Dr George Bebawi – St John the Forerunner Orthodox Church – November 5, 2009
A Brief Theological Commentary on
the Divine Liturgy of St JohnChrysostom
“Your own of Your Own We Offer You,
On Behalf of All of For All …”
The Prothesis – Or Service of Preparation of the Holy Gifts
Then making three lowly reverences before the offertory-table each shall say within himself: “O God, cleanse thou me a sinner, and be merciful to me.” And the Priest shall say: Thou hast redeemed us by thy precious blood from the curse of the law: being nailed to the cross and pierced with the spear, thou art become for men the fount of immortal life: our Savior, glory be to thee.
Then shall the Deacon say: Master, give the blessing.
Office of Oblation
Priest:Blessed is our God always, now, and for ever: world without end.Amen.
Then shall the Priest take in his left hand a prosphora, and in his right hand the holy spear and therewith thrice making the sign of the cross over it shall say three times:
In remembrance of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ.And immediately he shall thrust the spear into the right side of the seal, and thewhile he cuts it he shall say: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter.” (Isa 53:7-8)
And the while he cuts the left side
And as a lamb without blemish before the shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth.
And cutting the upper part of the seal
In his humiliation his judgment was taken away. (Isa 53:7-8)
And into the lower part, saying
Who shall declare his generation?
And the Deacon reverently witnessing this mystery, at each incision shall say, holding his orarion in his hand
Let us pray unto the Lord.
Thereafter he shall say
Master, lift out.
And the Priest thrusting the sacred spear into the right side of the prosphoron shall lift out the holy bread, saying
For his life is taken away from the earth.’
And having laid it with the seal downwards on the paten, and the Deacon having said
Master, sacrifice,
The Priest shall cut it crosswise, saying the while
The Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world is sacrificed for the life and salvation of the world.
And the Priest having turned the bread so that the emblem of the cross is now upward the Deacon shall say: Master, pierce.
And the Priest shall pierce the right side with the spear, saying: One of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bares witness, and his witness is true.
Then the Deacon shall take of the wine and the water, and say to the Priest: Bless, Master, the holy blending.
And receiving the blessing upon them he shall pour into the chalice wine and water together
The Priest taking in his hand a second prosphora shall say: In honour and remembrance of our most blessed Lady, Mother of God and ever-Virgin Mary; at whose intercessions do thou, O Lord, accept this sacrifice unto thy heavenly altar. And taking out a particle he shall lay it on the right side of the holy bread near the centre thereof saying: The queen stood by on thy right hand, clothed in vesture wrought with gold, and arrayed in divers colours. (Ps 44:9 LXX)
Then taking the third prosphora he shall say: Of the glorious prophet and forerunner John the Baptist.
And taking out a first particle he shall lay it on the left side of the holy bread, beginning with it the First rank …
… And then the rest of the Nine Ranks: Prophets, Apostles, Hierarchs/Teachers, Martyrs, Monastics,Unmercenary Saints, Saints of the Day, St John Chrysosotom or St Basil the Great
Fourth prosphora – Commemoration of the Metropolitan, Archbishop, Clergy, and the Living
Fifth prosphora – Commemorations of the Departed
Liturgy of the Catechumens
We are in the presence of the Holy and Divine Trinity because when we enter into the church building we sign ourselves with the Seal of our Baptism, “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” thus bringing into our awareness the gift of adoption that allows us not only to be in the presence of the Holy Trinity but also to participate in the divine life.
The Call of the Holy Spirit
From Pentecost through Great and Holy Saturday:
Priest:O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, You are everywhere and fulfil all things. Treasury of Blessings and Giver of Life, come and abide in us and cleanse us from every impurity and save our souls, O Good One
The Celebration of Our Eternal Life
From Holy Pascha until the Leave-taking of Pascha:
Priest:Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.
The liturgical occasion is an opportunity to renew our participation in the life of the Trinity through Jesus our Lord and by the Holy Spirit.
The Announcement of the Good News (Gospel)
Priest:Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and amongeveryone, love and understanding. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
We are in the kingdom of the Holy Trinity
Priest: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!
We are here in the kingdom but we are not alone, and so we begin byThe Great Litany in peace that is of Christ, whichis established reconciliation of heaven and earth and with all humans.
