ORTHODOX WORSHIP WHY WE WORSHIP THE WAY WE DO MOST REVEREND MAR RAMON ALLEE, S.S.B., D.D. HOLY ORTHODOX CHURCH (AMERICAN JURISDICTION) The Orthodox understanding of worship begins with the conviction that there is indeed a communication of the Saints in the Kingdom of God. It is not the alone worshiping of the Alone. Further, it affirms the Scriptural premise that there are other heavenly or spiritual beings: Angels and Archangels, Cherubim and Seraphim. The Scriptures teach that in worship we are surrounded by and worship within this communion of Saints and heavenly hosts. Unlike us moderns, Christians through the ages have affirmed the "great cloud of witnesses" (Heb. 12:1), those Saints who have gone before us, and pray for them even as we believed and expect they pray for us. When we gather to worship, especially to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, we recognize that it is not just those of us on earth who are present, but those gathered as "the general assembly and Church of the First Born, enrolled in Heaven" (Heb. 12:23). These Saints are simply those among all Christians who have led particularly spiritual or exemplary lives in Christ. The Church has recognized this and held them up as especially worthy of honor by those of us striving to be conformed to the image of Christ. We who as Christians pray and are prayed for usually give hardly a thought to the prospect of asking a brother or sister to pray for us in times to trouble or need. In as much as the Saints departed this life have gone to be with the Lord and are alive in the Kingdom, then is it at all unusual to ask for their prayers on our behalf? They are Saints who share the same spiritual communion as we do, they constitute the communion of the Saints. Thus it is no different to ask intercession or prayer of them than it is to ask intercession or prayer of each other. For the Christian, death is not the end, nor is it - 1 - an eternal holding pattern. Rather life continues in the Kingdom of God as St. Paul declares: "to be absent from the body [is] to be at home with the Lord" (11 Cor. 5:8). If we indeed believe that life continues spiritually after the physical death, then we should have little trouble affirming this understanding of the Saints. Taken one step further, if any of us are undergoing trial and tribulation then to some extent our salvation is in jeopardy; thus to ask a brother or sister to pray for us, is to ask them to pray for our salvation. This is exactly what is intended when during the Liturgy, a petition is offered up to God "through the prayers or intercession of the Mother of God". Remembering Mary we commit ourselves to Christ! We hold up Mary as the first person to receive Christ, the one human being whose life was most fully in conformity to the will of God. In this modern society where unmarried mothers are an everyday occurrence, we hardly consider the familial, social and religious cost to Mary for having concurred with the will of God for her life. She is the study in humility and submission to the will of God. That is how we must live also. In remembering Mary life's, in calling her "blessed" as the New Testament teaches, we re-commit each day to live in conformity to Christ in the image and will of God. The Saints, because of the lives they lived, become icons or images - models - of what humble, loving and spiritual Christian life should be. Thus, they provide us with real and tangible models to which we should strive to conform our own life. Most of the early Saints were martyrs, who willingly died for their belief in Jesus Christ. This was a testimony not only of the faith of the individual who was martyred, but because of the willingness to die for their Lord, it was also a testimony to the triumph of Christ over - 2 - death. That is why so many early churches were built with the their Altars over the grave of a martyr; the martyr's death was a testimony to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as the Eucharist offered on that Altar was spiritual food providing us eternal life. The Saints may have died physically, but we who believe know that they have not died in any final sense; they live on with Christ in His Kingdom. If "life after death" is a part of our Christian belief, then what we affirm is the reality of the communion of the Saints. The Scriptures teach that we were created by God as physical as well as spiritual beings. To deny this physical aspect of our being is in fact to deny the nature of the creation. The challenge is to affirm this physical aspect of our being in a manner which is edifying and which builds us up and conforms us to the image of Christ. Furthermore, the Incarnation of Jesus, the taking on of human flesh and possession of both human and Divine Natures, is the ultimate affirmation of the inherent goodness of creation. We were created as physical and spiritual beings, and are being saved as such. To deny the physical side of our being or to affirm the spiritual at the expense of the physical, is simply not Christian. In worship all of our senses are involved. We smell the incense, and for those of us familiar with its use in worship, it not only symbolizes prayers rising to God (Psalm 141:2), but the very smell with all of its associations creates an atmosphere of worship. We hear, we touch, we see, we taste as well - all in a celebration which elevates us above the routine physical existence to realize we are seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. Anyone who seriously attempts to pray or to meditate, knows that just as soon as the eyes close and prayer begins, so does the struggle! The mind immediately fills with a million and one thoughts and distractions. That is why the atmosphere or ambience - 3 - of worship is so important; it should be different from our normal and harried life style; it should be a way to facilitate our moving into prayer and worship. This is one of the reason why Orthodox Christians often carry icons with them in their travel, and have icons in their homes. In the midst of a busy schedule, pressing engagements and all the rest of it, it is difficult to make the time to pray. Let alone to be able to focus on it. Personally, I carry two small icons: of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, hinged together. It is amazing and wonderful how the presence of these simple and small icons, with all of their previous associations, facilitates praying. They help direct my efforts, and keep my mind on what I am doing. The heart of all iconography is Jesus Christ, and thus God the Father. The Saint portrayed in an icon, is in the image of Jesus Christ. In venerating the Saints, we are in fact are venerating Jesus Christ ("if they receive you they will receive Me" Matt. 10:40); that is, God, in whose image and likeness they are made. Icons serve to challenge and motivate us, to encourage and bless us - because in them we see and experience Jesus Christ, the hope of glory! Iconography and the Incarnation go hand and in hand. In Jesus Christ wells the fullness of the Godhead, and although no one has seen God, yet Christ revealed Him in full. Therefore, an image of Jesus Christ is an image of God. If the purpose of the Incarnation was to redeem fallen creation, then all matter has the capability of being sanctified by the grace of the Holy Spirit; thus a portrayal of Christ is not only an image but may become a spiritual reality. This is simply because, as a result of the Incarnation everything has taken on new meaning. A favorite phrase of St. Paul is "image of Christ." We all pray for, preach and teach that we should be conformed to the image of Christ. - 4 - A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD In saying that the Communion of Saints is at the heart of Orthodox worship, we must next turn to see how that worship or Liturgy is celebrated. More than celebrated, it is co-celebrated by the clergy and the people gathered to praise the one true God. But, it is also co-celebrated with the Saints and the Heavenly Host, for we are all saints together, equally children of God brought into the Kingdom by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit. It is communion which forms the basis of our worship: we join with those in Heaven before the Throne of God, and offer Him praise and blessing. Those who have been reconciled to God through belief in Jesus Christ in Holy Baptism- Chrismation become members of the royal priesthood. This priesthood, commonly referred to as the "priesthood of believers" (1 Peter 2:9), is foundational to Christianity. What is a priest? One who stands before God and offers Him in thanksgiving that which He has given to us: life. Because of the Fall, humanity turned away from the worship of God and became self-centered. In the Book of Romans, St. Paul isolates the key mark of sin: unthankfulness (1:21). man refuses to say thank you to God, to love Him back. But as reconciled believers, we are "an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation" (I Peter 2:9-10); we are now the People of God. Having been restored to our priesthood, we come back to worship. And at the most practical level, what does this mean for us? It means that we were created to bless and praise God, to worship Him. This is our vocation! Vocation, you say; as in work? Yes! Vocation, because this is precisely what we were created to do, to be in communion with God as his priests, and in that role to - 5 - worship Him. The dictionary defines vocation as follows: "any occupation or pursuit for which one qualifies oneself, or to which one devotes one's time or life; a calling." We are not only called to this vocation, we were created for it. And in accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and entering into the Church, we are enabled by God's Holy Spirit to carry out that for which we were created. The word Liturgy literally means the work of the people. It is not just that which we are to do during the Divine Liturgy, but that work which we are to be doing throughout all of our lives. The understanding of humans as priests, is but one part of the created role. In theology Christ is understood to have manifested Himself in three offices, to have worked in three ways: as king, priest and prophet. Jesus Christ is king. He is our High Priest and He is Prophet. Christ is King because He is the anointed Messiah; He is Priest because He offered Himself for the life of the world; He is Prophet because he fulfilled all the prophecies in coming human form. Notice that all three key off the human nature which Jesus Christ took upon Himself in the Incarnation. It was through taking on and fulfilling His calling, in human form, that He became King, Priest and Prophet. As divine, as a part of the Godhead, there is no need to refer to Him in these ways; it is self evident. The point here is simply that these three offices or characteristics of Christ are also the created offices or characteristics of human beings. We were created to be priestly, prophetic and kingly; and though fallen, it is what we can become in Jesus Christ. St. Paul observed that "God works all things together for the good, for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28), indicating a fundamental inter-relationship of all we - 6 - are and do in Jesus Christ. This is equally true of the Church. The liturgical and the sacramental characters of the Church are linked together, and we have seen, they are the way the Church is to be and to worship. This was so from the beginning of the New Testament Church. Our ability to fulfill this vocation, this calling, as priests is directly tied to the liturgical and the sacramental. Until we accept and put on these characteristics of the Church, we will be members of the Royal Priesthood, but we will never fulfill our calling as priests. It is this priesthood that undergirds Christian worship, and most particularly the Divine Liturgy. Why? Because our worship can and must take place in the only place of true worship, the Kingdom of God. The Liturgy is a celebration of our salvation. It is a feast of the joy that is ours in the Holy Trinity, which Christ came to give. It is saying thank you for the grace of God which is continually available to us through the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments. It is a festival with all the accompanying joy and gladness that characterize Heaven itself. Jesus described the Kingdom of God in terms of a royal feast, "And they shall come from the East, and West, and from the north South, and from the South, and shall sit down (i.e. at table) in the Kingdom of God" (Luke 13:29). And St. John tells us in Revelation, that the saints at the heavenly wedding feast cry out, "Alleluia! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lord has come, and the Bride has made herself ready" (Rev. 19:6-7). This explains why at the beginning of the Eucharist meals in Acts, Luke writes that "they took their food with gladness and simplicity of heart" (Acts 2;46). Our hearts are to be filled with joy as we experience communion with our risen Lord. - 7 - THE PRIESTHOOD IN ACTION: WORSHIP In worship, celebration takes two forms: con- celebration and co-celebration. Con-celebration is a term used to describe what the priest(s) and deacon(s) do together: they con-celebrate together their part of the Liturgy. Co-celebration describes the role the clergy takes in the Liturgy with the congregation. We all celebrate together, or co-celebrate, this worship which is offered up to the Holy Trinity and is called the Divine Liturgy. The sacramental role which the priest performs is done on behalf of the gathered believers; the priest and the assembly of believers offer their worship to God as a corporate whole. The priest leads the assembly in their corporate worship, as Christ (as the Head) leads the Mystical Body. The royal priesthood of all believers, both clergy and parishioners, thus assures the access of each person to God as His People, and makes this worship possible. The priest has a specific sacramental role; he is "called" to the priesthood as the father of the faithful and ordained by the bishop. The role includes leading the worship, preaching, and consecrating and serving the Eucharist. The priest is first and foremost the icon of Christ to his people, and the designation "father" connotes the pastoral role he is to have. He is President of the Holy Assembly, "the man who stands in front" representing the bishop and bringing the entire priesthood to the throne of God. In the early Church, the bishop was the central figure around whom the congregation gathered to celebrate the Eucharist. The bishop as direct successor to the Apostles was the representative, the icon of Christ. And so the priest, as the representative of the Bishop, is the icon of Christ to His people. What makes the church "the Church" is the presence of the Lord. As the icon of Christ, the Lord - 8 - is sacramentally present in the church through the priest. In Hebrew the word qahal means to congregate, to be gathered where the Lord is present. The important element is that the Lord is present, that He is doing the gathering and that we have assembled in response to and in anticipation of His action among us. True we all share the royal priesthood, but sacramentally the Church needs the priest to be the Church. This understanding of the assembly gathered together by the Lord, where He is Present to act, can be seen in Exodus 20:1; Deuteronomy 4:10 and 5:22, and 11 Chronicles 20:14 and numerous other Old Testament references, and carries through into the New Testament. "Where two or three are gathered together in My Name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:15), is not a stand alone proposition. It has a very specific context, and that context is The Church! The whole teaching begins at verse 15 where Christ instructs that if your brother sins against you, go to him privately; failing that, take witnesses; and "if he refuses to hear them, tell it to The Church." The Lord then goes on to say that whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven, and that when "two or three agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in Heaven." The context throughout is the Church and Church discipline. It is not just any two or three people, believers or not, deciding on something. Christ's own word was "Church". What keeps the Church being "the Church" is the Apostolic Succession, the sacramental role of the priest as the delegate of the bishop, and the continuity from bishop to bishop back to Christ Himself. While we have acknowledged that the priest in his sacramental role as the icon of Christ is necessary for the celebration of the Eucharist, we must realize - 9 - that more than the priest is necessary. For the Orthodox Church, it has always been understood that three elements must be present together: people, priest and the Holy Spirit. This is apparent in the Prayer of Consecration in which he prays: "command these our offering be borne by the hands to Thy holy Angels, to Thine Altar on high in the Presence of Thy Divine Majesty, that by the power of Thy Holy Spirit, those of us who share in the sacrifice of this altar, shall receive the most Sacred Body and Blood of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord ..." The people or the Deacon, on behalf of the people, say: "Amen, Amen, Amen." The Liturgy is the work of the people and the priest. A priest cannot celebrate the Eucharist without the people present. The Mystical work whereby the elements become the Body and Blood require the prayers and presence of the priest and people and the work of the Holy Spirit. Christ is present and works through His icon, the priest; the People of God are exercising their Royal Priesthood; the Holy Spirit works in their midst making the gifts the Body and Blood. In fact, St. Paul understands himself as possessing this priesthood. In Romans 15:16 he says that he is a "minister of the Gospel to the Gentiles, ministering the Gospel of God." The two words which are translated "minister" in this sentence are not the same. The second is the word hierourgos, which shares the same root word with our word hierarch. It is translated as 'to serve as a priest". The same word is used by Clement of Rome in 95-96 A.D. to mean priesthood, "a special reality not possessed by those who have not received it by transmission from the Apostles as their successors." This view of himself as priest is again apparent in 1 Corinthians 10:16 where St. Paul in saying "the cup of blessing which we bless" refers to the liturgical prayer of consecration which is - 10 - still said by the priest in every Divine Liturgy. This has been the conviction of the Church from the beginning and we can still see this expectation of the Presence an Action of the Lord within His Body in the proclamation of the Deacon before the Divine Liturgy begins. The Deacon requests of the celebrating priest: "Father, give the blessing!" This is a clear anticipation that Lord through the Holy Spirit will be in our midst and will be so sacramentally through the priest. His icon. This sacramental role of the priest does not reduce the value of each believer, for all of us are to be icons of Christ because we are all made in His image. It is this royal priesthood which allows and enable us to come together - to be present when and where the Lord acts, and to work with Him in this responsibility called worship. Does not liturgical worship by its very design and structure create a distinction between clergy and laity? Yes, in an outward or organizational sense - but not in terms of standing before god. No more so than liturgical worship with male priests creates a distinction between men and women. From the very opening of the liturgy, what is apparent in Orthodox worship is the interactive dynamic we have referred to as co-celebration. The priest offers a prayer of blessing to God, and the congregations responds in confirmation of this offering and in lifting it heavenward. Throughout the Liturgy, the congregation is involved in the very process of worship, actualizing its privilege and responsibility as a priesthood to worship the Holy Trinity. It is this understanding of the Communion of the Saints participating ultimately in the Eucharist and made possible by the royal priesthood of believers, which makes the Divine Liturgy the dynamic, joyous and beautiful experience it is. It is the oneness we share before God as a priesthood restored to its - 11 - original purpose that allows us to fulfill our calling and offer up praise and worship to the Lord. It is, in fact, that original created purpose as "image of God" in which all human beings were created, that is acknowledged each time the priest censes the congregation. Incense is employed not just to make the sanctuary smell good, but is symbolic of our prayers rising up to God (Psalm 141:2), offered as a blessing to Him who alone is our sanctification. This act of censing, then, pays tribute to the image of God in each believer, and to our restored ability to offer up worship to God. The reality of the Communion of the Saints is responsible, at least in part, for the dynamic and transcendent nature of the divine Liturgy. It is not only the co-celebration of clergy and people, but also their co-celebration with the Saints and the Host of Heaven before the throne of God, that sets this worship apart as more than just the people gathered together at a given time in a given place. All of earth joins all of Heaven to worship together in the Kingdom of God, And, as we shall see in the following pages, it is the Kingdom of God to which we ascend. For it is there that all true and spiritual worship takes place. - 12 - HEAVENLY WORSHIP Worship begins in heaven. The Holy Scriptures record numerous instances of the drama of heavenly adoration taking place before the very throne of God. It may be that for the person familiar with Scripture, some of these are so apparent they are overlooked. The concept of heavenly worship began with God's revelation to the children of Israel about the building of the Tabernacle and the manner of worship to take place within it. This revelation formed the basis for the Old Testament worship of the Jews. Worship on earth was to reflect worship in Heaven. In Isaiah, chapter 1, the Prophet writes of being caught up to Heaven and experienced celestial worship. He tells us there were Seraphim praising God, singing "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory" (verse 3). He records that one the Seraphim flew to him with a coal taken from the altar, and touched his mouth, taking away his sin and this was understood by the early Church Fathers as being a type (or model) of the Eucharist. It was after this experience that Isaiah was commissioned by God to prophesy to His People. He ties this transporting vision into earthly time: the year King Uzziah died, about 731 B.C. (Isaiah 6:1). Even the Prophet Daniel reports that his vision was from being before the throne of the Ancient of Days, where He was served and ministered to (7:9-14) Further in Revelation 4 and 5, the Apostle John was likewise caught up to Heaven, and in that Book we have the revelation of what he saw and of what he was told. He witnessed worship before the throne of God. He records the presence of twenty four elders before the throne bowing down before the Lord. Angelic creatures are praising God saying: "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, Who was - 13 - and Who is and Who is to come" (verse 8). In fact he sees tens of thousands of Angels worshiping the Lamb who was slain (5:11-12), and "every created thing which is in the heavens and on earth, and on the sea, and all things that are in them" worshiping the Lamb (5:13). Talk about heavenly Liturgy! The inescapable context in all these accounts is that of the worship of God by all of His creatures. And it is with this basic understanding that Orthodoxy approaches worship: it is the privilege and the responsibility of each person to bless God, that is, to praise and give thanks to the Holy Trinity for mercy and creation. We have to decide to agree with and accept the witness of Scripture or not. Whether we agree or fully understand it, the Bible testifies that there is worship in Heaven. By extension then, it is only natural that our worship should be in keeping with the nature of worship in Heaven. The constant struggle both in Israel and in Christendom has been to avoid affirming the methods which mankind proposes as the means to approach and worship God, and to accept that revelation which God Himself has given us, and to act on it. That is true theologically, and it is true liturgically as well. Our worship is based on revelation. The early Christian Church used the Old Testament revelation as its starting point, and fulfilled it with the new and final revelation in Jesus Christ. The summary New Testament passage on heavenly worship is Hebrews 8:1-6. Here Jesus Christ is described as our High Priest, seated at the right hand of God, who has accomplished our salvation and reconciliation through His mediation. Verse 2 tells us that this High Priest has another role also. He is the Liturgist (lettourgos) and this Liturgy takes place in the "Sanctuary of the true Tabernacle" which is Heaven before the throne of God. Verses 4 and 5 tell - 14 - us that worship on earth is patterned after that in Heaven. This, we learn in verse 6, is the "more excellent Liturgy" which he has obtained because He is the mediator of "a better covenant." The teaching is quite clear - liturgical worship is not optional. Rather, it is normative for Christians. Worship on earth, then, is to be an extension, a reflection, of that in the Kingdom. It is be a window to Heaven. Far be it from us to decide that this or that is unnecessary and disposable because it is not contemporary or is not in vague. Our obligation is to follow and to serve God, to accept His Word of revelation. This is the guardianship of Tradition in the life of the Church; to remain true to the faith as revealed as it was in the beginning. The first followers of Jesus were called "followers of The Way", meaning those who acted like Jesus Christ. The implication is clear. The Believers were living lives which appeared like the very life which Christ lived. So are we to live: conformed to the will of God, loving and caring for our brothers and sisters. And so are we to worship: in a heavenly pattern which shows forth the Kingdom of God in which Jesus Christ reigns. The Kingdom of God is the critical element of worship for good reason. It was the reality and advent of this Kingdom which constituted the core of the preaching and teaching of Jesus, especially in His parables. From the New Testament we can make three summary observations about the nature of the Kingdom of God. First, it is a present spiritual reality (Rom. 14:17), as well as the realm of dimension into which followers of Jesus have entered (Co. 1:13). Second, it is the reign or rule of God which has been established in Jesus Christ, and will be consummated - 15 - when He returns (Matt. 8:11, 11:27). Third, it is the inheritance which will be bestowed upon God's People when Christ comes in glory (Matt. 25.34). We as believers in Jesus Christ live both in this world, and in the Kingdom of God. We experience the Kingdom in our midst through the work of the Holy Spirit. Based upon our faith, we know it is the eternal life we have begun to experience. We recognize that it is not yet fully manifested in this world, but will be so at the return of Christ. It is in the Church that we have the fullness of the foretaste of the Kingdom of God. Thus Jesus said, "I will build My Church" (Matt. 16:18). His Kingdom is Life, and it is what our life on earth is all about. Belief in Jesus Christ brings us into the Kingdom of God through Baptism/Chrismation and makes us its citizens. At the same time, we are made members of His Body, the Church, to be a holy nation unto Him. OUR ASCENT TO HEAVEN Both of these truths, that of worship as "Heaven on earth" and of the Church as the Presence of the Kingdom of God, are crucial to understand the Divine Liturgy in its fullness. As Orthodox Christians, we recognize that worship is an entrance into the dimension of the Kingdom. Further, the Eucharist which is the focus of the Liturgy, is a sacramental thing - a thing of grace, a thing of the Kingdom which involves the idea of transformation, referring to the ultimate event of Christ's death and resurrection and is always a Sacrament of the Kingdom. For the Christian, the Eucharist is not a mere remembrance, a symbolic acting out of an historical event in the life of Jesus Christ. We take our Lord and Savior at His word when He said: "Unless you eat the flesh of the - 16 - 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 ..."(John 5:53-54). In communion we receive bread and wine that has become the body and Blood of Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit, by the grace of God. This is that the Scriptures teach. What actual benefit would there be to a modern memorial service? It does us little or no good; it may stir up feeling or piety or sorrow or nostalgia, or at best a feeling or confident expectation. In contrast, Orthodox Christianity has affirmed from the beginning that this is real spiritual food, that by partaking of the body and blood we are spiritually nurtured. This is indeed a Mystery, and it is a thing of grace. Christ is the source life both physical and spiritual. It is by the continual partaking of His Body and Blood that we are strengthened and continue to grow spiritually. - 17 - A JOURNEY THROUGH THE LITURGY: GAINING A CLOSER WALK WITH GOD The Divine Liturgy may be seen as falling naturally into three parts - the Rite of Preparation, The Liturgy of the Word, and The Eucharist. During the Rite of Preparation, preliminary prayers are recited at the Altar of Prothesis, where the bread and wine are to be prepared for the transformation into Body and Blood of Christ. The Liturgy of the Word consists of the priests and people acknowledging their unworthiness to offer up any sacrifice before the throne of Glory. Also it petitions to God to continue to bless, protect, guide and supply every need of His People and to pardon their sins. This is followed by the reading of the Epistle and Gospel, after which a Sermon or homily is given. The final portion is The Eucharist, in which the bread and wine are consecrated, (the ascent to the Kingdom is consummated) and the faithful present receive the Holy communion. We will begin with the Rite of Preparation. THE VESTING The priest and deacon proceed to put on their vestments in a room called the Vestry. The wearing of special vestments for the celebration of Temple worship goes far back into Old Testament times. The practice of wearing vestments has its origins in the Temple traditions, although in the very early Christian Church the clergy did not wear any distinguishing vestments. Beginning with the retention of civilized clothing, and with the rapid liturgical developments of the 3rd through the 5th Centuries, vestments were adopted to signify the role of the clergy