Understanding the Teachings of the Orthodox Church - Page 2
by Reverend Thomas Fitzgerald (edited)
The Actions of the Liturgy
The Divine Liturgy may be divided into two major parts: the Liturgy of the Catechumens and the Liturgy of the Faithful, which are preceded by the Service of Preparation. Although there are many symbolic interpretations of the Divine Liturgy, the most fundamental meaning is found in the actions and prayers.
The Service of Preperation
Prior to the beginning of the Liturgy, the priest prepares himself with prayer and then precedes to vest himself. The vestments express his priestly ministry as well as his office. Next, the priest goes to the Proskomide Table which is on the left side of the Altar Table in the Sanctuary. There, he prepares the offering of bread and wine for the Liturgy. Ideally, the leavened loaves of bread, and the wine from which the offering is taken, are prepared by members of the congregation. The elements are presented to the priest before the service, together with the names of those persons, living and dead, who are to be remembered during the Divine Liturgy. The offering symbolically represents the entire Church gathered about Christ, the Lamb of God.
The Liturgy of the Catechumens
The Divine Liturgy begins with the solemn declaration: "Blessed be the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit now and for ever more." With these words we are reminded that in the Divine Liturgy the Church becomes a real manifestation of God's Kingdom on earth. Since the first part of the Liturgy was designed originally for the Catechumens, those being schooled in the faith, had a very instructive quality. The Eucharist also has elements which are in common with other Services. We gather as Christians who share a common faith in the Holy Trinity. We sing and pray as a people united in Christ, who are not bound by time, space, or social barriers.
The Little Entrance is the central action of the first part of the Liturgy. A procession takes place in which the priest carries the Book of Gospels from the sanctuary into the nave. The procession directs our attention to the Scripture and to the presence of Christ in the Gospel. The entrance leads to the Epistle lesson, the Gospel, and the Sermon.
The Liturgy of the Faithful
In the early Church, only those who were baptized and not in a state of sin were permitted to remain for this most solemn part of the Liturgy. With the Great Entrance marking the beginning of this part of the Liturgy, the offering of bread and wine is brought by the priest from the Preparation Table, through the nave, and to the Altar Table. Before the offering can proceed, however, we are called upon to love one another so that we may perfectly confess our faith. In the early Church, the Kiss of Peace was exchanged at this point. After the symbolic kiss of Peace, we join together in professing our Faith through the words of the Creed. Only now can we properly offer our gifts of bread and wine to the Father as our Lord directed us to do in His memory. This offering is one of great joy, for through it we remember the mighty actions of God through which we have received the gift of salvation, and especially the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Christ. We invoke the Holy Spirit upon ourselves and upon our offering, asking the Father that they become for us the Body and Blood of Christ. Through our thanking and remembering the Holy Spirit reveals the presence of the Risen Christ in our midst.
The priest comes from the altar with the Holy Gifts, inviting the congregation to draw near with reverence of God, with faith, and with love." Our sharing in the Eucharist Gifts not only expresses our fellowship with one another, but also our unity with the Father in His Kingdom. Individuals approach the Holy Gifts and receive the Eucharistic bread and wine from the common chalice. The priest distributes the Holy Gifts by means of a communion spoon. Since the Holy Communion is an expression of our Faith, reception of the Holy Gifts is open only to those who are baptized, Chrismated, and practicing members of the Orthodox Church. The Liturgy comes to an end with prayer of Thanksgiving and the Benediction. At the conclusion of the Eucharist, the congregation comes forward to receive a portion of the liturgical bread which was not used for the offering.
The Divine Liturgy Explained
Adapted & Edited from "The Divine Liturgy Explained" by Fr. Nicholas Elias
In ancient times, the word "Liturgy" meant a work for the benefit of the people. In the Old Testament it denotes the worship which the people offered through priests of the Mosaic Law. Since New Testament times the word "Liturgy", preceded usually by the adjective "Divine", has signified that Church service which is filled with memories of our Lord's Life and teachings from His Nativity to His Ascension into Heaven. The Divine Liturgy is the great central act of Christian worship, offered to God for the benefit of the members of the Church, the Christians.
Our Lord Institutes the Sacrament
The belief that our Lord is present upon the altar under the appearances of the consecrated Bread and Wine is based upon the word of God Himself. Let us return to the days when our Lord dwelt on earth. He had fed five thousand men in the desert by a miraculous multiplication of five loaves and two fish. The next day He was in Capernaum, where the people asked for more of that wonderful bread. Instead of fulfilling their desire, Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger" (John 6:35). Further on, Christ said, "I am the living bread which came from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world" (John 6:51). Then Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him" (John 6:53-55).
With these words, our Lord promised to give His flesh and blood to be the food and drink of the world. However, He did not explain at that time how His body and blood would serve as food and drink for spiritual nourishment of the world. A year later, the Passover (Pascha) was at hand. Jesus knew that He had to journey from that feast to the sacrifice on the Cross. He knew that His body had to be broken, and His blood had to be shed for the salvation of the world. He knew, too, that His disciples would grieve Him that night, and that one of them would even betray Him, and yet He said to them: "With desire I have desired to eat at this Passover with you before I suffer" (Luke 22:15). Knowing what was to come, our Lord, on the night before His crucifixion, gathered with His disciples in the upper room of a house in Jerusalem for the Last Supper. As they were seated before a long, white banquet table their eyes were upon Jesus. He took one of the loaves of bread, blessed it and broke it, so that each of His disciples might have a portion. Then distributing it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body" (Matt 26:25). Obediently, eagerly, the Apostles accepted the Bread of Life.
Then, taking a chalice Jesus poured into it some red wine of Palestine. He pronounced over it a blessing, rendered thanks to His Father and gave it to His disciples, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" Matt 26:27-28). The chalice was passed from one to another, and they all drank of it. Thus, in the simplest and most sublime manner, Christ fulfilled His earlier promise to give His flesh as food and His blood as drink. It was not until after the Crucifixion and Resurrection, though, that the disciples understood this. We see then that at the Last Supper, the very night when our Lord was betrayed, He instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice. In order to perpetuate the memory of this Sacrifice for subsequent centuries until He should come again, He told His Apostles, "do this in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19). With these words our Lord gave them the power to do what He had done, which is to change bread and wine into His Body and Blood, namely, to consecrate the Holy Eucharist, which is the highest form of Thanksgiving to God that man has in his power to render. Indeed, God directs man to render this Thanksgiving in the form of the Divine Liturgy.
The Holy Eucharist is participation in the Last Supper, and not a re-enactment of it. It is the same Sacrifice of the Cross, participated in sacramentally. The Apostles and the first Christians, obeying the Lord's words, "do this in remembrance of Me", gathered together every day in private homes and celebrated the Breaking of Bread, or what we know as the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist.
