Sunday, September 16, 2007

Byzantine Liturgy


I just got back from a Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. What an uplifting experience! It is obvious, in this liturgy, that we are in the Presence of God. Before recieving communion, the congregation sings,

O Lord, I believe and profess that You are truly Christ, the Son of the living God, Who came into the World to save sinners, of whom I am the first. Accept me as a partaker of your mystical supper, O Son of God, for I will not reveal Your mysteries to our enemies, nor will I give you a kiss as did Judas, but like the thief will I confess to You.

Remember me, O Lord, when You shall come into Your kingdom.

Remember me, O Master, when You shall come into Your kingdom.

Remember me, O Holy One, when You shall come into Your kingdom.

May the partaking of your holy mysteries, O Lord, be not for my judgment, or condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body.

O Lord, I also believe and profess that this, which I am about to receive, is truly Your most precious Body and Your life-giving Blood, which, I pray, make me worthy to receive for the remission of all my sins and for life everlasting. Amen

O God, be merciful to me a sinner.

God, cleanse my sins and have mercy on me.

O Lord forgive me for I have sinned without number.


It makes me sad for all parishes whose liturgy is about "us" instead of God. It makes me sad for the distance that so many of us in the Church have fallen.

May God have mercy on us.

3 comments:

The Pigeon said...

There is a parish my wife and I used to go to. We left for several reasons, not the least of which is that it is a "pro-gay" ministry, questionable matter for the bread, but the whole Mass is made to be about the community rather than God. It is a parish that makes people feel good, and people come from all over Boston, while meanwhile good parishes are struggling to keep members.

Anonymous said...

In Miles Jesu we use this Liturgy...

Staying in Balance said...

Really? That's wonderful!

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"Slavery ended in medieval Europe only because the church extended its sacraments to all slaves and then managed to impose a ban on the enslavement of Christians (and of Jews). Within the context of medieval Europe, that prohibition was effectively a rule of universal abolition. "— Rodney Stark

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