Having just thought about the Hymn to the Mother of God which is included in the Anaphora of the Divine Liturgy that we use to worship God, we now turn to the commemorations of the deceased. I cannot exhort and encourage you enough to use the time at this point of the Liturgy to remember the deceased who are a part of your life. Even if the celebrant does not call the faithful to remember the deceased, I truly believe that it is important that each of us do so. We must remember that all those who have gone on before us are called to pray with us during the Liturgy. I would exhort all to remember the deceased by name. That makes them real and they become present to us in a real way.

The remembrance of the deceased is included in our Liturgy because, since there is no time in eternity, they are present with us worshipping Almighty God. Love demands that we remember those who have gone on before us. That connects us with them in a unique way and it makes us realize that they are truly alive in a different dimension.

Even if you attend a Liturgy where the priest does not remind you to remember the deceased, do so. Again this is a wonderful way to make our worship truly personal as well as communal. When it is personal, we are truly more engaged.

After we remember the deceased, we commemorate the Hierarchy of the Church. Why do we do this? If you will remember, we remember them in the very first Litany that we offer.

Again this action reminds us that the entire Church is involved in our worship. It is not just our community that worships God, but all Christians that are joined with us.

Following our remembrance of the Hierarchy of our Church, we also pause and remember the living that are special to us. Like our remembrance of the deceased, we pause are remember those who are currently a part of our lives. Not just our family but also our special friends. This is a beautiful act, in my estimation and I would truly encourage all to develop a list of people for whom you want to pray. Again this is a way to personalize our worship.

After that, the priest says a very wonderful prayer: And grant that we, with one voice and one heart, may glorify and praise Your most honored and sublime name, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever.