At Baptism, and - likewise - at Confession, we receive forgiveness for our past sins and transgressions. Sin distorts our human nature. However, we still have free will; so we continue to sin after Baptism. We may give in to our passions or confront them, but we persist in sin. Yet when we come to the cup, we cleanse ourselves from our impurity and receive the energy to battle our sin.
The ultimate end of our Christian lives is Christ Himself, not our struggle against sin or the cultivation of virtue. We dedicate our lives to Him. Everything else is nothing but an instrument of our progress or its consequence. Unsurprisingly, the Eucharist is the centre-piece of our Christian life, second only to Baptism.
Closeness to God defeats all impurity. Our ascent to sainthood leaves no room for sin. When we commune with the Saviour in the sacrament of the Eucharist, we pull ourselves from the mire of sin and obtain the strength to oppose it.
When we approach the Cup in good faith, we are rewarded with a sense of peace and sanctity that no passion can disrupt. At these moments, however brief, we experience the true remission of our sins. Yet because we cannot mend our distorted nature, we walk out of the church and sin again. Then we repent and take communion. Our struggle against sin continues, bringing forth our full victory.
Source: spzh.news
