by HH Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, LL Patriarch of Antioch and All the East

The Lord Jesus set the foundation of the marvelous Sacrament of The Holy Eucharist by declaring Himself truly to be: "The bread that came down from heaven". This proclamation surprised His listeners, who belonged to different sectors of society of the old order, along with their varied religious, cultural and social levels. Also their opinions, judging the mission of the Lord Jesus, were contradicting. Many of them recognized Him as the expected Messiah: The hope of nations and generations. Others thought He was one of the prophets. Yet, others rejected Him and were waiting for Him trying to trap Him into saying something He could be arrested for. Therefore they asked Him to perform a miracle by reminding Him of the incident of the descent of Manna from heaven upon their forefathers in the wilderness.

" Then Jesus said unto them, very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father Who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world "
( John 6:32-33 ).

He continued saying:

" I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty "
( John 6:35 ).

The multitudes could not comprehend this truth which is beyond the grasp of the human mind. In the Holy Gospel, the apostle John says:

"Then the Jews began to complain about Him because He said: "I am the bread that came down from heaven."
( John 6:41 ).

These words were even difficult to some of His disciples who interpreted them materially for they were asking each other saying: " how can He give us his body to eat?" And in order to reaffirm this divine teaching to them, our Lord explained it fully, and added further to clarify the effects of the Sacrament of The Holy Eucharist saying,

"…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat My flesh and drink My blood have eternal life and I will raise them up on the last day; for My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. Those who eat My flesh and drink My blood abide in Me, and I in them"
( John 6:53-56 ).

Yes, whoever contemplates in the Lord’s teaching, the great sacrifice of the Lord, will be transfigured before Him. His self-denial is not only by bearing great pains and dying on the cross for the salvation of the world, but also by giving Himself to the believers, as spiritual food. They will be nourished by receiving Him, and they will grow in grace and be fortified and will abide in Christ, and finally, they will be worthy to inherit with Him His Heavenly Kingdom.

The Lord gave Himself to His pure disciples in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. He gave the Eucharist in the form of bread and wine before He delivered Himself willingly into the hands of His enemies the Jews for crucifixion and death, as a redemption for humanity.

On the night of His passion, and after eating the Jewish Passover Meal with His righteous disciples,

"Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it He broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said: Take, eat; this is My body. Then He took a cup and after giving thanks He gave it to them, saying: Drink from it all of you; for this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
( Matthew 26:26-28 ) and ( Mark 14:22-24 ).

Thus, the Lord established the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and granted His pure disciples the authority to offer the bloodless, divine sacrifice by saying to them: "…do this in remembrance of Me."
( Luke 22:19 ).

In fulfillment of this Commandment of the Lord, and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the disciples set up the ritual of offering this divine sacrifice which is called The Order of Service of the Divine Eucharist.

The Book of Acts of the Apostles mentions that the early Christians "Continued steadfastly in the .. fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers." ( Acts 2:42 ), which indicates their actual participation in the Divine Sacrament and the receiving of the Holy Eucharist which is His holy body and blood.

This bloodless sacrifice is a remembrance of the Sacrifice on the Cross and an extension of it and the continuation of its benefits. Furthermore, its true offerer is the Lord Christ, who gave Himself as a redemptive offering on the cross.

The Lord Jesus offers Himself on the Holy Altar as a bloodless sacrifice in the form of bread and wine. The Holy Bible said about Him, "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek." ( Hebrews 5:6 ). Melchizedek was a king of the Holy City and its priest during the time of Abraham, the father of the Patriarchs, and his sacrifice was bread and wine; symbolizing the sacrifice of the new covenant just as he Melchizedek was a symbol of Jesus, the great priest.

The priest who offers the sacrifice of the new covenant, represents the Lord Jesus. Therefore, the believers who participate in the Holy Eucharist, should be of one accord with the priest, who offers the sacrament, in order to receive Christ’s blessings. They should also receive the Holy Communion. For, if the physical food nourishes the body, the Holy Eucharist the body and blood of Christ is the food of the soul which makes its partaker worthy to be united with Christ. Concerning this matter, the Lord says: "Those who eat My flesh and drink My blood abide in Me and I in them" ( John 6:56 ). St. Paul explains this relationship between Christ and the true believer by saying: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…" ( Galatians 2:20 ).

