Sacrament Communions established by the Lord Himself last supper- the last meal with the disciples on Easter night before His arrest and crucifixion.

“And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and having blessed it, broke it, and giving it to the disciples, he said, Take, eat: this is my body. And taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said: drink all of it from it, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:26–28), “…do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). In the Sacrament of the Flesh and Blood of the Lord ( Eucharist - Greek. “thanksgiving”), there is a restoration of that unity between the nature of the Creator and creation, which existed before the fall; this is our return to the lost paradise. It can be said that in Communion we receive, as it were, the germs of a future life in the Kingdom of Heaven. The mystical mystery of the Eucharist is rooted in the Sacrifice of the Cross of the Savior. Crucifying His Flesh on the Cross and shedding His Blood, the God-man Jesus brought the Sacrifice of Love for us to the Creator and restored the fallen human nature. Thus, the communion of the Body and Blood of the Savior becomes our participation in this restoration. « Christ is risen from the dead, death by death correcting, and bestowing life on those in the tombs; and gave us eternal life..

The partaking of the Flesh and Blood of Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist is not a symbolic action (as Protestants believe), but quite real. Not everyone can accommodate this mystery.

« Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you.”

Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

For My Flesh is truly food, and My Blood is truly drink.

Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him.

As the living Father sent me, and I live by the Father, so the one who eats me will live by me.

This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers ate manna and died: he who eats this bread will live forever.

…………………………………………

Many of His disciples, hearing this, said, What strange words! who can listen to it?

…………………………………………

From that time on, many of His disciples departed from Him and no longer walked with Him” (John 6:53-58, 60, 66).

Rationalists try to "get around" the mystery by reducing mysticism to a symbol. The proud perceive what is inaccessible to their minds as an insult: Leo Tolstoy blasphemously called the sacrament "cannibalism." For others, this is a wild superstition, for someone an anachronism. But the children of the Church of Christ know that in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, under the guise of bread and wine, they truly partake of the Body and Blood of Christ in Their essence. Indeed, it is not common for a person to eat raw flesh and blood, and therefore, at Communion, the Gifts of Christ are hidden under the image of bread and wine. Nevertheless, under the outer shell of corruptible matter, the imperishable substance of the Divine nature is hidden. Sometimes, by special permission, the Lord reveals this veil of mystery, and makes it possible for those who doubt to see the true nature of the Holy Gifts. In particular, in my personal practice there were two cases when the Lord wanted to let those who communicant see His Body and Blood in their true form. Both times these were first communions; in one case, psychics sent a person to the Church for their own reasons. In another, the reason for coming to the temple was a very superficial curiosity. After such a miraculous event, both became faithful children of the Orthodox Church.

How can we at least roughly understand the meaning of what is happening in the Sacrament of Communion? The nature of creation was created by the Creator to be related to Himself: not only permeable, but also, as it were, inseparable from the Creator. This is natural given the sanctity of the created nature - its initial state of free unity and submission to the Creator. In such a state are the angelic worlds. However, nature our of the world is distorted and perverted by the fall of its guardian and leader - man. Nevertheless, she did not lose the opportunity to reunite with the nature of the Creator: the clearest evidence of this is the incarnation of the Savior. But a person fell away from God voluntarily, and he can also reunite with Him only in free will (even the incarnation of Christ required the consent of a person - the Virgin Mary!). In the same time deification inanimate, free-willed nature, God can do in a natural way, arbitrarily . Thus, in the God-established Sacrament of Communion, the grace of the Holy Spirit at the established moment of worship (and also at the request of a person!) descends on the substance of bread and wine and proposes them into a substance of a different, higher nature: the Body and Blood of Christ. And now a person can accept these highest Gifts of Life only by demonstrating his free will! The Lord gives Himself to everyone, but those who believe in Him and love Him, the children of His Church, accept Him.

Thus, Communion is the gracious communion of the soul with the higher nature and in it with eternal life. Relegating this greatest mystery to the realm of an everyday image, we can compare the Communion with the "nourishment" of the soul, which it must receive after its "birth" in the Sacrament of Baptism. And just as a person is born in the flesh once into the world, and then eats until the end of his life, so Baptism is a one-time event, and we must resort to Communion regularly, preferably at least once a month, possibly more often. Communion once a year is the minimum acceptable, but such a “hungry” regimen can put the soul on the brink of survival.

