Catholic Champion
Because the Truth is a matter of life and death.
An
Introduction to the Divine Liturgy.
What is the Divine Liturgy? As far back as the ancient faith of Christianity spans, there has been this mystical celebration of this Divine Mystery. There has been now 2000 years of the Christian faith spanning to almost every culture of humanity on the face of the earth. Christianity (Catholicism) is beyond a doubt the most mystical, transcendent faith the world has ever, or will see. From immense persecution underground to the glorious basilicas and churches of Rome, Egypt, Syria, Russia, Greece, Byzantium, etc, the Divine Liturgy still carries on unbroken in celebration since the time of the first apostles. Divinely instituted by Jesus Christ Himself, Christians throughout history would rather die than miss this sacred mystery of faith. The Divine Liturgy is literally where God touches the heart of mankind. It is where He gives Himself to mankind. It is through this mystery that we become transformed.
Having its origin with Jesus Christ’s institution of the Last Supper in the upper room in Jerusalem and the ancient Jewish celebrations, the Liturgy has become the life-giving mystery to all of mankind. Only those who believe can be part of the Christian faith and receive the Sacred Mysteries. As many Christians have stated before, without the Holy Eucharist can there indeed be a true Christian? This is the true celebration of Christendom. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and His resurrection become part of the believer in this Mystery. We become one with the Savior. We die and we rise with the Savior. We indeed become like Him as much as we are disposed to receive Him.
Just how are we able to step into this mystery? I will lay down a little groundwork here so that you are familiar with the framework I will be working from throughout the website. The apostles were of course the first to celebrate this mystery of faith aside from Jesus Himself of course. They were indeed the first bishops of the Church. They were chosen by Christ and anointed to pass along their authority to others to continue the passing of the faith as long as time itself should stand. So the bishop becomes the primary celebrant, with his jurisdiction and authority given to the priest to perform the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. With no anointing by Christ through the apostles, there can be no Divine Liturgy. Do you ever wonder why the Church and her priests and bishops are always under attack by the world? We now witness an unbroken succession of bishops since the times of the apostles, which carry on their divine work to this present day. With no apostolic connection back to Jesus and the apostles we have no way of knowing if what we believe is absolutely true or not. So indeed the Divine Liturgies are that living connection. It is within this framework that the Sacred Scriptures would be chosen as apostolic. It is the framework that Christ and the Holy Spirit dwell to bring salvation to all mankind.
Christianity has its origin primarily in the east with Greek being it founding language. (Metzger 1997) The Church is historically comprised of 5 patriarchates, Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, Jerusalem and Rome. Each had different aspects to their Liturgies, but all are amazingly similar in composition and prayer. Eventually these sees would be divided into East and Western ecclesiastical bodies with the separation of the Roman Empire in 395. Hence in a simplistic breakdown, we have Eastern Liturgies and Western Liturgies. There are many fragments of writings by the early Christians that confirm the celebration of the Divine Liturgy such as the apology by Justin, and the texts of Dir Balizeh found in upper Egypt. (Kucharek 1971) How does this correspond to what we see today in the Catholic Church?
Most of us today in the US are only familiar with the Roman Rite Liturgy of Vatican II. Before the fall of Jerusalem the reading of the Word was done separately in the Jewish synagogues, while the Eucharist was celebrated elsewhere in secret to avoid persecution. It is interesting to note that these first Christians would rather die than miss the Liturgy. Do you think that they would have done this for something symbolic, or just a fellowship gathering? It is well documented that they did it because they wanted to receive Our Lord. We still today receive Him in our current liturgical forms. The New Roman Liturgy contains a very simplified structure, but retaining all the classical components that make up a Divine Liturgical celebration. The Divine Liturgy is composed of the introductory rites, the liturgy of the Word, the liturgy of the Eucharist and the concluding Rite. The introductory rite contains the prayers of the faithful and petitions of the Church. The Liturgy of the Word is the pronouncement of the Sacred Scriptures. The liturgy of the Eucharist is the consecration and reception of the Body and Blood of Christ, and the concluding rite contains the thanksgiving prayers of the Church. I will go into more detail in later articles. Let it suffice now to say that the most recognizable liturgy in the west is the Novus Ordo, or the New Order of the Roman Mass. You can walk into any Catholic Church on Sunday and witness it. It is now however becoming more common to find the old Roman liturgy commonly called the Tridentine liturgy. Pope Benedict the XVI has recently called for it to be available to all faithful groups of Catholics who desire it. This liturgy had been in place in its general form in the west since Pope Pius the V implemented it in 1570. The Novus Ordo became the liturgical norm in the Roman Rite in 1969.
