Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ King of Kings and
Lord of lords
3


H.H. Pope Shenouda III, 117th Pope of
Alexandria and the See of St. Mark
4

Contents

Introduction

" In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen. "

This book which is in your hands explains the rituals used in our Holy Coptic Liturgy, and so gives us a unique opportunity to learn, benefit and take part in our church's holiest form ofworship, which is all for
Emmanuel our God.

May the book be a blessing to al1 those who read it, giving them a deeper understanding and wisdom and admiration of our wonderful liturgical rituals which are deeply enriched with spiritual and theological meanings.

We ask this through the pleadings of our pure mother the Virgin Saint Mary, and the prayers of our honoured father His Holiness Pope Shenouda III.

Bishop Mettaous
Bishop of St. Mary Monestry,
El Sorian.

In The Name Of The Father , And Of The Son And of The Holy Spirit, One God Amen.

THE SPIRITUALITY OF THE RITES OF
THE HOLY LITURGY IN THE COPTIC
ORTHODOX CHURCH

The word `rites' in Arabic is pronounced `tuks' which is
derived from the Greek word `taxis', meaning `a system'. In
the church this refers to the system of the Holy Service, that
is, the recitation of verbal prayers and the performing of the
holy symbolical movements. Such symbols include the shape
of the church, the utensils, the ranks of the priests and the
garments they wear. Every motion and/or action during the
worship, every action in and out of the Apostolic Orthodox
Church carries with it high spiritual meaning, some of which
may not be instantly apparent to everyone. Each rite carries
within itself a profound spiritual and doctrinal meaning for
the faithful to taste and experience during their public
worship.
GOD ENDORSES THE RITES OF THE CHURCH
God has set an order for everything, especially in the worship
offered to Him by man, as seen in the quotation,
"For God is not the author of confusion but of peace"
(1Cor.14:33),
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and also,
"Let all things be done decently and in order"
(1Cor.14:40).
The use of rites during worship has been a practice since
long ago. We read that Noah, after the Flood, built an altar
for the Lord and took from every clean animal and every
clean bird and offered Burnt Offerings on it... "And so, the
Lord smelled a soothing aroma" (Gen.8:20-21).
We may also read about the altar in the life of Abraham, the
beloved of the Lord, who built an altar for the Lord
wherever he went, calling on the Name of the Lord and
presenting Him with Burnt Offerings (Gen.12:7-8;13:18).
When the Lord asked him to offer his son as a sacrifice, he
went to the appointed place, built an altar, and placed wood
on it. He then bound Isaac his son and laid him upon the
wood on the altar, according to the rites of offering an
animal sacrifices at the time (Gen.22:9).
There are stories about ritualistic worship and the building of
altars in the life of Jacob, who, after coming back from
Haran, lived in Saccoth where he built an altar, calling it
`El Elohe Israel'(Gen.33:20).
He also built another altar in Luz, that is, Bethel (Gen.35:6).
In the days of Moses, God Himself established the rites of
worship. A great portion of The Book of Exodus and all of
the Book of Leviticus is dedicated to the explanation of rites;
God explained to Moses and Aaron all such details relating
to the rites of worship. His command was very strict and
whoever disobeyed it would not escape the heavenly
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punishment, which was exactly what happened to the sons of
Aaron - Nadab and Abihu - who disobeyed the rites, and
instead offered profane fire in the censer. The Lord sent fire
down from heaven to consume them and they died before the
Lord (Lev.10).
There is also the story of Uzziah the king.
"When he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his
destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God
by entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the
altar of incense" (2Chr.26:16).
The priests therefore went in after him saying,
"It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but
for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to
burn incense. Get out of the Sanctuary" (2Chr.26:18).
When Uzziah became furious and refused to get out, leprosy
broke out on his forehead, "so they thrust him out of that
place ... King Uzziah remained a leper until the day of his
death. He dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a
leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord"
(2Chr.26:20-21).
In the days of David, a man called Uzza put out his hand to
hold the Ark of the Covenant. No one was allowed to touch
the Ark of the Covenant except the priests, who carried it on
poles. The anger of the Lord was therefore aroused against
Uzza and he died there before God. This incident convinced
David to go back to the original rite, which the Lord Himself
instituted, in carrying the Ark of the Covenant. Three months
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later, when David wanted to transfer the Ark of the
Covenant to the city of David, he gave orders saying,
"No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the
Lord has chosen them to carry the Ark of God and to
minister before Him forever" (1Chr.15:2).
He then said to the chiefs of the Levites, "'You are the heads
of the fathers' houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves,
you and your brethren, that you may bring up the Ark of the
Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. For
because you did not do it the first time, the Lord our God
broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about
the proper order.
"So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to
bring up the ark of the Lord of Israel. And the children of
the Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders"
(1Chr.15:12-15).
Solomon also strictly followed the rites when he moved the
Ark of the Covenant from the tabernacle to the most holy
place in the Sanctuary, which he had built (2Chr.6). It is
written in the Bible that the Lord spoke in detail about such
places of deliverance and their specifications, even more than
He did about the creation in the Book of Genesis, which was
only briefly mentioned. He exhibited great care in detailing
the acceptable types of sacrifices, the ways of offering them,
and when they were to be offered. He also dedicated Aaron
and his sons as priests through whom the Liviticus
priesthood descended. The rest of the tribe of Levites, many
as they were, were devoted to minister to the tabernacle and
the rites of worship in it.
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The Lord also spoke in great detail about the Tabernacle and
the Sanctuary. The Lord deliberately repeated such details to
ensure that no single detail would be neglected. This
indicates how highly regarded by the Lord the rites are, as
they reflect the glory of worship and the sentiment of
reverence for the House of God and the Holy Sacraments.
Such rites refresh the spirit of the worshipper and simplify
the facts surrounding religion and theology so that even the
laity may appreciate them. Without such rites, worship
would be dry and boring.
OUR LORD JESUS AND THE RITUALS
The Lord Jesus Christ, although He is the Law Maker and
the Author, respected the rites of Moses. The Lord Jesus
respected the rite of circumcision, being circumcised on the
8th day, and was called Jesus, the name given by the angel
before He was conceived in the womb (Luke 2:21). He also
obeyed the laws of purification when His parents took Him
to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord,
"(As it is written in the law of the Lord, `Every male who
opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord'), and to
offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the
Lord `a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons'. (Luke
2:22-24).
The Lord Jesus respected and participated in all of the feasts
and assemblies, as seen in the following quotes:
"Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus
went up to Jerusalem...and many believed in His Name
when they saw the signs which He did" (John 2:13-
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23)..."Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacle was at
hand...but when His brothers had gone up, then He also
went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were, in secret....
Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the
temple and taught" (John 7:10-14), "And the Passover of
the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to
Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. Then
they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they
stood in the temple, "What do you think - that He will not
come to the feast?", meaning, shall He do something
different this year? (John 11:55-56).
Although the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders
to seize Christ (John 11:57), He entered Jerusalem in a great
ceremony on Palm Sunday and repeatedly went to the temple
until they arrested Him. When He wanted to institute the
Sacrament (the Mystery) of the Lord's Supper, He first
celebrated the rites of the Jewish Passover with His disciples,
and then He instituted the Eucharist (The New Passover).
After cleansing the leper the Lord Jesus instructed him to go
and show himself to the priests and offer the gift that Moses
commanded as a testimony to them (Matt.8:4). In doing this
He wanted to show the priests, the keepers of the law, that
He didn't come to break the law but to complement its
shortcomings and to make its rituals spiritually alive. He also
asked ten lepers to go and show themselves to the priests
and on the way they were cleansed (Luke 17:14).
Our beloved Lord Jesus Christ was the first to establish the
rituals of the Christian Church when He prepared the Upper
Room of Zion. He held the bread with His hands and mixed
the water and the wine. The Lord taught His disciples many
things, much of which was not revealed until after His
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Resurrection. These teachings were not recorded in the Holy
Scriptures but were handed to the disciples by word of
mouth,
"...to whom He also presented Himself alive after His
suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them
during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to
the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3).
The Holy Church is the earthly Kingdom of Heaven, and the
pillar and foundation of truth.
THE APOSTLES AND THE RITES
The Apostolic Fathers established the rituals of the Church
as they were handed down to them by the Lord Jesus Christ;
as the Apostle Paul says,
"For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered
to you" (1Cor.11:23),"...And the rest I will set in order
when I come" (1Cor.11:34).
St. Paul also instructed his disciple, Timothy, to ensure that
the precious rituals and doctrine are passed down through
the generations, saying,
"And the things that you have heard from me among
many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be
able to teach others also" (2Tim.2:2).
He also instructed his disciple Titus, saying,
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"For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in
order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders
(priests) in every city as I commanded you..." (Titus 1:5).
He was also very particular about establishing order within
the Church, as he said,
"Let all things be done decently and in order"
(1Cor.14:40),"...For God is not the author of confusion
but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints"
(1Cor.14:33).
RITUALS AND THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
The beauty of the Coptic Church is in its scriptural
foundation; she lives the spirit, and practices according to the
Words of the Holy Scriptures. Her prayers are biblically
founded and are organized according to the guidance of the
Holy Spirit. Every word in the book of the Holy Liturgy (the
Kholagy) has its origins in the Scriptures. Below are a few
examples; a prayer from the Liturgy is stated first, followed
by a reference from the Scriptures:
"O Great and Eternal God...", comes from,
"You show loving kindness to thousands - the great, the
Mighty God, whose name is the Lord of Hosts"
(Jer.32:18), and also, "For the Lord your God is God of
gods, and Lord of lords, the Great God, Mighty and
Awesome" (Deut.10:17).
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"...Death that entered into the world through the envy
of the devil...", refers to,
"As God created man in incorruption, in His image, and
through the envy of the deceiver, death entered into the
world" (The Wisdom of Sirach 2:23-24).
"...You have destroyed death by the life giving manifestation
of Your Only Begotten Son, our Lord, God and Savior Jesus
Christ...", refers to,
"According to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus"
(2Tim.1:1), "And without controversy great is the mystery
of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in
the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles,
believed on in the world , received up in
glory" (1Tim.3:14), "...Once at the end of the ages He has
appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself..."
(Heb.9:26).
"...Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth and goodwill
toward men...", comes from,
"Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth and
goodwill toward men" (Luke 2:14).
"...and make us all worthy, O our Master, to greet one
another with a holy kiss...", is taken from,
"Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of
Christ greet you" (Rom.16:16), "All the brethren greet
you. Greet one another with a holy kiss" (1Cor.16:16),
and, "Greet one another with a holy kiss" ( 2Cor.13:12).
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"...that we may partake of Your Immortal and Heavenly gift,
without falling into condemnation...", refers to,
"For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you
proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. Therefore who
eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an
unworthy manner, will be guilty of the Body and Blood of
the Lord...For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy
manner, eats and drinks judgment to himself, not
deserving the Lord's Body" (1Cor.11:27-32).