specifically - 18 - of the priest as the icon of Christ) and to show forth the beauty of the Kingdom. The nature and appearance of these vestments have undergone significant changes over time, but these changes have become hallowed by long usage; each article of vestiture has acquired its own meaning and purpose which is sacramental rather than ceremonial. First, the priest and deacon put on a long garment with sleeves, called an alb. This vestment, which reaches nearly to the floor, evolved from the ancient tunic which was the universal garment of the classical world, common to all classes of society. In the context of the Church, the wearing of the alb by the priest and deacon has come to signify purity of conscience and of the life conferred by the Holy Spirit. The deacon's Alb has sleeves which are wide,where as those of the priest are close fitting. After donning the alb, the priest put on the Stole. This word means "upon the neck" and describes how the vestment is worn. The two halves of the vestment indicate the two natures of Christ - human and divine - and the two aspects or offices of Holy Orders - that of priest and of deacon. Wearing the garment about the neck indicates putting on the yoke of Christ, the willingness to bear suffering and sacrifice for His sake for the sake of the flock. The lower end of the garment often terminate in a symbol of an aspect of our faith. The stole worn by the deacon is simpler and narrower than that of the priest, being a long narrow band which is worn hanging down over the left shoulder. The sole is required to be worn for the performance of any liturgical office. Its origin is somewhat obscure, but is known to have originated early in the life of the Church. In contrast to the other vestments which derived from common dress, the stole was probably used when clergy still wore everyday clothing. The - 19 - stole was then the only sign of the clerical office. The priest's long, loose fitting alb is secured at the waist by a belt or rope like vestment known as a cincture. It gathers the alb together at the waist, and control it. Liturgically, putting on the cincture indicated readiness and preparedness for spiritual combat and spiritual trial (John 13:4; Eph. 6:14). In classical times, a garment was worn over the tunic as a heavier outer covering. It was long at the back and sides like a cloak, while descending in front down to the waist. It had no sleeves, and had a single opening for the head. Poor people generally made this garment out of coarse, thick material and wore it primarily for protection in cold seasons. Those better off had it made of richer stuffs - silks and brocades for example - so that it became for them less functional as an all-weather garment and more of an ornament attesting to their economic status. This cloak like garment, the chasuble, has been preserved as one of the most important of the priestly vestments. Like its ancient counterpart, it is worn over the alb, but its protective function, in liturgical terms is very different form shielding the wearer from the weather. Putting on this garment, which is the final act in vesting, indicates spiritual readiness. Specific prayers have been said as each garment is put on and additional preparatory prayers will be said before the start of the Liturgy. Why is this necessary? Simply because prayer is requisite for worship. Before the Divine Liturgy, as each vestment is put on, the priest prays and blessed it. All components of vestiture become not adornments, nor uniform, nor regalia of office, but truly sacramental implements necessary for proper performance in the Sanctuary. He is clothed in the grace of the Holy Spirit (which we perceive in the alb), girded for combat in constant, invisible warfare against the powers of darkness, (as - 20 - shown in the cincture) and; strengthened by the very priestly power of Christ Himself, (made manifest in the stole). He stands reverently, with humility, but also with the invincible strength of Jesus Christ. He is the icon of Christ for the Liturgy about to be celebrated. THE PREPARATION of the BREAD and WINE On the Altar of Prothesis are the Gifts, the offerings of bread and wine which are to be consecrated during the great Eucharistic Rite of the Divine Liturgy. Bread and wine - how simple, how commonplace these things appear! Yet it is just these mundane elements of our daily food from which our very bodies replenish themselves that will be offered back to God in the Mystery of the Divine Liturgy, and which will in turn be returned to us transformed into the very Body and Blood of the Savior! For it is these very simple elements when consumed by humans, that are turned into the very flesh and blood of those who consume them. And it is these same simple elements, that at the Holy Consecration in the most sacred moment of the Liturgy, at the Epiclesis - or invocation of the Holy Spirit - will themselves be transformed into the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ! Consider two stalks of wheat, two clusters of grapes. Both are plucked, and then turned into bread and wine, yet one, perhaps will become simple table food, while the other may be exalted beyond infinity - to become the very Body and Blood of the Savior. We "offer up to Thy most gracious Majesty of Thine own gifts bestowed upon us ... Be pleased to look upon these offering with favorable countenance, and accept them..." These words the priest will speak at the consecration, when the bloodless sacrifice of the Eucharist is - 21 - accomplished. Bread and wine - so simple, so ordinary - destined to become immeasurable treasures of inestimable worth! And all this is to begin with the Rite of Preparation. In the early church, before Christianity became wide spread, the Rite of Preparation was an act of the people. Prior to the Liturgy, the people would bring their gifts, their sacrifices, to offer to God. These would be all manner of things, including bread and wine. The primary function of the deacon was the distribution of these gifts to the needy in the church (see Acts 7). From among those gifts brought, the deacons selected the bread and wine, the gifts to be offered in the Eucharist. Thus we see that the understanding of sacrifice and thanksgiving were intimately tied together in the thought and action of the people. Their gifts to God were in fact the gifts offered; their sacrifices offered became part of Christ's sacrifice. And this action on the part of the community actualized in the words of the prayer ""We, Thy servants, as also Thy holy people, ... offer up to Thy most gracious Majesty of Thine own gifts bestowed upon us ...". The Liturgy begins with a series of prayers and petitions. The priest with the deacon now bless the bread, wine and water. The wine which is mixed with water in the Chalice recalls the outpouring of water and blood from Christ's side on the Cross, symbolic of the outpouring of grace upon humanity and the reconciliation to God which it makes possible. Small hosts are placed on the paten (diskos) and covered with a little star like cover (asteriskos). In so doing, the star which paused above the stable at Bethlehem, showing forth the place of the Savior's birth, is commemorated. The Paten and Chalice are then covered with a veil (aer), acknowledging the investment of Christ in divine -22 - glory. A veil is then placed over the Sacred Gifts. Finally, the rite of preparation is concluded with the petition for God to "bless this Sacrifice prepared for the glory of His Holy Name." THE LITURGY OF THE WORD The Divine Liturgy moves forward into the Liturgy of the Word this is made up of petitions to God to have mercy upon us, affirmations of our Faith, readings from the Scriptures (Epistle and Gospel), and a sermon or homily for the instruction of the faithful based on the Gospel of the day. All these elements of worship come directly from Jewish synagogue worship. In the Mass of the Catechumens, as the Liturgy of the Word was originally called, the Deacon saying: "Father, give the blessing." The priest, chants or says in a loud voice: "Blessed is the Kingdom of the X Father, and of the X Son and the X Holy Spirit, now and forever." To which the deacon and the faithful respond: "Amen." This is the opening Sign of the Cross, through which our awareness of the saving nature of Christ's sacrifice is expressed and realized. The people bless themselves by making the Sign of the Cross. In the Orthodox tradition, this is done with the right hand, with the thumb, index and middle fingers joined together at the tips. These three digits represent the three Divine Persons of the Trinity. Also the right and little fingers are folded across the palm, signifying the two natures - Divine and human - of Jesus Christ. In making the Sign, the three conjoined digits are touched first to the forehead, secondly to the - 23 - breast, thirdly to right shoulder and finally to the left shoulder. Unlike the Western tradition, the Sign of the Cross is made from right to left. This may signify that the truth of God passed from the Children of Israel (on the tight hand of God) to the Gentles (on the left hand of God). This appears to have been a universal practice in both East and West prior to the reign of Pope Innocent 111 at the beginning of the 13th Century, of the blessing was changed in the West to the left to right form, and made with the whole hand with all fingers extended. It should be recognized that making the Sign of the Cross is not merely a ritualistic maneuver. To bless is to acknowledge and proclaim; to make the Sign of the Cross is to acknowledge the reality of the Kingdom before us. As the Incarnation signifies, the coming of Christ was to redeem body and spirit; it promises an integrated redemption. Making the Sign of the Cross involves the body as well as the spirit in a direct act of prayer. The priest's actions are incredibly significant for he blesses the Kingdom! This blessing of the Heavenly Kingdom serves to declare it, to show it forth, not merely to refer to it in terms of some remote geographic paradise somewhere in the depths of space, or worse, some utopian dream world. Instead it is the very Kingdom of God proclaimed and actualized by Jesus Himself. To bless the Kingdom is thus to proclaim it, and to declare it to be the aim and purpose of all existence; the raison d'etre of our lives. And this opening blessing proclaims that