Does the Heavenly Liturgy constantly change?

 One of the things that struck me at Holy Transfiguration Skete when I was on retreat last week was the real sense of being outside or beyond time. I am no liturgical historian but I should imagine that the Byzantine liturgy in its various forms has been celebrated in pretty much the same way since around the 7th century. The Roman Liturgy, on the other hand, has been afflicted with changes for all my lifetime. Now there is to be another (admittedly much-needed) change in the English speaking world with a new translation. This will not be the end of it. As the Extraordinary Form becomes more available and younger people come to be attracted to it, the Ordinary Form will have to change again to regain those elements that were unnecessarily stripped away.

Here is an example of how just one prayer - the Confiteor - in the Novus Ordo differs from its previous form by the stripping away of the following:

• The profound bow in which the prayer was spoken;
• The structure of the prayer as a dialogue between the priest and the congregation;
• The invocation of various saints by name; and, finally,
• The sacramental of absolution.

You can read more about this in Martin Mosebach's short essay The Confiteor in the Old Rite.

Now we have largely lost the gestures of the faithful altogether, even those which are required by the rubrics of the Novus Ordo: in most churches they never beat their breasts in the Confiteor, never bow their heads at the et incarnatus est, and they add gestures which are not indicated in the Novus Ordo such as holding hands during the Lord's prayer and the prayer that follows. And priests fail to bow their heads at the Names of Jesus and Mary and the saint of the day or patron saint as the rubrics require.

A changeless liturgy is a sign of a heavenly liturgy. A changing liturgy is a sign of man's restlessness and boredom and his preoccupation with time. When we offer the Sacred Liturgy, it is a worship that is already going on in heaven that we are entering into, not one that we must invent or reinvent.

Powerful night prayers from the Eastern Liturgy

(Photo from here.)

These prayers are said towards the conclusion of Compline. I slept so well after them last night that even my alarm failed to wake me up. So I did not get up at 4.15am as planned and missed Matins, Lauds and Divine Liturgy. So celebrated Office of Readings, Morning Prayer and Mass according to the Roman Rite.

Prayer of the Monk Paul to the Theotokos

(Picture credit: Monks and Mermaids)

O our Lady, pure and immaculate Virgin without stain or disgrace, O Bride of the Most-High: through your wonderful birth-givin you have united God the Word to mankind, thus joining our fallen nature to the divine. O you, the only hope of the hopeless, and help of the oppressed, always ready to protect every Christian who seeks refuge in you: Despise me not, a wretched sinner who have defiled myself by unclean thoughts, words, and deeds and in my slothfulness have enslaved myself to the passions of life and am weighed down by despair and depression.

As the Mother of God, the Lover of Mankind, show your mercy and compassion to me, a sinner and prodigal son. Accept this prayer from my impure lips. With the boldness that only a mother could show, implore your Son, our Lord and God, to open also to me the depths and tenderness of His loving heart, to disregard my countless sins, but to convert me to true repentance, so that I may always be aware of His precepts and ever-ready to observe them.

And you, compassionate Lady, always stay with me in this life; take my part at all times, as a powerful help to repeal the assaults of my enemies and to guide me to salvation. And at the hour of my death, be with me to embrace and comfort my sorry soul, and to drive off the dreadful specters of the evil one. On that awesome day of judgment, save me from eternal punishment and reveal me as an heir of the ineffable glory which your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, has promised in His grace and love for mankind.

To Him, and to His eternal Father, and to His All-Holy, Good and Life-Giving Spirit, we send up glory, honor, and worship, both now and forever, and unto ages of ages.

Amen.

Prayer of the Monk Antiochus
(to our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ)

As we prepare for bed, Master,
we ask for rest of body and soul.
Protect us from a gloomy sleep of sin
and from any impure satisfaction
that roams around in the dard of night.
Stop the onslaughts of passion,
put out the burning arrows of the evil one
that treacherously assail us,
and calm the commotions of mind and body.
Grant us, Lord, a watchful heart,
an easy sleep free from every dream
disturbance of the devil.
When the time of prayer comes, raise us from bed,
strengthened in Your commandments
and always aware of how You wish us to live:
that we may sing Your glory
praising, blessing, and extolling
Your all-holy and magnificent Name:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
both now and forever and unto ages of ages.
Amen.

Lord, I am a sinful, useless and unworthy priest and servant

(Photo taken from Flickr.)

