How to behave after communion at home. Thanksgiving prayer after communion

Glory to You, God. Glory to You, God. Glory to You, God.

Prayer of thanksgiving, 1st
I thank you, Lord, my God, for you have not rejected me as a sinner, but have made me worthy to be a partaker of your holy things. I thank You, for You have vouchsafed me, who is unworthy, to partake of Your Most Pure and Heavenly Gifts. But the Lord, the Lover of Mankind, for our sake, died and rose again, and granted us this terrible and life-giving Sacrament for the benefit and sanctification of our souls and bodies, grant this to me for the healing of soul and body, for the driving away of all that is resistant, for the enlightenment of the eyes of my heart , into the peace of my spiritual strength, into unashamed faith, into unfeigned love, into the fulfillment of wisdom, into the observance of Thy commandments, into the application of Thy Divine grace and the appropriation of Thy Kingdom; Yes, we preserve them in Your shrine, I always remember Your grace, and I live not for myself, but for You, our Master and Benefactor; and thus having gone from this life to the hope of the eternal life, I will achieve everlasting peace, where those who celebrate the unceasing voice and endless sweetness, who behold the ineffable kindness of Your face. For You are the true desire and the inexpressible joy of those who love You, Christ our God, and all creation sings to You forever. Amen.

Prayer 2, St. Basil the Great
Master Christ God, King of the ages, and Creator of all, I thank Thee for all the good things He has given me, and for the communion of Thy most pure and life-giving Mysteries. I pray to Thee, O Kinder and Lover of Mankind: keep me under Thy roof, and in the shadow of Thy wing; and grant me with a clear conscience, even until my last breath, to worthily partake of Your holy things, for the remission of sins and eternal life. For You are the living bread, the source of holiness, the Giver of good things, and we send up glory to You, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer 3, Simeon Metaphrastus
Having given me flesh by Your will, fire and scorch the unworthy, do not scorch me, my Creator; rather, go into my mouth, into all my parts, into my womb, into my heart. The thorns of all my sins fell. Cleanse your soul, sanctify your thoughts. Confirm the compositions with the bones together. Enlighten the simple five of feelings. Fill me with Thy fear. Cover me always, keep me, and save me from every deed and word of the soul. Cleanse and wash and adorn me; Fertilize, enlighten, and enlighten me. Show me Your village of the one Spirit, and not to anyone the village of sin. Yes, like Your house, the entrance of communion, like fire, every evildoer, every passion flees from me. I offer prayer books to You, all the saints, the orders of the disembodied, Your Forerunner, the wise Apostles, and to this Your undefiled, pure Mother, graciously accept their prayers, my Christ, and make Your servant a son of light. For You are the sanctification and the only one of ours, the Good One, of souls and lordship; and like unto You, like God and the Master, we send all glory every day.

Prayer 4
May Thy Holy Body, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, be unto me for eternal life, and Thy Honest Blood for the remission of sins: may this thanksgiving be unto me joy, health and gladness; at Thy terrible and second coming, vouchsafe me, a sinner, to the right hand of Thy glory, through the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother and all the saints.

Prayer 5, to the Most Holy Theotokos
Most Holy Lady Theotokos, light of my darkened soul, hope, protection, refuge, consolation, joy, I thank Thee, for Thou hast vouchsafed me, unworthy, to be a partaker of the Most Pure Body and Honest Blood of Thy Son. But She who gave birth to the true Light, enlighten my intelligent eyes of the heart; You who gave birth to the Source of immortality, revive me, killed by sin; Even the merciful Mother of God, have mercy on me, and give me tenderness and contrition in my heart, and humility in my thoughts, and appeal in the captivity of my thoughts; and grant me, until my last breath, to receive consecration of the most pure Mysteries without condemnation, for the healing of soul and body. And give me tears of repentance and confession, to sing and praise Thee all the days of my life, for Thou art blessed and glorified forever. Amen.
Now do You let Your servant go, O Master, according to Your word, in peace: for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people, a light for the revelation of tongues and the glory of Your people Israel.
Trisagion. Holy Trinity... Our Father...

Troparion of St. John Chrysostom, tone 8
With your lips, like the lordship of fire, grace shining forth, enlighten the universe: do not gain the love of money and the treasures of the world, showing us the height of humility, but chastising with your words, Father John Chrysostom, pray to the Word of Christ God to save our souls.

Kontakion, tone 6
Glory: You have received Divine grace from heaven, and through your lips you have taught us all to worship the one God in the Trinity. All-blessed John Chrysostom, Reverend, we worthily praise you: you are a mentor, as if you were manifesting the Divine.
And now: The intercession of Christians is not shameful, the intercession to the Creator is immutable, do not despise the voices of sinful prayers, but advance, as the Good One, to the aid of us who faithfully call Thee: hasten to prayer, and strive to entreaty, ever interceding, the Mother of God, who honor Thee.

If the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great was celebrated, read Troparion to Basil the Great, tone 1:
Thy message went out into the whole earth, as if it had received your word, which thou hast divinely taught, thou hast clarified the nature of beings, thou hast adorned human customs, the royal priesthood, reverend father, pray to Christ God that our souls may be saved.

Kontakion, tone 4
Glory: Thou hast appeared as an unshakable foundation to the Church, giving to all the unstealthy dominion of man, sealing with thy commandments, the unappearing Saint Basil. And now: Representation of Christians...
If the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts was celebrated, read the troparion to Saint Gregory the Double-Speaker to Basil the Great, tone 4: Whom have we received from God above divine grace, O glorious Gregory, and whom we strengthen with strength, who thou hast deigned to walk in the gospel, from whom thou hast most blessedly received from Christ the recompense of labor: pray unto him that he may save our souls. Kontakion, tone 3
Glory: The subordinate appeared to you as the Chief shepherd of Christ, the monks of the succession, Father Gregory, instructing the heavenly fence, and from there you taught the flock of Christ with His commandment: now you rejoice with them, and rejoice in the heavenly roofs.
And now: Representation of Christians...
Lord have mercy. (12 times) Glory, even now.
We magnify Thee, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison, the Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption, the real Mother of God.

After Communion, let everyone remain in purity, abstinence and laconicism, in order to worthily preserve the accepted Christ within himself.

Approaching the holy chalice, the communicant must fold his hands crosswise on his chest, clearly pronounce his name and open his lips wide. A small particle of the Holy Gifts, as advised by the Monk Ambrose of Optina, must be swallowed whole. If the particle is large, it can be carefully crushed with your teeth. After the deacon or clergyman wipes his mouth with the cloth, he must kiss the bottom edge of the cup. You should not cross yourself or bow near the chalice.

After communion, it is customary to drink “warmth” - warm water mixed with wine. You need to rinse your mouth with this “warmth” so that no particles of the Body of Christ remain there, and then swallow it.

When leaving the bowl and heading towards the table with “warmth”, you should not venerate the icons. Also, there is no need to kneel or prostrate on the day of communion. Prostrations to the ground are an expression of repentant sorrow for sins, while the communicant must remain in spiritual joy and glorification of God. After communion of the Holy Mysteries, one must thank the Lord and listen in church or read prayers for Holy Communion at home. Some Christians do not attach much importance to these prayers. Are they right?

Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov) wrote that he knew one pious clergyman who considered the cause of many temptations to be failure to read or a hasty, frivolous reading of the rules for Holy Communion. From his own experience, he experienced that in the latter case, the Divine grace received in the sacrament left him, and temptations began.

The Lord is philanthropic, but we should not and cannot offend Him with impunity with our neglect, not even considering it necessary to thank Him for the ineffable mercy towards us.

One of the parishioners of the church where I serve told an incident that happened with his relative, the servant of God Vasily. This person has very deep faith and tries to lead a godly life. Every year he receives communion seventeen times. However, with all his zeal for the salvation of his soul, Vasily did not attach much importance to reading prayers of thanks after communion. No, he, of course, thanked God, but he always limited himself to saying, when he came home, in front of the icons: “Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee!”

Once, after communion, Vasily came home in a joyful mood, stood in front of the icon case and, as usual, said with all his heart: “Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee!” And suddenly a firm commanding voice rang out: “Why don’t you read prayers of thanks after communion?!” Vasily was so frightened that his whole body trembled. Since then, after receiving the Holy Mysteries, he always religiously reads the prescribed prayers.

Is it possible to thank the Lord in your own words? Of course, we can, from the abundance of our hearts, thank the Lord for His mercy towards us sinners with our own prayers. However, at the same time, we must not forget to read the prayer rule determined for us by the Church.

“From the moment of communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ,” instructed St. Nikon of Optina, “until you drink it, you must be careful not to spit. Out of reverence, they try to beware of spitting all this day, although there is no indication of this anywhere and there is no sin in it.” Elder Hieroschemamonk Sampson spoke more strictly on this issue. Once he was asked:

Sometimes on the day of communion you accidentally spit. It is a sin?

“It’s impossible,” answered Elder Sampson. - We definitely need to collect it. And if you spit on a handkerchief, you need to wash it separately. Through the communicant, all objects are consecrated, including clothing, and even the cell.

Where to put fish bones after lunch on the day of communion?

Collect it in a piece of paper and then burn it, but don’t put it on a plate, because it might be taken to the trash. On the day of communion, do not eat meat under any circumstances, and do not drink wine, and do not visit guests, and do not receive guests. Name days are celebrated very modestly. And then it happens like this: I took communion, and in the evening there is a banquet, a feast for the whole world. There is laughter, and all sorts of stupidity, and disgrace!

Regarding eating food after communion, the words of Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov) are instructive: “By the way, a very remarkable and characteristic observation was noticed: after communion, you don’t want to eat “fatty” foods, but something more “subtle”, fasting.

This is where the instinctive physical “consciousness” of the inconsistency of the “carnal” with the spiritual state into which the body is introduced by communion with God, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is reflected. I knew a man who, on the day of communion, ate almost nothing at all except Lenten tea.

