Contemplations on the Holy Communion

christ_lover

Hey guys, ;D ;) :)

How can we contemplate on the Holy Communion? From the moment you walk in church, until you walk out of church.

christ_lover

any feedback
anyone ;D

ilovesaintmark

It is actually quite simple. People often forget the obvious and look for complicated routes. The answer is in the model of Our Lord, Himself.

Preparation:
a) cleanliness of the soul--Confession
b) cleanliness of the body--bathing and putting on your best attire
c) cleanliness of the mind--praying, not talking during the services and keeping ones eye focused on a goal

Ritual:
a) participating in the Rubrics of the Divine Liturgy
b) singing in joy at the top of one's lungs in participation with the angels and saints
c) breathing in the heavenly aroma in the form of the incense--"the prayers of the saints"

To enter in the church with a goal is a must. That goal is to have a meeting with the Holy Trinity. It is in the Divine Liturgy that we have a manifestation of each Person of the Holy Trinity. Our Father is present, He hears our petition, and sends His Holy Spirit, to make the bread and wine into the True Body and True Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We are no different than St. John the Baptist in witness to the Trinity as he did when he baptized his cousin--Our Lord.

One has to approach the Holy Eucharist as part of a two element Sacrament. There can be no Eucharist without Confession. It is vague to consider them as separate sacraments. They are actually two parts of the one sacrament which is the reconciliation and living with the Divine Being of Our Triune God.

There are prayers of preparation and post-communion that are in the Agbeya which allow us to find expression to our emotions as to the validity of this precious sacrament and its necessity for our existence.

Did you ever wonder 'why we use leavened bread for the sacrifice?' It is because Christ, Our Master, takes up our sins and burns them away. The priest accepts the confession of the sinner and takes those sins and places them on the sacrifice, i.e., Our Lord on the altar. When the sexton (arabny), makes the holy bread that will be presented for the services of the Divine Liturgy, he adds yeast to make the bread rise. Yeast in the Old Testament was a symbol of sin, and this is the reason why it is excluded from foods for the Passover Week (Jewish Tradition) as well as a reminder of the hurried exodus from Egypt. In the tradition of the Orthodox Church, this yeast is the only addition to the making of the bread as a symbol that the 'Sacrificial Lamb' has freely accepted our sins. In the baking of the bread the yeast is burned away. No different from the burning of the sacrifices on the altars in the Old Testament. The yeast organism (the symbol of sin) is gone upon the baking process. Yet the holes are still present. They are a reminder of the consequences and pains of sin that leave their remark despite our repentance, e.g., a murderer's repentance--the penance is accepted but the mark of the murder will always be present. Moreover, they are a reminder of the wounds we inflict on Our Lord on a daily basis because of our sins. This is no different from the scourging, the driving of the nails, the mockery, the spit, and the crowning with thorns that He received in His earthly lifetime.

An Orthodox Christian, is dead without a presence in the sacramental life. To follow the words of my Father of Confession: 'avoid doing things that would keep you from the sacramental life'. This is in a way a prioritization of one's life and endeavors.

Holy Communion is just that...it is a communion with God, but it is also a communion with the "community". In this Blessed Sacrament so much is given as a gift from and in a manner of unconditionality.

Remember, Our Father in Heaven, has raised us even above the angels by actually allowing us to see Him and His saving acts. The angels observe and participate in their own limited way, but cannot taste Him, nor feel Him, nor any of things that were granted to us as human beings. The Holy Eucharist as a most intimate fellowship with God. It allows us to break with the boundaries of our bodies to let our souls reach up to Him and kiss him with a tender kiss in the same way we do to our parents.

Reverence in attendance, quietness, and a devotion to the above goals allow us to feel the presence of the Grace which is from the Sacrament of the Sacraments. Ultimately, we will never be worthy, but we rely on His Mercy to grant us the opportunity to receive this most Holy Sacrament.

Boricua_Orthodox

Let me give you a big hug in Christ for such a wonderful teaching on preparation for receiving the Holy Eucharist!!!!



;D (((((((((((((((ilovesaintmark))))))))))))))) ;D


Gracias

ilovesaintmark

As they say in espanol: 'de nada'.

It wasn't me, it was the Master of the Sacrament that spoke. I just type for a living.

Be warm in His Grace, because it is cold out there.

mmatt95

[quote author=ilovesaintmark link=board=4;threadid=1054;start=0#msg19329 date=1106915451]
Be warm in His Grace, because it is cold out there.


that quote is so funny lol ;D