In this article I have begun to take us through the Divine Liturgy, commenting on each section. The Liturgy begins with the Great Incensation, that is welcoming all, both those present and the saints whose images (icons) we have in our worship space. The icons represent those special persons that we have called upon to be with us as we worship. The two main icons, of course, are those of Christ the Teacher and Mary, His Mother.

After the Incensation, the very first proclamation the priest makes is to declare that God’s Kingdom is blessed. He sings: Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and   forever. All present declare that they agree with this – they respond: AMEN. This word, AMEN, is a     Hebrew word which means it is true, and expresses acceptance of what has just been said. So, in our hearts we must agree that God’s Kingdom is blessed, namely that it is good.

Having expressed this, we first pray the Litany of Peace, the Great Litany. Almost all major services in our Church begin with this Litany. It declares and exhorts us to be at peace when we pray. It is an invitation to truly forget all of those things that we tend to worry about. In order to truly worship God we have to be at peace with ourselves, our lives, and with others.

The very second petition is For peace from on high and for the salvation of our souls. Think about this. It states that we realize that the only way we can truly achieve internal peace is with the help of God and that the peace that God grants to us is our salvation. Truly salvation is a state of being at peace with life and understanding its purpose and meaning.

The Great Litany then continues, asking God to grant peace to our whole world, our Church leaders, our civil authorities and others, including those in the city in which we worship. Knowing that peace is essential for a good life, we beg God to grant it to us.

The priestly prayer that concludes this Litany begins with declaring how we see our God. For example, we declare that He is beyond description, surpasses all understanding and that His mercy is without limits. This approach to praying to God mirrors how people used to address the Emperor. Any petition to the Emperor was first prefaced with declaring how magnificent he was. After that is accomplished, the petition is uttered: look down upon us and bestow Your abundant mercies and benefits upon us. Then, like all of our prayers, it ends with giving honor to the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit