Priest (in a low voice): Lord Jesus Christ, our God, hear us from Your holy dwelling place and from the glorious throne of your kingdom. You are enthroned on high with the Father and are also invisibly present among us. Come and sanctify us, and let your pure Body and precious Blood be given to us by Your mighty hand and through us to all Your people. (aloud, lifting up the Lamb) Let us be attentive. The Holy [Gifts] for the holy ones.

People: One is Holy, one is Lord, Jesus Christ, for the glory of God the Father. Amen.

THE COMMUNION HYMN People: Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the highest. Alleluia. (repeated as many times as necessary)

Priest: (breaking the Lamb in four pieces): The Lamb of God is broken and distributed; broken, but not divided. He is forever eaten yet never consumed, sanctifying those who partake of Him.

(placing the portion marked “Jesus” in the Cup): The fullness of the Cup of faith, by the Holy Spirit.

(blessing the warm water): Blessed is the fervor of Your saints, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

(pouring the water into the Cup crosswise): The warmth of faith, filled with Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Lord’s prayer has prepared the congregation for partaking in the most precious gifts consecrated during the long Anaphora prayer. The priest bestows one more time the heavenly peace upon the people, and then prays to the Lord Christ Himself to come and sanctify all present. Notice that the same Lord Who is enthroned at the right hand of the Father is also invisibly present in the congregation. The priest receives the pure Body and precious Blood from the very hand of God, and then in turn distributes them to all the people. This is why it is such a special blessing to kiss the hand of the priest who celebrates the Divine Liturgy: it is, in a mystical fashion, the very hand of God.

The priest then proclaims “The Holy for the holy,” meaning that those who receive the gifts are indeed made holy, but also that only those who have made a firm commitment to Christ and the Church should partake of the most holy Gifts. The people respond with the humble and heartfelt acknowledgement that only One is holy, namely the Lord Jesus Christ. None of us approaches the Holy Gifts because it is our right to do so, because we are entitled to do so, or even because we deserve it. We approach the gifts with great reverence, faith and love, because we need them for our salvation.

As the people sing softly the communion hymn, praising the Lord in heaven, the priest breaks the Lamb (the piece of bread that has been cut at the Proskomede service and stands for Christ, the Lamb of God) into for pieces that bear the inscription IS XS NI KA, meaning Jesus Christ Conquers, by which we proclaim that Christ has conquered the world, defeating once and for all the powers of darkness. The accompanying prayer meditates on a great mystery: Christ’s body is broken into many pieces that all of us receive, and yet it is not divided, but rather unites us into one mystical Body. We eat His Body every time we receive Holy Communion, and yet this Body is never consumed, but rather it consumes us from within. We become the Body of Christ.

The piece marked “Jesus” is then placed in the Cup containing the precious blood (an action which is called commingling), because the Body and the Blood of Christ are not to be regarded as separate, but one in power.

Finally, the hot water (called Zeon) is blessed in remembrance of the fervor of the saints, and then added to the Blood of Christ, making it warm, just as the blood that gushed forth from His side when He was pierced with a spear.

With these actions and prayers, the Holy Gifts are ready for the communion of the clergy and the people, which we will discuss next week.