How is Communion in the Church?

To participate in the Eucharist, it is necessary to properly prepare. Meeting with God is an event that shakes the soul and transforms the body. Worthy communion requires a conscious and reverent attitude to this event. There must be a sincere faith in Christ and an understanding of the meaning of the Sacrament. We must have reverence for the Sacrifice of the Savior and awareness of our unworthiness to accept this great Gift (we accept Him not as a well-deserved reward, but as a manifestation of the mercy of a loving Father). There must be pacification of the soul: you need to sincerely forgive everyone in your heart who in one way or another “saddened us” (remembering the words of the Our Father prayer: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”) and try to reconcile with them as much as possible ; even more so for those who, for one reason or another, consider themselves offended by us. Before Communion, one should read the prayers determined by the Church and compiled by the holy fathers, which are called: “Following to Holy Communion”; these prayer texts are present, as a rule, in all editions of Orthodox prayer books (collections of prayers). It is advisable to discuss the exact amount of reading of these texts with the priest to whom you turn for advice and who knows the specifics of your life. After the celebration of the Sacrament of Communion, it is necessary to read the "Prayers of Thanksgiving for Holy Communion." Finally, preparing to receive into oneself - into one's flesh and into one's soul - the Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ, terrible in their grandeur, must be cleansed in body and soul. Fasting and confession serve this purpose.

Bodily fasting involves abstaining from eating fast food. The duration of fasting before Communion is usually up to three days. Directly on the eve of Communion, one should refrain from marital relations and from midnight it is not supposed to eat any food (in fact, do not eat or drink anything in the morning before the service). However, in specific cases, significant deviations from these norms are possible; they should be discussed, again, individually.

Communion in the Church

The Sacrament of Communion itself takes place in the Church at a divine service called liturgy . As a rule, the liturgy is performed in the first half of the day; the exact time of the beginning of the services and the days of their performance should be found out directly in the temple where you are going to go. Services usually begin between seven and ten in the morning; the duration of the liturgy, depending on the nature of the service and partly on the number of communicants, is from one and a half to four to five hours. In cathedrals and monasteries, liturgies are served daily; in parish churches on Sundays and church holidays. It is advisable for those preparing for Communion to be present at the service from its beginning (for this is a single spiritual action), and also to be at the evening service the day before, which is a prayerful preparation for the Liturgy and the Eucharist.

During the liturgy, you need to stay in the church without a way out, prayerfully participating in the service until the priest leaves the altar with a cup and proclaims: “Come with the fear of God and faith.” Then the communicants line up one by one in front of the pulpit (first the children and the infirm, then the men and then the women). Hands should be folded crosswise on the chest; it is not supposed to be baptized in front of the cup. When the turn comes, you need to stand in front of the priest, give your name and open your mouth so that you can put in a liar with a particle of the Body and Blood of Christ. The liar must be carefully licked with the lips, and after the lips are wet with the board, with reverence kiss the edge of the bowl. Then, without touching the icons and without talking, you need to move away from the pulpit and take a “drink” - St. water with wine and a particle of prosphora (in this way, the oral cavity is washed, so that the smallest particles of the Gifts are not accidentally expelled from oneself, for example, when sneezing). After communion, you need to read (or listen to in the Church) prayers of thanksgiving and in the future carefully keep your soul from sins and passions.

The Lord Jesus Christ called Himself “the vine” (John 15.1), the juice of the fruit of which, that is, His Blood, must be drunk by all who believe in Him in order to gain eternal life.

By the way, in his words at the Last Supper, Christ does not use the word "wine", which must be taken as his blood. “For I say that I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes…”(Luke 22:18). And then the apostle Luke describes how Christ took the cup, saying: “This the cup is the New Testament in My Blood, which is shed for you."(Luke 22:20). We do not know what that cup was filled with, for not a single evangelist indicated its contents.

Yes, wine has an important liturgical significance in the life of the Church. However, the first Christian communities were distinguished for the most part by sobriety, which was also one of the most important requirements of the Apostle Paul to the priests.

