Understanding the Divine Liturgy

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Understanding the Divine Liturgy
Celebrating The Year of the Holy Eucharist

• Session 4
• The Liturgy of the Faithful
• A study based on the books The Heavenly
  Banquet, by Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis
• The Orthodox Faith vol. II (Worship) by Fr.
  Thomas Hopko
• Understanding The Orthodox Liturgy by Fr.
  Michel Najim T.L. Frazier

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The Liturgy of the Faithful Introduction

• The Liturgy of the Faithful consists of three
  parts
• 1. The Preparation (Including the procession of
  the Holy Gifts)
• 2. The Offering or Anaphora Prayer (Including
  the consecration of the Holy Gifts)
• 3. Holy Communion and the Dismissal
• This part of the Liturgy was originally intended
  only for those who were already baptized.
• Those who were preparing to be baptized were ask
  to leave at this point in the Liturgy.
• 1. The priest would pray for them and they
  would depart and go receive instruction in the
  Christian faith.
• 2. After the 7th century, the need for a formal
  dismissal dwindled, because there were few
  catechumens.
• 3. Today, the prayer for the catechumens and
  the dismissal is usually read silently by the
  priest or skipped altogether.
• The focus of this part is to partake of the Holy
  Mysteries of Christ (To receive communion.)

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The Liturgy of the Faithful Preparation and
Procession

• After the prayer and call for the Catechumens to
  leave
• the Liturgy of the Faithful begins.
• The priest recites two prayers for those who are
  already members of the church (silently).
• a. Giving thanks to God and asking God to keep
  him worthy to offer the gifts to be sacrifice.
• b. Asking for Gods mercy and for Him to
  cleanse his soul and body from all defilement of
  sin.
• c. Asking on behalf of everyone for God to
  grant them
• -Growth in life -Spiritual understanding -Worth
  iness to serve in fear and love
• -Worthiness to partake of the Holy Mysteries
  without condemnation.
• -And that they will be accounted worthy of
  Gods Heavenly Kingdom.
• d. The priest concludes the prayers by saying
  out loud.

Help us save us have mercy on us and keep us
by His grace. Wisdom That guarded always by
Your might we ascribe glory to You, to the
Father, and to the Son, and to Holy Spirit.

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The Liturgy of the Faithful Preparation and
Procession
While the priest prays, the people sing the
Cherubic Hymn
We who mystically represent the Cherubim, and
sing to the life-giving Trinity the
thrice-holy hymn, let us now lay aside all
earthly care, that we may receive the King of
all, who comes invisibly borne up by the angelic
hosts. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

• The Meaning of the Hymn
• This Hymn marks the transition from Christs
  teaching mission to the events that led to His
  great sacrifice on the cross.
• This hymn reminds us of why we come to church.
• a. This hymn implores us to lay aside all
  earthly care so we can concentrate on receiving
  Christ. (At
  Communion).
• b. Just as the angels in Heaven (the Cherubim)
  are singing and surrounding Christs throne, we
  too, have come to church to meet Christ at
  His Heavenly Throne (the altar).

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The Liturgy of the Faithful Preparation and
Procession
During the cherubic hymn, the priest unfolds the
antimins.

• The Antimins (or Antiminsion) is a rectangular
  cloth on which are printed
• 2. The word Antiminsion literally means In
  place of a table.

-Christ in the tomb with the Holy Trinity. -The
Cross and Resurrection. (under the cross is a
relic). -The four Evangelists. -The signature
of the Bishop
Where the bishop is present, there let the
congregation gather, just as where Jesus Christ
is, there is the Catholic Church.
(St. Ignatius of Antioch,
Letter to the Church of Smyrna)

• The Purpose of the Antimins
• It signifies the organic link of each parish
  community to its bishop.
• Its given to the priest and the parish as
  authorization to perform the sacrament of the
  Eucharist.
• It reminds us that the Church of Christ is not
  confined to any particular building, city, or
  place.
• The Church is like a ship whose anchor is in
  Heaven.

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The Liturgy of the Faithful Preparation and
Procession
The priest then censes the altar, icons, and the
people
.reciting Psalm 51
Why Psalm 51? 1. Because it is a penitential
prayer. (It prepares us) 2. It is said by the
priest on behalf of himself and the people as a
repentance of sins before entering into the
Mystical Supper.
The priest then says the following (pre-Lenten)
penitential troparia (hymns) Like the prodigal
son, I have sinned against thee, O Saviour.
Receive me as I repent, O Father, and have mercy
on me, O God. With the voice of the publican I
cry unto thee, O Christ my Saviour. Take pity on
me as thou hast on him , and have mercy on me, O
God.
Then the priest asks the faithful for
forgiveness Forgive me, brother and
concelebrants. Forgive me brothers and
sisters in Christ.
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The Liturgy of the Faithful The Great Entrance
What it used to look like
What it represented

Prothesis Table
Altar Table
However
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The Liturgy of the Faithful The Great Entrance
What it looks like now
What it represents

• A reenactment of the passion of Christ.
• The deacons represent the angels who accompanied
  Christ on His way to the crucifixion.
• The placing of the gifts on the altar is Christ
  being placed in the tomb.
• The aer (or veil) covering the gifts represents
  the shroud that Christs body was wrapped in, or
  the stone which Joseph placed over the entrance
  of Christstomb.
• The entire congregation is seen as literally
  being icons of the angels.
• Christs decent into hades, and His
• victorious entrance into His Kingdom.
• The gifts carried by the priest represent all of
  us being carried into the presence of God. (They
  are from us and for us.)
• AND

Prothesis Table
Altar Table
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The Liturgy of the Faithful The Great Entrance
Christs Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
Every Sunday reminds us of Palm Sunday
Summary of the Great Entrance

• The Great Entrance reminds us that Christ is the
  offerer and the offered, the receiver and the
  received.
• If our life is in Christ then our life in the
  Church and in the world is also an offering and
  sacrifice to God.
• A sacrifice is the natural act of love, which is
  the gift of oneself and self-denial for the
  other.
• Therefore we are called to bring ourselves and
  our whole life to this sacrifice with Christ,
  because in Him we find peace.