it is to this Kingdom that we shall ascend for a while during the Divine Liturgy, not symbolically but actually! During this sacred time, we shall ascend to the Throne. It is to the assembled People of God, gathered together in the Name of Christ to actualize and make whole the Church, that this declaration is made. The People of God acknowledge it and express their acceptance of it - 24 - by singing themselves with the Cross and pronouncing the word Amen. "Let it be so" with a loud and joyful shout. This coming together of the People of God is above all a joyous one. There is a sense of excitement, and anticipation of the glorious things to come. For the people are gathered together to enter transiently into the dimension of the Kingdom, the journey to the next world. They will leave, for a short time the cares and preoccupations of this world behind and will stand before the very heavenly Table to partake of the Heavenly Banquet. The gathering of the People around their deacons and priests and their bishop is the actualization of the Church and proclaims it to be "catholic". In the Orthodox Catholic tradition the word "catholic" does not have merely the meaning of geographic universality. On the contrary, it derives from two Greek words - kath 'olon - "concerning the whole", or "concerning completeness". This is to say, that which is catholic is complete and entire, lacking nothing. And, as St. Igantius of Antioch (d. 107 A.D) acclaimed in his Epistle to the Magnesians, wherever such a gathering comes together, there is the fullness of the Catholic Church. Thus it is now as with every part of the divine Liturgy, a seeming outward simplicity expresses the deepest, profoundest, and most glorious of truths! THE EPISTLE READING The reading of the Holy Scriptures - Epistle and Gospel - is the very heart of the Liturgy of the Word, and traces its origins directly to the synagogue worship of the Jews. The reading of the Epistle is followed by the prescribed Gospel reading for the day. The prescription of the Epistles and Gospels proper to each day follows a strict cyclic course in the - 25 - Orthodox tradition, and begins not on the first day of the ecclesiastic year (September 11), but on Easter Sunday, a practice which seems to be Byzantine in origin and can be traced back to the 8th Century. The cycle of scriptural reading which begins on Eastern Sunday in a given year concludes on Palm Sunday of the following year, and is then interrupted by the highly specialized and solemn service of Holy Week. The new cycle begins again on Easter Sunday, as Holy Week is concluded. It is customary for the faithful to sit during the reading of the Epistle, and to listen to the teaching of the Apostle. At its conclusion the reader says: "Here ends the lesson" and the people respond by saying: "Thanks be to God. THE READING of the GOSPEL The people now stand to receive the fullness of the Gospel. The Word of God transmitted to us directly by the Evangelists themselves, brings the Good News directly into our lives, proclaiming it still as it was proclaimed in the beginning. Once again, the Church shows forth its timelessness. The Gospel, proclaimed in time, has become greater than time and transcendent of it. Each succeeding generation hears it afresh, so that with each generation there is in a sense, a new beginning. And so it is both within the framework of time and throughout eternity, beyond the confines of time or of any other changeable category If the deacon is to read the Gospel lesson, he approaches the priest, bows slightly in his direction, and holding his stole lightly in his right hand, indicates the Gospel book saying: Father, a blessing. - 26 - The priest then blesses the deacon saying: The Lord be in your mind, on your lips, and in your heart, that you may worthily proclaim the Holy Gospel, in the Name of the X Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The deacon standing immediately in front of the Altar but facing the people, makes the Sign of the Cross on his forehead, on his lips and over his heart as he proclaims: May the Lord by in our X minds, on our X lips and in our X heart that (we) may worthily (receive) Thy Holy Word. Everyone stands bare headed, even the bishop removes his mitre. The responses made by the people - "Glory be to Thee, O Lord." - before the reading and "Glory be to thee, O Lord" after the reading are both exclamations of joy at hearing the very Word of God and of reverence and respect for it. In hearing the Gospel, we hear the Lord Himself - His words are actualized for us, and in listening to the reading we stand before Him and directly receive His teaching. The actions of the priest and the deacon, and the interactions with them of the people are not illustrations but realities - we are truly receiving the Word of God, and with it the realization of the Kingdom! THE HOMILY From the very earliest times, following the reading of the Gospel, there has been a spoken interpretation of the Scriptural passage just read. This also follows from early Jewish synagogue practice, in which a spoken exposition of the Scripture for the day was an integral part of the service. It is thus highly appropriate that the sermon, or homily (Greek - omilia) - 27 - should be preached at this time, when the content of the Gospel lesson is fresh in the minds of the people. Moreover, it is one of the earliest of traditions that this homily should develop the theme of the Gospel reading,and is therefore a further commentary on the Word of God. Preaching the Gospel is one of the most fundamental duties of the Christian ministry. Jesus Himself took many opportunities to this, as for example, in Nazareth (Mark 6:2-4; Luke 4:16-30). Similarly, Justin Martyr indicates that in the primitive Church, immediately after the reading of the Lessons, the celebrant gives a speech exhorting all the people to imitate those things with which the Lesson is concerned. Passages in the Apostolic Constitutions, St. Cyprian of Carthage, Tertullian, and St. Clement of Alexandria all make it clear that a homily followed immediately upon the reading of the Scriptural lessons. THE CREED: THE SYMBOL OF FAITH Following the homily the clergy and people recite together the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed, frequently known as the "Symbol of Faith", is a summary statement of the principal tenets of the Holy Orthodox faith. It grew out of a compelling need to clearly define the basic beliefs. These beliefs are based on Holy Scripture and Tradition, deriving directly from Christ Himself and the Apostles, as illumined by the Holy Spirit. In the early centuries, numerous heresies concerning the nature and divinity of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the relationship of the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity, had arisen. The Church, guided infinitely by the Holy Spirit, had to take a firm stand on each of these in turn, which it did by convening the general councils, seven in number, ranging from the 4th to 8th Centuries. - 28 - The first of these Councils, at Nicea in Asia Minor, was convened at the request of the Emperor Constantine in 325 A.D. The principal concern of this Council was the refutation of the Arian heresy which taught that Jesus Christ was not truly divine, but a creature like us, subject to change, and therefore not consubstantial with the Father. The Arian heresy was denounced by the Council of Nicea, which formulated a profession of faith known as the Nicene Creed. This Creed confined itself primarily to the relationship of the Father and Son, and to the nature of the Son. The articles describing the Holy Spirit, the Catholic and Apostolic Church, and the eschaton (last things), were formulated at the second General Council held at Constantinople in 381 A.D. The result is the Nicene/Constantinopolitan Creed, commonly referred to simply as the Nicene Creed. It represents the basic structure of the belief which the early Church Fathers pronounced must be believed by Christians to be canonical members of the Church, and which could not be modified. THE KISS OF PEACE The giving of the Kiss of Peace is as ancient as the Church itself. St. Paul says: "Greet one another with a Holy Kiss." (11 Cor. 13:12). Following the recitation of the Nicene Creed, the priest turns to the people and says: The Peace of the Lord be always with you. And the people respond: And with thy spirit. Again we hear the proclamation of these words which Christ Himself said to the disciples (John 20:21). And in anticipation of the Kiss of Peace, we recognize anew how much we are in need of the peace of Jesus Christ. It is into His peace which passeth - 29 - understanding, and into the spirit of the Beatitudes that we now must place ourselves, in order that we do not presume to approach the Throne of God with any guile, with any hatred, with any impurity of heart, with any doubt, or with any despair. We must be reconciled one to another, we must be one body in Christ without difference or distinction between us. We must be family; brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers - united in love and peace. This we express tangibly, and lovingly in exchanging the Kiss of Peace. The priest after kissing the Altar, turns to the deacon and says: "Receive the Kiss of Peace and Love, that we may be worthy to offer this Holy Sacrifice, in the Name of the Father X , and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The priest and deacon now exchange the Kiss of Peace by a small embrace, and following ancient custom, the people now exchange the Kiss of Peace with each other, as they give their right hand to another saying: "The Peace of the Lord be always with you." The person receiving the Hand of Peace responds by saying: "And with thy spirit". Through this simple act of humility we express tangibly and lovingly the reconciliation that is ours in Jesus Christ. All are reconciled. All is at peace. All is now ready for the great approach to the Throne. - 30 - THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST We come now to the third and climatic division of the Divine Liturgy. Formerly called the "Liturgy of the Faithful", it referred to the fact that at one time only the faithful - the baptized and chrismated Orthodox - were permitted to attend it. This title could imply some symbolic ceremony shrouded in secrecy and attended by a privileged