1 Corinthians 11:28Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Paul customarily, as I have said before, discusses not only the main subject of his speech. If the discourse touches on another matter, he treats it with great care, especially when the matters are most necessary and urgent.

Thus, when he was speaking about married persons and touched upon slaves in the discourse, he set forth that subject very strongly and at length. When he spoke about not going to court, and touched in his instruction upon covetousness, he said much on that subject also. He does the same here.

Having mentioned the Mysteries, he found it necessary to set forth this subject in greater detail, since it is not unimportant. Therefore in speaking about it he inspires great fear and proves that the chief good is to approach them with a clean conscience.

Not content with what was said before, he adds the following: "Let a man examine himself." He says the same in the second epistle: "Examine yourselves" (2 Cor 13:5). This is not as we do, conforming ourselves more to the time than to the disposition of the soul.

We are not concerned to approach after preparing ourselves, after cleansing ourselves from every evil, and with full reverence. We only want to approach on feasts and when everyone else approaches.

Paul does not command this. He knows only one time for approaching the Mysteries and Communion: when the conscience is clean. If we do not approach a bodily table while suffering from fever and a rush of bad humors, lest we die, much more must we not touch this table with evil desires, which are worse than fever.

By evil desires I mean bodily desires, covetousness, anger, remembrance of wrongs, and in general every evil inclination. The one who approaches must be cleansed of all this and only then touch this pure sacrifice.

He must not approach with negligence and laziness, as though compelled, merely because a feast has occurred. On the other hand, when contrition and readiness are present, he must not postpone because there is no feast.

A feast is the practice of good works, the piety of the soul, and strictness of life. If you have these, you can always keep feast and always approach.

Therefore the Apostle says: "Let each examine himself, and so let him." He commands not that one examine another, but that each examine himself, setting up a tribunal without publicity and an accusation without witnesses.

1 Cor 11:27-29: "Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of this bread and drink of this cup. For he who eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's Body."

Chapter 1. Communion of Christ's Body and Blood is necessary for eternal life itself.

Jn 6:53-54: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you have no life in you. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life," and so forth.

Chapter 3. With what intention should one eat the Body and drink the Blood of the Lord? In remembrance of the Lord's obedience even unto death, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Lk 22:19-20: "And taking bread, and having given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying: This is My Body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying: This cup is the New Covenant in My Blood, which is shed for you."

1 Cor 11:23-26: "The Lord Jesus, on the night in which He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, broke it and said: Take, eat; this is My Body, broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me. In the same way also the cup after supper, and said: This cup is the new covenant in My Blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes."

2 Cor 5:14-15: "For the love of Christ constrains us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died. And Christ died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again."

1 Cor 10:16-17: "The bread which we break, is it not communion of the Body of Christ? There is one bread, and we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread."

It also brings eternal torment on that day when the Lord will render to each according to his works (Rom 2:6). The Master of all Himself explained this when He said, "Then you will begin to say: We ate and drank before Thee, and Thou didst teach in our streets.

"And He will say, I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of unrighteousness" (Lk 13:26-27).

Since such and so great a punishment lies before those who partake unworthily of the dread Mysteries of Christ, the God-speaking Paul handed down to us this commandment: "Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup" (1 Cor 11:28).

Do you hear? Wisdom and understanding appoint you judge over yourself. Why? For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man that is in him (1 Cor 2:11)?

What other man knows the secrets of your heart better than your own spirit and your own conscience?

Therefore, before you approach the Mysteries, examine yourself. Search your deeds. If you find in them transgression of God’s commandments and your will remains uncorrected, then refrain.

For if you partake, you will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord (1 Cor 11:27).

Attend to your words. If you learn that your mouth has multiplied malice and your tongue has woven deceits, and that sitting against your brother you slandered him and set a stumbling block against your mother’s son (Ps 49:19-20), then refrain.

If deceit, false witness, betrayal, and impenitence remain in you, refrain. For you will eat and drink unworthily and will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord.

Examine your thoughts. If you notice pride in your mind, envy in your soul, enmity in your heart, and no repentance, then refrain. For if you partake, you eat and drink judgment to yourself.

This Mystery is most holy, and therefore those who approach it must be holy. For this reason, when the time of divine communion draws near, the priest proclaims, "The Holy Things are for the holy."

But who is holy? Who will be clean from defilement? No one, even if his life on earth lasts but one day (Jn 14:4-5).

What then remains to be done? Is it better not to approach the Mystery, so as not to fall under accusation and judgment? May this not be.

