“Blessed is the Kingdom of the father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…”
“In peace let us pray to the Lord”
“Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal…”
“Wisdom, peace be unto all”
“Let us love one another…”
“The holy gifts for the holy people of God”
“The servant of the Lord_______receives the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and life everlasting”
“Blessed be the name of the Lord henceforth and forever more”
“Let us depart in peace”
Tell me brother and sister, where can you hear such divine words? At the ballpark? At your place of work? In the highways? In the theaters? Where?
You know where! Inside the temple of God, your local church, where the Theotokos, the angels of the Lord, myriads of saints and martyrs and all of you who are still alive come together in fellowship to worship the Almighty and merciful God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Inside the temple where the celebration of the Holy Mysteries takes place. And what is the purpose of the temple? It exists for the sanctification of the faithful, who through the body and blood of Jesus Christ receive remission of their sins and the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven.
How much are you worth to Him? And what does all this mean? In order to increase your understanding of these divine gifts - from God to You - and to prompt you to come to church continuously as to make your soul much better and more divine, I will introduce a commentary on the Divine Liturgy every Sunday, beginning on Sunday September 14, 2008, Feast the Elevation of the Precious Cross. But be reminded, you need to come to church early, for on Sunday September 7, 2008, an introduction to the Divine Liturgy will be offered; an outline of the basic parts of the Divine Liturgy.
I personally think these lessons will be beneficial to all of us, young and old. Our guide will be the various saints of our faith who left us divinely inspired exegetical works of our divine services. Please make every effort to attend and be attentive every Sunday.
Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.