group, rather than the most glorious, most joyous, and most elevating event permitted to humanity! For this is the climax of the Liturgy, the celebration and actualization of the great Eucharist Feast. It is the Sacrament of the Kingdom of God and our ascent to Heaven. It is here where two world meet, this world and the world to come. Here we move into the dimension of the Kingdom where sanctification and salvation become available to us. It is now that we shall feed upon the Heavenly food. It is here that we shall celebrate the Feast of the Kingdom. For it is here that we shall show the Lord's death until He comes (1 Cor. 11:26). Let us then move forward into His Presence. THE GREATER OFFERTORY The celebrant, deacon and other clergy present go the Altar of Prothesis and cense the Oblations. They then process to the back of the church, and up the center aisle. The Gifts are placed on the Altar. The celebrant then receives the alms basin from the server and request the Lord's blessing on the people's offering. THE OFFERING OF THE GIFTS The Offering of the Gifts begins with the priest washing his hands. - 31 - The hands of the priest will touch the very Sacrament of the Body of Christ, and so they must be clean. But physical purification is not the only purpose. The verses of Psalm 26, which the priest recites during the washing of his hands, stress the higher, mystical meaning: spiritual cleanness. He will wash his hands among the innocent; since the hands represent the whole person, the cleansing symbolically encompasses his whole being. In this spotless purity of the innocent, he will "show forth the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of God's wondrous works". He loves the beauty of the God's house, the dwelling place of God's glory; he loves it because God lives there. And he ends his prayer by glorifying the Holy Trinity. The priest then prays on our behalf that the Holy trinity will receive our oblation "which we offer ... in the memory of the Passion, Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ; and in honor of Blessed Mary Ever Virgin ..." etc. With this prayer of offering the presentation of the Holy Gifts prior to the unbloodly sacrifice of the Eucharist, is completed. Once again, it is a co-celebration by all persons present; priest, deacon and people celebrate together as co- members of the Royal Priesthood. The Gifts have been borne into the Sanctuary in advance of the Anaphora, that is, before the Ascent to Heaven begins. Anaphora is a word which signified elevation, not only of the Gifts but also of the assembled Church constituted by its members, to the heavenly Sanctuary. The entry with the gifts and their presentation upon the Altar, followed by the Prayer of Offering completes the succession of events which began in the Rite of Preparation in which the Gifts were prepared following their offering by the people. - 32 - THE LITURGY OF SACRIFICE ORATES FRATRES The priest turning to the people announces the Special Intentions for which the Liturgy is being celebrated and requests the faithful to pray that his sacrifice and theirs may be acceptable to God the Father Almighty. PREFACE As we have seen, the word Anaphora means elevation or lifting up. We now approach this elevation of the Gifts and of ourselves into the realm of the Kingdom, that by the working of the Holy Spirit, we may partake of the Mysteries of Jesus Christ. The priest now blesses the people saying: The love of God the Father X, the grace of His Only-Begotten Son X, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit X, be with you all. And the people respond: And with thy spirit. The priest now turns slowly to faces the Altar, raises his arms and intones in a loud voice: Lift up your hearts! And the people respond: We lift them up unto the lord. The priest continues: Let us give thanks unto the Lord our God. The people respond: It is fitting and right so to do. We are now within the dimension of the Kingdom, and stand at the very threshold of the - 33 - Throne room. We reverently endeavor to come to some realization of the incomprehensible immensity of what we are about to experience, the infinite love of God for His creation. As the short dialogue ends, the priest begins the opening prayer of the Great Anaphora. The people respond by joining their voices to those of the heavenly hosts in singing or saying: "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Host, Heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Hosanna in the highest. X Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest." ANAPHORA OR CANON Facing the Altar, the priest now begins the Eucharistic Prayers: We, therefore, humbly pray and beseech Thee, most merciful Father, through Thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord to receive and bless X these gifts, these X offerings, these holy X unspotted sacrifices which we offer to Thee for ... Thy Holy Catholic Church, that it may please Thee to grant her peace, to guard, unite, and guide her throughout the world; and for Thy servants: our Patriarch (N); our Metropolitan Archbishop (N.), our Bishop(s) (N), Priest(s) (N), Deacon(s) (N), and all in Holy Orders (N); and for all who are Orthodox in belief and who profess the Catholic and Apostolic Faith. For our Nation (N), its institutions (N), and our civil authorities (N). And the people respond: Amen. - 34 - Then the priest says: In com munion with, and venerating the memory of the glorious Ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, and also of Thy blessed Apostles and Martyrs (N), through whose intercession, do Thou grant that in all things, we may be defended by the help of Thy protection; through Christ our Lord. The people respond by saying: Amen. He continues: We therefore pray thee, O Lord, me rcifully to receive this oblation, which we Thy servants and also Thy Holy Church, offer up to Thee: grant that our days may be spent in Thy peace; command that we may be saved from eternal damnation, and number in the flock of thine elect, through Christ our Lord. Again the people respond saying: Amen. The Sanctuary bell is rung as the priest says: And do Thou, O God, vouchsafe in all respects to bless X , consecrate X , and approve X this our oblation to perfect it and render it well pleasing to Thee, so that though the life-giving power of Thy Holy Spirit this bread and wine may become the Body X and Blood X of Thy most dearly beloved Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Who one the night before He suffered, took bread into His holy and venerable hands and having lifted His eyes to Heaven, to Thee, God, His Almighty Father, giving thanks to Thee, He blessed it X and broke it, and gave it to His - 35 - disciples, saying: "Take and eat from this, all of you for this is My Body." In like manner, after He had eaten, taking also into His holy and venerable hands this goodly Chalice, again giving thanks to Thee He blessed X it, and gave it to His disciples, saying: "Take ye all and drink of this, for this is the chalice of My Blood, of the New Covenant, the mystery of Faith, which shall be shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. As often as ye shall do these things, ye shall do them in memory of Me." The above are the words of Institution - the words by which Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word, instituted the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper. During their recitation, the people remain reverently kneeling, their hearts at peace, their thoughts locked upon the Mystery of which they themselves are a part. The priest then says: Therefore, O Lord we, Thy servants, as also Thy holy people, calling to mind the ble ssed Passion of Thy Son, Christ our Lord, His Resurrection form the dead, and His glo rious Ascension into Heaven, and awaiting His return, offer up to Thy most gracious majesty of thine own gifts bestowed upon us, a Victim X which is pure, a Victim X which is holy, a Victim X which is stainless, the holy Bread X of life everlasting, and the Chalice X of eternal salvation. When at the Last Supper, Christ accomplished the transformation of the bread and wine into His Body and Blood, He reminded His Apostles that - 36 - whenever in the future they were to do these things, that is to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, they would do so in "remembrance" of Him. Some people sadly misinterpret this injunction of Christ, confining it merely to the events of the Lord's Supper itself. Somehow they derive from the words, usually presented in English translations meaning that future generations were merely to mentally "remember" those particular events. In such an interpretation, the Holy Eucharist would have no significance, except as some kind of stylized memorial of the historic Jesus, and the sacramentality of the event would be lost. As we noted earlier, it was not merely a symbolic gesture which the Lord performed at the final Supper in Jerusalem. On the contrary, it was the initiation of the very event toward which all the other events are ultimately directed. This event projects and provide the saving grace of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus to all generations, even to the end of the world! There can be no doubt of its significance. Recall the words of Christ to the Apostles: "I am the living bread which came down from Heaven. If any eat of this bread they will live forever; and that bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world" (John 6:51). As we have already seen, St. Paul instructs us to celebrate the Lord's Supper in the manner which he himself received from the Lord. We are told to "do things in remembrance of Me". To do these things in "remembrance" simply means that we should continue to do them as the Lord Himself did them. The word "remembering" is an English rendering of the Greek anamnesis - a noun which is difficult to translate accurately since it denotes not a single occurrence but a process. Whereas "remembrance" is close to the New Testament context, the word conveys the idea of action - "remembering, recollecting, calling forth - 37- again". It is this sense that the Church has always understood as its usage. As the Church understands it, the word implies the continued actualization of an event first celebrated at the Last Supper and continuing to be celebrated in the context of the Kingdom, as a main event of salvation. This is why