The Organization of the Lectionary
- 1- We see that prayers are connected with the lections, for the Church asks unceasingly her Bridegroom for the fruitful hearing of the apostolic proclamation of redemption by the lessons and the sermon. She asks Christ to be hidden in her so that He Himself proclaims His Gospel to the catechumens and to believers.
- 2- Fr. Dix says, "In large gatherings at least, if not always, the lessons were chanted with a simple inflection rather than read. This was partly in order to secure that they should be heard... and partly to give solemnity as the Word of God is being read to the church, and through the church to the world." This custom is carried on in our church today, especially when the reading is in the Coptic language.
- 3- The order in which the lections from the various parts of the holy Scriptures are read was already fixed in pre-Nicene times. Every Sunday and Holy Day, even every day throughout the year has its own specific text in the lessons of the Bible which explain an aspect of our salvation in Jesus Christ.
Actually all the lections reveal the personality of our Savior, His redeeming work, or His position in our life. But the Church, as a wise mother, offers to us the proper lessons that fit into the calendar. Sometimes she speaks of His Incarnation, while at others of His Cross, Resurrection, Ascension, or Advent etc. At times she leads us to be humble in Him, at others to be crucified with Him, at others to be joyful in Him etc.
This does not mean that she separated our life in Christ into parts, or divides Christ's life into separate periods. She is a witness to one Christ, one Life, and one single redeeming act, but from time to time, or from one day to another she proclaims one aspect or more of
these matters without destroying its unity.
Such a system of "propers" was found in the synagogue liturgy at our Lord's time, the lessons for the Sabbaths being arranged on a three years cycle though certain greater festivals stood out from the system and had the same lesson every year.
In the second century the two great Christian feasts of the Pascha (Easter) and Pentecost had their own "proper" lections and chants.
Dix says, "The rise in the importance of martyrs' feasts during the fourth century, further increased the fixed contents of the lectionaries 1."
1- the Pauline Epistle
After praying the absolution, all rises, the presbyter ascends to the Sanctuary, kisses the Altar, and puts five spoonfuls of incense in the censer.
He offers, inaudibly, the Prayer of the Pauline Incense to the Father, asking Him to be with us, stand in our midst, purify our hearts, sanctify our souls, and grant us to offer sacrifices.
He then prays inaudibly the Litany of Peace, Fathers and Meetings of the Church while he goes round the altar, and the deacon goes round on the opposite side of the altar, with a cross raised in his hand.
During that time the deacons and the congregation sing a hymn blessing the Holy Virgin Mary. This hymn describes her as the pure golden censer holding sweet aroma, in the hands of Aaron the priest, offering up incense upon the altar. The censer of gold in the Virgin; her sweet aroma is our Savior, whom she has borne.
While the presbyter offers incense in the sanctuary round the altar, praying for peace, for the clergymen and for the meetings of the church, the congregation's thoughts are raised up to heaven to see Jesus Christ our Savior as the True Incense, who was born from our mother, the Virgin Mary. He is the Mediator Who forgives our sins, grants us peace, and who works in the clergymen and in the whole Church.
- The presbyter descends and offers incense to the Gospel, which is the representative of Christ Himself, then to the clergymen, then before the icons of the saints and to the entire congregation starting from the left side of the church. It is as though He collects the prayers of his brethren, the clergymen with those of the angels, the saints and of the congregation to offer them altogether through the altar of Jesus Christ.
- In the nave of the church he begins from left to right, for through the Messianic sacrifice we are transferred to the right hand of our Lord.
- He lays his hand on everyone saying "the blessing of our teacher the Apostle Paul be with you," and the person answers inaudibly "O Lord forgive my sins which I committed willingly and unwillingly."
- He returns to the sanctuary where he offers incense "on behalf of the people," saying inaudibly "the Mystery of Return 1 ," asking God to accept the confessions of all His people and forgive them their sins. The presbyter cannot do anything by himself, but through the sacrifice of Christ he asks the forgiveness of the sins of the entire congregation.
- A lesson from St. Paul is read while the presbyter in the sanctuary prays inaudibly the Mystery of the Pauline Epistle, asking the God of knowledge and the Giver of wisdom who made of Paul, the persecutor, a chosen vessel, to grant us a free mind and a pure understanding in order that we learn and understand the benefit of His sacred teachings which we are hearing right now. He also asks God to make us like St. Paul in deed and doctrine so that we may glorify His Holy Name.
2- the Catholic Epistles
The Catholic Epistles are
- 1- The epistle of St. James.
