You can’t receive Holy Communion unless you’re a baptized and chrismated Orthodox Christian in good standing with the Church. That’s the first thing to know. If you’re still a catechumen, you’re not there yet, but you will be.
Once you’re Orthodox, preparing for Communion involves both your body and your soul. The physical rules are straightforward. Fast from all food and drink from midnight the night before a morning Liturgy. Nothing. Not even water or coffee. Christ’s Body and Blood should be the first thing you receive that day. If there’s an evening Liturgy, you’ll need to fast for at least eight hours beforehand. People working the night shift at the refineries or nurses on rotation should talk to Father about adjustments, but the principle stays the same: you approach the Chalice hungry.
The night before, you’ll read the Pre-Communion Prayers. You can find these in most Orthodox prayer books. They’re a collection of psalms, hymns, and petitions that prepare your heart. Some are tender. Some are stark. One verse says, “If thou desirest, O man, to eat the Body of the Master, approach with fear, lest thou be burnt; for It is fire.” That’s not meant to terrify you but to remind you what’s actually happening at that Chalice. You can read these prayers the evening before or the morning of, depending on your schedule.
But the real preparation doesn’t start the night before. It’s ongoing.
You need to go to Confession regularly. How often depends on you and your priest’s guidance, but this isn’t optional. Confession isn’t just about listing sins like you’re checking boxes. It’s about examining your conscience, bringing your thoughts and temptations and struggles into the light. St. John Chrysostom said we should approach Communion with a clean conscience, and that means dealing with what’s between us and God. If you’ve got mortal sin sitting on your soul, you can’t just show up and receive.
You also can’t approach the Chalice while you’re at war with your neighbor. This is huge. If you’re nursing a grudge against someone at church or you haven’t spoken to your brother in three years over some family nonsense, you need to fix that first. The prayers say it plainly: reconcile. In some Orthodox homes, family members ask each other’s forgiveness the night before Communion. Kids kiss their parents’ hands. It’s a beautiful practice, and it makes the point. You can’t receive the Prince of Peace while refusing to make peace.
Arrive at Liturgy on time. That means before the Gospel reading. You can’t roll in at the Cherubic Hymn and expect to commune. There are exceptions for genuine emergencies, illness, or work conflicts, but as a rule, you need to be there to hear the Word before you receive the Word made flesh.
When you approach the Chalice, you’ll cross your arms over your chest, right over left, and state your baptismal name clearly so the priest can say it as he gives you Communion. Don’t make the sign of the cross right before receiving, you might bump the Chalice. After you receive, go directly to the table for the antidoron (blessed bread) and warm water to help you swallow. Then go back to your place and keep praying. This isn’t the time to chat.
Here’s what trips up a lot of folks coming from Protestant backgrounds: Communion in the Orthodox Church isn’t a personal decision you make each Sunday. It’s not about how you feel or whether you had a good week. It’s about whether you’re prepared according to the Church’s criteria. Some Sundays you might not be ready. That’s okay. Better to refrain and prepare properly than to approach unworthily. St. Paul’s warning in 1 Corinthians 11 isn’t hypothetical.
If you’re a newer Orthodox Christian, don’t stress about getting everything perfect immediately. Talk to Father about your prayer rule, your fasting, your confession schedule. He’ll help you figure out what’s realistic for your life. A parent with three kids under five isn’t going to have the same prayer rule as a retired widower. The Church is pastoral, not legalistic. But she does have standards, and they exist because what happens at that Chalice matters more than anything else in your life.
You’re receiving the actual Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Not a symbol. Not a memorial. Him. That reality should shape everything about how you prepare.
