Against Open Communion

The conversation around open Communion is a complicated and somewhat controversial one. By open Communion, I mean allowing all people, no matter church membership, affiliation, or faith, or religion, to partake of the Eucharist during Sunday services. The Orthodox Church, following the traditional teaching of the Apostles, the ancient Church, the Fathers, and the Scriptures, does not practice said modern custom. Those who have not been brought into the Orthodox Church via baptism, chrismation, and confession are not permitted to partake, and this is for the spiritual safety of the recipient. Furthermore, if one is a member of the Church, but has unconfessed sins on their heart, they are also to abstain from the Eucharist until they have Confessed them. I’ll briefly present the Scriptural and Patristic reasons as to why the Orthodox Church has not practiced open Communion, and why we ought to continue in this rule today and continually.

It is difficult discussing Christian Communion generally because of the multitudes of heterodox Christian denominations and confessions of faith who have differing views from the Orthodox Church, and from one another, on what takes place during the Sacrament. The reasons why one may support open or closed Communion is dependent upon their presuppositions as to what Christian Communion is and means. Three things are requisite for a true Mystery, including the Mystery of Mysteries, which is Communion, as stated in the famous Catechism of St. Peter Mogila:

“First, fit and proper Matter, as Water in Baptism, Bread and Wine in the Eucharist, Oil and other things in their respective Mysteries. Secondly, a Bishop, or a Priest, regularly ordained. Thirdly, the Invocation of the Holy Ghost, and a solemn Form of Words: By which the Priest celebrates the Mystery, through the Power and Efficacy of the Holy Ghost: Having a fixed and deliberate Intention of celebrating it”¹

The Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church believe in the real presence of Christ in Communion, and that the Gifts (i.e. the bread and wine) are truly changed into the Body and Blood of Christ. In 1672 A.D., Patriarch Dositheus II of Jerusalem said of Holy Communion:

“In the celebration whereof we believe the Lord Jesus Christ to be present, not typically, nor figuratively, nor by superabundant grace, as in the other Mysteries, nor by a bare presence, as some of the Fathers have said concerning Baptism, or by impanation, so that the Divinity of the Word is united to the set forth bread of the Eucharist hypostatically, as the followers of Luther most ignorantly and wretchedly suppose, but truly and really, so that after the consecration of the bread and of the wine, the bread is changed, transubstantiated, transformed, and converted into the true Body Itself of the Lord, which was born in Bethlehem of the ever-Virgin, was baptized in the Jordan, suffered, was buried, rose again, was received up, sits at the right hand of the God and Father, and is to come again in the clouds of Heaven; and the wine is transformed and transubstantiated into the true Blood Itself of the Lord, which as He hung upon the Cross, was poured out for the life of the world.

“Further, that after the consecration of the bread and of the wine, there no longer remains the substance of the bread and of the wine, but the Body Itself and the Blood of the Lord, under the species and form of bread and wine; that is to say, under the accidents of the bread.”²

Though some may try to further scientifically or philosophically define this process of transubstantiation, the Orthodox East, more prone to an apophatic Theology, simply states that the transformation is a Mystery that truly takes place in the Liturgy. Patriarch Dositheus II elaborates more on this point in the same work above:

“Further, we believe that by the word ‘transubstantiation’ the manner is not explained, by which the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of the Lord, – for that is altogether incomprehensible and impossible, except by God Himself, and those who imagine to do so are involved in ignorance and impiety, – but that the bread and the wine are after the consecration, not typically, nor figuratively, nor by superabundant grace, nor by the communication or the presence of the Divinity alone of the Only-begotten, transmuted into the Body and Blood of the Lord; neither is any accident of the bread, or of the wine, by any conversion or alteration, changed into any accident of the Body and Blood of Christ, but truly, and really, and substantially, doth the bread become the true Body Itself of the Lord, and the wine the Blood Itself of the Lord, as is said above.”³

The Protestant Congregations, including Mainline, Reformed, Evangelical, Charismatic, and Non-Denominational Congregations vary from one another in belief on the real presence of Christ in the Sacrament. They all denounce that the elements of Communion are truly changed into the Body and Blood of Christ, but they vary from one another in their belief on what actually takes place during Communion; on what it means, and how or if we are in any way affected in our participation thereof. One end of the spectrum of belief is that Communion is merely a nominal symbol, meant for remembrance only. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the belief that there is somehow an actual Communion with God on a spiritual level.

Proponents of open Communion argue that out of love, we shouldn’t reject those outside of the Church who wish to partake of Christ’s Body and Blood because Jesus doesn’t turn anyone away from Himself. They believe that open Communion makes those outside the Church feel welcomed and comfortable in the service, and this will lead them to their conversion to Christianity, and their joining of the Church. This idea is, perhaps, an example of zeal without knowledge that the Scripture speaks of.⁴ As Fr. John Romanides says,

“The Church, as the Body of Christ, is the dwelling-place of God’s uncreated Glory. We cannot separate Christ from the Church, or the Church from Christ. In Papal and Reformed Protestantism, a clear distinction is made between the Body and the Church. Someone can partake of the Body of Christ without being a member of the Papal ‘Church.’ This is impossible for the Orthodox Church.”⁵

The Holy Fathers of the Church and the Holy Scriptures, both grounded in the Holy Spirit and not in opposition to one another, teach us that it’s spiritually dangerous to receive the Body and Blood of Christ unworthily. By this they mean, without the proper purification of the heart through repentance, and the Communicant’s proper understanding as to what’s occurring in the Sacrament.

St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians about Communion saying, “So that whosoever may eat this bread or drink the cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord.”⁶ Commenting on this verse, St. John Chrysostom wrote, “Why in the world? Because he poured it out, and makes the thing appear a slaughter and no longer a sacrifice. As for instance when they who pierced Him, pierced Him not so that they might drink, but that they might shed His blood. So in like manner does he that comes for it unworthily and bears no fruit thereby.”⁷

St. Paul continued, “But let a man examine himself, and thus let him eat of the bread and let him drink of the cup. For the one who eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.”⁸ Of these verses St. John Chrysostom commented, “’Not discerning the body of the Lord,’ that is, not scrutinizing, not being mindful, as he ought, of the greatness of those things set before him, not reckoning the weight of the gift.”⁹

On recognizing our sins, St. Sophrony of Essex wrote, “In the impulses and actions which our reason justifies, we cannot see ‘sin.’ The real vision of sin belongs to the spiritual plane from which we plunged at the time of the Fall. Sin is recognized by the gift of the Holy Spirit combined with faith in the Personal Absolute, our Creator and Father. It is a question of our personal relations with Him, and of nothing else.”¹⁰

How can one be mindful of the greatness of the Gift of Communion without being taught by the Church that offers it? How may one properly examine themselves and their sins without a relation to Christ Jesus that occurs through the Church, which is His body?¹¹

St. Paul continued in the next verse, “For this cause, many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”¹² This clearly shows that there are real consequences for improperly Communing. How is this possible if, as some claim, Communion is only a symbol, and not truly the Salvific Body and Blood of Christ? Obviously, there is more going on than mere symbolism. This may lead us to ask how one, even after becoming members of the Church, may partake of the Eucharist without judgment since we all sin and are unworthy of such an immense gift? St. Paul gives us an answer.

In verse 31 of the above chapter, St. Paul wrote, “For if we were discerning ourselves, we should not be judged; but when we are judged, we are being chastised by the Lord, in order that we should not be condemned with the world.”¹³ St. John Chrysostom commented on this verse, “’For if we were discerning (diekrinomen) ourselves:’ that is, if we were only willing to acknowledge our sins, to pass sentence on ourselves, to condemn the faults, we should be rid of the punishment both here and there in the next life. For the one who condemns his own self exported God in two ways; both by acknowledging one’s sins, and by being more on one’s guard for the future.”¹⁴

One who is outside the Church hasn’t done what Christ instructed us to do, which is to be born again of water and Spirit.¹⁵ Without one being purified in the regenerative baptismal waters, and inwardly illumined by the Holy Spirit in their personal Pentecost of Chrismation, how can they judge themselves well in every which way they have sinned against God? The world doesn’t teach people they have sinned. On the contrary, the world tells us our sins are what make us uniquely who we are, and that we ought to have pride in them.