St. Justin Martyr in his First Apology, was careful to use the word anamniskomen when referring to the Eucharistic Liturgy but used a quite different term when he described the Gospels as memorial of Christ (genomeno). Moreover, in remembering the central event of the Eucharist, the word used is anamnesis -the continued bringing us of the great Mystery of salvation. The words "of Thine own gifts bestowed upon us" are sometimes a little difficult to interpret. The Holy Eucharist is offered on behalf of all creation, just as Christ became incarnate to make possible the redemption of all creation. It is Christ Who really offers and is at the same time being offered. Everything that exists belongs to God, including ourselves and our very existence. Were we but for a fleeting moment outside of God's loving care, we would disappear instantly into the nothingness and oblivion from which we were created. Therefore, in our great eucharistia - that is to say thanksgiving - we can only offer to God those things which belong to His creation and which are His in any case. And we offer them on behalf of all creatures and in thanksgiving for His creation, and all that it embraces, in which we ourselves have our being and of which we ourselves are a part. The priest with great reverence, now begins the Invocation of the Holy Spirit. Technically, this is known as the Epiklesis - a word which means "calling upon, calling forth, or calling down upon". The prayer is addressed to the Father, and says: - 38 - We humbl y implore Thee, Almighty God, to comman d these our offerings be borne by the hands of thy holy Angels, to Thine Altar on high in the presence of Thy divine Majesty, and That by the power of Thy Holy Spirit, those of us who share in this holy Sacrifice, the most sacred X Body and X Blood of Thy Son Jesus Christ, may be filled with every heavenly blessing X and grace. Through Christ our Lord. In this prayer, we acknowledge the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross for our salvation, and that our"sacrifice" here is unbloody because we are not re- sacrificing - rather, we are participating in that eternal sacrifice. Then we pray for the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the people also, for there are no incantations here; the transformation of the bread and wine is not magic. It is due to the mysterious working of the Holy Spirit in both the Gifts and in the people. The deacon and people respond: Amen! Amen! Amen! In the Orthodox Faith, the changing of the ordinary bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ is accomplished by the Holy Spirit in the context of the Kingdom, and involves the priest and people exercising their royal priesthood. We recognize that here is a great Mystery. But we also recognize that this manifestation of the Body and Blood of Christ takes place not within our ordinary dimensions of space and time, nor in the contest of this fallen and changeable word. Rather, it takes place in the eternal, eschatological dimension of the Kingdom of God. To which we spiritually ascend during the Eucharistic Liturgy. - 39 - Such a change can only take place within the context of the Kingdom, rather than in fallen world. it belong to the Kingdom, rather than in a fallen world. It belongs to the Kingdom, and at this point in the divine Liturgy, the two worlds touch - and we are for a brief space spiritually elevated (not symbolically but actually) to the very throne of God, where the transformation of the Gifts can truly take place; being borne mystically along with the Angels to the Heavenly Altar in the Presence the Divine Majesty. Here the change is accomplished by the Holy Spirit; not as an automatic result of the saying of magic formula, but by the prayer of Christ Himself, united to His Mystical Body, the Church. All of the members of Christ are praying with him and within the all encompassing power of His grace. It is through the Epiklesis that the Holy Spirit is invoked upon us and upon the Gifts, and manifests them as the Body and precious Blood. It has always been Orthodox teaching that this invocation of the Holy Spirit is necessary and essential for the manifestation, which is accomplished as a result of the invocation of the Spirit, rather than by the Words of Institution. Let us remember that just before the Words of Institution the priest invokes the Holy Spirit that the words of Christ that he pronounces may consecrate the oblations to the great glory and honor of God. The Holy Spirit, who came upon the last great day of Pentecost to initiate the Kingdom and the Age to Come, carries us beyond the present realm and into the realms of Heaven. It is thus the Spirit who transforms the Church into the Mystical Body of Christ, and thus shows forth the simple gifts which make up our offering in the Eucharist as a true communion with Christ in the Holy Spirit. This is what we mean by "consecration" - and it is a function of the Spirit working within the Kingdom of God, - 40 - which is wrought for us through the Mystical Body of Christ. The reality is that now, after the Epiclesis, the temporal has truly met the eternal, in that prayers and petitions have been offered before the gifts - that is, before the Throne of God. It is how the Church experiences and knows its own totality. The Church Militant is the Church in the world battling to realize the Kingdom. The Church triumphant is in the Kingdom where it is fully realized. These two expressions of the Church do not exist as separate parts of a single whole. Here, at the Lord's Table they come into full and open contact at the Eucharistic consecration. As time passed, the Church realized the true scope of this experience, and began to express itself in additional prayers and petitions within the Liturgy. These prayers beseech God to remember not only those dwelling on the earth in our vulnerable human condition, but also all those who have gone on before us, those who have successfully run the race and have entered the Kingdom. (1 Cor. 9:24; Heb, 12:1). It for them too, not just ourselves, that the Holy Eucharist, is offered. In the prayers which immediately follow the second half of the Epiclesis we see a shinning example of the Communion of the Saints in action. Here we petition: O G od, be merciful to us sinners, also Thy ser vants, who put our trust in the multitude o f Thy mercies. Vouchsafe to grant us some p art and fellowship with Thy holy Apostles and Martyrs and all Thy Saints. Into their company do Thou, we beseech Thee, admit us, not weighing our merits but pardoning our offenses. through Christ our Lord. By Whom, O Lord, Thou dost always create sanctify, quicken, bless - 41- and bestows upon all these good things. This petition is followed by the Minor Elevation in which we once again acknowledge that God is the initiator and completer of this Mystery, It is as Creator and Sustainer of life that we come before His throne seeking His blessing and graces. For only by them are we nurtured in our spirits, and only by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ may we receive them. Through X Him, and with Him X, and in X Him, is to Thee, God the Father X Almighty, in unity of the Holy X Spirit all honor and glory, now and forever, unto ages and ages. Amen. The priest now takes the Paten into his right hand and the Chalice into his left, to make the first letter of the Greek word for Christ X. He elevates the holy Gifts and turns to face the people. The deacon says: The gifts of God for the People of God. + + + THE LORD'S PRAYER From relatively informal beginnings in the very first centuries, the prayers before Holy Communion rapidly became crystallized in the years which followed the Council of Nicea. This was particularly true in Jerusalem and Antioch, where so much emphasis was placed in the very early times on the immeasurable sanctity of the Body and Blood of Christ, and the awesome character of the receipt of the Sacrament itself. In keeping with this, therefore, these preparatory prayers were added, probably during - 42 - the course of the fourth century. By the latter part of that century the Lord's Prayer had been included, first at Jerusalem, then at Antioch, and soon thereafter through all the churches of Christendom. The Lord's Prayer is the quintessential prayer of all Christianity, the firm foundation upon which the Faith is built. It is the prayer from which all other prayers of the Church are derived, either directly or indirectly, and which in itself contains the essence of the message of the Faith and prescription for salvation. The Lord's Prayer was not and is not a general prayer offered for general recitation by the whole of mankind. When Christ taught it, He did so only to His immediate disciples, and that in direct response to their plea "Master, teach us to pray ..." (Luke 11:1-4). Two observations about the Lord's Prayer are illustrative of its relevance in the Divine Liturgy. It is highly significant that throughout the Gospels Jesus Christ used the two expressions that are totally unique to Himself. First, He uses the word "Amen", (Let it be so) before rather than after making a definite statement. Thus, "Amen, Amen, I say unto you ..", meaning:"Let what I say be so:, or "what I say shall be so:! This underscores His Lordship, His absolute authority. In addition, He refers to the supra-heavenly God, God the Father, as "My Father". Always, in referring to the Father, this familiar "My" is used, thus identifying Himself in a full filial relationship to the Godhead. No one anywhere else in Holy Scripture takes suck liberty! Yet in the Lord's Prayer, He extends to us fallen creatures the incomparable and unique privilege of addressing the divine Majesty of the Lord of all, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Creator and Ruler of the Cosmos, He Who is and ever shall be, as "Father". And not only as father, but Abba, a particular endearing Aramaic diminutive term perhaps - 43 - best translated as "dad", or "daddy", or "papa". This is the God Who created and rules, the God Who is not just heavenly, but is beyond all things. The Greek word is epouranion, supra-heavenly, to remind us that God is beyond the heavenlies. He transcends all that we know and can conceive, and that we can approach Him on His terms alone That we may dare! Dare to call the Lord of all "Daddy" even as we would address our own parent! Note that in the