The Divine Liturgy is the common work of the Orthodox Church. It is the official action of the Church formally gathered together as the chosen People of God. The word church, as we remember, means a gathering or assembly of people specifically chosen and called apart to perform a particular task.

The Divine Liturgy is the common action of Orthodox Christians officially gathered to constitute the Orthodox Church. It is the action of the Church assembled by God in order to be together in one community to worship, to pray, to sing, to hear God’s Word, to be instructed in God’s commandments, to offer itself with thanksgiving in Christ to God the Father, and to have the living experience of God’s eternal kingdom through communion with the same Christ Who is present in his people by the Holy Spirit.

As one of the services in our Church which carries paramount importance and symbolism, The Holy Liturgy is indeed an act of common worship and gratitude offered to God by the faithful for all the blessings we continue to receive from Him: the creation of the World and of Man; the salvation of men in Jesus Christ, and the sanctification of humankind by his Holy Spirit. As a gesture of our gratitude for all these blessings, men offer to God the gifts embodied in the very symbols of life: the bread and the wine, to receive them back after consecration as the greatest gift of all: the Body and Blood of Christ the Lord. The faithful then partake from both for the well-being of body and soul and for the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Holy sacrament of Communion is the very essence of the Divine Liturgy, and it has been passed on to us, His humble disciples, by Jesus Christ during the Last Supper. Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: “Take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins;” He then lifted the cup, thanked God, and offered it to His disciples, saying: “Drink of it all of you; this is My blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you and for many, for the remission of sins.”

Due to the utmost importance of Holy Communion in living the true, Christian life and for gaining access to the Kingdom of God, the faithful are invited frequently – by means of fast, prayer, and penitence – to prepare themselves and receive the Sacrament of the Body and the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and be assured life everlasting. For, Jesus Christ Himself had said: “Whomever shall partake of my Body and drink of my Blood, shall live in Me, as I shall live in him. Whomever shall partake of my Body and Blood shall have life everlasting. Amen.”

Holy Sacrament of Communion can only be received by persons baptized in the Orthodox-Christian faith.

Outline of the Divine Liturgy

1. Beginning:  The Liturgy starts with “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”.
2. Petitions:  They are small prayers the priest offers for the peace of the world.
3. Antiphons:  These are readings from the Old Testament from Psalms 102 and 145, with refrains of Christian meanings and specifically reference to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
4. Entry with the Gospel:  This entry represents the ancient practice when the priest took the Gospel by the light of torches from the crypt, and under safeguard to protect the Gospel from destruction by the pagans, bringing it up to the Church.
5. Trisagion: A short prayer praising the Holiness of God.
6. Readings from the New Testament: (The sections are determined by the Church and are the same every year.)
   • The reader reads part of the Book of Acts or the Epistles of the Apostles.
   • Another section from the Gospels is read by the priest.
7. Sermon: It is incorporated as an exhortation from the priest to the people on the Good News of salvation.
8. Cherubic Hymn and Entry with the Holy Gifts:  This is the procession with the yet unsanctified Species take from the table of Preparation and brought to the Altar with the Cherubic hymn being sung.
9. Ectenia of the Oblations: They are small prayers completing “our supplications to the Lord”.
10. A Short Creed:  This is proclamation of the Holy Trinity in connection with brotherhood.
11. Creed:  This is recited by the people. It is the concise and accurate confession of the Christian faith.
12. Prayer of Sanctification:  It includes dialogues of excerpts from the long prayers of sanctification which is read by the priest and which, in fact, is the very heart of the significance of the Divine Liturgy.  The offering of the Oblation (the Species, Bread, and Wine) is done with continue blessings, with the climax in the sanctification of the Species.  The Bread and Wine are lifted by the priest, and generally the people kneel at this time.  In continuation, the priest commemorates the Saints and especially the Virgin Mary, as well as the faithful ones.
13. Petitions: These are small prayers referring to the spiritual welfare of the city, the nation, the Church, and the individual.
14. Lord’s Prayer: This is recited by the people; the priest follows it with the exaltation. (Means the priest will say the last part.)
15. Breaking the Lamb: The priest elevates the Lamb (the consecrated Bread).  Also, at this time the priest pours warm water, zeon, into the Chalice, a reminiscence of the primitive Church.
16. Prayer before Holy Communion and Partaking of the Holy Gifts by the Priest:  The doors of the Altar are generally closed and the priest partakes of the Holy Gifts separately and then combines both Elements into the Chalice.
17. Holy Communion:  Both the Holy Body and Precious Blood in Christ, combined in the Chalice, are given to the faithful prepared and baptized in the Orthodox faith.
18. Thanksgiving Prayers:  These are prayers of gratitude to the Almighty God for the privilege which is given to the faithful to commune with Him.
19. Dismissal Hymn: The priest calls the people to depart with a prayer.  The people seal the Liturgy by responding, “Amen.”  Blessed bread, antithoron, which means “instead of the Gift,” is given to all (even non-baptized Orthodox)at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy.