In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen!

Why I don’t take the Holy Communion

You have probably heard a million times about how you should take the Holy Communion. So have I, and every time I am asked as to why I don’t take the Holy Communion, I cringe with a loss of excuse. The truth is I don’t take the Holy Communion because I am scared. I am scared each time the priest announces “he that is pure let him receive of the oblation, and he that is not pure let him not receive it, that he may not be consumed by the fire of the Godhead which is prepared for the devil and his angels… (After washing his hands he says) as I have cleansed my hands from outward pollution, so also I am pure from the blood of you all, if you presumptuously draw night to the body and blood of Christ I will not be responsible for your reception thereof. I am pure of your wickedness, but your sin will return upon your head if you don't draw night in purity.” I am even more scared when the deacon repeats “if there be any who disdains this word of the priest, laughs, speak, or stands in the church in an impudent manner, let him know and understand that he is provoking to wrath our Lord Jesus Christ, and bringing upon himself a curse instead of the blessing, and will get from God the fire of hell instead of the remission of the sin” (The Liturgy of the Ethiopian Church, 1959). After hearing this, can you blame me for not daring to take it? These words are quite intimidating. I worry, what if there are some sins I forgot to confess about or sins I don’t even remember making? To answer these questions, I read a lot about the Holy Communion and asked deacons and priests for their knowledge on this topic. Today, I am willing to explore these questions regardless of my fear. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? Are there disadvantages? What are the advantages?

Meaning

Before we discuss the advantages and disadvantages, we should look at the meaning of the Holy Communion. What is it exactly? What does it mean?

The literal meaning of the Eucharist, also known as the Holy Communion, is a Greek word for thanksgiving; its meaning derives from the fact that during Passover “Jesus took bread, and blessed it … and gave it to the disciples…” (Mathew 26:26). So when we take the Holy Communion, we are giving thanks to God for His sacrament. In the process, we also become “members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones” (Ephesians 5:30). More clearly in John 6:56, He said that “he that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.”

The underlying meaning of the Holy Communion is the reinforcement of our beliefs as we acknowledge his crucifixion. Every time we accept His body and blood into our body we are confirming that He is indeed as alive as when He was having dinner with His disciples. He instructed us to “…take, eat [bread]: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24-25).  He conveyed to us to take it and remember Him as we do. The Holy Communion is a celebration of honor for being part of His flesh and blood and remembrance of His sacrament. It should be understood as being the real presence of Christ, His true body and blood mystically present in the bread and wine, which are offered to the Father in His name and consecrated by the divine Spirit of God.

Then you might ask why is it represented as flesh and blood? It could have been represented in many expensive ways such as gold or silver. One of the reasons it is represented in this way is to show us humility by lowering Himself to our level. Also, because it is flesh and blood once we take it, it becomes part of our body. It is to show us that He loves us. But another simple truth as to why it’s represented by food is because when we are hungry, food is a necessity for our physiological survival as is the Holy Communion for our spiritual survival. But without going too far with our analysis, we can realize the obvious reason it’s represented by food is that when we are hungry, food is better than gold or silver. Representing it this way is to show us the essentiality of His flesh and blood. Another meaning for the representation of His flesh and blood by bread and wine is that it’s what He and His mother ate so by making the Holy Communion bread and wine He is conveying to us that it’s indeed His real flesh and blood.

Advantages

With these questions (Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? Are there disadvantages? What are the advantages?) in mind, I started reading and asking every deacon and priest I know about the Holy Communion.

What I learned is overwhelming and it makes me feel silly for asking such questions. If I was ever unsure upon hearing the priest and deacon’s words from the liturgy mentioned above, I am now reassured. God promised to us that “whose eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:54). Just by taking the Holy Communion, we are marking our space in heaven. In fact, when we don’t take His body and blood, we have no life; He states “Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of Son of man and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (John 6:53). In the end, it’s our honor to accept His flesh and blood as it gives us life. When the priest brings forth the flesh and blood and we accept it, without doubt, we become part of the moment during Passover dinner when His apostles were given the Holy Communion by Him.