- 2- The epistles of St. Peter.
- 3- The epistles of St. John.
- 4- The epistle of St. Jude.
While the deacon reads a lesson from the Catholic Epistles, the
presbyter prays inaudibly the Mystery of the Catholic Epistles .* He asks God to grant unto us at all times to follow the apostles footsteps, and to imitate their struggle, and participate with them in the toiling which they have accepted for God's sake.
He puts one spoonful of incense into the censer and prays the Litany of the Oblation inaudibly. Then he prays the *Mystery of the Acts, asking God, Who accepted the old sacrifices and prepared our salvation through the new sacrifice of the Lamb of God, to accept from us this sacrifice of incense, asking Him His mercy.
Then he goes round the altar seven times praying the Litanies of Peace, Fathers and Meetings of the Church, while the deacon goes to the opposite side of the altar lifting the Cross. This rite reminds us of the priests and people who went round Jericho seven times to enter it. Thus, we ask God to enter His sacred heavens.
The presbyter does not leave the altar during the reading of the Catholic Epistle to offer incense among the people, as the disciples did not leave Jerusalem and waited for God's Promise.
The deacon at the Catholic Epistle's conclusion says, "Love not the world, neither the things which are in the world; the world passes away and the lust thereof; he that does the will of God abides for ever Amen."
When the Catholic Epistle is finished, the people sing: "God takes away the sins of the people, through the burnt-offering and the sweet savor of incense. Even He who offered an acceptable sacrifice upon the cross for the salvation of our race..."
3- the Lesson of "Acts"
The presbyter descends and offers incense to the Gospel, clergymen, the icons of the saints and only to the first choir (division) in the nave of the Church. He does not offer incense to all the church because, when the Apostles began preaching, they preached only in Jerusalem and Judea.
A deacon recites the proper lesson from the "Acts of the Apostles." The deacon begins by saying "Acts of our holy Fathers the
apostles, their holy blessings be with us." When it is finished he says, "The word of the Lord shall grow, and shall be multiplied, shall wax mighty and shall be confirmed in the holy Church of God. Amen."
By the lesson of the "Acts," God speaks to us not only through their epistles but also through their lives.
Now the presbyter returns to the Sanctuary, where he offers incense on behalf of the people, saying inaudibly the "Prayer of Return." During censing, the people sing: "Blessed in truth are You, with Your Good Father, And the Holy Spirit; for You have come, and saved us..."
4- the Sinaxarium
The presbyter reads from the Sinaxarium, the book of the chronicles of the Saints. Now we hear the Word of God through the life of the members of the church of the New and Old Testaments. Mr Leeder, the English writer who visited Egypt, said: "Another deeply impressive feature of the Coptic services is the reading of the lives of the Saints in Arabic, according to a very ancient custom sanctioned in the fourth Century 1."
5- the Trisagion
The presbyter, while holding the censer and standing before the Sanctuary door, sings with the deacons and the congregation the Trisagion:
"Holy (Agio) God, Holy Almighty, Holy Immortal;
Who was born of the Virgin, have mercy upon us...
Who was crucified for us...
Who rose from the dead and ascended unto heaven...
Glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Now and forever and ever. Amen."
This hymn in the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom comes after the reading of the Gospel, and not before as in the Liturgy of St. Basil.
The Trisagion is a hymn of the Seraphim who eternally surround the Holy Trinity 2. During the liturgy we are no longer on earth but somehow we are transferred to heaven 3. The Eucharist is a
participation in the heavenly liturgy.
Man is as though transferred to heaven itself, he stands near the throne of Glory. He flies with the Seraphim, and he sings the holiest hymn.
St. John Chrysostom
We speak of the Seraphim that Isaiah saw in the Holy Spirit, surrounding the throne of God and saying, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, God of hosts." This is why we recite this theological hymn that is transmitted to us by the Seraphim, so that we may take part in the hymn of praise with the hosts above the cosmos.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
This hymn: "Holy God, Holy Almighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy upon us," which is repeated thrice, is said to have been divinely revealed at Constantinople in the time of the Patriarch Proclus (434- 446) as the authentic text of the hymn sung by the angels in heaven. The Eastern Churches believe that its origin goes back to the burial of Christ, when Nicodemus and Joseph buried Him, they were astonished how He who gave life to others had died, and they consequently sung this hymn.
