastors did not immediately proclaim the truth with God-inspired trumpets, in order to shame the evil sower of these chaff and uproot these rotten plants from the Church. For they have the power by the grace of the Holy Spirit to uphold every good and to correct what needs to be corrected. True, the hierarchs cite this justification, that if they find themselves in slavery under the Turks and are bound by many worries, they entrust the resolution of these matters to teachers and preachers. But by this very fact these blessed ones – one not wanting to lose his peace, the other citing other justifications – all together shirk and shift the burden from one to another, hiding as in a tomb the word of God, and the truth, and tacitly showing that they agree with what is happening, as the divine Meletius the Confessor says: “When someone, having come to knowledge and having accurately known the truth, tries to hide it, inventing all sorts of ways for this, and does not speak boldly, openly and loudly; when someone does not care about the honorable and divine canons, does not keep the Rules given to us by the holy glorious Fathers, he is subject to no less punishment than those who violated them.” "He who is silent about the truth of the risen Christ hides it in the grave," says one father, and another agrees with him: "It is truly very dangerous to remain silent about piety, for it is a pit of perdition and torment for ever and ever." It is unjust, impermissible, and ugly for pious people to remain silent when the laws of the Lord are brazenly violated, when an attempt is made to justify deception and evil error. As one great father said: "When a pious person sees the danger of separation from God and the insult to God, will he then remain silent?" Will he be completely calm? For then to remain silent is the same as to agree and approve." The example is given to us by Saint John the Baptist, and with him the holy brothers the Maccabees. For even for the small institutions of the law of God, they, despising the danger of death, stood firm to the end, without betraying even the slightest word of the holy Law. It is often acknowledged that a just war is praiseworthy, and that battle is undoubtedly better than a peace that is destructive and harmful to the soul. Is it not better to engage in battle with such evil people than to follow them and willingly agree with them in injustice, to be eternally separated from God and united with them? And the divine Chrysostom says:"If it is dangerous for a man to remain silent when others expose him to ridicule, does not he who remains silent and does not care when God's laws are being harmed deserve every punishment?"

OBJECTION 11

Many object, saying that the practice of receiving Holy Communion is not a dogma of the faith that must be observed.

Although frequent communion is not a dogma of faith, but a commandment of the Lord, which is found in many messages of our Lord, and especially in the following:  Do this in remembrance of me  (Luke 22:19), i.e. constantly and every day, while this world exists. And therefore it, as a commandment of the Lord, must be observed constantly, as we spoke about in the first part of the book. However, those who object in this way, thereby show that they want to strip the dogmas bare and leave them desolate of every ecclesiastical determination and establishment. But we ask them: "On what can these dogmas be founded? Did not the divine Chrysostom tell us that human life requires correct dogmas, and dogmas require a pure life; and a pure life is born and achieved thanks to divine commandments, the holy laws of the Church and the frequent traditions and determinations of the divine Fathers"? Therefore, if we abandon the holy rules, the commandments of the Lord and the rest, pure life will also disappear. And when pure life disappears, then we will lose even correct dogmas, and remain desolate and in darkness. I do not have time to list thousands of examples of saints who suffered and died for the church's precepts and rules. And yet there are some so shameless people who not only do not suffer for the truth, but also oppose it and brazenly reject the Lord's commandments, placing obstacles before those who receive communion, without any guilt or cause. This is very brazen behavior, if we only remember that the Lord did not even refuse Judas himself from Communion, although He knew that he was a vicious vessel of evil. Every day Christ receives all those who receive communion and those who are worthy He cleanses, enlightens and sanctifies, and the unworthy He immediately gives up to remorse of conscience at the beginning and then mercifully receives them if they correct themselves. And if they do not correct themselves, then he gives them over to various diseases, according to the words of the Apostle Paul:  That is why many among you are weak and sick, and quite a few die  (1 Cor 11:30). These blessed ones, not knowing the state of those who receive communion, but only for the sake of preserving a senseless custom, which is established to the detriment of the soul, create obstacles for Orthodox Christians to receive the Holy Mysteries. However, let us ask Basil the Great to tell us the truth: "Is it right, O divine and holy head, or is it not dangerous to abandon any commandment of God? Is it permissible to prevent the one to whom this commandment is given from fulfilling it, or should one obey those who prevent it, especially if this is someone who forbids a long-time child of God? Or does this idea only seem convenient, but in fact it is contrary to the commandment of God"? To this the saint replies: "The Lord said:  Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart  (Mt 11:29), it is obvious that in everything else we should learn from Him. So in the given case let us remember our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, the only begotten Son of God. When John the Baptist said to him:  I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me ? He replied:  Leave it now, for thus it is necessary for us to fulfill all righteousness  (Mt 3:14-15), i.e. it is necessary for Me to fulfill every deed that justifies a man. And how He answered Peter with indignation, when he tried to dissuade the Lord from the suffering, which He prophetically foretold to His disciples on the way to Jerusalem:  Get behind me, Satan; you are an offense to Me; for you do not savour the things that are God's, but those that are men's  (Mt 16:23). And again, when Peter, giving honor to the Lord Christ, refused to be washed by Him, the Lord said to him again:  If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me  (Jn 13:8). If greater help is needed for the soul by the examples of people close to us, let us remember the Apostle Paul who says:  Why do you weep and break my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus  (Acts 21:13). Who can be more glorious than John? Or who can be more sincere than Peter? Or who else can have thoughts with more reverence than they? For they were both moved by a sense of reverence, so that one did not want to baptize the Lord, and the other did not want the Lord to wash his feet. However, despite this, they could not persuade Christ. I know that neither Saint Moses nor the prophet Jonah escaped God's punishment because they refused to obey Him, giving priority to their own reasoning. Let all these saints be an example to us that we should neither contradict the will of God, nor prevent others from fulfilling God's commandment, nor listen to those who prevent its fulfillment. If the Word of God has taught us from these examples what we should not allow, then all the more should we imitate the saints in everything else, who once said:  We must obey God rather than men  (Acts 5:29), and in another place:  Judge whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God? For we cannot but speak what we have seen and heard. (Acts 4:19-20). And again Basil the Great says: "One should not prevent the one who is doing the will of God, if he does it according to God's command or with a goal, in accordance with God's command. Also, the one who is doing the command should not listen to those who are doing it, even if they are true friends of God, but should stick to his decision." He also says: "If someone is doing the command of God, but not according to a healthy structure, that is, not with a proper goal and without true reasoning, but according to everything visible he follows the teaching of the Lord completely, such a person should not be prevented. For that person will not harm himself by doing so. Sometimes it happens that people benefit from it. However, it is good to instruct such a person, so that his reasoning may also correspond to the dignity of the feat," so that he will do the command with a goal pleasing to God. And again: "One should not follow human tradition, when the command of God is violated." And again: "One should not give priority to one's own will in relation to the will of the Lord, but in everything one should seek and do the will of God." And, the divine Chrysostom says: "One should courageously oppose everything that can be an obstacle to our good intentions. Hear what Christ says:  He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me  (Mt 10:37). 

Therefore, when we do a work pleasing to God, let everyone who hinders us from it be our enemy and adversary, even if it is father or mother or anyone else.” And, Ignatius the God-Bearer says: “Anyone who tells you something contrary to what God has commanded you, even if you can believe him, even if he fasts, and works miracles, even if he prophesies, let him be in your eyes like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, who kills the sheep.” And, the divine Meletius the Confessor says: “You should not listen to monks or presbyters when their words are lawless, when their advice is evil. And what I say: presbyters, monks! Do not deviate even before the bishops themselves, if they begin to convince you to do, say and think what is not beneficial to the soul.”

OBJECTION 12

Some are offended by the fact that they cannot convince us with their words (bearing in mind that there is a prohibition on constant communion), and in their defense they cite three conclusions: first, the speeches, canons, and commandments are given by clerics (bishops); second, we do not need to question what clerics tell us, but should simply listen to them with a simple heart; and third, they cite the apostolic saying:  Obey your leaders and be submissive  (Heb 13:17).

We will not comment on these three parts of the objection ourselves, so as not to cause any confusion and confusion. But we believe that it is harmful to the soul even if we remain completely silent. So that no one complains, let us consider what the saints say in this regard. Basil the Great responds to the first objection by saying: "If I am the Lord, whom the Father loves, and in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and secrets, who has all power, and who has received all judgment from the Father, - if He Himself says:  He gives me a commandment what to say and what to speak  (John 12:49), and also:  What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me  (John 12:50), and if the Holy Spirit does not speak from Himself, but only speaks what He hears from Him, - how much more pious and harmless is it for us to think and act in this way." In other words, we must not violate God's commandments, but rather obediently obey them.

