THE FIRST COMMENTARY: BEFORE THE LITURGY STARTS

Too often, it has been said, "I don't get anything out of the Liturgy." It must be acknowledged that we will only get out of it what we are willing to put into it. Our ability to understand the Liturgy and take something from it is anchored in our knowing what is going on and what we are encountering on Sunday mornings. We offer this small commentary hoping to explain some parts of the Liturgy so that it will be more meaningful in our lives.

Of all the creatures God created, man alone is unique. Man alone is rational. Man is the only one to receive the divine gift of speech. Only man blesses. It is common and natural for us to gather to bless bread, wine, oil, water, food, our homes, ourselves, and the sum total of our existence. First, though, we bless the name of God and His eternal kingdom. A name above all names and the kingdom we all desire to inherit.

The Divine Liturgy begins with the words: ' Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen'. All the sacraments, or mysteries as we Orthodox call them, begin with this same declaration. The Priest blesses the Altar Table and the Antimins with the Book of the Gospels by making the sign of the cross over them.

The Divine Liturgy is not a performance. It is not entertainment or theatre. It is a spiritual entrance into and experience of God's eternal kingdom. It is our personal and corporate expression of our sacramental and liturgical relationship with God. By gathering to receive Holy Communion, by leaving our homes and attending Church, by sharing in symbols, by being a part of the dialogue of the Liturgy, by singing hymns, by the recitation of prayer, by listening, and by praying, each of us is able to better understand and participate in the Sunday experience. By doing these things our time in Church becomes valuable. By means of the Divine Liturgy and by sharing in it through the means just mentioned we enter into the kingdom of God. The Liturgy is not a static experience, but a dynamic journey. A journey to and through the kingdom of heaven. It is our entry into another reality. These first words of the Liturgy announce to us where we are and in whose presence we stand.

Again we say, man is unique. Man alone prays. After the opening of the Divine Liturgy we encounter a set of petitions, called the GREAT LITANY, in which we are all asked to pray for common, universal concerns. Read the words, pray them, remember the things asked and prayed for in them. Make these public petitions as the quiet concerns of the heart. Say silently in the heart, or sing boldly with the Choir, the words of the response to these petitions: Lord, have mercy. This often heard response for mercy from God is the simplest and most pure of prayers. It is also the foundation of our tradition of the Jesus Prayer in the spiritual life of all Orthodox Christians.

It is our tradition at certain points of the Divine Liturgy for the faithful to make the sign of the Cross. It is the mark of our Baptism and the unspoken confession of our Faith. This is done when we hear the name of the Holy Trinity, or Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, or our Patron Saints, and when the Priest pronounces a blessing. It is an action that is done with great reverence and attentiveness.

There are also hymns sung at this time called ANTIPHONS which ask the risen Lord, through the prayers of His Holy Mother, the Theotokos, to attend to our salvation. Listen to these prayerful words and make them your sentiment. Pray that God might save us through the prayers of the Virgin Mother and all the Saints.

THE SECOND COMMENTARY: BEFORE THE SMALL ENTRANCE

Up until this moment, we have asked Christ our God to come and save us, and we have made a short confession of who Christ is in the Hymn--'O Only-begotten Son and Word of God...'. This hymn, was written by Emperor Justinian the Great and introduced at the fifth Ecumenical Synod. Now we are preparing to witness the Small Entrance. The Gospel, which records the life and teachings of our Lord and contains all that is necessary for our salvation, will be brought in solemn procession to the center of the Church. This act is a manifestation of the beginning of Christ's public ministry, His entrance into the world. Earlier, we asked Christ to come into our midst; now He does come; present in the words, teachings, and miracles of His Gospel.

As the Priest stands in the center of the Solea with the Book of Gospels held high, it is Christ Himself who stands before us. The Priest sings "O come let us worship and bow down to Christ!" It is proper at this time to show reverence to Christ by singing these words with the priest and the Choir, by bowing our heads as a sign of submission to God, and by marking ourselves with the sign of the Cross. These small gestures are all signs of our comprehension that Christ stands before us.

After this, the Choir sings hymns which honor the Resurrection, the Patron Saint or Feast of the local Church, and hymns for the feast or saints of the day. All these hymns of remembrance, honor, and praise climax with the chanting of the Angelic Hymn: HOLY GOD, HOLY MIGHTY, HOLY IMMORTAL, HAVE MERCY ON US. This ancient, scriptural and angelic hymn is sung three times, just as there are three persons in the Holy Trinity. As we praise the triune God, we can only feel for ourselves a sense of awe and dependency as we ask the Trinity to have mercy on us.

At the conclusion of this hymn we hear the proclamation of the lessons for the day. Two readings are offered at every Divine Liturgy. One is from the Book of Acts or one of the letters of the Apostles and the other is from one of the four Gospels. They are meant to be teachings and admonitions for us. At this point in the Liturgy, Christ is again in our midst and He speaks to us through the Holy Scriptures. We become like those who saw Him in His earthly life. We stand in the desert, on the mountainside, and at the seashore attentive to His teachings and messages of salvation. The icon of Christ which we see on the Icon Screen is most often depicted with Christ holding an open book or scroll in one hand and blessing with the other. It would be good for us to focus our attention on this image during the reading of the Holy Gospel to remind us of who is speaking to us, teaching us, and admonishing us. As we hear the words proclaimed we can acknowledge in heart and soul that He is the true Teacher and the only source of profitable wisdom.

One more thought is necessary. The Epistle and Gospel lessons of the day or feast are recited for us as a reminder of the difficulty of finding salvation. They point out for us the narrow road of redemption that each of us is called to travel. They are sign-posts that safely guide us upon the path of life.

At the conclusion of the Gospel reading the celebrant offers the Homily.  

THE THIRD COMMENTARY: BEFORE THE GREAT ENTRANCE

Jesus Christ's teaching ministry lasted only three years. Near the end of that time, He began to tell His disciples, "The Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified" (Matthew 26: 2). The end of the Scripture readings is reminiscent of the end of Jesus' teaching ministry and now the Lord will complete His mission: not only a mission to instruct us by word, but also to redeem us by sacrifice.

The hymn which the Choir sings prior to and during the Great Entrance is called the Cherubic Hymn. These are its words: "We who mystically represent the Cherubim sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-giving Trinity. Let us put away all earthly cares, so that we may receive the King of all invisibly escorted in by angelic hosts. Alleluia." Holy Scripture tells us that the duty of all the orders and ranks of angels is to glorify God and to carry out His will. We are invited at this moment to imitate them.

Let's go back for a moment. In the first part of the Divine Liturgy we prayed for all things; for the whole world. Now it is time to put away our worldly cares and concerns in order to focus all our attention and energies on receiving the Lord, our Lord.

While the Choir sings, the Priest has many things to do at the Altar. The Gospel is moved from the center to the Altar Table and the Antimins is opened. All Liturgies of the Church are celebrated on an Antimins which bears an icon of the entombment of our Lord. While the Priest recites several hymns and prayers, he censes the Altar, the Icons, and the faithful. He then makes three low bows, kisses the Altar Table, and asks the congregation for forgiveness, and proceeds to the Table of Oblation.

On the Table of Oblation (The Prothesis) rest the wine and the bread, the gifts that will be offered and consecrated as the Body and Blood of Christ. Actually, this moment of the Liturgy started much earlier in the day when the Priest prepared these gifts for the Liturgy of the Faithful. Taking the cover called the Aer, the Priest puts it on his shoulders. This has a cross on it and as Christ carried His Cross to Golgotha, so the Priest carries a Cross on his back. In earlier times this Aer was actually the "epitaphios" we encounter in our Good Friday services.

The Choir interrupts the Cherubic Hymn and, with dignity and reverence, the Altar Boys precede the Priest in a solemn procession to the center of the Church. At this point, the Holy Gifts of bread and wine have not been consecrated, and the Priest offers them to God employing the sentiment of the good thief crucified next to Christ: "May the Lord our God remember us all and all pious and Orthodox Christians in His kingdom, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen."

At this moment, our most important task is to ask God to remember us and those close to us, both the living and the dead. We should also recall that God constantly remembers us and displayed this when He offered His own Son upon a Cross, once and for all.

The Choir resumes the singing of the Cherubic Hymn and the Priest brings the holy gifts to the Altar, placing them upon the Altar Table. They rest upon the Altar shortly to become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. They are covered with the Aer and censed.

We now return our prayers to the form of petitions and ask for spiritual comfort from God. Please convert each of these petitions into your personal prayer as the Choir sings, "Grant this, O Lord."

THE FOURTH COMMENTARY: BEFORE THE CREED

As Christ told His followers, "Love one another, as I have loved you," the Priest proclaims, "Let us love one another, so that with one accord we may confess..." The Choir completes the sentence: "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit the Trinity, one in essence and inseperable." This is what we confess and what binds us together. We confess a common faith in the Trinity with the assurance that the love of that Trinity binds us together in community.

The next part of the Liturgy is a dialogue. None of the Priest's statements are complete. They require the response of the Choir and the faithful. We will hear the words, "The doors, the doors; in wisdom let us attend!" In the history of our Church, during times of persecution, the meeting place of the Church had to be secured for fear of her enemies. It is still an ancient reminder that this part of the Liturgy which leads us to Holy Communion is reserved for those who are the baptized, chrismated, practicing faithful. It must also be mentioned that the Creed, our confession of faith, is now said before the reception of Holy Communion. We publicly declare our common faith before the reception of Holy Communion. We publicly declare our common faith before we are united in the Chalice. Our common cup is the visible sign of our unity in faith.