For all this evidence, the Orthodox Church has not practiced, nor should start practicing open Communion to non-members of the Church. This again is for the Spiritual protection of the non-members who have not yet done the very things that will make them able to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ without condemnation.

There are no Mysteries outside of the Church.¹⁶ If the heterodox Christian Congregations, who are outside the boundaries of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ, which is the Orthodox Church, practice open Communion, respectfully, it is of no consequence to us Orthodox. A so-called Mystery performed by any sect outside of the Church using the same form and elements, but lacking the Apostolic Faith, is invalid, including of course Communion outside the Church. As harsh as this exclusivity may sound, I add it here out of love, as not to give someone false hope or misdirect their faith. This is not an opinion I have created of myself, nor the belief of some obscure schismatic group of men, but it is indeed the teaching of the Holy Traditions of the Church,¹⁷ her Scriptures, and her Venerable Saints and Fathers. Thus, Patriarch Dositheus II proclaimed:

“[T]his Mystery of the Sacred Eucharist can be performed by none other, except only by an Orthodox Priest, who has received his priesthood from an Orthodox and Canonical Bishop, in accordance with the teaching of the Eastern Church. This is compendiously the doctrine, and true confession, and most ancient tradition of the catholic Church concerning this Mystery; which must not be departed from in any way by such as would be Orthodox and who reject the novelties and profane vanities of heretics. But necessarily the tradition of the institution must be kept whole and unimpaired. For those that transgress, the catholic Church of Christ rejects and anathematises.”¹⁸

This does not mean we judge the eternal status of the heterodox Christian congregations, or any others who are outside of the boundaries of the Church. God may have mercy on who He pleases. God loves us infinitely more than we can love one other, and He will do what is Fair and Just with every individual who truly seeks Him and follows His commandments. With Archimandrite George of the Holy Monastery of St. Gregorios of the Holy Mountain, we humbly pray, “Merciful Lord, also guide the steps of the heterodox Christians to become aware of Your Truth, so that they are not left outside Your Bridechamber, deprived of the Grace of Theosis.”¹⁹ Glory to God for His Mysteries, and may the Lord have mercy on us all.

ICXC NIKA

Endnotes:

1. Peter Mogila, The Orthodox Confession of the Catholic and Apostolic Eastern Church, trans. J.J. Overbeck (Robertson, London: Thomas Baker, 1898), 75.
2. Dositheus of Jerusalem, The Confession of Dositheus From the Acts and Decrees of the Synod of Jerusalem, edit. Rev. Joshua Schooping (Olyphant, PA: St. Theophan the Recluse Press, 2020), 46-47.
3. Ibid., 50-51.
4. Proverbs 19:2
5. Fr. John Romanides, On the Church, https://oodegr.com/english/ekklisia/peri_ekklisias1.htm (Jul. 29, 2021).
6. 1 Corinthians 11:27
7. Holy Apostles Convent, The Orthodox New Testament. Ninth Edition. Vol. 2. (Buena Vista, Colorado: Holy Apostles Convent, 2016), 189.
8. 1 Corinthians 11:28-29
9. Holy Apostles Convent, 189.
10. Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov), We Shall See Him as He Is, trans. Rosemary Edmunds (Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 2012), 34.
11. Colossians 1:24
12. 1 Corinthians 11:30
13. Ibid 11:31
14. Holy Apostles Convent, 190.
15. John 3:5
16. For a full treatment on the development of the Roman Catholic Church accepting sacraments outside the Church, and an Orthodox response, see Fr. Peter Heers’ book The Ecclesiastical Renovation of Vatican II: An Orthodox Examination of Rome’s Ecumenical Theology Regarding Baptism and the Church.(Simpsonville, SC: Uncut Mountain Press, 2015).
17. 2 Thessalonians 2:15
18. Dositheus of Jerusalem, The Confession of Dositheus From the Acts and Decrees of the Synod of Jerusalem, edit. Rev. Joshua Schooping (Olyphant, PA: St. Theophan the Recluse Press, 2020), 51.
19. Archimandrite George of Mt. Athos, Theosis: The True Purpose of Human Life (Mount Athos, GR: Holy Monastery of St. Gregorios, 2006), 16.