Holy Resurrection Greek Orthodox Church
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The Centrality of the Divine Liturgy

6/22/2021

 
​How do we participate in the Divine Liturgy? This liturgy, the work of the people, is so rich many books are written about its depth of meaning and history. It has developed over the centuries into what we do today but with the same sense of otherworldliness. By God’s grace we ascend into the heavens. There is an action happening that we should become more and more aware of to aid us in our level of participation in it. In answering the question about how to participate in it, the first two steps might be attending the services as often as possible and paying attention, the latter sometimes being a challenge because of the “dirt” of the world we have on us when we enter.

If you were to attend a hockey match, your appreciation of the contest would depend on the degree to which you understand the rules and strategy of the game. Likewise, as we understand the action of the Diving Liturgy, we will enhance our participation and come to understand that the nave (the inside of the church where the laity stand) is not filled with observers only. The laity do not simply watch with their spiritual eyes the priest rise to the heavens with the angels accompanying him; no, they go with him to be with the Lord Who is serving the Liturgy as the Great High Priest.

This is key, but it is not the end of the story. There are specific things the laity does to take part in the Liturgy, the first being preparation. One should speak with one’s priest about how to prepare before receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. This is not a matter of reading a book about the Liturgy but includes some kind of prayerful preparation. If we fail on this aspect, we will be playing catch-up during the service and, similar to being at the hockey match, might miss the scoring of a goal.

During the Liturgy, there are various actions the laity can take part in. There are times when we cross ourselves out of reverence, to perhaps increase our attentiveness and promote inner sobriety. We thus place ourselves in a position of humility before the Almighty God Who has made this liturgical provision for us out of love and mercy. We can offer prayers for loved ones far or near. There are times to make a low bow if one is able out of humility. We should sing the responses with the choir; this should be done with reverence and listening, so as to follow the leader, so to speak, and not try to impress others near us with our beautiful voice or disrupt the beautiful flow of the service.

We can gradually learn the hymns by listening to the choir, singing softly with them so they can teach us. We recite certain parts of the Liturgy, such as the Trisagion Prayers, the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed. We read the pre-Communion Prayers with the chanter. Some use a prayer rope as a reminder to pay attention. The icons around the nave can also aid us in the same way.

Let us arrive on time, and hopefully for Orthros, out of respect for our Lord and Savior, Who at the perfect time allowed Himself to be crucified for us. Familiarity is very helpful. So regular attendance during all liturgical seasons should be our regimen. Reading the day’s Scripture readings, learning the hymns, and reciting the spoken parts as a community can be very enriching to our soul.

As we take part in the Diving Liturgy, we do just that. Each time, we move one Liturgy closer to eternity and take a nano-step toward becoming, by God’s grace, a restored image of the Creator.

In Christ,

Fr. Steve

What Does the Resurrection Mean To Us?

6/1/2021

 
In the story of the Paralytic we see Jesus performing a miracle, the paralytic sharing his healing with the Jews, Peter raising Tabitha from the dead and Tabitha’s good deeds all leading people to belief or potential belief in Christ.  People believed because of actions, of seeing the power of the Resurrection. We are supposed to be vessels, but that may not look the same from one person to another. How does this connect with the Resurrection? We have a question to ask ourselves.

What does the Resurrection mean to us? What is Pascha? The end of a long fast? The day to take a deep sigh of relief, throw some leaves around the church, eat different stuff, drink some wine 5 days a week instead of two? Come to church less often? What does the Resurrection mean to us? As little Christs, we enter into His Resurrection; we celebrate Him as Light and Life; and we look forward to our own resurrection. We are asked to BE. We are asked to DO. This is a life-giving combination.

Part of being a Christian is sharing the light of Christ with the world. This is important because each person is made in the image of God and has permanent eternal value. We share in the task of helping others to see their value in a relationship with God. How do we do that? No matter our actions in that regard, this can be said. If we are praying and in the process of knowing God, we will not be able to hide it; the light we gain from knowing Him will shine toward others and cast aside the darkness of the world in our little sphere. We don’t have to go out of our way, on a mission trip, become a priest or bishop, pass out tracts, preach from street corners. We will exude a sweet fragrance that others will want. People are always watching. If we are genuine, that is the best witness.

Even good deeds have a power of their own, but good deeds that flow from a profound sense of the love of God for oneself and those around us have the power of the Spirit of God. That acts of mercy must flow from a prayerful life is demonstrated by the fact that people seem easily swayed toward even heretical beliefs when they see good works being done on their behalf. It is a both/and world: works of mercy and kindness plus speaking the truth in love. To balance this, we also have the advice of the holy ones: “If they have not asked a question, don’t give them an answer.”

This is a good kind of pressure to have on us. We must be constrained to be ready to offer the good Gift to others by possessing the life of God by way of a life of prayer. We are behooved to know God and thus know who we are. Therein is a fountain of power, strength, the good knowledge, and ultimately HEALING, which is the heart of the Orthodox faith. Therein is the strength and power of gifts of mercy which should characterize us and will change the world around us.

To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

Fr. Ed

    Fr. Steve's Blog

    Fr. Steve updates the church blog monthly on pertinent topics. ​
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