Deacon:In peace let us pray to the Lord.
People:LORD, HAVE MERCY
For the peace from above, and the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
For the peace of the whole world, the good estate of the holy churches of God, and the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.
For this holy temple, and for them that with faith, reverence, and the fear of God enter herein, let us pray to the Lord.
For our Metropolitan Jonah; for Archbishop JOB; for the honorable Priesthood, the Deacons in Christ, for all the clergy and people, let us pray to the Lord.
For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and necessity, let us pray to the Lord.
Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by Your grace.
Why do we say Lord Have Mercy? According to Nicholas Cabasilas: “Why is this the sole cry they send forth to God?
In the first place, as we have already said, it is because this prayer implies both gratitude and confession. Secondly, to beg 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.’ Because of this, this prayer is sufficient for the faithful, since its application is general.
How do we know that the kingdom of God is signified by his mercy? In this way: Christ, speaking of the reward of the merciful, and of the recompense of kindness which they will receive from him, in one place says that they shall obtain mercy, and in another that they shall inherit the kingdom; thus proving that God’s mercy and the inheritance of the kingdom are one and the same thing. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy,”(Matt 6:33)’ he says. And elsewhere, as if to explain himself and to show what it means to obtain mercy, he declares: “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand (by whom he means the merciful): Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”(Matt 25:34).Moreover, if, among the actions of merciful men, one wishes to contemplate the aim of the divine mercy, he will find that it corresponds exactly to the kingdom itself. For what is the character of the merciful man? “I was an hungered, and you gave me meat; I was thirsty and ye gave me drink.” (Matt 25:35) Therefore those to whom Christ shows mercy he will admit to a share at his own table. And what table is this? “That you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom.”(Lk 22:30) And that you may know the splendour of that table, and may realize that it is a table not of servants but of kings, know that he who waits upon it is Lord of all. “He shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.” (Lk 12;37)
Likewise, if I may recall that other saying: “I was naked and you clothed me”,’ the Lord will clothe him to whom he shows mercy. And will he not give him a royal garment? He will clothe him in his own garments; and nothing of his is base, for he is a king—just as nothing of ours is royal, since we are slaves. This garment is the wedding-robe which will ensure for those who wear it admission to the kingdom; the King will find in its wearers no fault for which they can be cast forth from the marriage-chamber.
What more? He will open his doors to them and lead them into his house to rest. “I was a stranger, and you took me in.”(Matt 25:35)Those who have been counted worthy of such favour are servants no longer, but sons of God. “The servant abides not in the house forever: but the Son abides forever.” Now the sons are heirs not only of the kingdom but of him who is the heart of the kingdom. “Heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ”,(Rom 8:17) says St Paul. That is why, in asking Christ for mercy, we are asking that we may obtain the kingdom.(On the Divine Liturgy pp 47- 48)
As we pray for all, we have to keep into our heart the most precious part of our prayer, the sharing of the glory of the saints and the mother of all the saints the Theotokos.With this in our hearts we commit ourselves and each other, and all our life unto Christ our God, according to this call.
Calling to mind our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commit ourselves and each other, and all our life untoChrist our God.
This act of commitment is followed by a confession of the congregation:
People: TO YOU, O LORD!
This is our God to whom we commit everything:
Priest:O Lord our God, Your power is incomparable. Your glory is incomprehensible. Your mercy is immeasurable. Your love for man is inexpressible.
In this God, we participate in his mercy and compassion
Look down on us and on this holy house with pity, O Master, and impart the riches of Your mercy and Your compassion to us and to those who are praying with us.For unto You is due all glory, honour and worship; to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.
The Three basic components of the Liturgy:
What is revealed by God and is declared in the liturgy
What is given as gift in the Son, through the Holy Spirit
What is celebrated now in time, and is the reason for coming to the liturgy
We can see the three above components clearly in this hymn:
PEOPLE:O ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, AND DEATHLESS WORD OF GOD;FOR OUR SALVATION YOU TOOK FLESH OF THE HOLYTHEOTOKOS, AND EVER-VIRGIN MARY, WITHOUT CHANGEYOU BECAME MAN. YOU WERE CRUCIFIED OUR O CHRIST, OUR GOD! YOU CONQUERED DEATH BY DEATH! YOU ARE ONEOF THE HOLY TRINITY, GLORIFIED WITH THE FATHER ANDTHE HOLY SPIRIT! O SAVE US!
Again look at the underlined words:
O You who have given us the grace to make our common supplications to You with one accord, and who promised that when two or three are gathered together in Your Name You would grant their requests: Fulfil now, O Lord, the petitions of Your servants as may be expedient for them: granting us in this world the knowledge of Your Truth, and in the world to come life everlasting.
For You are a good God and You love mankind, and unto You we ascribe glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People:AMEN!
The next song is that of the Beatitudes; it is the song of those who seek the kingdom
Prayer of the Little Entrance
Priest (in a low voice):Master, Lord our God, you have set orders and armies of Angels and Archangels in heaven to minister to your glory; grant that, with our entrance, holy Angels may enter, concelebrating with us, and with us glorifying your goodness.For to you belong all glory, honour and worship, to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
When the prayer is finished, the Deacon, in a low voice, says to the
Priest:Master, bless the holy Entrance.
And the Priest, blessing the entrance, says, in a low voice:Blessed is the entrance to your holy place, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
The Priest kisses the Gospel. The Deacon , standing in the middle of the Church in front of the Priest and raising the sacred Gospel, says aloud:
Wisdom. Stand upright.
Then the Deacon, followed by the Priest, enters the Sanctuary through the Holy Doors and places the Gospel on the Holy Table.
People (sing the Entrance Chant):Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ. Son of God, who rose from the dead, O Son of God, save us who sing to you: Alleluia
Two things are indicated by the prayers:
- We join the heavenly beings in this service
- The Gospels are the guarantee of our entrance into the Sanctuary; the Book rests on the Altar - the “throne of the Holy Trinity” - it is later from this throne that we hear the word of God in the Gospel
Because we are in the presence of the Holy Trinity and in his Sanctuary, the Trisagion is sung. But read this prayer carefully and notice how and why we join the Cherubim and the Seraphim. There is something that these two great Ranks in heaven do; they watch us as we sing; this is included in the words of the Trisagion, (holy immortal because of our salvation God the Trinity vanquished death and had mercy on us)
The Prayer of the Trisagion Hymn
Priest:O Holy God: Who rests in the Saints; who is hymned by theSeraphim with the thrice-holy cry, and glorified by the Cherubim,and worshipped by every heavenly power; Who out of nothing hasbrought all things into being; Who created man after Your ownimage and likeness, and has adorned him with Your every gift; Whogives to him who asks wisdom and understanding; Who does notdespise the sinner, but has instead appointed repentance untosalvation; Who has vouchsafed to us, Your humble and unworthyservants, even in this hour to stand before the glory of Your HolyAltar, and to offer the worship and praise which are due unto You.You, O Master, accept even from the mouths of us sinners theThrice-holy Hymn, and visit us in Your goodness. Forgive us everytransgression, both voluntary and involuntary. Sanctify our soulsand bodies and enable us to serve You in holiness all the days ofour life. Through the intercessions of the holy Theotokos and of allthe saints who from the beginning of the world have been wellpleasing to You.
The Priest and the Deacon also say the Trisagion, making three bows before the Holy Table.Then the Deacon says to the Priest:Master, command.And they go to the Throne (that is the Altar). As they go the Priest says:Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Deacon:Master, bless the Throne on high.
Priest:Blessed are you on the throne of glory of yourKingdom, who are seated upon the Cherubim, always, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
The Epistle Reading
DEACON: Let us attend.
PRIEST: + Peace be unto all.
PEOPLE: AND TO YOUR SPIRIT!
DEACON: Wisdom!
Reader:The Prokeimenon (the name comes from Greek and means an introductory that introduce the reading and it is sung by the people
The Gospel Reading
While the Alleluia is being sung the Deacon taking the censer with incense, approaches the Priest, and having received a blessing for the incense he censes the book of the Gospel, the Holy Table all round, the whole Sanctuary, the Priest and, coming out a little from the Holy Door the principal icons and the People.