More from the Eastern Liturgy. After the prayers of the faithful and before what we in the Latin Church would call the Offertory, the priest says in a low voice:

No one who is bound to carnal desires of pleasures is worthy to approach You or to draw near to You, or to minister to You, O King of Glory. For to serve you is great and awesome, even to the heavenly powers... I implore You, therefore, Who along are good and ready to listen: look upon me, Your sinful and useless servant; cleanse my heart and soul of the evil that lies on my conscience. By the power of Your Holy Spirit enable me, who am clothed with the grace of the priesthood, to stand before this, Your holy table, and offer the sacrifice of Your holy and most pure Body and precious Blood. Bending my neck, I approach and I petition You: Turn not Your face from me nor reject me from among Your children, but allow these gifts to be offered to You by me, Your sinful and unworthy servant. For it is You Who offer and You Who are offered; it is You Who receive and You Who are given, O Christ our God; and we give glory to You, together with Your eternal Father and Your most holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.

As the priest incenses the holy things (the bread and wine prepared for the procession to the holy table) he prays:

God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

At the altar, he humbly asks the deacon:

Remember me, brother and fellow minister.

And the deacon replies:

May the Lord God remember your priesthood in His kingdom.

The priest again to the deacon:

Pray for me, my fellow minister.

The deacon replies:

The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will over-shadow you.

Wow! Where have we heard those words before? Were they not uttered by the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary? This adds a further Marian dimension to our priesthood which is worth meditating upon. And the deacon carries out an angelic ministry to the priest.

And the priest and deacon continue their touching dialogue:

Priest: May this same Spirit act together with us all the days of our lives.

Deacon: Remember me, holy Master.

Priest: May the Lord God remember you in His kingdom, always, now and for ever and ever.

Deacon: Amen.

The Prayer of Presentation (offertory prayer):

Lord, God almighty, Who alone are holy, You accept the sacrifice of praise from those who call upon You with all their hearts. Accept also the petitions of us sinners and bring them to Your holy altar. Enable us to offer You gifts and spiritual sacrifices for our sins and for the sins and ignorance of the people. Make us worthy to find favor with You so that our sacrifice may be acceptable to You and so that the good Spirit of Your grace may rest upon us, upon these gifts present before us, and upon all Your people.

From the Preface:

We thank You also for this liturgy which You have deigned to accept from our hands, even though there stand before You thousands of archangels, and tens of thousands of angels, the cherubim and seraphim, six-winged and many-eyed, hovering aloft on their wings.

One of the prayers following the Consecration:

We place before You our whole life and hope, O loving Master; and we ask, we pray, and we entreat You: Make us worthy to partake with a pure conscience of Your awesome and heavenly Mysteries at this sacred and spiritual table: for forgiveness of sins, for the pardon of offenses, for fellowship of the Holy Spirit, for the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, for confidence before You, and not for judgment or condemnation.

Before the Lord's prayer:

Make us worthy, O Master, with confidence and without condemnation to dare call You, the heavenly God, Father, and say:...

Before the breaking of the bread, the priest makes three profound bows before the altar saying each time:

God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

As he takes a particle of the holy Bread, the priest says:

The precious and most holy Body of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ, is given to me, N., a priest, for the forgiveness of my sins and for life everlasting. Amen.

Before consuming the holy Bread the priest says the following with his head bowed:

Accept me this day, O Son of God, as a partaker of Your mystical Supper. I will not tell the mystery to Your enemies, nor will I give You a kiss as did Judas, but like the thief, I confess to You:

Remember me, O Lord, when You come into Your kingdom.
Remember me, O Master, when You come into Your kingdom.
Remember me, O Holy One, when You come into Your kingdom.
May the partaking of Your Holy Mysteries, O Lord, be unto me not for judgment or condemnation but for the healing of soul and body.
God, be mercful to me a sinner.
God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me.
I have sinned without number, forgive me, O Lord.

And the priest partakes with reverence and with every care the Particle he holds in his hands.

As he takes the chalice the priest says:

I, the servant of God, N., a priest, partake of the precious and holy Blood of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ: for the forgiveness of my sins and for life everlasting. Amen.

As he wipes his lips and the rim of the holy chalice with the purificator he says:

This has touched my lips and shall remove my wickedness and purge my sins.

and kisses the chalice.

I wonder what the people must think of their priest as he confesses to so much sin in his life during the course of the Divine Liturgy? Consciousness of our sinfulness will save us from the sin of presumption. We need a deeper awareness of our sinfulness in order to call humbly upon the mercy of God and be able to meet Him with confidence at the last day.

I made my confession yesterday and, of course, the priest absolved me using the Eastern Rite which requires him to acknowledge his unworthiness as a minister of forgiveness as he imparts the absolution.