Therefore, the Holy Eucharist, grants us the Spiritual life in Christ and makes us abide in Him; so we grow and become strengthened spiritually. If that is so, then our abstinence from receiving it will be a terrible and irreplaceable loss. For we will be compared to the branch which is separated from the vine; it will dry up, whither, die and be thrown into the fire. That’s why the Lord Jesus warns and cautions us saying: "Unless you eat the body of the Son Of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves." ( John 6:53 ). Hence, the church imposed punishment upon the heretics, schismatics, and criminals by denying them the receiving of the Holy Eucharist and the participation in the Divine Liturgy.

Dearly Beloved; Because of the sacredness of the Holy Eucharist, it is required that the believers be prepared, body and soul, before they receive it. Their bodies must be clean, and they must be in a state of grace; meaning that they had offered a true penance and lawfully confessed before the lawful priest. They must also adhere to the order of communion abstaining. Concerning this matter, Saint Paul says: "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner, eats and drinks judgment to himself not discerning the Lord’s body". ( 1 Corinthians 11:28,29 ). Thus, Whoever comes to receive the Holy Eucharist must gather his thoughts and proceed, with the fear of God, with humility and meekness, and with a burning desire that matches "the desire of the deer to the streams of water " ( Psalms 41:2 ). Thus thanking God for His indescribable grace, for who has redeemed us by His sacrifice on the Cross; and bestowed upon us the sacrifice of the Holy Communion which is called "Eucharist" or the Sacrament of Thanksgiving.

Beloved, it is regrettable that many of the church sons and daughters, nowadays, have neglected to come forth to the table of the Lord, not comprehending that they are exposing their souls to eternal perdition. So, let us all return to God, with true penance, so that we may be worthy of partaking of the Lord’s Table. Let us be united with Him, the Lord of Glory, and He with us, to grow in grace and be worthy to inherit His Heavenly Kingdom.

May the Lord God bless you and accept your prayers and alms. May He have mercy upon your faithful departed. Amen.

Source: The 1991 Patriarchal Lental Encyclical of His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas

by Rev. Fr. Dr. Binoy Thattankunnel

Introduction

Liturgy is the celebration of the mystery of salvation through signs and symbols. In the Christian sense, liturgy means “The public worship of the Church”. The public worship of the Church is worship of God through actions, words and gestures that are instituted by Christ or by the Church. It is carefully noted that public work or exterior does not excluded the interior or sanctifying elements but that all the elements coalesce to form one, sole, concrete both as regards the minister and the recipient and the intrinsic power of sanctification of the act itself1. The items of public worship instituted by Christ are the Eucharistic sacrifice and the sacraments. Those items instituted by the Church are the sacraments.

In the Greek Septuagint (the Greek Version of the Old Testament), the word ‘Leitourgeia’ and the corresponding verb ‘leitougein’2 generally refer to priestly worship in the temple service, particularly the offering of sacrifices. The New Testament seldom uses the term, and when used it generally refers to Old Testament practice3. But the same meaning is found in the New Testament too (LK 1,23; Heb 9,21; 10,11). When Jesus Christ, the messiah and the High Priest ( Heb 7) offered Himself Once for all, he abolishes the first-the bloodly. Sacrifices – in order to establish the second – the bloodless sacrifise – in whom and by whom all the symbols of the old covenant were accomplished. It is clear in the central theme of the letter to the Hebrews, ie, Christ is “minister” (liturgist) in the sanctuary and the true tabernacle (8,2). Jesus has now obtained a more excellent ‘ministry’ (liturgy), and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises (8,6). Other references that describe the ceremonial and sacrificial worship of the old covenant, can also be seen in New Testament, (Rom 9,4; Heb 9,1; LK 2,37; Acts 26,7; LK 1,75; Acts 24,14; Phil 3,3; Heb 9,14, Rev 7,15; 22,3 etc.)

Hence, the liturgy of the Christian Church is a religious service offered by the public to the Lord. It is not an individual activity, but a service of the community. It is not the private and subjective prayer of one or some individuals, but it is the prayer which is “together” and in common with the church. Liturgy, therefore, is a service of all for the One, the Lord. It is the unanimous prayer of the community, the organized cultic action of the church. Thus the church and liturgy are integral and interdependent. Because, as liturgy is the public prayer of the church, the voice of the body of Christ, it is a sign and indication of “The Communion of Saints” through the whole length of time and across the reaches of space. It constitutes one of the marks of the catholicity and ecumenicity of the church4.

Liturgy – the terminological meaning.

The word liturgy comes from the Greek term “leitourgia” which is a combination of two terms – ‘leitos’ and ‘ergon’. The Greek term ‘leitos’, is an adjective which means ‘pertaining to the people’ and ‘ergon’ is a noun which means ‘work’5. Etymologically, therefore, the word liturgy means ‘any service done for the common welfare’. In the Christian perspective, the term liturgy is used both in the general sense of public service as well as in the spiritual sense of prayer and sacrifise. In the New Testament, it is employed as an act of service or ministry (Phil 2,30). The New Testament does not provide a detailed description of the worship of the early church, because worship was a regular element in the lives of the first Christians. It is clear that the Eucharist was of great importance in virtue of Jesus’ institution at the ‘Last Supper’. The early Christian Eucharist followed the pattern of the ‘Last Supper’:-Bread was taken, blessed, broken and distributed before a meal. And wine was taken, blessed and distributed after it.

Definition of Liturgy

According to Odo Casel “ The Liturgy is the ritual accomplishment of the redemptive work of Christ in and through the Church”6. He further defines it as “a holy ritual action in which a salvific act is made present and brings salvation for the worshiping community, which participates in it”7.

“Liturgy is a personal meeting under the veil of holy signs, of God with his church and with the total person of each one of her members in and through Christ and the unity of the Holy Spirit”8. On the basis of this definition, we derive following aspects of the liturgy.

1) The liturgy is a personal meeting with God. ie theocentric character of the liturgy.

2) This takes place in and through the Mediator Christ. ie the theocentric character of the liturgy.

3) The ecclesial aspect of the liturgy is that which takes place in the living community of the Church.

4) Liturgy does not takes place directly, but under the veil of signs and symbols.

5) The pnuematological aspect of the liturgy is that which takes place in union with the Holy Spirit.

Liturgy is the congregational worship of the Church, celebrated by Christ, the Eternal Priest, the Head of the Church, together with the faithful. Christian liturgical practice is derived from the Jewish worship practice. Studying Jewish background of Christian liturgy will help us understand the hidden meanings of Christian liturgy in a deeper level.

John Paul II once stated;

Our common spiritual heritage (with Jews) is considerable. Help in better understanding certain aspects of the church’s life can be gained by taking an inventory of that heritage, and also by taking into account the faith and religious life of the Jewish people as professed and lived now as well. This is the case with the liturgy. Its roots have still to be more deeply traced and above all need to be better known and appreciated by the faithful. 9

Psalms were recited or sung in the temple as adjunct to the sacrificial rite. 17 The prayers found occasionally in the Old Testament are spontaneous reactions to the personal experiences. We find a formal prayer in the Old Testament as confession to be recited when bringing the first fruits and the tithe. 18

You shall make this response before the Lord your God: “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number… So I bring the first fruit of the ground that you, O Lord have given me”… Dt. 26, 5-15.

The New Testament bears abundant witness to the existence of the Jewish liturgy. The witness there is indicative rather than descriptive. It is because that the Apostles were familiar with the realities.19

The Mishna

Most important source of Jewish liturgy is the Mishna, though compiled ca. 200 AD materials therein go back to much an earlier date. A. Cronbach opines;

Though produced two generations later than NT time, the Mishna contains fairly reliable accounts of Jewish practices that prevailed during NT times. The authorities quoted in the Mishna were mostly persons who lived the first 130 years of the Christian era.20

It was Rabbi Judah Ha-Nasi who collected and edited the vast accumulation of tradition. The result was compilation of Mishna which later became the Core of Talmud.21 Mishna derived from the word ‘shanah’ meaning to repeat.22 Mishna is divided in to six parts called ‘Orders’ and the ‘Order’ is again subdivided in to ‘Tractates’.23