"...In Jesus Christ our Lord...", refers to,
"And in that day you will ask me nothing. Most assuredly
I say to you whatever you ask the Father in My Name, He
will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My
Name. Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full"
(John 16:23-24).
The Holy Liturgy is a living display of the Holy Scriptures.
The full edition of the Khology has been annotated to show
the Scriptural reference to each and every sentence in the
Liturgy.
THE COPTIC CHURCH AS A CHURCH OF PRAYER
The rituals of the Holy Liturgy are profoundly spiritual. On
the evening before for the Holy Mass the beautiful hymns
and praises of the Vespers Prayers are performed in
preparation for the following day's service. Psalms are
prayed, and praises and doxologies are sung. Then at dawn
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the Church recites the Psalms of the Midnight Prayers, with
its three services, followed by the Midnight Praise which is
chanted in about fifteen beautiful Coptic tunes. The Morning
Prayers are then prayed at sunrise, while the sun is spreading
its golden rays over the world, reminding us of the `Sun of
Righteousness', our Lord Jesus (Mal.4:2). During this time
we recite, "When the morning hour approaches, O Christ our
God, the True Light...." The morning doxologies greet Saint
Mary, the angels, the martyrs and all of the saints, all of
whom are felt to be present in the Church. Following this we
then raise the Incense of the Prime. (The Raising of Incense
is discussed in later chapters.)
From the time the priest enters the church his continuous
prayers begin, some spoken aloud, but many of which are
prayed in silence. In this way, the priest is kept busy in
prayer at every moment, lest his mind should wonder to any
earthly matters. Below are some of these prayers:
In Vespers during the Raising of Incense the priest
repeats, "The holy blessing of the Vespers Incense be with
us, Amen."
In the raising of the Morning Incense he repeats, "The
holy blessing of the Prime Incense be with us, Amen."
And so too, during the raising of the Pauline Incense he
repeats, "The holy blessing of Saint Paul, the Apostle of
Jesus Christ, be with us, Amen. "
And in the Praxis Incense (the Book of Acts) he repeats,
"The holy blessing of our fathers, the Apostles, be with us,
Amen."
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The congregation respond to " EFNOTI NAI NAN" with
the reply, "Have mercy upon us, O God", during which
time the priest prays the second litany of Saint Gregory,
"Healing for the sick, and comfort to the needy..." (Saint
Gregory Liturgy). Whilst praying, the priest raises the cross,
which is illuminated with three candles.
The Church constantly prays for the whole world; the sick,
the reposed, the orphans, the needy, the widows, the
travellers, the rulers, as well as the animals, plants and
vegetation, and the waters. Just as the Church advocates
intercession, we intercede for the whole world to her
Beloved Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ. The prayer of
the Midnight Absolution is a living example of a Church
which is concerned about every facet of the world, no matter
how small.
THE HEAVENLY EMBASSY
The Church, being a heavenly embassy, is the icon of heaven
on earth. All Church rituals and symbols are an earthly
representation of the heavenly world. According to the rites
of the Coptic Church, the entrance into the church should be
from the west so that when we enter we proceed to the East.
The reason for this is that the west symbolises darkness, the
place where the sun sets, but the east is the place of light.
Therefore, upon entering the church we are being
transformed from the darkness of sin to the True Light which
is Jesus Christ, our Lord. The curtain at the front of the
church represents the barrier of our sin; this is why, as the
priest pulls aside the curtain at the beginning of each prayer,
he says, "Have mercy upon us, O Father the Almighty, O
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Holy Trinity have mercy upon us, O Lord of Hosts be with
us for we have no other supporter in our tribulations but
You."
It is interesting to note that the Temple of Jerusalem had its
entrance to the East, while the worshippers faced the West;
this symbolised the destiny of all prior to the incarnation and
the death of Christ our Lord.
"'But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness
shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out
and grow fat like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the
wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet
on the day that I do this,' says the LORD of hosts"
(Mal.4:2).
RITUALS AND CHURCH STABILITY
It is obvious that Christian groups who want to maintain
continuity and stability in the church adapt a certain order for
their worship. Some splinter or extremist groups worship
with no order whatsoever and, as a result, lose their direction
and stability. If worship is shaped according to the moods
and fashions of the congregation, the church will inevitably
lose its stability. Such continuous erosion of the holistic
apostolic content eventually leads to the tragic neglect of the
needs of some members of the church. The apostolic system
of our church is permanent and unchangeable, fulfilling the
needs of all people at all times. Today we are observing that
members of many Christian denomination are starved of
spirituality. It is sad to see some of them focusing on non-
Christian sources to supplement their deficient spiritual diet.
We hope that Orthodoxy is rediscovered by these
communities before matters get worse.
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1 Raising of Incense
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THE RITUAL OF THE RAISING OF
INCENSE
The use of incense in the church is not a pagan ritual but a
Biblical fact which represents the prayers and praises of the
saints and angels, as seen in Revelations 8:3;
"Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and
stood at the altar. And he was given much incense, that he
should offer it, with the prayers of all the saints upon the
golden altar, which is before the throne."
Incense is raised during Vespers and Morning Prayers before
every liturgy, except those during the Great Lent which are
concluded late, and hence, incense is only raised during
Vespers on the Saturday night.
The Raising of Incense is an introduction and preparation for
the Liturgy, consisting of a collection of prayers, praises and
Thanksgiving prayers which request the Lord's blessings
upon the sacramental service. The Raising of Incense may be
performed on its own, not just as an introduction to the
Liturgy, but as an offer of the sacrifices of prayer and praise
to God through its sweet incense. However, the Raising of
Incense is mandatory prior to the Liturgy (except, of course,
during Lent, as just stated above), the minimum requirement
being the raising of the Prime Incense after the midnight
praises. The raising of Incense can be found in the Old
Testament. The Temple of Jerusalem contained a separate
altar for the raising of incense called the Incense Altar which
was different to the Altar of Offertory.
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DETAILS OF THE RAISING OF INCENSE
The priest enters the Church and opens the curtain saying,
"Have mercy upon us, O Father the Almighty, O Holy
Trinity have mercy upon us, O Lord of Hosts be with us for
we have no other supporter in our tribulations but You." He
then prays The Lord's Prayer and prostrates before the altar
saying, "We worship You, O Christ, with Your Gracious
Father and the Holy Spirit, for You have come/risen and
saved us." He then prostrates before the other priests and the
congregation saying, "Accept my prostration. Bless me and
forgive me." He exchanges a holy kiss with the other priests
as a sign of love, peace and reconciliation. He also turns to
the congregation and says, "Forgive me, I have sinned."
The absolution from the other priests, and the forgiveness
from the congregation is very important before starting the
prayers, for our beloved Saviour said,
"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything
against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven
may also forgive you your trespasses" (Mark 11:25).
Also the Apostle Paul says,
"Therefore I desire that men pray everywhere, lifting up
holy hands, without wrath and doubting" (1Tim.2:8).
The priest then stands reverently before the altar with his
hands raised, the cross in his right hand. The deacon stands
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behind the priest and begins praying the Thanksgiving
Prayer.
THE THANKSGIVING PRAYER
Our church begins every prayer session with the Prayer of
Thanksgiving, whether it be a liturgy, wedding, funeral,
baptism, or anything else. We thank the Lord on every
occasion, in every condition and for all things, in happiness
and in sadness, as well as in sickness and in health. We thank
Him, and believe that every circumstance is the Lord's will
and occurs with His permission, as it is said in Romans
(8:28),
"And we know that all things work together for good to
those who love God, to those who are the called according
to His purpose."
The priest prays audibly up until the phrase, "...and all the
powers of the devil...", then he must prays the inaudibly part-
as this part contains the Name of Christ; through Whom
every prayer is accepted, as He promised when He said,
"Most assuredly I say to you, whatever you ask the Father
in My Name He will give you" (John 16:23).
PERPETUAL PROSTRATIONS
After praying the Prayer of Thanksgiving, the priest
prostrates and kisses the entrance of the sanctuary. He then
enters the sanctuary with his right foot, as he is entering the
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Holy of Holies. He again prostrates before the altar and
kisses it. He prostrates as a humble request that God accept
his prayers, pleadings and sacrifices. Leaving the sanctuary
from the left side, he steps out with his right foot, his left
foot still facing the altar.
THE MYSTERY OF INCENSE PRAYERS
The priest stands before the altar and the deacon brings the
censer to him from the right side of the altar. The priest
places five spoonfuls of incense in the censer while making
the sign of the cross three times, thus consecrating the
incense to the Only One Holy God (not to idols or strange
gods), as it is written,
"From the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My
Name shall be great among the gentiles, in every place
incense shall be offered to My Name, and a pure offering"
(Malachi 1:11).
These five spoonfuls of incense represent the five righteous
men of the Old Testament who offered acceptable sacrifices
to the Lord, and the Lord smelled their pleasing aroma.
These men are:
1-ABEL, who offered the first born of his flock.
"Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of
their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering"
(Gen.4:4).
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2-NOAH, who, after coming out of the Ark, offered from
every pure animal and bird.
"Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every
clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt
offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing
aroma, then the Lord said in His Heart, `I will never again
curse the ground for man's sake'." (Gen.8:20-21).
3-MELCHIZEDEK, who offered bread and wine, a non-
blood sacrifice, and blessed Abraham. (Gen.14:18)
4-AARON, who offered sacrifices for himself and his
people,
"...and the fire came out from before the Lord, and
consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar," as a
sign that the Lord accepted the sacrifice (Lev.9:24).
5-ZACHARIAS, who entered the Sanctuary to offer
incense, and
"...the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the
right side of the altar, and announced to him the birth of
John" (Luke 1:8-22).
After placing the five spoonfuls of incense in the censer, the
priest receives the censer from the deacon with his right
hand. He places the hook of the censer on his little finger,
then holds the censer from the middle of its chain, also
holding the cross in his right hand.
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The priest offers incense before the altar while silently
reciting either the Mystery of Vespers prayer (evening), or
the prayer of the Morning Incense (Matins). The priest holds
the cross and the censer during the prayers and Bible
readings, unless a bishop is present, in which case, he is the
one who holds the cross and blesses the people with it.
THE MYSTERY OF VESPERS INCENSE
This special prayer is a deep spiritual prayer which the priest
is directing to our Lord Jesus Christ, the True Sacrifice and
the Lamb, Who is bearing the sins of the whole world. It
consists of verses from both the Old and New Testaments, as
seen below:
"O Christ our God, You are Great and Feared and True", as
mentioned in the book of Daniel (9:4),
"And I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession
and said, O Lord, Great and Awesome God, Who keeps
His covenant and mercy with those who love Him."
"...You are the Only Begotten Son...", as mentioned in the
Gospel of John (1:1),
"No one has seen God at any time, the Only Begotten Son
who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him."
"...The Logos (Word) of God the Father...", as written,
" In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). The disciple
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John saw Him "clothed with a robe dipped in blood and
His name is called the Word of God" (Rev.19:13).