6- the Gospel
The Litany of the Gospel
After singing the angelic hymn "the Trisagion," the presbyter prays the litany of the Gospel, saying: 1 2 3
"O Master, the Lord Jesus Christ our God, who has spoken unto His saintly disciples and honored Apostles, saying: Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see the things which you see and have not seen them, and to hear the things which you hear, and have not heard them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears for they hear. May we be made worthy to hear and act according to Your holy gospel through the prayers of Your saints."
The deacon who is standing behind the presbyter holding the gospel and the cross, urges the congregation saying, "Pray concerning the holy Gospel." So they ask God "Kerie eleison," i.e. "Lord have
mercy."
Then the presbyter completes the litany asking the Lord to remember all those who asked us to remember them in our prayers and supplications, especially for those who died and for the sick, Because He is our life, our hope, our salvation, our healing, and our resurrection.
The presbyter offers incense to the Gospel. Then ascends the sanctuary and puts one spoonful of incense into the censer. The deacon holds the Gospel and the Cross, facing the presbyter who goes round the Altar praying secretly the Song of Simeon: "Lord, now let You Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word, for mine eyes have seen Your salvation."
He declares his desire to see Paradise, as Simeon did. For he sees salvation through the Gospel, and his heart is lifted up to heaven.
As for the rotation round the altar censing the Gospel and the Cross, it refers to the preaching of the Gospel to the whole world by the power of the Cross which is the center of the Gospel.
At the sanctuary door the deacon declares "Stand you in the fear of God. Let us hear the holy gospel." And the presbyter by the Sanctuary door lifts the Bible over his head and shows it to the people saying: "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."
He holds the book of the Gospels, and the presbyters according to their rank draw near to kiss it, He says to each "Kiss the Gospel..." then he kisses it himself saying likewise.
The Mystery of the Gospel
One of the presbyters censes the Gospel praying inaudibly the "Mystery of the Gospel," asking God to accept our prayers, penitence and confessions, to make us worthy of hearing His holy gospels. He also mentions the sick, travelers, the winds, the waters, the plants, the president of the country, the captured, the offerers, the afflicted and the catechumens.
The officiating priest stands before the sanctuary door looking towards the east and praying inaudibly the "Prayer of the Iconostasis," asking the Father that this sacrament, which He has ordained unto us for our salvation, would not become a condemnation to us or to any of His own people. The entire congregation stands up with reverence to hear the Gospel.
Standing on Reading the Gospel
- 1- It is a universal custom to rise and keep standing in the presence of authorities, therefore standing to hear God's word is the least we can do as a sign of respect to our Lord.
- 2- The standing position reminds us of the resurrection of our Lord which means our salvation.
- 3- The standing position is also the posture of the active man, who is ready to work, exercising the practical salvation in his life and preaching the good news to the world.
The Psalm
Before reading the Gospel, a psalm is sung. This rite came down from the first century. Fr. Dix 3 says that it came down from the synagogues of our Lord's time.
The psalm-chant with "Alleluias" expresses the joy of the Church of Christ, for her salvation, which is revealed in the Gospel.
Chanting the psalm before reading the Gospel represents the prophets who preceded Christ.
7- the Sermon
Every bishop, at his consecration, receives a special gift of grace, in order to teach his people, proclaiming the unchanging saving truth of the Gospel, and not any personal opinion of his own.
Sometimes the early bishops used to invite the presbyter and deacons to teach. But the liturgical sermon was regarded as one of the Bishops integral tasks. In every church there is a special seat for the bishop. It is not the seat of government but a teacher's chair, for he is not a ruler but a "watchman" of his church 6.
Our Lord said to those who preach God's word, "Who hears you, hears Me." In order to listen to a sermon fruitfully, one must see the Lord standing behind the preacher, pointing at him and saying, "Whoever listens to him, listens to Me."
There is a passage of St. Irenaeus, which gives so much light on the conception of the liturgical sermon in the second century.
Although the Church has spread all over the world, it diligently observes work as though dwelling in a single household: and she unanimously believes all matters of the faith, as though having one soul and one heart; and she accordingly proclaims and teaches and hands down these things, as though having but one mouth...
As the sun, God's creation, is one and the same for the entire world, so does the proclamation of Truth everywhere shine and enlighten all men who are willing to come to the knowledge of the Truth. It is fit for those who preside over the churches, as those who are very skilled in teaching, to say nothing else than this; for no man is above his own teacher. Also he, who is but a poor teacher, should not omit the contents of the tradition. For since their faith is one and the same, neither can he, who can say a great deal about it, actually add to it; nor can he, who can say but little, subtract anything in dealing with these matters.
St. Irenaeus