Mystical Supper
The ultimate aim of the Divine liturgy and all the liturgies of the Church is the perfect glorification of God and the sanctification of those who celebrate them. This is signified and brought about “by means of signs perceptible to the senses.” Signs or symbols, words and gestures, give our various liturgies a sacramental dimension, that is, they contain and reveal the presence of Christ and of the mystery which the Church celebrates.
In all the Mysteries, the Divine Liturgy included, the signs or symbols consist of words that serve as sacramental formularies, that are joined with specific gestures and material elements like water, bread, wine, oil, crowns and laying on of hands. The difference that exists among signs gives rise to the different forms of liturgical celebrations and thus to the various ways whereby our sanctification is realized.
The seven rituals that form the foundation of the liturgical life of our Church deal with seven of life’s true mysteries: life, death, commitment, love, reconciliation, the courage to live a truly Christian life and God’s gift of spiritual nourishment to promote and to sustain our spiritual lives
The Divine Liturgy can be defined as an encounter between the faithful and God. This implies that through the Church’s worship the faithful, both as a body and as individuals, enter into the presence of Our Triune God. In the liturgy the Church offers worship to the Father, through Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. The ancient doxological formulary expresses this succinctly. The formulary is patterned after the Trinitarian activity in the history of salvation. The Father is the origin and hence the end of all creation and salvation. Jesus Christ is the sacrament who reveals the Father and the mediator who reconciles humankind with God. The Holy Spirit is the power whereby Christ lifts up the fallen and leads them to the Father.
In our Church, this is clearly seen by the way that we worship. We join with Jesus in worshipping the Father, as He taught us to do, and this worship is made real and our lives are sanctified by the power of the Holy Spirit. Even our worship is structured to represent our interaction with God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is important that we think about this when we join together to celebrate the Divine Liturgy.