The prayers and services of the Church demonstrate to
us the need for regular, weekly Communion. Without it, we cannot expect to live
our lives any differently than the rest of the world - we are simply too
spiritually weak to do so.
If we have acquired a correct eagerness to receive
Holy Communion, let us not fall into the trap of approaching it casually. Most
people are quite faithful in this regard, observing the necessary prayers
before Communion, and fasting from food, drink, marital relations, and smoking
prior to receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. This kind of preparation
allows us to be ready to receive the Lord under the roof of the spiritual house
of our soul.
One area of the preparation for Holy Communion which
is most often missed, however, is the preparation of the heart through silence
and prayers then evening before. The early Church observed an all-night vigil,
which was literally all night! Some parishes today observe the vigil as it has
come down to us: a two to three hour service of psalms, prayers, and spiritual
hymns. But in many parishes, only the service of Vespers remains as a means of
proper preparation for the night before Liturgy, and for the Liturgy itself.
Vespers in fact the beginning of the process of
approaching for Holy Communion. We cannot and should not approach the Holy
Mysteries without it, unless we are sick. Saturday night is also the ideal time
to go for Holy Confession, allowing that Holy Mystery to prepare us for the
next. While some parishes with more than one priest can offer Confession on
Sundays, it is simply impossible to have a full and proper Confession before
the Liturgy in places where only one priest serves. Like anything, there are
always exceptions for real emergencies.
Knowing all this, we may be tempted to reason our way
out of frequent participation in Holy Communion, in the following manner:
"Since I cannot make time to attend Vespers, and I cannot sacrifice a loud
and wild Saturday night, I will simply resolve to receive Holy Confession and
Communion only infrequently - perhaps a few times each year." What
madness! The certain next step in our thinking will be to say, "I know
Communion is the main part of the Liturgy - since I cannot receive it, I will
just stay home!" Brothers and Sisters in Christ, these are thoughts from
the evil one, who wants us to feel either rebelliousness or guilt when
confronted with the norms of the Christian life. He wants us to be paralyzed,
and he does not care how this happens.
God's peace is accessible to us. It is even offered in
abbreviated forms, because of our weakness (Vespers and the Liturgy of Saint
John Chrysostom on most Sundays are both much abbreviated from earlier
services).
If we say we want this peace, we must take the steps
needed to set aside our Saturday evenings - or at least an hour of it - for the
prayers with the Church which prepare us for Communion. We must decide that the
eve of the day of the Resurrection - Sunday - must be spent in quiet activities
that truly reflect the life of a Christian.
God doesn't ask everything of us, but He does ask
something: that we take part in the spiritual struggle against the tendencies
so strongly reinforced in our age of hedonism, and prepare ourselves like Moses
to ascend the Holy Mountain each week. The generations of the Old Testament
awaited our day and our opportunity to do just this; many would have died for
the spiritual opportunity we enjoy each week.
Let us fully recognize the gift that God has given us
in Confession and Holy Communion, and let us prepare ourselves in a worthy and
Christian way, not simply when guilt strikes us, or when it is a feast day, but
each week, so we may be prepared to fight the good fight for the week ahead.
By Archpriest
Geoffrey Korz
Source: http://www.asna.ca/articles/200809-01.html
CONVERSATION