Communion in the divine Eucharist is necessary for the strengthening of faith, for the practice of virtue, and for the perfection of life. Without communion in the Body and Blood of the Lord, it is impossible to inherit eternal life.

"Amen, amen, I say to you: unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you have no life in yourselves" (Jn 6:53).

But you say, "I see myself constrained on both sides. If I partake unworthily, I sin. If I do not partake at all, I will be guilty of torment. Therefore I do not know what to do."

Do a third thing, brother: partake worthily. But how, since you are a sinner? In the way God prescribed to you through the Prophet Moses and through the Apostle Paul.

Paul commands you first to examine yourself. That is, look into all your sins. Seeing the multitude of your transgressions, and also considering for your salvation the need for communion, do not doze or sleep.

Do not remain lying in the mire of your sins. "Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light" (Eph 5:14).

Do what God commanded you through Moses: cleanse yourself. This means: repent like Manasseh, abandon iniquity like Zacchaeus, and resolve to live pleasingly to God like Matthew.

Cleanse yourself. That is, come to the judgment seat of your spiritual father. With humility like the sinful woman, and with contrition like the thief, confess all your sins.

Repentance, conversion, complete abstinence from sin, and confession will blot out your transgressions and cleanse you from all your sins.

"I acknowledged my iniquity, and I did not hide my sin. I said, I will confess my iniquity against myself to the Lord; and Thou forgavest the ungodliness of my heart" (Ps 31:5).

Like Peter, wash not your garments, but the defilement of your soul, mind, and heart with your bitter tears.

At least for three days prepare yourself by prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and every other work pleasing to God.

Then approach with faith and reverence, with fear and trembling, beating your breast like the publican and crying out with the centurion, "Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldest come under my roof" (Mt 8:8).

And so partake of the heavenly Mysteries of Christ. In this way communion will become for you sanctification of soul and body, and perfect union with God.

Then you will become unconquerable by the passions, terrible to demons, a friend of the angels, a son of God, and an heir of His heavenly Kingdom. Amen.

And truly, does not one approach unworthily who despises the hungry and shames him?" "When you have eaten something pleasant at dinner, you take care not to spoil what came before with bad food. Yet after receiving the Spirit, we give ourselves over to pleasures.

One must be temperate both before Communion and after it. The chief good is to approach the Mysteries with a clean conscience. Not content with what was said before, he adds: 'Let a man examine himself,' as he also says in the second epistle: 'Examine yourselves' (2 Cor 13:5).

If we do not approach a bodily table when suffering from fever and a rush of bad humors, lest we die, much more must we not touch this table with evil desires, which are worse than fever."

These words serve as a beautiful explanation of how those who eat the Mysteries without understanding their power subject themselves to judgment unto death. This death, of course, does not overtake all equally quickly. Yet unworthy Communion can never remain without recompense.

In Corinth this recompense occurred with evident clarity in the sickness of many and the death of some. But lest Christians draw some utterly perverse conclusions from this, the Apostle indicates the means of avoiding judgment.

This means is awareness of one's nothingness before God, and fear of angering Him by anything that can make us unworthy of His sacred and mystical Supper.

Finally, if punishments overtake us, we must not despair. These punishments are corrections by which God wishes to turn us away from deeds that lead to condemnation to eternal torment, together with the world that has not known the Lord.

The Corinthian Christians had been carried away by that world's passions, both those who went to eat things sacrificed to idols and those who greedily ate their own offerings at the supper of love.

Saint Chrysostom says: "The chief good is to approach the Mysteries with a clean conscience. Not content with what was said before, he adds the following: 'Let a man examine himself,' as he also says in the second epistle: 'Examine yourselves' (2 Cor 13:5).

He does not command what we do now, conforming ourselves more to the time than to the disposition of the soul. We are not concerned to approach after preparing ourselves, after cleansing ourselves from every evil, and with full reverence. We only want to approach when everyone else approaches.

Paul does not command this. He knows only one time for approaching the Mysteries and Communion: when the conscience is clean. If we do not approach a bodily table when suffering from fever and a rush of bad humors, lest we die, much more must we not touch this table with evil desires, which are worse than fever.

By evil desires I mean both bodily and spiritual ones: covetousness, anger, remembrance of wrongs, and in general every evil inclination. The one who approaches must be cleansed of all such things and then touch this pure sacrifice.

Therefore the Apostle says: 'Let each examine himself, and so let him approach.' He commands not that one examine another, but that each examine himself, setting up a tribunal without publicity and an accusation without witnesses."