What is Holy Communion? Is it just a symbol?
In short: For Orthodox Christians, Communion is not just a symbol, nor a mere memory. It is truly the Body and Blood of Christ, under the appearance of bread and wine. Christ said it clearly: take, eat, this is My Body (Matthew 26:26), not this reminds you of Me. It is the center of the Liturgy and the deepest nourishment of the Christian life.
The Orthodox nuance
Many, especially among Protestants, understand the Supper only as a memorial. It is a position to be respected, but the ancient Church, from the beginning, believed differently. When Christ said in John 6 that His flesh is true food, many were scandalized and left, and He did not stop them saying wait, it was just a metaphor; He let them leave, a sign that He was speaking seriously.
Be careful how we state it, however: Westerners tried to explain in detail, philosophically, how the bread is transformed (transubstantiation), whereas Orthodoxy professes just as strongly that the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of the Lord, but leaves the how as a mystery. It is not a matter of chemistry, it is a Sacrament, the work of the Holy Spirit invoked over the gifts at the Liturgy.
And that is why you do not receive Communion in a rush; you prepare yourself, with confession, with fasting, with reconciliation, because Saint Paul warns that whoever partakes unworthily harms himself (1 Corinthians 11:27-29), not out of fear, but out of reverence, just as you do not enter a wedding feast dirty from the road.
Sources
- Matthew 26:26-28 (this is My Body)
- John 6:51-56 (My flesh is true food)
- 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 (preparation and worthiness)