It is Time for the Lord to Act: A Primer on the Divine Liturgy
Introduction: The End of the Liturgy
Theme: The end or goal of the Divine Liturgy is the union of our life with Christ. This is accomplished by our partaking of the Holy Eucharist which makes the faithful holy.
To fully participate in this grace, we need to prepare by the means the Lord has given us: Scripture and prayer.
The rite of the divine service as a whole symbolizes, through the mysteries celebrated in it, the entire dispensation [economy] of the condescension for our salvation of our true God and Savior Jesus Christ.
— Theodore of Andida, Protheoria
Outline
Purpose and Goal
The essential act in the celebration of the holy mysteries is the transformation of the elements into the Divine Body and Blood; its aim is the sanctification of the faithful, who through these mysteries receive the remission of their sins and the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven.
— St Nicholas Cabasilas, Commentary on the Divine Liturgy
Scriptural Examples of Worship
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, Here I am! Send me.”
— Isaiah 6.1–9
Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.
For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
— Hebrews 12.12–29
Preparations
As a preparation for, and contribution to, this act and this purpose we have prayers, psalms, and readings from Holy Scripture; in short, all the sacred acts and forms which are said and done before and after the consecration of the elements. While it is true that God freely gives us all holy things and that we bring him nothing, but that they are absolute graces, he does nevertheless necessarily require that we should be fit to receive and to preserve them; and he would not permit those who were not so disposed to be thus sanctified. It is in this way that he admits us to Baptism and Confirmation; in this way that he receives us at the divine banquet and allows us to participate at the solemn table. Christ, in his parable of the sower, has illustrated this way that God has of dealing with us. “A sower went forth,” he says, “to sow” — not to plough the earth, but to sow: thus showing that the work of preparation must be done by us. Therefore, since in order to obtain the effects of the divine mysteries we must approach them in a state of grace and properly prepared, it was necessary that these preparations should find a place in the order of the sacred rite: and, in fact, they are found there.
— St Nicholas Cabasilas:, Commentary on the Divine Liturgy
The Divine Banquet: Communing with God
Theme: At the heart of the Divine Liturgy is the Sacrifice of the Eucharist, a meal with our God. Jesus is both the priest and the offering. Our participation is in Christ’s Body and Blood, in the very life of Christ, and thus our whole lives should be an offering.
O Christ, great and most holy Pascha, O Wisdom, Word and Power of God: Grant that we may more perfectly partake of thee in the never-ending day of thy Kingdom.
— from the prayer appointed for the Deacon after he communes
Outline
Structure of the Divine Liturgy
- The Liturgy of the Word
- The Opening
- Opening Conversation
- Exclamation
- Litany of Peace
- The Antiphons
- The Little Entrance with the Gospel Book
- Variable Hymns
- Trisagion (The Thrice-Holy Hymn)
- The Readings and Homily
- The Epistle
- The Gospel
- The Homily
- Litany for the Catechumens
- The Opening
- The Liturgy of the Eucharist
- Preparation
- Litanies for the Faithful
- The Cherubic Hymn
- The Great Entrance with the Gifts
- The Litany of Supplication
- The Kiss of Peace
- The Symbol of Faith (the Nicene Creed)
- The Anaphora
- The Consecration
- The Words of Institution
- The Epiclesis
- The Litany before the Our Father
- The Our Father
- The Elevation and Fraction
- The Holy Communion
- The Clergy in the Altar
- The Faithful in the Nave
- The Dismissals
- Preparation
Sacrifice as Meal
Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry…The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
— 1 Corinthians 10.14–22
Passover and Exile
Behold, days are coming, quoth the Lord, and I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by their hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not abide in my covenant, and I was unconcerned for them, quoth the Lord, because this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, quoth the Lord. Giving I will give my laws in their mind, and I will write them on their hearts, and I will become a god to them, and they shall become a people to me. And they shall not teach, each his fellow citizen and each his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they shall all know me, from their small even to their great, because I will be gracious regarding their injustices, and remember their sins no more.
— Jeremiah 38.31-34 (31.31-34)
New Covenant
[Hades] took a body, and face to face met God! It took earth and encountered heaven! It took what it saw but crumbled before what it had not seen! “O death, where is thy sting? O hades, where is thy victory?”
— St John Chrysostom, Paschal Homily
“It is Time for the Lord to Act”: The Age to Come
Theme: The Divine Liturgy takes place in God’s Time. In celebrating it, we are taken up into the Age to Come, and feast with Christ in his Kingdom.
Christ’s own work has turned death inside-out, showing himself to be stronger than death, and proving himself to be the one who it ultimately and totally in control from the beginning: All things are in his hands and providence—even our apostasy. Turned inside-out, death now becomes the means whereby the creature returns to God, and, in fact, is fashioned by God as a living being… [Christ in his death] has opened up a way of seeing a deeper mystery in death and has transformed death throughout all time: for what was once the end now becomes the beginning of a deeper mystery.
— Fr John Behr, Becoming Human
Outline
Psalm 118.126
It is time for the Lord to act, for your law has been broken/scattered.
The Funeral Service
O thou who of old didst create me from nothingness, and didst honor me with thine image divine, but because I transgressed thy commandments hast returned me again unto the earth from which I was taken: Bring me back to that likeness, to be reshaped in that pristine beauty.
— From the Benedictions of the Funeral Service
The Age to Come and the Eighth Day
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
— Hebrews 4.8–11
“Bless Master”: The Celebrants of the Divine Liturgy
Theme: Christ is the true celebrant of the Divine Liturgy. When we gather together for worship, we gather as a holy assembly joining with the saints and angels in their worship in heaven.
Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.
— St Ignatius, Epistle to the Smyrnæans
Outline
‘Bless Master’
“Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.”
— Hebrews 12.1–2
Christ the Master
I [Daniel] kept watching until thrones were set, and an Ancient of Days sat,
and his clothing was white like snow, and the hair of his head was like pure wool; his throne was a flame of fire; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire drew in before him. A thousand thousands were serving him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him. A court sat in judgment, and books were opened.— Daniel 7.9–10
The Servants of the Lord
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
— Hebrews 12.1–2 ESV
The Holy Ones
When Thou didst fulfill Thy dispensation for our sakes, uniting the terrestrials with the celestials, Thou didst ascend in glory, O Christ our God, inseparable in space, but constant without separation, and crying unto Thy beloved, I am with you, and no one shall be against you.
— From the Kontakion of the Ascension
Concelebration
For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
— 1 Corinthians 3.9
O God-beloved faithful, do not stand as a stranger in the celebration this dreaded Mystery, taking place for you!
— Protopresbyter Konstantinos Kallinicos
The Kingdom: “Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?”
Theme: In the Divine Liturgy we enter into heaven which is the Kingdom of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is made possible by Christ’s defeat of death upon the Cross as proclaimed in the Gospel. Therefore we all face East in anticipation of his Glorious Appearing.
Why does [the opening blessing] glorify the three-fold nature of God and not his unity?…It is because it was through the Incarnation of the Lord that mankind first learned God was three Persons, and the Mystery which is being performed is centered in the Incarnation of the Lord, so that from the very beginning [of the Divine Liturgy] the Trinity must shine forth and be proclaimed.
— St Nicholas Cabasilas, Commentary on the Divine Liturgy
Outline
Orientation and Ascent
Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, hath given rise to the light of knowledge in the world; for they that worshipped the stars did learn therefrom to worship Thee, O Sun of Justice, and to know that from the east of the Highest Thou didst come. O Lord, glory to Thee.
— From the Kontakion of the Nativity
Who shall ascend onto the mountain of the Lord? And who shall stand in the place of his sanctity? One who is guiltless in hand and clean in heart; he who did not occupy his soul with what is vain and did not swear deceitfully to his fellow.