It must be understood however that the Divine Liturgy has its origins primarily in the east. In the first century the Church would celebrate its divine life underground for the most part with small periods of relaxed persecution. Most Christians of the time were Jews who still attended the synagogues who later attended the Eucharistic Liturgy underground or in private houses or other private meeting places. They were two separate functions. (Kucharek 1971) After the Romans destroyed the temple in 70AD and the Jewish people were dispersed and the liturgical functions melded into one, hence the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. After the Jewish Diaspora the Christians would still be persecuted for over another 200 years. It must be understood the early Christians went to Church primarily to receive the Body and Blood of Christ, as well as hear the Sacred Scriptures read and expounded upon. This of course was and is all done in conjunction within the liturgical framework. This Liturgical framework became more structured as time passed and opportunity allowed. The notion of a Sunday liturgy comprised of some music, preaching and some Scripture reading only would have been very foreign to them. As St. Ignatius of Antioch said in His letter to the Romans circa 107 AD, “I want His Blood, which is incorruptible love.” (O'Connor 1988). St. Ignatius was martyred for His faith in Christ and His desire to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
I want to clarify the meaning of what is meant by the “Body and Blood of Jesus Christ” before I go any further. This is one thing that must be understood in full in order to grasp the ancient liturgy. As we will see throughout the prayers in these various liturgies they all speak of receiving the Real Body and Blood of Our Lord. We as Catholics believe that we receive the actual Body and Blood of Christ after the clergy (Bishop or Priest) consecrates the bread and wine by the invocation of the Holy Spirit. Although it remains hidden by the physical attributes it is in substance changed and is given to us by God under a sacramental form, in an un-bloody manner. We do not believe that we are taking a literal bite out of Jesus in a mere carnal manner, because as you will see from the liturgical prayers, we receive Him wholly and not partially. He is constantly given but never exhausted because He is God! I will expound upon this as we read through the beautiful prayers of these liturgies. Something like this is not easily explained because we are dealing with a mystery of Almighty God. Language cannot penetrate far into these amazing sacramental mysteries. In fact the Eastern Church still calls the Sacraments the Sacred Mysteries. Do not get sidetracked by the term transubstantiation. This term was not defined until the 11th century. In fact the Orthodox church still does not use the term widely, but they still believe the same doctrine on this as the Catholic Church. Both believe that we receive Jesus Christ in his full Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, the whole person in His entirety. We believe we receive the same Christ that was crucified and risen, and now sits at God the Father's right hand in heaven.
If we look at the word liturgy, it refers to the work of the people praising God. It is the people together with the bishop or priest who stands in persona Christi, or in the person of Christ. St. Ignatius is also quoted, circa 107AD as saying “Wherever the bishop appears let the congregation also be present; just as wherever Christ is, there is the catholic whole.” (O'Connor 1988). Everything that happens in the Divine Liturgy also has many symbolisms that teach the life of Jesus Christ. We enter into the redemptive life of Christ and actually become members of His Body. Therefore a Christian in the fullest sense cannot exist without the Divine Liturgy and the Holy Eucharist or as it is referred to in our time, Holy Communion. Those who are in communion with the Jesus in the Church are indeed members of the life-giving Body of Christ. Hence when we talk about an excommunication, it is someone who now resides outside of that intimate union. This usually happens as the result of a denial or act against that Body, which makes them indisposed to receive the Eucharist. As Sacred Scripture says in 1 Corinthians 11:26-30, 26] For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. [27] Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. [28] Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. [29] For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. [30] That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. These passages here support the belief of the earliest Christians who believed that they were receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This is whom the Divine Liturgy revolves around. It revolves around Jesus Christ Himself. When this is understood, it is easy to see why all of the beautiful ancient churches were built throughout the past 2000 years. Some men spent their entire lives dedicated to building and adorning these true houses of worship because they knew and they believed that Jesus Christ would be making Himself present there. Unfortunately with the rise of Protestantism that mentality has almost been extinguished in our modern time. It however makes it nonetheless true. The Divine Liturgy is where God meets and divinizes mankind, and makes Himself one with us. This is the only place on the face of the earth where this happens. That is why the Church has been under siege for the better part of 2000 years. The enemy has waged war on the Divine Liturgy from its beginning.
I wanted to give you an introduction here on what the Divine Liturgy is, and how the Catholic Church views it so the reader has an idea what we will be referring to on the website. As the website progresses I will put up more information substantiating the Church's claims in more depth.
Matthew James Bellisairo 2008
Kucharek, Casimir. The Byzantine-Slav Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Combermere, Ontario: Alleluia P, 1971.
O'Connor, James T. The Hidden Manna. San Francisco: Ignatius P, 1988.
