Intake, its importance, and preparation for it – Available section

In this lecture His Holiness Pope Shenouda speaks about the sacrament of Communion and its spiritual importance. He cites Christ’s words about Communion as the bread of life and that whoever eats His body and drinks His blood receives eternal life and abides in Christ.

Nature and blessings
Communion is presented as a new nature implanted in the soul—like grafting a tree—where the pure nature of Christ is established in the one who receives it; it is considered a continuation of Christ’s sacrifice and a source of forgiveness and new life.

Covenant and remembrance
Communion is a covenant with God: by eating and drinking believers remember Christ’s death and confess His resurrection until His coming, and therefore the first historical Communion is associated with Maundy Thursday (Great Thursday).

Benefits of Communion and its categories
The benefits are three: benefit in itself (its spiritual essence), benefit in preparation (spiritual preparation leads to deeper life), and benefit in subsequent effect (Communion motivates the believer to avoid sin and live in piety).

The importance of preparation and repentance
Preparation for Communion is essential: true repentance and contrition of heart and absence of pride, because spiritual readiness determines how much one benefits, as Christ illustrated in the parable of the sower.

Confession, the Divine Liturgy and the priest’s preparations
Confession precedes Communion because without repentance the benefit is not received; the priest himself prepares with prayer, washing hands, and wearing white garments that symbolize purity and holiness, and all these symbols teach the people about the purity required of the heart.

Example and warning
The Pope warns that frequent Communion without inner presence or readiness turns it into a habit without benefit; he cites examples of Christ’s disciples who partook but did not prepare and thus seemed not to benefit.

Practical spiritual conclusion
Real benefit from Communion is tied to repentance and determination for a new life: Communion strengthens spiritual life when offered with reverence and purity of heart, whereas Communion without preparation is a loss of grace.

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