— Psalm 23.3 (24.3)
Cross and Gospel
Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. — 1 Corinthians 2.6–8
The Holy Trinity
When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, worship of the Trinity wast made manifest; for the voice of the Father bore witness to Thee, calling Thee His beloved Son. And the Spirit in the likeness of a dove confirmed the truth of His word. O Christ our God, Who hast appeared and enlightened the world, glory to Thee.
— Apolytikion of Theophany, the Baptism of Christ
“Again and Again”: How Much Mercy Do I Need?
Theme: In asking for the Lord’s mercy we request the Kingdom, as reflected by several facets of the litanies. Again and again the litanies ask for the peace of God, without which we cannot inherit the Kingdom.
To beg for God’s mercy is to ask for his kingdom, that kingdom which Christ promised to give to those who seek for it, assuring them that all things else of which they have need will be added unto them.
— St Nicholas Cabasilas, Commentary on the Divine Liturgy
Outline
Lord, have mercy
This intercession is appropriate, since we should not ask for anything except for mercy, as we have neither boldness nor access to offer anything as our own…So, as sinners and condemned through sin we cannot, nor dare, say anything to our loving Master, except ‘have mercy’”
— St Symeon of Thessalonica
Litany of Peace
The man who is discontented with his lot in life cannot have peace within him, but only he who is grateful and “in every thing gives thanks”[^12] according to the teaching of the blessed Paul. Nor will he have a pure understanding, for a pure understanding is impossible without confession. So that he who prays in peace must first have a thankful and confessed soul. And further, the very petition which they make shows them to be in a state of thankfulness and confession. For their petition is for mercy. This is indeed the supplication of the condemned who have no possible defense and no justification to put forward; they make this one last appeal to the judge, counting on obtaining what they ask not because it is just, but because of his love for mankind. These people in fact bear witness to the judge of his great goodness and mercy and to themselves of their own iniquity; the first is an act of gratitude and the second one of confession.
— St Nicholas Cabasilas, Commentary on the Divine Liturgy
Little Litanies
Again and again… This is not a repetition of earlier supplications; it is a search for new awareness.
— Priest-monk Gregorios, The Divine Liturgy
Litany of Supplication
O Lord God Almighty, who alone art holy, who dost accept a sacrifice of praise from those who call upon thee with their whole heart: Receive also the prayer of us sinners, and lead us to thy holy altar, and enable us to offer unto thee gifts and spiritual sacrifices for our sins and for the ignorance of the people, and make us worthy to find grace in thy sight, that our sacrifice may be acceptable unto thee and that the good Spirit of thy grace may rest upon us and upon these gifts here spread forth and upon all thy people:
Through the compassions of thine only-begotten Son, with whom thou art blessed, together with thine all-holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
— The Priest’s Silent Prayer of the Litany of Supplication (St John Chrysostom)
Litany Before the Lord’s Prayer
O our God, the God of salvation, do thou teach us how we may worthily give thanks unto thee for thy benefits, which thou hast ever bestowed and yet dost bestow among us. Do thou, O our God who receives these gifts, purify us from every defilement of flesh and spirit: teach us to perfect holiness in thy fear, that we, receiving a portion of thy holy things in the witness of a pure conscience toward thee, may be made one with the holy Body and Blood of thy Christ and that, having received them worthily, we may have Christ abiding in our hears and may become a temple of thy Holy Spirit. Yea, O our God, cause also that none of us may be guilty of these thy dread and heavenly mysteries or infirm in soul or in body through an unworthy partaking; but enable us, even to our last breath, worthily to receive a portion of thy holy things, as a support upon the road to life eternal and as an acceptable defense at the fearful judgement seat of thy Christ. The we also together with all the saints who, in all the ages, have been well-pleasing unto thee, may be made partakers of thine everlasting good things, which thou hast prepared for those who love thee, O Lord. O our God, the God of salvation, do thou teach us how we may worthily give thanks unto thee for thy benefits, which thou hast ever bestowed and yet dost bestow among us. Do thou, O our God who receives these gifts, purify us from every defilement of flesh and spirit: teach us to perfect holiness in thy fear, that we, receiving a portion of thy holy things in the witness of a pure conscience toward thee, may be made one with the holy Body and Blood of thy Christ and that, having received them worthily, we may have Christ abiding in our hears and may become a temple of thy Holy Spirit. Yea, O our God, cause also that none of us may be guilty of these thy dread and heavenly mysteries or infirm in soul or in body through an unworthy partaking; but enable us, even to our last breath, worthily to receive a portion of thy holy things, as a support upon the road to life eternal and as an acceptable defense at the fearful judgement seat of thy Christ. The we also together with all the saints who, in all the ages, have been well-pleasing unto thee, may be made partakers of thine everlasting good things, which thou hast prepared for those who love thee, O Lord.
