Preparation for Holy Communion
10 Things [1]
9. If we are truly to prepare for communion, we must understand what it is.
This is impossible for mortals to completely understand, but we can make a good start by attendance at the evening service, observing the “pre-communion” prayers, and meditating upon the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John
I am that Bread of Life. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the Bread which cometh down from Heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living Bread which came down from Heaven. If any man eat of this Bread, he shall live for ever; and the Bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily I say unto you, unless ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the Last Day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me. This is that Bread which came down from Heaven, not as your fathers ate manna and are dead; he that eateth of this Bread shall live for ever. [5]
10. Preparation for Holy Communion includes (not an exhaustive list!)
- Fasting according to the typikon of the church, under the guidance of the confessor.
- Prayer in at least a portion of the evening service.
- Saying the Pre-Communion prayers.
- Fasting from all food in the morning of liturgy, under the guidance of the confessor.
- Husband and wife should abstain from sexual relations the evening before liturgy.
- A quiet evening before liturgy, without movies, parties, etc.
- Arriving on time to liturgy.
From St Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKinney Texas – www.orthodox.net
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[5] John 6:48-58
I used to assume Christ's words written in John 6:48-58 were metaphor. That is the big problem: Scripture and our lives are filled with Realities that we mistake for metaphor and metaphors that we mistake for Reality.