The Eucharistic Rites and Ceremonies in the Coptic Church
Heavenly Hymn Lift Up Your Hearts!
Eucharistic Prayers
Heavenly Presence!
The service of the liturgy of the faithful starts with the congregation's hymn: "The Mercy of Peace, the Sacrifice of Praise." This hymn is a response to the deacon's command that we stand in awe, offering "the continual sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His Name."
This is the Sacrifice of Peace, for - through the Cross - we have peace with God, the internal peace, by which our hearts become full of true joy and our spiritual tongues learn how to fly to heaven and participate in the angelic hymns.
Now the doors are closed, and the faithful are present and they all ascend to heaven, and enjoy the heavenly liturgy. But by what merit the Church ascends to heaven and enjoys this great mystery?
The rite relates to us the mystery of our entering into heaven, for the presbyter and the deacon lift up the "prospharine," slowly wave it above their heads. While removing it, the voice of its rattles is heard in the church, as if the heavenly liturgy starts with the resurrection of our Lord, which is the mystery of our entering into heaven; and the stone, i.e. the prospharine, has been moved, and the earthquake, i.e. the rattles are heard, and the reconciliation has been completed, and we find a place among the heavenly creatures to participate with them in their hymns and praise to God in His Presence. It is a fearful instant, in which we serve God in awe and piety.
Yes, truly at this moment, filled with holy fear, we must hold our hearts raised on high to God and turned no longer toward the earth or earthly things. The priest invites us all implicitly to leave at this moment all the cares of life and our domestic preoccupations and to have our hearts turned to heaven to God, the Friend of man.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
The presbyter transfers the veil, which he has in his left hand to his right, for we are now transferred to the right side of our Lord. He holds the veil, which was over the "Lamb" and crosses the congregation, the deacons and himself, three times, declaring that the "Lamb of God" may bless all the church, laymen and clergymen.
He blesses the congregation saying, "The Lord be with you all," or as in the Gregorian Liturgy he says: "The love of God, the Father, and the grace of the Only-Begotten Son, our Lord, our God and our Savior Jesus Christ, and the communion gift and fellowship of the Holy Spirit, Be with you all."
The church is in heaven, in the Presence of the Lord, meditating upon the love of the Father Who sent His Only-begotten Son for our salvation; and the free grace of the Son, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, for by Him we are born children of God, united with our Lord and with each other in Jesus Christ. We all share the same Spirit He bestows upon us as different gifts.
This apostolic blessing was used since the first century.
The Talmud says that this greeting "The Lord be with you" was used in old times when a man would recall his companies to the remembrance of Law.
As the presbyter declares that the congregation stand in the Presence of God, they also answer, "And with Your spirit," for he is in need to feel the Presence of God.
Then he cries, "Lift up your hearts," i.e. let us be heavenlyminded, not earthly-minded.
The people give their consent and say that their hearts are lifted up to heaven, where their treasure is, that is, Jesus Christ. We have followed Him in His ascension, because He has accepted us at His Table in His Kingdom. We have entered the Eschaton (world to come) and are now standing beyond time and space. It is because all this has
happened to us that something will happen to the Bread and Wine.
Now that our hearts are in heaven in Christ, nothing remains but to give thanks to God. The celebrant says, "Let us give thanks (euxaristomen) unto the Lord," and the faithful give their consent, saying, "It is worthy and right."
You now have the sacraments in their order. At first, after the prayer, you are asked to "Lift up your hearts." This befits the members of Christ. For if you have become members of Christ, where is your Head?... Our Head is in heaven. Hence when "Lift up your hearts" is said, you answer, "We have (them lifted up) to the Lord."
Then, because this lifting up of your hearts to God is a gift of God and lest you should attribute it to your own strength, your merits, and your labors the fact that you have your hearts lifted up to the Lord, after the answer "We have our hearts lifted up to the Lord," the bishop or priest who is officiating also says, "Let us give thanks unto the Lord our God," because we have our hearts raised up to Him.
Let us give thanks to Him, because if He did not give (the grace) we would have our hearts fixed on earth.
And you bear witness to this, saying, "It is worthy and right," for us to give thanks to Him Who caused us to raise our hearts up to our Head.
St. Augustine
The Eucharist is an "Anaphora" i.e. the lifting up of our offering, our hearts and ourselves; through our Head, Jesus Christ, for without Him we would have laid prostrate on the ground.
A Heavenly Choir
Now we are together with the heavenly choirs. We praise our Lord together with the seven choirs of angels and with the two choirs of Cherubim and Seraphim. We become the tenth choir of the heavenly creatures, taking the place of Satan before the fall. Meditate upon that which the presbyter prays:
Worthy and right, worthy and right. For verily it is worthy and right. O Master, Lord, God of Truth, Existent before the ages and
reigning unto eternity, Who is in the highest, and looking unto the lowly, Who created the heaven and the earth, the sea and everything therein, Father of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ. This by whom You have created all things, seen and unseen, Who sits upon the throne of His glory, Whom all the holy powers do worship.
Liturgy of St. Basil
It is meet and right. It is meet and right. It is indeed meet and right that we should praise You, bless You, serve You, worship You, and glorify You, the only true God...
Liturgy of St. Gregory
It is meet and right. It is meet and right, for You truly are worthy, just and holy, becoming and necessary for our souls, our bodies and our spirits, O eternal, Master, Lord, God, Father Almighty, at all times and in all places of Your dominion that we should praise You, sing to You, bless You, serve You, worship You, give thanks to You, glorify You and confess to You, day and night, with unceasing lips, un-silenced hearts and uninterrupted praise. For You is He who created the heavens and all things therein, the earth and all that is therein, the seas, rivers, fountains, lakes and whatsoever is within them.
You created man in Your image and likeness and You created all things in Your wisdom, in Your true light, Your Only-Begotten Son, our Lord, our God our Savior and our King, Jesus Christ; wherefore we give thanks to You and also to Your Son and the Holy Spirit, the holy consubstantial and inseparable Holy Trinity, this reasonable sacrifice and this un-bloody service, which all nations offer to You from the rising of the sun even to its going down, from the north to the south, for Your Name, O Lord, is great among the nations, and in every place they offer incense to Your Holy Name and a pure sacrifice, together with this sacrifice and this oblation.
Liturgy of St. Cyril (St. Mark)
The deacon then gives the admonishing, "You who are sitting, arise." Then after another prayer the deacon says, "And look eastward." As we become heavenly beings, we ought to "stand" like the angels, looking to the East that is to the Throne of the Sun of Righteousness.
The presbyter prays:
Before whom stand the Angels, the Archangels, the thrones, Lordships, the Principalities, the Virtues and the Powers.
You are He, round whom stand the Cherubim full of eyes and the six-winged Seraphim, praising continuously, with unceasing voices, saying:
Liturgy of St. Basil
You are He whom the angels praise, and the archangels worship! You are He whom Principalities bless, and Dominions hail! You are He whom Powers glorify, and the Thrones raise
acclamation to.
Around You stand thousands of thousand, and ten-thousand of ten-thousand offer You service.
You are He whom the invisible Powers bless; the visible worship You, all doing Your will, O Master.
O Lord, who is existent, true God of true God, who has revealed to us the light of the Father, who has vouchsafed to us true knowledge of the Holy Spirit: Who has displayed to us this great mystery of life, who has instituted for men the choirs of incorporeal beings and has committed to us who are on earth the Seraphic hymn: receive us together with those of the invisible choirs, even our voice, unite us with the heavenly hosts:
May we also speak with them, having eliminated all sinful thoughts, and may we cry aloud those things, which they proclaim, with unfailing voices and unceasing lips, glorifying Your greatness.
You are He whom the six-winged Cherubim and Seraphim encircle, with twain they cover their faces, and with twain they cover their feet, and with twain they do fly.
They cry one in front of the other, with the triumphal hymn of our salvation.
With joyous voice, celebrating, singing, shouting, glorifying, crying aloud and saying :
Liturgy of St. Gregory
You are God, high above all Principalities and Powers, Dignities and Authorities, and above every name that can be named, not only in this world, but in that which is to come.
You are He in whose presence stand thousand thousands and ten-thousand-times ten thousands holy Angels and Archangels serving You.
Before You stand Your two most glorious Living Creatures, sixwinged and many-eyed, the Seraphim and Cherubim; and with twain of their wings they cover their faces because of Your invisible and incomprehensible divinity, and with twain they cover their feet, and with twain they do fly.
One and all they ever hallow You, but with all who hallow You, receive also from us our hallowing that with them we may praise You saying:
Liturgy of St. Mark (St. Cyril)
The Hymn of Our Salvation "the Sanctus"
Now, the hearts are lifted up to heaven, and the believers find a room among the heavenly creatures. They have the right to sing the Seraphim's hymn, saying.
"The Cherubim worship You, And the Seraphim praise You, They cry, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Sabaoth (the hosts). Heaven and earth are full of Your holy glory."
It is not much of praise, when we call Him "Holy." For the Holy Scripture tells us that the angels worship Him by a hymn, and praise Him by singing it.
And as our hearts are taken up to heaven, we sing with the angels this hymn and share with them one bread, so that all of us would be one body and one holy building of God.
Man is as if taken into heaven itself, he stands near the Throne of Glory. He flies with the Seraphim. He sings the most holy hymn.
We sing this hymn as a sign of reconciliation and unity between angels and men. Their unity in singing hymns proves that in Jesus Christ they - angels and men - became one church.
St. Gregory
Fr. Dix says 1 that we have seen that the Sanctus, preceded by an account of the angels' worship, is to be traced to Alexandria in the work of Origen c. A.D. 230 and probably goes back in the Alexandrian use to a period well before that date. The description of the heavenly worship and the Sanctus made its appearance for the first time in Syria during the time of Cyril of Jerusalem in A.D. 347, it was clearly borrowed from Egypt.
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This Hymn can be traced in the Der Belizeh Anaphora, in the Serapion's Liturgy and in St. James' liturgy.
According to the liturgy of St. Gregory, the hymn of the Hebrew children is added "Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord. Hosanna in the Highest." This is the hymn of salvation and triumph, which they sang when our Lord entered Jerusalem to be crucified for the entire world.
We sing this angelic hymn before the "angelic worship" and the sanctification, as a symbol of the appearance of the angel who preached the human race before the incarnation of the Savior.
Using the Fans
At this moment the two deacons who are serving with the presbyter would move their feather fans, as a sign that the angels are present around the altar. St. Chrysostom says that the deacons themselves represent the angels.
We must think therefore that the deacons who (at the offertory) carry the eucharistic bread and bring it out for the sacrifice represent the invisible ministry (i.e. angels).
The Presbyter Prays the Sanctus (The angelic worship)
The presbyter with the congregation and deacons participate with the Seraphim in singing: "Holy, Holy, Holy."
Before the presbyter prays this prayer he changes the veils, putting in his left hand the veil which was in his right hand (previously it was on the bread), and takes the one which is on the chalice by his right hand to use it in crossing himself, the servants of God and the congregation, saying in each time "Agios" i.e. "Holy*."
During the previous prayer, the plate was uncovered but the chalice remained covered, because when the reconciliation was realized and the Lord rose again and appeared to the Church (Mary the Magdalene) she did not know Him at first. Now the chalice and the bread are uncovered, for He declares Himself to His beloved Church.
The presbyter begins by taking the hand-cross and the chalice veil, crossing himself, the ministers and the congregation three times saying, "Holy" meaning that the Holy Trinity is glorified through the holiness of the whole Church. He is Holy and is able to make His beloved bride holy.
