288 East 10th Street, New York, NY 10009
P: (212)254-6685 E: info@stnicholaschurchnyc.org
Rev. Fr. William Bennett
Divine Liturgy: Sunday 10am
P: (212)254-6685 E: info@stnicholaschurchnyc.org
Rev. Fr. William Bennett
Divine Liturgy: Sunday 10am
And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and the prayers.
Acts:
breaking of bread and the prayers.
Acts:
Divine Liturgy
The Divine Liturgy is the primary worship service of the Orthodox Church. Anyone who witnesses an Orthodox liturgy for the first time will notice that it involves all of the senses. The central actions of the Liturgy is the consecration and distribution of the Body and Blood of Christ. But the chanting and choral singing, the incense, the vestments and ritual movements of the priest, deacons and altar boys, are integral aspects of the Divine Liturgy and are central to its meaning.
The Greek word for liturgy meant‘any public work’ or ‘work done for the common good’ and did not hold any religious connotation. The assembly of Christians, free and slave, who stood in the church building and prayed, was a work done for the spiritual welfare and well-being of all, and was called the Divine Liturgy. The heart of the liturgy dates from the time of Christ and the Apostles. To this, prayers, hymns, and other elements have been added throughout the centuries. The liturgy itself achieved a basic framework by the ninth century.
There are three basic forms of the Divine Liturgy and a fourth Liturgy that includes the distribution of Holy Communion saved from the previous Sunday Liturgy. While the Saints that are credited with writing the three Divine Liturgies did not compose the entire liturgy which bears their names, it is probable that they did author many of the prayers. The structure and basic elements of the three liturgies are similar, although there are differences in some hymns and prayers.
1. Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, which is the most frequently celebrated and is described in detail below.
2. Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, which is celebrated only ten times a year. The prayers are more penitent in nature which may explain why this service is used in preparation and during Strict Fast days of Great Lent and the eves of the Nativity and Theophany.
3. Liturgy of St. James which is celebrated on October 23, the Feast Day of the Saint.
4. Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is a service that consists of Daily Vespers combined with additional prayers and followed by the distribution of Holy Communion reserved from the previous Sunday. This service
is only served weekdays during Great Lent.
The Service
There are two main components to the Orthodox Service: the Liturgy of the Word (Catechumens) and the Liturgy of the Faithful, which are preceded by the Service of Preparation. The Divine Liturgy is structured in such a manner that the fullness of God is experienced by the faithful as participants. The response may be a complex as the chanting of a hymn, singing praise to the Theotokos, performing the sign of the cross, reciting a prayer or it may be as simple as a the word, "Amen."
Preparation
By the Priest: Before the priest begins the preparatory part of the Liturgy, he goes before the Royal Doors and prays. In his prayer, he asks for God’s forgiveness, and His help to perform the Liturgy worthily. After bowing to the people, the priest enters the sanctuary, and after bowing down and kissing the Holy Altar, he removes his outer garment and begins to vest, or put on the garments of the priesthood. The vestments express his priestly ministry as well as his office. Before he begins the preparation service, the priest washes his hands, praying the last part of Psalm 25: “I will wash my hands in innocence…”
Next, the priest goes to the Oblation Table which is on the left side of the Altar Table in the Sanctuary. There, he prepares the offering of bread and wine for the Liturgy. The priest cuts out a square called the Lamb from the main loaf of bread (prosphora). This will be consecrated during the Liturgy of the Faithful to become the Holy Body of Christ. The priest also blesses wine and water, which are poured into the chalice. The preparation service continues with the offering of incense and the covering of the bread and wine. The burning of the incense symbolizes our prayer rising up to God.
After the incense is offered, the bread and wine covered, the gifts are then offered by the priest, who prays,“Bless this offering and accept it on Your Heavenly Altar. Remember those who offered it and those for whom it was offered.”
Part 1 – Liturgy of the Word (Catechumens)
The Divine Liturgy begins with the priest exclaiming, "Blessed is the kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages." These words remind us that we are part of God's Kingdom on earth.
