Eucharist / Holy Communion

“…the person who “lives in the Eucharist and through the Eucharist,” to recall Fr. Florovsky’s words, (when, of course, that Eucharist is properly celebrated) becomes accustomed to looking not only “upwards” but also “forwards.” In other words, he gets into the habit of placing himself, his works and history itself under the light and the judgment of the Kingdom, always and in everything seeking its ultimate meaning (“ Seek ye first the Kingdom of heaven and its righteousness” [in other words, its love], Mt. 6: 33), of leaving the final judgment of other people in the hands of God, and of seeing in all things the ultimate destiny of their incorporation and survival in Christ unto “the age which does not end or grow old.” (Metropolitan John Zizioulas)

“ ‘And supper being ended . . . [Jesus] rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded’ (John 13:2–5). Jesus here drives home the lesson of humility in an exceptionally dramatic way. The hands that held heaven and earth were now employed in the washing of the disciples! This foot washing did not occur before or after supper but during. It was not, that is, a preparation for the Eucharist but part and parcel of it.” (Matthew the Poor)

“We receive Communion not because we are worthy but rather because we are the unworthy sinners in need of God’s salvation. It is Christ who makes us worthy to receive Communion without being judged by Him. The Apostles receive Communion at the Last Supper not because they were sinless or perfect, but because they accepted the gift of salvation from the Savior. We are not made worthy by our own efforts-no amount of fasting, asceticism, or even contrition will make us worthy. We rely on Christ our Savior for our salvation.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)

“The goal of the Holy Eucharist is not the consecration of bread and wine, but the consecration of human beings…Those who receive Communion are to become what they receive, making present in the world the sacrificial love of Christ for their neighbors in all that they do and are. In their uniqueness, they are to become living icons of the Savior’s deification of the human person.” (Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon, Fr. Philip LeMasters)

“As the priest breaks the Bread of the Eucharist, he says quietly: “Divided and distributed is the Lamb of God: who is divided, yet not disunited; who is ever eaten, yet never consumed; but sanctifying those who partake thereof.” We eat without “consuming.” The Body of Christ is not commodified. It is not reduced to an object to be disunited and consumed. Parts of creation are given to us for “food” but not for our consumption. Creation itself is given to us as a Eucharistic gift. It is to be eaten in the manner which the Eucharist itself teaches us. The purpose of eating and drinking in the Eucharist is communion with God. The same is true for the whole of our life. Learning to eat in communion with God, indeed, learning to live in communion with God, is to live free of the commodification of the world around us.” (Father Stephen Freeman)

“The Christian Faith is not philosophy, but rather communion with God…True Christianity raises the matter of community (communion) to an actual mode of existence. It is more than a mere moral activity – it is a manner of being.” (OCPM 11/9/2017, Father Stephen Freeman)

“God has created us for mature and life-affirming communion with Him and each other…All this is so because God made us in His image to be made into His likeness, and He knows Himself as Persons in communion.” (Father Barnabas Powell)

“Communion with God is prayer…God is with us everywhere. If we were not so distracted, we would have a constant awareness of God's presence — whether we were at home, on the street, in the field, in the forest, on the sea, underground; whether we were in freedom or in captivity — everywhere…The Christian’s most powerful resource is communion with God through prayer…Prayer is the continual dwelling place of communion with the Trinity.” (Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky, Life Application Study Bible, James 5:16-18, Jonathan Jackson)

"This…is an understanding of the human being as called to a relationship of communion with God. I emphasize an understanding of the God-world relation in terms of theosis, which I prefer to translate as divine-human communion. Practices like prayer and fasting were not developed to prove something to God or to score points with God. They are time-tested practices that rewire the body to make it available to the always-on-offer presence of God." (Aristotle Papanikolaou)

“When He then gives the gifts back to us as Himself in His body and blood, we are then participating in full cooperation with Him and the Holy Spirit guides us in our hearts to serve God in all aspects of our lives. That is why it is so important for us to have this full understanding when we receive Holy Communion. Understanding the spiritual reality in our hearts is what allows us to commune with Christ. The understanding comes through our participation. As this understanding sinks into our hearts each week when we receive Holy Communion, we are then deepening our relationship with Christ through both devotion and understanding.” (Sacramental Living)

“God made us in His image. This gift from our Creator is not revocable. This fundamental why of our existence means we were made first and foremost to be in relationship with our Creator and with everyone who is in relationship with our Creator—we were made for communion. Whatever hampers or destroys communion is an enemy of our fundamental why.” (Father Barnabas Powell)

“From God's eternal perspective, the Last Supper is a meal that has never ended. Even from a worldly perspective, it never has. Since the day that Jesus instituted the Eucharistic feast, not a week has gone by without some community, somewhere, breaking bread in his name. Now, with billions of Christians, we can be certain that in every moment of our lives people somewhere in the world are being given bread and wine with the assurance they are receiving the body and blood of Jesus.” (Rev. Christopher H. Martin)

“…the Lord is known among us “in the breaking of bread” (Lk 24:35). Several of Christ’s Resurrection appearances include a meal at which He blesses the disciples (Jn 21:12, Lk 24:30-31)… When we receive Holy Communion, we tangibly encounter His immaculate Body and precious Blood.” (Dynamis 5/28/2014)

“Viewed from the outside, our reception of Holy Communion appears simple and straightforward. We approach the chalice, the napkin is placed under our chin, and we receive the Holy Gifts from the spoon. The spiritual process of Holy Communion, however, is far more complex…we approach on our feet, we draw near the chalice with our bodies. Often, however, our souls and hearts are scattered. We fail to gather the disparate elements of our being into a concerted focus. However, Christ our God will help us if we exert ourselves to meet Him.” (Dynamis 5/7/2014)

“If you cannot find Christ in the beggar at the church door, you will not find Him in the chalice." (St. John Chrysostom)

“Each name we use for this Sacrament brings out a different dimension to it. It is the Lord’s Supper because it commemorates the Passover meal Jesus ate with His disciples; it is the Eucharist (thanksgiving) because in it we thank God for Christ’s work for us; it is Communion because through it we commune with God and with other believers.” (Life Application Study Bible, Matthew 26:26)

“Thus that communion of the faithful which is indeed the climax of the Liturgy should never be detached from the total Eucharistic movement of which it is a part. Its deepest, most sacred meaning is only understood by us when we perceive it to be the inevitable culmination of a close-knit act of sacrificial worship; an act which can never be that of individual fervor, but always that of the whole Christian family, transcending yet including in itself the separate movements and longings of each of its members.” (Evelyn Underhill)

“Communion with God means that God has made His abode in us and that His energy is working in us. Our spirit puts on God and He governs all our feelings, our will, and our mind. We are then like a tool in His hands. He moves our thoughts, desires, and feelings and directs our words and the work of our hands." (Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica)

“...even receiving the sacraments, is not enough. We must continue in our belief and manifest the fruit of faith.” (Orthodox Study Bible, 1 John 2:19)

“As we participate in the sacraments, the Holy Spirit works within us to reshape our consciousness and actions entirely.” (Dynamis 4/2/2014)

"Frequent and regular Holy Communion is vital....'Living sacramentally' and 'living liturgically' can never be realized in our lives if we do not receive the body and blood of our Lord on a frequent and regular basis...frequent participation in the sacrament of Holy Communion weakens our tendencies to sin and increases our growth in the true and abundant life." (Father Stanley Harakas)

“...the Eucharist is genuine Communion with Christ. It is our participation in His divine humanity.” (Clark Carlton)

“The only cure for sagging or fainting faith is Communion…. Frequency is of the highest effect.” (J.R.R. Tolkien)

“Awareness of your sin should not keep you away from Communion but drive you to participate in it.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 Corinthians 11:27-34)

“When He then gives the gifts back to us as Himself in His body and blood, we are then participating in full cooperation with Him and the Holy Spirit guides us in our hearts to serve God in all aspects of our lives. That is why it is so important for us to have this full understanding when we receive Holy Communion. Understanding the spiritual reality in our hearts is what allows us to commune with Christ. The understanding comes through our participation. As this understanding sinks into our hearts each week when we receive Holy Communion, we are then deepening our relationship with Christ through both devotion and understanding.” (Sacramental Living)

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