Topic outline
- General
- The Prayers of the Faithful
The Prayers of the Faithful
The second part of the Divine Liturgy begins here. It is called The Liturgy of the Faithful, for, in the Church of the first centuries, only the baptized could remain in the Nave from this point on.
- The Herubic Hymn
The Herubic Hymn
The time has come for the priest to carry the Precious Gifts from the Prothesis to the Altar. But before this act, which is called The Great Entrance, the priest reads the prayer of the Cherubic Hymn.
- The Great Entrance
- The Litany of the Precious Gifts
The Litany of the Precious Gifts
The Great Entrance is followed by the Litany of the Precious Gifts, known in Greek as the Litany of Completion, named after its opening phrase: 'Let us complete our prayer to the Lord'.
- The Creed
- The Holy Oblation and the Consecration of the Gifts
The Holy Oblation and the Consecration of the Gifts
At this specific point the Holy Oblation begins. After the confession of faith the priest asks the Holy Spirit to come and abide upon the faithful and upon the Precious Gifts and change the latter into the Body and Blood of Christ. But before this, the priest exhorts the faithful to stand upright and with fear so that they in peace offer the Sacrifice to God. - Preparation for the Holy Communion
Preparation for the Holy Communion
At this point begins the preparation for the Holy Communion of both the priest and the people. The priest through a series of petitions asks God to send down to him as well as to the faithful His grace so that they get prepared for the Holy Communion.
- The Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer
Next in order is a recitation of the Lord's Prayer. The Lord considered this prayer a most suitable one for His faithful, for, through the prayer's wording, the faithful recognize that they belong to the same family of brothers and sisters. Moreover, this prayer teaches them that God forgives them their great debts, provided that they have already forgiven their fellows' lesser ones.
- The Holy Communion of the Clergy
The Holy Communion of the Clergy
At this point begins the Holy Communion. First it is received by the priest, then by the faithful. The first act of this process is the 'breaking of the Amnos', i.e. the dividing of the Amnos into four pieces.
- The Holy Communion of the people
The Holy Communion of the people
The priest goes out of the bema and invites the people to Communion, an invitation, which is subject to certain conditions, namely 'fear of God, faith and love'. St John Chrysostom, the author of the Divine Liturgy, gives similar advice: 'When you are about to draw near the divine and dreadful Table, entering this holy mystagogy, do so with fear and trembling, with a clear conscience, with fasting and prayer'.
- Thanksgiving
- The Ambo Prayer
The Ambo Prayer
In the Church of the first centuries the priest announced the end of the Divine Liturgy with the phrase: 'Let us depart in peace'. This was the closing phrase of the Eucharistic gathering; it was the dismissal of the faithful. The resurrected Christ, who is true Light, was now among the faithful. He was inside them. It was high time, the Church suggested, that the faithful turned back to the world, full of light, full of real life, full of Christ.
- The Dismissal
The Dismissal
The Divine Liturgy has now ended. The priest blesses the people with the sign of the cross, asks God to send His blessing upon the faithful and then proceeds to the Dismissal. First he confesses faith to the only true God, the one that the faithful have just received, and then he commemorates many interceding Saints, especially the Most-Holy Mother of God.
- The Consuming