"...Your Holy Name is fragrance poured forth...", as
Solomon mentioned in the Book of Songs (1:3),
"Your Name is ointment poured forth, therefore the
virgins love You."
"...And in every place, incense is offered before You...", as a
pure offering, as written in Malachi (1:11),
"For from the rising of the sun even to its going down, My
Name shall be great among the gentiles, in every place
incense shall be offered to My Name and a pure offering.
For My Name shall be great among the nations, says the
Lord of Hosts."
"...O Lord we ask You to accept our prayers, as incense
rising before You...", as mentioned in Psalm 140:2,
"Let my prayers be set before You as incense, the lifting
up of my hands as the evening sacrifice."
"...For You are the True evening sacrifice Who sacrificed
Yourself on the honoured cross for our sins...",as seen in
Ephesians (5:2), where the Apostle advises his children,
saying,
"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and given
Himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a
sweet smelling aroma," and again in Hebrews (7:27),
"...who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer
up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the
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people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up
Himself."
"...According to the Will of Your Good Father...", as
mentioned in the Gospel of St. John (3:16),
"For God so loved the world that He gave His Only
Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have everlasting life,"
and in Romans (8:32),
"He Who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up
for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us
all things."
"...He with Whom You are Blessed, and with the Holy
Spirit, the Life Giver, Who is of One essence with You now
and forevermore. Amen."
THE MORNING (MATIN) INCENSE PRAYER
In the prayer of the Morning Incense, the priest asks the
Lord to accept the incense offered to Him as He accepted
the offerings of the righteous Abel, the sacrifices of Noah
and Abraham, and the incense of Aaron and Zacharias. The
biblical references for each are detailed below:
"O God Who accepted the offerings of Abel the
righteous...", as seen in Genesis (4:4-5),
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"Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of
their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but
He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was
very angry, and his countenance fell."
"...The Sacrifice of Noah...", as seen in Genesis (8:20-21),
"Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every
clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt
offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled the pleasing
aroma."
"...And Abraham...", also mentioned in Genesis (22:2), when
Abraham willingly offered his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice, just
as the Lord had commanded him. When the Lord found
Abraham obedient, He stopped him from sacrificing his son
and told him to offer a ram that was tied by the horns to a
tree. The Lord accepted the offering and bestowed great and
valuable blessings on Abraham.
"...And the incense of Aaron...", as seen in Exodus (30:1-8),
when the Lord ordered Moses, saying, "You shall make an
altar to burn incense on...Aaron shall burn on it sweet
incense every morning when he tends the lamps, he shall
burn incense on it. And when Aaron lights the lamps at
twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense
before the Lord throughout your generation."
"...And Zacharias...", as in Luke (1:5-13),
"So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God
in the order of his division, according to the custom of the
priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into
the temple of the Lord. Then an angel of the Lord
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appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of
incense...the angel said to him...'for your prayer is heard
and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son'...."
"...Accept this incense from our hands, us sinners...", the
priest thus asking God to accept the incense offered to Him,
as He had accepted the offerings and sacrifices of the five
righteous men, and also as He accepted the atoning sacrifice
of Christ as a pleasing aroma, as spoken by the Apostle Paul
in Ephesians (5:2) when he said,
"Walk in love as Christ also has loved us, and given
Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God, for a
sweet smelling aroma."
"...For the forgiveness of our sins with the rest of your
people...", which asks for the remission of his own sins and
those of his congregation, as he is our intercessor before the
throne of Heavenly Grace.
"...For Blessed and full of Glory is Your Holy Name, O
Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forevermore,
Amen."
THE BLOOD SACRIFICE - ITS ORIGIN, MEANING
AND CESSATION
Biblical scholars say that when Adam and Eve fell God told
them to offer a blood sacrifice of an animal without blemish.
This sacrifice was to be an archetype of the blood of Christ,
Who crushed the devil, for as it is written in the book of
Hebrews (9:22),
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"There is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood."
After Adam offered his sacrifice, "The Lord God made
tunics of skin, and clothed them" (Gen.3:21),
to protect them from their shame and nakedness, through
which they would realise the need of a Saviour to shed His
Blood and redeem them. In His death, the Lord was hung
naked on the cross so that with His holy resurrection, He
would clothe us in purity and righteousness.
From time to time, Adam offered such blood sacrifices after
being banished from Paradise so that the Lord might have
mercy upon him and forgive him. His obedient son, Abel,
learnt these rituals from his father, and when he offered a
blood sacrifice of the first born of the best of his sheep the
Lord accepted his sacrifice because it was offered according
to the law.
God rejected the offering of Cain, because his sacrifice was
not according to the law. By not offering a blood sacrifice,
he showed that he did not feel the need for atonement. God
also rejected his offerings because of his evil deeds.
In the New Testament, our offerings are no longer a blood
sacrifice but are from the fruits of the land and its produce.
God accepts them because, through His Incarnation and
death, the curse was taken away from the land. At His Birth,
the angels were singing
"Glory be to God in the Highest, Peace be on earth, and
good will towards man" (Luke 2:14).
During His Incarnation, He walked on the land and purified
it. When He died He was buried in a
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tomb engraved in the earth, and so He purified it.
"To the pure all things are pure" (Titus 1:15).
THE THREE MAJOR LITANIES
The priest then goes around the altar three times with the
censer, silently praying the Three Major Litanies, namely, the
`Litany of the Peace of the World and Church', the
`Litany of the Fathers', and the `Litany of the
Gatherings', while the congregation sings the Verse of the
Cymbals. Facing him on the opposite side of the altar is the
deacon who holds the cross and responds. The following is a
summary of what the priest does around the altar. This is
known as the Incense Circuit.
THE THREE CIRCUITS OF INCENSE AROUND THE
ALTAR
After concluding the prayers of the Mystery of the Incense,
the priest stands before the altar, facing East, and praying
the introduction to the Litany of Peace, saying, "Remember
O Lord the safety of Your Holy, Apostolic Church...", while
continuing to raise incense. Firstly, the priest raises incense
over the altar towards the right of the throne (where the
chalice is kept), then on the left side of the throne, and finally
in front of the throne. He then swings the censer in a full
circle before the altar, from left to right. This is done
carefully so that no embers from the censer fall onto the
floor. This motion of offering three times over the altar, then
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in a circular motion, represents The Holy Trinity, in One
Essence.
While the priest is raising incense and praying the
introduction to the Litany of Peace, the deacon stands
opposite him on the other side of the altar and says, "Pray
for the peace of the One, Holy, Universal and Apostolic
church of God." The priest, incensing in front of the altar,
then proceeds to the right of the altar; while walking, he
says, "That which exists from one end of the world to the
other."
It is worthy of note that the priest must not offer incense
unless he is facing due East or due West.
As he proceeds from the West side of the altar to the East,
the priest prays, "Remember O Lord the safety of Your
Church...remember our gatherings. Bless them." Then as he
faces due West, looking at the clergymen and the
congregation, he offers prayers for them saying, for example,
"Remember O Lord our Patriarch.... Let Your people be
thousands and thousands...." Then the priest stands to the
East of the altar while facing West, raising incense and
saying, "Remember O Lord our honourable Pope Abba
(Shenouda III)...and his brother in the apostolic ministry, our
father the honoured Metropolitan (or bishop) Abba...." The
deacon stands in the opposite direction (West facing East),
raises the cross and replies, "Pray for our Pontiff Pope
Abba...Pope and Patriarch of the great city of Alexandria,
and his brother in the Apostolic ministry, our father
Metropolitan (or bishop) Abba...and for our Orthodox
bishops." The priest then raises incense to the South saying,
"Preserve them for many years to come." He then moves to
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the West and offers incense towards the East while
saying, "Remember, O Lord, our gatherings. Bless them."
The deacon stands in front of him, East of the altar, saying,
"Pray for this holy church, and all our gatherings." The priest
moves to the right of the altar and says, "Grant that they may
be unto us without obstacle or hindrance, that we may hold
them according to Your holy and blessed will." Again the
priest moves to the East of the altar, and raising incense
towards the West says, "Houses of prayer, houses of purity,
houses of blessing, grant them unto us O Lord, and Your
servants, who shall come after us forever." The term `house
of prayer' also should describe our own home if it is worthy
of such a holy description in that it is not defiled with
unclean acts.
The deacon completes his activity around the altar in silence.
Moving to the West of the altar, he raises incense, saying,
"Arise O Lord God. Let all Your enemies be scattered and
flee before Your face." Moving to the East of the altar, he
raises incense towards the West, facing the congregation,
and says, "But let Your people be in blessing, thousands of
thousands and ten thousand times doing Your will." Moving
West of the altar and raising incense toward the East, he
says, "By the grace, compassion and love of Your Only
Begotten Son, our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ,
through Whom glory, honour, dominion and power are due
unto You, with Him and the Holy Spirit the life-giver, Who
is of one essence with You, now and at all times and unto the
age of all ages, Amen." The priest kisses the altar, and comes
out from the sanctuary without turning his back on the altar.
He steps out of the altar with his left foot, while still facing
the altar.
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In the following page we Summarise the circuits with a
diagram.
After leaving the sanctuary, the priest raises incense before
the sanctuary three times; the first time saying, "We worship
You O Christ our God with Your gracious Father, and the
Holy Spirit for You have come and saved us." The second
time he says, "But as for me, I will come into Your house in
the multitude of Your mercy, in fear of You I will worship
toward Your holy temple" (Ps.5:7). The third time, he says,
"I will praise You with my whole heart. Before the angles
I will sing praises to You" (Ps.137:1-2).
He then raises incense once to the North of the sanctuary
where the icon of St. Mary is displayed, and says, "We hail
you with Archangel Gabriel. Hail to you highly favoured one,
the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women" (Luke
1:28).
Then he turns and raises incense towards the West, saying,
"Hail to the hosts of angels, hail to my fathers the apostles,
the martyrs and all the saints."
He At this point the priest faces the congregation who are
standing together in rows, resembling the Heavenly
Jerusalem where the angels and saints dwell, then raises
incense to the South of the sanctuary where the icon of John
the Baptist is always placed, and says, "Hail to John, son of
Zacharias, hail to the priest the son of the High Priest."
The priest then raises incense once more towards the East,
thus ending the procession in the name of the Lord, saying,
"Let us worship our Saviour, the beloved of mankind,
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because He had mercy on us and saved us." He faces the
East and waits until the congregation finishes chanting the
Verse of the Cymbals, then starts praying the appropriate
litanies. The priest, standing at the door of the sanctuary,
raises incense in all four directions, signifying that God is
Omnipresent and can hear our prayers.
THE LITANY OF THE DEPARTED
The Litany of the Reposed is always prayed during the
raising of the Incense of Vespers.
Praying for the departed is very important and a well
established teaching in the Coptic Church for numerous
reasons:
It declares that the souls of those who have passed
away are still alive, unlike the animals, because God
said, "I am the God of the living, not of the dead," so
we have to remember those living souls whenever we
pray, striving to help them attain eternal happiness.
It confirms the Resurrection; we ask God to raise
their bodies on the Judgment Day and forgive their
petty mistakes which they may not have had a chance
to repent and confess before dying.
It verifies the Day of Judgment; through our prayers
for the reposed, we confess the day of reckoning,
reminding some, and teaching others, to be watchful of
their deeds.
It ensures that nobody has yet received their full
reward, as written in the book of Hebrews (11:39),
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"And all these, having obtained a good testimony through
faith, did not receive the promise."
It helps us to always remember that the reposed are
our brethren and we should remember them, for it is
written,
"The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance"
(Ps.112:6).
It comforts the living in knowing that we shall
receive everlasting life, and grants us patience.
It fulfils our debt towards the reposed, for God
ordered us, as mentioned by the Apostle James,
"pray for one another" (James 5:16).
St. Dionisious, a disciple of St. Paul, said, "The prayers of
the righteous benefit the reposed. If the reposed's sins were
trivial there would be great benefit from what was done for
him after his departure. However, if his sins were serious and
heavy, the Lord has already closed the door."
THE LITANIES OF THE SICK, THE TRAVELLERS
AND THE OFFERING
When raising the Morning Incense during weekdays, the
priest prays the Litanies of the Sick and of the Travellers, but
on Sundays and on holy feast days, the Church anticipates
that no one would be travelling, but rather, they are
attending the Liturgy or celebrating the feast, bringing their
offerings and oblations. Therefore the Litany of the Offerings
is prayed instead of the Travellers on these days.
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A beautiful section of the Litany of the Offerings is a plea to
God, which says, "And those who are desiring to offer but
they have nothing, give them the incorruptible instead of the
corruptible, the heavenly instead of the earthly, the
everlasting instead of the transient. Fill their houses and
stores with good things." The Church perpetually prays for
those who wanted to offer, but were unable to due to lack of
means.
In this litany it becomes apparent that the Church raises the
standing of the offerings to the level of a sacrifice, saying,
"Accept them on Your holy, heavenly altar as a fragrance of
incense", as the Apostle Paul teaches us,
"Do not forget to do good and to share, for with such
sacrifices God is well pleased" (Heb.13:16).
Good deeds are a sacrifice of love and kindness which one
offers to others, resembling the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus
Christ on the cross Who died for our salvation,
"For God so loved the world that He gave His Only
Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life" (John3:16).
The Apostle Paul says,
"And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up
for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Eph.5:2).
The priest prays the Litany of Offerings at the altar, facing
East, not at the door of the sanctuary where the rest of the
litanies are prayed.
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The Litany of Offerings is usually prayed when the Lamb is
present in the church, that is, during weekdays. On Sundays
and the Lordly feasts, however, the Litany of Offerings is
prayed even if the Lamb is not present in the church.
On Saturday mornings, the Litany of the Reposed is said, in
commemoration of our Lord Jesus Christ in the tomb on
Easter Saturday.
Some Points About the Litanies
The Litany of the Reposed is prayed during
Vespers, that is at sunset, to remind the believers that
our lives on earth shall one day come to an end.
The Litany of the Sick is said in the morning
because the church is like a hospital which opens its
door for the sick and wounded and cures them, as St.
John Chrysostom described it.
The Mystery of Anointing the Sick is said in the
morning when the priest, deacons, and those who are
sick are all fasting.
The Litany of the Travellers is prayed in the morning
because, in the past, people would only travel in the
morning light when it was safe to do so. David the
Psalmist says,
"While the sun rises man goes out to his work and to his
labor until the evening" (Ps.104:22-23).
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THE PROCESSION OF INCENSE
After the priest finishes praying the litanies at the door of the
sanctuary he enters the sanctuary, saying, "By the grace,
compassion, and love of mankind of Your Only Begotten
Son, Our Lord, God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through
Whom glory, honour...." He then puts one spoonful of
incense into the censer and makes a sign of the cross, saying,
"Glory and honour, honour and glory to the Holy Trinity, the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit now and forevermore,
Amen." Then he offers incense over the altar three times;
The first time he says, "We worship You O Christ
our God, with Your gracious Father and the Holy
Spirit, for You have come and saved us."
The second time he says, "But as for me, I will
come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy.
In fear of You, I will worship towards Your holy
temple."
The third time the priest says, "Before the angels I
will sing praises to You. I will worship toward Your
holy temple." (Psalm 138:1-2)
THE VIRGIN'S INCENSE
The priest then turns to the North and stands before the icon
of St. Mary. The tradition of the Coptic Church is to place
the icon of St. Mary to the right of the temple's veil,
according to the verse,
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"King's daughters are among Your honourable women, at
Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir"
(Ps.45:9).
Raising incense before her, the priest says, "We greet you
with Gabriel the angel, saying, `Peace be with you, O full of
grace, the Lord is with you'."
THE HEAVENLY INCENSE
Then the priest turns towards the West and, raising incense,
says, "Hail to the hosts of angels and my fathers the apostles,
the martyrs, and all the saints."
While facing West the priest views the worshippers standing
in their rows, appearing to be in awe and reverence,
reminding him of heaven where hosts of angels, apostles and
saints are standing before the Lord's throne, praising Him
endlessly. The priest then offers incense to the congregation.
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST'S INCENSE
Moving to the south of the sanctuary door, the priest then
stands before the icon of John the Baptist, son of Zacharias,
and says,
"Hail to John, son of Zacharias, hail to the priest the son of
the High."
The icon of John the Baptist is placed on the Southern side
of the sanctuary's door, next to the icon of our Lord Jesus
Christ. We notice during the procession of Palm Sunday and
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of the Holy Cross that the chapter from the Bible about John
the Baptist is read to the South of the sanctuary door.
The priest once again raises incense towards the
East, saying, "Let us worship our Saviour, the Good Lover
of mankind, because He has had compassion upon us and has
come and saved us."
In raising the incense towards the East, the priest has
completed a full circle, signifying that the start and the end of
the offering is to God alone, for He is the beginning and the
end, "the Alpha and the Omega" (Rev.22:13).
He then offers the incense to the Lectionary (Coptic first),
then the (Arabic/English), while saying, "We worship the
Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to Whom is the Glory
forever, Amen.".
He takes the blessings of the Bible by touching it with his
hand and then kisses it. The `Katameros' (the lectionary)
should be opened to the correct readings, while the priest is
offering this incense.
THE OFFERING OF INCENSE TO HOLY RELICS
OR A HIGH PRIEST
If there are holy relics of saints in the church, the priest is to
offer them incense.
If the Pope, a Metropolitan or Bishop is present, the priest
bows before them, offering incense three times;
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The first time saying, "May the Lord preserve the
life of our Pope / Metropolitan / Bishop...."
The second time saying, "Preserve him, O Lord, for
many years and safe periods."
The third time saying, "Bring all his enemies under
his feet quickly." He then kisses the cross and the hand
of the Pope, Metropolitan or Bishop and says, "Ask
God to forgive us our sins."
There is no formal written note as to what the Pope or
Bishop says in response to being offered incense, however,
the author has heard a Bishop respond with the same prayer
as that with which a priest responds, saying, "The Lord
preserve your priesthood like Melchizedek, Aaron, Zacharias
and Simeon the priests of the Most High God, Amen." The
prostration and offering of incense before a high priest is not
done because we worship the priest himself (as some people
might think) but to offer him incense, being our spiritual
leader, so that he can plead for us (intercede) and raise the
incense to God on our behalf. This tradition can be seen also
in public life, whereby appropriate people are chosen to
present to a king or a leader the gifts or messages on behalf
of others. In doing this, they show their respect and
reverence to the king or leader, while, at the same time,
securing acceptance of the gift, or the consideration of the
petition. It is for these reasons that incense is offered to the
Patriarch or the Bishop. Because he has the seniority in
priesthood, the incense is offered to him which he then offers
with his prayers to the Lord, praying to the Lord on behalf of
the people and the clergy. The priest asks the Patriarch or
Bishop to intercede for us when he says, "Pray for us to the
Lord Jesus to forgive our sins." This explanation therefore
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refutes some people's objections to incensing or prostrating
before the Pope or a Bishop.
PROSTRATION
The Coptic Church, in its humble and meek spirit, teaches
her children three types of prostration, or metanias (bowing).
These are:
1. Prostration of Worship
These are the prostrations offered to God during our
individual or public worship, such as at the beginning of each
of the hourly prayers when we say "Lord have mercy...." St.
Isaac said about such prostrations, "Bow at the beginning of
your worship, asking God from your heart, with humiliation,
to give you patience and control over your thoughts during
prayers." Mar John Casian said about the monks in Egypt, "I
saw them in prayer. When they have finished reciting the
Psalm they do not prostrate themselves in a hurry, as if it is a
duty they want to get out of the way, like many of us do. On
the contrary, they stand for a while to raise a short prayer,
then they prostrate themselves in awe and great devotion.
After that, they get to their feet in a brisk manner, standing
uprightly with all their thoughts absorbed in prayer."
The Church's Canon define the number and arrangement of
such prostrations by saying, "the worshipper starts his prayer
either with one or three prostrations. He should kneel down
after each psalm or praise, or whenever the words "kneeling
down" are contained in the prayer." Believers (and in
particular monks) who prostrate themselves as a daily
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routine during prayer follow these regulations. The aim of
prostration is to offer thanks to the Lord for His great
mercies, or for His help in a certain matter. These are known
as thanksgiving prostrations.
Another aim of prostrating in prayer is to implore the Lord
to grant us certain virtues or to pray for other people, saying
such things as,
"Thank You my Lord Jesus Christ, for You...", or,
"Grant me, O Lord, the life of purity", or,
"Grant me, O Lord, the life of patience and
tolerance", or,
"Grant me, O Lord, the life of complete love", or
focusing on any of the other virtues.
Also a person may devote a number of prostrations on behalf
of those who have asked him to pray for them. He may be
motivated to offer worships for them without their
knowledge through his love for them and his awareness of
their needs. One may also devote some prostrations to the
Lord for the Church and its fathers, or for the safety of the
world and its leaders, and so on.
On the topic of prostration in prayer, Mar Isaac said,
"Do not think that prostrating yourself before God
is a light matter. None of all the good deeds equals
persevering in completing prayers with prostrations."
He also said,
"Compel yourself to kneel down before God, for
this invigorates the spirit of prayer." Also,
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"Persistence in offering bows every now and then,
will give the vigilant worshipper the ideal atmosphere
for worshipping." And also,
"A love for continual prostration before God during
prayer is an indication that the soul has died to the
world and has realised the mystery of the new life."
The Church does not allow prostration on Saturdays and
Sundays or during the fifty days of Pentecost or after having
Holy Communion.
2. The Prostration of Repentance
There are two types of these prostrations:
Offering metanias to God, asking Him to have
mercy on us, to give us the life of repentance and to
forgive us our sins. These prostrations may be given as
a task from our father of confession for the repentance
of a certain sin, either for practice or as a corrective
measure.
