The Spirituality and Reverence of the Divine Liturgy Prayers
The Spirituality and Reverence of the Divine Liturgy Prayers (1)
If we understand the prayers of the Divine Liturgy, and all the surrounding rituals, we can pray in a spiritual manner and live in a spiritual atmosphere.
Let us try to follow all of this with understanding.
A Triple Preparation
The prayers of the Liturgy require preparation in every aspect: preparation of the altar – preparation of the people – and preparation of the priest.
1 – The preparation of the altar is done through the offering of incense upon it — the Vespers incense and the Matins incense — along with the “fasting” of the altar, meaning that no offering (Qurban) has been presented upon it on the same day. The altar is also prepared by being covered with its linens. All of this happens with secret prayers said by the priest while covering the altar and while placing the sacred vessels upon it with great care.
2 – The preparation of the people takes place through several means:
A – The priest prays four absolutions over them: one after the offering of the Vespers incense, a second after the Midnight Prayer (which is a long absolution found in the Agpeya titled “The Absolution of the Priests”), a third after the offering of the Matins incense, and a fourth — the absolution of the servants — after the Offering of the Lamb and the Prayer of Thanksgiving. A fifth secret absolution follows after the Fraction Prayer at the end of the Liturgy, in which the priest says, “Let them be absolved from my mouth by Your Holy Spirit.”
B – The people are also prepared through their participation in the meetings that precede the Liturgy:
the service of Vespers incense, the Vespers prayer and its hymn, the Midnight Praises, and the Agpeya prayers during the offering of Matins incense and at the beginning of the Liturgy. Then come the multiple readings of the Liturgy of the Catechumens, which should be subjects of spiritual contemplation for all worshippers present in the church.
The fault of many is that they do not attend all these preparatory prayers and gatherings; they come late to the Liturgy without spiritual preparation and lose much of its benefit.
But I wish to place before you a very important principle:
As much as you prepare yourself spiritually for the Divine Liturgy, to that same extent you will benefit from it, and likewise from Holy Communion.
The one who comes to church having missed all these spiritual and ecclesiastical preparations—or having taken them superficially—arrives with a heart not spiritually ready, and thus cannot gain the intended spiritual depth of the Divine Liturgy or of the Holy Communion.
C – The people are also prepared through confession and repentance.
That is why the priest, after returning from the Pauline incense, says while walking around the altar: “O God, who accepted the confession of the thief on the cross, accept the confession of Your people…”
The repentant person benefits from the Liturgy, from the absolutions, and from the Holy Communion.
D – The people are also prepared through reconciliation.
Therefore, the priest prays the Prayer of Reconciliation before starting the Liturgy of the Faithful, prior to lifting the Prospherine. The deacon then calls out: “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” The word holy means a kiss of genuine love without hypocrisy or pretense.
The importance of reconciliation lies in the Lord’s saying:
“If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother…” (Matthew 5:23–24).
E – The Church also prepares the people through the readings.
These readings lift their minds from the worldly and material atmosphere to a spiritual one, that they may live the commandment of God with all its depth and spirituality.
These readings include the Psalms and the Gospel. In the Liturgy, they also include a passage from the Epistles of St. Paul (the Pauline), from the Catholic Epistles (Catholicon), from the Acts of the Apostles (Praxis), and from the Synaxarion, which contains the life of a saint or saints commemorated on that day.
Let us now consider one of these readings — the Gospel — and observe how the Church treasures it and treats it with special reverence.
The Gospel
No Church shows such care for the Gospel and its readings during the Divine Liturgy as our Coptic Church does. Let us mention some examples:
The Gospel is read three times in every Liturgy, each time with its corresponding Psalm: once during the offering of Vespers incense, once during the offering of Matins incense, and once during the Liturgy of the Catechumens. These three readings may all emphasize the same meaning in the mind and heart of the believer who listens attentively.
Before the reading of the Gospel, there is an incense offering and a litany.
The priest says in this litany: “Let us be worthy to hear and to act according to Your Holy Gospels, through the prayers of Your saints…” Even to merely hear the Gospel requires worthiness, for it is a grace from God that He grants us to listen to His Word. Hence the Lord said, “Blessed are your ears for they hear…”
Do you feel this blessing and grace while hearing the Gospel? Do you make it part of your life, as the priest says in the litany: “to hear and to act according to Your Holy Gospels”? This fulfills the Lord’s saying:
“Whoever hears these sayings of Mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24)
After the incense litany, there is a procession with the Gospel and incense around the altar, symbolizing the spread of the Gospel message throughout the whole world — leaving mankind without excuse. The incense symbolizes our prayers concerning the Gospel, rising to heaven as a sweet aroma before God.
The Gospel is read surrounded by lit candles, carried by deacons standing around it — symbolizing the Psalmist’s words: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105), and also “The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” The Gospel enlightens our minds and hearts to know God’s commandments and the features of the spiritual path.
The priest places the Gospel on his head, symbolizing that his mind is subject to the teaching of the Gospel. The same occurs during the ordination of a Patriarch or Bishop, when the Gospel is placed upon his head — that his mind be inspired and subject to it.
The priests and deacons kiss the Gospel book, showing that we submit to the Gospel not out of compulsion but out of love. As the Psalm says: “I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure,” “I have loved Your commandments,” “Your testimonies are my meditation,” “They are my delight,” and “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.” (Psalm 119; Jeremiah 15:16)
The deacon calls out: “Stand with the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.”
This shows the reverence with which we listen to the life-giving Word of God. At that moment, even the bishop removes his crown in respect for the Word of God, and the entire congregation stands in silence and awe as the Lord Himself speaks to them.
In Russia, I saw that the people kneel during the reading of the Gospel.
The Gospel is read from two lecterns: one facing the east and another facing the people.
This is because reading the Gospel is a form of prayer — a communion with God — and prayer is our communion with Him. For this reason, every prayer in the Agpeya includes a Gospel passage, since the Gospel is part of prayer. Hence, it is read once facing the east as prayer, and again facing the people as teaching, for the Gospel is both prayer and teaching.
The Gospel is read with explanation.
This fulfills the Scripture: “Then He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures” and “He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” (Luke 24:45, 27)
Thus, according to Church tradition, the sermon follows immediately after the Gospel reading, while its words are still fresh in the people’s minds.
Out of reverence for the Gospel, the bishop removes his crown while it is being read.
After finishing, he bows his head and kisses the Gospel, signifying both the awe and the love with which we approach the Word of God that enlightens our souls.
This is the Church’s order concerning the Gospel.
And in all of this, we remember the words of the Prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse:
“Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 16:5)
The Scripture then says: “He sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 16:6)
Likewise, we must come to church in holiness — sanctified in body and spirit — and chant with the Psalmist: “Holiness adorns Your house, O Lord.” (Psalm 93:5)
The Readings
There are readings recited to the congregation:
the Pauline Epistle (a passage from the letters of St. Paul), the Catholicon (a passage from the General Epistles — by St. James, St. Peter, St. John, or St. Jude, excluding Judas Iscariot), the Synaxarion (containing the lives of the saints commemorated that day), and the Praxis (from the Acts of the Apostles).
These readings are part of the Church’s teaching, followed by the sermon after the Gospel reading. Therefore, this part of the Liturgy is called The Liturgy of the Catechumens.
Usually, all these readings are thematically harmonious, often revolving around the saint commemorated that day.
The topic of the readings is a vast one, far beyond the limits of this article.
It suffices to say that the Church distributes the Gospel passages throughout the year so that the faithful may benefit from hearing them.
Article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, published in Watani Newspaper, June 4, 1995
For better translation support, please contact the center.