— The Priest’s Silent Prayer of the Litany of Supplication (St Basil)
Litany of Thanksgiving
We give thanks unto thee, O Master who loves mankind, Benefactor of our souls, for that thou hast vouchsafed this day to feed us with thy heavenly and immortal mysteries. Make straight our path; establish us all in thy fear; guard our life; make firm our steps; through the prayers and intercessions of the glorious Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary and of all thy saints:
For thou art our Sanctification, and unto thee we ascribe glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
— The Priest’s Silent Prayer of the Litany of Supplication (St John Chrysostom)
Psalms of Blessedness: The Antiphons
Theme: The Psalms form the pattern for true worship, describing the blessed man who is ultimately realized in Christ who humbled himself even to death on the cross for our salvation.
The way up is the way down, pivoted upon the Cross.
— Fr John Behr expanding upon the ancient saying in John the Theologian & his Pascal Gospel
Outline
The Psalms
Blessed is the one who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the Teaching of the LORD, and on his Teaching he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like dust that the wind drives away from the face of the earth.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
— Psalm 1
It was for the new human being that human nature was created at the beginning, and for him mind and desire were prepared… Christ Himself is the Archetype for those who are created. It was not the old Adam who was the model for the new, but the new Adam for the old…
For those who have known him first, the old Adam is the archetype because of our fallen nature. But for Him who sees all things before they exist the first Adam is the imitation of the second. It was in accordance with His pattern and image that he was formed, but he did not continue thus…. Accordingly, it was the former who received the law but the latter who fulfilled it. Of the old Adam obedience was demanded; the new Adam, as Paul says, displayed it “unto death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8)….Our nature from the beginning tended to immortality; it achieved it much later in the body of the Saviour who, when He had risen to immortal life from the dead, became the leader of immortality for our race.
To sum it up: the Saviour first and alone showed to us the true human being, who is perfect on account of both character and life and in all other respects….
— St Nicholas Cabasilas, Life in Christ
The Beatitudes
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
— Matthew 5.1–12
The Refrains
O Son of God, who art glorified in the saints, save us who sing to Thee. Alleluia.
O Son of God, who art risen from the dead, save us who sing to Thee. Alleluia.
The Quiet Prayers
O Lord our God, whose might is beyond compare, whose glory is incomprehensible, whose mercy is boundless, and whose love toward mankind is ineffable: Do thou thyself, O Master, in thy tender compassion look down upon us and upon this holy house, and grant us and those who pray with us thy rich mercies and compassions.
— The Priest’s Quiet Prayer of the First Antiphon
The Hosts of Heaven with Our Lord: The Entrance with the Gospel Book
Theme: The Entrance with the Gospel Book shows us that Christ is in our midst, leading our worship. The angels are always worshiping Christ in heaven, and we the Church have the great privilege and responsibility to join with them.
Consider who they are who sing with you, and that should be enough to move you to vigilance. It should be sufficient when you remember that, while being clothed in a body and bound up with the flesh, you have been accounted worth to hymn the Lord, to is common to all, together with the bodiless powers.
