In the last issue of this article I began sharing with you how St John Chrysostom explains the meaning of the Divine Liturgy. He actually used several different ways. The first way is based on the belief that all the … Continue reading
Category Archives: Learning About the Practices of Our Religion
In his teaching about the Eucharist, Chrysostom makes use of traditional ways of looking at things, ways that found their genesis in the Old Testament (OT). He saw the events of the New Testament (NT) prefigured in the OT. In … Continue reading
In the last issue of this article I tried to encourage all of my readers to seriously consider, if they are not already doing it, to get into the practice of remembering both living and deceased people, by name, during … Continue reading
Included in our Divine Liturgy, during that part that we call the Anaphora, the living and the dead are mentioned. This is to signify that the entire community of believers – living and dead – celebrate the Divine Liturgy together. … Continue reading
In the last issue of this article, I tried to suggest that we come to envision our own lives represented by the bread on the paten and the wine in the chalice since they are food and are symbols of … Continue reading
During the past several weeks I have been attempting to share with my readers how the Divine Liturgy was celebrated during the time of John Chrysostom. One particular difference was in how the Gifts were brought to the Holy Table. … Continue reading
History tells us that in several of his sermons Chrysostom reproached his congregation for their lack of attention during the readings. People, it seems complained that there was no point in listening, the reading were always the same. He reminded … Continue reading
In the last issue of this article, I began to share with you the structure of the churches in the time of Chrysostom. The ambon stood roughly in the middle of the church’s nave (i.e., that central part of the … Continue reading
Chrysostom no doubt officiated in each of the several large churches with which the city of Constantinople had been adorned since 330. In addition to the original Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), the Great Church which served as the Cathedral and … Continue reading
As we think about the Divine Liturgy, we must ask: What was the Divine Liturgy like at the time of John Chrysostom? We know that he attempted to simplify the Divine Liturgy of Basil the Great and the other Fathers … Continue reading