And vice versa, when a person eats fatty foods or generally overeats after communion, he can immediately observe how that light, subtle, spiritual thing perishes in him, which only before that he clearly felt.

Dissimilar elements cannot exist together.

Meanwhile, how often in practice we act precisely contrary to both experience and consciousness: after communion we do not know the measure of food and drink. And for this we lose both the “physical” and “spiritual” grace of Communion.”

The soul and body of a person who has received the Body and Blood of the Lord are filled with Divine grace, which must be carefully preserved. This grace sanctifies not only the communicant himself, but also the space around him. Sometimes, by God's providence, people are privileged to feel the grace emanating from a communicant with their bodily senses.

One day Elder Gabriel (Zyryanov), being sick, received Holy Communion. After communion, the monk Father Epiphanius came into his cell. Feeling the fragrance in the room, he turned to the cell attendant:

What did you perfume the old man with? My God, what an expensive perfume this must be? It smells so good...

Soon another monk, Father Abner, came to visit Father Gabriel. He also felt an extraordinary fragrance in the room and also asked the cell attendant: where and at what price were such wonderful perfumes purchased? Meanwhile, neither Elder Gabriel nor his cell attendant used perfume. “I,” Elder Gabriel later recalled, “lay broken, like one who had fallen into thieves. But I was a partaker of the Life-giving Body and Blood of Christ; and behold: the Spirit gives life! and we all hear His fragrance by smell. He, like the Gospel Samaritan, pours the wine and oil of His grace onto the wounds of those who have fallen into the thieves.”

After communion, we must take special care to ensure that the Lord, who has entered our hearts, is not upset by any sin. In the words of schema-abbot Savva: “After death we will be severely tortured if we do not preserve the grace of the Holy Spirit. If on the day of communion you become irritated, upset, or judge someone, then we will try to cleanse this stain in our souls through repentance. This day is best spent in silence and prayer or in reading the Holy Scriptures and the teachings of the holy fathers, because at this time the soul is especially receptive to goodness and the wondrous words of the Gospel will sink into the depths of the heart.”

If, by the grace of God, we have been honored to receive gifts of grace during communion, we need to preserve them, strictly observing the movements of our hearts, the thoughts of our minds, and the use of our bodily senses. Reverend Alexy Zosimovsky said: “The fruits of Holy Communion are effective if we do not offend the shrine. If we insult it, then on the same day of communion it ceases to function. How do we insult the shrine? Vision, hearing and other senses; verbosity and condemnation. Therefore, on the day of communion, one must primarily preserve one’s eyesight and remain silent more, keeping one’s tongue shut.”

The famous Greek spiritual writer Archimandrite Cherubim († 1979) in his youth lived for some time on Mount Athos under the guidance of one of the Svyatogorsk elders. One day this elder invited several Athonite ascetics to his kaliva for a festive service. The all-night vigil and liturgy lasted all night. At dawn the monks took communion. Father Cherub was shocked by the fiery prayer of the righteous, the burning of their spirit and the abundant tears that flowed from their eyes.

As soon as the liturgy ended, Father Cherubim ran to prepare coffee for the participants in the service. However, before he could light the fire, everyone left. Then Father Cherubim asked his elder:

Why did the fathers leave without drinking coffee?

After this all-night vigil, can they sit down for coffee? “They accepted Christ, the precious Pearl, into themselves, and immediately left so as not to lose in conversations what the all-night vigil had given them,” answered the elder.

It should be noted that many Athonite ascetics spend time after communion in prayerful vigil. One day, at the end of the service, the novices suggested that Elder Gabriel the Hermit lie down to rest. The elder said in response:

It is not suitable for us to sleep after the Divine Liturgy and Divine Communion, for we have received into ourselves the Most Pure Mysteries of Christ and the universal enemy, the devil, must not find us sleeping in order to tempt us, defile our body and soul and instill in us unclean thoughts and harmful lusts, from in which the grace of God, which enters us with Divine Communion, disappears.

“It has been noted,” wrote Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov), “that if a communicant goes to bed soon after communion (especially after a hearty dinner), then when he wakes up, he no longer feels grace. The holiday seemed to be over for him already. And this is understandable: devotion to sleep testifies to inattention to the heavenly Guest, Lord and Master of the world; and grace departs from the careless participant in the Royal Supper. It is better to spend this time reading, thinking, even taking a mindful walk. So I had to observe this among the monks. But in the world you can visit a sick person, do something good for someone, or enjoy pious fellowship with your brothers, or go to the cemetery to see your dead.”

The Monk Nektarios of Optina advised his spiritual children after communion not to rush into doing anything, but to “give yourself the benefit of half the day, read the Holy Scriptures, remain in prayer and thanksgiving to the Lord.”

Let's summarize all of the above. So, how should we behave after communion?

1. We must remain in thought about what a terrible gift we have received in its greatness. We need to thank the Lord for this and be spiritually sober, so as not to offend in any way the Divine grace that we have been honored to receive in the sacrament of the Eucharist.

