Due to the recent events related to the spread of coronavirus, many priests in Russia urge that the flock should not go to churches for some time. The laity are confused, many have their own opinions on this issue. One such opinion is given below.
You know, you can’t expect anything else from me.
What is our Church without the Eucharist and the Communion?
Nothing. It’s not the Church.
What are we without the Communion?
Then what’s the point of everything?
What’s the point of all this? What is it all for?
What was Christ incarnated for? Why did He suffer and die? Why did He rise from the dead?
We are nothing without the Eucharist. Who are we without the Communion?
As a certain man once told me, “Well, we will die…”
Well, we’ll die, we’ll all die someday.
Of course, that’s why the virus came, to kill us. We have to die for some reason.
The virus, and cancer, and strokes, and heart attacks, and plane crashes, and accidents, and evil bad people.
We have to die of something.
If the grain doesn’t die, it won’t give birth to new life.
Yeah, well, let’s say I don’t want to die right now. I don’t want my children or my parents dying. My most-most-favorite people. I don’t want my friends to die right now. For my lack of faith, for my obsession with this world, for my involvement in this world, I don’t want them to die. Because I love all these people!
But we still have to die.
If God ruled that I die because of communion, then I will die because of communion.
“That’s better than dying of vodka and colds.”
I’ve been walking around the city for half a day today. I went to a shop, a cafe, I took an elevator. I was trying to comply with all those rules about not touching things and washing my hands.
It’s impossible to do it all the way through. You wash your hands and you push the toilet door at the café but how do you close it? With the sleeve? Well, I’m wearing a T-shirt. Okay, I washed my hands, I grab my phone. Oh, I had touched it before I washed my hands. OKAY. I wiped it with a tissue, but I didn’t wash my hands again after I touched it.
Fine, I wiped the phone and washed my hands, but then I took the jacket I had touched before I washed my hands. I put my elbows on the table where I had put my phone, which I hadn’t wiped with a tissue yet. Oh my goodness. A doctor on YouTube also advises to press the elevator button with your elbow. My elbow presses three buttons at once.
I caught the virus a million times today if there was any.
So am I supposed to avoid communion?
Will I be more afraid of communion than an elevator?
Sure, some precautions wouldn’t hurt. You don’t have to kiss the Chalice. You don’t have to kiss icons and the Cross. You don’t have to wipe your lips with the communion cloth. You can drink from a disposable cup. Fine. I’ll take care of myself as best I can.
No matter what, I’ll take communion.
If there is anyone who still wants to be united with the Lord, there will be someone who will celebrate the Eucharist.
And then, Lord, you’ll figure out when and why I should die.
Translated by The Catalogue of Good Deeds
Source: https://pravlife.org/ru/content/umeret-ot-prichastiya
A million times…YES. God bless.
To all my Brothers & Sisters in Christ,
I have read many of your comments about our current situation. Some are saying, “for your health, stay away from all gatherings, and even church”; but others are saying, “we must go to worship, take communion, and not forsake our assembling together”.
Many of the world’s leading healthcare professionals are working diligently to find a good treatment and vaccine for the Coronavirus. I pray for them and their success. In the meantime, they advise all people not to gather in crowds, and to adhere to “social distancing” – keeping 2 to 3 meters between yourself and others. They are sincere in their wishes, and do not advise this because they want to stop us from worshiping our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Our Holy Father, and the Beloved Holy Spirit. Therefore, we can accept their good intentions, as we view their remarks with Christian love and forbearance.
However, Christians are the children of God (1John 3:1). We live for Christ and not ourselves (Galatians 2:20). With His precious blood, He purchased us to be God’s own possession, a chosen people, a royal priesthood, and a Holy Nation (1 Peter 2:9). We are instructed to come together in His Holy name, worship, and commune with our Lord through the Eucharist. Jesus said, if only 2 or 3 are gather in His name, “…I am there in their midst” (Matt 18:20). Perhaps this is a message for us today?
The Apostle Paul did not turn his footsteps away from Rome just because he knew it might be hazardous for his health. My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was brutalized and died a terrible death, so He could demonstrate His power through the resurrection, and show each of us that He had overcome death. “He is Risen!” (Христос Воскрес!). The resurrection of Our Lord, assured all of us “life everlasting with Him and Our Father”.
We hear our Healthcare friends and acknowledge their sincerity. But we can no more ignore the Holy words of the Bible, and examples of our forefathers, than we could go on living without bread and water. Is my life more important than Christ’s life was 2000 years ago, when He willingly went to the cross? Or is my life of greater value than the lives of the Apostles and the early Christians, who died because they remained faithful? Do I excuse myself from worship? Do I forgo communing with Christ My Lord, by not partaking in the Eucharist? May God forbid!
Do you think The Father will understand about the real possibility of endangering my life, if I gather with other Christians to worship Him? I cannot know the mind of God, and for me to claim otherwise would be blasphemy. I do not know if He will grant us a special mercy during this time, and overlook our frail human fears. But I do know that “God is Love”, and He cherishes the righteous and punishes the wicked. And I know that every “good thing… and perfect gift… comes from the Father” (James 1:17). So, I say to you, “pray”, pray my Orthodox Brothers and Sisters… pray for strength and guidance today and every day! Then arise and go forth as directed by your heart, which is in tune with God’s will. May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ bless and keep you. Your Brother, Phillip
My concern is not for my life. I just do not want to give the virus to others. So if anyone
decides they must worship and not keep distance from others, would they please quarantine themselves for 14 days so they don’t pass this deadly disease to another who gives it to a stranger who gives it to the baby who dies. So that someone could go to Church! Go to your icon corner and pray in secret for your heavenly Father, who sees
what is in secret, will reward you and you may save others who are not as willing to die as you.
Sad, Sir…as the writer says we can die of so many things daily if we are not sheltering in place in such a strict way as to avoid everyone, always and everywhere.
If you don’t want to go to the church don’t go; stay at home and pray in your ikon corner. But unless you have the blessing of your bishop you do not have the Holy Gifts in your home. Even then that is against the canons. Only in the temple of the Lord can we normally commune in Him.
Cheap shot about the baby as well.
Anyone who goes to Church presumably is willing to take the risk. With regard to possibly infecting others outside of church, we should take the necessary reasonable precautions with them anyway after we go to the grocery store, work etc.
For many people it is apparent that the evil one takes any opportunity to attack the Church and the chief sign of this is when we treat Her with a double standard. If I do not fuss about others going to get groceries and work then why should I fuss about others going to church? And if I do, am I not saying that church is less essential than those other things? For some of us the services and Sacraments do not just give us life, they *are* our life. Without them we have no life. For such a person, abstaining from the Divine Liturgy and the Sacraments is suicide. But as St. Paul wrote to the Romans:
“Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.”
God bless Clarence
Christ is Risen!
Not interested in pursuing this further.