Alcohol was introduced into church communion after the reign of the Roman emperor Julian (the Apostate) in the 4th century, when Christianity was transformed from a religion of the lower classes into a state religion. But even now in Catholicism, for example, only the clergy partake of wine, the laity only with bread, more precisely, with small cakes called wafers.

The Qur'an, as you know, generally prohibits the use of alcohol in any form and quantity, considering wine "an infamous deed of Satan."

Nevertheless, the fact that over time (because of easier storage and a large number of communicants) they began to use Cahors or other varieties of wine for Communion instead of juice or a special herbal drink in Orthodoxy should not confuse Christians. For a believer, there is no doubt that during the sacrament of the Eucharist, the transfiguration of bread and wine into the holy Body and Blood of Christ really takes place.

Many priests, and especially deacons, talk about how different in terms of effect on the body and internal state, even a significant amount of the contents of the cup left after communion, from the destructive effects of ordinary wine. In addition, those portions that are given to a person during communion are completely harmless even for babies.

Alas, for many modern Christians the use of wine goes far beyond the liturgical limits. Although, we recall, in Russia this has never been the norm. Moreover, as I. K. Bindyukov writes in his book “On the Rivers of Babylon”: “The concept of wine existed in pre-Christian Russia as an exclusively non-alcoholic substance. Wine was considered a mixture of water from 7-10 healing springs with the addition of medicinal herbs, which was used by the sick and soldiers before the battle.

Scripture tells us to experience many things but hold on to what is good. As the apostle Paul so aptly remarked, “All I am allowed, but not everything is useful; everything is permissible to me, but nothing should possess me.(1 Cor. 6.12).

The Supreme Apostle himself at one time used wine extremely moderately. However, when he saw the grief brought by wine, for the sake of love for his neighbor, he laid down a dry law for himself: “Better… not to drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble…» (Rom. 14.21).

The example of the apostle is the most instructive in our time, because, warning about the last days of the world, the Lord said that the most common sins would be gluttony and drunkenness: “ Look after yourselves, lest our hearts be weighed down with gluttony and drunkenness and worldly cares."(Luke 21.34).

How important is this rite of Christianity? How to prepare for it? And how often can you take communion? You will learn the answers to these questions and many others from this article.

What is communion?

The Eucharist is communion, in other words, the most important rite of Christianity, thanks to which bread and wine are consecrated and served as the Body and Blood of the Lord. Through communion, the Orthodox are united with God. The need for this Sacrament in the life of a believer can hardly be overestimated. It occupies the most important, if not central, place in the Church. In this Sacrament, everything is completed and concluded: prayers, church hymns, rituals, prostrations, the preaching of the Word of God.

Background of the Sacrament

If we turn to prehistory, then the sacrament of the sacrament was established by Jesus at the Last Supper before death on the cross. He, having gathered with his disciples, blessed the bread and, having broken it, distributed it to the apostles with the words that it was His Body. After that, he took a cup of wine and served it to them, saying that it was His Blood. The Savior commanded the disciples to always celebrate the sacrament of communion in remembrance of Him. And the Orthodox Church follows the commandments of the Lord. At the central divine service of the Liturgy, the Sacrament of Holy Communion is performed daily.

The Church knows a story that confirms the importance of communion. In one of the deserts of Egypt, in the ancient city of Diolke, many monks lived. Presbyter Ammon, who stood out among all for his outstanding holiness, during one of the divine services saw an angel who was writing something near the sacrificial bowl. As it turned out, the angel wrote down the names of the monks present at the service, and crossed out the names of those who were absent from the Eucharist. Three days later, all those who were crossed out by the angel died. Is this story really true? Perhaps many people die prematurely precisely because of their unwillingness to take communion? After all, he even said that many people are sick, weak because of unworthy communion.

The need for Holy Communion

Communion is a necessary rite for the believer. The Christian who neglects the Eucharist voluntarily turns away from Jesus. And thus deprives himself of the possibility of eternal life. On the contrary, he who communes regularly is united with God, strengthened in faith, and becomes a partaker of eternal life. From this we can conclude that for a churched person, communion is undoubtedly an important event in life.

Sometimes, after accepting the Holy Mysteries of Christ, even serious illnesses recede, willpower increases, and the spirit strengthens. It becomes easier for the believer to struggle with his passions. But it is worth retreating from the sacrament for a long time, as in life everything starts to go awry. Ailments return, the soul begins to be tormented by what seemed to be receded passions, irritability appears. And this is not a complete list. It follows from this that a believer, a church-goer, tries to receive communion at least once a month.

Preparing for Holy Communion

One should properly prepare for the Sacrament of Holy Communion, namely:

Prayer. Before communion, it is necessary to pray more and more diligently. Do not miss a few days By the way, a rule is added to it for Holy Communion. There is also a pious tradition to read the penitent to the Lord, the prayer canon to the Most Holy Theotokos, the canon to the Guardian Angel. On the eve of Communion, attend the evening service.

Post. It must be not only carnal, but also spiritual. It is necessary to reconcile with everyone with whom they were in litter, pray more, read the Word of God, refrain from watching entertainment programs and listening to secular music. Spouses need to give up bodily caresses. Strict fasting begins on the eve of Communion, from 12 o'clock in the morning you can neither eat nor drink. However, the confessor (priest) can establish an additional fast of 3-7 days. Such a fast is usually prescribed for beginners and those who did not observe one-day and multi-day fasts.

Confession. You must confess your sins to a priest.

Repentance (confession)

Confession and Communion play an important role in the celebration of the Sacrament. Communion is the recognition of one's absolute sinfulness. You should understand your sin and sincerely repent of it with a firm conviction never to commit it again. The believer must realize that sin is incompatible with Christ. By committing a sin, a person, as it were, tells Jesus that His death was in vain. Of course, this is possible only through faith. Because it is faith in a Holy God that illuminates the dark spots of sins. Before repentance, one should reconcile with the offenders and the offended, read the canon of repentance to the Lord, pray more fervently, if necessary, take a fast. For your own convenience, it is better to write down sins on paper so that you do not forget anything during confession. Especially serious sins that torment the conscience should be told to the priest especially. The believer also needs to remember that when revealing his sins to a clergyman, he, first of all, reveals them to God, since God is invisibly present at confession. Therefore, in no case should you hide any sins. Batiushka sacredly keeps the secret of confession. In general, both confession and communion are separate sacraments. However, they are closely related, since, without receiving the remission of their sins, a Christian cannot proceed to the Holy Chalice.

There are cases when a seriously ill person sincerely repents of his sins, makes a promise to go to church regularly, if only healing occurs. The clergyman forgives sins, allows you to take communion. The Lord provides healing. But the man subsequently does not fulfill his promise. Why is this happening? Perhaps the human weakness of the soul does not allow one to overcome oneself, through one's pride. After all, lying on your deathbed, you can promise anything. But in no case should we forget about the promises made to the Lord himself.

Communion. rules

In the Russian Orthodox Church, there are rules that should be followed before approaching the Holy Chalice. First, you need to come to the temple to the beginning of the service, without being late. An earthly bow is made before the Chalice. If there are many who want to take communion, then you can bow in advance. When the gates open, you should overshadow yourself with the sign of the cross: put your hands on your chest with a cross, the right one on top of the left. Thus, take communion, depart without removing your hands. Approach from the right side, and leave the left free. The servants of the altar should be the first to take communion, then the monks, after them the children, then everyone else. It is necessary to observe courtesy with each other, let the elderly and infirm people go ahead. Women are not allowed to take communion with painted lips. The head must be covered with a scarf. Not a hat, a bandage, but a scarf. In general, dressing in the temple of God should always be decorous, not defiant and not vulgar, so as not to attract attention and not distract other believers.

Approaching the Chalice, you must say your name loudly and clearly, accept, chew and immediately swallow the Holy Gifts. Attach to the lower edge of the Cup. It is forbidden to touch the Chalice. It is also not allowed to make the sign of the cross near the Chalice. At the drinking table, you need to eat antidor and drink warmth. Only then can you talk and kiss the icons. You can't take communion twice a day.