2. Having the Lord Himself within us, we must use the time after communion to deepen our spiritual life, acquire virtues, and fight passions and sinful habits.

3. The Lord who dwells in us immeasurably strengthens our spiritual powers. Therefore, the period of time following the acceptance of the Holy Gifts is priceless. It must be treasured and used wisely.

Prayers of thanksgiving after Holy Communion

When you are rewarded with the grace-filled Communion of the life-giving mystical Gifts, sing immediately and give thanks earnestly. And fervently from the heart say this to God:

Glory to You, God! (3)

Prayer of thanksgiving, 1st

I thank You, Lord my God, that You did not reject me, a sinner, but deigned me to partake of Your Holy Things. I thank You that I, unworthy, can partake of Your most pure and heavenly Gifts.
honored But, Lord Lover of Mankind, who died for us, and rose again, and gave us these terrible and life-giving Sacraments of Yours for the benefit and sanctification of our souls and bodies, make them be for me, for the healing of soul and body, for the reflection of every enemy, for enlightenment the eyes of my heart, into the peace of my spiritual strength, into firm faith, into unfeigned love, into the fulfillment of wisdom, into the observance of Thy commandments, into the increase of Thy divine grace and the acquisition of Thy Kingdom. So that, preserved by them in Your sanctification, I always remember Your mercy and live no longer for myself, but for You, our Lord and Benefactor. And thus, having left this life in the hope of eternal life, I reached a place of eternal peace, where the unceasing voice of those celebrating and the endless pleasure of those looking at the indescribable beauty of Your face. For You are the true goal of aspiration and the inexplicable joy of those who love You, Christ our God, and all creation sings to You forever. Amen.

Prayer of St. Basil the Great, 2nd

Lord Christ God, King of the ages and Creator of the whole world! I thank You for all the blessings that You have given me, and for the communion of Your most pure and life-giving Mysteries. I pray to You, Good and Humane, keep me under Your protection and in the shadow of Your wings and grant me with a clear conscience, until my last breath, to worthily partake of Your holy things for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
For You are the Bread of Life, the Source of sanctification, the Giver of blessings, and to You we send up glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer of St. Simeon the Master, 3rd

Having given me Your flesh for food voluntarily, You are the fire that burns the unworthy! Do not burn me, my Creator; rather, go through the parts of my body, into all the joints, into the insides, into the heart, and burn up the thorns of all my sins. Cleanse my soul, sanctify my thoughts, strengthen my knees and bones, enlighten the five main feelings, nail me all with fear of You. Always protect, protect and protect me from every deed and word harmful to the soul. Cleanse, wash and arrange me, adorn, admonish and enlighten me. Show me to be Your abode, the one Spirit, and no longer the abode of sin, so that after receiving Communion every evildoer, every passion will flee from me, as from Your house, as from fire. As intercessors for myself, I present to You all the saints, the Commanders of the disembodied armies, Your Forerunner, the wise Apostles, and above them, Your immaculate, pure Mother. Accept their prayers, my merciful Christ, and make your servant a son of light. For You, the only Good One, are the sanctification and radiance of our souls, and to You, as befits God and Master, we all send up glory every day.

Prayer 4

May Your Holy Body, Lord Jesus Christ our God, be for me for eternal life, and Your precious Blood for the forgiveness of sins. May this thanksgiving bring me joy, health and joy. At Thy terrible and second coming, grant me, a sinner, to stand to the right of Thy glory, through the intercessions of Thy all-pure Mother and all Thy saints. Amen.

Prayer 5, to the Most Holy Theotokos

Most Holy Lady Theotokos, light of my darkened soul, hope, protection, refuge, consolation, my joy! I thank You that You have vouchsafed me, unworthy, to become a partaker of the most pure Body and precious Blood of Your Son. But, O One who gave birth to the true Light, enlighten the spiritual eyes of my heart. Source of immortality, O One who gave birth, revive me, deadened by sin. Mother of the merciful God, loving mercy, have mercy on me and give me tenderness and contrition in my heart, and humility in my thoughts, and a calling to good thoughts when my mind is captivated. And grant me, until my last breath, to accept, without condemnation, the shrine of the most pure Sacraments for the healing of soul and body. And give me tears of repentance and thanksgiving, so that I may sing and glorify You all the days of my life, for You are blessed and glorified forever. Amen. Your servant. For You, the only Good One, are the sanctification, as well as the radiance of our souls, and to You, as befits God and Master, we all send up glory every day.

Prayer is right. Simeon the God-Receiver

Now do You let Your servant go, O Lord, according to Your word, in peace, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the face of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel.

Trisagion

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3)

Prayer to the Holy Trinity

All-Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Lord, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name’s sake!

