How the Defilement of the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist Occurs When Communing with Those Who Profess Heresy

Excerpted from “Διερευνώντας το θέμα του ΜΟΛΥΣΜΟΥ ΤΩΝ ΜΥΣΤΗΡΙΩΝ (επίλογος),” by Protopresbyter Dimitrios Athanasiou, posted August 19, 2024.

 

 

Christ in the Holy Chalice, as Body and Blood, is undefiled and pure. The defilement comes from the corruption of faith and from the sources of the Mysteries. There are two ways in which the Mystery is defiled.

A. We receive Christ while having our soul defiled by the heretical faith of the bishop whom we commemorated in the Divine Liturgy, and we show impiety toward the Mystery.

B. We commune from the Chalice into which, during the commixture of the Holy Gifts, we have also placed a particle for the heretical bishop, which is a spiritual impurity. 

Christ, of course, is impassible and is not defiled, neither when we blaspheme Him, nor when we partake of Him unworthily, nor when we commemorate a heretical bishop in the Divine Liturgy. The defilement to which the Fathers refer is the defilement of the will; only in this sense should we strive to understand the meaning of defilement.

In the language of the Church, defilement is called sin. We read in the Supplicatory Canon to our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary: "Deliver me from transgressions and the defilements of the soul." Defilement, therefore, is every sin we commit. Communion with heretics (whether undiscerning or condemned—there is no distinction) is considered a great sin and, consequently, defilement.

Let us note here that it is not permitted in the Holy Proskomide to commemorate heretics, because subsequently, during the commixture, we cast spiritual impurity into the Holy Chalice.

With what we mention, we do not negate the necessity of the Mystery of Holy Communion for our salvation, but we emphasize that there are cases in which we partake unworthily and are condemned. On the other hand, in cases of necessity and a most serious reason, when we do not partake, we are sanctified as if we had partaken with the best intention.

As a conclusion to this section, we publish the following text with key points from the teaching of the Saints of the Church concerning the defilement of the Mysteries.

Fr. D.A.

Saint Theodore the Studite:

"For to commune from a heretic or from one who is manifestly accused in life alienates one from God and makes one belong to the devil. …Moreover, communion itself carries defilement merely by mentioning [his name], even if the one who mentions it is Orthodox."

(Epistle 553. To the Spatharia whose name is Machara, Fatouros, p. 846, line 16, P.G. 99, 1668C.)

"Because communion carries defilement merely by the mention of the name—(i.e., of the heretical iconoclast bishop during the time of iconoclasm or of the heretical ecumenist today)—even if the one who mentions it is Orthodox," according to Saint Theodore the Studite (P.G. 99, 1669A).

And again, the Saint teaches, referring to Saint John Chrysostom: "Chrysostom, categorically and with great clarity, did not consider only the heretics as enemies of God, but also those who commune with them." (P.G. 99, 1049A).

"Guard yourselves also against the soul-destroying heresy, whose communion is estrangement from Christ." And: "Some (i.e., the heretics) have completely suffered shipwreck in the faith, while others, although they have not sunk in mindset, are nevertheless lost along with them because they commune with the heresy." (P.G. 99, 1275C, 1164A).

"He has ordained that clerics who have been corrupted through communion with heretics be prevented from performing sacred rites... For otherwise, how will the difference be made manifest between those who have betrayed the truth and those who have remained Orthodox? (How will the difference be shown) between those who have valiantly struggled (for the Faith) and those who were entirely unwilling to suffer even the slightest for the good?" (P.G. 99, 1636D ff.)

And the Athonite Fathers, writing to the Latin-minded Emperor Michael Palaiologos, declare:

"And how will the soul of an Orthodox endure these things and not immediately separate from the communion of those who have commemorated [him]? And how will it not consider that they have profaned the Divine? …For communion carries defilement merely by the mention of his name (i.e., the Latin-minded), even if the one who mentions it is Orthodox."

Saint Mark of Ephesus explicitly teaches and urges walling off, even at the end of his life, through his testament:

"As throughout my life I was separated from them, so also at the time of my departure and even after my passing, I reject any association and union with them. And I adjure and command you that none of them should approach my funeral, my memorial services, or any other gathering of our community, so that they may not attempt to assemble together or to concelebrate with our own. For this would mean the mixing of things that do not mix. And they must remain completely separated from us in all things, until God grants the proper correction and peace to His Church."

(Patrologia Orientalis, Vol. 25, pp. 347–348, Belgium, 1973).

 

Greek source online: https://apotixisi.blogspot.com/2024/08/blog-post_47.html