Commentary on the Divine Liturgy The Liturgy of

Commentary on the Divine Liturgy The Liturgy of the Believers (The Faithful) • The Orthodox Creed Is it recited before or after the end of the Catechumens Liturgy? 4/16/2010 1

Commentary on the Divine Liturgy • The Pre- Anaphora Washing the Hands While the Creed is being read the priest washes his hands three times. He stands by the Sanctuary’s door, facing west, and shakes his hands before the people. By this action: • He cautions and warns people to be prepared before receiving the Holy Communion. • He repudiates the guilt of him who dares to receive Communion undeservedly. • He is saying: "I am innocent of the blood of whoever undeservedly partakes of the Holy Sacraments, without letting me know“. 4/16/2010 2

Commentary on the Divine Liturgy • The Pre- Anaphora The Prayer of Reconciliation, in two parts after giving peace with the sign of the cross: 1. God, the Great and the Eternal, Who formed man in incorruption. . . 2. According to Your good will, O God, fill our hearts with Your peace. . . 4/16/2010 3

Commentary on the Divine Liturgy • The Prayer of Reconciliation, cont. This prayer signifies: • Making peace with God through Jesus Christ, and our reconciliation with one another before taking communion. • In the second part of the Reconciliation, the priest prays to God to fill the hearts of the people and himself with His heavenly peace. This wonderful and precious peace which Christ has given us is to be enjoyed by all believers until it is perfected in heaven. 4/16/2010 4

Commentary on the Divine Liturgy • The Prayer of Reconciliation, cont. On Maundy Thursday: • The Reconciliation is not prayed because the true reconciliation will not be accomplished until the crucifixion of Christ on Friday. • Exchanging the holy kiss is not done, to remind us of Judas Iscariot's fraudulent kiss. Here the church urges her children not to emulate his dishonesty, treachery and love of money. 4/16/2010 5

Commentary on the Divine Liturgy • The Prayer of Reconciliation, cont. While praying the second part of Reconciliation Prayer the priest holds up the triangular veil which is on top of the Prospherine. This veil symbolizes: +the seal on the Savior’s sepulcher T or F + the star of Bethlehem T or F The lifting up of this cloth symbolizes: + the breaking of the seals on the tomb's door Tor F 4/16/2010 6

Commentary on the Divine Liturgy • The Prayer of Reconciliation, cont. After the praying of the Reconciliation, before the lifting of the Prospherine, ordination of readers, sub-deacons, etc. takes place in the presence of the Pope or a bishop. It is done during this time : +to represent that reconciliation has lifted the barrier that was placed before the Holy of Holies in the Old Testament, (now the Sanctuary) T or F + so that the newly ordained priests and deacons can participate in the mass from the beginning T or F 4/16/2010 7

Commentary on the Divine Liturgy • The Prayer of Reconciliation, cont. When the deacon says "Prospherine, "Prospherine!", (meaning "Come forth!"), at the end of the Reconciliation, the priest, with the help of the deacon, raises the Prospherine while creating a vibration. Raising the Prospherine signifies the rolling away of the stone from the sepulcher’s entrance T or F + the return of the Savior’s soul to His Body at His rising from the dead T or F + The vibration symbolizes the quake that happened when the angel rolled the stone away from the tomb's entrance T or F + 4/16/2010 8

Commentary on the Divine Liturgy • The Prayer of Reconciliation, cont. The Aspasmos (Apostolic and Holy Kiss) At the end of the Reconciliation Prayer, the deacon calls out, "Exchange a holy kiss with one another“. The people do so : +As kind of regular greeting T or F +with an action of their hands, showing love and forgiveness T or F +Signifying the whole Church becomes one heart and one thought, and all are prepared to attend to the Holy Liturgy T or F 4/16/2010 9

Commentary on the Divine Liturgy The Liturgy of the Faithful, cont. 1. The Anaphora (in Greek and Coptic Anavora) = T F + Offering + Part of the Div. Liturgy having the sacrament and the descent of the Holy Spirit + In broader terms it is the entire Eucharistic lit. + Bishop Thomas’ retreat area near Alex. Egypt 4/16/2010 10

Commentary on the Divine Liturgy The Anaphora, cont. For the purpose of this presentation: The Anaphora begins with the great prayer of thanksgiving, from which the Eucharist derives its name (Eucharist means thanksgiving). This prayer of Thanks-giving can be divided into two parts: • The First Eucharistic Prayer, which starts immediately following the priest's dialogue with the people, “The Lord be with you all. . . ”, is a hymn of thanksgiving concerning God's wonderful acts of the creation of the universe and all the creatures both visible and invisible. It ends with the Sanctus, or the hymn of the Seraphim (Holy, Lord of Hosts. . . ). 4/16/2010 11

Commentary on the Divine Liturgy The Anaphora, cont. The Second Eucharistic Prayer, is a hymn of thanksgiving concerning God’s wonderful acts of salvation, following man’s fall from grace. It ends with the remembrance of the Lord’s awesome Parousia (second coming), to judge the living and the dead, and reward everyone according to his deeds. 4/16/2010 12

Commentary on the Divine Liturgy The Anaphora, cont. + The Lord be with you all. . . Lift up your hearts Before responding, we must ask ourselves: • Are we sure our hearts are truly uplifted? • Are our hearts and minds in the words and the meaning of the response? If not, what a grave sin to lie to God who searches the heart and examines the mind! 4/16/2010 13

Commentary on the Divine Liturgy The Anaphora, cont. Read each of the following comments and indicate whether T or F: + The veils, or wrapping cloths, on the altar represent the shrouds that wrapped the Savior’s Body at His burial. + The action of the priest moving the veils around on the altar represents the movement of the Cherubim’s' wings. 4/16/2010 14

Commentary on the Divine Liturgy The Anaphora, cont. +Uncovering the paten by lifting the small veil from it saying, "The Lord be with you", while the Chalice remains covered represents Christ's appearance to Mary Magdalene while His identity was concealed to her. + Uncovering the chalice when saying, "Agios", indicates that He revealed Himself afterwards to Mary Magdalene and she then recognized Him. 4/16/2010 15

Commentary on the Divine Liturgy The Anaphora, cont. +Covering the chalice again after it was uncovered symbolizes Jesus showing Himself to the two disciples who were on their way to Emmaus, then disappearing from them. + When the priest first does the sign of the cross with the veil that was on the paten, and then the second sign with the veil that was on the chalice, indicates the equality between the Body and the Blood, and the need to get the blessings of them both. 4/16/2010 16

Commentary on the Divine Liturgy The Anaphora, cont. + Taking the veil from the top of the Chalice’s Throne and replacing it with another represents that this Mystery has been instituted for the rise and the fall of many (Luke 2: 34). It also means that we have been exalted to take the place of the fallen angels. + While saying, "He was incarnated and became Man" the priest adds a spoonful of incense to the censer … 4/16/2010 17