Faith before mystery

St. Tikhon of Zadonsk (1724-1783) was a Russian Orthodox monk, bishop, spiritual writer, and saint  who is venerated as a saint throughout the Orthodox Churches and whose primary commemoration is on 13 August.  He believed that Christianity is fundamentally a living relationship with the risen Christ. This conviction gave Holy Communion a central place in his spirituality. It is here, in the Eucharist, that we meet the risen Christ Himself and receive divine life.

In his teaching, he emphasised repentance and confession, including reconciliation with those with whom one is in conflict, before receiving Holy Communion. He also stressed the importance of fasting and prayer as part of one's preparation for the sacrament.  We should approach this sacrament with reverence and attentiveness, never as a merely habitual or routine practice.  Tikhon regarded the Eucharist as heavenly nourishment for the soul, strengthening believers in their struggle against sin and helping them grow in union with Christ.

For Tikhon, the fruits of Holy Communion should be reflected in a transformed life marked by humility, love, forgiveness and obedience to God’s will.  He repeatedly insisted that one cannot genuinely draw near to Christ in the Eucharist while harbouring hatred, resentment, or indifference towards one's neighbour [source].

In his work, Journey to Heaven, he advises us, wisely, in the following terms:

Of the mystery of the All-Holy Trinity, the Most-Holy Eucharist, and other such things that are not revealed to us in the holy word of God, do not inquire idly, lest you fall into the snare of the devil and be tangled in it, and not be able to escape from thence, and so perish. For that which requires faith alone transcends our reasoning, and it is very dangerous to pry into these things. Keep yourself, then, from prying into things which are above you. Believe in all things as the Holy Scriptures teach, and as the Holy Church believes and establishes in accordance with it.

It is enough for the Christian to trust the words of Christ, to receive in faith what the Church has consistently handed down, and to put that faith into practice.