And, the divine Chrysostom, on the example of the ordination of bishops, shows that bishops (clergy) are subject to God's canons and commandments. He says: "Just as the bishop - (the high priest in the Old Testament) - was the leader of the people, it was necessary for him to have on his head a sign of the authority to which he submitted (for if authority is not limited by anything, then it is unbearable, and when he has a symbol of some other authority over him, he shows this by his submission to the law); therefore the Law commands that the head of the bishop should not be uncovered, but covered, and that the leader of the people should know that he has another head. That is why in the Church at the ordination of a priest - (here the saint refers to the bishops, speaking of the priesthood in general, because according to Dionysius the Areopagite, only the bishops wear symbols of devotion to God on their heads) - the Gospel of Christ is placed on his head, so that the one who is being ordained will realize that he is receiving a true evangelical tiara, and so that he will realize that although he is the leader of all, he is obliged to act according to the evangelical laws, keeping everything in his authority, but also under the authority of the law, being the lawgiver for everything, but also having the lawgiver over himself, i.e. evangelical law. That is why a courageous ancient man (his name is Ignatius), who shined in the priesthood and martyrdom, says in an epistle to a bishop: "Nothing should be done without your will, but you also do nothing without the will of God." That's why the archbishop has the Gospel on his head as a sign that he is under his authority."

As for the second, i.e. that we should not question bishops, teachers and spiritual leaders, but should listen to them in everything, Basil the Great answers this: "He who leads in the word - be it a teacher or a bishop - should always work and speak with much thought and examination, with the aim of pleasing God, because he should be tested and witnessed by those to whom he is entrusted." He also says: "Those who listen knowing the Divine Scripture should examine what the teachers say. And that which is in accordance with Scripture they should accept and that which is foreign to them - they should reject. And those teachers who insist on such teaching should be avoided." He also says: "Those who do not know the Scriptures in full should recognize the characteristic qualities of the saints by the fruits of the Holy Spirit. And those who have them in the capacity of saints should be accepted, and those who do not have them should be avoided." He also says: "We should not deal with those who only pretend to speak the truth without examination. We should recognize each one on the basis of the testimony of the Scriptures, whether that teacher teaches the truth or a lie." And he also says: "It is necessary to check every word or deed on the basis of the testimony of the divinely inspired Scripture, so that good teachers may be recognized and cunning ones may be put to shame."

The divine Chrysostom answers the third part of the objection: "Anarchy is always evil, it is the root of many troubles and the cause of disorder and confusion. And no less evil is disobedience to leaders. But perhaps someone will say that there is a third evil - when the leader himself is evil. I know that too. This evil is not small, but much worse than anarchy. For it is better not to be under any authority than to submit to evil. For in the first case a person is often saved and often finds himself in danger, and in the second he is always in danger because they lead him to ruin. But as the apostle Paul said:  Obey your teachers and be obedient to them , having previously said:  Consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their faith  (Heb 13:7), and then he also said:  Obey your teachers and be obedient to them . That is, the apostle Paul was initially convinced that these teachers were faithful in everything, and after that he says: "Consider the good fruit of their virtuous life and preaching, and imitate their faith." And what, you will tell me, if the leader is evil (here and henceforth - cunning), should one submit to him? In what sense do you say "evil"? If this refers to faith - leave him and flee - not only from man, but also from the angel who came down from heaven. And, if this refers to his life, then do not be curious. Listen to what Christ says:  In the seat of Moses  - (on the teaching chair of the Law) -  the scribes and Pharisees sat . Having previously said many terrible things about them, He then tells us:  In the seat of Moses they sat  ...  Therefore, whatever they command you to observe, observe and do, but what they do do not do  (Mt 23:2-3). In other words, they use honor, (they have the right to teach), He says, but their life is impure, but you do not pay attention to their life but to their words. For no one will be harmed by their life. Why? Because it is obvious to everyone, and because the one who teaches, even if he is a thousand times evil, will never teach bad living. As for faith, the evil is not obvious to everyone, and the one who teaches will not give up teaching in this way. Therefore  judge not, that you be not judged  (Mt 7:1) refers to the way of life, not to faith. That is why the apostle Paul first presented the shepherds as true in every respect, and then said:  Obey your teachers. And in another place: You say that this man is meek and, having the priestly office, very prudent, and he does this and that. Do not tell me about him being meek, prudent, pious, a priest. If you want him to be even Peter or Paul, or an angel who came down from heaven, - even then I will not pay attention to the importance of the person. For I do not read the law of servants, but the law of the King. And, when the words of the King are read, all importance of servants should disappear. Why do you give me examples of this or that? God will not judge you for the negligence of such servants, but for the non-fulfillment of His laws. "I commanded you," He will say to you on the Day of Judgment, "and you should have obeyed, and not to set an example of another or to be curious about the evil deeds of another." For even the great David sinned with a terrible sin, but tell me, does this mean that it is no longer dangerous for us to sin? Therefore, we need to be careful and zealous, imitating the exploits of the saints, and we should strive to avoid negligence and violation of the law – (which can happen to them as humans too) – because we will not be judged by servants like ourselves, but by the Lord Himself. We will give an account to Him for everything we have done in life.

This is what the saints say. We, my brothers, if the Lord has called us to peace, should obey the bishops, and spiritual leaders, and teachers because of their office that they have from God. If any of them does something unreasonable or prevents us from doing a God-pleasing work, then let us not stop praying for him until we convince him, so that the will of God may be fulfilled, so that peace, one mind, and agreement may reign among us, so that there may be love between shepherds and sheep, between bishops and Christians, between priests and laity, between leaders and subordinates, so that there may be no scandal, upheaval, schism, or division. For all this destroys our souls, our homes, our churches, and every society and nation. In short: that we may all be one body and one Spirit, all with one hope to which we were called, and that the God of peace may be with us.

OBJECTION 13

Some say: "Here, we fulfill the commandment of the Lord – we receive communion two or three times a year, and that is enough for our justification at the Last Judgment."

We answer such people that this is also good and useful, but that it is much better to receive communion more often. For the closer someone approaches the light, the more he is enlightened, and the closer he approaches the fire, the more he is warmed, and the closer he is to the holy place, the more he is sanctified. So if someone approaches God in Communion more often, the more he is enlightened, warmed, and sanctified. My brother, if you are worthy to receive communion two or three times a year, then you are worthy to receive communion more often, as the divine Chrysostom says, only prepare yourself carefully and do not lose that worthiness. So, what prevents us from receiving communion? Our negligence and laziness, which overcome us. And that is why we do not prepare as much as is in our power to receive communion. Answering in another way, we are obliged to say that these people do not fulfill the commandment of God, despite the fact that they think they are fulfilling it. For where did God or any of the saints command us to receive communion two or three times a year? Such a thing cannot be found anywhere. And therefore we should know that when we fulfill a commandment, we should also fulfill it in accordance with the commandment. That is, we should respect the place, the time, the goal, the manner of action, and all the circumstances under which it should be performed, so that the good we do in this way may be perfect in all respects and pleasing to God. All this also applies to Divine Communion. Constant communion is: both necessary, and beneficial for the soul, and in accordance with God's commandment, and perfectly good and pleasant. And, receiving communion only three times a year is not in accordance with the commandment, and is not perfectly good, because it is not good that is not done in a good way. Therefore, just as all other commandments of God require a necessary time for themselves, according to Ecclesiastes:  Everything has its time  (Ecclesiastes 3:17), so too a certain time should be set aside for fulfilling the commandment about Communion. In other words, the proper time for Communion is that moment when the priest emphasizes: "With the fear of God, faith and love draw near." But can this be heard only three times a year? Oh, misfortunes and troubles! In order for the material body to live, it must eat two or three times a day every day. And the unfortunate soul, in order to live a spiritual life, eats this life-giving food only three times or even once a year? Isn't that a great unreason? Otherwise, I fear, I fear that it is not useless for us to keep the commandments, because we corrupt and twist them, and therefore we are not doers of the law, but its opponents.

We often think that by fasting we are fulfilling the commandment of God, but in reality we are sinning, as the divine Chrysostom says: "Do not tell me that they fast, but prove to me that they do it in accordance with the will of God. And such a fast, if it is not in accordance with the will of God, is a greater iniquity than drunkenness. For we should not only look at what they do, but also look for the cause why they do it. For what is done according to the will of God, even if it seems senseless, is truly the best. And what is done against the will of God, even if it seems best, is in fact the worst and completely contrary to the law. For deeds are not good or evil in themselves, but the will of God makes them good or evil."

EPILOGUE

Here, my beloved brothers, with God's help this book has been completed, and it is quite obviously proven on the basis of the testimony of both the Holy Scriptures and the holy Fathers, that constant communion in the Most Pure Mysteries is necessary and beneficial for the soul, because without it one cannot grow in the love of our Lord, who created us from nothing, and when we died, restored us again. So, now nothing else is required except that with due preparation, i.e. with contrition, confession and penance, let us approach the Mystery, with fear and trembling, and receive communion. Each of us who desires life and loves to see good days, according to the psalmist, should approach our Lord, the sweetest Jesus Christ, who calls us every day from the Holy Throne and says: "Come, eat my bread and drink the wine that I have given." dissolved in the holy cup, that you may be enlightened in soul and body, that you may be nourished with immortal food and given drink with incorruptible drink, that in due time your faces may not be ashamed.'' Until then, while we have time, let us do good, as the apostle Paul says:  Behold, now is the most favorable time, behold, now is the day of salvation  (2 Cor 6:2). Let us seek and follow the Lord, and then we will find him as the dawn, which will enlighten us, as Hosea says, and he will draw near to us as the The early and latter rain falls on the earth. Let us listen to Jeremiah who says:  Stand at the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls  (Jeremiah 6:16). Let us repent with all our heart and soul for our previous negligence and to correct ourselves, so that we do not hear the words with which the prophet Jeremiah would accuse us:  Lord! Do not your eyes see the truth? You strike them, but they do not feel pain; you crush them, but they do not accept instruction, their faces are hardened of stone, they will not return .  The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule over them, and  my people love it .  To whom shall I speak and testify that they may hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, that they cannot hear; behold, the word of the Lord is a derision to them. , is not pleasing to them. For from the least to the greatest, everyone is given to greed; from prophet to priest, everyone is a deceiver  (Jeremiah 5:3,31; 6:10-13).

Let us listen to words that benefit the soul, and let us not inquire who speaks them – wise or unwise, distinguished or humble. For what benefit will it bring us if such and such is an important and great man? Or what harm will it do us if that man is insignificant and inconspicuous? We do not buy either one or the other. We need only the words of Scripture, and it does not concern us whether they are spoken by wise or unwise men. And what he says to us we should compare with what is written in Holy Scripture, and if it is in accordance with Scripture, we should accept it, and if it is not in accordance – we do not need it from either one or the other. For he who goes to the market to buy wheat or something else does not think about who is selling it – a good or a bad man, but only looks at whether the goods are good. So we too should carefully consider the words and not transgress what the divine Fathers have handed down to us, if we do not want to lose the right path. If modern sectarians studied the Divine Scripture, they would not follow those original heretics in order to perish with them. And then the cunning devil sowed various heresies among them, depriving them of holy baptism, among other things. And we Orthodox are anxious to perish, distancing ourselves from constant communion. Since he has not succeeded in shaking our attitude towards holy baptism, he is trying to mortify us in some other way. And do not think that there is any difference between one and the other, because the decision of our Lord was the same in relation to both acts, as we have said before. For not being born completely, and being born and dying of hunger - there is no difference between these two cases. So, of course, we are renewed by holy baptism. However, if we do not then feed ourselves with Communion in order to live a spiritual life, then we die again from hunger, that is, from lack of grace, and fall into even worse passions than the unbaptized. Therefore, I beg you to fear the words of the Lord now, while we are still alive, so that we may be saved and not tremble at the coming Judgment, without receiving any comfort. So that we may not become like those to whom the Lord said:  For you have abandoned the commandments of God and hold to the traditions of men  (Mk 7:8). So that we may not be deceived by superstition and prejudice, of which there are too many now, but that we may pay attention to what is written. For Basil the Great says: "It is true that bad custom has deceived us, it is true that the cause of great evils has become perverted human tradition." And also: "If any of those who in holy baptism promised God that they would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose for them, seeks righteousness from the fulfillment of the Law, he should be condemned for this as for adultery. So, if a Christian is judged in this way for such an attitude towards the Law, what then can be said about human traditions?

As for human traditions, adhering to them entails punishment, as is evident from the Lord's words. And as for our own thoughts, which are the fruit of human wisdom, the apostle Paul taught us to reject them ascetically:  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of cities, for casting down thoughts and every lofty thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God  (2 Cor 10:4). What the apostle Paul said applies both to human thoughts and to every apparent human righteousness, even if we strive to attain it for God's sake. From all this it becomes evident what judgment follows those who, by their own wisdom, twist the commandments of God. For it is written:  Woe to those who think they are wise and are wise in their own eyes  (Is 5:21). And therefore it is necessary to reject all these together: both the lusts of the devil, and the worries of the world, and the traditions of men, and our own desires, even though they seem well-intentioned to us.

