When we receive the Immaculate Mysteries, we should always make sure that the communion cloth is held carefully under our chin, that our head is slightly tilted back and that our mouth is opened well enough in advance for the Priest to place the Spoon in it easily. We then close our lips on the Spoon as the Priest communes us, and allow him to draw the Spoon out, with our lips closed, thus wiping the Spoon clean. We should never pull our heads away while the spoon is still in our mouths. We then carefully wipe our lips on the communion cloth and reverently withdraw from the Holy Chalice to take the Antidoron.
The most critical concern for us when we commune is to make certain that we do nothing that might accidentally tip or knock the Holy Chalice or Spoon from the Priest’s hand. As well, when we partake of the Antidoron, we should be very careful not to let any crumbs drop to the floor.
After the final blessing, the Communion Prayers of Thanksgiving are read by the Readers. If we have been accounted worthy to receive the Immaculate Mysteries, we stay quietly in the Church contemplating the Mysteries of God and His mercy, as the prayers exhort us to do. We should refrain from greeting friends and acquaintances until after we have left the Church proper. The Priest is still consuming the Mysteries which remained and is cleaning the Chalice. Our Lord is still present in the Altar. An atmosphere of quiet reverence, therefore, should always be maintained within the Church.
Many adults are already aware of these basic rules of piety however it is important that they also teach them to their children.
Great Vespers as preperation for Divine Liturgy
We properly begin the weekend cycle of Divine Services with attendance at Great Vespers on Saturday evening. In order to understand what Feast or Saint is being commemorated at the Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning, it is absolutely necessary to attend the Vespers Service and hear the hymnody which both praises and describes the meaning of the Feast or the life of the Saint. In fact, over the Church Year, all of the great doctrines of the Holy Fathers about Christ and the Saints can be found in this hymnody. This is why the Vespers and Orthros Services are indispensable to a correct knowledge of our Faith. To miss the Vespers Service as a matter of convenience is to deny ourselves and our children the opportunity of learning the basic tenets of Holy Orthodoxy.
We must also remember the Vespers Service prayerfully prepares us for the coming of Christ into our midst during the Divine Liturgy. Our lives are often so hectic and crammed with activity during the week that it is necessary to slow down and contemplate our relationship to our Creator with Services of preparation for the Liturgy. “Be still, and know that I am God,” the Lord tells us through the Prophet–King David. This is almost impossible to achieve if our only contact with the Church is on Sunday morning.
For that reason, as part of our preparation for Holy Communion, it is imperative that we attend the Saturday evening Great Vespers with regularity. This service leads us into Sunday – the Lord’s Day – and thus “sets our sights” on the Lord Who comes to us in the Divine Liturgy and offers Himself to us in the Eucharist as the “Bread of life.”