Three movements and 18 moments, in the order they happen. Stand at any one of them and see where you are, what is being done, and why it is being done — then read the whole chapter if you want the argument behind it.
The OffertoryThe CatechumensThe Faithful
I
The Offertory
Before a word of the service is read, something is brought: bread, wine, and the week behind them. The Church chooses her Lamb and lays Him on the altar.
In the early Church: the people’s offerings laid on the altar by the deacons
Moment 1 of 18The Offertory
The Offertory in the Early Church
Every layman carried his own bread and wine to the church and the deacons laid them on the altar. The deacon still calls three times for the oblation to be offered.
This is our notion of the offertory that we in the Victim, Jesus Christ, offer ourselves as a self - offering to God, not with bloodshed, but in those things that make up our daily lives.
The Liturgy begins before the church door — in the fast, in the week behind it, in the walk from home. Priest and people come already prepared or they do not come prepared at all.
Truly, my dear, the celebration of the Eucharist is a departure of the heart, not from home or from the world but from its own cares, from the earthly care, flying quickly towards its true Treasure, Jesus Christ, in whom it rests.
The offering of bread and wine brought to the altar
One loaf chosen from among the others: the Lamb
The oblations crossed
The Lamb wrapped in white linen
Laid on the paten
Wine poured into the chalice, a third of water added
Moment 3 of 18The Offertory
The Rite of Choosing the Lamb
The priest extends his hands over the loaves and chooses one — the Lamb — then lays his hand on the oblations and crosses them, while the people sing for mercy, forty-one times over.
Our Lord bowed His head to the Cross for us to lay our hands upon Him so that He may bear our sins in His body.
Nothing is done at the altar in Malaty’s account of this moment. It stays as the last moment left it.
Moment 4 of 18The Offertory
The Prayer of Thanksgiving
The deacon calls the people to stand. With the Lamb chosen and mercy already sung for, the priest opens the prayers of the Liturgy — and the opening prayer is thanks, the same prayer the Church begins every service with.
Thanksgiving is not merely a certain prayer to be recited during the celebration, but it is an acceptance of Christ's sufferings in our life with thanksgiving. It is an acceptance of the salvation in a practical way. Thanksgiving is a spirit that governs the whole rite. Thanksgiving is a method by which we live in the Immortalized Jesus Christ.
The bread, the chalice and the altar signed with the cross
The great veil laid over the gifts
Moment 5 of 18The Offertory
The Offertory Prayer
The priest prays inaudibly over the bread and the cup, then covers them. The altar becomes the tomb, and the ministers are absolved before they may serve at it.
On the altar, the prosphora is covered so that the Lord may be hidden in our hearts and we are hidden in Him.
God speaks. Incense, then four readings, then the Church answers in the Creed and asks Him for the world. This half is open to anyone; at its end the doors close.
Censed round the altar, the cross carried on the opposite side
Moment 6 of 18The Liturgy of the Catechumens
The Lections
Incense, and then the Word: Paul, the Catholic epistle, the Acts, the Synaxarium, the Trisagion, the Gospel, the sermon. The Pauline Epistle, the Catholic Epistle, the Acts and the Gospel each have their own incense and their own inaudible prayer.
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.
Nothing is done at the altar in Malaty’s account of this moment. It stays as the last moment left it.
Moment 7 of 18The Liturgy of the Catechumens
The Mystery of the Pauline Epistle
The prayer the priest says inaudibly for the Pauline Epistle. Malaty gives it in full; this is the second half of it.
You also do we now entreat, O good Lover of mankind. Graciously grant unto us and all Your people a concentrated mind and a pure understanding, how profitable are Your holy teachings, which have been read to us from him. Even as he became like unto You, O Chief of Life, so make us to be like unto him in deed and doctrine, that we may glorify Your holy Name and ever glory in Your cross. And You are He unto Whom we lift up glory and reverence and worship, with Your good Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and ever. Amen.
Round the altar seven times with the censer, the cross opposite
Moment 8 of 18The Liturgy of the Catechumens
The Mystery of the Catholic Epistles
While the deacon reads, the priest prays inaudibly over the reading; the prayer is below. Then he puts incense in the censer, prays the Litany of the Oblation, and goes round the altar seven times with the deacon opposite him lifting the cross. He does not leave the altar during this reading, as the disciples did not leave Jerusalem.
O Lord God, who has revealed unto us through Your holy apostles the mystery of the gospel - of the glory of Your Christ, and hast given unto them, according to the power of the unlimited gift of Your grace, that they should preach among all nations the glad tidings of the unsearchable riches of Your mercy. We pray to You, O our Lord, make us worthy of their share and heritage. Graciously grant us unto their wrestling, and have communion with them in the sweat, which they accepted for the sake of godliness. Keep Your holy church, which You founded through them, and bless the lambs of Your flocks, and make to increase Your vine, which Your right hand has planted, through Christ Jesus our Lord. This is He through whom are due unto You glory and honor and power and worship, with Him; and the Holy Spirit, the Life-giver who is of one substance with You, now and
Nothing is done at the altar in Malaty’s account of this moment. It stays as the last moment left it.