When the recitation of the Creed is complete the Priest pronounces the ancient and apostolic blessing: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all." With this blessing echoing in the Church, we are called to lift up our hearts and to give thanks. This is the attitude we are called to acquire during the consecration of the Holy Gifts. It is important for us to abide in a proper state of gratitude to God as we make our simple offering of bread and wine to Him.

Just before the elevation of the Holy Gifts we will hear the singing of the "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, LORD OF HOSTS..." These are angelic words of adoration and worship. The prophet Isaiah tells us that these are the words sung by the Holy Angels as they stand and fly about the Throne of God. This is a bold reminder that we do the work of angels at this Holy Altar and in this sacred Temple.

As the conclusion of this angelic hymn, the Priest calls to mind and proclaims the words spoken by our Lord at the Last Supper held in the upper room. TAKE AND EAT, THIS IS MY BODY, WHICH IS BROKEN FOR YOU, FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS. DRINK OF THIS, ALL OF YOU, THIS IS MY BLOOD OF THE NEW COVENANT, WHICH IS SHED FOR YOU AND FOR MANY, FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS.

We now find ourselves in the most sublime and solemn moment of the Liturgy. We are now in the midst of two great realities. We stand with one foot in the upper room of the Last Supper and with the other foot planted at the table of the great banquet which will be celebrated in heaven at the close of the ages. With this in mind, we make our offering to God. The Priest lifts the Holy Paten and Chalice into the air and proclaims: THINE OWN OF THINE OWN, DO WE OFFER UNTO THEE, IN BEHALF OF ALL, AND FOR ALL.

Isn't it remarkable that all we really have to offer to God is God Himself, the Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist. Truly, before God we possess nothing and have only the simple gifts He gave us to offer back to Him.

As the Choir sings the hymn, "We praise Thee, we bless Thee..." the Priest asks God to consecrate our gifts by and through the descent of the Holy Spirit. No longer will our gifts be bread and wine. They are the very Body and very Blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ, consecrated by the power and action of the Holy Spirit.

THE FIFTH COMMENTARY: BEFORE THE LORD'S PRAYER

After the consecration of the gifts we are called to remember. We call to mind the faithful who have fallen asleep: the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, the saints of the day, every righteous spirit made perfect in faith, and all our departed loved ones. We also bring to mind those in this life: bishops, priests, deacons, the monastics, the membership of the Church, our nation and its civil and military authorities, and the whole of mankind. This remembrance is a sign that the Church is present in the kingdom of heaven and in the experience of this generation of Christians found in the temporal world. This is also an acting out of our Christian vocation to pray for those in this life and the next, for those we know and have known, those we do not know, and those who have passed from this life unknown to us. We remember all those whom each person has in mind, each and every one.

All the activities of God in the world have been carried out so that we might, by adoption to sonship and daughterhood, become His children. Christ become man and our brother that we might be the Father's children. This privilege is most evident at the recitation of the LORD'S PRAYER. We are given the ability to call upon God, as our Father, and to pray the prayer taught to us by the Lord Himself.

COMMUNION AND DISMISSAL

Soon after the Lord's Prayer, we will hear the Priest call us to attention saying, "Let us attend! Holy Things for the holy!" The Choir will sing the hymn, "ONE IS HOLY, ONE IS LORD..." while the Priest communes and prepares the Chalice for Holy Communion. After he has received  the  Eucharist and given thanks he will take up the Holy Chalice in his hands, turn from the Altar and face the people, and declare: "WITH THE FEAR OF GOD, WITH FAITH AND LOVE, DRAW NEAR." With these words, all those who are properly prepared are called to receive Christ in the Eucharist.

After the people have received Holy Communion, as the Choir sings, "We have seen the light...," the Priest prepares the Holy Paten and Chalice for their return to the Table of Preparation. He blesses the congregation with the Holy Gifts and returns them to the Table of Preparation. The Antiminis is folded, the Holy Gospel is returned to the center of the Altar Table, and we find ourselves at place of dismissal.

One more important thought must be shared. Although our time in the Church building is coming to a close, our existence as the Body of Christ never ends. We have gathered and celebrated in prayer and sacrament so as to be made stronger to face the challenges of daily living. The work of the Liturgy is not begun until the Liturgy is concluded. As we go into the world and face the work and school week, we ought to reflect on the messages communicated to us through today's liturgical experience. The Divine Liturgy should remind us that we are the light of the world, the salt of the earth, and we must live that way. The Liturgy is the sign that we walk in light and in newness of life. Our daily living must be in accordance with what we have done here today. If this morning has passed in light and renewal then let us each live the coming week as people who are renewed by the light of the Eucharist.

We will leave the Liturgy and bring the conscience of faith into the world.

We are called to live as people of faith and conscience until we gather again in a holy Church to proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the renewal that comes from them.