Great Litany: (Also known as the Litany of Peace) This part of the service was written for those who were being instructed in the faith, the Catechumens. The service continues with the Great Litany with petitions that address the needs of the community, its members and of the world: peace and salvation, the Church, her bishops, her faithful, captives and their health and salvation, deliverance from anger and need. It is concluded, as with most litanies, by calling to the remembrance of the faithful the witness of theTheotokos, the Mother of Christ, and the saints.
Antiphons: There follow three antiphons, readings from Psalms, which vary by day and jurisdiction. The first two antiphons are followed by a shorter litany and a prayer. The first Antiphon is about the Virgin Mary. “Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Savior, save us.” The second is about Christ. “O Son of God, risen from the dead, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.”
Hymn to the Only-Begotten Son: This hymn teaches us through Scripture, who Christ is and what His work was on earth. This verse is filled with divine truths: the immortal God took flesh (John 1:14); He is our Savior (John 4:42); He was born of a Virgin (Isaiah 7:14); the Mother of God is the ever-virgin Mary (Luke 2:7) and; that Jesus was both God and man (Luke 1:35); and He trampled death, rising from the dead on the third day (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:1-8, 9-20; Luke 24:1-12, 12-35, 36-53; John 20:1-20,11-18,19-31, 21:1-4, & 15-25) and is one of the Holy Trinity.
The Little Entrance: A procession takes place in which the priest or deacon carries the Book of Gospels from the sanctuary into the nave. The Gospel is preceded by a candle that symbolizes Christ, the Light of the World and the sanctity of the Gospel. It is said that at this point of the service, angels join the service and together with these angelic hosts, we welcome the Lord's entrance into the world and into our hearts. Hymns called the troparion and kontakion of the day and feast are sung. The procession directs our attention to the
Scripture and to the presence of Christ in the Gospel.
Thrice Holy Hymn: Also called the Trisagion – Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have Mercy on us. With the singing of this hymn, the congregation and the hosts of angels are united in praise of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
On Christmas, Theophany, Lazarus Saturday, Holy and Great Saturday, Easter Sunday, Bright Week and Penetcost Sunday, the Thrice Holy Hymn is replaced by “All you who have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ!”
On Septemer 14th, and the 3rd Sunday of Great Lent, the Thrice Holy Hymn is replaced by “We bow to Your cross, O Lord, and we praise Your holy resurrection”
The Epistle and Gospel: Readings from the Holy Scripture are about Christ’s life and how to follow His Teachings. The Epistle is a letter that was written by Saint Paul and other apostles and deemed by the
Church to be Holy Scripture. At the beginning we are called to be attentive, to listen closely as we are about to hear God's wisdom. The "prokeimenon" is a short verse from the Psalms that reveal God's wonders to us.
Before the Gospel is read the Priest will proclaim, "Wisdom, Stand upright. Let us all hear the Holy Gospel. Peace be to all." From the ancient times the proper way to offer respect was to stand attentively, in total silence and respect and listen to the Holy reading from the Holy Gospel.
Litany of Supplication: The petitions beseech ("supplicate") the Lord for the spiritual well-being of the faithful, clergy serving the Orthodox Church, civil authorities and all in the service of the United States.
Part 2 – The Liturgy of the Faithful
Cherubic Hymn: The singing of the Cherubic Hymn, a song of the angels, marks the beginning of the second part of the Liturgy. Having set aside our worldly cares, we are asked to join with the multitude of angelic bodiless powers, and "mystically represent the cherubim," who continually "sing the thrice-holy hymn."
Great Entrance: The offering of bread and wine is brought by the priest from the Preparation Table, through the nave, and to the Altar Table. "May the Lord our God remember us all in His Kingdom, always, now and forever, and from all Ages to all Ages."
As the holy gifts are carried solemnly through the holy doors, the assembled faithful conclude the Cherubic Hymn. Once the priest has entered the sanctuary, he will set the paten and the chalice upon the altar table, and cover them with the aer, the deacon [priest if no deacon is present] intones a set of petitions. Six of these ten petitions have not been mentioned thus far in the service. They are specific to this place in the Divine Liturgy.