The Talmud

Solomon Schecter says, Talmud as “Bottomless Sea with innumerable undercurrents”.24 Talmud is the critical commentary on Mishna. The word Talmud comes from the root, ‘lmd’ which means to study. It has two parts first a reproduction of the Mishna and the second part is the analysis of the Mishna known as Gemara an Aramaic word meaning interpretation or completion.25 The Talmud embodies approximately a thousand years of Jewish religious thought. Made up of teachings from Palestinian and Babylonian scholars, it exists in two versions, one edited in Palestine, 350-400 CE and the other edited in Babylonia, ca. 500-600 CE.26

The Siddur or Prayer Book

Siddur is the prayer book of Jewish liturgy in which all the official prayers are given. Though traditionally attributed to Moses the first historically attested book is that of Rav Amram Gaon in 785 AD known also as ‘Seder’ coming from a Hebrew word meaning order. Now commonly known as ‘Seder tefillot’ meaning order of prayers.27

Place of Worship

Rabbis taught that men should have a set place for their worship, the Talmud writes;

Whosoever has a fixed place for his prayer has the God of Abraham as his helper…-now do we know that our father Abraham had a fixed place [for his prayer]? For it is written: And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood. And ‘standing’ means nothing else but prayer.28

Temple

Priests and Levites were to carry out the services in the temple according to the designated plan.29 The religious life of Jews revolved around temple. Cult of sacrifice was the center of temple worship. The animals offered are ritually either eaten at the sanctuary or burned on the altar. There are number of sacrifices for various purposes. In 70 AD the temple was destroyed and sacrificial cult came to an abrupt end.30

Synagogue

There is no sense of certainty and exactitude, in the matter of the origin of Synagogue.31 C. Travers writes;

In all their long history, the Jewish people have done scarcely anything more wonderful than to create the Synagogue. No human institution has a longer continuous history, and none has done more for the uplifting of the human race.32

The synagogue originated in the exile. But we cannot sideline the other factors which necessitated the origin of the Synagogue; it was their desire that religion should penetrate more deeply into daily life that perpetuated the system of Synagogue.33 The original object of the synagogue was to be a place of teaching and instruction, it tended to become, especially in places far distant from Jerusalem, a place of public worship also, and prayer gradually became a substitute for sacrifice.34 The pattern of worship followed is three times in a day called shahrit in the morning, minhah in the afternoon and marriv in the evening.35

Home worship

Home in Judaism was as well a center of worship. Parents had the duty of circumcising the children and the ceremony was performed at home. Parents had the obligation of instructing them too in religious tenets.36 And house is the locus of celebrations like religious meals, Sabbath and Passover where liturgy draws finest manifestation.37

Time of Worship

Pious individuals seem to have prayed thrice daily.38 The statutory daily services were consisted of Shema and Tefillah. The Services are known by the name Shahrith (morning) Arbith (evening) and Minhah the afternoon prayer which had only Tefillah. The Talmud assigns that the service originates with the three patriarchs;

Abraham instituted the morning Tefillah, as it says, And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood, and standing means only prayer… Isaac instituted the afternoon Tefillah, as it says, And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide, and ‘meditation’ means prayer… Jacob instituted the evening prayer, as it says, As he lighted [wa-yifga ‘] upon the place, and ‘pegi ‘ah’ means only prayer.39

But more likely explanation is that they correspond with the temple offering.40 Scripture narrates a probable custom;

Although Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he continued to go to his house, which had windows in its upper room open toward Jerusalem, and to get down on his knees three times a day to pray to his God and praise him, just as he had done previously. Dan. 6, 11.

In Berakah the entire Jewish thought is summed up.49 When a Jew pronounced a “blessing”, he would offer praise to God as Creator of all things. Since God had been blessed and thanked, the person or object which was the motive for the prayer of blessing was thus made holy.50 Thus berakah changes the profane in to sacred.51 Berakah brings all things to the original goodness.52 St. Paul writes;

For everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving for then it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer (1 Tim. 4, 3-4).

