We gather in the House of God for prayer, and, more definitely, for the purpose of bringing to God an offer, in return for which we ask for health, peace, life, visitation, and salvation. What is prayer? It is the uplifting of one’s mind and heart to God, generally manifested in devout words and gestures. What is the Liturgy?1 It is public service or worship; but the Greek word Liturgia is especially appropriated to that Divine Service, in which the Sacrament of Communion is consecrated. Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who offered Himself up for all, fixed the foundation of this saving mystery; but not only that, He likewise gave the external form of ritual and prayer, which is the greater part, or essential substance, of our Communion Service today.
On the Thursday, just before His passion, at the Mystical Supper, the Lord took bread, and, having given thanks to God the Father, He blessed it, brake it, and gave it to His Disciples, saying: Take eat; this is my Body . . . Then, having taken the cup, He blessed it, and said: Drink ye all of it; this is my Blood. Having administered the communion to the Apostles, our Lord commanded that this Sacrament should always be celebrated in His remembrance.
The Liturgy consists of three parts: the Offertory, the liturgy of the Catechumens, and the liturgy of the Faithful.
The Proskomedia, or Offertory, is the first part of the Service when the bread and wine are prepared for the Mystic Supper. These elements are brought by the congregation. Sometimes they are brought by certain persons, who desire prayers on an appointed day, for some special reason. Now, in our day, the church loaves are prepared for some churches by a regularly employed baker.
The Liturgy of the Catechumens is that part of the service in which those who are preparing for holy baptism are allowed to be present. It consists in prayer and the expounding of the Word of God.
At the Liturgy of the Faithful only such, who are baptized are allowed to remain, and those who have access to the holy Table—i.e. those who are not excommunicated for grievous sins for a certain number of days, or months, until they show repentance.
During the Liturgy of the Faithful, the Sacrament is hallowed. When the Gifts are brought out of the sanctuary to the Ambo, this Great Entrance reminds the people of the Lord proceeding on the way to His passion.
After the Creed (Symbol of Faith) has been chanted, the deacon exclaims: “Let us stand well, let us stand with fear; let us attend to offer in peace the holy oblation,” i. e. let us stand as is becoming a man when he stands before God, with fear, and at the same time with manly bearing of spirit, glorifying God. In response to this call, the whole church, offering as a sacrifice the praise of both tongue and heart, repeats in common with (or following after) the choir: “a mercy of peace, a sacrifice of praise!” The presbyter (or celebrant) sends forth (from out the sanctuary) an Apostolic salutation to the people: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of the God and Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. To which all answer him: and with Thy spirit! The priest exclaims: on high let us have our hearts! And each one standing in the temple, thinking how, at that minute, the Lamb of God comes to be sacrificed (killed) for him, the Divine blood of the Lord Himself is ready to pour into the cup (chalice), for his purification, and fixing his heart (as if raising from earth), looking towards heaven, exclaims together with the rest: we have them with the Lord! Remembering that our Savior, before breaking the bread at the Mystic Supper, gave thanks to God, the priest says: Let us give thanks to the Lord! after which we sing this response: meet and right it is to worship Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, a Trinity consubstantial and undivided! And the priest prays to God secretly, praising the infinite mercies of God, manifested in the creation of the world and the redemption of man, and thanking His Goodness moreover that He condescends to receive at our hands the bloodless sacrifice, although there be a heavenly host of Angels that serve Him (then aloud): Singing, vociferating, crying and saying the triumphal Hymn; which hymn the faithful, or in their stead the choir, triumphantly sings: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth; the heaven and the earth are full of Thy glory. To this hymn of the Seraphim, sung in the heavens, the church adds another hymn (as if coming to the first in greeting), with which the Jewish children greeted on earth the Heavenly King, when He made His entry into Jerusalem on offering Himself as a sacrifice: Hosanna in the highest, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord! Now the whole church greets Him, as coming invisibly from heaven into the temple, the mysterious Jerusalem, to offer Himself in sacrifice, in this celebration of the Sacrament.