Communion of the sick

At the First, it was determined that a seriously ill person should not be deprived of communion. If a person is not able to take communion in the church, this is easily solved, because the church allows the sick to receive communion at home.
The priest is ready to come to the sick at any time, except for the time from the Cherubic Hymn to the end of the Liturgy. At any other divine service, the priest is obliged to stop the service for the sake of the afflicted and hasten to him. In the church at this time, psalms are read for the edification of believers.

Patients are allowed to receive the Holy Mysteries without any preparation, prayer, or fasting. But they still need to confess their sins. Seriously ill people are also allowed to receive communion after eating.

Miracles often happen when seemingly incurable people got back on their feet after communion. Priests often go to the hospital to support the seriously ill, take confession, and commune them. But many refuse. Some because of disgust, others do not want to invite trouble into the ward. However, those who did not succumb to all doubts and superstitions can be granted miraculous healing.

Communion of children

When a child meets God, this is a very important event both in the life of the child and his parents. Communion from an early age is also recommended because the baby gets used to the Church. It is imperative that the child be given communion. With faith. Regularly. This plays an important role in his spiritual development, and the Holy Gifts have a beneficial effect on well-being and health. And sometimes even serious diseases recede. So how should children be given communion? Children under seven years of age before the Eucharist are not prepared in a special way and are not confessed, because they cannot realize their adherence to Communion.

They also partake only of Blood (wine), as infants cannot eat solid food. If a child is able to eat solid food, then he can also partake of the Body (bread). Baptized children receive the Holy Gifts on the same day or the next day.

After receiving the Holy Gifts

The day when the Sacrament of Communion is performed is, of course, a significant time for every believer. And you need to spend it especially, as a great holiday of the soul and spirit. During the Sacrament, the one who takes communion receives the Grace of God, which should be kept with trepidation and try not to sin. If possible, it is better to refrain from worldly affairs and spend the day in silence, peace and prayer. Pay attention to the spiritual side of your life, pray, read the Word of God. These prayers after communion are of great importance - they are joyful and energetic. They are also able to multiply gratitude to the Lord, engender in the one who prays the desire to receive communion more often. It is not customary to kneel after communion in the church. The exceptions are bowing before the Shroud and kneeling prayers on the day of the Holy Trinity. There is an unfounded argument that, allegedly, after Communion, it is forbidden to venerate icons and kiss. However, the clergy themselves, after receiving the Holy Mysteries, are blessed by the bishop, kissing the hand.

How often can you take communion?

Every believer is interested in the question of how often one can take communion in church. And there is no single answer to this question. Someone believes that communion should not be abused, while others, on the contrary, recommend starting to receive the Holy Gifts as often as possible, but not more than once a day. What do the holy fathers of the church say about this? John of Kronstadt called to remember the practice of the first Christians, who had a custom to excommunicate those who did not receive communion for more than three weeks. Seraphim of Sarov bequeathed to the sisters from Diveevo to take communion as often as possible. And for those who consider themselves unworthy of Communion, but have repentance in their hearts, in no case should they refuse to accept the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Because, by taking communion, one is cleansed and brightened, and the more often one takes communion, the greater the likelihood of salvation.

It is very auspicious to take communion on name days and birthdays, for spouses on their anniversary.

At the same time, how to explain the eternal disputes about how often one can receive communion? There is an opinion that both monks and ordinary laity should not receive communion more than once a month. Once a week is already a sin, the so-called "charm", coming from the evil one. Is it true? The priest in his book gave a detailed explanation of this. He claims that the number of people who take communion more than once a month is negligible, these are church-going individuals, or those who have over themselves. Many clergy agree that if a person is ready for this at heart, then he can take communion at least every day, there is nothing wrong with that. The whole sin lies in the fact that a person without proper repentance approaches the cup without properly preparing for this, without forgiving all his offenders.

Of course, everyone decides for himself with his confessor how often he should take the Holy Chalice. It depends primarily on the readiness of the soul, love for the Lord and the power of repentance. In any case, for a churched, righteous life, it is worth taking communion at least once a month. The priests bless some of the Christians for communion more often.