An expanded berakah would include narrative of God’s works; “… “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to my Father David,” (1 Kings 8, 15), and also supplication and intercession for continued action; “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel according to all that he promised; not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke through his servant Moses” (1 Kings 8, 56). Confession of faith and unworthiness are also found and this prompt for a doxology at the end.53

Praised art Thou, O Lord our God, king of the universe, who sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to love the revered and awful Name-that was, is, and will be –to hallow thy name among the many. Praised art Thou, O Lord, who hallowest thy name among the many54

Parts of Berakah

Berakah consists of three parts; the stylized beginning, the statement of the motive for the praise, and, in the longer version, the concluding statement which would return to the theme of praise and blessing again. This last concluding statement is called the “chatimah” or seal. Longer berakah contained a proclamatory section also.55 The following is the first benediction of the marriv service;

Praised art Thou O Lord our God, king of the universe, who at thy word bringest on the evening twilight, with wisdom openest the gates of the heaven and with understanding changest times and variest the seasons, and arrangest the stars in their watches in the sky, according to thy will. Thou createst day and night; Thou rollest away the light from before the darkness, and the darkness from before the light; Thou makest the day to pass and the night to approach, and dividest the day from the night, the Lord of hosts is thy name; a God living and enduring continually, mayest Thou reign over us for ever and ever. Praised art Thou, O Lord, who bringest on the evening twilight.56

Berakah is the basic structural element out of which Jewish liturgy is constructed. Millgram says; “The benediction is essentially an utterance of gratitude for God’s manifestations in nature and for the privilege of performing the commandments of Torah”.57 Maimonides classifies berakah formulas in to three classes.58 Talmud ascribes the origin of berakah to men of great assembly.59

Shema‘ Yisra’el

This is the first core unit of the Synagogue liturgy. It is an affirmation and profession of faith.60 It is the creed, all men from their twelfth birthday has to recite it.61 The shema‘ Yisra’el is composed of three Biblical passages. It got its formulations in the pre-Christian period.62 The first scriptural passage, Deut. 6, 4-9 is the most important. The other two passages, Deut. 11, 13-21 and Num. 15, 37-41 are variable.63 shema succeeded and preceded benedictions.64 Mishna presupposes that it is recited twice daily.65

The Tefillah

Tefillah means prayer. It is recited immediately after the Shema. Shema and Tefillah forms a unit.66 Since Tefillah comprises of eighteen benedictions it is called shemoneh-esreh.67 Tefillah is also known as amidah which in Hebrew means standing. This prayer is recited in standing posture facing Jerusalem.68 “A.Tanna stated: The same rule applies to Hallel, to the recital of the Shema, and to the Amidah prayer… From the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof [the Lord’s name is to be praised].”69 It was prayed by one on behalf of all called hazzan, the attendant of the Synagogue.70 On weekdays all the eighteen are recited while on feast and Sabbath the number is open to reduction.71 It was only after the destruction of the temple that the order of the benediction and exact wording of their concluding blessings were established.72 Mishna says it is to be said three times a day.73

Composition of Tefillah

The Shemoneh-esreh is grouped in to three sections. The first three as an introduction is praise of God for His love, power and holiness. The thirteen intermediary benedictions are petitions for daily needs. The final three as conclusion is an expression of gratitude.74 Contrary to the berakoth before the Shema, it has always been the role of a hazan to recite them, standing before the ark of the scripture and facing Jerusalem.75 Its origin is traditionally attributed to the Men of Great Assembly.76 This may be the forerunner of the intercessory prayers in Christian liturgy.77

Qeri’at Torah

The third important part of Jewish liturgy is the Qeri’at Torah or reading of the Torah in the synagogue, on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and feast days.78 The command for this practice can be seen in Deut. 6, 7 “And thou shalt teach them…”.79

2. Formal meal

Taken reclining, opened with blessing and breaking of the bread by the leader

3. Grace after the meal

Called food blessing, said by the leader, on special occasion said over a cup, known as cup of blessing

4. Kiddush cup

Common cup and blessed by one leader

One can look for the ‘scheme’ of the Last Supper in this description. 98 Dix writes, “The various formulae of blessing for the different kinds of food were fixed and well-known, and might not be altered”. 99

Birkat ha-mosi

The benediction before the meal is known as birkat ha-mosi; “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who bringest forth bread from the earth”. Jewish tradition calls the flesh of the sacrificed animals “the bread of God” (lehem Elohim); “They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God; for they offer the Lord’s offering by fire, the food of their God; therefore they shall be holy” (Lev. 21, 6). It also recalls the manna. Therefore in a meal there is the nuances of the sacrificial act and reliving of the miracle of the manna.100 And this benediction brings to their memory, past as well as future.

