The Final Prayers in the Divine Liturgy

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

Priest (silently): We give thanks to You, O Master lover of mankind benefactor of our souls, that even this day You have deemed us worthy of Your heavenly and immortal mysteries. Make straight our path, confirm us in our fear of You, guard our life, make firm our steps, through the prayers and intercessions of the glorious Mother of God and ever-Virgin Mary, and of all Your saints.

Priest makes the sign of the cross with the Gospel Book, saying:

PRIEST: For You are our sanctification, and we render glory to You. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever.

PEOPLE: Amen.

PRIEST: Let us go forth in peace.

PEOPLE: In the name of the Lord.

PRIEST: Let us pray to the Lord.

PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST: O Lord, Who bless those who bless You, and sanctify those who trust in You, save Your people and bless Your inheritance, preserve the fullness of Your Church, sanctify those who love the beauty of Your house; glorify them by Your divine power, and do not forsake us who hope in You. Grant peace to Your world, to Your churches, to the priests, to our civil authorities and to all Your people. For every good bestowal and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from You, the Father of lights; and we render glory, thanksgiving, and adoration to You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever.

PEOPLE: Amen.

Blessed be the name of the Lord, now and for ever (3 times).

Priest (silently): You, O Christ, Our God, Who are the fulfillment of the law and the prophets, have fulfilled the whole plan of the Father, fill our hearts with joy and gladness, always, now and ever and forever. Amen.

PRIEST: The blessing of the Lord be upon you, through His grace and love for mankind, always, now and ever, and forever.

PEOPLE: Amen.

PRIEST: Glory be to You, O Christ, our God, our Hope: Glory be to You.

DURING THE YEAR

PEOPLE: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Bless us.

DURING EASTERTIDE

PEOPLE: Christ is risen from the dead, conquering death by death, and to those in the tombs, bestowing life.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Bless us.

PRIEST: May Christ, our true God, risen from the dead, through the prayers of His most Holy Mother, and of the holy, glorious and illustrious apostles, and our holy father John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, and of Saint (N . . . whose church it is) and of Saint (N . . . whose feast it is) and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, for He is gracious and loves mankind.

PEOPLE: Amen.

DURING EASTERTIDE

PRIEST & PEOPLE: Christ is risen from the dead, by death He conquering death , and to those in the graves, He granted life (3 times).

Prayers for a Worthy Communion- series on the Divine Liturgy

At this point in the Divine Liturgy, we've experienced the epistle and Gospel readings and the consecration of the Most Holy Eucharist. We've sung to the Theotokos. Now, we are preparing for a worthy reception of the Eucharist with the following litany and more- my favorite portion of this part of the Divine Liturgy is "For a Christian, painless, blameless, peaceful end of our life, and for a good account before the dread judgment seat of Christ, let us beseech the Lord." I think that is what we all want most, even when we are blinded by sin.

Priest (silently): In You, O Gracious Master, we place our whole life and hope, and we beseech, pray and implore You: make us worthy to partake with a pure conscience of Your heavenly and awesome mysteries from this sacred and spiritual altar, for the remission of sins, for the pardon of transgressions, for the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, for the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, for confidence in You, and not for judgment, nor condemnation.

PRIEST: Help, save, have mercy, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST: That this whole day may be perfect holy, peaceful, and sinless, let us beseech the Lord.

PEOPLE: Grant it, O Lord.

PRIEST: For an angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us beseech the Lord.

PEOPLE: Grant it, O Lord.

PRIEST: For the pardon and remission of our sins and offenses, let us beseech the Lord.

PEOPLE: Grant it, O Lord.

PRIEST: For what is good and beneficial to our souls and for peace in the world, let us beseech the Lord.

PEOPLE: Grant it, O Lord.

PRIEST: That we may spend the rest of our life in peace and repentance, let us beseech the Lord.

PEOPLE: Grant it, O Lord.

PRIEST: For a Christian, painless, blameless, peaceful end of our life, and for a good account before the dread judgment seat of Christ, let us beseech the Lord.

PEOPLE: Grant it, O Lord.

PRIEST: Having prayed for unity of faith, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, let us commend ourselves and one another, and our whole life to Christ, our God.

PEOPLE: To You, O Lord.

