Holy Communion in the age of HIV and H1N1

This message was sent to people who subscribed to the mailing list of Sts. Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church in Glenview, IL.  Fr. Vladimir Christy is one of the Priests at this parish.  Although I did not get explicit permission to post, I felt this message had to be shared with a larger audience because, as Christians, we must put our doubts and fears aside and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ ... the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Christ, and once we put ourselves into that state of mind, spirit and emotion we take one step closer towards Him.

HOLY COMMUNION IN THE AGE OF HIV and H1N1

by Fr. Vladimir Christy

Holy Communion is the reason Orthodox Christians celebrate the Divine Liturgy.  It is the heart of the liturgy.  The remainder of each week is spent in gratitude, preparation and anticipation of again receiving the most wonderful gift of Holy Communion.

During the liturgy, we pray the Eucharistic Prayer (The Anaphora) which gives us the direct commission and command from our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ who personally instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion when He commanded us to:

“Take, eat; this is My Body which is broken for you for the forgiveness of sins.”

He then commands us to:

“Drink of this, all of you: this is My Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

And, at the appointed time in the Liturgy when Holy Communion is distributed, we are invited:

“In the fear of God, and in faith and love, come forward.”

Why then do some people fear contracting an illness from receiving Holy Communion?  We fear when we doubt His promises to us and His great love for us.   Any Orthodox Christian concerned about contracting any disease through receiving Holy Communion should remember three things:

Our Lord Himself commands us to receive Holy Communion regularly when we pray for “The forgiveness of sins”.

The Orthodox Church believes and teaches that when the Holy Gifts are consecrated, they become the actual Body and Blood of Our Lord.  Neither He, the hosts of angels and archangels nor all of the powers of heaven would permit anyone to contract a disease through the pure act of faith in receiving Holy Communion.

No government supported scientific study has ever hinted that any disease, including HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), the virus, which can cause AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome), can be contracted through sharing “the communion cup”.  HIV/AIDS is a ‘blood-born’ virus.  It is too fragile to exist outside of the bloodstream.  Believers should therefore not be concerned about oral transmission of HIV.  Saliva in people’s mouths contains enzymes which are very effective for killing the very low amount of foreign pathogens which many enter a person’s mouth.

No outbreak of communicable diseases has ever been linked to the communion cup, and those are the diseases, which are much more easily transmissible than the fragile blood-born HIV virus

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control), a branch of the United States Government has stated that there is almost no risk of becoming infected with the HIV/AIDS virus through routine, non-intimate contacts in either the home or workplace.  This includes sharing utensils, drinking cups and even the use of another’s toothbrush.

Some denominations (mostly Protestant) believe that communion ‘represents’ or ‘symbolizes Christ’s body and blood.  The Orthodox Church believes when the Holy Gifts are consecrated, the bread and wine absolutely and totally become the Body and Blood of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.  It is therefore unthinkable to even consider that Our Lord would permit His Body and Blood to be a source of contamination or infection to any believer who would, ‘in faith and love come forward” to receive Holy Communion.

An interesting Observation:

If Holy Communion (by use of the ‘common cup” and the spoon) were a source of contamination, one might assume that many of our priests would therefore become infected and sick because, at the conclusion of each Divine Liturgy, the priest must consume the remainder of the Holy Gifts and yet, not one case if illness, much less contracting of HIV/AIDS or any other germ has been documented.

Therefore, given the scriptural promises of Our Lord Himself, along with the many years during which illness resulting from Holy Communion has never been observed, believer are encouraged to continue receiving Holy Communion at every Divine Liturgy for which they have prepared.  Don’t let doubt or fear enter your mind or heart about anything which would create separation from the body of believers.

May God Continue to bless each and every one of you as we continue our journey of faith together.

Christianity

"I really just think that if people who have problems with the Christian faith just took the time to study Orthodoxy, they could undoubtedly reconcile themselves to following Christ."

I heard this over the weekend from a girl who is half my age! Rather than dismiss the teachings of a Christ that you think you know in your head, take the time to understand the early Church teaching.

God IS love, and the Scriptures are infinitely deep wells of knowledge.

How long do you keep us in doubt?

I was blessed to reflect on the Gospel at St. Thomas Indian Orthodox Church of Chicago on Sunday, November 8th ... really humbled, and this blog-post is based both on the prepared notes as well as"real-time" deviations.

Glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever ... Amen

On this 2^nd Sunday of our Church Liturgical Cycle, known as Dedication Sunday, the Gospel reading is from St. John 10:22-38. Because of the limited time, let’s focus on two points which I pray gives a better understanding on why this Gospel reading was chosen by our Church fathers for this 2^nd Sunday of the Liturgical Calendar.

In verse 24, we hear the Jewish authorities surrounding Jesus yet again, challenging Him by asking, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly”.  And Jesus responded:  “I told you, and you do not believe.  The works I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me, but you do not believe” 

In last week’s Gospel reading (Matthew 16:13-23), Jesus first asks His disciples who people say that He is, and then followed by asking the disciples who they think He is.  It is St. Peter who responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”.

On this Dedication Sunday, this is the first reflection point that we,  as His followers and as His disciples, must understand, believe and confess – Jesus is the Christ.  He is the Truth, the fulfillment of the Scriptures that was written thousands of years ago.  Jesus is the Truth, the Son of God, fully man and fully divine. 

Every Holy Qurbana (Divine Liturgy), we are reminded of this – through the hymns, through our responses, through our prayers.  Everything in the Orthodox Church points to that revelation of Truth.  

Why did I kiss the hand of the Achen before speaking? Because he has touched the living Body and Blood of Christ.  Why do we close the curtain? As a remembrance to us of the Old Testament days before the Incarnation, as a remembrance of time of crucifixion of the Lord, and when closed again before the Body and Blood of Christ is brought the act serves as a remembrance of the Second Coming.

Everything in the Church points to this truth - that Christ is the Son of the Living God.  There is no doubt in His believers.  

This is the teaching given to the Apostles and in turn handed to our forefathers and to us.  This is the fullness of Truth - the same Truth that St Thomas brought to India.  When asked, we refer to ourselves often as Indian Orthodox Christian.  But what we must really understand is that we are Christian Orthodox ... Orthodox because there was no additions or subtractions from that ancient revelation of Truth.  It's an after-thought that most of us happen to be Indian.   

The words Jesus uses to those who challenge ... “I told you, and you do not believe.  The works I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me, but you do not believe”.

The verse continues, and Jesus explained to the authorities, “I and My Father are one”. This angers some of the people to the point they are ready to kill Him, and begin picking up stones.  Christ then responds by referencing a Psalm - “Is it not written in your law , “I said you are gods?”.   This is Psalm 81 (or 82, depending on translation) i.e., “I said, “You are gods, And you are all sons of the Most High”.  

Why did not God “tell us plainly”, as the Jewish leaders were asking Jesus in this Gospel message? God the All Mighty could easily have magically snapped His fingers and eliminated all evil, forcing all to see His Majesty and Lordship. 

But the Church understanding of why He came down to Earth goes back to the story of Creation in Genesis (1:26), where Man was created in God’s image and likeness.  It was always God’s plan for us to have eternal life and grow in communion with God.  But we have to do this willingly, through love, become like Christ … become like God.  

St Athanasius, a Church father who is remembered in the 5th Thubden, explained the Incarnation, the birth of Jesus -  “God became man, so that man can become God”

How can this be?  By following His teachings, given to the Apostles and to His followers … His Body, the Church.   Through the Church, we are transformed to be like Him. This transformation is emphasized the Scripture - Matthew 5:48, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect”.  St Paul writes in 2 Peter 1:4, “that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature”. 

As we grow in Him, we gain knowledge .. illumination .. understanding of the Truth.   What the non-believer sees and what a Christian sees is different - the non-believer sees bread and wine, but we experience through our Faith the Body and Blood of Christ.  “For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (St Paul, 2 Corinthians 4:18).  

This path to the Truth is given to us through the Church, where we have the most intimate communion with Christ through the Holy Qurbana (Eucharist).  We become like Him. 

This is our call for Dedication Sunday - to remember all that Christ revealed, and be committed to continue our transformation to be like Christ.  Our Baptism into the Church is the beginning of this new life in Christ, the beginning of an endless process guided by teachings of the Faith to become divine.

True Christianity

Please pray for me, that I may have both spiritual and physical strength to perform my duties; that I may not only speak the truth but become the Truth; that I may not only be called a Christian, but also live like a Christian.

Yet I do not want people to look to me as an example, for at best I can only be a pale reflection of Christ Jesus; let people look away from the reflection and turn to the reality. Christianity is not a matter of persuading people of particular ideas, but of inviting them to share in the greatness of Christ.