As their content should suggest, these petitions sent up to God by the faithful are prayed in preparation to offer the Holy Eucharist. This preparation begins with the priest's invitation to the faithful, "Let us complete our prayer to the Lord." From this point forward, the priest and the faithful pray together for the "precious gifts" and beseech God for His continued blessings.
After the priest blesses the faithful with peace, the deacon (or Priest) exclaims, "The doors! The doors! In Wisdom, let us be attentive”. This famous exclamation once marked the point in the service at which the doors to the temple were locked, with only faithful Christians remaining.
Nicene Creed: The Creed is a "symbol of faith" stating what we believe as Orthodox Christians. We recite it together to show that we are united in heart and mind in our beliefs about God. Almost all these statements are from the Bible. The Creed was written at the First Ecumenical Council in 325 AD and amended in Second Ecumenical Council in 381 AD. It was agreed to never change it and it remains unchanged in the Orthodox Tradition.
Offering of the Gifts: This is the climax of the Divine Liturgy. The Anaphora, or offering of gifts is what the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist. We are called to "Stand aright, stand in fear, be attentive, that we may offer the Holy oblation in peace." With profound reverence we are asked to focus intently on what is about to take place.
Up to now the bread and wine were only symbols of our Lord's Body and Blood. Now, through the invocation to God, the Holy Spirit descends and changes the elements into the real Body and Blood of Jesus. The Priest prays intently.
Prayers is then offered for the departed: forefathers, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, preachers, evangelists, martyrs, confessors, ascetics, and for every righteous spirit who has completed this life in faith."
Then rising before the Holy Table, the celebrant exclaims: "Especially our mostholy, pure, blessed, an glorious Lady the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary." Being greater in honor than the angels and all the saints, the Theotokos is first commemorated with these words.
Lord’s Prayer: The Gifts have been consecrated so the next step is to prepare to partake of the most Holy gift of Communion. There are several Petitions that end with the Lord's Prayerand are all part of the final preparation of the Priest and the faithful to receive Holy Communion.
Communion Prayer: While the communion hymn is being chanted, the priest "breaks" the Holy Bread into four parts as he says: "The Lamb of God is broken and shared; broken but not divided, eaten yet never consumed, but sanctifying those who partake of Him." As the celebrant concludes the preparation of the Body and Blood of Christ, he and the faithful prepare to receive communion. The Communion Prayers should be recited with a pure heart and with faith as any unclean thoughts are banished from the mind. That "with the fear of God, with faith and with love draw near."
The Holy Eucharist: The priest comes from the altar with the Holy Gifts, inviting the congregation to draw near with reverence of God, with faith, and with love." Our sharing in the Eucharist Gifts not only expresses our fellowship with one another, but also our unity with the Father in His Kingdom. Individuals approach the Holy Gifts and receive the Eucharistic bread and wine from the common chalice. The priest distributes the Holy Gifts by means of a communion spoon. Since the Holy Communion is an expression of our Faith, reception of the Holy Gifts is open only to those who are baptized, chrismated, and practicing members of the Orthodox Church.
Thanksgiving: A Litany of Thanksgiving is then sung to Christ with prayers of gratitude that He has blessed his people with participation in the“Heavenly and Immortal Mysteries”. The prayers also ask God to keep the whole day, perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless that through the reception of Holy Communion, God would “make straight our path, strengthen us all in thy fear; guard our lives, make firm our steps.”
Dismissal: The Liturgy comes to an end with prayer of Thanksgiving and the Benediction. The Journey is now coming to an end. Its aim was the completion of the Eucharist. This aim has been fulfilled. We have received the Divine Mysteries and with them joy, peace, gentleness, love, gladness, calmness, forbearance, faith, hope, goodness, and many other gifts to carry into our lives. The Priest calls on us to depart in peace with the
blessing of the Lord upon us “for He is gracious and loves mankind. Amen.”