Hymn to the Theotokos- series on Divine Liturgy

after the consecration of the Holy Eucharist, the priest continues...

PRIEST: (silent prayers then-) Especially for our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Mother of God and ever-Virgin Mary.

PEOPLE: It is truly proper to glorify you, who have borne God, the ever-blessed and immaculate and the Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who, a Virgin, gave birth to God the Word, you, truly the Mother of God, we magnify.

Truly proper (or 'fitting'), glorify, magnify; I like the words here. It is fitting that we give respect to the Theotokos, the Mother of God. She who gave birth to God the Word is above the angels. We don't worship her, but we praise her for her YES to God. We don't ignore her as some religious traditions do, but we sing this song directly to Mary (notice that we sing "you" twice during this song) during every Divine Liturgy because of her vital role in salvation history. By the way, that title of Theotokos (Mother of God) is important not to make Mary a demi-God. It emphasizes the dogma that Jesus was, is and always will be God and man. Being born of a woman did not diminish His divinity.

Consecration & Epiclesis- Divine Liturgy Series

Continuing the series on the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom- You might be surprised at the short Eucharistic prayer. Depending on the priest, the silent prayers might be not-so-silent, but there is only one choice for the Eucharist prayer with the exception of the Liturgy of St Basil the Great which is prayed during the Great Lent before Easter. And if I haven't made it clear- this (like the entire Liturgy) is sung unless it is a daily Liturgy and the priest decides to speed it up a bit. We always sing the Liturgy.

PEOPLE: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of Your glory, hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, hosanna in the highest.

Priest (silently): With these blessed powers we also, O Master, Lover of men cry and say: Holy are You and all holy, You, and You; only-begotten Son, and Your Holy Spirit; holy are You and all holy and magnificent is Your glory, who so loved Your world that You gave Your only begotten Son, that everyone who believes in Him should not perish, but should have life everlasting; Who, having come and having fulfilled the whole Divine plan concerning us, on the night when He was betrayed, or rather, when He surrendered Himself for the life of the world, He took bread into His holy and all pure and Immaculate hands, gave thanks and blessed,   (priest blesses bread) sanctified, broke and gave it to His holy disciples and apostles, saying:

PRIEST: Take, eat, THIS IS MY BODY, which is broken for you for the remission of sins.

PEOPLE: Amen.

Priest (silently): In like manner (priest blesses chalice) also the chalice, after the supper, saying:

PRIEST: Drink of this all, THIS IS MY BLOOD OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins.

PEOPLE: Amen.

Priest (silently): Remembering, therefore, this salutary command, and all that was done in our behalf: the cross, the tomb, the resurrection on the third day, the ascension into heaven the sitting at the right hand, the second and glorious coming.

The priest lifts the chalice and diskos up and makes the sign of the cross with them, saying:

PRIEST: Thine own of Thine own, we offer You, in behalf of all, and for all.

PEOPLE: We praise You, we bless You, we thank You, O Lord, and we pray to You, our God.

THE EPICLESIS (INVOCATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT)

Priest (silently): Again we offer to You this spiritual and unbloody sacrifice, and we implore and pray, and entreat You, send down Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts here present. (Blessing the bread) And make this bread   the precious body of Your Christ. (Blessing the chalice) And that which is in this chalice,   the precious blood of your Christ. (Blessing both) Having changed them   by Your Holy Spirit:

Priest (silently): So that to those who partake of them, they may be for the purification of the soul, for the remission of sins, for the communion in Your Holy Spirit, for the fullness of the heavenly kingdom, for confidence in You, not for judgment or condemnation.

Priest (silently): Moreover, we offer to You this spiritual sacrifice for those who departed in the faith; the forefathers, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, preachers, evangelists, martyrs, confessors, ascetics and for every righteous spirit who has died in the faith.

The Nicene Creed- series on the Divine Liturgy

PEOPLE: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God. Born of the Father before all ages. God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God. Begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father. By whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. And He became flesh by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary: and was made man. He was also crucified for us, suffered under Pontius Pilate, and was buried. And on the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. And of His kingdom there will be no end. And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son). Who together with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, and who spoke through the prophets. And one holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. And I await the resurrection of the dead. And the life of the world to come. Amen.

PRIEST: Let us stand well, let us stand with fear, let us be attentive, to offer the holy oblation in peace.

PEOPLE: The mercy of peace, the sacrifice of praise.

PRIEST: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with   all of you.

PEOPLE: And with your spirit.

PRIEST: Let us lift up our hearts.

PEOPLE: We have lifted them up to the Lord.

PRIEST: Let us give thanks to the Lord.

PEOPLE: It is proper and just to worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, one in substance and undivided.

Priest (silently): It is proper and just to sing hymns to You, to bless You, to praise You, to thank You, to worship You in every place of Your kingdom; for You are God ineffable inconceivable, invisible, incomprehensible, ever existing, yet ever the same, You, and Your only-begotten Son, and Your Holy Spirit; You brought us forth from non-existence into being, and raised us up again when we had fallen, and left nothing undone, until You brought us to heaven and bestowed upon us Your future kingdom. For all this we give thanks to You, and to Your only-begotten Son, and to Your Holy Spirit, for all that we know and that we do not know, the manifest and the hidden benefits bestowed upon us. We thank You also for this ministry, which You have willed to accept from our hands, even though there stand before You thousands of archangels, myriads of angels, Cherubim and Seraphim, six winged, many-eyed, soaring aloft on their wings

I love the silent prayer that the priest prays at this time- but I have to say a bit about the Nicene Creed and the inclusion or exclusion of the Filioque (Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father and the Son). Some Byzantine Catholics include the Filioque; others do not. This is yet another place the Byzantines are stuck in the middle. Two different perspectives can be found at Orthodoxwiki and Catholic Answers.

This quotation from the Eastern theologian Fr Patrick Reardon might explain why we have theological debates between Catholic and Orthodox (do the Orthodox really dismiss the Immaculate Conception? I don't think so- but they were not part of the discussion when the Pope declared it dogma)--- "I believe that the filioque controversy is not about the composition of the Holy Trinity. It is a controversy about authority in the Church. The East’s objection to the filioque is formal, not material. The East’s objection has to do with a canon of the Council of Ephesus in 431, which anathematizes anyone who adds to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed." Even though I think practical matters are barriers to unity more than these lofty theological problems, the filioque-problem will be with us for a long time.

The Great Entrance- Divine Liturgy Series

The priest goes to the Table of Preparation and takes the diskos and chalice and makes the Great Entrance, processing with altar servants.

Priest: May the Lord God remember in His kingdom, Our Holy universal Supreme Pontiff N . . ., the Pope of Rome, our most reverend Archbishop and Metropolitan N . . ., and our God loving Bishop N . . ., and the entire priestly, diaconal, and monastic order, our civil authorities, and all our armed forces, the noble and ever memorable founders and benefactors of this holy Church, (our suffering brethren), and all you Christians of the true faith, always, now and ever, and forever.

People: Amen. That we may now receive the King of all, invisibly escorted by angelic hosts. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Priest (silently): The noble Joseph took down Your most pure body from the cross, wrapped it in a clean shroud, and with fragrant spices laid it in burial in a new tomb. In Your goodness, show favor to Sion: rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then You will be pleased with lawful sacrifice, (burnt offerings wholly consumed), then You will be offered young bulls on Your Altar.

Again, the Liturgy is using 'royal' vocabulary to describe the action. We are preparing to receive the king; he is surrounded by an angelic host. The priest is wearing royal garments because of his office and that he is in persona Christi. We bring offerings and decorate the sacred space as well as we can. We give our best to God because He is King of all and worthy of all respect and honor.

The Litany of Supplication & the Cherubimic Hymn

continuing the series on the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom:

After the Sermon, the priest begins the litany:

PRIEST: Let us all say with our whole soul, and with our whole mind, let us say:

PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST: Lord Almighty, God of our fathers, we pray You, hear us and have mercy.

PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST: Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great mercy; we pray You, hear us and have mercy.

PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy. (3 times).

PRIEST (silently): Accept, O Lord our God, this fervent prayer from Your servants and have mercy on us according to Your great mercy, and send down Your benefits upon us and upon all Your people, who expect from You abundant mercies

PRIEST: Again we pray for His Holiness, our universal Pontiff N . . . Pope of Rome, and for our most reverend Archbishop and Metropolitan N . . . , for our God-loving Bishop N . . ., for those who serve and have served in this holy church, for our spiritual fathers, and for all our brethren in Christ.

PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy. (3 times)

PRIEST: We also pray for our civil authorities and for all the armed forces.

PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy. (3 times)

Special intentions may be added here.

PRIEST: We also pray for the people here present who await Your great and abundant mercy, for those who showed us charity, and for all Christians of the true faith.

PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy. (3 times)

PRIEST: For You are a merciful and gracious God, and we render glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever.

PEOPLE: Amen.

PRIEST: All we faithful, again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.

PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.

FIRST PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL

Priest (silently): We thank You, O Lord God of Powers, for having deemed us worthy to stand, at this time, before Your holy Altar, and to prostrate ourselves before Your mercy, for our sins and for the people's misgivings. Accept our prayer, O God, and make us worthy to offer to You prayers and supplications, and unbloody sacrifices for all Your people, and enable us, whom You have placed in this Your ministry through the power of Your Holy Spirit, to call upon You at all times and in all places, without condemnation and offense, with a pure testimony of our conscience, that hearing us, You may be merciful to us according to the magnitude of Your goodness.

SECOND PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL

Priest (silently): Again, as so many times before, we fall down before You and entreat You, O gracious Lover of mankind, that You may regard our supplication, cleanse our souls and bodies from every defilement of flesh and spirit, and grant that we may stand blameless and without condemnation before Your Holy Altar. Grant also, O God, to those who are praying with us, betterment of life, faith, and spiritual understanding. Grant that they may serve You always with fear and love, that they may blamelessly and without condemnation partake of Your Holy Mysteries, and become worthy of Your heavenly kingdom.

PRIEST: That being ever protected by Your power, we may render glory to You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever.

PEOPLE: Amen.

Priest (silently): No one who is bound by carnal desires and pleasures is worthy to come to You, to approach You, or to minister to You, the King of glory, for to minister to You is great and awesome, even to the heavenly powers themselves. Yet, because of Your ineffable and boundless love for mankind, though in nature unchanged and unchangeable, You became man and were made our high priest and, as Master of all, gave Into our keeping the holy office of this liturgical and unbloody sacrifice. For You alone, O Lord our God, rule over all things in heaven and on earth, and are borne on the cherubic throne, and are the Lord of the Seraphim and King of Israel, Who alone are holy and dwell in the saints. Therefore, I beseech You, Who alone are gracious and ready to hear me; look favorably upon me, Your sinful and unprofitable servant, and cleanse my heart and soul of an evil conscience, and by power of Your Holy Spirit, enable me, clothed with the grace of the priesthood, to stand before this Your holy altar, and offer the sacrifice of Your sacred and most pure body and precious blood. With bowed head, I approach You and implore You, turn not Your face away from me, nor exclude me from among Your children, but allow these gifts to be offered to You by me, Your sinful and unworthy servant; for it is You, O Christ, our God, Who offer and are offered, who receive and are received, and to You we render glory, with Your eternal Father, and Your all holy, gracious and life-creating Spirit, now and ever, and for ever. Amen.

Priest raises up his hands and silently says the Cherubimic Hymn 3 times.

CHERUBIMIC HYMN

PEOPLE: Let us, who mystically represent the Cherubim, and sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-creating Trinity, now set aside every earthly cares...

The Cherubimic Hymn is what prepares us for the portion of the Liturgy dedicated to the consecration of the bread and wine to the Body and Blood of Christ. We sing the hymn to remind ourselves to set aside all worldly cares because we are about to witness an act that is other-worldly. Like the 'Holy, Mighty and Immortal' hymn earlier in the Liturgy, this is also a time when most of the people will sing. But what does it mean?

We "represent the cherubim"?  Aren't we only human? Isn't it too much to say that we believers are acting the role of the Cherubim during the Liturgy? What are cherubim anyway? As angels, they were created to praise God; specifically, cherubim were the guardians. So, if we "represent the cherubim" we are to praise God during the Liturgy and always and also stand guard or stand witness. This can be a very tall order when the little ones are wiggling by this point, but this is the goal. 

The Epistle and Gospel- series on the Divine Liturgy

some quick thoughts on the 'reading' portion of the Byzantine Divine Liturgy

• The Old Testament is not read during the Divine Liturgy- that portion is used during vespers, matins, etc.
• The readings are always sung- usually. They might be read during a non-Sunday or feast day Liturgy, but I experience this very rarely.
• You will notice that the priest intones 'Be attentive!' before the epistle and Gospel are sung. This is another example of the Bible being an extremely important part of our faith- and that some people might need reminding of that truth.
• In most U.S. Byzantine churches, the homily is given directly after the Gospel. Some do it at the end of the Divine Liturgy after people have received the Eucharist. I suppose one argument for hearing the homily after receiving the Eucharist would be that the people would be disposed to hearing truth after they have physically received truth in the Body and Blood of Christ. Unfortunately, this sometimes leads to people coming to Liturgy just at the end to hear the homily because they weren't going to receive the Eucharist. This is especially true for the Orthodox Church in the old country where people don't tend to receive the Eucharist frequently. 
• Depending on the priest, he might invite the children to stand in front of the gold-covered Gospel book while he is singing the reading. They will then kiss the Gospel book before they sit down to listen to the homily
• Depending on the priest, 'silent' prayers might not be very silent

PRIEST (silently): Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed are You on the throne of the glory of Your kingdom, enthroned upon the Cherubim, always, now and ever, and forever.

PRIEST: Be attentive! Peace be to all. Wisdom, be attentive.

PEOPLE: (Say the Prokemen proper to the day.)

PRIEST: Wisdom!

READER: The reading of the Epistle of N . . .

PRIEST: Let us be attentive!

READER: Brethren . . .

When the Epistle is finished the priest intones:

PRIEST: Peace be with you. Wisdom! Be attentive

PEOPLE: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

PRIEST (silently): 0 Gracious Master, pour forth into our hearts the spotless light of Your divine knowledge and open the eyes of our minds that we may understand the teachings of Your Gospel. Instill in us also the fear of Your blessed commandments, so that, having curbed all carnal desires, we may lead a spiritual life, both thinking and doing everything that pleases You. For You, O Christ, our God, are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies, and to You we render glory, together with Your eternal Father, and with Your all holy, good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen.

PRIEST: Wisdom, let us stand upright and listen to the Holy Gospel. Peace be with you.

PEOPLE: And with your spirit.

PRIEST: The reading of the Holy Gospel according to N. . .

PEOPLE: Glory be to You, O Lord, glory be to You.

PRIEST: Let us be attentive.

The Priest reads the Gospel

After the reading of the Gospel, the priest kisses the closed Gospel Book and places it in the middle of the Altar. The people say:

PEOPLE: Glory be to You, O Lord, glory be to You.

The Priest now gives a sermon.

The Thrice-Holy Hymn- series on the Divine Liturgy

Following the Third Antiphon, the cantor and the people sing the tropars and kondaks proper to the day.)

PRAYER OF THE THRICE HOLY GOD

PRIEST (silently): O holy God abiding in the saints, praised by the thrice-holy hymn of the Seraphim, glorified by the Cherubim and adored by all the heavenly powers, You brought all things out of nothingness into being, and created man to Your own image and likeness, and adorned him with Your every gift; You give wisdom and under standing to him who asks, and despising not the sinner, You ordain repentance for salvation. You have allowed us, Your humble and unworthy servants, to stand at this time before the glory of Your holy altar and to offer to You due adoration and praise. Accept, O Master, from the lips of us sinners the thrice holy hymn, and visit us in Your goodness. Forgive us every offense voluntary and involuntary, sanctify our souls and bodies and grant that we may serve You in holiness all the days of our life; through the prayers of the holy Mother of God and all the saints, who have pleased You throughout the ages.

PRIEST: For You, our God are Holy, and to You we give glory, to the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever.

PEOPLE: Amen.

THRICE-HOLY HYMN

PEOPLE: Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us. (3 times)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us.

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us.

The Thrice-Holy Hymn is the portion of the Divine Liturgy where even the most reluctant will sing with full voice. Perhaps because it is simple or repetitive, but it is wonderful to hear everyone singing. Participation in the Mass means different things to different people. Showing up is the first step. Really praying is the next step. Joining in the physical postures of the Mass with fellow believers would be next- making the sign of the cross, standing, sitting, kneeling. Singing, no matter how well or badly, is an important part of our Divine Liturgy. For myself, it is an essential part. I don't sing as well as I did in the past because I suffered with vocal nodules and now one paralyzed vocal chord, but I still sing. This portion of the Divine Liturgy is a favorite because everyone tends to join in singing. It is simple enough for the children to sing as well. There is nothing cuter than a four year old singing this short hymn!

The Little Entrance- Divine Liturgy series

Continuing the series on the Byzantine Catholic Divine Liturgy, we are at the point in the Liturgy where the priest and altar servants procession with the Gospel book:

LITTLE ENTRANCE

The priest makes three bows, then a procession is formed and the priest carries the Gospel Book around the Altar.

PRIEST (silently): O Lord, our Master and God, Who in heaven established orders and armies of angels and archangels for the service of Your glory, make this our entrance to be an entrance of holy angels, serving together with us, and with us glorifying Your goodness. For to You is due all glory, honor and worship, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen.

Making the sign of the cross towards the Altar, he says:

Blessed is the entrance of Your saints, always, now and ever, and forever.

The priest kisses the Gospel Book, elevates it and says aloud:

PRIEST: Wisdom! Be attentive!

PEOPLE: Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ.

PEOPLE: O Son of God, risen from the dead, save us who sing to You. Alleluia.

There are many wonderful theologically rich commentaries on our Liturgy that you can find on the internet, so I will just say this- at this point in the Liturgy, I think to myself- wow....we Byzantines are really Bible believers to love the Gospel so much. 

I hope you all have a blessed All Hallow's Eve (yes, All Saints' Day is a Roman-rite feast)- and don't forget to write a comment in my 'little giveaway' post if you are interested in being entered to win.

and this Ukrainian Catholic parish has a good website on the Divine Liturgy

3rd Antiphon- Divine Liturgy series

While the priest and altar servants process with the Holy Gospel, the people sing the Beatitudes interspersed with the verse "Remember me, O Lord, when you come into Your kingdom."

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.

Blesses are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven. (Matthew 5:3-12).

-on feasts, special antiphons can be used- such as, "We your servants, O Protectress, bring thanks to you for victories, because you did save us from peril, O Mother of God. As one who has unvanquished power, free us from all danger, that we may cry to you: hail O bride forever virgin"

a few things come to my mind at this point in the Divine Liturgy:

• Wow- we Catholics must be Bible believers! Here we are parading around with a Gospel book covered in precious art (in the past, gold and real jewels). The Gospel book is elevated during the procession, with altar servers carrying incense and crosses and icons surrounding the holy book. If people are paying attention, they should be 'gearing up' to listen to God's words in the Bible and take those words very seriously. 

• The verse "Remember me, O Lord" is a little preview for the prayer before receiving the Eucharist, and it is one of my top-five favorite parts of the Gospel (you have to love the Good Thief!)

• The Beatitudes turn everything on its head- How can the meek inherit the earth? How can those who mourn be comforted? How can the hungry be filled with good things? The answer to these questions- it is impossible, but nothing is impossible with God. 

• As much as we would love peace and security here on earth, the Beatitudes quietly remind us that our hope is in the Lord and in our eternity in heaven where all will be well.

• "Blessed are you when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven."--- I love this verse, but it is rather complicated. Should we seek out persecution so that we will be great in God's eyes? No- it must be for the sake of God not ourselves, so as usual pride can have nothing to do with it. And we must be reviled untruly for the sake of Christ to receive this eternal reward. It seems to me that this verse is calling us to live a good Christian life without seeking renown. And if our Christian life is annoying or offensive to others, we should bear this patiently and hope for a reward in heaven. A verse comes to mind as well:

Remember my word that I said to you: The servant is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you: if they have kept my word, they will keep yours also. (John 15:20)

1st & 2nd Antiphons- The Divine Liturgy of St John Chyrsostom

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Bless the Lord, O my soul and let all that is within me, bless His holy name. Blessed are You, O Lord.

(In addition, on feasts we sing- 'Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Savior save us' with verses)

Now and always and forever and ever. Amen. O Only begotten Son and Word of God, you who are immortal, yet did condescend for the sake of our salvation to become incarnate of the holy Mother of God and ever Virgin Mary, without change becoming man, and being crucified , O Christ our God, with death you conquered death, you who are one of the Holy Trinity, glorified together with the Father and the Holy Spirit save us.

(in addition, on feasts we sing- 'O Son of God, you who are glorified in your saints, save us who sing to you. Alleluia' with verses)

In the first antiphon- the portion that resonates with me today is 'let all that is within me, bless...' So, by singing this, I am reminded again and again that I must offer my entire self to God and my entire being in blessing His name. My life as a Christian is an offering to Him. But I am also reminded that I am to offer myself, not someone else. We are exhorted to "be yourself, everyone else is taken" (my favorite scandalous writer Oscar Wilde). The widow who gave a minuscule amount of money as an offering in the temple is remembered as one who gave all. This line of the Divine Liturgy is a strong reminder that we should be like her and give all we have and 'keep our eyes on our own work' as they say in school.

The second antiphon is a good example of Byzantine spirituality. Every Divine Liturgy mixes the concepts of death and resurrection ("By death, he conquered death" and "Alleluia"). The concepts are never separated. It can be shocking for some to hear  "Alleluia" in our churches during the Great Lent and to hear "By death he conquered death" over and over between Easter and Ascension. My older girls are preparing a Russian folk song for Christmas that depicts Jesus as a boy who gives white roses to some children. They ask him what He will use for a crown and he says that His thorns are growing in the garden in preparation for His future.- and it also uses the words Alleluia! Bleak, yet beautiful....

I'm sure you could search for deep theological reasons for this, but I'll just say: we are an 'Easter People' every day but we also are living with the consequences of original sin- death- every day. Until we are all called home to God, the foot of the cross is our home. It is the sadness and fear of the crucifixion combined with the hope and joy of the resurrection. I suppose you could call us a 'bitter-sweet' people.

The Great Litany- series on the Divine Liturgy

We continue with thoughts on the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom with the Great Litany, the beginning of the Liturgy where the priest is in dialog with the people:

Priest or Deacon: Blessed is the kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.

Choir (all people are encouraged to sing 'choir' parts): Amen.

P: In peace let us pray to the Lord.

C: Lord, have mercy.

P: For peace from on high and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.

C: Lord, have mercy.

P: For the peace of the whole world, for the welfare of all the holy churches of God, and for the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.

C: Lord, have mercy.

P: For this holy house and for those who with faith and reverence and in the fear of God enter it. let us pray to the Lord.

C: Lord, have mercy.

P: For our Most Blessed Father Pope Benedict, for our Beatitude and Archbishop (N.) for our God-loving Bishop (N.) for the honored priesthood, the diaconate in Christ and for all the clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord.

C: Lord, have mercy.

P. For this country, its president and government and for the armed forces and all who are in authority, let us pray to the Lord.

C: Lord, have mercy.

P. For this city, for all the cities and villages, and for all who in faith dwell therein, let us pray to the Lord.

C: Lord, have mercy.

P: For good weather, an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.

C: Lord, have mercy.

P: For those who travel, for those who are sick, for those who suffer and those in prison and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

C: Lord, have mercy.

P: That we may be delivered from all distress, wrath, tribulation and want- Preserve, help and have mercy on us, O God, by Your grace.

C: Lord, have mercy.

P. Commemorating our most holy, pure, blessed and glorious Lady, the Mother of God and ever Virgin Mary, (C; Most holy Mother of God, save us) together with all the Saints, let us commend ourselves and each other and our entire lives to Christ, our God.

C: To you, O Lord.

Priest: For to you is due all glory, honor, and adoration, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.

C: Amen.

You can see that the 'default' response of the people is "Lord, have mercy." We are asking for God's love and mercy on the petition. All bases are covered- from the obvious of praying for our hierarchy to the surprise of praying for those in prison. We pray for everyone, but especially for those who need it, either because they have no one to pray for them or they are in positions of authority. We pray for the President and the armed forces not because we are enamored of them. We pray for them because they have massive responsibilities over others. 

Much like the 'Jesus Prayer,' the litanies in the Divine Liturgy can be considered a meditation with the 'Lord Have Mercy' being a time to breathe out. For some, the repetition of a liturgical form can be dry and boring- but if one really reflects on the words, it can be very meaningful and one can still be learning at an old age. 

"That we may be delivered from all distress, wrath, tribulation and want- Preserve, help and have mercy on us, O God, by Your grace" is a line that resonates with me. Distress, wrath, tribulation and want will always be with us to some extent here on earth, but we pray that God will preserve us from the day to day realities of a sinful world. God desires us to be free of distress and anxiety- hence the name of my little blog- Fear not, little flock.

For a theological reflection of this portion of the Liturgy, click here for a perspective from a Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic priest. Here is another reflection. This page is very interesting, linking all the words of the Liturgy with the Bible. It is from an Orthodox perspective as many evangelicals have been converting to the Orthodox faith.

The Great Doxology- A Series on The Divine Liturgy of St John Chyrsostom

I'm no theologian, but theology is a huge part of my life. Monday rolls around, and I have nothing to write unless I am going to rant about some struggle with the weekend. That might be alright occasionally, but not every Monday. So I have decided to start a series, going through the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysotom. You might be familiar with a different translation, and some jurisdictions have simplified portions of the Divine Liturgy, but this is our Liturgy. I'll be writing some personal reflections, and I hope you will write your own thoughts in the comment box, especially if you, dear reader, are a theologian.

Before the Liturgy, the priest will be busy at a side altar, preparing the bread for the service. That is a little service in itself. One of these days, I'll have my husband write about it because it is not quite clear what is happening because the people are usually busy singing hymns and then the priest incenses the altar and icon screen and the congregation sings:

The Great Doxology

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men

We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you; we give you thanks for your great glory

O Lord God, heavenly king, Father almighty, O Lord, only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit.

O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who takes away the sins of the world- have mercy on us, you who take away the sins of the world.

Receive our prayer, you who sit at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.

For You alone are holy, you alone are Lord, Jesus Christ, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name for ever and ever.

Make us worthy, O Lord, this day, to be preserved free from sin.

Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and your name is praised and glorified forever. Amen.

Let your mercy, o Lord, be upon us as we have hoped in you.

Blessed are you, O Lord, teach me your righteousness.

Lord, you have been our refuge from generation to generation. I said: Lord, have mercy on me. Heal my soul, for I have sinned before you.

Lord, in you have I hoped, teach me to do your will for you are my God.

For with you is the source of life; in your light will we see light. Extend your mercy unto those who know you.

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us.

The Doxology is found in many traditions, the equivalent in the Roman-rite would be the 'Gloria.' The language here is very rich and alludes to Old Testament tradition. One could meditate on each line and take days to really understand what one is singing. Perhaps this is a reason why it is good that we pray it at every Divine Liturgy. Of course, one can just recite it robotically, but if one really prays while singing it, it is a perfect prayer.

I always feel a little calmer when we start the Great Doxlogy. Probably we couldn't find shoes or socks. Probably the little kids are squabbling over who gets which soft toy to hold. Probably we are rushing to put food into the coffee room. Maybe the baby's bottle overturned in my purse- I've never been a baby bag person. Even those days that work because I followed my own Sunday morning advice can be hectic. So, when we start the Great doxology, I can breathe a sigh of relief- even if I can't stay long because the baby decides to act up.

'For with you is the source of life; in your light will we see light' is speaking to me especially. Perhaps it is because the days are getting shorter lately. We are children of light. Christ is the light. Darkness has no place in us because God has made us His children. Although we sin, we are called to constantly renew our relationship with God through the sacraments and personal prayer so that we can 'enlighten' ourselves through God's mercy. I also love that the words 'light' and 'life' are so similar in the English language because these concepts are one and the same.

___________________________________________________________

Contrast this with a prayer-poem written by Fr Ed Hayes and reproduced by the National Catholic Reporter- it celebrates the darkness that is within us- a darkness that as children of light we should reject  

I unite myself with ancient memories that sleep within.
Ancestors of long ago whose fears have left their fingerprints upon me,
remind me of my holy communion with that river of humanity
that flows through my soul.
May this flame be my autumn sacred fire.

I greet you, child of night — my anger.
May I live with you in a creative way.
Be fuel for the prophet within me
to speak and act against the darkness of injustice.

I greet you, daughter of the dark — my sexual needs.
May I always dance with you in creative, selfless ways.
May I live with you in openness and without fear. (for the remainder of the text, click here)