Offered by a person to his brethren after a meeting
of discussion or reconciliation. The other party should
accept these metanias and offer a similar metania in
return, then they should shake hands in love,
reconciliation and forgiveness, as it is written in the
Bible,
"Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you,
rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins
against you seven times a day and seven times a day
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returns to you, saying, `I repent,' you shall forgive him"
(Luke 17:3-4).
The word "metanoia" is a Greek word which means
repentance, that is, to change the mind from that which is
wrong to that which is right. St. Paul says,
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may
prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of
God" ( Romans 12:2).
Prostrations offered from the heart are a powerful action in
attempting to attain the forgiveness of those whom you have
transgressed against. If sincere, they can wipe out all effects
of insult or transgression, and refill the heart with a love
greater than it felt before.
In "The Paradise of the Fathers" a famous spiritual book
on the life and sayings of the desert fathers, there is a story
about two brothers who were devout monks living in the
wilderness of Sheheet. The devil became keen to drive a
wedge between these two brothers. One day the younger
brother lit a lamp and put it on its stand, but through Satan's
trickery, the lamp fell down and was extinguished. The older
monk became very upset and hit his brother. At this, the
younger brother bowed down and said, "Do not get upset
my brother. Just be patient and I will light the lamp again",
repeating himself many times. When God saw how meek the
younger brother was He tortured that devil until morning.
The devil then went to the leader of demons, and told him
what had happened. A priest of the idols who served the
demons heard this story, and upon hearing it, left everything,
believed, and joined the order of the monastic life. Right
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from the start of his monasticism, he practiced humility. He
used to say, "Humility can overcome, dissolve and suppress
all the power of the enemy.
He once said: "I once heard demons say to each other,
`Every time we are found between monks, we see them
offering metanias to each other, suppressing our powers'."
Prostrations and repentance are signs of humility, a fear of
God, and the following of the commandments by the
worshipper. Such virtues cannot be tolerated by the devil, as
it burns him.
3. Prostrations of Honour
There are two kinds of these prostrations:
i. Metanias offered before the bodies of the martyrs and
saints to honour their bodies because they endured devotion,
hunger, thirst, tears and sweat on account of their great love
for our Lord, Jesus Christ. Through this they became a
dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. We honour them
according to the promise of our Lord, Who said,
"For those who honour Me, I will honour, and those who
despise Me, shall be lightly esteemed" (1Sam.2:30).
With such prostrations we also honour God, Who worked in
them and led them to the shores of eternal peace. Through
honouring the saints we also ask for their prayers and
intercessions, as they reflect the Light of Christ. As the saints
are a mirror image of the Light of Christ, this Light is then
transmitted to us.
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The prayers and intercessions of the saints are a formidable
power and blessing, working in favour of our salvation and
spiritual well being. In heaven the saints fulfil the Lord's Will
by caring and supplicating for us. Here on earth, we too fulfil
God's will by honouring their commemorations and
glorifying their relics and icons. We also ask them to
envelope us with their love and prayers of intercession.
There are no barriers between heaven and earth, but instead,
a strong communication between us and the saints, based on
supplication and prayers.
His grace Abba Gregorious, Bishop of Higher Studies and
Research, was asked, "Would your Grace shed some light on
the church's teachings regarding honouring the saints'
relics?", to which he answered, "The relics of the saints have
engravings on them, telling their life stories; of their strife
and their virtues. Didn't the Apostle Paul say,
`I bear on my body the marks of Lord Jesus'? (Gal.6:17)
Every strain that was felt by St. Paul left a mark on his body.
This happens to everyone. When an autopsy is performed on
someone's skull, they find that his knowledge, his feelings
and sensations, and his spiritual, mental and carnal
experiences have all left marks on his brain. These marks are
known as wrinkles. Affected also are most of the body's
organs."
The struggles of life leave marks not only on the outside of
the body, but also on every cell inside the body. This is why
the same body that slept will rise in resurrection; whatever
one sews he will reap. Each body therefore differs from
every other body. In resurrection, the molecules of one body
will not be mixed with those of other bodies, despite
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decomposition. In other words, there will be no mix up
between bodies because each individual body will have the
marks of his own life, and that will distinguish it from all the
others. For this reason we honour the relics of the saints. We
realise and we believe that those relics were the dwellings of
the saints, and on every part of these relics are the marks of
their lives. Every bone of St. Athanasious, for example, bears
the qualities of St. Athanasious. Every molecule of his
organs or his bones summarise his whole life.
ii. Metanias offered to the fathers of the Church, the
Patriarch or bishops, are the second type of Prostrations of
Honour in which we honour them as a sign of our love and
obedience as they are ambassadors for Christ and successors
of the Apostles in the holy Church. We also prostrate in
worship to the Holy Spirit which dwells in them, through
which they consecrate altars and ordain priests and deacons.
The Holy Bible is full of evidence that Prostrations of Honor
to the clergy are proper. Here are just four examples taken
from many.
Firstly, Joshua bowed to the commander of the
Lord's army (Joshua 5:14).
Secondly, the man who came to inform David about
the death of both Saul and Jonathan bowed before him
(2 Sam 1:2).
Thirdly, the third captain of fifty men fell on his
knees before Elijah (2 Kings 1:13).
Finally, King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face before
Daniel (Dan.2:46).
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In the New Testament a rich young man, when he saw Jesus,
thought he was one of the good Jewish teachers and ran and
knelt before Him, asking Him,
"O Good teacher, what should I do to inherit the eternal
life?" (Mark 10:17).
His kneeling to Christ was therefore not to worship Him, as
he did not know of His Divinity, but rather for honoring as
he was used to doing with his Jewish teachers. There was
also a woman who, upon approaching Christ,
"...came and fell at His feet and...kept asking Him to cast
the demon out of her daughter" (Mark 7:25,26).
Once again a prostration of honour and not of worship. The
father of the epileptic boy bowed to Jesus to honor Him, as
the man knew nothing about His Divinity,
"and when they came to the crowd, a man came up to Him
and kneeling before Him said, "Lord, have mercy on my
son" (Matt.17:14-15).
Honouring the fathers of the Church is a holy obligation. St.
Paul the Apostle teaches us this, saying,
"Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double
honour, especially those who Labor in the word and
teaching" ( 1Tim.5:17).
As for the kneeling of Cornelius (the centurion in the Roman
army) before Peter (Acts 10:26), it seemed that the pagan
Roman officer bowed in worship as he had been accustomed
to do before the Roman emperors, who considered
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themselves divine. Furthermore, Cornelius heard about St.
Peter from a holy Angel in a divine vision. The Angel said
nothing to Cornelius concerning his salvation; he left that to
St. Peter, saying,
"Simon Peter will tell you what to do."
Cornelius over-reacted and exaggerated in his honor for St.
Peter, who stopped him before he went too far. The Apostles
Paul and Barnabas did a similar thing in Lystra when the
priest of Zeus brought oxen and wreaths to their gates and
wanted to offer sacrifices with the people, saying,
"The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men"
(Acts 14:13).
History also tells us that Abba Antonious the Great, father of
all monks, used to honour the clergymen. Apostolic St.
Athanasious, wrote in his famous book, `The Life of Abba
Antonious', "...moreover, he was docile and meek with a
humble spirit. Although he had reached very high standards
himself, he still strictly observed the Church Canon and
tended to honour all clergymen more than himself. He never
shunned away from bowing before Bishops of priests.".
In the biography of Apostolic Patriarch Athanasious, the
twentieth Pope of Alexandria, we read, "When Abba
Macidonious, Bishop of Phyla Island in Nuba, slept in the
Lord, the people chose priest Marcus, one of his disciples to
take his place. A deputation of the people accompanied
priest Marcus, the Bishop Designate, to Alexandria to see
Pope Athansious regarding the consecration. When they
arrived in Alexandria and asked for the Pope, he was
nowhere to be found in the Patriarchate or in the church as
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he was known to have loved seclusion and
calmness. Someone told the delegation that the Pope had
been hiding in a small monastery west of Alexandria and he
volunteered to take them there. As the delegation
approached the monastery, a deacon came out to meet them
and they told him of the delegation's mission. The deacon
went back inside the monastery and told the Pope. The
delegation went inside and fell down on their knees to the
ground at the sight of the Pope. The Holy Spirit had already
revealed to the Pope the reason for the delegation's mission
and of the selection of Marcus as successor to Abba
Macidonious before they had even arrived."
In the Sinaxarium (20th Toot) is the story of St. Theobesty,
who, although her husband had died while she was still in the
prime of her life, she pledged to wear the robe of monks. She
went to see Abba Maccari, Bishop of Nicea (in the province
of Menoufia, Egypt) and knelt down before him. After
receiving his blessings she asked him to pray over her and
dress her in the robe of monks. These examples show us that
Prostrations of Honor before the Patriarchs and the Bishops
is an old and established tradition in the holy church.
THE OFFERING OF INCENSE TO A HEGOMEN
This procedure occurs during the raising of the Morning or
Vespers Incense, and also in the Liturgy. After the priest
offers the incense to the attending Patriarch or Bishop he
incenses to the priests who are present. The priest who
performs the Incense Round opens the palms of his hands,
the censer still hanging from the little finger of his right hand.
He then says to the hegomen, "I ask you, my father the
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hegomen, to remember me in your prayers, so that our Lord
Jesus may forgive me my numerous sins." The hegomen
places his right palm on the open left palm of the serving
priest and then turns his hand over with the back of his hand
touching the priest's palm. Moving his hand, he then does
the same thing on the priest's right palm. He performs the
whole procedure twice through, after which the two of them
hold hands and prostrate before each other, kissing each
other's hand. At this time, the hegomen responds to the
priest's request by saying, "May the Lord preserve your
priesthood like Melchizedek, Aaron, Zacharias and Simeon,
the priests of the Most High God, Amen."
The above procedure takes place when the priest who is
incensing is the associate priest and not the serving priest
(the one offering the sacrifice). If the incensing priest is also
the serving priest, the hegomen says, "May the Lord accept
your sacrifice like Melchizedek, Aaron, Zacharias and
Simeon, the priests of the Most High God, Amen", the word
sacrifice being substituted for the word priesthood.
THE OFFERING OF INCENSE TO A PRIEST
The procedure is the same as that stated above, whereby the
priest who is to perform the Incense Circuit opens the palms
of his hands, the other priest responding in the same way as
in the case of a hegomen (as seen above), his response being
guided by whether or not the priest is offering the sacrifice.
Some Points on Offering Incense to the Clergy
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The aim of offering incense to clergymen, in
general, is to involve them all in the offering of incense
and in raising their prayers and supplications to the
Lord. This intention can be seen in the incensing
priest's request of his associate which asks the
associate to pray for him, while they offer incense to
the Lord together, coupled with a supplication for the
Lord's assistance. This is known as the `Fellowship of
Incense'. Such `fellowship' can be seen in the Bible
when the Apostle Paul said,
"They gave me and Barnabas the right hand of
fellowship" (Gal 2:9),
referring to the Apostles who gave them fellowship
as they were fellows in the ministry.
