Receiving Holy Communion in the Orthodox Church

We welcome those Christians not fully united with us in faith and life to our celebration of the Liturgy. Unfortunately, the guidelines offered above exclude those who are not of the Orthodox faith from the reception of communion. This is a sad and painful consequence of the painful divisions that exist within Christianity. Because we believe the reception of communion to be an action of the celebrating community that signifies a complete unity in matters of faith, life and worship, the reception of communion by Christians not fully united with us in faith would imply a unity that does not yet exist in reality.

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In order to be properly prepared for this encounter with Christ, those seeking to receive communion should not be conscious of grave sin in their lives, having opened their hearts with prayer, fasted appropriately and lived with charity and love towards their neighbors. Because, as the apostle Paul teaches, it is possible to receive the body and blood of the Lord "in an unworthy manner" and actually be "sinning against the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 11:27-30), those who are aware of grave sin in their lives should participate in the sacrament of confession - confess their sins and be reconciled to Christ and His Church - before approaching the chalice to receive communion. (Read 1 John 1:8-10; James 5:16; and John 20:19-23.) Frequent reception of the body and blood of Christ - at every Liturgy, if possible - is encouraged for all Orthodox Christians. This is in keeping with the ancient practice of the Church and the teaching of the saints. We receive communion four times each week - on Sunday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday - and on the other days when there is the remembrance of a saint.

We should pray. We should have love in our hearts for all people. We should ask forgiveness from God and from our parents, brothers, and sisters. Also from anyone we may have hurt. On the morning before going to the Divine Liturgy to receive Communion we do not eat or drink anything if our health allows, just as one would not spoil his appetite by eating before a special meal, so we sharpen our spiritual appetite for Christ through such fasting. But we must never allow an overemphasis on fasting to become a wall separating us from Christ Who wishes to come to us in every liturgy.

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When we come before the priest for Holy Communion, our hands should not be in our pockets, but at our sides. We make the sign of the cross, tell the priest our baptismal name, hold the Communion cloth carefully under our chin, and open our mouth wide. We do not slurp from the spoon, nor should our teeth scrape on the spoon. After receiving Communion we wipe our lips carefully with the Communion cloth (not on our hand or shirtsleeve), make the sign of the cross, and hand the Communion cloth to the next person.

We are always careful that we do not allow Communion to fall from the communion spoon or from our lips onto our clothing or to the floor. For this reason we move very slowly toward the chalice and the communion spoon, and we do not pull our head away quickly after receiving. We are careful not to bump the chalice or the hand of the priest. After receiving Communion, we do not chew gum (or spit), because when we dispose of our gum it may contain particles of Holy Communion.

Once we have received Communion, we must remember that we have become one with Christ and with all those who received Communion with us. The same Christ now lives in all of us. We are all living icons of Jesus. It is by loving one another that we love Jesus. After receiving Communion our bodies become holy chalices. God has come to live in us. His blood now flows through our veins.

Jesus wants to use our hands, which have now become His hands, to help those in need. When we receive Communion, we become members of Christ’s Body, the Church. This means that Jesus has no eyes but our eyes, no feet but our feet to do His work in the world today. What kind, thoughtful act will you do for Jesus today?

NOTE: The Sacraments, including Holy Communion, are reserved only for baptized Orthodox Christians, in good standing with the church. Until other faiths are in full unity with us, Orthodox Christians cannot participate in other sacraments and non-Orthodox Christians cannot participate in Orthodox sacraments.

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The Lord Jesus said: "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, they will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh. Amen, amen, I say to you: unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life and I will raise them up on the last day. For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me." - John 6:35,51,53-57

The apostle Paul said: "The cup of blessing which we bless: is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break: is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the same loaf.

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took a loaf of bread and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after supper, he also took the cup, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread of drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink in an unworthy manner, without discerning the Lord's body, eat and drink judgment against themselves. For this reason, many of you are weak and ill and some have died. - 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:23-30

Also, read the accounts of the Last Supper given at Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25 and Luke 22:14-23.

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MsDahl said:

What a great post, this is exactly what I needed on Sunday!! Are we allowed to print this info and give to someone for further reading?

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