It's Sunday, so the topic is related to keeping the Lord's Day holy.
Today, I want to share some of the richness of the Eastern Catholic Church. Leavened bread is used for Communion. Round loaves are made and baked (in my church, by the Pastor) and then prepared by the Pastor for Communion. It is called the Preparation of the Holy Gifts.
In the preparation, the priest cuts the loaves (prosphora) up and distributes the pieces/particles on the Diskos (paten) based on what they are allocated for. Here is an example.
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Starting with top left and going clockwise:
1) Theotokos (Mary, Mother of God)
2) The Lamb (Jesus Christ)
3) The Ranks of the Saints, e.g. Angels, Prophets, Apostles, Hierarchs, Martyrs, Monastics, Holy Unmercenaries, Patron of the Church & Saint of the Day, Saint of Liturgy
4) Particles for the Communion of the Faithful mixed in with those for the Living and the Dead (reposed)
image - http://www.stseraphimschurch.org/images/articlesimages/Diskos.jpg
The ceremony for this preparation is very rich and visceral. I think I would be transported back in time to the actual Crucifixion, e.g. the thrusting of the lance into the bread. Please read and see. It is a little long, but it goes quickly and is worth the read.
PREPARAT ION OF THE HOLY GI FTS
The Priest stands before the Prothesis. The Deacon stands to his right. They bow three times, saying:
O God, forgive me the sinner and have mercy on me (Three times).
The Priest raises his hands, saying:
Priest: You have redeemed us from the curse of the Law by Your precious Blood. By being nailed to the cross and wounded with the lance, You have become for us the fountain of immortality. Glory to you, our Savior.
Deacon: Bless, Master.
Priest: Blessed is our God at all times, now and always and forever and ever. Amen.
Five or seven prosphora are used for the Divine Liturgy. The Priest takes what is necessary for the day’s liturgy and prepares the rest as antidoron. For simplification, only one prosphoron need be used.
In the event of a large number of communicants, a second Diskos, or even more, may be prepared for the Communion of the faithful.
Taking the first prosphoron in his left hand and the holy lance in his right hand, the Priest makes the sign of the cross on it with the lance, saying each time:
Priest: In remembrance of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. (Three times)
The Deacon, standing with reverence at the right hand of the Priest and holding the orarion [Deacon's vestment] with the three fingers of his right hand, points to the prosphoron. At each cutting he says:
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
The Priest thrusts the holy lance into the right side of the seal and makes an incision, saying:
Like a sheep, He was led to the slaughter.
Into the left side of the seal, saying:
Like a spotless lamb silent before its shearer, He opens not His mouth.
Into the top side of the seal, saying:
In His humiliation, His judgment was taken away.
And into the bottom side, saying:
And who shall declare His generation?
Deacon: Lift up, Master.
The Priest, thrusting the lance obliquely under the seal, lifts it out, saying:
For His life was taken away from the earth.
And he puts it upside down on the Diskos.
Deacon: Immolate, Master.
The Priest immolates the Lamb by incising a cross in it without cutting it through and says:
Priest: The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world is immolated for the life and salvation of the world.
Then he turns the Lamb over with the seal facing up.
Deacon: Pierce, Master.
He pierces it on the right side, below the letters IC, saying:
Priest: One of the soldiers pierced His side with a lance, and at once there poured forth blood and water, and he who saw it bore witness, and his witness is true.
The Deacon pours wine and a little water into the Chalice, saying to the Priest:
Deacon: Bless, Master, this holy union.
Priest: Blessed is the union of Your holy things, at all times, now and always and forever and ever. Amen.
The Priest takes a second prosphoron or cuts the triangular portion from the same prosphoron, saying:
In honor and memory of our most highly blessed and glorious Lady the Theotokos and ever‐virgin Mary, through whose prayers do You, Lord, receive this sacrifice upon Your Altar in Heaven.
He places the particle on the Diskos to the left of the Lamb, saying:
At Your right stood the Queen, clothed in an embroidered mantle of gold.
He takes a third prosphoron or cuts a particle from the first one, puts it on the Diskos to the right of the Lamb, starting the first row, and says:
In honor and memory of the great captains of the angelic armies, Michael and Gabriel, and of all the heavenly bodiless powers.
He cuts another particle and places it below the first, saying:
Of the honorable and glorious prophet and forerunner John the Baptist; of the holy glorious prophets Moses and Aaron, Elias and Elisha, and David son of Jesse; of the Three Holy Youths and the prophet Daniel; and of all the holy prophets.
He cuts another particle and places below the previous, saying:
Of the holy, glorious and illustrious Apostles Peter and Paul and of all the holy Apostles.
He cuts another particle and starts a second row, saying:
Of our fathers among the saints the great hierarchs and universal teachers Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, Athanasios and Cyril, Nicholas of Myra, and all the holy hierarchs.
He cuts another particle and places below the previous, saying:
Of the holy first martyr and archdeacon Stephen, of the holy great martyrs Demetrios, George and Theodore the Recruit, and of all the holy men and women martyrs.
He cuts another particle and places below the previous, saying:
Of our saintly fathers the God‐Bearers Anthony the Great, Euthymios, Sabbas, Onouphrios, Athanasios of Athos, and all our other venerable fathers and mothers.
He cuts another particle and starts a third row, saying:
Of the holy wonderworkers laboring without pay Cosmas and Damian, Cyrus and John, Panteleimon and Hermolaos, and of all the holy ones laboring without pay.
He cuts another particle and places it below the previous, saying
Of the holy and just ancestors of Christ God, Joachim and Ann, of St. N. patron of this holy church (or this holy monastery), of St. N. whose memory we celebrate today, and of all the saints, through whose prayers visit us, O God.
He cuts another particle and places it below the previous, saying:
Of our father among the saints John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople.
He takes a fourth prosphoron or cuts a particle from the same one and places it below the holy Lamb saying:
Remember, Master who love mankind, all the Orthodox Bishops, our Father and Bishop N, his honorable presbyterate, the diaconate in Christ, and all the clergy, (in monasteries, our venerable Father Superior N.), our brothers and fellow ministers, priests, deacons, and all our brethren whom in the depth of Your compassion You have called to communion with you, all‐good Master.
He cuts another particle, places it next to the previous and commemorates by name those of the living whom he will, first the bishop who ordained him, if he is still alive.
He takes a fifth prosphoron or cuts a particle from the same one and begins another row, saying:
In memory and for the remission of sins of the blessed founders of this holy church (or monastery).
He cuts another particle, places it beside the preceding one, commemorates the bishop who ordained him, if deceased, and mentions by name those of the deceased whom he wishes, saying:
Remember all our Orthodox fathers and brethren who have fallen asleep in the hope of resurrection to eternal life and in communion with You, O Lord who love mankind.
Then the Priest cuts particles in remembrance of those whom the Deacon wishes among the living and the dead and places them in the appropriate rows on the Diskos.
The Priest cuts a final particle and places it with the other particles saying:
Remember also, Lord, my own unworthiness and pardon my transgressions, the deliberate and the indeliberate.
Individual particles for the Communion of the Faithful can be cut and added to the Diskos at this point.
The Deacon presents the lighted censer to the Priest saying:
Deacon: Bless the incense, Master. Let us pray to the Lord.
Priest: We offer You incense, Christ our God, for an odor of spiritual fragrance. Receive it on Your altar in Heaven, and send down upon us in return the grace of Your All‐Holy Spirit.
The Priest holds the asterisk for the Deacon to cense.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
The Priest opens the Asterisk and places it over the bread on the Diskos, saying:
Priest: And the star came to rest over the place where the Child was.
The Priest holds the veil of the Diskos for the Deacon to cense.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord. Adorn, Master.
The Priest covers the Diskos with the veil, saying:
Priest: The Lord is King, He has put on splendor; the Lord has put on might and has girded Himself with strength.
He takes the second veil and holds it for the Deacon to cense.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord. Veil, Master.
The Priest covers the Chalice with the veil, saying:
Priest: Your majesty, O Christ, has covered the heavens and the earth is filled with your praise.
Finally he takes the large veil and holds it for the Deacon to cense.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord. Cover, Master.
The Priest covers both the Diskos and the Chalice, saying:
Priest: Cover us over with the cover of Your wings; drive away from us every enemy and foe; make life peaceful for us. Lord, have mercy on us and on Your world, and save our souls, for You are good and love mankind.
Taking the censer from the Deacon, the Priest censes the oblations three times, saying each time:
Priest: Blessed are You, our God, who were pleased so to do, glory to You at all times.
The Deacon says each time:
Deacon: Now and always and forever and ever. Amen.
The Deacon takes the censer from the Priest. They both reverently bow three times. The Deacon says:
Deacon: For the offering of these precious gifts, let us pray to the Lord.
Raising his hands, the Priest recites the Offering Prayer:
O God, our God, who sent forth the Heavenly Bread, food for the whole world, our Lord and God Jesus Christ, as a Savior, Redeemer and Benefactor to bless and sanctify us: be pleased to bless this offering and to accept it on Your Altar in Heaven. In Your goodness and love for mankind, remember both those who offer it and those for whom it is offered. Hold us uncondemned in the celebration of Your divine mysteries, for hallowed and glorified is Your most noble and magnificent name, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.
Deacon: Amen.
The Priest concludes the Prothesis, saying:
Glory to You, Christ God, our hope, glory to You.
Deacon: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. (Three times)
Give the blessing, Master, in the name of the Lord.
Priest: May Christ our true God, (who is risen from the dead, if it is a Sunday) through the prayers of His all‐pure Mother, of our father among the saints John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, for He is good and loves mankind.
Deacon: Amen.
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prayer - http://melkite.org/PDF/LITURGY2009.pdf
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