Incense is offered three times before a bishop, twice
before a hegomen, and once before a priest. The
priestly kiss that is exchanged between a priest and a
hegomen is called `The Oath of the Community', that
is, the community of `incense'.
The tradition of offering incense to the clergy is still
followed in some other orthodox Churches.
The detail given in the Liturgy to describe the
offering of incense to the clergy is evidence of its
importance as being a proper rite of the church.
It is stated here that the offering of incense to a
Bishop is the same as offering it to a priest, except for
the difference in the number of hands offered (3 to the
bishop, 2 to the hegomen and 1 to the presveter).
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THE INCENSE CIRCUIT OUTSIDE THE ALTAR
After incensing before the clergymen, the Incense Tour
around the Church begins. Most churches nowadays have
four rows of pews, with three aisles between them; to the
North, south, and central. When the community of Incense
finishes, the priest walks to the North of the sanctuary door
to the iconostacis and offers incense before the icons of the
angels, the apostles and saints. Here he prays such prayers
as:
"Hail to Archangel Gabriel", while standing before
Archangel Gabriel's icon,
"Hail to the martyr, St. George", before the icon of
St. George,
"Hail to the martyr, Saint Mina", before the icon of
Saint Mina, or
"Hail to the Saint Abba Antonious", before the icon
of Abba Antonious.
He continues as such until he reaches the door of the
northern sanctuary where he bows and raises incense saying,
"Hail to the sanctuary of God the Father."
He then continues offering incense before the icons on the
North side of the iconostacis.
After offering incense before the icons to the North of the
sanctuary the priest proceeds Westward among the
congregation, offering incense and blessing them, saying,
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During Vespers Incense: "The blessing of the
Vespers incense be with us, Amen."
During Morning Incense: "The blessing of the
Morning incense be with us, Amen."
He then walks to the North-West corner of the Church
behind all the seats at the back and then walks South until he
reaches the centre walkway. He walks down the centre
walkway towards the East until he reaches the middle
sanctuary door, then he turns South to the iconostasis and
offers incense to the icons there. He continues incensing
before the icons on the South side of the iconostacis until he
reaches the Southern sanctuary door where he bows and
offers incense to the icons.
Moving from the Southern door the priest then he proceeds
Westward down the Southern-most aisle of the Church,
offering incense to the congregation and blessing them while
repeating the phrase, "The Holy blessing of Vespers
Incense/Matin Incense be with us, Amen.".
The congregation respond with silent words of repentance,
such as, "Lord Jesus Christ forgive me my sins of which I am
aware, and those of which I am unaware", or maybe, "O
God, forgive me for I am a sinner", or they may pray the
Repentance Psalm (Ps.51), which begins, "Have mercy upon
us O God...." The priest continues down the Southern
walkway in a Westerly direction, until he reaches the back of
the Church where he then turns North and travels behind the
pews to the centre aisle. Again, he walks down the centre
toward the East, while offering incense and blessing the
congregation as before.
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Some Points About the Incense Circuit
In ancient churches the words, "Hail to the sanctuary of
God the Father", was written on the front of the sanctuary
door. The Church insists on calling it the sanctuary of "God
the Father" for three reasons:
The Liturgy that is celebrated in the sanctuary is for
God the Father.
The sacrifice of the Liturgy is the Body and Blood
of God the Son.
God, also being The Holy Spirit, sanctifies the
mysteries and turns them into the True Body and
Blood of Christ.
The priest offers incense to the icons of the martyrs and
saints, believing that they are with us in spirit and praying
with the priest. The martyrs and saints accept the incense and
support us with their prayers and supplications exactly as
though they were living; as they are now living in the unseen
victorious Church while we are living in the struggling
Church on earth.
Incense is only offered before icons that have been
consecrated by the holy Mayroun oil. There is a special ritual
for consecrating the icons which is performed by a
bishop.<$FOn the issue of offering incense to the Icons of
our Lord, God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, there are two
opinions; one is that we should say, "Holy God", both for the
regular offering and on a special occasion, and the other is
that we should say, "Hail to the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ", for the crucifixion icon, "Hail to the Resurrection of
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our Lord Jesus Christ", for the resurrection icon, "Hail to the
Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ", for the ascension icon,
and so on.
THE FIVE INSPIRING CONTEMPLATORY VERSES
Before he reaches the place of the Passover (Holy Week)
Prayers, the priest recites the first verse of the Five
Contemplatory Verses, saying, "Jesus Christ is the same,
yesterday, today and forever. He, being one Hypostasis, we
worship and glorify Him." This prayer glorifies the Lord
Jesus, Who was crucified for us and saved us through His
Honoured Blood, being taken from the Book of Hebrews
(13:8), where St. Paul says, " Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, today and forever".
When the priest reaches the place where the crucifixion icon
is usually placed on Good Friday, he stops and completes the
other four verses. Incensing towards the East, he says the
second verse, "This is He Who raised Himself as an
acceptable sacrifice on the cross for our salvation", referring
to Christ, Who sacrificed Himself so that no one who
believed in His Name might perish, but would live forever.
The Righteous died for us to save us from the yoke of sin,
and to transfer us to the glorious freedom that belongs to
God's children, and to the Kingdom of Heaven. The Apostle
Paul says, "As Christ also has loved us and gave Himself up
for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Eph.5:2).
Jesus Christ is the Perfect Priest and, at the same time, is
also the Perfect Sacrifice.
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The priest then raises incense towards the North saying the
third verse, "So His Good Father smelled it on Golgotha in
the afternoon." This refers to God the Father smelling the
sweet aroma when He saw the Son on the cross; through His
Crucifixion, the Son gave the Godly righteous His right. He
Who is without sin, became a sacrifice of sin, so we become
righteous through Him. The Father accepted the sacrifice of
Golgotha for the sins of the whole world as "a fragrant
offering" (Eph.5:2), the fragrance of satisfaction.
The priest then raises incense towards the West while facing
the main Western door of the church (a symbol for the door
of Paradise) and says the fourth verse, "He opened to us the
gates of Paradise and returned Adam to his rightful place."
He then he raises incense toward the South while saying the
fifth verse, "Because of His cross and Holy Resurrection, He
returned man once more to Paradise". All five of these verses
are a glorification for Christ, Who was crucified for our sake,
and gave us salvation. All mention the crucifixion, which is
why they are said in the crucifixion icon place of Good
Friday.
The priest then continues walking Eastward down the centre
aisle, all the time offering incense to the congregation and
blessing them, until he reaches the sanctuary door. Standing
at the altar, he puts one spoonful of incense into the censer,
saying, "Glory and honour, honour and glory to the Holy
Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."
With the penitent prayers and collective repentance that is
offered by the congregation during the incense tour, the
priest goes back to the altar and prays The Mystery of
Confession.
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THE MYSTERY OF CONFESSION
This mystery is also called The Mystery of the Return, as the
priest says it after he returns from the Incense Tour. Here he
raises incense over the altar while saying the Mystery of the
Congregation's Confession, saying,
"O God, as You accepted the repentance of the thief on
Your right while on the cross, accept the confession of Your
people. Forgive all their sins for the sake of Your Holy Name
which is called upon us, and according to Your mercy and
not on account of our sins." In this prayer the priest asks
God to accept the confessions and repentance of his people,
just as He accepted the confession and repentance of the
thief at Golgotha. He also asks the Lord that He may prepare
the congregation to partake of His Mysterious Dinner. He
then goes once around the altar, raising incense, before
departing via the sanctuary's main door. Standing before the
sanctuary door the priest again raises incense in the four
directions (as he has done previously) then offers incense to
the Holy Bible and the senior clergymen.
Having done this, the priest then hangs the censer in its
place. It is preferable to follow the authentic Coptic tradition
of hanging the censer by its chain in the centre of the
Sanctuary's entrance, as was done in the ancient Coptic
churches. This ascending incense gives comfort to the spirit
and soul of the congregation through its sweet fragrance, as
it represents the prayers that are rising to the Throne of
Grace which the Angel offers to the Divine Glory, as in the
quote,
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" And another Angel came and stood at the Altar with a
golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle
with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar
before the Throne. And the smoke of the incense rose with
the prayers of the saints from the hand of the Angel before
God" (Rev. 8:3-4).
The priest worships the Lord before the altar, then stands to
its right side until the end of the Doxologies and the Creed.
FURTHER REMARKS ON THE INCENSE CIRCUIT
A lovely old tradition which is still occasionally followed
today sees the priest place his hand on each individual's head
while he is incensing among the congregation.
The reason for doing this is threefold. Firstly, it is to give
them blessings; secondly, to recognise the attending
congregation and understand their spiritual standing during
the mass; and thirdly, to receive a brief confession from those
who might have trespassed after their last confession. Today
it is left up to each individual to pray the following short
prayer while the priest is touring with the incense, saying,
"Lord Jesus Christ, forgive me my sins of which I am aware,
and those of which I am unaware".
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THE PRAYER OF `EPHNOTI NAI NAN' - `LORD
HAVE MERCY UPON US'
After the Doxology and the Creed, the priest holds the cross
with three lit candles to signify that He Who was crucified is
the Light of the world, sacrificing Himself to give light to
those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death. The
priest stands in reverence in front of the Sanctuary. He
spreads both his arms, holding the cross with the three lit
candles in his right hand, while the left hand is being opened
in supplication and humility.
While facing due East, and without signing Without Making
The Sign of the Cross, he chants, "Lord have mercy,
establish Your mercy upon us." Still facing East, he then
makes the sign of the cross, and says, "Have compassion
upon us." He turns to face the North and, while signing the
cross, says, "Hear us." Then he turns towards the West,
gives the blessings to the congregation, and says, "Bless us."
The congregation bow their heads to receive the blessings.
The priest then turns to the South and says, "Protect us,"
while making the sign of the cross. He then turns to the East
once more, and with the sign of the cross, he says, "Support
us." Still facing East, he completes the Litany without
signing, saying, "Take Your wrath away from us, tend to us
with Your salvation and forgive us our sins."
Some Points on the Prayer Of `Ephnoti Nai Nan'
During Vespers Incense the priest chants this Litany
in the `long tune', but in the Morning Incense he uses
the `short tune' because the service is too long.
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When the priest chants the Litany in the `long tune',
the congregation responds by singing "Lord have
mercy" three times, also using the `long tune'. During
the congregation's response the priest remains facing
East with his hands raised, being absorbed in a warm
prayer of pleas for mercy. Some Liturgy Books state
that during this time the priest prays inaudibly the
second litany in the Gregorian Liturgy, which begins,
"Healing for the sick, comfort for the needy".
THE LITANY OF THE GOSPEL
At the end of the congregation's response, the priest makes a
sign of the cross over the congregation with the cross and
the lit candles, and says, "Let us pray", followed by, "Peace
be with you all."
He then blows out the candles and gives them to the deacon,
crosses the box of incense, and puts another spoonful of
incense into the censer while saying the Litany of the Gospel.
