The Liturgy, then, “speaks measuredly and melodiously; it employs formal, rhythmic gestures; it is clothed in colors and garments foreign to everyday life.… It is in the highest sense the life of a child, in which everything is picture, melody and song.”3
Most of us, by contrast,
ask for definitions and justifications, and they are rooted in fear—fear of corruption, deviation, “pagan influences,” whatnot. But “he that feareth is not made perfect in love” [1 Jn. 4:18]. As long as Christians will love the Kingdom of God, and not only discuss it, they will “represent” it and signify it, in art and beauty. And the celebrant of the sacrament of joy will appear in a beautiful chasuble, because he is vested in the glory of the Kingdom, because even in the form of man God appears in glory. In the Eucharist we are standing in the presence of Christ, and like Moses before God, we are to be covered with his glory.4
The clergy at the Divine Liturgy wear vestments (garments worn specifically for this and other services). The chasuble is the outer garment worn by priests. Orthodox vestments are often elaborate, but this is not to be showy or to satisfy the priest’s vanity, though that can be a temptation for clergy! There are historical and theological reasons for these special garments, as well as aesthetic ones. There is nothing run-of-the-mill or mundane about the Liturgy, nor should there be!
The Litany of Peace
So we have gathered together in order to discover our true identity; we have announced our destination: the Kingdom of the Trinity. And the people have confirmed our journey’s end with the word Amen. Then the deacon, who usually stands between the priests and the people, between the altar and the main body of the church (divided by the iconostasis, or “icon screen”), commands us to pray in what is called the Great Litany, known also as the “Litany of Peace,” because in the first three petitions we ask for peace.
In peace let us pray to the Lord.
For the peace from on high and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
For the peace of the whole world, for the welfare of the holy Churches of God, and for the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.
That word, peace, is so very important throughout our worship, throughout our lives as Christians. “Peace,” writes Fr. Ephrem Lash,
a word which is used some thirty times in the Liturgy, is not simply an absence of conflict. It is to live in harmony with God, with oneself, with all mankind and with the natural world of which we are part. It is above all a gift from God, which, as St Paul writes to the Philippians, “is beyond all understanding.” It is the gift that comes with the birth of Jesus, as the angels’ hymn proclaims, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, goodwill among men.” It is how Jesus sends away those he has healed or forgiven, “Go in peace.” It is how he greets the Apostles after his resurrection and it is how the bishop and priest greet the people in all the services.5
Peace to you. Peace is necessary for prayer and worship. This is a most basic and necessary truth, and one that demonstrates how the originators of our worship, millennia ago, had a profound understanding of the human heart. If we are not at peace with God, with one another, and with ourselves, we cannot focus on prayer; and if we have hatred and animosity toward others, our prayers are not acceptable to God. This need for peace is reiterated time and again in the Divine Liturgy.
As we begin the Liturgy, then, we must put aside all our grudges; we must forgive one another; we must be at peace, that we may offer an acceptable sacrifice to God. Only then can we be made worthy to hear the Holy Gospel, to be forgiven by God, and to receive the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion for the remission of sins and eternal life.
And so, even though the Church is necessarily apart from the world, in but not of the world, this separation is not inspired by hatred or apathy, but by the exact opposite. We leave the world that we may return to it renewed and illumined, fit to bring light to those in darkness.
The Great Litany
For God’s grace to come during the Liturgy, you must be concentrated and untroubled.
—ELDER AMPHILOCHIOS MAKRIS
After we ask for the peace of God within us, in the world, and within the Church, we pray for “this holy house, and for those who enter it with faith, reverence and the fear of God.” This is the spirit in which we come to church.
We enter the church with faith. The Divine Liturgy is above all for believers, for those who believe in God and in the teachings and ways of the Orthodox Church. We come to church for Christ, to enter into a deeper relationship with Him, and through Him our relations with one another are transformed into a relationship of divine love and communion.
We enter the church with reverence—with respect for the church building as the house of God. As St. Germanus of Constantinople once wrote:
2. Deacon saying the Great Litany
The Church is the temple of God, a sacred precinct, a house of prayer, the assembly of the people, the body of Christ. Its name is the bride of Christ. It has been cleansed by the water of His baptism, sprinkled by His blood and adorned in bridal array, and sealed with the ointment of the Holy Spirit.… The church is an earthly heaven, in which the God beyond the heavens dwells and walks about. It represents the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Christ: it is glorified more than Moses’ tabernacle of witness, in which were the mercy seat and the Holy of Holies. It is prefigured in the patriarchs, foretold in the prophets, perfected by the apostles, adorned by the hierarchs and fulfilled in martyrs.6
We enter the church with fear of God. When we speak of the fear of God, we should not understand this in the sense of being paralyzed with fear, of being gripped with terror at the thought of God. We know that our God is a God of love and mercy, “slow to anger, abounding in love” (Ps. 102:8 [103:8], NIV). Yet we know also that God is all-powerful and greater than us beyond imagining. Being in the presence of God is like being in the middle of the ocean, overwhelmed by the size and power of the sea, in awe of its might and magnificence. And so before God we stand in awe—with fear, wonder, and adoration.
You may have noticed that one of the first things Orthodox Christians do when they enter a church is kiss the icons. Icons are a significant feature of Orthodox worship and theology. A traditional Orthodox Church is normally full of icons, frescoes, or mosaics. The icons depict Christ, His mother, and His saints. The theology of the icon is rooted in the doctrine of the Incarnation: since God became a man—flesh and blood like you and me—and was seen by human eyes, He can be depicted. The saints are those who have attained His likeness, and so the icons of the saints reveal the full implications of the Incarnation: God took on the likeness of the human being so that human beings could attain the likeness of God. Thus icons are not realistic portraits—rather, they portray human nature restored to its original beauty and proper “image.” These icons “stand in” for the saints depicted. So when we enter a church, we feel that we are in the presence of the company of heaven—that they are praying and worshiping with us. We show our love and veneration for Christ and the saints through their images—by going up to them and kissing them, just as we would our dearest friends.
With