— St John Chrysostom, On Matthew 19.3
Outline
Imagery and Icons
Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [the Old Covenant saints just mentioned previously], let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
— Hebrews 12.1–2
Gospel as Icon of Christ
The entry of the Christian believer into the church for the sacred assembly is not only a symbol, but an act: it is the believer’s entry into the life of Christ. It is man’s participation in the life of the Theanthropos. … [In the Little Entrance] the priest takes the Gospel Book, which is an image of Christ, from the Altar, and holding it at head height, so that his face is covered by Him who comes — Christ — he enters the nave.
Priest-monk Gregorios, The Divine Liturgy
Quiet Prayers
O Master, Lord our God, who hast appointed in heaven orders and hosts of angels and archangels for the service of thy glory: Cause that with our entrance there may be an entrance of holy angels serving with us and glorifying thy goodness. For unto thee are due all glory, honor and worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
— From the Priest’s Prayers of the Little Entrance
Variable Hymns
Thou hast revealed the earthly majesty of the dwelling place of thy holy glory, O Lord. As the brilliance of the firmament on high make firm its foundation unto ages of ages, and receive our fervent supplications which are offered to thee therein. Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, O Life and Resurrection of all.
— Hymn for Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church
Trisagion
O holy God, who resteth in the holy place, who art hymned by the seraphim with the thrice-holy cry and glorified by the cherubim and worshipped by every heavenly power, who out of nothingness hast brought all things into being, who hast created man according to thine image and likeness and hast adorned him with thine every gift; who givest to him that asketh wisdom and understanding, who despisest not the sinner but hast appointed repentance unto salvation, who hast vouchsafed unto us, thy humble and unworthy servants, even in this hour, to stand before the glory of thy holy altar and to offer the worship and praise which are due unto thee: thyself, O Master, receive even from the mouth of us sinners the thrice-holy hymn and visit us in thy goodness. Pardon us every transgression both voluntary and involuntary; sanctify our souls and bodies; and grant us to serve thee in holiness all the days of our life, through the intercession of the holy Theotokos and of all the saints, who from the beginning of the world have been well-pleasing unto thee.
— The Priest’s Prayer of the Trisagion
Holy Smoke: The Prayers of the Saints
Theme: Incense is both cleansing and an offering. It prepares us to hear and receive God’s voice. Our prayers ascend with it to God and our whole lives are to be transformed into an offering unto God and the aroma of Christ to the world.
As the incense catches fire and burns and gives off fragrant smoke, it signifies the grace of the Holy Spirit…who brilliantly illumines our senses and at the same time makes them fragrant with a spiritual fragrance. He illumines, because He is Light and is seen by the pure in heart. He gives off a pleasant scent because He is the Tree of Life, which crucifies the will of the flesh, and makes the whole world fragrant.
— St Symeon the New Theologian, Ethical Discourse
Outline
Censing in the Liturgy: Worshipping with the Body
Master Lord Jesus Christ, Word of God, who willingly brought thyself to God the Father as an unblemished sacrifice on the Cross, who art the coal in two natures which was carried in tongs to touch the lips of the Prophet Isaiah and took away his sins: touch also the senses of us sinners, cleanse us from every stain and present us in purity at thy holy altar so as to offer to thee a sacrifice of praise. Receive also this incense from us thy unworthy servants as a sweet-smelling fragrance; make fragrant the stench of our souls and bodies; and sanctify us by the sanctifying power of thy All-holy Spirit.
— The Prayer of Blessing of Incense from the Liturgy of St James
Incense in the Scriptures: The Prayers of the Saints
And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
— Revelation 5.8
The Presence of the Holy Spirit: Our Life as Censers
A certain governor, Fronton, called for them [the holy martyrs Menodora, Metrodora, and Nymphodora]. Although they were great fasters and their bodies were withered, their faces were radiant, illumined by inward peace and the grace of God. He ordered that Menodora be tortured first. Fronton called out to Menodora, who was wounded and bloody: “Offer sacrifice to the gods!” To this the holy martyr replied: “Do you not see that I am offering my entire self as a sacrifice to my God?”
— From the Synaxarion in Orthros for September 10.