In the meantime, while the harmony of the Seraphim’s hymn is triumphantly resounding in the temple, the priest continues praying secretly, commemorating the incidents of the Mystic Supper, when the Lord Jesus Christ taking bread into His holy and undefiled and blameless hands, giving thanks, blessing, hallowing and breaking, gave to His holy Disciples and Apostles, saying: Then the celebrant pronounces these words: take, eat ye: this is my Body, which for you is broken, unto remission of sins. To which the choir adds: amen. And the priest goes on saying in a low voice: in like manner also the Chalice after he had supped, saying: then he repeats aloud the words of our Savior: drink ye all of it: this is my Blood of the New Testament, which for you and for many is poured out, unto remission of sins. Again the people or choir exclaim in devout harmony: amen. The time for offering the sacrifice is nigh. The priest again prays secretly, and then uplifting his voice exclaims: we offer to Thee Thine own of Thine own, in behalf of all and for all! During this moment, while the choir unite in offering, in tones subdued, this heart-touching melody: Thee we hymn, Thee we bless, to Thee we give thanks, O, Lord, and beseech Thee, our God—the most terrible and most mystic sacred rite of all the Liturgy takes place in the sanctuary, when the bread and wine, till now the type of the Body and Blood, become the real Body and Blood of Christ. A threefold invocation of the Holy Ghost is made before the Altar: O Lord, Who didst, at the third hour, send Thy most Holy Spirit upon Thine Apostles, the same, O Gracious One, take not away from us, but make us new who pray to Thee! Immediately after the third invocation the deacon, bowing his head and pointing with his stole to the holy bread, says: bless, Master, the holy bread! The priest blesses the holy bread, saying: and make this bread the precious Body of Thy Christ. The deacon pronounces: amen. Piously showing, with his stole toward the holy cup, the deacon says: bless, Master, the holy Chalice! Making the sign of the cross over it the priest says: and that which is in this Chalice, the precious Blood of Thy Christ. The deacon pointing to both holy gifts: bless Master, both! And the priest, blessing both the holy gifts, says: transmuting them by Thy Holy Spirit. With devout fear the deacon repeats thrice: amen, amen, amen! The transubstantiation is accomplished!
The same Body, in which the eternal word was incarnate, which was on earth, the Body of the Master Himself, now lies upon the altar—a sacrifice; it was not the priest, but the Most High Himself, the Eternal High Priest, that accomplished this sacrament (or mystery). Not the form or image now lie upon the altar, but the same body of the Lord that suffered on earth, that was buffeted, spitted upon, crucified, buried, that was resurrected, ascended into the heavens and sitteth at the right hand of the Father!—In the belfries the bells are tolled, so that the awful moment may be heralded everywhere, that man, wherever he may hear of it, be he then a traveler on the way, be he found tilling the soil of his fields, be he in his home, or be he occupied elsewhere, be he a sufferer within the walls of a prison, or on the couch of sore-disease, that he may at that moment from every place uplift his prayer to the Lord, imploring for his salvation, and also that this awful mystery be not unto the judgment or condemnation of some one of his brethren. All in the church at this moment fall down before the Lord and the sacred ministers, bowing to the earth (before the Altar), and zealously worship the Almighty. Everyone in the church, during this sacred moment, secretly calls to the Lord, that he may be remembered in His kingdom.
The priest, having prayed in a low voice that the Body and Blood of Christ set forth may be unto the remission of the sins of all, unto a fearless approach to the Lord, but not unto judgment and condemnation, before the very Body and very Blood of Christ he commemorates all, from the Patriarchs and Prophets of the ancient covenant to each one of the Christians now living. Before all others, and especially, he names the All-holy Theotokos (Mother of God), then, in accord with which the people sing a doxology in praise of Her: meet it is indeed to call Thee blessed, O Theotokos. After which he commemorates John the Precursor, the Apostles, the holy one—whose memory is celebrated on that day, and all Saints; he prays for them that have fallen asleep in the hope of a resurrection to life eternal. The priest makes mention of all the living; he prays for the right pious rulers, kings, princes, all Defenders of the Orthodox Christian Faith, for the head and powers that be of the country in which he resides, that God bless them, and all may be able to lead a tranquil and quiet life in all piety and gravity. The priest continues praying, naming the officials of important trusts, likewise the army, that grace be granted them to fulfill their holy duties honorably, boldly; he prays for the archpastors of the Church, and considering how holy their trust and terrible their responsibility, the priest but with a heart overflowing with compassion, offers to God this supplication: whom grant to Thy holy churches in peace, safe, honored, healthful, attaining to length of days, and rightly dividing the word of Thy truth. The choir sings: and of all (men) and all (women)! And the priest prays for all, and all, first mentioning the city and temple in which are gathered for prayer the faithful, and embracing with his prayer every city, country, and all the faithful that dwell in them, also voyagers, travelers, the sick, the weary, and captives, at the same time praying for their salvation; for those that bring fruit, that do good works in the holy churches, and for those that are mindful of the poor; in a word he prays for all people, in whatever condition or place they may be; in his prayer, he makes mention by name of all those who asked for his prayers, especially who desire his prayer at that certain day; finally he prays for those whom his prayer might have forgotten. And the whole congregation unite their quiet prayer with the prayer of their pastor, imploring for all and all, adding, each of his (or her) own accord, during this sacred moment, the names of acquaintances; not only of such that love him, but also of those that do not love him,—in a word for all.
When the Royal Gates are opened, and the holy Gifts are shown, we recall to memory the Resurrection of the Lord and His appearance to His Disciples. The last appearance of the holy Gifts brings to our recollection His ascension into Heaven. Our Lord Jesus Christ promised to abide with the faithful all the days—even unto the end of the world. And this promise is renewed to us each time the Liturgy is offered, and in these words: always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
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The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is the one generally in use throughout the year. The Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is offered on the Sundays in Great Lent and on a few other occasions. During the Great Lent the Church prohibits the hallowing of the Eucharist, except on Saturdays and Sundays. In the days of repentance and sorrow, the Church allows her children on Wednesdays and Fridays the Liturgy of the Presanctified.