by the Very Reverend Michel Najim & T.L. Frazier"UNDERSTANDING THE DIVINE LITURGY"(A Guide For Participating In The Divine Liturgy Of St. John Chrysostom)
The priest now asks God to accept the sacrifice of praise from those who call on Him with their whole heart.
He implores God to enable him to bring before the divine Majesty gifts and spiritual sacrifices for his sins and those of the people.
The priest prays for divine favor, that the sacrifice may be pleasing, and that the Holy Spirit may rest on him, the people, and the gifts presented.
When he comes to the final section of his private prayer, the priest raises his voice and recites the doxology.
Then he approaches the Royal Doors and says: “Peace be to all.”
As the Faithful are commanded by the Scriptures to pray for one another, the congregation returns the blessing to the priest, saying: “And with your spirit.”
Since, as the apostle John says, brotherly love is the only valid proof that we truly love God,152 the priest adds: “Let us love one another...” (Love is the core of our Christian Faith, and so our love for each other leads us naturally to unity and to the confession of our common Faith), so the priests adds: “...that with one mind we may confess...”
Here the Faithful complete the sentence for the priest by confessing the Holy Trinity: “...Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: the Trinity, one in essence and undivided.”
Then the priest kisses the holy gifts, citing Psalm 18:2: “I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.”
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152 1 John 4:20-21.
Page created: 24-12-2012.
Last update: 24-12-2012.