|
|
|
Sun. after Elevation #5 Liturgy 9/17/06 During the past 4 Sundays, we have learned on the first Sunday the symbolisms, incorporated in the Church Structure itself, that is, the Narthex, the Nave and the Sanctuary. 4n the second Sunday we learned about the Articles and Fixtures we see in the Narthex, the Nave and the Sanctuary, and all the Articles placed on the Holy Altar, as well as the Holy Icons adorning the Iconostasion. The Icon of the Pantocrator, or Almighty Lord in the Dome, and the Icon of the "Platytera" that is the Holy Mother, broader than the Heavens, holding the Christ Child in her lap, and her arms widely outstretched, like inviting us all to come forth under the shelter of her wings. This Holy Icon, is in the concave apse of the Church behind the Altar. in this portrayal of the Platytera, the Holy Mother becomes the connecting link between Heaven and Earth. On the 3rd Sunday we explained the significance, as well as the Symbolism of the Priest's Vestments. And last Sunday we completely explained the Service of the Prothesis, where we prepare the Holy Gifts to be consecrated, later in the Liturgy. Thus, everything is now in place. The Priest fully vested has prepared on the Holy Prothesis, or preparation Table, the Gifts which will be sanctified at the Consecration. The Priest now comes before the Holy Altar, and blesses himself, bowing deeply and repeating 3 times: "Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men," (Luke 2:14), and twice he repeats: "Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim Thy praise. (Psalm 51:15) 2nd Part of the Liturgy. "The Liturgy of the Catechumens." This 2nd part is known as the Liturgy of the Catechumens. It commences with the glorification of the Holy Trinity and ends with the reading of the Gospel, followed by the Sermon. After hearing the Biblical readings and the Sermon, the Catechumens, that is, those under instruction to be baptized, were compelled to exit from the Nave, where only the Baptized Faithful remained. They were permitted to stand in the Narthex, which was separated from the Nave. The Priest raises the Golden Book of the Gospels, and forming the sign of the Holy Cross says: "Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit now and ever, and to the ages of ages." The Congregations seals this blessing with "Amen." "Amen" is a Hebrew word, meaning: "So be it." Then the 9 Petitions follow, which the Congregation completes by chanting: "Kyrie Eleeison" meaning: "Lord have mercy" These Petitions are introduced by the Priest admonishing the Faithful to pray by saying: "In peace, let us pray to the Lord." We must note here, that the Petitions are prayers, and each of the Faithful should repeat them as such, understanding them, and giving them substance. It is so basic for Christians to participate in the Liturgy with illuminating peace in their hearts. Peace is an absolute pre-requisite for the full and complete appreciation of the Divine Liturgy. Without peace of mind and heart, we are not worthy to stand before the Altar of God, to ask for His forgiveness and offer our thanks! What were the Lord's first words after His Resurrection, when he came in the midst of His Disciples even though the windows and doors were closed? "Peace be unto you!" (John 20:21) In the 5th Chapter of St. Matthew, verses 23 and 24 the Lord commands: "If we bring our gift to the Altar and remember that we are not at peace with our fellow man, leave your gift at the Altar, make peace with your fellow man, then come to the Altar to offer your gift, which will be acceptable and beneficial to us." Thus, with a complete serenity of heart and mind, we rightfully participate in the Liturgy. Only then, can our prayers have meaning. So it is, that with this peace of mind and heart the Priest commences to chant the 9 Petitions. The first Petition states: "For the Peace from Above and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord." Realizing that no prayer is acceptable without peace, and that every good gift comes from Above (lames 1:19), we earnestly pray for this Peace from Above, and after having received it, we pray for the salvation of our souls. The second Petition is: "For the peace of the whole world, for the stability of the Holy Churches of God, and for the union of all, let us pray to the Lord." What a significant petition this is! We pray: 1) For the peace of the world, so troubled with wars, that we are witnessing, that God will grant the Leaders of Nations a true sense of justice and love. 2) For the stability of the Holy Churches to stand fast on the pure Faith as interpreted by the seven Ecumenical Councils 3) For the union of all Churches and peoples, which would establish a Kingdom of God on earth, and become as the Lord prophecied: "One Fold, with One Shepherd." (John 10:16) The third Petition states: "For this Holy Temple, and for those, who enter with faith, reverence and fear of God, let us pray to the Lord." God can be worshiped anywhere, but His presence is felt more in His House; the Church, which He established, where all of us united in true brotherhood gather, to partake in the Table of Love. We pray then, that God preserves this Church and all Churches, as well as protect and guide all those, who enter the Church with faith, reverence, and the most profound love and respect of God. In the fourth Petition we pray: "For our Archbishop (name), the honorable Presbyters of the Diaconate in Christ, and for all the Clergy and Laity, let us pray to the Lord." St.Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrews (13:17) states: "Obey them that have rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account; that they may do it with joy, and not with grief." The Faithful are asked to pray for the welfare of our Archbishop, for all the Priests and Deacons; in short, we pray for all the Clergy and the Faithful. In the 5th Petition we pray "For the President of our Country, for those in Civil Authority, for our Armed Forces and for their safe return, and for all the American Nation, let us pray to the Lord." Essentially we pray for the Lord to give wisdom and strength to our President; we also pray for our Civil Authorities, for our Armed Forces and that they have a safe return to their homeland. Also, as loyal Americans we pray for our great American Nation. In the 6th Petition we pray: "For this City and every City and land, and for the Faithful, who dwell therein, let us pray to the Lord." Through this Petition we not only pray for our City, but for every City and land, and for the Faithful people, who dwell in them. The 7th Petition states: "For seasonable weather, for the abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord." Man is composed of Soul and Body. We pray for our spiritual welfare, which is the most important, but we also ask our Lord to grant us many bountiful gifts, to feed and clothe our body. In this petition we again pray for peaceful times, the peace, which so many take for granted. The 8th petition states: "For those at sea, and for those who travel by land or air, for the sick and the suffering, for captives, and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord." In this petition we see the love and concern of the Christian, when he or she express their unselfishness and their true brotherhood. We pray: 1. That those on the high seas will not become the victims of stormy seas. 2. That those, who travel by land or air will reach their destination safely. 3. That those, who literally suffer with various illnesses will recover and once again regain their health. 4. That those, who exhaustively toil and are over-burdened, will be relieved. 5. That those, who are captives and enslaved by hostile nations, will soon be free to return to their own Country. b. For all that we just mentioned and for the salvation of their bodies and souls, we pray to the Lord. Th 9th and last petition is an additional prayer, asking God to protect us. It states: "For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger and necessity, let us pray to the Lord." As we know, life is full of trials, afflictions, dangers and needs. Oftentimes, these are tests for our faith. Other times, these afflictions come because of our sins and misdemeanors. Thus, we ask God to deliver us from all, that destroy the tranquility of life. To all these Petitions the Congregation responds with: "Kyrie eleison. Lord have mercy." The Priest continues, beseeching the Lord by saying: "Help us, save us, have mercy upon us, and protect us, O God, by Thy Grace." Then he continues saying: "Commemorating our most holy, pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Theotokos, and ever-Virgin Mary with all the Saints, let us commend ourselves and one another, and all our life to Christ our God," The Congregation responds with "To Thee O Lord" It is to you O Lord, that we commend our life. Through this glorification of the Virgin Mary, we are reminded of the noble example She gave all of us. She is accorded the following adjectives: 1. She is the "Panagia" meaning "all-Holy," possessing every virtue of holiness. 2. She is "pure" or immaculate, because she was undefiled, and cleansed of all sin. 3. She is "most Blessed" because of all the mortals, she was chosen specifically by God to become the "Vessel," through which the Word of God would receive human flesh. 4. She is "glorious" because She gave birth to our Glorious Saviour. 5. She is the "Despina" or Lady, being that she became our Lady and our Mother. 6. She is the "Theotokos," literally meaning, "Birth-giver of God." She did not give birth to a man, but supernaturally gave birth to our Lord Jesus Christ. 7. She is lauded as "Ever-Virgin" because even though She gave birth, She remained a Virgin, until the end of Her earthly life. Next week we shall commence with the first hymn of the Liturgy, and the silent prayers offered by the Priest, as the hymns are being sung.
|
|
SBack to home page
Send mail to
epantaz@yahoo.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|