Wisdom! Let Us Attend!: The Readings and the Homily
Theme: Having been prepared by the first part of the service, the readings show us Christ and our life in him.
The Gospel represents Christ, and he who has found Christ has obtained all that he could desire…and those who possess all things need ask for nothing more.
— St Nicholas Cabasilas, Commentary on the Divine Liturgy
Outline
Context
It is the kingdom of heaven we are entering, after all; we are going to places where lightning flashes. Inside, it is all silence and mysteries beyond telling. Pay precise attention, however: the reading out of the Scriptures is the opening of the heavens. It is a theology of the Word with implications, of course, also four our age’s liturgies: public reading of the lectionary is the congregation’s key to heaven.
— St John Chrysostom, Six Homilies on Isaiah 6
Prokeimenon
[The prokeimenon is] the revelation of the divine mysteries by the Prophets and the foretelling of the coming of Christ the King.
— St Germanos
Epistle
After the Trisagion is ended the priest admonishes all present to cast away negligence and inattention, and to listen carefully to what is being said and done, for that is the meaning of “Let us attend.” Then he wishes peace to them all, and calls to mind the wisdom with which they should enter into the holy mysteries and attend to them. What is this wisdom? It is the sum of those thoughts which are in accord with the ceremony, which should occupy those full of faith when they behold and listen to the ceremonies and prayers, so that they are concerned with no purely human sentiment. Such is the wisdom of Christians; that is the meaning of the cry “Wisdom” which the priest says to the faithful many times during the liturgy; it is a reminder of these things. Is this not how we stir each others’ memories, often by the use of a single word calling a whole sentence to the mind of our listeners?
— St Nicholas Cabasilas, Commentary on the Divine Liturgy
Gospel
The cry ‘Stand upright’ alongside ‘Let us attend’ warns us to be ready for battle when we converse with God and assist at the Holy Mysteries. There must be no inattention; we must act with fervor and all reverence, and in this manner look, listen, and pray throughout the service. The first sign of this fervor and devotion is the uprightness of our bodies; we do these things standing on our feet, not sitting down….That is the meaning of these prayers.
— St Nicholas Cabasilas, Commentary on the Divine Liturgy
Illumine our hearts, O Master Who lovest mankind, with the pure light of thy divine knowledge, and open the eyes of our mind to the understanding of thy gospel teachings; implant in us also the fear of thy blessed commandments, that trampling down all carnal desires, we may enter upon a spiritual manner of living, both thinking and doing such things as are well-pleasing unto thee. For thou art the illumination of our souls and bodies, O Christ our God, and unto thee we ascribe glory, together with thine unoriginate Father, and thine all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
— The Prayer of the Priest Before the Reading of the Holy Gospel
Homily
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:
Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.
And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.
— Acts 8.26–35
Let Us Lay Aside All Earthly Cares That We May Receive The King of All
Theme: In order to receive Christ within us, we must lay aside all earthly cares, and live in love among the Body of Christ.
The soul that has not learnt to despise the petty concerns of earthly life will not be able to marvel at the things of heaven.
— St John Chrysostom, On Genesis
Outline
The Cherubic Hymn
Let all mortal flesh keep silence and stand with fear and trembling and ponder nothing worldly within itself, for the King of kings and Lord of lords cometh forth to be slain and given as food for the faithful. Before him come the choirs of the angels, with all the principalities and authorities, the many-eyed cherubim and the six-winged seraphim covering their faces and crying aloud the hymn: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
— The Anti-Cherubic Hymn of Holy Saturday
The Prayers
No one who is bound with the desires and pleasures of the flesh is worthy to approach or to draw nigh or to serve thee, O King of Glory, for to serve thee is a great and fearful thing even to the heavenly powers. Nevertheless through thine unspeakable and boundless love toward mankind thou didst become man, yet without change or alteration, and as Master of all dust take the name of our High Priest and deliver unto us the ministry of this liturgic and bloodless sacrifice. For thou alone, O Lord our God, rulest over those in heaven and on earth, who art born on the throne of the cherubim, who art Lord of the seraphim and Kind of Israel, who alone art holy and restest in the holy place. Wherefore I implore thee who alone art good and art ready to listen: look down upon me, the sinner and thine unprofitable servant, and cleanse my soul and my heart from an evil conscience, and by the power of the Holy Spirit earnable me, who am endued with the grace of the priesthood, to stand before this thy holy table, and perform the sacred mystery of thy holy and immaculate Body and precious Blood. For I draw near unto thee, and bowing my neck I pray thee. Turn not thy face from me, neither cast me out from among thy servants, but vouchsafe that these gifts may be offered unto thee by me, thy sinful and unworthy servant; for thou thyself art he that offereth and art offered, that accepted and is distributed, O Christ our God, and unto thee we ascribe glory, together with thine unoriginate Father, and thine all-holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
— The Priest’s Prayer of the Cherubic Hymn
The Triumphal Entry
All of you, the Lord God remember in his kingdom, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
— From the Litany of the Great Entrance
One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
— Luke 23.39–43
The noble Joseph, when he had taken down thine immaculate body from the tree, wrapped it in pure linen and spices and, sorrowing, placed it in a new tomb.
In the grave with the body but in hades with the soul as God; in paradise with the thief, and on the throne with the Father and the Spirit wast thou, O Christ, filling all things, thyself uncircumscribed.
As life-bearing, as more splendid than paradise, and more radiant than any royal chamber, O Christ, is shown forth thy tomb, the fountain of our resurrection.
— The Priest’s Prayers as he places the Diskos and Chalice on the Altar.
The Doors
Now the priest commands the congregation to proclaim that which they have learned and which they believe concerning God; this is to profess true wisdom… This wisdom is not known to the world…who can conceive of nothing greater or higher than the knowledge of material things, and cannot believe in the existence of a higher wisdom. It is in this wisdom that the priest asks us to open all the doors—that is, our mouths and ears.
— St Nicholas Cabasilas, Commentary on the Divine Liturgy
A Mercy of Peace, A Sacrifice of Praise: The Anaphora
Theme The Anaphora is the lifting up of ourselves and the Gifts to God. In it we participate in the whole economy of salvation.
“Let us lift up our hearts”—let us be heavenly-minded not earthly-minded. The faithful give their consent, and say that their hearts where our treasure is—there where Christ is, who sits on the right hand of the Father. “We have lifted them up to the Lord.”
— St Nicholas Cabasilas, A Commentary on the Divine Liturgy
Outline
Opening Prayers
Thou it was who didst bring us from non-existence into being, and when we had fallen away didst raise us up again, and didst not cease to do all things until thou hadst brought us up to heaven and hadst endowed us with thy kingdom which is to come. For all these things we give thanks unto thee, … for all things of which we know and of which we know not and for all the benefits bestowed upon us, both manifest and unseen.
— From the Priest’s Anaphora Prayers in the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom
Words of Institution
This Holy Table is the same Table as that of the Last Supper, and is nothing less.
— St John Chrysostom, On Matthew
Epiclesis
Having in Remembrance, therefore this saving commandment and all those things which have come to pass for us: the Cross, the Grave, the Third-Day Resurrection, the Ascension into heaven, the sitting at the right hand, and the second and glorious coming: Thine own of thine own we offer unto thee in behalf of all and for all.
— The Divine Liturgy
The Mystical Supper: The Holy Eucharist
Theme: We receive Christ himself in the Holy Eucharist and give thanks for his great salvation.
In truth, [in the Eucharist] we are not partaking of one of His gifts, but of His very Self.
— Nicholas Cabasilas, The Life In Christ
Outline
The Holy for the holy: One is holy, one is Lord, Jesus Christ
The faithful are called holy on account of the Holy One in whose they participate and in whose holy Body and Blood they commune.
— Nicholas Cabasilas, Commentary on the Divine Liturgy
The Fraction
Divided and distributed is the Lamb of God, who is divided, yet not disunited; who is ever eaten, yet never consumed, but sanctifieth those who partake thereof.