Instead of an afterword

There are many books, manuals and just tips on how to take communion, the rules for preparing the soul and body. This information may differ in some ways, it may define different approaches to the frequency of communion and the severity in preparation, but such information exists. And it is numerous. However, you will not find literature that will teach a person how to behave after receiving the Holy Mysteries, how to keep this gift and how to use it. Both everyday and spiritual experience suggests that it is much easier to accept than to keep. And it's really true. Andrei Tkachev, archpriest of the Orthodox Church, says that the inept use of the Holy Gifts can turn into a curse for the person who received them. He uses the history of Israel as an example. On the one hand, there is a huge number of miracles happening, the wonderful relationship of God with the people, His patronage. The other side of the coin is heavy punishments and even executions of people who behave unworthily after communion. Yes, and the apostles spoke about the diseases of the communicants, behaving inappropriately. Therefore, the observance of the rules after Holy Communion is extremely important for a person.

Arina, Petrozavodsk

Why is wine used at Communion if alcohol is bad for health?

Hello. I am an atheist, but I am loyal to religion, and I am interested in theological issues, especially some rituals, rules and prohibitions in Orthodoxy. Therefore, I want to ask a question: at communion, believers are allowed to taste “the blood and flesh of Christ,” i. wine and prosphora. Is drinking wine compulsory? The Russian Orthodox Church is against alcoholism and actively promotes the rejection of alcohol. Why don't priests give juice or even just colored water as an alternative? After all, the symbol of the "blood of Christ" does not have to be alcoholic, especially for children and those who are addicted to alcohol. Asking this question to fellow believers, I never once heard in response that the priest offered them juice instead of wine at communion. Why? I agree that for a healthy adult, a drop of wine does no harm, but babies are also given communion, and for them even a drop of wine can be harmful. My fellow believers give an answer only in faith - if you believe that Cahors will not bring harm at the sacrament, then there will only be benefit, because in the cup is not wine, but the blood of Christ. Perhaps they are right, but you can’t get away from medicine, alcohol is strictly forbidden for children, and you can’t explain to their body all the sacraments about the harmlessness of wine in a bowl.

Hello! It is good that you are interested in questions of faith, although you call yourself an atheist. That's when a person is indifferent to the basic issues of life and he has no craving for God and truth - this is bad.

But why are you interested in this particular aspect of the Orthodox Christian faith? In ancient times, the Sacrament of Communion was spoken only to people preparing to receive baptism. This knowledge was inaccessible to outsiders.

Have you read the Gospel? Remember the first miracle performed by Christ? This is a miracle in Cana of Galilee, where during the wedding peace the Savior turned water into wine (John 2:1-10). By the way, pay attention, when the wine ran out at the feast, Christ did not say: “Enough already, guys.” He gave them the best wine. And faithful to His children, poetically named in the parable " married sons”(Matthew 9:15), the Lord gave His Body and Blood for the salvation and enlightenment of souls. They are not symbols, they are exactly what they are. That is why it is called the Sacrament, because under the guise of bread and wine we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. This is how Orthodox Christians believe in accordance with Holy Scripture and the word of the Lord Himself. And there can be no harm from Communion for children. This is confirmed by the two-thousand-year history of the Church. I will give just one example. Saint Andrew, Archbishop of Crete, was mute until the age of 7 and spoke only after Communion.

For Communion, only red grape wine from the vine is used, and nothing can replace it. So the Lord established, these are the church rules. Read these Gospel lines:

And while they were eating, Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and giving it to the disciples, said, Take, eat: this is my body. And taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, and said, Drink all of you from it, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. I tell you that from now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink new wine with you in the kingdom of my Father(Matthew 26:26-29). See also Mk. 14:22-25; OK. 22:17-21.

Jesus said to them: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you. Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is truly food, and my blood is truly drink.(John 6:53-55).

And your "knowledge" about the dangers of a drop of alcohol for a child is based on trust in the words of doctors. You didn't do the research yourself. Yes, I don’t think that such have ever been carried out (relative to the “drop”). Believe and trust better in God, who does not err, " provided something better for us(Heb. 11:40) and promised to give us life and abundant life(John 10:10).

Indispensable attributes of a bright Easter are not only colored eggs and Easter cake, but also wine, symbolizing the blood of Christ. However, not all wines can be consecrated in the Church, but only Cahors. It is the only alcoholic beverage used by priests in religious ceremonies. It can also be drunk during Lent. True, only on weekends and in very moderate doses.