Holy Transfiguration Skete, Keweena Peninsula

This is just a photo post - some of the pics I have taken in the last couple of days. Above: the monastery from the road.

The monastery Jampot Bakery. It's closed for the winter. Here's how it looks in the summer (photo credit Buellwood Weaver and Fiber Guild):

And here's a picture of the inside during last year's season (photo courtesy Jampot Online).

Father Basil (on the right) and Father Sergius:

The monks do a good trade and, of course, rely on it for income. Before coming here everyone said I should visit the Jampot (I think they must have forgotten that it would be closed in the winter). So do go on line and see what tickles your fancy! You can read some reviews here.

The wintry road.

Frozen Lake Superior.

Frozen Lake Superior.

Don't try walking on the ice!

The monastery from the frozen beach.

The monastery from my cabin.

Approach with the fear of God and with faith.

So the deacon invites the people to come to receive Holy Communion as he raises the holy chalice containing the consecrated bread and wine, the Holy Body and Blood of Christ, and shows it to the people.

The choir responds: "Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord. The Lord is God and has revealed Himself to us."

The people say the prayer "I believe, O Lord, and confess that You are truly Christ, the Son of the living God, Who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first" and then approach the priest who now bears the chalice. The ritual instructs them to "go one by one and bow with all humility and reverence, keeping their hands crossed upon their breast. And in this manner they receive the Holy Mysteries."

The priest spoons the comingled species into the open mouth of the communicant, saying as he does so: "The servant of God, N., participates of the precious, most holy and most pure Body and Blood of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of his/her sins and life everlasting. Amen." The communicant does not respond. (He/she couldn't as his/her mouth now contains both sacred species.)

 Eastern Rite

The traditional Roman Rite has the priest make the sign of the Cross with the Sacred Host over the communicant saying as he does so: "Corpus Domini nostri Iesu Christi custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam. Amen." (May the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ keep your soul unto life everlasting. Amen.) after which the priest places the Host on the tongue of the communicant. Again, no response from the communicant.

 Traditional Roman Rite

I was struck by the atmosphere of reverence and humility as this morning's Divine Liturgy, at which I concelebrated, progressed, and particularly by the silence at Communion. The insistence on unworthiness and humility in approaching the Mysteries is a most beautiful characteristic of the Eastern Litrurgy. I daresay that in a large church or a bigger monastic community, the choir might well sing some beautiful chant during Communion, but it would no doubt be conducive to recollection and contemplation, rather than the noisy songs that generally intrude upon the peace of the Communion liturgy of the modern Roman Rite as most commonly celebrated.

I think our Eastern brethren look with pity and sorrow upon what the Roman Church (as they call us) has done to itself in the revised Roman Liturgy as it is commonly celebrated.

Modern Roman Rite

We have much to recapture. There was nothing wrong with the Roman Rite prior to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Of course, it was capable of organic development then as it has been throughout the two millennia of the Church's existence and some of the changes have been beneficial. But there is much that has been lost in the transition from the liturgy as celebrated prior to and at the time of Vatican Council II to that which we have today. Yet the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite can be celebrated with reverence and is so celebrated in many places. But I think the following is necessary to bring about a truly universal experience of reverence in the Ordinary Form:

• Communion given exclusively on the tongue (i.e. the abolition of Communion in the hand).
• Communion to be received, in so far as is possible, kneeling, in accordance with the long-standing tradition in the Roman Rite in many/most places.
• The abolition of the use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion during the Sacred Liturgy. (So Communion takes a little longer? More time for prayer and thanksgiving aided by a choir singing beautiful chant, with ample time for silence.)
• Where Communion is given under both kinds (and why should this not be provided for where possible?), it should be given either separately under each kind or by intinction, but always administered by a Sacred Minister.
• The use of music which is clearly and obviously of a sacred nature, using the words only of sacred texts (i.e. the ancient antiphons which are contained in the Missal or Graduale) or hymns which are clearly devotional in nature and directed to God and His Holy Mother or to the praise of the saints.
• The more prevalent celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite to reconnect all the faithful, but perhaps more especially the bishops, priests and deacons, with the tradition from which the Ordinary Form is supposed to have developed organically rather than to have turned away from.
• A return to the Eastward (ad orientem) orientation of the Mass, at least for the Liturgy of the Eucharist (i.e. from the Offertory onwards), although it would also be better if all the texts/prayers directed directly to God were recited ad orientem.

I would also like to see the Extroardinary Form Mass being available in the vernacular in a good timeless translation.