— The Priest’s Prayer before the Fraction
The Precommunion Prayers
Those who receive Communion can be called and can actually be gods by Grace, thanks to God, who in His entirety has filled them totally and left no part of them empty of his presence.
— St Germanos
The Communion of the Clergy & the Laity
If you take into account that the Holy Things set for here are so precious that even the Seraphim are far from being worthy to touch them, and then reflect on your Lord’s love for humanity, you will be amazed that the grace of the holy Body and Blood does not spurn descending even to our worthlessness. Bearing in mind, O human, and considering the magnitude of the gift, raise yourself up once and for all, abandon the earth and ascend to heaven.
— St John Chrysostom, Homily on Isaiah 6
Thanksgiving Prayers
What is this measureless compassion of Yours, O Saviour? How have you accounted me worthy to become One of Your members? — I who am impure, a prodigal, a harlot? How have you dressed me in a garment most bright, Glistering with the radiance of immortality And making all my members into light? For Your Body, pure and divine, Is wholly radiant, wholly intermixed And commingled ineffably with the fire of Your Divinity… I have been united, I know, also with Your Divinity And have become Your most pure Body, A member shining forth, a member truly holy, A member glittering from afar, and radiant, and shining.
— St Simeon the New Theologian
Let Us Go Forth in Peace
Theme: Having been given the Peace of God by encountering him in the Liturgy, we are to go forth and share it with the world.
The Divine Liturgy began ‘in peace’, and in it’s course the peace of God was given to us many times. Now that the celebrant ‘dismmes us from the assembly, he once again petitions [peace] for us saying, “Go in peace.” And without this peace, it is altogether impossible to say or do anything.’
— Priest-monk Gregorios quoting St John Chrysostom, The Divine Liturgy
Outline
Let us go forth in peace
The Divine Liturgy is a journey whose purpose is man’s encounter and union with God. This goal has now been reached, we have seen the Lord transfigured on the Mount Tabor of the Liturgy, we have partaken of His holy Body and most pure Blood. And as we venture to utter to our exalted Visitor, Lord it is good to be here, our Mother Church reminds us that the end of the liturgical journey must become the starting-point for our spiritual journey: Let us go forth in peace. We have to leave the Mountain of Transfiguration in order to return to the world and tread the way of martyrdom of our lives. This journey becomes our martyria, our witness to Christ — the Way and the Life — who has become our guest.
— Priest-monk Gregorios, The Divine Liturgy
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Through this name [the name of the Lord], death was abolished…the doors of Paradise opened wide, the Holy Spirit descended upon us, slaves became free men, enemies became sons, strangers became heirs, humans became angels. Angels, did I say? God became man, and man god. Heaven received the nature that came from earth. The earth received him who sits upon the cherubim together with angelic host. The dividing wall [between God and humanity — Ephesians 2.14] has been destroyed, the barrier has been removed, what was separated is united, darkness has been abolished, light has shone forth.
— St John Chrysostom, On Psalm 8.
The Great Cloud of Witnesses
What is this prayer? It is that we may be saved through obtaining mercy, for we have of ourselves nothing that merits salvation, but we look only towards him who loves mankind and is able to save us. Therefore at this point he makes mention of many intercessors who can help us, and especially the all-holy Mother of God who was the vessel whereby Mercy was first brought to us. The prelude of this prayer is “Christ our True God.” There is no longer any question of those false gods, those sham divinities, whom we once worshipped in such numbers, but “our true God”, whom we have now found after great struggles. And so it is that we owe all glory, honor, and worship to him alone, as to God, together with his Eternal Father and his most holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and always for ever and ever. Amen.
— St Nicholas Cabasilas, Commentary on the Divine Liturgy
The Liturgy after the Liturgy
If you cannot find Christ in the beggar at the church door, you will not find Him in the chalice.
— St John Chrysostom
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
— Isaiah 6.8