Closed Communion in the Orthodox Church
When a stranger approaches the Holy Gifts during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy it is the norm in the Orthodox Church for the priest to ask the person to “kiss the chalice”. Not knowing if the person is Orthodox, or whether they are in good standing with the Church, the priest can not give them communion. This “closed communion” is not meant as a way of separating ourselves from visitors as though we were better than them, but as our way of guarding the Holy Mysteries from being received by someone who is not part of the Church and who may hold to views concerning the Eucharist that are in opposition to the teachings of scripture and the dogmas of the Ancient Apostolic and Catholic Church.
Priests are guardians of the Holy Mysteries and must make sure they are not defiled. The priest must also protect the person who may receive without proper preparation and belief. Every Orthodox Christian is expected to have prepared for communion by abstaining from all food and drink from midnight on, as well as having said the pre-communion prayers. A good confession is also an important part of proper preparation for Holy Communion.
When a person believes that the things which we teach are true and has receive baptism in the Orthodox Church unto regeneration, and who is so living a life in Christ, the communion is not simply common bread or common wine we are receiving, but the very Body and Blood of the Saviour. The Logos (Word) Who took on our flesh for the salvation of the world, is received into our bodies through the action of the Holy Spirit and the prayer of His word (this is my body….this is my blood). At this moment our blood and flesh, by transmutation, are nourished with the flesh and blood of Jesus who was made flesh.
Closed communion is the way the Church protects anyone who does not hold to these beliefs from receiving unworthily and therefore hurting their soul. As well, when the priest co-mingles the commemoration particles after the communion of the faithful, with the Body and Blood of Christ, he commemorates the union we have with each other as members of the Body of Christ, the Church. This union is not just with those who are communing with us in this Liturgy, but a union of both the Church Militant here on earth, and the Church Triumphant in heaven. Within the life of the Church there is no separation from each other at death. The Body of Christ is made up of both those who have gone on before us and those who are still alive, for we are all alive in Christ. In a very real way we are not only communing of Christ’s true Body and Blood, but we are communing of each other as the Body of Christ, the Church!
Love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Photo: This is my latest oil painting, showing a ferry crossing the Puget Sound just opposite the north end of Vashon Island.
Friday March 22, 2019 / March 9, 2019
Second Week of the Great Lent. Tone one.
Great Lent. By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)
The Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste: Cyrion (or Quirio), Candidus, Domnus, Hesychius, Heraclius, Smaragdus, Eunoicus, Valens, Vivianus, Claudius, Priscus, Theodulus, Eutychius, John, Xanthias, Helianus, Sisinius, Angus, Aetius, Flavius, Acacius, Ecdicius, Lysimachus, Alexander, Elias, Gorgonius, Theophilus, Dometian, Gaius, Leontius, Athanasius, Cyril, Sacerdon, Nicholas, Valerius, Philoctimon, Severian, Chudion, Aglaius,and Meliton (320).
New Hieromartyr Archpriest Mitrophan Buchnoff of Voronezh (1931).
New Hieromartyrs Michael, Alexis, Demetrius, Sergius, Sergius priests and Nicholas deacon, New Hieromartyr Iosaph and Virgin-martyrs Natalia and Alexandra (1938).
Urpasianus of Nicomedia (295).
Righteous Caesarius, brother of St. Gregory the Theologian (369).
St. Tarasius of Liconium.
“Albazin” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (“The Word Was Made Flesh”) (1666).
St. Philoromus the Confessor of Galatia (4th c.).
St. Pacianus, bishop of Barcelona (390).
St. Jonah, archbishop of Novgorod (1470).
St. Vitalius of Castronovo (994).
The Scripture Readings
Luke 21:12-19 Matins Gospel
Isaiah 7:1-15 (6th Hour)
Genesis 5:32-6:8 (Vespers, 1st Reading)
Proverbs 6:20-7:1 (Vespers, 2nd Reading)
Hebrews 12:1-10 40 Martyrs
Matthew 20:1-16 40 Martyrs
Father Bless
Good morning! Your painting is beautiful, it reflects the Wonder of the region and God’s creation.
Even though my wife and I are experiencing trials with our health and finances this Lent has been very profitable spiritually. As a convert this is my fourth Lent and finally feels like a normal part of my life (my wife came into the Church two years ago, Amen!).
I wish to thank you for your educational and edifying blogs, I try to attend daily.
May our Lord bless you and the brothers at the monastery and Lord willing someday perhaps we will make a pilgrimage.
in Christ,
Christopher and Catherine
Father Bless, I somewhat understand protecting the mysteries, but I never understood denying someone of the life giving mysteries when we are in so much need of the them. Who knows where the spirit will blow to move someone to receive the Holy Mysteries and transform their being into one who lives their life in Christ? If one is denied due to a type of penance from their confessor, isn’t this counter-productive? When we sin, isn’t that the time when we need Him the most to help us in our struggle? I have accepted that this is the way of the Church and must follow her teachings, but maybe you can help me to understand better. In Christ, Sophia
Your painting is exquisite! When did you begin to paint….is this a new endeavor? The light reminds me of the work of several Russian artists featured on Pravoslavie.ru
Love the painting
Your painting is beautiful!! Thank you for your daily posts! I enjoy them and spiritually profit from them!
Absolutely beautiful painting!
Father bless,
It seems important that people understand, as you make plain, that the withholding of Mystery is not a selfish act, but done in the interest of the unprepared as much as in the interest of the Church. As an enquirer who regularly attended church, I never crossed myself during Liturgy–something the Fathers were surprised to learn when I told them of it just prior to becoming a catechumen. I just didn’t feel that I had earned the right to perform even that simple a ritual, even though it was obvious to me that Christ had already begun to respond to my approach to Him. On several occasions in my life I found myself in one Protestant church service or another (having never been a churchgoer), wherein I was invited to participate in some form of communion. I held back, not because I abhorred the ritual but because I felt I had no business, in my state at the time, involving myself in such matters, and that it was even wrong for them to try to involve me.
Western mentality (the only mentality to which I’ve been exposed, til lately) is promiscuous, and has no sense of value, either for knowledge or being.
Amen to your words.
you are also a gifted painter? your excellent rendition-promotes the feel of a breezy inlet of the Pacific Ocean- definitely marketable! A God-given talent that you may use to add -besides the sale of coffee-how to finance your Holy monastery?
I was taught that Holy Communion can affect the communicant in either of 2 ways- with humility and at least a weekly preparation, may purify your spiritual nous or can be a condemnation if not approached or taken and accepted in accordance with the Traditional Teachings-Orthodox faith-preparation-fasting-communal prayers and approaching the Holy Gifts with trepidation, humility, and total repentance.
Thank you for your words and your clarification. I know one shall be part of both churches – the heavenly and the one on earth. This make me realize I shall never really be part of the one on earth having to much difficulty in learning the Serbian language in the church, and most of the people there the language of my country. So one cannot blame it on anyone – only on myself not being able to learn it and realizing that it is a very difficult language so my language must be equally difficult. Often then missing important dates or times . Doing my best I realize I am part of all persons there – but in the same way as the part in heaven since the communication fails here. I believe and hope this means it is not a sin – so I can still take the Holy Mysteries if I have not other sins, though I feel I sin all the time.