First Holy Communion

Our Lord Himself instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist at the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, the evening before He died. Our participation in the Eucharist is our participation in the Last Supper, following in the footsteps of the Apostles. We imitate them in receiving the Lord Himself.

The particle of transubstantiated bread which is distributed at communion, is known in Arabic as the birshan. Before it has been consecrated it is only the qurban, the “offering.” Biršan means “raise to power,” “make king.” In other words, what was offered to God has been accepted and raised to power, it has been transubstantiated into Jesus Christ Our Lord.

The “Eucharist” is known to Maronites both as the qurban and as the “Divine Sacrifice of the Mass.” That is, the species of bread, water and wine are changed into Our Lord in His full humanity and divinity. There is no doubt that the species do change in the Mass, and become Our Lord Himself: it has no meaning without this. The priest prays, time and again, for the Holy Spirit: “to make it the life-giving bread” (from the Anaphora of the Twelve Apostles). 

St Mark records the Last Supper in these terms:

While they were eating, He took some bread, and having blessed, He broke it, and gave it to them, and said: “Take it; this is My body.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them: “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Amen, I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” (Mark 14:22-25)

St Paul said that: “whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.” (1 Corinthians 11) So, if I am in not in a state of grace, that is, if I have a mortal sin on my soul, I cannot approach the Eucharist. If my sin is very serious, then I must first approach the Sacrament of Confession to obtain penance and absolution, because mortal sin is opposed to having any grace in one’s soul, and it would be wrong to accept the Lord without being in a state of grace. Otherwise, if I am only in venial sin, then taking the Eucharist with contrition effects the forgiveness of those sins. The Eucharist is given for forgiveness: all we have to do is to receive it worthily. 

The ideal is to attend the church each Sunday or Saturday vigil, having first made a good preparation, and that being so, then receive the Eucharist. After a period of laxity, we are becoming more aware of the propriety of dressing nicely and modestly for the Divine Liturgy. We show our respect through our presentation of ourselves to receive the King of Kings.