Metzger, Marcel. History of the Liturgy. Collegeville: Liturgical Press 1997.
What is the Divine Liturgy? As far back as the ancient faith of Christianity spans, there has been this mystical celebration of this Divine Mystery. There has been now 2000 years of the Christian faith spanning to almost every culture of humanity on the face of the earth. Christianity (Catholicism) is beyond a doubt the most mystical, transcendent faith the world has ever, or will see. From immense persecution underground to the glorious basilicas and churches of Rome, Egypt, Syria, Russia, Greece, Byzantium, etc, the Divine Liturgy still carries on unbroken in celebration since the time of the first apostles. Divinely instituted by Jesus Christ Himself, Christians throughout history would rather die than miss this sacred mystery of faith. The Divine Liturgy is literally where God touches the heart of mankind. It is where He gives Himself to mankind. It is through this mystery that we become transformed.
Having its origin with Jesus Christ’s institution of the Last Supper in the upper room in Jerusalem and the ancient Jewish celebrations, the Liturgy has become the life-giving mystery to all of mankind. Only those who believe can be part of the Christian faith and receive the Sacred Mysteries. As many Christians have stated before, without the Holy Eucharist can there indeed be a true Christian? This is the true celebration of Christendom. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and His resurrection become part of the believer in this Mystery. We become one with the Savior. We die and we rise with the Savior. We indeed become like Him as much as we are disposed to receive Him.
Just how are we able to step into this mystery? I will lay down a little groundwork here so that you are familiar with the framework I will be working from throughout the website. The apostles were of course the first to celebrate this mystery of faith aside from Jesus Himself of course. They were indeed the first bishops of the Church. They were chosen by Christ and anointed to pass along their authority to others to continue the passing of the faith as long as time itself should stand. So the bishop becomes the primary celebrant, with his jurisdiction and authority given to the priest to perform the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. With no anointing by Christ through the apostles, there can be no Divine Liturgy. Do you ever wonder why the Church and her priests and bishops are always under attack by the world? We now witness an unbroken succession of bishops since the times of the apostles, which carry on their divine work to this present day. With no apostolic connection back to Jesus and the apostles we have no way of knowing if what we believe is absolutely true or not. So indeed the Divine Liturgies are that living connection. It is within this framework that the Sacred Scriptures would be chosen as apostolic. It is the framework that Christ and the Holy Spirit dwell to bring salvation to all mankind.
Christianity has its origin primarily in the east with Greek being it founding language. (Metzger 1997) The Church is historically comprised of 5 patriarchates, Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, Jerusalem and Rome. Each had different aspects to their Liturgies, but all are amazingly similar in composition and prayer. Eventually these sees would be divided into East and Western ecclesiastical bodies with the separation of the Roman Empire in 395. Hence in a simplistic breakdown, we have Eastern Liturgies and Western Liturgies. There are many fragments of writings by the early Christians that confirm the celebration of the Divine Liturgy such as the apology by Justin, and the texts of Dir Balizeh found in upper Egypt. (Kucharek 1971) How does this correspond to what we see today in the Catholic Church?
Most of us today in the US are only familiar with the Roman Rite Liturgy of Vatican II. Before the fall of Jerusalem the reading of the Word was done separately in the Jewish synagogues, while the Eucharist was celebrated elsewhere in secret to avoid persecution. It is interesting to note that these first Christians would rather die than miss the Liturgy. Do you think that they would have done this for something symbolic, or just a fellowship gathering? It is well documented that they did it because they wanted to receive Our Lord. We still today receive Him in our current liturgical forms. The New Roman Liturgy contains a very simplified structure, but retaining all the classical components that make up a Divine Liturgical celebration. The Divine Liturgy is composed of the introductory rites, the liturgy of the Word, the liturgy of the Eucharist and the concluding Rite. The introductory rite contains the prayers of the faithful and petitions of the Church. The Liturgy of the Word is the pronouncement of the Sacred Scriptures. The liturgy of the Eucharist is the consecration and reception of the Body and Blood of Christ, and the concluding rite contains the thanksgiving prayers of the Church. I will go into more detail in later articles. Let it suffice now to say that the most recognizable liturgy in the west is the Novus Ordo, or the New Order of the Roman Mass. You can walk into any Catholic Church on Sunday and witness it. It is now however becoming more common to find the old Roman liturgy commonly called the Tridentine liturgy. Pope Benedict the XVI has recently called for it to be available to all faithful groups of Catholics who desire it. This liturgy had been in place in its general form in the west since Pope Pius the V implemented it in 1570. The Novus Ordo became the liturgical norm in the Roman Rite in 1969.