The Birkat ha-mazon 101

It is the blessing after the food or thanks giving after the supper.102 This ritual is regarded as the oldest and most important. The basis for the benediction is Deut 8,10; “And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord…”. It is made up of three benedictions in which God is thanked for food, land and Jerusalem.103 Birkat ha-mazon express the spirit of the universal providence of God for all the living things “thou nourishest and sustainest all beings”.104 This is the prayer that concludes the Jewish ritual meal and that is usually considered as the text from which the Christian Eucharistic prayer derives.105

Birkat ha-ares

In this second benediction God is thanked for the gift of the land; “We thank you…good and ample land”. In the first benediction the approach is cosmic where as here it is historical and particular.106 The three initial benedictions of the birkat ha-mazon are among the most ancient prayers in the Jewish liturgy. The Rabbis emphasize their antiquity. Talmud says;

Moses instituted for Israel the [first] benediction [of the grace] “who feeds” at the time when manna descended for them, Joshua instituted for them the [second] benediction of the land when they entered the land. David and Solomon instituted the [third] benediction which closes “who buildest” Jerusalem temple.107

When three or more participated in a meal it becomes a formal service with a leader and official call to worship.108

Bone Jerushalaim

This benediction has the taste of supplication, asking for being merciful towards Israel and rebuilding of Jerusalem.109 The festive form of this berakah is noteworthy;

Our God and the God of our fathers, may the remembrance of ourselves and of our fathers and the remembrance of Jerusalem, the city, and the remembrance of the Messiah, the son of David, thy servant, and remembrance of thy people, the whole house of Israel, arise and come, come to pass, be seen and accepted and heard…110

by Rev. Joseph Dwight

The Mass in a certain manner has as much worth for our Souls, as the death of Jesus Christ had on the Cross.
(St. John Chrysostom).

It is more acceptable to God the Holy Mass than the merits of all the Angels.
(St. Lawrence Justinian).

All the steps that one takes to go to participate in the Holy Mass are written and numbered, and for each step there will be granted a supreme award on earth and in Heaven.
(St. Augustine).

The Mass is medicine to heal the infirm and holocaust to pay for the faults.
(St. Cyprian).

I assure you, Jesus said to St. Gertrude, that he who participates devotedly in the Holy Mass, I will send in the last instants of his life as many of my Saints to comfort him and to protect him, as the number of Masses at which he assisted well.
(Lib. 3. c. 16).

Every Mass before the justice of God will perorate your pardon.

At each Mass you can diminish the temporal pain due to your sins, more or less according to your fervor.

Assisting devotedly at the Mass, renders to the holy Humanity of Jesus Christ the maximum honor.

He makes allowances for many of your negligences and omissions.
He forgives you the venial sins that you never confessed of which you had repented.
There is diminished over you the rule of Satan.
You can procure for the Souls in Purgatory the greatest suffrage possible.

A Mass at which you assisted in life will be more salutary for you than many others offered for you after death.

You are preserved from many dangers and misfortunes which would have befallen you.
You diminish your Purgatory with each Mass.

Christ, by means of men, renews his Sacrifice
(D. C. Marmion).

The Mass is not just a simple representation of the Sacrifice of the Cross; it does not have only the value of a simple remembrance; but it is a true Sacrifice as that of Calvary, which it reproduces, continues and of which applies the fruits.
(D. C. Marmion)

The fruits of the Mass are inexhaustible since they are the same fruits of the Sacrifice of the Cross.
(D. C. Marmion).

Oh! If we might know the gift of God! If we might know what treasures we can draw for ourselves, for the entire Church!...
(D. C. Marmion).

In the hour of death, the Masses which you will have devotedly participated in will form your greatest consolation.

Every Mass will procure for you a greater degree of glory in Heaven.

You will be blessed in your work and personal interests.

Might you know, Oh Christian, that you merit more participating devoutly in a Holy Mass than distributing to the poor all of your goods and making pilgrimages all over the earth. (St. Bernard).

The Lord grants to us all that we ask for in the Holy Mass, and moreover, he gives us that which we do not even think of asking for and yet is also necessary.
(St. Jerome).

If we might know the value of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, what ever greater zeal would we offer in participating in it.
(St. John Mary Vianney).