In the Eastern Liturgy, after the distribution of Holy Communion the priest blesses the people with the holy chalice containing what is left of the co-mingled species saying: "Save Your people, O God, and bless Your inheritance." After placing the chalice upon the altar he incenses it three times saying in a low voice: "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; above all the earth be Your glory." I found this act of adoration of the Lord in the Eucharist after Communion very touching.

The Easterns have a tender devotion  to Our Lady (as I reflected yesterday) and all the saints. They are repeatedly invoked during the Liturgy. Here is the prayer of thanksgiving said by the priest after Communion:

We thank you, O Master, lover of mankind and benefactor of our souls, that even today You have made us worthy of Your heavenly and immortal Mysteries. Make straight our path. Make us all firm in fear of You. Protect our lives and secure our steps, through the prayers and supplications of the glorious Mother of God and ever-virgin Mary and of all Your saints.

The Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenary Healers Cyrus and John

Today the Byzantine Churches keep the feast of these two saints. According to In Persona Christi:

These Saints lived during the years of Diocletian. Saint Cyrus was from Alexandria, and Saint John was from Edessa of Mesopotamia. Because of the persecution of that time, Cyrus fled to the Gulf of Arabia, where there was a small community of monks. John, who was a soldier, heard of Cyrus' fame and came to join him. Henceforth, they passed their life working every virtue, and healing every illness and disease freely by the grace of Christ; hence their title of "Unmercenaries." They heard that a certain woman, named Athanasia, had been apprehended together with her three daughters, Theodora, Theoctiste, and Eudoxia, and taken to the tribunal for their confession of the Faith. Fearing lest the tender young maidens be terrified by the torments and renounce Christ, they went to strengthen them in their contest in martryrdom; therefore they too were seized. After Cyrus and John and those sacred women had been greatly tormented, all were beheaded in the year 292. Their tomb became a renowned shrine in Egypt, and a place of universal pilgrimage. It was found in the area of the modern day resort near Alexandria named Abu Kyr. 

 More information is available from the Orthdox Church in America.

The following antiphons are used in the Byzantine Rite office today:

Troparion: The grace of the Trinity settled in your pure hearts, most blessed Cyrus and John. You have become marvelous exorcists of impure spirits. You were doctors over hidden and visible illnesses. Now that you stand before God, heal our spiritual diseases by your unceasing prayers.

Kontakion: Receiving the gift of miracles from divine grace, you work all sorts of wonders, O holy ones. By your invisible labors you uproot all our passions, for you are heavenly doctors, O God-wise Cyrus! O glorious John!

On retreat

So here I am at Holy Transfiguration Skete. Was up just after 4am to be in good time for Matins and Divine Liturgy which all commenced at 5am. Five monks (two priests, a deacon, two lay - in the canonical sense of non-ordained). Beautiful singing and sweet odours of incense. Mary is very prominent in all the liturgical services:

You are more honorable than the Cherubim, beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim! In virginity You bore God's Word; O Mother of God, we extol you!

And again:

Since we have no one in whom to confide because of our many sins, O Virgin Mother of God, intercede for us with the one who was born of you, for a mother's prayer is a powerful means for obtaining the Master's favor. O you who are most worthy of veneration, do not turn away from the pleading of us sinners, for the one who willed to suffer in the flesh for our sake is full of mercy.

Was all over as we approached 8am. After which the monks invited me to join them for breakfast (normally breakfast is not had with the monks but in one's cabin) at which I enjoyed their friendship. Will maybe get some photos of the monks and the liturgy in due course.

Although I attended the Divine Liturgy and received Holy Communion, Fr Basil the guestmaster kindly arranged for me to celebrate the Latin Rite Mass which he said I may do at any time. Tomorrow I shall concelebrate at the Divine Liturgy after a practicum following mid-day prayer today.

Some photos:

The Church

The Holy Doors

Latin Rite Mass (Extraordinary Form) arranged on the Eastern altar.

My cabin!

Downstairs study.

Upstairs bedroom/sitting room.

Cold outside, warm inside! Icicles are a sign that there is heat inside, some of which has escaped causing some of the ice/snow to melt only to re-freeze as it falls from the roof.

Kitchen which has been well stocked with provisions by the monks.

Downstairs bedroom.

I recommend it!

Going on retreat

Tomorrow evening I hope to get away for a week's retreat at the Holy Transfiguration Skete in Eagle Harbor on the Keewena Peninsula.

Here are some photos I took when I visited with my brother (Fr Stephen) in Summer 2009. It will look and feel rather different in February!

Father Nicholas.