In the early Church, communion was approached in the following way, Coming up to receive, then, do not have your wrists extended or your fingers spread, but making your left hand a throne for the right, for it is about to receive a King, and cupping your palm, receive the body of Christ, and answer …
Intercessions are prayers on behalf of others. St. Paul tells his disciple Timothy, “I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men” (1Tim 2:1). Intercessions have always been a part of the Liturgy as attested by St. Cyril of Jerusalem. When the spiritual sacrifice, the …
Introduction: The prayers of the blessing of the elements begin with the Institution Narrative, the story of the first Eucharist and how the Lord instituted it. The tradition underlying this is certainly older than the Gospels for many reasons. First, a fully developed Institution Narrative exists in the liturgy of Saint Mark. It is a …
Introduction: The Liturgy of the Faithful follows the same steps the Lord followed in the Last Supper. By reviewing the Synoptic Gospels’ account of the Last Supper, as well as the account given by Saint Paul in 1Cor:15, we find out that the Lord: 1. Gave Thanks, 2. Blessed, 3. Broke, 4. Gave to the …
“Offer in order, stand in trembling, look towards the East.” With this exhortation the deacon signalled the people (in older times) to bring forward their offerings to the altar. But now things have changed, the offering of the bread and wine has been moved to the beginning of the Liturgy, and the deacons, rather than …