We do not violate God's commandments, lest we become worse than unreasonable animals and more unreasonable than fish that do not contradict God's law, as Basil the Great says: "A fish does not contradict God's law, but we humans refuse to accept the saving teaching." Let us leave those who want to live carelessly, or rather ask God to give them zeal. Let us wake up from the sleep of laziness and receive warmth and love into our hearts, to hear the spiritual appeal of the priest, and to approach the Mystery with contrite hearts. A great neglect of God's commandment is also the fact that a large number of Christians come to the Liturgy, at the end of which the Lord through the priest calls us to come and receive communion, and there is not one of that large number of those invited who would fulfill God's call, and this not because of any sin or suggestion, but because of a senseless custom. Ah, my brothers, I fear that the Lord did not say for us:  For I tell you that not one of those men who were invited will taste my supper  (Luke 14:24)? And besides, won't He punish us in a very severe way if we don't repent and correct ourselves?

I want to ask you something: if during the Last Supper one of the apostles had said: "I am not taking communion today", it is interesting what the Lord would have said then? Unconditionally, it seems to me that he would have said what he said to Peter at the time of the holy washing of feet: "  If I do not wash you, you have no part with me"  (Jn 13:8). He would have said at the Last Supper to those who do not take communion: "If you do not eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no part with me". The Lord says the same thing to us now, beloved, at every Eucharist: "  Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you"  (Jn 6:53), only if someone deprives himself of such heavenly grace not because he has an obstacle due to his sins and is separated from Communion by his spiritual father, but only because of a meaningless custom. Oh, what a cunning custom! This evil custom has become so entrenched that not only do we not receive Communion ourselves, but if we see other people who frequently approach Divine Communion, we condemn them as having no reverence or respect for the Divine Mysteries, while we should emulate them.

So, truly, the prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled upon us: “  Hear ye, but understand not; and see ye, but perceive not: for the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; that they may not see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts”  (Isaiah 6:9-10). For it is as if we have all become insensitive, and we do not understand what we say, what we hear, or what we see. And I know that only a few will hear this because of our such a sorry state, no matter how much I speak on this subject. For he has made the hearing of many dull, so that they cannot hear, as Isaiah said.

And, for those few, I will give one more example and I will end with that. Imagine that a king is sitting on a high throne, which is outside the castle, on some plain, and before him all the princes, officers, and all the military units are standing with great fear and trembling. And if that king commanded one of them to step forward and go to him, in order to give him some command, and some others, being envious of him because of his proximity to the king, tried to dissuade him from fulfilling the king's command, tell me if he would obey them and showed disregard for the king? I think that he would not have paid the slightest attention to these people, but would have run to the king with great readiness, considering it a great honor and glory to carry out his command. So, if we want to show that we are so obedient in relation to the mortal king, why should we not try to be even more obedient in relation to the King of heaven and our Lord? The earthly king can deprive us of honor, glory and property, i.e. everything that death will destroy today or tomorrow. And then who can plead with God who can condemn us to eternal death? What will we unfortunate ones do then, i.e. we who break the Lord's commandments, when the Great Judgment begins? Can we then find justification before God, in relation to whom we now show neglect, justifying ourselves that some man prevented us there, and that is why we did not fulfill God's command? True, many of them will say that then, but it will not do them any good. And that is why we are obliged to repent now, before that hour comes. We are obliged to reject the devil's desires and human customs. We are obliged to carry out the commandments of God, and preparing ourselves with the necessary preparation, we often partake of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, in order to strengthen ourselves in God's grace, thanks to the Divine Communion. And so strengthened that every day we create the will of God on earth, mild, and completely pleasant, and perfect, as it is created by the angels in heaven. And if someone prevents us from doing so, then we should convince him for a long time, with tears in our eyes, as in the relationship with our spiritual father, until we convince him in any way to allow us to deign to gain the Spirit in our hearts. with perfect feeling and awareness of it. And here and there, let us deign to glorify the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit together with the angels and the saints - the Unity in the Trinity, and the Trinity in the Unity, the boundless perfect God, forever and ever. Amen!