prayer, Jesus tells us to address God as "Our Father". We are never told to address Him as "my Father". That degree of possessiveness is reserved entirely to the Son of God - Jesus Christ - Who is His Son from all eternity by nature. We as human beings may yet become what Christ is by nature through the operation of Divine Grace. Thus in that sense we, too, may become children of God and therefore brothers and sisters of Christ, as it were, by adoption through His infinite mercy and infinite love in the Holy Spirit. And therefore since we belong one to another and one in another, all partake equally and uniformly of our human nature. We must address the living God as "Our Father" and never in an individual or possessive way. . The other observation concerns "give us this day our daily bread..." In the St. Matthew text, the Greek word roughly translated as "daily" does not in fact mean daily. The word is epiousion, a word which really means "supra-substantial", or "supra-essential", and is thus mysterious to understand. Opinions among the Fathers of the Church as well as among more recent commentators on the New Testament have differed on the meaning of this word. However, much of the evidence points to a translation of the word in terms of the imperishable bread which is Christ Himself, and which continues to be available to us in the Holy Eucharist. Note the words of Jesus Himself: - 44 - "Then they said to Him, what shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said, "Amen, Amen, I say to you Moses did not give you the bread from Heaven. For the bread from God is He Who comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world." Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always." And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life: he who comes to Me shall never hunger, and He who believes in Me shall never thirst. And yet I say to you that you have seen Me and do not believe." (John 6:32-36). The earthly bread, the bread of this world will pass away but the eternal Bread of Heaven, which is Jesus Christ, endures forever and will bring us to the realization of our destiny, eternal life within the Kingdom. Therefore we pray "give us today our supra- substantial bread" - that is, Christ Himself, that we may be sustained and nourished even unto salvation. We pray for God's Kingdom to come, and in doing so we utter an eschatological prayer. We offer a plea for the realization of the Kingdom of God and for the Second Coming of Christ. For the realization of the Kingdom and its final and universal establishment is the ultimate goal towards which we strive. We pray also that God's will be done even here on earth just as it is the Kingdom of Heaven. In Gethesemane, on the night before His passion,. Jesus in His agony prayed to the Father, "If it be Thy will, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, Thy will, not My will, be done! (Matt. 26:39). Thus we pray for the grace of God that we may be enlightened and come to understand that alone we can do nothing. We realize that our fallen human will must be surrendered totally to the Divine will, on all occasions and in all things, if we are to achieve salvation. - 45 - We pray for the forgiveness of our transgressions, that with an important condition - that they will be forgiven only to the extent we forgive those who sin against us. For it we do not forgive freely and without reservation, then neither will we be forgiven. This is a pre-condition for salvation. We ask that we be not lead into temptation. Clearly, God Himself will not lead us into temptation. He will not set traps for us like some capricious tyrant. It has always been the Church's teaching that because of our fallen condition, because the presence of the adversary is always at hand, temptation is always at hand. Neither is it possible for us of our own free will and by virtue of our own personal strength to resist and overcome temptation. Inevitably it requires the grace of God to overcome demonic power. We ask God not to lead us into temptation, and that those trials which we must endure be tempered by His mercy. And that through His grace we may not fall into the irredeemable condition of rebellion and final apostasy. We ask, therefore, that we be delivered from the clutches of the ultimate Tempter, the Evil One; namely from the destroying power of the Devil. This is clearly the meaning of the original text, which the Greek states simply "... but deliver us from the evil One". The prayer concludes with a doxology and declaration of Faith: "For thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory, now and forever unto ages of ages. - 46 - THE HOLY COMMUNION Before the people come forward to receive the Holy Communion the priest first asks a blessing from God on the People of God and the His Holy Church. O Lord Jesus Christ, Who did say to Thine Apostles: Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; look not upon our sins but upon the faith of Thy Church: and vouchsafe to grant her peace and unity according to Thy will . Thou who lives and reigns One god, world without end. The people give their ascent by saying: Amen. Then he follows this with the Prayer of Humble Access: We do not presume to come to this Thy table O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in Thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under Thy table. but Thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy: grant us therefore, gracious Lord so to receive of the sacred Body and Blood of Thy dear Son, Jesus Christ; that our sinful bodies may be made clean by His Body, and our souls cleansed by His most precious Blood, that we may ever more dwell in Him, and he in us. The deacon and people respond: Amen. Now is the very approach to the throne, the actual experience of the Kingdom, of the eternal! We are no longer simply of the earth; we are lifted up to the very threshold of Paradise. We stand with awe, with reverence and with profound love, in anticipation - 47 - of an infinite love to be conveyed to us in return! Now we approach unworthily and with trepidation, and yet with immeasurable joy in the realization of what we are about to receive and what it will do for us. On the Paten is the Body of Christ, and in the Chalice the Blood of Christ, the Gift of Life, the life-giving Body and the Blood of the Savior, broken for us and shed for us unto remission of sins. Here is the very vehicle of our salvation. We must work at our salvation. Calvary opened the gates of Heaven, but we must provide the desire to walk through them. Regular communion taken in humility, sincerity and contrition is the greatest source of saving grace available. But we must avail ourselves of it in penitence and in a spirit of reconciliation, so that we do not turn the gift of grace from a blessing into a curse. The Western Orthodox practice of receiving the Body and Blood is a reflection of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. In His death the body was broken and the blood was spilt. So in the bread and wine, the Body and Blood, the two elements have become one Heavenly and Spiritual food through the work of the Holy Spirit. They show forth the Lord's death until He comes (1 Cor. 11:26) and they will become a part of our body. "Thus the priest says when he gives us the host on our tongue: "May the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ keep thy body and soul unto eternal life". And when the deacon gives us from the Chalice he says: "May the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ keep thy body and soul unto eternal life". - 48 - THE THANKSGIVING After all the communicants have been served and the ablutions made the priest blesses the people: The Lord be with you. to which they respond: And with thy spirit, The priest then invites the people to pray with him as he says the following two Thanksgiving Prayers: Into a pure heart, O Lord, may we receive this heavenly food which has passed our lips; and grant that it may heal our souls unto eternal life. (and) May Thy Body and Blood, O Lord, which we have received, cleave to our very souls: and grant that no stain of sin remain in us, by whose pure and holy mysteries we have been refreshed. And the people respond: Amen. A Thanksgiving Post Communion Prayer or Prayers proper for the day are now read. The Mysteries are celebrated. The communion has been consummated, thanks have been rendered to God Almighty. We have partaken of Communion with Christ, and our communion with each other is made possible. We return refreshed to the world, but perceiving this world with a new reverence, a renewed wonder. For if we look, we may perceive the hand of God in all things, and Christ dwelling among us and within us! Bowing down over the Altar, the Priest offers the Final Prayer Petition to God: - 49 - May this Holy Sacrifice, offered in the Presence of Thy Divine Majesty, be pleasing to Thee, O Holy Trinity, and grant that we, although unworthy, may attain forgiveness of sins for ourselves and for all those for whom we have offered it. The people respond: Amen. DISMISSAL The journey is ended. The Divine Liturgy is over. The celebrant greets the people a last time saying: The Lord be with you. and the people responding: And with they spirit. He then says: Depart in peace (to love and serve the Lord). The people answer: Thanks be to God. The celebrant facing the Altar begins the Final Blessing saying: The Peace of God, which passes all understanding keep your hearts and mind in the knowledge and love of God, and of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord: He kisses the Altar and turns to face the people and with the Blessing Cross he makes the Sign of the Cross over the people saying: And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son X, and the Holy Spirit, be with you and remain with you always. -50- The people may come forward to reverence the Cross held by the priest and to kiss his right hand. The departure from the Church might at first seem like an anticlimax. The faithful, together with their priest, have risen to the incomparable majesty of the Kingdom. At the very threshold they have partaken of the Body and Blood of the Savior. Now they must go forth from the Church, from Heaven, to live out the Gospel. We return to our daily live challenged to live continually as if we were before the Throne of God, for our citizenship is there, in Heaven. - 51 -