The best part of taking the Holy Communion is that we will be sharing with Him one of His last meals that He ate eagerly. This is seen when “He said unto them, with desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: for I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God: and he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, take this, and divide it among yourselves: for I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of vine, until the kingdom of God shall come” (Luke 22:15-18). Don’t you want to be part of that last meal? Because I sure do. Another advantage is that, when we take it, we will be following His steps. At that dinner table when He was seated with His twelve disciples, He blessed and broke the bread in thirteen pieces which means He ate and then gave it to His disciples as well. If He took it, then why shouldn’t we? Are we any better to reject His flesh and blood when He gave to us part of Himself? It is such a precious gift for us to receive His body and flesh. There could be no better blessing than that. In addition, if we don’t take the Holy Communion but we go to church, it’s actually breaking one of the church rules. In the liturgy, it says everyone who attends church is required to take the Holy Communion, “Blessed is he who does blessed deeds and honors the Sabbath. Let him not question whether he will be outcast from multitudes if he was to enter into the worship of God” (Book of Liturgy 2-75). Yet another reason to take the Holy Communion is that receiving it means receiving His approval and love. Finally, it’s a privilege only the Baptist Tewahdo Orthodox can partake in.

 Disadvantages

If taken lightly without confessing one’s wrongdoings, instead of a blessing, it will become a greater sin. It’s clearly stated that we should take the Holy Communion as often as possible “for as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). There are consequences, however, when and if we do it without proper preparations and true belief in it. In 1 Corinthians 11:27, He says, “…whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the lord.” When we take the Holy Communion upon ignoring His warnings, the evil of it returns to us. We will become like Judith who took the Holy Communion upon his will and suffered the consequences of being vulnerable to the devil getting into his heart (Judith is one of the disciples who betrayed God at His crucifixion). Also, we don’t just bestow judgment on ourselves but others as well. We become responsible for the unfortunate happenings of the world. In other words, when we “…eateth and drinketh unworthily, [we] eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause, many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep” (1 Corinthians 11:29-30). The seriousness of this situation is that when we take God’s blood and body in vain, not only are we committing sins against ourselves but others as well. An illustration of this is when He says “for if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged” (1 Corinthians 11:31). This means that our sins can affect others.

Preparations

You might be convinced enough to take the Holy Communion, but now you are wondering how do I prepare for the Holy Communion? If I take it in what way would it be beneficial?

The preparation for the Holy Communion is no different than the abiding rules we are supposed to follow as members of God’s family. To be ready for the Holy Communion, you just have to become a good Tewahdo Orthodox person. This means you should understand the Holy Trinity, learn about the Eucharist beforehand, and be the utmost faithful in your journey of a Tewahdo Orthodox. Most importantly, you should only take it after you confess and are clean of your sins. As the priest clearly states during the liturgy, “whoever has revenge in his heart and whoever maintains in him strange thoughts and fornication let him not draw near. (After washing his hands he says) as I have cleansed my hands from outward pollution, so also I am pure from the blood of you all” (The Liturgy of the Ethiopian Church, 1959). Be warned if you do it without being cleansed of your sins, even your priest is not responsible for the forthcoming of your punishment. After you are prepared spiritually, it’s a must to be prepared physically as well. This is the easier requirement, which is to clean your body and wear appropriate clothing (usually a white outfit that covers your body). After you take the Holy Communion you can’t wash your hands, clip your nails, and eat too much. Basically, you should avert yourself from doing anything that takes away the precious flesh and body of the Lord.

Myths

The reason I haven’t taken the Holy Communion was that I was scared, but I am sure there are many reasons others don’t do it. Growing up, I have heard many myths about the Holy Communion. One of the most common myths is that it’s somehow only meant for children or older people who are on their death beds. The other myth I hear about might just be an excuse because resting for one day and not touching water is a bother. Another myth I heard, which I also played into, was that if you take the Holy Communion you are somehow saying you are better than everyone else. I got worried that people who saw me take it might assume that I think I am better than them or I am being arrogant. Of course, the humorous aspect of this situation is that it’s a myth and people don’t actually think that. This was probably just my own projection. There are probably many other myths out there I am unaware of. My hope is that we don’t let them prevent us from participating in the Holy Communion because if we do we will be rejecting ourselves from receiving His love. We should just take these ideas as they are, myths.

Conclusion

My “aahaa” moment that really cleared my doubts, was when I realized that the Holy Communion is about having faith. Although it is valid to ask questions and to be unsure, at some point it diffuses the whole purpose of it; having doubts becomes vain and disrespectful. Even if it’s hard, accepting the Holy Communion is part of the faith because, in the end, faith really means not being doubtful. So in the process of learning about the Eucharist, I also learned to be more faithful and to trust God without doubts.

The wonderful part about the journey of a Tewahdo Orthodox is that God has promised us if we “ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7). So when we are willing to learn, God will be there to give us knowledge. I say this to remind us that the Holy Communion is a big responsibility and commitment, but if we pray to God in order to make us ready, it is one of the greatest blessings we can receive.

Glory to God, Amen.

Biezawit