Moment 9 of 18The Liturgy of the Catechumens
The Mystery of the Acts
A deacon reads from the Acts of the Apostles. The priest goes down from the sanctuary and censes the Gospel, the clergy, the icons and only the first choir of the nave, because the apostles first preached only in Jerusalem and Judea, then returns to the sanctuary. The prayer below belongs to the incense offered while the Catholic Epistle was still being read.
O God Who accepted the sacrifice of Abraham, and in lieu of Isaac prepared a lamb to replace him, even so, O our Lord, accept from us this sacrifice of incense, and send down upon us in return Your abundant mercy, and make us pure from all pollution of sin, and worthy to minister in holiness and righteousness before Your goodness, all the days of our life.
The priest censes round the altar while the deacon holds the Gospel and the cross. At the sanctuary door the deacon calls the people to stand and listen, and the priest lifts the Gospel and shows it to them. A presbyter censes the Gospel and prays over it inaudibly; the prayer is below.
O You Who are long-suffering, abundant in mercy and evertrue, accept from us our prayers and supplications, receive our entreatings and repentance and confession upon Your holy undefiled heavenly stainless altar: may we be made worthy to hear Your holy gospels, and may we keep Your precepts and commandments, and bring forth fruits therein, a hundred-fold and sixty-fold and thirty-fold in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Nothing is done at the altar in Malaty’s account of this moment. It stays as the last moment left it.
Moment 11 of 18The Liturgy of the Catechumens
The Mystery of the Iconostasis
Before the Gospel is read, the priest stands at the sanctuary door facing east and prays inaudibly, while the congregation stands to hear the Gospel. The prayer is below.
O God, who in Your unspeakable love towards mankind sent Your Only-begotten Son into the world, to redeem the lost sheep back unto You. We pray You, O King, do not repel us as we lay our hands on this awful un-bloody sacrifice. For we rely not on our own righteousness, but on Your mercy, whereby You have given life unto our race. We pray and entreat Your goodness, O You Lover of mankind that this sacrament which You have ordained for us unto salvation may not be condemnation unto us or unto any of Your people, but unto the obliteration of our sins and the forgiveness of our shortcomings and for the glory and honor of Your Holy Name, O Father, Son, Holy Spirit, now and forever and ever, Amen.
The three great litanies — for the peace of the Church, for the fathers, for the congregations — with the deacon and the people each carrying their own part. Then the Creed.
God speaks to us through His Church (Lections), now His Church prays to Him on our behalf.
Nothing is done at the altar in Malaty’s account of this moment. It stays as the last moment left it.
Moment 13 of 18The Liturgy of the CatechumensPre-Anaphora
The Aspasmos
The priest washes his hands, turns to the people and asks their forgiveness; they ask his. Reconciliation is the last thing the catechumens hear before they go out.
The church asks for us (the litanies), the deacon urges us to listen to God with wisdom, and we recite the apostolic creed. Now at the end of the Liturgy of the Word, the presbyter reveals our reconciliation with God through His Son. This is the last thing the catechumens hear before their going out, and it is the foundation on which the Liturgy of the Faithful is built.
Moment 14 of 18The Liturgy of the FaithfulEucharistic Prayers
Lift Up Your Hearts
The doors are shut. The great veil is lifted and waved and its rattles are heard; the priest passes the veil that covered the Lamb from his left hand to his right, and he calls the congregation to turn its hearts to heaven.
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.
Moment 15 of 18The Liturgy of the FaithfulEucharistic Prayers
The Consecration
The institution narrative, the anamnesis, and the invocation of the Holy Spirit. The whole Liturgy has been preparing for these words and everything after them follows from them.
Consecration is transforming the bread and wine into the Immolated Body and Blood of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit Who is the Spirit of the Father and of the Son, and Who is given to the ecclesia, as her Spirit. In other words, consecration is the Mystery of the return of the church to the divine Bosom of the heavenly Father, through and with the Only-begotten Son, by the power of the Spirit. Thus, the Holy Trinity plays an active part in the mystery.
Nothing is done at the altar in Malaty’s account of this moment. It stays as the last moment left it.
Moment 16 of 18The Liturgy of the FaithfulEucharistic Prayers
The Church in Jesus Christ
The small intercessions. The Church is no longer only gathered around the altar; she prays now for the absent, the departed, the sick, the weather and the waters.
The Eucharist is the Mystery of Christ, i.e. the mystery of the unity with everybody in Christ. It is the Mystery of Love, which does not know any barriers or walls of separation.
The Body is worshipped, signed with the Blood, and broken into twelve parts around the Spadikon. Then the whole congregation prays the Lord’s Prayer aloud.
We must understand that the living Body after the resurrection does not die again. It is a spiritual and glorified Body and what we receive is the true Body of Christ and not a part of It. "For the Body Itself" says St. Jerome, "is inseparable."
The priest lifts the Mysteries and proclaims them holy to the people. The Body, then the Blood, each separately, received standing — never kneeling — while Psalm 150 is sung.
They are the Bride who stands up to put her hands into those of her Bridegroom, hearing this blessedness, "Blessed are they who are called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb."
Arrow keys step through the moments where JavaScript is available. Every moment has its own address — /liturgy/divine#the-fraction opens at the Fraction.
Reverend Father Tadros Y. Malaty has kindly permitted that his books be published in the COeRL. He has requested that we convey that any suggestions or amendments regarding their translation are welcome, and should be forwarded to: sydneywebmaster@coptic.org.au