Mystical Supper

Following the head-bowing prayer of the Divine Liturgy, the celebrant says another prayer which, I believe, has deep content. In the very first part of the prayer, the celebrant calls upon the “Lord Jesus Christ, our God” to look down upon what we are doing. The prayer also specifies that Christ is in His “holy dwelling place” and sits on the “throne of glory of Your Kingdom.” Christ is seen as a King. In fact, much of the ritual of our Divine Liturgy emulates the ritual of the emperor’s court (the holding of the fans over the Gospel Book when it is read is a direct reflection of a court ritual).

In the prayer, the celebrant asks Jesus Christ to come an sanctify those who are praying the Divine Liturgy. He asks this of Jesus who is “seated on high with the Father” and “dwells invisibly among us.” Again, this stresses the REAL PRESENCE of CHRIST in our midst.

This prayer also suggests that it is Christ Himself who imparts the transformed bread and wine to us with His “mighty hand.” It is important to point out that this is the reason why in our Church it is traditional that only an ordained minister can distribute Holy Communion. When a person is ordained, he symbolically represents Jesus Christ so that it becomes real that the transformed gifts come directly from Christ. A bishop, priest or deacon, when they serve Communion, do not represent themselves but, rather, Jesus Christ.

This prayer is ended by the celebrant saying on behalf of all those present, “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” It is critical that when the celebrant says these words that we all say them in our hearts. It is also traditional that we all make the Sign of the Cross on ourselves when these words are being said.

The next declaration that the celebrant makes is: “Let us be attentive. Holy Things to the Holy”. Think about this statement. We are called to holiness. The transformed gifts are a means of helping us attain holiness.

To this prayer the congregation responds:

One is Holy. One is Lord Jesus Christ. For the glory of God the Father. Amen

There truly is great meaning in this prayer. When we join ourselves with Jesus in offering thanksgiving for our lives, we do it for the glory of the Father. When we do it for His glory, we begin acting like holy people – we begin to act like God’s children.