The Source of Eternal Life. Hieromonk Ignaty (Shestakov)

Hieromonk Ignaty (Shestakov)   

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!

Today we are commemorating in a special way the Holy Week in Hymns. Great and Holy Thursday. The Last Supper (with audio)This kind of Liturgy is reserved for the major feasts of the Lord, but on Holy Thursday we are additionally reminded of Judas’ betrayal at the Last Supper in the upper room, as he dipped his bread into the wine and gave his Master a kiss. This is to instruct us that we must flee Judas’s example and cleanse our conscience through the sacrament of confession before daring to receive Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

“>Last Supper of Christ—an event in which millions of Christians have participated for two millennia. The sacrament of Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ is the core, the greatest and most important sacrament in the life of every Christian; and participation in it is a distinctive feature of Orthodox Christianity, of the people who truly understand why the Lord established His Church.

A priest has recently told me how he went on a mission to the Special Military Operation zone and was practically on the front line. During the day, he went around the combat formation, which was scattered through forests, fields, and various hiding places. First he needed to speak to soldiers. He would ask, “Are there any Christians among you?” When they answered him, “Yes, yes, there are Christians among us”, a conversation would begin. But it should be taken into account that, like the majority of citizens of our country, these people, though baptized Orthodox, have a very vague idea about the fundamentals of their faith.

He would start a conversation with the soldiers and ask them: “You call yourself Orthodox Christians, but what is the essence of this faith?” They would start talking, and as a result a kind of confession of the faith would take place. This is what the apostle Peter instructs us to do: We must always be ready to make a confession of our faith (cf. 1 Pet. 3:15). For instance, the soldiers said that Christianity is, “thou shalt not commit adultery, shalt not kill, and shalt not lie.” And he told them that all this was important, but the most important thing was that in the Orthodox Church we have Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. And this makes true disciples of God different from others—they possess the most priceless gift, the richness of Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ and union with God. And this sacrament is what the Lord exhorted us to do. He said that he who does not eat the Flesh and drink the Blood of the Son of Man will not have life in himself (cf. Jn. 6:35). This is the source of life for us.

They would listen to him attentively, and within an hour a real transformation would take place in their minds—they learned what every Orthodox Christian should know, and they received Communion.

Unfortunately, there are many people among us who identify themselves as Christians but who have no idea what Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ is, or have a distorted understanding of it.

On this day a large number of people come to church, more than on other days, because the grace of God sobers up us Christians, and we long for this Source of eternal life. But it is imperative that we preach this and speak about these things to all our neighbors without being afraid or ashamed, because it is of paramount importance for us, for the future of our country, our Church, our people, and the whole world.

Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His Blood, ye have no life in you (Jn. 6:53). Therefore, the devil found it essential to destroy as many churches as possible and prevent a large number of people from partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ. He rejoices when you do not partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, but the saints of God grieve together with Christ and the Apostles.

The Body and Blood of Christ are the source of life for us. And let us never reject this source out of laziness, negligence, cowardice, or weakness. And most importantly, let us teach everyone we love this simple and vital truth. Amen.