Preparing to Receive Christ's Spiritual Nourishment

By Paulette K. Doudoukjian

"We participate most fully in the Divine Liturgy when we receive Holy Communion. It is the greatest Christian privilege, and ideally, baptized members of the Armenian Church should receive communion whenever the badarak is celebrated," as stated in the introduction of our Divine Liturgy pew books.

Holy Communion is indeed the centerpiece of the Divine Liturgy, occurring during the second half of the badarak known as the Eucharist.

According to the Divine Liturgy pew books, communion is a sign of the union between each member of the church with the other and with God. The two-inch round wafer, made of unleavened bread placed into wine representing the body and blood of Jesus Christ, is broken into small pieces and distributed to parishioners, thus unifying them with each other and, more importantly, with the Son of God.

How to Prepare for Communion

Of course, prior to receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ, one must strive to prepare themselves in several ways. The most traditional form of preparation is through fasting beginning several hours before badarak is celebrated. This, along with prayer, prepares one to receive the spiritual nourishment that communion represents.

However, according to the Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan, Dean of St. Nersess Armenian Seminary in New Rochelle, NY, mental and emotional preparation must also occur. "One of the greatest obstacles to our full and satisfying participation in the Divine Liturgy is the furious pace of our lives throughout the week and on Sunday morning. The first step in preparing ourselves for badarak and for Holy Communion is to take a few minutes on Saturday evening and on Sunday morning simply to be still and, in just a few words, to ask God to be with us in the badarak."

Another part of preparation comes in the form of confession. Confession, in most Armenian churches, is that commonly completed when four of the nine confession paragraphs are recited audibly and collectively as a group during badarak immediately prior to partaking in communion. Though technically, confession should be done before the start of badarak, and in fact, private confession is the ideal as explained by the Rev. Fr. Yeprem Kelegian, pastor of the St. Mesrob Armenian Church in Racine, WI.

"What a beautiful sacrament! Being able to cleanse your conscience of the great burden of sin... confessing to God 'who loves humankind'... to a priest, who is also your confidant and who loves you, unconditionally. Unfortunately, the Armenian Church does not really practice this part of the sacrament of penance (private confession)." Fr. Kelegian adds, "The catharsis that can come from confessing your sins to a priest, as he walks with you on your spiritual journey, is completely missing."

Approaching the Altar to Receive the Sacrament

In either form of confession, however, certain other procedures of respect should be followed as one approaches the chalice to receive this sacrament. Dressed appropriately and humbly, no talking or other socializing should occur, rather reverence should prevail.

Keeping all this in mind, it must also be noted that no one should ever refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they have not properly prepared themselves as mentioned. After all, the priest prays every Sunday that through God's grace, "...grant this bread and this cup to be for us, who taste of them, a remedy of forgiveness for our sins." The more significant factor is that a person approach the altar with a pure heart, clean conscience, and loving spirit to receive Christ's promise of everlasting life and hope of resurrection.