Then he proclaims the history of our salvation, i.e. the divine saving plan for us, declaring the incarnation of the Son of God and His works for us, His crucifixion, resurrection, ascension and His last (second) advent.
This is our eternal hymn, by which we give praise to the Holy Trinity, and in whom we find a fountain of love, peace, joy, righteousness and divine life. In the liturgy of St. Basil, the presbyter prays:
a- Memorial of Our Fall
Holy, holy, holy, verily You are, O Lord, our God. Who formed us and created us and placed us in the Paradise of delight. And when we disobeyed Your commandment through the seduction of the serpent, we fell from eternal life and were exiled from the Paradise of delight.
b- Memorial of Sending Prophets
You did not leave us forever, but visited us always by the holy prophets.
c- Memorial of Incarnation
And at the end of days, You appeared unto us, we who are sitting in the darkness and shadow of death, through Your Only-Begotten Son, our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who of the Holy Spirit and of the Virgin Mary. Took flesh and became man, and brought us the way of Salvation. He gave unto us the grace of rebirth from on high, of water and Spirit. And made us His own united people, He sanctified us by Your Holy Spirit.
d- Memorial of Passion
It is He, who loved His own who are in the world, and gave Himself up for our redemption unto the death which reigned over us whereby we were bound and sold because of our sins. He descended into Hades through the cross.
e- Memorial of Resurrection
He rose from the dead on the third day.
f - Memorial of Ascension
He ascended up into the heavens, and sat down at the right hand, O Father.
He appointed a day for retribution, this on which He will appear to judge the entire world in equity, and to give unto everyone according to his deeds.
In the Gregorian liturgy, the presbyter prays in the singular form, on behalf of every member of the church, for what the Lord did; He did it for everyone personally.
It mentions many details, addressed to the Savoir, Jesus Christ, but it does not differ so much from the Basil's shape.
g - Memorial of Our Fall
Agios (Holy), Agios,
Agios are You, O Lord, and all-holy.
Surpassing is the light of Your essence, indescribable is the power of Your wisdom, words may not measure the depth of Your love for mankind.
You created me a man, as Lover of mankind, and You were not in need of my worship but rather that I had need of Your sovereignty.
Because of the abundant kindness, You have formed me out of nothing.
You set the sky to be a roof for me, and established the earth for me to tread.
For my sake, You have restrained the sea.
For my sake, You have showed the nature of animals;
You put all things under my dominion,
You did not let me want anything of Your goodness. You have formed me and lay Your hand upon me, and have inscribed in me the image of Your power, and have endowed me with the gift of reason. You have opened the Paradise for my delight.
You have bestowed upon me Your knowledge;
You have shown to me the tree of life, You made me know the sting of death. You forbade me to eat from one tree, from which alone You commanded that I should not eat:
I ate by my own will and set at naught Your Law, neglecting Your commandments by my own self-will. And I snatched for myself the judgment of death.
h- Memorial of the Old Testament
You, my Master, have changed my punishment unto salvation.
As the Good Shepherd; You have gone after the wanderer.
As the true Father You have sympathized with me when I fell,
And girded me with all remedies leading to life.
You sent the prophets for me, who am sick.
You have revealed to me the approach of Your advent, in which You shall come again to judge the living and the dead, and to render everyone according to his deeds.
Liturgy of St. Gregory
In the Liturgy of St. Mark (St. Cyril) there isn't a similar prayer, but the presbyter says:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Saboath (hosts),
Heaven and the earth are full of Your holy glory, O Lord, our God.
Truly the heavens and the earth are full of Your holy glory, through Your Only-begotten Son, our Lord, our God, our Savior and King of us all, Jesus Christ.
Fill this Your sacrifice, O Lord, with Your blessing which is from You, by the descent upon it of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Liturgy of St. Mark