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- The
Greek Orthodox Church: A Manual for Converts
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The
Worship
of the Church
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- The Mystery of the Holy Eucharist is intimately connected with the Divine Liturgy, which is the supreme act of Greek Orthodox public worship.
In speaking of the Divine Liturgy we signify a public service that is a worshiping testimony of the Revelation of God. It unfolds before the worshipers the essence of the
theology, the mystical existential character, and the devotional traditions of Greek Orthodoxy.
The Liturgy is a gradational or step-by-step depiction of God's revelation as it happened in both the Old and the New Testament periods. Through symbolic utterances, gestures, signs, and symbols, the whole redemptive plan of God is set before the congregation The central theme however is the life of Christ, from His birth in Bethlehem to His ascension, which is unrolled in unparalleled beauty, profundity, and movement.
The Divine Liturgy is a religious drama in three acts: First is the Offertory, or Proscomide performed during the service preceding the Liturgy, called Matins (Orthros). It is during this service that the priest prepares the gifts (bread and wine) which will be transformed into the actual Body and the Blood of Christ; second, the Liturgy of the Catechumens, and third, the Liturgy of the Faithful. Each of these three stages is divided into briefer acts, all of which reach a climax in the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The meaning of the offertory prayers is the redeeming plan of God which becomes manifest through the prophets and reaches its climax in the person of Christ. The priest recites several prayers and verses from the Psalms and the Book of Isaiah, which describe Christ as the Lamb of God who was led to the slaughter for the salvation (redemption) of the world (Isaiah 53:6-8).
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One of the interesting parts of the First Act is the commemoration of the saints of both the Old and New Testaments. All the elect of God are gathered together into the bosom of the Church. The Church in heaven, or Church Triumphant, and the Church on earth, or Church Militant, are united into a living and inseparable organism of God. The angelic powers (angels), the Old Testament prophets and patriarchs, the Mother of Jesus, the Apostles, Martyrs, Fathers and saints of the Christian Church are invoked for their brethren on earth. The commemoration of the believers, dead or alive, constitutes another section of the Offertory.
The Second Act is rather instructive for members and future members of the Church. The petitions and doxologies culminate in the reading of the Scriptures, the sermon, and several other prayers for the catechumens. The Third Act, however, is the most important of the drama of the Divine Liturgy. The great entrance, during which the gifts are transferred from the Offertory table and are placed on the Holy Altar Table, signifies the road of our Lord to Golgotha. These are moving moments while the choir sings, We who mystically represent the Cherubim, sing the thrice-holy Hymn to the life-giving Trinity. Therefore, let us put away all worldly cares, so that we may welcome the King of all."
The divine drama continues. At a given point the communicant must profess his faith. As the centurion confessed the deity of Christ, likewise the congregation with one voice proclaim their faith by reciting the Creed (see page 4 this pamphlet). Together we claim our faith in God, the Father Almighty, in the one Lord Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit, in the Church of God and her holy Mysteries.
The most solemn moment is at hand: The invocation (Epiklesis) is given: the Holy Spirit descends upon the gifts; the bread and wine are "changed," they become now the actual Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. St. Dionysios wrote: "How else can we imitate God if we do not repeat His divine life through the mystagogy of the Liturgy?" The Lord ordained that the mystery of the Divine Liturgy should be constantly performed in order that we humans, however imperfect, should unite with a perfect God. As cells are united and make up the human body so the faithful are united as cells upon the body of God and partake of His holy life - - otherwise, we become dead organisms, foreign to a healthy and living God.
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In the divine Liturgy the divine and the human, time and eternity, the now and the remote, spiritual longings and earthly desires, cries of distress and exclamations of joy ... are united into an organism of harmony and real life.
The epilogue of the Divine Liturgy depicts the ascension of the Lord and proclaims the eschatological expectations of the Church. Christ will come once again to consummate the invisible and the visible, the divine and the human into an eternal cosmos of beauty, happiness, and life. Indeed, the ultimate purpose of the Divine Liturgy is to accomplish an intimate communion of man with God in Jesus Christ, to enrich man with God's grace, to regenerate and make the human race a new creation.
If one is to appreciate the Divine Liturgy from beginning to end, one is advised to attend the Midnight Resurrection Service. It is a service of darkness and light, defeat and victory, lamentation and triumph. It is, however, darkness, defeat, and lamentation for a few minutes only. The church is enveloped in a foreboding blackness. Everything is reminiscent of death, the death of Christ. At midnight, amid total darkness, the priest comes out of the sanctuary (the Holy Altar) with a lighted candle, singing "Come, receive ye light from the Light that never wanes." After everyone's candies are lit, he proceeds to sing the melodic Easter hymn, "Christ is risen. . .," and the congregation joins in the joyful announcement of the triumph of Christ over death. The church assumes a new color. Joy, hope, love, and eternity are the message of Easter Sunday and every Sunday thereafter.
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Rev. Demetrios A. Recachinas, Protopresbyter
Booklet
& Web Version Designed by:
- Vicky
Andriotis
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- For
information about obtaining hard copies of this
booklet, please contact:
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Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
4070 Park Avenue
Bridgeport CT 06604
Church Phone (203) 374-5561
Church Fax (203) 374-5770
E-mail: fatherdemetrios@ holytrinitybridgeport.org
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