The greatest harm of our time is not that people do not go to Church.

 “The greatest harm of our time is not that people do not go to Church. It is that they want to go on their own terms. They want a Christ who fits into their schedule, a Divine Liturgy tailored to their needs, and a Holy Communion without effort, without waiting, without preparation. But this is not an ecclesiastical mentality, it is the worldly spirit that has entered the spiritual life. The Church does not adapt to our convenience. We are called to adapt our lives to the rhythm of the Church.

And do you know what is the saddest thing? They call parishes and monasteries and ask us: “What time does Holy Communion come out?” What question is that, my child? What kind of person who truly loves Christ can ask this question? It is as if they were saying: “Tell me when to come, so that I may miss as much of the Divine Liturgy as possible and keep only what serves me.” If someone loves a person, he does not ask when the meeting will end, he asks when it begins, so as not to lose a single minute. But when the heart grows cold, then he always seeks the minimum. How long should I stay? When will it end? How long will it last? These are not questions of love. They are questions of a heart that has not yet tasted the sweetness of God’s presence.

From “Blessed is the Kingdom” the entrance to Heaven begins. It is not a phrase that precedes the Liturgy because it is the very beginning of the Kingdom. Saint John Chrysostom says that during the Divine Liturgy the earth becomes Heaven and the angels concelebrate with people. Saint Nicholas Kavasilas teaches that every part of the Divine Liturgy prepares the soul for union with Christ. So who dares to despise this course and only come at the end? The Divine Liturgy is not cut into pieces. We do not take only what we like. Whoever cuts the Liturgy to his own measure will slowly cut the Gospel to his own measure.

Let me tell you something that hurts. For a theatrical performance we arrive half an hour early. For a cinema we sit patiently until the credits have even finished. For a flight we are at the airport an hour or two early. Let us not lose our seat. Let us not miss the beginning. Let us not miss anything. But in front of Christ we do not have the same sensitivity. There we are content with catching the line for Holy Communion. This shows that the problem is not time. It is love. Where love is, time is also found.

Saint Symeon of Thessaloniki writes that every act of the Divine Liturgy has a theological meaning and leads man to participation in the Divine Mysteries. Nothing is superfluous. No utterance, no supplication, no “Lord, have mercy.” Everything educates the heart. Everything purifies the mind. Everything prepares man to stand before the Terrible Mystery. So when we despise the principle, in reality we despise the pedagogy of the Church. And then we risk getting used to even the most Holy things.

Let us pay attention to this. Holy Communion is not a right that we must seize. It is a gift that we must deserve. And no one deserves it because he was in the Church at the right time, but because he let the Divine Liturgy work within him from the first blessing to the last “For the sake of the Lord.” The saints did not seek the minimum. They did not ask “how much should I do?” They asked “how can I love Christ more?” That is where true Church life begins. All the rest are conveniences that comfort the conscience, but do not heal the soul.”

Monk Theoktistos of Kris