The Russian Orthodox Church uses Cahors for the Sacrament of Communion. Fortified wine is also used in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, a rite that helps the believer to connect with God. After a forty-day fast, Christians eat bread and wine, symbolizing the Body and Blood of Christ as an act of mutual sacrificial love.

There are many versions of why this particular type of wine was used for religious ceremonies.

So, according to the rules described in the “Izvestiya Uchitelny”, which was first printed in 1699, the Church should use only non-acidic grape wine for communion. The color of the drink is not specified, but it is believed that since wine symbolizes the blood of Christ during Holy Communion, the rich red hue of Cahors is more suitable for this purpose.

In addition, church wine should not contain water, herbal extracts and sugar. Such a drink turns out to be very strong, so in the church it is diluted with water.

How did Cahors appear in Russia?

The very word "cahors" came into the Russian language from France. There, wines of this variety are called the similar-sounding word "Cahors".

Cahors is first mentioned in chronicles of the 13th century. France is considered the birthplace of a drink of rich red color with a tart, sweetish taste. According to the chronicles, Cahors began to be produced on the right bank of the Lot River, where rare varieties of grapes are still grown, from which the most delicious, and therefore expensive wines are obtained. However, it should be noted that the recipe for church Cahors is significantly different from the French one.

But how wine began to be produced in Russia is still not known for certain. On the territory of the Russian Empire, winemaking was not practiced until the 17th century. According to one version, they decided to start production because the supply of wine from Greece, Italy and France for religious ceremonies was very expensive for the treasury. According to another, winemaking in Russia began to be engaged in the decree of Peter I - a well-known connoisseur of everything overseas. The choice in the direction of fortified wine could also fall because it is one of the few drinks that could withstand long transportation without losing its taste.

Since it was impossible to repeat the European technology, the recipe for Cahors produced in the southern territories of the country differed from the original. In the Russian Empire, fortified wine was made from Cabernet and Saperavi grape varieties. This added to it an unusual sweet aftertaste and aroma of blackcurrant, and sometimes chocolate.

How is Cahors produced?

Cahors belongs to the types of fortified dessert red wine. In Russia, in addition to domestic, you can find Cahors from Azerbaijan, Moldova and Abkhazia.

Modern Cahors is produced not only from Cabernet Sauvignon and Saperavi grapes, but also Morastel and Malbec. At the same time, only berries with a sugar content of at least 22–25% are received for processing. Particular attention is paid to their processing, since the color of the drink, one of its main characteristics, depends on the chosen method.

Dessert wine production technologies also differ - each producer has his own secret. For example, in the manufacture of the Abkhazian Cahors, named after the ancient monastery "New Athos", grapes are crushed and the resulting pulp is heated to a temperature of 55-60 ° C for 10-24 hours.

This heat treatment contributes to a more complete transition of tannins, colorants and other extractive substances from the pulp into the must, due to which the wine acquires an intense color, a noble bouquet and a full velvety tart taste, in which tones of prunes and other fruits stand out.

In Crimea, another technology is used - in the process of making wine, grape brandy is added to the heated crushed grape mass, after which the drink is aged until fully cooked.

Cahors has always been considered a special drink with medicinal properties.

The diseases for which doctors prescribed Cahors are innumerable. Most often, Cahors was drunk warmed up for colds and ailments, to enhance the properties, medicinal herbs and natural honey were added. There is evidence that the nobles of this world also used Cahors: for example, Peter I treated his sick stomach with it.

Of course, the use of Cahors is not limited to church needs. This dessert wine is served with fruits and confectionery, sweet dishes, Cahors also goes well with game and spicy vegetable and meat dishes. Cahors is not suitable for some large events, as they drink it a little and in small sips, thinking about the eternal.

The place of Cahors in Orthodoxy

The Bible says that Jesus Christ himself compared himself to a vine, and God the Father - to a vinedresser who takes care of trees, cutting off barren branches. Turning water into wine is the first miracle performed by Jesus Christ during the marriage feast in the city of Cana, near Nazareth.

“I am the true Vine, and My Father is the Husbandman; every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he cuts off; and every one that bears fruit he cleanses, that she may bear more fruit,” says the Gospel of John.

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