MEETING WITH THE LORD!



One of the greatest gifts that our savior Jesus Christ left to His Church, for the sake of His beloved people, is the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Through this Sacrament we meet our Lord, our Savior! Is there anything greater than this?


Contents

Prologue

PART I
1. The Tradition of the Mystery
2. Common Meals and Holy Communion
3. The First Liturgy
4. The Evolution of the Liturgy
5. The Evolution of Proskomede

PART ΙΙ
1. Bread and Wine
2. Entrance Prayer. Vestments
3. Liturgy and Kneeling
4. “Christ is in the midst of us"
5. Eucharist and Union of the Church

PART III
1. The Priest as Holy Altar
2. One Priest Two Liturgies?
3. Ancient High Priest Liturgy
4. How they Communed
5. Dismissal. Antidoron

PART IV
1. “According to the pattern”
2. “Our sacrifice may be acceptable”
3. “Let us stand aright”
4. “Behind closed doors”
5. Silently or Aloud?
6. Eucharistic Prayers

PART V
1. Early Church & Holy Communion
2. Great Turn
3. Participating in the Divine Liturgy
4. “In all and for all”
5. Liturgy and Priest's Intercession
6. Commemoration in the Liturgy

PART VI
1. Clarifications
2. Why the Deacon and not the Priest?
3. Concerning the Gospel Reading
4. The Litany of Completion
5. Marriage in the Liturgy
6. The Language of Worship


PART V
6. Commemoration in the Liturgy
(pg. 117-122)

The Priests commemorate names in the Sacrament of the Holy Unction, in the Supplication Canon (Paraklesis) of the Theotokos,etc. And all these prayers, commemorations have power. However, the power of prayer, commemoration, during the Sacrament of Eucharist is the greatest of all. Important:
The reason why the Priests must be in abstinence before Liturgy is: so that their prayers (therefore and their commemorations!) are more welcomed by God! Let's think about this.

There is a special commemoration, named for each person, and a general commemoration for all. The first one resembles Jesus greeting someone individually, while in the other, Jesus greets everyone together.
The first is more beneficial, but the second is also beneficial, precisely because it takes places in front of the Body and Blood of Christ.
During the Service of Proskomede the Priest places the ceremonial portions (particles) of the Eucharistic bread, on the diskarion (paten), of all the commemorated members of the Church, those on earth, and those in heaven.
E.g., the Priest, commemorating the Angels, says, "in honor and remembrance of the supreme Archangels Michael and Gabriel" and then he generally commemorates all the Angels who are myriads!
The same is done when commemorating the prophets; "of the honorable, glorious prophet and forerunner John the Baptist; of the holy glorious prophets Moses and Aaron...", and then when commemorating generally all the others prophets "and of all the holy prophets".
The same is valid when commemorating the Apostles; "of the holy, glorious and praiseworthy apostles Peter and Paul; of the twelve and the seventy", and then "of all the holy Apostles and equal to the Apostles", and so on.
The same commemoration takes place for the living and for the dead, by placing portions on the diskarion.

The portions that the priest extracts from the Eucharist Bread, represent the names that are commemorated, either specifically or generally. All these portions are dropped into the Holy Chalice, and immersed in the Blood of the Lord! They all commune “noetically” with Christ and “they benefit greatly!” All the Angels, all the Saints, even the Virgin receive “greater enjoyment of divine enlightenment.” And all the others, living and dead, are cleansed from their sin and whatever else we ask through Liturgy.
No commemoration, either special or general,during the Liturgy is done in vain. A Cypriot Priest celebrated the Holy Eucharist. While he was praying "for those who in the faith have gone before us to their rest", suddenly, a young man appeared in front of him, thanking him: "My name is Andrew. I came to thank you, because you pray for us." And he disappeared!
At the end of the Liturgy, the Priest learned that Andrew had been killed in a traffic accident three days ago...!

Commemoration in a mystery

- I am poor, give me a fish! Said a beggar to a fisherman.
- I will give it for my niece Mary who died last week. Said the fisherman in his mind.
The same evening Mary appeared to him.
- Uncle! I received the fish you sent me, and I thank you!
What did he receive? Mercy from the Lord!
Here is the mystery.
After death there are many, thousands, millions with the name Mary. The fisherman commemorated in his mind his relative Mary. And this particular Mary, and no one else with the same name, understood from heaven, that her uncle from earth had commemorated her secretly. How did she hear that?
She was in heaven and her uncle on earth! Even her uncle commemorated her secretly! She didn't hear that. God heard it, and had mercy on Mary!
God was invisibly present where the fisherman was selling the fish, watching his thoughts.

The same applies to each of us. God is always invisibly by our side watching our thoughts.

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