Lord have mercy. (3)
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now, and always, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

.
Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who is in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; Give us our daily bread today; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Troparion to St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, tone 8:

The grace that shone like a fiery torch from your lips/ enlightened the universe; /
You have collected a treasure of non-possession for the world, / You have shown us the height of humility. / But, instructing us with your words, / Father John Chrysostom, / pray to the Word, Christ God, for the salvation of our souls.

Kontakion, tone 6

Glory: You have received divine grace from heaven / and through your lips you teach everyone to worship the one God in the Trinity, / John Chrysostom, all-blessed, reverend, / we duly praise you: / for you are our mentor, the one who explains the divine.

And now:

[ If the liturgy of St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea was celebrated, read the troparion to Basil the Great, tone 1:

Your voice has spread throughout the whole earth, / for it has accepted your word: / you have expounded to them the truths of the faith in a manner worthy of God, / you have explained the nature of everything that exists, / you have embellished human customs, - / royal priest, reverend father, / pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.

Kontakion, tone 4

Glory: You appeared as the unshakable foundation of the Church, / endowing all people
inviolable property, / sealing it with your teachings, /
Rev. Basil, who reveals the heavenly.

And now: The intercession of Christians is not shameful, / The intercession to the Creator is unchanging, / do not despise the prayerful voices of sinners, / but come quickly, for the Good One, to help us, / with faith calling on You: / “Hasten with intercession and hasten the prayer, Mother of God, / always protecting those who worship You!" ]

[ If the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts was celebrated, read the troparion to Saint Gregory the Dialogue, Pope of Rome, tone 4:

Having received divine grace from above, / glorious Gregory, from God, / and strengthened by His power, / you desired to walk the path of the Gospel, - / because
O all-blessed one, you have received the reward for your labors from Christ, - / Pray to Him that He may save our souls.

Kontakion, tone 3

Glory: You, Father Gregory, / appeared as an imitator of the Chief of the Shepherds of Christ, / directing hosts of monks into the heavenly courtyard, / and therefore you taught the sheep of Christ His commandments. / Now you rejoice with them and rejoice / in the heavenly abodes.

With the highest honor of the Cherubim / and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, / who gave birth to the virgin God the Word, / the true Mother of God, we magnify You.

From Easter to Ascension, instead of this prayer the following is read:
« Shine, shine, new Jerusalem, / for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! / Rejoice now and show off, O Zion! / Rejoice, O Pure Mother of God, / about the resurrection of the One born of You.”

After communion, let everyone remain in purity, abstinence and laconicism, so as to worthily preserve Christ received within himself.

In the life of every Orthodox person there are events that go far beyond everyday joys and sorrows. These are the days when the sacrament of Holy Communion is performed over him. They lie on a completely different plane of life. They bring joy, but this joy is of a special kind, not commensurate with the joy that earthly life gives us. These are the days of our unity with God.

What is the meaning of Holy Communion for us?

The great sacrament of the communion of the body and blood of the Lord makes our human nature akin to God. His body and blood become part of us, organically part of our soul and body. Just as a person inherits from his biological parents, of which he became a part by virtue of blood kinship, certain inherent qualities, so by taking into ourselves the body and blood of the Lord, we become heirs of his qualities.

The Lord in his earthly life, making an atoning sacrifice, died and then rose again in a completely different flesh. This flesh was endowed with properties inaccessible to an ordinary person. But Holy Communion makes us - the creations of his hands - heirs of both this flesh and this immortality. In addition, Jesus Christ, having become incarnate from the Virgin Mary, accepted everything except sinfulness. The Lord is sinless.

Reading the prayers included in the Follow-up to Holy Communion, we ask God to deliver us from the slavery of sin that has weighed on us since the fall of the first people - Adam and Eve. And our prayers are justified. After all, by becoming partakers of the Divine body and blood, we must get rid of sinful captivity. For the great joy of spiritual renewal and the acquisition of immortality, we thank the Lord God, offering him prayers of thanks after Holy Communion.

Where and how are these prayers read?

Communion of the Holy Mysteries of the body and blood of Christ is performed in the church during the liturgy. At the end, a prayer of thanks after Communion is read on behalf of all who were honored with the holy sacrament on this day. Usually it is read by a psalmist. But sometimes parishioners, returning home from church, open the prayer book and read it themselves.

He wrote many theological works that have come down to us. The prayer of thanksgiving after Communion, written by St. Basil the Great, is full of deep and sincere feeling. He begins it with words of gratitude for all the blessings God has given him. The saint asks the Lord to always protect him with grace and divine power. In conclusion, he prays that the Lord will grant him the privilege of keeping his conscience unsullied and always approaching the holy sacraments with the consciousness of his spiritual purity.

Prayer three

Its author is the holy Venerable Simeon Metaphrastus, who lived in Greece at the turn of the 9th-10th centuries. He entered the world as an outstanding theologian and historian. He created an extensive collection of the lives of saints, edited and annotated. The prayer of thanksgiving he wrote after Communion is read third. Starting it, he likens the Lord to burning all the unworthy. The monk prays, saving his life, to burn the sinful thorns nesting in him, and to make him the abode of the Holy Spirit. The monk entrusts himself to God's providence and trusts in his protection.