So pray that I may never fall into the trap of impressing people with clever speech, but instead I may learn to speak with humility, desiring only to impress people with Christ himself.

- St. Ignatius of Antioch

Who do you say that I am?

He is the supreme god and ruler of heaven. He is mighty, glorious, awesome and wise, and although he shows a certain degree of surprising foolishness and naiveness, he is a wise ruler. He also demands just and righteous action from man. He was however vengeful, as can be seen in the creation of man. He is the guardian of political order and peace. His armor is so glorious and at the same time awful to behold that no human could see him in all his magnificence and survive. His weapon is hurled at whoever displeases him.

This description of a powerful, angry and judgmental god who sits "somewhere up there" removed from the created world is that of Zeus, the mythical Greek god who lived on Mount Olympus. And yet, this same view is held by many Christians today of our God … including many who call themselves Orthodox.

Knowledge is the deeper understanding of truth, and as members of His Body we must begin by understanding that Christian faith is Truth. There is neither conspiracy nor creativity involved to “fill in the blanks”. Truth was delivered to Moses and shared to the prophets, and through the Incarnation of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Truth was fully revealed and given to the Apostles (Luke 10:16, etc) and thereafter became the very foundation of the Church which is His Living Body in this world (Ephesians 2:19-22, etc).

It is incorrect for any Orthodox Christian to say that we believe in Tradition over Holy Scripture. There is only one Truth, and the Scripture contains this Truth in written form. Our duty as Christians therefore becomes to grow in the knowledge of this Truth, which indeed is the only path to Salvation. The irony and difficulty for many is that to follow this Way requires us to set aside what we learned from this world and things we love that has been accepted by culture and society, and in our thinking become an infant again (Mark 10:15).

This is why the road is not easy (Matthew 7:13-23), and why many who were with Him could not understand and even walked away (John 6:60). Selectively choosing what we feel makes sense in order to become “good people” hinders the fulfillment of our potential to grow into the likeness of our perfect God (Genesis 1:26, Matthew 5:48).

The Indian Orthodox Church begins a new Liturgical cycle on the first Sunday of November, and in the Gospel reading (Matthew 16:13-23), we hear Jesus ask His followers, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"

To answer Him with the words and conviction we see from St. Peter requires continuous study of Holy Scripture using His teachings, handed down to us by the Church and entrusted to us so that we can learn and carry on to the next generation. Further, we should not endeavor to do this alone, nor does it require us to re-define of rationalize to make more convenient for our thoughts and lifestyle. Just as in any other field, in the face of truth there is no opinion (e.g., 2+2 is always 4) and as Christians we must dedicate our lives to understand and be transformed. St. John Chrysostom emphasized this point and stated that it was ignorance for anyone to consider themselves a Christian but “not be able to give a reason for his own faith”.

The inherent difficulty is that the Truth is often radically different from what we as intelligent, modern thinking people have learned. On the surface, many things don’t make sense and we see struggles from the ancient days of Christianity, where often the revealed Truth instilled resistance, anger and sheer hatred in people. Our lesson from the blood of the martyrs that nourished the Church is that we cannot compromise on the teachings and only through the Sacramental life are we able to transform ourselves into acceptable living sacrifices to the Lord (Psalm 50(51):19).

Ironically, what really is "radical" is the revelation that God is Love. We are all special and we are all loved, and the "power" that will ultimately prevail is not individual strength, richness, beauty or popularity but rather love, joy, peace, and so on (Galatians 5:22). The One True God is no doubt of supreme might and awesome, incomprehensible power … and yet through the Word we know that He is self-denying and humble (Philippians 2:5-11) and is patiently guiding us. This is not so He can inflict His wrath for deeds that truly do hurt Him – this is not the will of God! But rather, His will is for all mankind to understand the purpose of creation and choose this transformation to be like God. Obedience and genuine understanding of the Scriptures is required, but this is the only way to truly glorify Jesus Christ and have the assured hope that we will ultimately enjoy the incomprehensible joys of everlasting life.


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"Strange were it that the physician, or the shoemaker, or the weaver, in short all artists, should be able each to contend correctly for his own art, but that one calling himself Christian should not be able to give a reason for his own faith; yet those things if overlooked bring only loss to men's property, these if neglected destroy our very souls.

Yet such is our wretched disposition, that we give all our care to the former, and the things which are necessary, and which are the groundwork of our salvation, as though of little worth, we despise."

- St John Chrysostom