It is worth more participating devoutly in a Holy Mass than fasting a year on bread and water.
(St. Leonard).

by Shane Kapler

Jesus said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer"… And He took bread, and when He had given thanks He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My Body which is given for you." And likewise the cup after supper, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood"
(Luke 22:15, 19-20).

It is one of those realizations that leave you speechless. There was something significantly more, qualitatively more, going on in Jesus' prayer than the traditional, "Blessed are You, L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth" (Passover Haggadah, translated into English). Jesus gave thanks to His Father for the True Bread, His Body, that would be broken for us. He thanked the Father that He was able to offer Himself for our redemption! We see how difficult this was for Him when, just a few hours later, we glimpse Him in the Garden of Gethsemane; and yet, almost paradoxically, it was an offering He "earnestly desired" to make.

Historically at Calvary, and sacramentally at Jesus' final Passover, we see our Lord living out as a man, Who He is from all eternity - the Son of the Father. For it is the Son Who receives all He is from the Father and reciprocates by pouring out Himself to the Father, in the Person of the Spirit. This is the same Trinitarian movement we see in the Cross/Eucharist - but with the Son's humanity now fully caught up into His outpouring of Love. The Son, Who has received all He is, "gives thanks," by pouring Himself out in a return of Love. And because He does this as man, His action overwhelmingly atones for - and superabundantly redeems - all sin, man and woman's rejection of God.

By calling what we Christians "do" Eucharist (the Greek word for "thanksgiving"), we make a profound statement. We have been made sons and daughters in the only Son, and we enter into His Gift of Self to the Father. Like Him, we who have received all we are from the Father, give ourselves back to Him in a movement of thanksgiving/Love - the Holy Spirit pouring forth from Jesus, and carrying us into the arms of the Father. It only makes sense that the Eucharist, what the Church calls "the source and summit of the Christian life," should be a manifestation of its central Mystery - God's own Trinitarian Life.

by Fr. Alexey Young

The seeds of holiness are planted within us at Baptism and Chrismation, but we must nourish these seeds by prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in imitation of Christ and His saints. The spiritual equivalent of the sun is the Holy Spirit - He acts upon us in the Sacraments, especially in Chrismation. In this way, the Church is the seedbed of holiness. We must water the seeds and pull out the weeds and thereby discover that the spiritual path is a tremendous adventure all about going home to God!

Secular institutions even used to help with this. Taverns, for instance, used to observe the fasts. In Russian it was against the law for establishments to provide non-fasting foods during a fast. Taverns and inns and such places had icons, vigil lamps, and so on, as a constant reminder that Heaven is watching. Old Orthodox lands didn't even have a word for homosexuality because it was so rare.

In America we lack this outside help - it's more like the times of persecution in some ways. Even here in our "freedom" we are persecuted by materialism, coldness, and so on. This brings the Sacraments even more sharply into focus in terms of what we need to do. In Russia even those who were not particularly observant communed at least once a year, and you could even be arrested if you didn't.

All grace comes from Christ and is shared out in the Church. When we participate in the liturgical life and receive the Sacraments we affirm that Christ keeps His word and bestows grace on the Church to build it up. The normal spiritual life has frequent contact with Christ in the Sacraments, such as Confession and Communion which are channels of grace. In Confession we receive Christ Who said go and sin no more. In the Eucharist we receive the full humanity and divinity of He Who resurrected and ascended.

We cannot enter into the Kingdom without it and will die spiritually, as the Lord teaches us in John 6. The Eucharist is the medicine of immortality and the antidote to death. Christ thus said I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It is a problem that too many receive Communion lightly. We need to approach the chalice more seriously. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep, the Apostle Paul tells us. There can be physical illness from receiving Communion without proper preparation - it's not just a nice ritual but rather the divine banquet, and the Host is the King of Heaven Who feeds us with Himself.

The founders of the Meteora monasteries were not priests, and thus were dependent upon priests to come to them. The first time a priest came they all received Holy Communion and after the Divine Liturgy they said to one another, "We have the same Blood in our veins now. By this we are true brothers." This is how we all should think about the Eucharist. We are more closely united to one another through the Eucharist than we are to our own children. A husband and wife become one as they receive the Eucharist together, not through the legal procedure. Weddings should thus be in the context of the Divine Liturgy, whether in it, or following after it.