Very short, fourth prayer

This small prayer is filled with very deep meaning. It contains an appeal to God with a request for the gift of eternal life - the main and desired goal of every Christian. Then the words of the prayer appeal to the Lord for the sending of mercy at the Last Judgment, which will follow the second coming.

The Most Holy Theotokos enjoys special love and veneration among all Christians. There is a very special attitude towards her. With her purity and holiness she surpasses the hosts of angels. Even cherubim and seraphim cannot compare with her. Therefore, the prayer addressed to her begins with words full of sincere love. “Light of a darkened soul, cover, refuge, consolation and joy” - these are the epithets with which the gratitude offered to her begins for the fact that she has made us worthy to partake of the blood and body of her Son.

In prayer, we, recognizing ourselves as dead by sin, ask the Most Pure One to revive us. For her, who gave birth to the source of immortality, nothing is impossible. We ask you to direct our thoughts to good deeds and fill our hearts with Divine love. And like all previous prayers, the prayer of thanks to the Mother of God ends with a request to grant us the opportunity to receive the shrine of the most pure mysteries for the rest of our lives.

A fragment of the Gospel text and subsequent troparia

At the end of the prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos, a short biblical text is read, including the words of the holy Venerable Simeon the God-Receiver, spoken by him when, through the Holy Spirit, he saw the incarnate God in the baby Jesus brought to the temple. His “Now you let go...” concludes the prayers of thanksgiving after communion, the description of which is given above.

But our thanksgiving does not end there. Next, troparia and kontakia are read, and which ones depend on which saint’s liturgy was performed. This could be the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, or it could be - In addition, if the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts was served, then the troparion to St. Gregory the Dvoeslov and the corresponding kontakion are read. A prayer of gratitude to the guardian angel is not included in this list of prayers, but it is quite clear that we cannot help but thank the guardian of our soul and body, not give him credit for everything we owe him, including the grace of Holy Communion. There are many prayers to our guardian angel. You can read any of them. The main thing is that it comes from a pure heart. In preparation for Holy Communion, everyone reads a large number of prayers prescribed by the church charter. Among them there is a canon to the guardian angel. It is very good to re-read it even after performing the holy sacrament.

Our day after Holy Communion

But prayers of thanksgiving for Communion do not complete the circle of our responsibilities associated with this most important sacrament. The Holy Church strongly recommends devoting this day to studying the word of God, thinking about God and caring about maintaining spiritual purity. It is better on this day to get rid of everything idle and devoid of spirituality. It is recommended to abstain from all kinds of entertainment. Even those that are not condemned by the church on ordinary days may be inappropriate on the day of Communion. Marital intimacy and smoking are also prohibited. The lips that have received the body and blood of the Lord must not be defiled by anything. Therefore, the use of swear words is completely unacceptable.

The Lord has given us a powerful and reliable means of communicating with him - Orthodox prayers. Grateful, petitionary and repentant - they elevate our souls and hearts. Regardless of whether we are talking about church prayer read in church, or about home prayer in a cell, they become grace-filled only under the condition of our deepest faith and the sincerity with which we pronounce them. And every time we approach them, we must remember that at this moment we are performing the great sacrament of communication with God.

Many books have been written on how to prepare for Communion, but how to behave on this day? There are many prejudices:

You can’t wash on this day,
You can’t eat fish without spitting out the bones, or berries with seeds?
You can’t spit saliva, even if it’s phlegm, and what should you do if you spit?
What to do if the baby burps on this day?
You can’t kiss a communicant, and what should you do if it’s a baby whom you kiss 100 times a day?

Priest Nikolai Fateev:
Here is what is recommended and generally accepted:
“Church rules prescribe to maintain bodily purity on the day of communion, to occupy your mind with thoughts of God and prayer, and not with entertainment. There are no recommendations regarding food, but there is a limit on the amount of food and wine intake so that there is no nausea that day. Therefore, abstinence before Communion, moderation in food, is especially necessary on this day. If a baby burps after communion, then it is necessary to collect it with a napkin and burn it. The church rules are silent about kissing a baby.”

How should you behave during the day after communion?

Priest Afanasy Gumerov, resident of the Sretensky Monastery, answers:

After communion, a person must preserve the shrine. It is wise to control your lips and avoid idle talk. We must move away from everything vain, passionate and generally spiritually unhelpful. You need to be especially attentive to yourself, because on such a day the enemy always tries to lead a person into temptation. If the sacrament was on a weekday, then you must fulfill your duties. Nothing interferes with work.

The opinion that on the day of communion you cannot kiss icons and the hand of priests is not based on anything. There is no mention of this either in the holy fathers or in the liturgical books. It is better to abstain from prostrations until the evening, because a person has accepted the greatest shrine - the Body and Blood of the Lord. But if during the prayer everyone fell to their knees, then you can do this without embarrassment. The most important thing is to be in a joyful mood and thank God.

When receiving Communion, is it necessary to bow towards the altar after receiving the Holy Gifts?

