On the true presence of the Mysteries...

Within the Orthodox Christian Church one finds the teaching of the true presence of the Body and Blood of our Lord to be central to everything else. It is the Apex of the Divine Liturgy. It is the grand finale. It is the very reason why all Orthodox Christians attend service on Sunday and therefore it is the last of the three parts of the liturgy. We come and sing praise to God, thanking Him for all of Creation, then we confess the faith and pray for the whole world, after these two parts of the liturgy we finally give thanks and the priest performs the sacrifice. All of this is directly connected to the practices of the liturgy performed in the ancient temple in Jerusalem prior to it's destruction. In fact, Orthodox parishes are called temples.

Regarding how Christians have always believed the Eucharist (translated: give thanks) is viewed, it has never been a mere symbol. If it was, than our Lord would not have said, " Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you."

For the Orthodox Christian, the Mystery of the Eucharist is the remedy to the illness of Sin. It is the fountain of immortal Life, the way to obtain God within us.

Jacob of Serugh (6th Century) writes:

And faith is bright and stands manfully, and doubts not either that He is alive or that He is slain. And He reclines slain at the table, and is not investigated; and they drink His Blood and affirm that it is Blood, while He is alive. And there are not there, neither pryers nor disputers, (p. 486) nor investigators, nor yet scribes of wise (opinions). They were not questioning, when there was place to ask: "Dost Thou indeed call it Body, Lord, when lo, it is bread? " Faith stoops not to questionings: she knows to affirm; to investigate she has never learned. The Apostles were anxious to assent to the Son, not to investigate or question as daring (men). The bread that He brake and called His Body, Body they knew it (to be); and thus they thought, that yea, in truth His Blood was dropping (there). Who would have been able to sacrifice the Son before His Sire, unless He had sacrificed Himself by His own hands before He suffered? He, our Lord, is the High Priest of the perfect Sacrifice; and therefore He sacrificed Himself before His Father. He is the Dead who when dead was alive,and was not investigated, Priest and Burnt Offering, whom to examine is too high for the disputers. He brake and divided His Body with His hands to His twelve, who, if they had not seen how He brake, would not have broken. He stood as Priest and performed the priest's function upon Himself among His disciples, that He might depict a type to the priesthood for it to imitate. He taught them how to break His holy Body and distribute it to the sons of the household of the faith, (p. 487) He made known to them how they should drink the cup of His Blood, and give the nations and worlds and regions to drink of it. With His Blood He sealed the new Covenant, which He made that it might be for remission of debts for ever. Simon He taught, and to John He gave an example, that as He did they should be doing when He was taken up.