Receiving Communion isn't a right but a gift. It involves preparation, thought, repentance, confession, and so on. We should receive as often as possible, but in a state of preparation! It is very important to attend Vespers or Vigil on Saturday night, and we shouldn't receive Holy Communion if we don't. Earlier on Saturday we should already be preparing for Saturday night and Sunday morning, with a sense of approaching the Lord as a beggar - when He comes to me, will my house be clean? What do I especially need help with? He can give me the power that I need to deal with all of it.

At the moment of receiving Christ we can and should tell Him what we need. He is ours at that moment. The whole Liturgy should be a pouring out of ourselves in preparation. Many saints used to prepare for Communion from Wednesday through Saturday, and offer thanksgiving to God from Sunday through Tuesday. We have little divine energy in our lives if we don't do this, and otherwise we might as well not receive, and it might even be dangerous.

The holy Bishop Nektary Kontzevitch exhorted: "be not quick to spill out the grace you've received." After having received Communion don't go out and chatter in the parish hall, but reflect on the grace given to you. When you fall in love you don't run from that person, and likewise, you've just received Christ, His Blood is literally in your veins, so stay and spend some time with Him. Take at least ten minutes for thanksgiving (St. John Maximovitch would take three hours). Pray, don't talk, don't rush out.

This idea of preparation correlates with people arriving to Liturgy just on time, or even late - it demonstrates a lack of preparation. Of course there can be unforeseen circumstances, but I'm speaking generally. You arrive to work on time to please your earthly bossy - what about He Who has power over life and death? There may be times when you shouldn't receive if it's your fault that you didn't properly prepare. We need discernment though - maybe you didn't prepare because of a stressful even in your family - then you need Communion.

The Lord expects a tithe of our time as well as our treasure and talent - we should spend more time in prayer at home and in Church. When Christ will you not watch with Me for a while, this has to do with keeping vigil both at home and in Church and the spiritual practice of nepsis, that is, of watchfulness. The energies of God enter our hearts through Communion and ascetic practices prepare the soil of our hearts to receive. The Son of God enters into our world through the window of the Mysteries.

In the West asceticism and hesychasm were last as necessary preparation for the laity, and this is a great danger for us today. St. Gregory Palamas teaches us that the healing that must take place is achieved through the sacramental and hesychastic life in combination, and outside of this combination there is no Orthodox life, no spirituality, and no theology. Without this combination we received unworthily. Grace is granted freely through the Sacraments to those who have prepared, and it is necessary to cooperate with divine energy in order to receive the benefits and to receive repentance.

The grace of the Sacraments doesn't operate magically. In John 6:27 we are told: Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you. We must work to receive eternal life in the Eucharist. We must read the post-Communion prayers. God is an all-consuming fire. He is bliss for the saved and torment to the damned. In the lives of the many saints, such as St. Basil the Great and St. Seraphim of Sarov, fire has even been seem coming down into the chalice.

Question: What about those who don't celebrate the true Eucharist?

Answer: They don't even believe that they're receiving the Body and the Blood, so it isn't the Body and the Blood. They'll be judged according to the life they've been given. We can't judge what's going on between them and God.

Question: Is God in us more when receive Eucharist? Is He in us when we're not thinking about Him?

Answer: God is everywhere, filling all things. He sustains all things - if He ceased to love us we wouldn't exist. He who dwells in love dwells in God and God in him. Perfect love casts out fear. We can't quantify how much God we have, but in the Eucharist we receive the fullness, while at the same time His grace and Spirit are everywhere.

It's not a question of quantity but of concentration on the presence of God.

Question: The body is a temple of Holy Spirit, but do we remain a temple even when sinning?

Answer: We are always a temple from Chrismation on, but the temple need a good cleaning from time to time. It becomes an unfit abode for the Holy Spirit and we prevent Him from acting by our uncleanness. We keep the seeds from growing, but they're still there.

Question: How is it that we get off the path?

Answer: It's like a trip - many things can get us off track. There's no real guarantee that we'll arrive safely, or at all. The spiritual life is the same - we're in a process that hasn't yet ended, so we don't yet know the outcome.

Don't worry too much about the end as long as you're living a spiritual life. But be aware that you could have an accident, so be sober and careful. God loves us unconditionally despite sin. We can back away from Him, but not He from us.