Standing before the sanctuary, he then offers incense to the
Bible while saying, "We worship before the Gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ, through the prayers of David the Psalmist
and Prophet. O Lord grant us the forgiveness of our sins."
Entering the sanctuary with the censer, the priest then goes
around the altar performing the Round of the Gospel while
saying, "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in
peace." Then the Gospel is read in Coptic and in Arabic or
English.
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THE FIVE MINOR LITANIES
Having put one spoonful of incense in the censer, the priest
stands before the door of the sanctuary and prays the Five
Minor Litanies concerning Safety, the Church Fathers, the
Holy Places, the Weather and Vegetation, and the
Congregations.
THE ABSOLUTIONS
The priest then takes the cross from the deacon and recites
the three absolutions; two of them are prayed in silence while
facing the East, and the third is said audibly while facing the
congregation (West). While the priest is saying the third
absolution, the congregation bow their heads, asking for
absolution and forgiveness. These three absolutions are the
same prayers that our spiritual father prays on us after
confession.
The First Absolution:
This prayer is called a Prayer of Submission to the Son, as
stated below with its Biblical references: "
O Lord, Who has given authority unto us to tread upon
serpents and scorpions and upon all the power of the
enemy...", as Christ gave to His disciples when He told them,
"Behold I give you the authority to trample on serpents
and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and
nothing shall hurt you" (Luke10:19). "
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...Crush its heads beneath our feet speedily...", as the Apostle
prayed on behalf of the Romans (16:20) when he said,
"And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet
shortly." "
May You destroy all his evil thoughts that are against us...",
as such evil thoughts, vicious fights and deceptive sights are
planted in our minds by the devil in an attempt to occupy our
thoughts. The priest prays to the Lord that He disperse these
away from himself, and from us all, saying, "...For You are
our King...."
The Second Absolution:
This is also a Prayer of Submission to the Son: "
For You O Lord who descended from the heavens...", as the
Lord of Glory said about Himself,
"For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but
the will of Him who sent Me" (John 6:38). "
..You became man...", as the Apostle stated,
"But He made Himself of no reputation, taking the form
of a servant and coming in the likeness of men, He
humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even
death on a cross" (Phil.2:7-8 ). "
To save mankind...", as the Bible says,
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"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance,
that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners, of
whom I am chief" (1Tim.1:15). "
You are He who sits upon the Cherubim and the Seraphim,
beholding those who are lowly...", as mentioned in First
Chronicles(13:6), which says,
"To bring up from the ark of God the Lord Who dwells
between the Cherubim",
and also, Isaiah the Prophet (6:1-2) says,
"I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up,
and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood
Seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered
his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he
flew". "
Now also our Master, we lift up the eyes of our hearts to
You, Who forgives sins and saves our souls from
corruption...", as stated in the Book of Psalms (102:3-5)
which says,
"Hear my prayer, O Lord...for my days are consumed like
smoke, and my bones are burnt like a hearth. My heart is
strickened and withered like grass, so that I forget to eat
my bread. Because of the sound of my groaning my bones
cling to my skin." "
We worship Your unutterable compassion, and ask You to
give us Your peace, as You have given all things unto us...",
which repeats Isaiah's prayer,
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"Lord, You will establish peace for us, for You have also
done all our works in us" (Is.26:12). "
Acquire us unto Yourself, God and Saviour, for we know
none other than You, for Your Holy Name we do utter..."
The church is the bride of Christ which He acquired with His
blood, and so the elders of the church are advised to, "take
heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy
Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of
God which He purchased with His own Blood" (Acts 20:28).
Paul the Apostle says,
"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a
holy nation, His own special people, that you may
proclaim the praises of Him Who called you out of
darkness into His marvellous light" (1Pet.2:9)
. If the Lord acquires us with His Blood, we are His own,
we love Him, and are faithful to Him, as we say in the Litany
of Safety, "We do not know anyone other than You, we say
Your Holy Name.""
So fill us, O Lord, with Your fear, for our only desire is for
You. Rejoice that we abide in Your goodness, and those
who revere You, exalt them in their ways of life and adorn
them with virtues. And may we all be worthy of Your
Heavenly Kingdom, through the goodwill of our Gracious
Father, with Whom You are blessed together with the Holy
Spirit...."
Through this absolution the priest is therefore asking the
Lord to grant us His peace which we have lost because of
our sins, for sin destroys peace, as seen in the quote,
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"There is no peace, says the Lord, for the wicked" (Isaiah
48:22).
The priest also prays that we are filled with God's fear, for
the fear of God is very important in one's spiritual life. It
may be noted that when the priest asks for peace, he says,
"Give us Your peace", but when he asks for fear, he says,
"Fill us with Your fear."
St. Antonious, father of all monks, said, "The crown of
wisdom is the fear of God. Just as light disperses darkness
and illuminates a dark house, so does the fear of God when it
enters a man's heart. It drives ignorance away and brings
every virtue and wisdom." The priest is also praying to direct
us towards a desire for God. Our taste for spirituality
changes because of sin, just as good food tastes different in a
sick person's mouth. As a result of sin, our yearning to God
becomes tepid. The priest therefore asks the Lord to give us
back our longing for Him, as in the saying, "Draw me after
you, let us make haste" (Song of Songs 1:4), lest we be
drawn to sin and die.
The Third Absolution:
The priest prays this absolution while facing the West and
bowing his head:"
O Lord Jesus Christ the Only Begotten Son...", as the Lord
Jesus said about Himself, "He is the Only Begotten Son in
the Bosom of the Father" (John 1:18)."
...And the Word of God, the Logos...", as St. John saw Him,
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"clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His Name is
called the Word of God" (Revelation 19:14)."
...Who rid us from the bondage of sin through His death on
the cross. You breathed into the face of Your holy and
honoured disciples and saintly Apostles saying, `Receive the
Holy Spirit. Whose sins you will remit, they are remitted to
them, and those which you will retain, they shall be
retained'...", as mentioned in John (20:21-23), which says,
"Then Jesus said to them again, `Peace to you! As the
Father has sent Me, I also send you'. And when He said
this, He breathed on them , and said to them, `Receive
the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are
forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are
retained." "
Now also, O our Master, through Your holy Apostles, as
You gave grace to those who laboured in the priesthood in
Your holy church to forgive sins upon the earth, and to bind
and to loose every bond of iniquity, we also ask and entreat
Your goodness, O lover of mankind, to remember Your
servants...(Here the priest makes the sign of the cross on the
congregation twice, saying,)...my fathers and brethren...(then
on himself, saying,)...and my weakness. Those who bow
their heads before Your Holy glory, grant unto us Your
mercy and loose every bond of our sins. If we have
committed any sin against You, whether knowingly or
unknowingly or through anguish of heart, O Master Who
knows the weakness of men, grant us the forgiveness of our
sins, You great and merciful God."
The priest makes a sign of the cross on Himself, on the
deacons, and then on the congregation saying, "Bless us,
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purify us, absolve us and absolve all Your people. Fill us
with Your fear and help us to live according to Your Holy
good will, for You are our God to Whom be glory, honor
and dominion, now and forevermore, Amen."
In this absolution we gain forgiveness for the sins for which
we have actually repented. We should note that this
absolution covers all sins; those which we know about, and
those we do not, whether a sin by word of mouth, or by
deed.
As each person here is bowing in reverence they should pray
silently a secret prayer, such as, "I ask You Lord to forgive
my sins, because You are not pleased with the death of a
sinner, but to return and live. Forgive my sins, O Lord, and
whiten my clothes in the Blood of Your Beloved Son, Who
became a sacrifice for my sins. Let me be a partner to those
who repented, grant me tears to weep for my iniquities,
grant me grace to abide in my repentance, and never go back
to sin." They should also silently pray Psalm 50, which
begins, "Be merciful to me O Lord according to the
multitude of Your tender mercies...", ending with The Lord's
Prayer. At the end of the absolution, the congregation
proceeds towards the priest to kiss the cross, the Bible, and
the priest's hand.
THE BLESSING
Some priests leave the blessing out because it is too long.
The priest says the blessing while facing the West. The
following is a brief blessing, but the name of the church's
patron saint, or the saint whose feast is being celebrated,
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should be mentioned; "May God have compassion upon us,
bless us, make His face to shine upon us, and have mercy
upon us. Lord save Your people, bless and uplift the
Christians everywhere, through the supplications and prayers
of the Lady of us all, the holy Theotokos St. Mary, and the
holy Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, and all the
heavenly hosts, and our fathers the Apostles, the martyrs, the
saints and the crossbearers, and the blessed saint and angel of
this day. May their holy blessings, their grace, their favour,
their love, and their support be with us all forever, Amen."
The priest then says, "Christ is our God", and the
congregation responds with, "Amen, let it be so." Facing the
East, the priest continues, "O King of Peace, grant us Your
peace and forgive us our sins, for unto You is power,
glory.... Amen." He also asks the angel of peace to
accompany each member of the congregation as they leave
the church, until they arrive at their homes. Then together
with the congregation, the priest prays The Lord's Prayer.
THE DISMISSAL
During the raising of the Vespers Incense, or if the Holy
Liturgy is to be held late after raising the Morning Incense,
the priest dismisses the congregation saying, "Go in peace,
the Lord be with you all, Amen", and the congregation
respond, saying, "And also with you." Under normal
circumstances, however, the holy liturgy is celebrated
immediately after the raising of the Morning Incense, and
therefore the Dismissal not said. In this case, the deacons
proceed into the sanctuary to put on their white garments of
service.
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2 The Offertory
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THE RITUAL OF THE OFFERTORY
WEARING THE VESTMENTS
While putting on the service garments the priest should go
over his thoughts and find himself pure and reconciled with
everyone, remembering the Apostle's words, "Therefore if
you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your
brother has something against you, leave your gift there
before the altar and go your way. First be reconciled to your
brother and then come and offer your gift.
Agree with your adversary quickly while you are on the
way with him" (Matt.5:23-25).
His body and clothes should be clean and ready for service.
He should make sure that the Lamb (the Holy Bread) is
prepared, and also that the flask is full of good wine. He
begins by doing the sign of the cross on his service garments,
and on the deacons' garments, before wearing them. While
this is taking place Psalms (29) 30 The Orthodox
Translation of the Psalm Gives the Psalms slightly different
numbers. and (92) 93 are read. The significance of each
Psalm is seen below:
Psalms 30
I will extol You O Lord for You have lifted me up and
have not let my foes rejoice over me..."
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The priest then thanks God for choosing him for this
honourable service because no one can claim this rank or this
ministry for himself, but must be chosen by the Lord, as was
Aaron, the brother of Moses. He thanks God for adopting
him like a son and giving him the priestly office, thus
becoming the Lord's possession. The Lord has assigned the
priest to reside in His house like an obedient son in his
father's home, making him a shepherd for His holy flock and
a minister to His Holy Sacraments. The priest puts on the
tunic which covers and shrouds his body as if it hugs him
symbolising the Divine embrace which accepts and encloses
the repentant who have returned to the Lord through heart-
felt penitence.
Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd,
"Like a shepherd He will gather the lambs in His arms,
He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those
that are with young" (Isaiah 40:11).
In His love, "He goes after the one which is lost until He
finds it. And when He has found it, He lays it on His
shoulders, rejoicing and brings it home" (Luke 15:4-6). Jesus
also took the children in His arms, laid His hand upon them
and blessed them (Mark 10:16).
There is a curvature in the Eastern Wall of the Sanctuary,
known as The Eastern of the Sanctuary, which symbolises
the Lord's embracing bosom, His compassion and His care.
The lit lamp that is always hanging there represents the
Lord's watchful eye which beholds and guards the whole
world, especially those who call His Name and throw
themselves into His bosom;
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"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the
whole earth, to show His might on behalf of those whose
heart is blameless toward Him" (2Chron.16:9)."
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the
morning..." (Psalm 30:5).
Since the priest is going to serve the sacraments and partake
of the Holy Communion he should be prepared, that is,
repentant. Therefore, on the night before a Holy Mass he
should offer true repentance to God, weep, and ask
forgiveness of his sins so that in the morning when he wears
the white garments his heart is as white as his clothes, being
full of joy and happiness. The evening and night time
represent a life of darkness and sin when a person becomes
weary in heart and mind but the life of purity and repentance
is clear and white like the daylight when a person feels happy
and joyful in heart and mind."
You have turned my weeping into joy. You have torn down
my sack cloth and clothed me with gladness, so that my
soul praises You and my heart laments no more..."
(Ps.30:11),
As the priest has offered true repentance and a humble heart
to the Lord, He has turned his weeping, his tears and his
sadness into gladness and great joy. The Lord has removed
the sackcloth of sadness and dressed him in the magnificent
priestly robes, to serve the Him in honour and glory. He
raised him from the dust and humbleness of penitence, and
sat him down with the elders of His people. He appointed
him as shepherd to His holy flock and as minister to His
Divine and Immortal Mysteries. The priest's soul praises the
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Lord and his heart laments no more. Every day he gets
strength through the Holy Communion to fight and
overcome sin. "
O Lord, my God, I confess to You forever" (Ps.30:12).
For all the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon him the
priest gives thanks to the Lord and acknowledges His favors
for the rest of his life. "My soul blesses the Lord and
remembers all His benefactions. He forgives all her sins,
cures her ailments, He redeems her life from the pit, covers
her with mercy and compassion, He fills her days with
goodness and her youth is renewed like the eagle's"
(Ps.103:1-5).
Psalm 93
The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty, the Lord is
clothed, and girded Himself with strength..." (Psalm 93).
As the priest puts on his liturgical garments for the service of
the altar of God he confesses that the Lord is His King, his
authority coming from God Who is perfect in power and
greatness. He serves the Lord as a soldier serves his king -
dressed in full uniform. When the priest puts on the priestly
white robes he confesses that the Lord is clothed with
majesty and has girded Himself with strength; He is the King
Who reigns over the whole earth, the priest being like one of
the serving angels who stood by the door of the tomb "in
white clothes" (John 20:12). He puts on the white garments
to serve and partake of the Sacraments so that he may gain
power in his struggles as stated in the promise,
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"He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments"
(Rev.3:5).
The priests and deacons clothed in their beautiful white
garments resemble the revelation of the heavenly multitude
as seen by St. John, who said,
"After these things I looked and behold, a great multitude
which no one could number of all nations, peoples and
tongues standing before the throne and before the Lamb,
clothed with white robes with palm branches in their
hands and crying out with a loud voice saying, "Salvation
belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the
Lamb" (Rev.7:9-10)."
The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up
their voices, the floods lift up their waves" (Ps.93:3).
"He who believes in Me, out of his heart will flow rivers of
living water" (John 7:38).
The word `river' refers to the Spirit of God and His work in
the human soul, as the quote refers to the Holy Spirit which
the believers were about to receive. It also refers to the
children of God, in whom and through whom the Holy Spirit
works vigorously.
The priest is addresses God saying, "O Lord, we are Your
children, anointed with Your Holy Spirit; we ask for Your
help, we cry amidst the troubles and hardships facing us in
this world. We seek refuge in You O Lord `escaping the
corruption that is in the world through lust' (2 Peter 1:4), we
resort to You, O Lord, in Your heavenly house, exactly as
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Noah and his family found refuge in the ark and were saved
from the destroying deluge."
The tunic which is worn during the service becomes a
spiritual weapon as it protects and contains the wearer. The
priest continues, saying, "O Lord, give us comfort to our
troubled souls, which are trembling with fear from the
adversaries who want to swallow us alive, when their anger
kindles against us, the floods may sweep us away and the
torrent may go over us. We seek refuge in You O Lord,
crying with the Psalmist, `Save me, O God, for the waters
have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mine where the
floods overflow me. I am weary with my crying, my throat is
dry, my eyes fail while I wait for my God, those who hate me
without a cause are more than the hairs of my head'."
(Ps.69:1-4). "Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,
from the hands of foreigners" (Ps.144:7).
When we find refuge in the Lord we feel He is very close to
us, we feel His care, according to His Divine promise;
"Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver
him, I will set him on high because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him. I will be with
him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honour him and show him My
salvation" (Ps.91:14-16).
In experiencing the truth of these promises, we shall sing
together with the bride in the Song of Songs, saying,
"His left hand is under my head, and His right hand
embraces me" (Songs 2:6),
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and with the Psalmist, who said,
"He drew me out of many waters, He delivered me from
my strong enmity, from those who hated me, for they were
too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my
calamity but the Lord was my support" (Ps.18:16-19),
and with the Prophet Isaiah, who said,
"When the enemy comes like a flood, the Spirit of God will
lift up a standard against him" (Is.59:19).
When the children of God achieve victory they rejoice, as the
Psalm, which states,
"all rivers will applaud and mountains will rejoice in the
Lord" (Ps.98:8).
If the waves of the sea are high and fearful do not be afraid,
because,
"...The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many
waters, than the mighty waves of the sea. Your testimonies
are very sure..." (Ps.93:4-5).
The Lord is more powerful than all of our enemies. He can
easily give us victory and set us free. In His strength there is
marvellous comfort and care. He gave us His Holy Body and
Honoured Blood in a mysterious and incomprehensible way;
becoming spiritual food and drink which will allow us to live
forever if we partake of them with merit, repentance and
humility. From them we draw the strength that enables us to
face the torrent that tries to sweep us away and we can stand
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up to the fury of the sea; we can win victory over the world
through Jesus Christ, Who is within us.
The Lord's testimonies are true; His words are clarified like
gold and silver which are purified seven times. Therefore, we
firmly believe that what we eat is His Holy Body and what
we drink is His Honoured Blood, as He Himself said,
"This is my body which is given for you. Do this in
remembrance of Me...This cup which is poured out for
you is the new covenant in My Blood" (Luke 22:19-21)."
...Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, forevermore"
(Ps.93:5).
The church is the house of God; it is where the sacraments
are officiated and where we partake of the Holy Body and
Blood of our Lord. For this reason the church is to be
revered and respected, as David says,
"For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand of my
own choosing, I would rather be a door keeper in the
house of my God, than dwell in the tents of wickedness"
(Ps.84:10), "Oh worship the Lord in the beauty of
holiness" (Ps.96:9).
The priests and deacons who are celebrating the Holy Mass
in their white vestments resemble the angels who praise and
chant before the throne of God, the church thus becoming
the Heavenly Jerusalem on earth. They praise God, sanctify
the church through their prayers, and partake of the Holy
Communion.
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CLOTHING THE ALTAR/THE PRAYER OF
PREPARATION
The priest wipes any dust that may be on the altar, then
unwraps the utensils that are used for the Holy Communion.
At this time, these utensils are enclosed in a special cloth,
and tied with three knots. As the priest unties each knot, he
does the sign of the cross on it, and then begins the Prayer of
Preparation which is stated below with adjoining references:"
O Lord who knows the hearts of all...". David the Psalmist
says,
"For He knows the secrets of the heart" (Ps.44:2)..
"The Lord looks from Heaven, He sees all the sons of
men. From the place of His habitation, He looks on all the
inhabitants of the earth. He fashions their hearts
individually, He considers all their works" (Ps.33:13-15)."
..The Holy dwelling in His Saints...". God who is all Holy
cannot bear seeing evil and cannot abide in evil doers. For
this reason the Lord only dwells with those who are
righteous."
...He who is without sin is mighty to forgive our sins...", as
Jesus told the paralytic,
"Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven." When the
scribes murmured accusing Him of blasphemy,
He assured them, saying,
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"But that you may know that the Son of Man has power to
forgive sins" (Matt.9:2-6)."
...You Lord know my extreme unworthiness, unpreparedness
and my undeservedness for this holy service, which is for
You, I have no merit to draw near and open my mouth
before Your Holy Glory...". Truly this is an awesome and
blessed service bestowed upon the weak, sinful human, that
he should stand before the Holy Altar of God, interceding for
his people, and to carry the Holy and Precious Body and
Blood of the Lord, seeing that which the angels desire to
see."
But according to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
forgive me for I am a sinner...". Here the priest resembles the
tax collector who could not raise his eyes up to heaven, but
kept beating his chest saying,
"God be merciful to me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13)."
...And grant unto me that I may find grace and mercy at this
hour and send me strength from above...".
The priest begins wiping the utensils and a large covering is
placed over the altar. This covering is placed beneath the
throne so that the paten does not fall accidentally during the
service or when the priest kneels.
On top of this large covering he puts another cover, (usually
of a red or blue colour), which serves the purpose of
showing up any tiny particles of the precious Body which
may have fallen during the Fraction or while the Holy
Sacrament was being given out. The priest then places on
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top of the paten a dome symbolising the star that appeared
over the manger at the birth of our Saviour.
Over the dome, the priest places two small veils. The first
veil is used to cover the paten after the Offertory Litany, and
the second is used to wipe the chosen lamb. It is the second
veil that is used to wrap the Lamb during the procession
around the altar, and is later placed on top of the `Prosfarine'
to symbolise the seal on the Lord's tomb. The priest carefully
wipes the chalice and places it inside the throne. The throne
is also covered with a special veil that has an opening at the
top. He then places the spoon (Masteer) upside-down on the
right side of the chalice, the spoon's scooping head should be
pointing to the East. He then covers the chalice and the
spoon with another veil. All of this is done during the
Preparation Prayer, which continues..."
...That I may begin and be made fit and may finish Your holy
service according to the good pleasure of Your will, for a
sweet aroma of incense...". This phrase echoes the reverent
verses that are said during Raising of the Incense, which
states, "He Who gave Himself up an acceptable sacrifice on
the cross, for the salvation of mankind. His Good Father
smelt the aroma at evening on the Golgotha." and as St.
Paul said, "
As Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us a
fragrant offering and a sacrifice of God for a sweet
smelling aroma" (Eph.5:2)."
...O our Lord be