On Receiving holy communion
By St. Philaret the New Confessor of NY
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
We congratulate all the communicants of the Holy Mysteries of Christ on this joyous day, on this great mercy of God. Once I had already said in this holy temple that the most blessed Abba Metropolitan Anthony used to say that a person, who with faith, humbly, worthily has communed of the Holy Mysteries is already half saved for eternity and if he manages to worthily preserve that great gift which he has received in the Mystery of Communion, then the power of the enemy will not do anything to him and his soul will then acquire its salvation in eternity.
It seems unlikely that one could find an Orthodox Russian Christian who during the moments of penitent prayer, while preparing to commune, in general while seriously contemplating one’s soul, that he or she may not have good desires to amend his or her life and begin to live in a Christian manner as is fit for a Christian. But our problem is that when a person firmly resolves, then, as the holy hierarch Theophan the Recluse expressed himself, “his so-called firm decision looks very much like springtime snow in the sun; it seems to lie there, sparkling beautifully, but as soon as the sun peeks out — in a short while there is not even a trace left of the snow. And such is the case with our so-called firm intentions.” The holy hierarch Theophan also says, “It is only when the Grace of God overshadows him, only that Grace can make his vacillating, weak, unsure, unstable good intentions steadfast and firm.” Therefore, the communicant of the Mysteries of Christ must remember above all that specifically here, at the Holy Chalice which he had approached, is the source of strength and power.
But of course, the Lord does not forcibly lead anyone into His Heavenly Kingdom but only calls us to follow Him. For essentially the duty of a Christian in his life is to follow the path behind Christ the Savior Who showed us the way of a genuinely Evangelical life. And since a human, as was already said, is inconstant and fickle, he requires the help of Divine Grace in every place and constantly. And so in the Holy Mysteries of Christ it is this source of power that he receives.
One might ask, why is it then that far from all those who have communed do not fundamentally, firmly amend and change their lives for the better from a Christian point of view. The answer here is simple. Even in physics, in natural sciences it is said that in order that one power or another might produce its action, it requires as they say a point of application. Power applied to a specific point causes it to act and produce that action for which it is intended, but if this point of application is not present, then the power remains inert. There is no greater power than the almighty Divine power of Grace, but even It requires for Itself a point of application. And so, this point of application is the individual eort of the person himself.
Unfortunately it happens in many cases, that a person might even make confession and receive Communion; it would seem everything is fine and there is a good mind-set, but as soon as he walks away from the chalice, he immerses himself in worldly vain commotion and in essence does nothing on his part in order to change his life for the better. Again he becomes immersed into the same vain commotion, into the same old interests and then Divine Grace does not steer him for It does not see the presence of those eorts on his part which are essential.
So remember, in the Communion of the Holy Mysteries you have received a mighty power toward good, but this power seeks your eorts. The Lord once said through His prophet, “My son, apply your strength and I will apply My strength to your strength.” It is as if the Lord is saying, “you must make an eort yourself, and I will help you.”
This is what every communicant must remember. A good and holy deed has been done; the communicant of the Holy Mysteries has joined himself with Christ Himself, the Source of Life, but let him remember that now eort lies ahead, just as before. The Lord Whom he has received will help in his labors, but will not labor in his stead. Amen.
