PRAYER BEFORE COMMUNION

Receive me today, Son of God, as a partaker of Your mystical Supper. I will not reveal Your mystery to Your adversaries. Nor will I give You a kiss as did Judas. But as a thief I confess to You: Lord, remember me in Your Kingdom.

Priest (in a low voice): Behold, I approach Christ, our immortal King and God. The precious and most holy Body of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ is given to me (Name) the unworthy priest, for the forgiveness of my sins and eternal life (he partakes of the piece marked XS - Christ).

The precious and most holy Blood of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ is given to me (Name) the unworthy priest, for the forgiveness of my sins and eternal life, in the name of the Father (lifts the cup and then drinks), Son (repeats action), and Holy Spirit (repeats a third time).

This has touched my lips, taking away my transgression and cleansing my sins.

(as he transfers the remaining portions of consecrated Bread into the chalice): Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Lord Jesus, the only sinless one. We venerate Your Cross, O Christ, and we praise and glorify Your Holy Resurrection. You are our God. We know no other than You, and we call upon Your Name. Come, all faithful, let us venerate the Holy Resurrection of Christ. For behold, through the cross joy has come to all the world. Blessing the Lord always, let us praise His resurrection. For enduring the cross for us, He destroyed death by death.

(aloud, as he comes out with the chalice): With the fear of God, with faith and love, draw near.

(as people approach one by one): The servant of God (the communicant says his baptismal name aloud) receives the Body and Blood of Christ for forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

(The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom - pp 25-26)

Having finished the preparation of the gifts, the priest recites the prayer before communion, which is based on the confession of the repentant thief on the Cross: “Lord, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom” (Luke 23:42). When we approach the most holy gifts, we need to humble ourselves, so that the Lord will exalt us. We also make a commitment to guard this mystery and only share it with those who love and follow Christ.

The priest receives communion following the ancient custom: he receives the Body from the hand of the bishop (or his own hand, if no bishop is present) which really stands for God’s hand, and then he drinks three times from the chalice. The people receive from a special spoon, called lavida, which is only used for this purpose. The priest breaks down the Holy Body into small pieces and mixes them with the precious Blood in the chalice. As people approach, “with the fear of God, faith and love,” a short dialogue takes place, the faithful saying their baptismal name aloud.

When we receive Holy Communion, we must prepare ourselves by fasting in the morning (exception is made for very little children or people who need to eat a little for medical reasons), by saying the prayers before Holy Communion that are included in the Liturgy book, and by carefully reviewing our own spiritual state. Children should ask themselves if they behaved well towards their parents, grandparents and siblings. They should confess to their parents any bad mistakes or lies, and ask for forgiveness. Adults should make sure they are in good canonical standing (if in doubt, they should consult the priest) and should make sure that they hold no grudges against anyone, otherwise they should first ask for forgiveness and only then approach. People who fall into major sins should first unburden themselves in the Holy Mystery of Confession, but day-to-day sins are cleansed by receiving Holy Communion regularly, as we see from the prayer that echoes Isaiah 6:7 - “This has touched my lips, taking away my transgression and cleansing my sins.”
We should not use our unworthiness or lack of preparation as an excuse for not receiving Communion, but rather redouble our efforts not let another Sunday go by without approaching with the fear of God, faith and love. Holy Communion is our ticket to eternal life in Christ!