I know that in some ways the article has been a little disjointed. I have tried to present some historical information together with some thoughts about the meaning of the Liturgy. I will be taking a slightly different approach during … Continue reading
Category Archives: Learning About the Practices of Our Religion
In the last issue I presented Justin’s basic format the early Church used to celebrate the Divine Liturgy. If you compare later liturgical developments to Justin’s first format you will find that the evolution respects this primitive outline in what … Continue reading
In the last issue of this article, I began sharing with you the evolution of the Divine Liturgy and suggested that in the beginning even the frequency with which it was celebrated was uncertain. This is partially due to the … Continue reading
The New Testament (NT) has Jesus say, “Do this in memory of me”. He does not say how often and the problem before us is the various answers given to that question throughout history. In considering this point, we must … Continue reading
I don’t know whether this article on the Divine Liturgy is making any sense to my readers. I thought that I would regroup and focus a little more on my understanding of the Liturgy. I’ve tried to give a little … Continue reading
It was only in the fourteenth century that the altar area (i.e., sanctuary) came to be distinguished from the nave by what we now call the iconastasis. Earlier church buildings had a series of columns and or panels that served … Continue reading
It was not until the fourteenth century that the Byzantine Liturgy reached the full term of its development and a process of consolidation was under way. Local variations in practice continued to exist in the world of Byzantine Christianity. But … Continue reading
In the last issue of the article I introduced the notion of the interpretation of the Liturgy. I also raised this question in an indirect manner in last week’s sermon. What is our religion all about, especially that communal ritual … Continue reading
The meaning of what is done in the Eucharist, the Divine Liturgy, is conveyed to the worshipper in the first place by the prayers which are said. This is one reason why I invented the Liturgical Scavenger Hunt. It is … Continue reading
In understanding the Divine Liturgy we must realize that the Church, influenced by Judaism, saw the importance of calling together the People of God into a visible community in order to manifest and make real the unity that belief in … Continue reading