Seminar on the Mystery of the Eucharist at the Monastery of Anba Bishoy – Wadi El Natrun
The Eucharist is not merely bread and wine as a memorial; it is the Body and Blood of the Lord truly participated in, according to the words of Christ and the Apostle Paul.
Theological significance
Scripture (John 6, Matthew 26, and 1 Corinthians 11) proclaims that whoever eats the Body of Christ and drinks His Blood remains in Christ and has eternal life; therefore one cannot partake of the mystery without worthiness.
Meaning of worthiness
The Apostle warns against partaking without self-examination because that makes the communicant guilty in the Body and Blood of the Lord and deserving of judgment and sometimes punishment by weakness or death; therefore repentance, confession, and reconciliation with others before communion are necessary.
Liturgy and the altar
The mystery is connected to the altar and the sacrifice, and the Orthodox and Catholic Churches throughout history considered the altar the place of the Lord’s sacrifice. Denying the altar or claiming the mystery is only a memorial diminishes the essence of the Eucharist.
Memorial versus real participation
Memorial alone is insufficient; the Eucharist grants life and spiritual perseverance: “remains in me and I in him” is not merely a symbolic phrase but a reality given in the mystery.
The believer’s preparation
The Orthodox tradition requires sufficient fasting (hours before communion), sincere confession, and leaving off enmity with brethren, because communion requires a reconciled and pure heart.
Relation to evangelical traditions
The Father explains that relying on Scripture alone is acceptable, but the trusted ecclesial tradition founded on the Holy Scriptures is the basis of the Orthodox understanding of the Eucharist, and he warns against individual interpretations that depart from the texts of revelation.
Spiritual conclusion
The Eucharist is a salvific mystery and an ongoing sacrifice that calls us to sanctify the self, to embrace repentance and confession, and to live in union with Christ and the Church in order to reap its true fruit.
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