It must be understood however that the Divine Liturgy has its origins primarily in the east. In the first century the Church would celebrate its divine life underground for the most part with small periods of relaxed persecution. Most Christians of the time were Jews who still attended the synagogues who later attended the Eucharistic Liturgy underground or in private houses or other private meeting places. They were two separate functions. (Kucharek 1971) After the Romans destroyed the temple in 70AD and the Jewish people were dispersed and the liturgical functions melded into one, hence the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. After the Jewish Diaspora the Christians would still be persecuted for over another 200 years. It must be understood the early Christians went to Church primarily to receive the Body and Blood of Christ, as well as hear the Sacred Scriptures read and expounded upon. This of course was and is all done in conjunction within the liturgical framework. This Liturgical framework became more structured as time passed and opportunity allowed. The notion of a Sunday liturgy comprised of some music, preaching and some Scripture reading only would have been very foreign to them. As St. Ignatius of Antioch said in His letter to the Romans circa 107 AD, “I want His Blood, which is incorruptible love.” (O'Connor 1988). St. Ignatius was martyred for His faith in Christ and His desire to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
I want to clarify the meaning of what is meant by the “Body and Blood of Jesus Christ” before I go any further. This is one thing that must be understood in full in order to grasp the ancient liturgy. As we will see throughout the prayers in these various liturgies they all speak of receiving the Real Body and Blood of Our Lord. We as Catholics believe that we receive the actual Body and Blood of Christ after the clergy (Bishop or Priest) consecrates the bread and wine by the invocation of the Holy Spirit. Although it remains hidden by the physical attributes it is in substance changed and is given to us by God under a sacramental form, in an un-bloody manner. We do not believe that we are taking a literal bite out of Jesus in a mere carnal manner, because as you will see from the liturgical prayers, we receive Him wholly and not partially. He is constantly given but never exhausted because He is God! I will expound upon this as we read through the beautiful prayers of these liturgies. Something like this is not easily explained because we are dealing with a mystery of Almighty God. Language cannot penetrate far into these amazing sacramental mysteries. In fact the Eastern Church still calls the Sacraments the Sacred Mysteries. Do not get sidetracked by the term transubstantiation. This term was not defined until the 11th century. In fact the Orthodox church still does not use the term widely, but they still believe the same doctrine on this as the Catholic Church. Both believe that we receive Jesus Christ in his full Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, the whole person in His entirety. We believe we receive the same Christ that was crucified and risen, and now sits at God the Father's right hand in heaven.
If we look at the word liturgy, it refers to the work of the people praising God. It is the people together with the bishop or priest who stands in persona Christi, or in the person of Christ. St. Ignatius is also quoted, circa 107AD as saying “Wherever the bishop appears let the congregation also be present; just as wherever Christ is, there is the catholic whole.” (O'Connor 1988). Everything that happens in the Divine Liturgy also has many symbolisms that teach the life of Jesus Christ. We enter into the redemptive life of Christ and actually become members of His Body. Therefore a Christian in the fullest sense cannot exist without the Divine Liturgy and the Holy Eucharist or as it is referred to in our time, Holy Communion. Those who are in communion with the Jesus in the Church are indeed members of the life-giving Body of Christ. Hence when we talk about an excommunication, it is someone who now resides outside of that intimate union. This usually happens as the result of a denial or act against that Body, which makes them indisposed to receive the Eucharist. As Sacred Scripture says in 1 Corinthians 11:26-30, 26] For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. [27] Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. [28] Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. [29] For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. [30] That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. These passages here support the belief of the earliest Christians who believed that they were receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This is whom the Divine Liturgy revolves around. It revolves around Jesus Christ Himself. When this is understood, it is easy to see why all of the beautiful ancient churches were built throughout the past 2000 years. Some men spent their entire lives dedicated to building and adorning these true houses of worship because they knew and they believed that Jesus Christ would be making Himself present there. Unfortunately with the rise of Protestantism that mentality has almost been extinguished in our modern time. It however makes it nonetheless true. The Divine Liturgy is where God meets and divinizes mankind, and makes Himself one with us. This is the only place on the face of the earth where this happens. That is why the Church has been under siege for the better part of 2000 years. The enemy has waged war on the Divine Liturgy from its beginning.
I wanted to give you an introduction here on what the Divine Liturgy is, and how the Catholic Church views it so the reader has an idea what we will be referring to on the website. As the website progresses I will put up more information substantiating the Church's claims in more depth.
Matthew James Bellisairo 2008
Kucharek, Casimir. The Byzantine-Slav Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Combermere, Ontario: Alleluia P, 1971.
O'Connor, James T. The Hidden Manna. San Francisco: Ignatius P, 1988.
Metzger, Marcel. History of the Liturgy. Collegeville: Liturgical Press 1997.