Mystical Supper

In the last issue I began sharing my thoughts about one of the main prayers of the ANAPHORA of our Divine Liturgy. It begins as a prayer to the FATHER and then transitions into remembering what the SON, Whom the Father sent, did for us. The next words of this prayer are:

Who [the Father] so loved Your world that You gave Your only-begotten Son that everyone who believe in Him should not perish, but should have life everlasting ….

These words specify the Father’s intent in becoming enfleshed in the Person of the Son – so that we might have life everlasting. Think about it! God so loves us that He came in the Person of Jesus to show us how to live and, therefore, gain the fullness of life or life everlasting. I don’t know about you, but these words are so very, very uplifting for me. To be assured that the God Who created me loves me so much that He came Himself to show me how to live, is truly up-lifting.

Further, to also think that these words were written in the fifth century is truly amazing! The insight that the early Christians had about the Church should inspire us to want to achieve the same understanding.

The remainder of this prayer then goes on to articulate what the Son did while on earth. It is critical that when we hear these things prayed, that we mentally affirm our belief that this is what happened in history and continues to happen in our present time and experience. Christ is doing this for us right now. The prayer says:

Who [Jesus Christ], having come and having fulfilled the whole divine plan concerning us, on the night when He was betrayed, or rather, when He surrendered Himself of the life of the world ….

One of the key phrases in this part of the prayer is: having fulfilled the whole divine plan concerning us…. I wonder how many of us actually think about the fact that God had and has a divine plan concerning us? I also wonder how many of us have any kind of idea about what the divine plan is?

There is so much theology and revealed truth packed into our Divine Liturgy which, I suspect, we don’t even think about while celebrating it. In order, however, to make the Liturgy our personal and communal worship of God, we need to reflect upon what we pray and do! I would encourage you to think about what you think God’s divine plan – what He has planned for you – is for you and, if you would, share them with me.