Do this do not do it. And here's why: the bow after communion towards the altar, past the pulpit, on which the priest stands with the Chalice, reflects a complete misunderstanding of one obvious fact. The one to whom the one who has received the Holy Gifts wishes to express gratitude, i.e. Christ Himself remains at this time with His Most Pure Body and Precious Blood in the Eucharistic Chalice, which the communicants kiss precisely as a sign of gratitude.

Priest Dimitry Turkin

They say you can’t take Christ after communion?

They also say that you can’t kiss three times after Communion or kiss children?

It is known that many people think that if they kiss someone after Communion, then “grace will leave them.” This is a prejudice. First of all, the person receiving communion must keep himself from everything that is not beneficial to the soul, from vanity, from sin.

Deacon Pavel Mironov

What to do with clothes soiled after communion?

During the communion of my four-month-old son, moving away from the Chalice, I noticed that the Blood of Christ was flowing down his cheek. A droplet fell on a gauze napkin and on a sweater. What to do with a jacket and napkin? Galina

Dear Galina! The blouse and napkin must be burned and the ashes buried in the ground (to ward off trampling and desecration), you can take things to the temple and ask them to burn them there, because the Holy Blood has come into contact with them. The next time you give Holy Communion to a small child, try to be extremely attentive and take your time when bringing him to the Holy Chalice. This must be repented of in confession.

God bless you and your family!

Sincerely, priest Alexander Ilyashenko.

Look at the video of the rules of behavior after Communion.

Is it possible to sleep and bow after communion?

Is it possible to venerate icons after communion?

Is it possible to wash after communion?

What to do as an Orthodox Christian after communion

Archpriest Andrey Tkachev answers

There are many books and manuals dedicated to preparing for Divine Communion. The purpose of these books is to give man the knowledge necessary for a conscious, reverent and unashamed approach to the Cup of Food of Immortality. These books are not monotonous. There are discrepancies in them, mainly associated with different severity of preparation and different approaches to the frequency of communion. But, all the same, such literature exists, and it is numerous. But here's what we don't have! We do not have books that lead a conversation with the reader about how to behave after communion, how to preserve the gift received, how to use the reality of communion with God for good! There is an obvious gap. And there is no audacity to quickly fill this gap. The seriousness of the task requires, firstly, the formulation of the question, and secondly, a concerted effort to find the correct answer.

Experience, both spiritual and everyday, suggests that it can be easier to receive than to keep. If we are talking about a great gift, then the ability to use it is the hardest thing that awaits the recipient. A blessing can turn into a curse as the gifts are misused or neglected. The history of Israel is an example of this. Many miracles, God's guidance, the relationship between the people and God, similar to a marriage! What more? But the reverse side of this relationship is inexorably executions and heavy blows falling on the heads of people who behave unworthy of election. As for communion, the reality of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist even in apostolic times forced people to talk about the illnesses and deaths of unworthy communicants. So, it is high time to talk not only about preparation for communion, but also about the correct way of life after receiving communion.

Here is the first thought lying on the surface: isn’t it appropriate on the day of communion, instead of evening prayers of repentance and contrition, to read prayers of thanksgiving again after communion at night? They contain requests not only to forgive and have mercy, but to “enter into the hearts and wombs, strengthen the joints and bones, burn up the thorns of all sins,” and so on. These short prayers are very powerful, full of meaning, joyful, and energetic. Repeated or at least repeated reading of them on the day of communion increases the feeling of gratitude to God in the Christian soul, gives rise to sobriety (memory of the Lord), and kindles the desire to receive communion more often.

Saint John (Maksimovich) after the liturgy often remained in the altar for a long time. He read the Gospel, “pulled” his rosary, performed other prayers, and then went to his daily labors with effort, because he did not want to leave the altar. This is also a lesson. It is obvious that a worldly person is burdened with worries and that the hectic pace of life is the enemy of concentration. But you need to try not to immediately plunge into business after communion; you need to try to look for at least a drop of silence, given over to reading and reflection.

I’m afraid to say which of the Optina elders (it seems, Barsanuphius) advised reading the Apocalypse of John the Theologian on the day of communion. Obviously, it was meant that the blessed mind of a Christian at this time is more capable of perceiving the mysteries of God than on ordinary days. There is not so much specific advice as the outlines of a general rule: on the day of communion, devote all possible time and energy to the study of the word of God and other spiritual works.

Having become the house of God through communion, a Christian becomes afraid of the invisible enemies of good. “Every evildoer and every passion flees from him, like from fire.” The essential task for the enemy, therefore, is to try to entertain the Christian, to drag him into a whirlwind of all sorts of worries, to surround him with “ignorance, oblivion, cowardice and petrified insensibility.” And to the extent that we are careless, the enemy succeeds in this. Is it any wonder at the rampant sin and the confusion that reigns in our heads if we do not really learn to use our most victorious weapon - an essential union with the God-man and Savior?

The question, no doubt, has not been resolved, but only touched upon. It requires church attention, and the very sound of the question can be preceded by the call: “Let us take notice!” And the ability to forgive insults, and the ability to resist the influence of passions, and courage in the midst of adversity, and the anticipation of eternal blessings, and much, much more, is given abundantly to the participants.

This is what John of Kronstadt said after communion:

“The Lord is in me personally, God and man, hypostatically, essentially, immutably, purifying, sanctifying, victorious, renewing, deifying, miraculous, which I feel in myself.”

The wealth of gifts felt by the Kronstadt shepherd is the same wealth of gifts that is given to everyone, but, unfortunately, without such a deep feeling on the part of the participants.

In this sense, the saints will judge the world. Having exactly as much as we do, they managed to turn their lives into the bright burning of a lamp, while we only smoke and risk finding ourselves without oil in the terrible hour of judgment.

Besides what we already have, we perhaps do not need anything more for miraculous completeness and everyday Christian witness. You don’t need anything more, but you need to learn to use what you have. And first of all, you need to learn how to behave correctly in relation to the most pure mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ: to reverently accept them and to keep them worthy within yourself.
Archpriest Andrey Tkachev

Orthodox prayers read after Communion

Glory to You, God! Glory to You, God! Glory to You, God!

1st Orthodox prayer read after communion

I thank You, Lord my God, that You have not rejected me, a sinner, but have made me worthy to be a participant in Your holy things. I thank You for making me, unworthy, worthy to partake of Your most pure and heavenly gifts. But, O philanthropic Master, for our sake you died and rose again, and gave us these terrible and life-giving sacraments of Yours for the benefit and sanctification of our souls and bodies! Give them to me for the healing of soul and body, for the reflection of every enemy, for the enlightenment of the eyes of my heart, for the pacification of my spiritual strength, for unashamed faith, for unfeigned love, for the increase of wisdom, for the fulfillment of Your commandments, for the increase of Your grace and the assimilation of Your kingdoms, so that I, protected by them in Your sanctification, always remember Your grace and live not for myself, but for You, our Lord and benefactor. And so, having ended this present life with the hope of eternal life, he reached eternal peace, where the unceasing voice of those enjoying bliss and the endless joy of those contemplating the indescribable beauty of Your face is heard, for You, Christ our God, are the true pleasure and inexpressible joy of those who love You, and You praise all creation forever. Amen.

Prayer of Saint Basil the Great read after communion

Lord Christ God, King of the ages and Creator of all! I thank You for all the benefits that You have given me in accepting Your most pure and life-giving sacraments. I beg You, merciful and humane, keep me under Your roof and in the shadow of Your wings and grant me, until my last breath, with a clear conscience, to worthily partake of Your holy things for the remission of sins and eternal life. For You are the bread of life, the source of holiness, the giver of blessings, and we send up glory to You together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer of Saint Simeon Metaphrastus read after communion

Having given me Your flesh for food voluntarily, You are the fire that burns the unworthy! Do not burn me, my Creator, rather go into the members of my body, into all the joints, into the insides, into the heart, and burn up the thorns of all my sins. Cleanse my soul, sanctify my thoughts, strengthen my knees and bones, enlighten the five main feelings, nail me all with fear of You. Always protect, protect and protect me from every deed and word harmful to the soul. Cleanse, wash and arrange me; decorate, admonish and enlighten me. Show me to be Your abode, the one Spirit, and no longer the abode of sin, so that after receiving Communion every evildoer, every passion will flee from me, as from Your house, as from fire. As intercessors for myself, I present to You all the saints, the Commanders of the disembodied armies, Your Forerunner, the wise Apostles, and above them, Your immaculate, pure Mother. Accept their prayers, my merciful Christ, and make Your servant a son of light. For You, the only Good One, are the sanctification, as well as the radiance of our souls, and to You, as befits God and Master, we all send up glory every day.

4th Orthodox prayer read after communion

Lord Jesus Christ, our God! May Your holy body be for me eternal life and Your holy blood for the remission of sins. May this (supper) thanksgiving be for me joy, health and joy. At Your terrible second coming, grant me, a sinner, to stand on the right side of Your glory through the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother and all the saints.

Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos read after communion

Most Holy Lady Theotokos, light of my darkened soul, hope, protection, refuge, consolation, my joy! I thank You for deigning me, unworthy, to partake of the most pure Body and precious Blood of Your Son. But, having given birth to the true light, enlighten the spiritual eyes of my heart! Producing the source of immortality, revive me, killed by sin! As the merciful Mother of the merciful God, have mercy on me and grant to my heart tenderness and contrition, to my thoughts modesty and liberation from the captivity of my thoughts. Grant me, until my last breath, to uncondemnably accept sanctification with the most pure sacraments for the healing of soul and body. And give me tears of repentance and confession, so that I can sing and glorify You all the days of my life; for You are blessed and glorified forever. Amen.

Now do You let Your servant go, O Lord, according to Your word, in peace; For mine eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people, a light to enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel (Luke 2:29-32).