Sermons

Liturgy

"You cannot, but God Can. Rest in His work." Hebrews 4:3

The Holy Eucharist is the oldest experience of Christian Worship as well as the most distinctive. Eucharist comes from the Greek word which means thanksgiving. In a particular sense, the word describes the most important form of the Church's attitude toward all of life. The origin of the Eucharist is traced to the Last Supper at which Christ instructed His disciples to offer bread and wine in His memory. The Eucharist is the most distinctive event of Orthodox worship because in it the Church gathers to remember and celebrate the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Christ and, thereby, to participate in the mystery of Salvation.

Of all the seven sacraments, the Holy Eucharist is the greatest and most exalted, for the true doctrine of the Church teaches us that when the priest repeats the Lord's words, "This is My Body and this is My Blood of the New Testament," (Matthew 26:26-28), as he celebrates the Holy Liturgy and calls down the Holy Spirit, we believe and confess that our Lord and God Jesus Christ is present in the form of the bread and wine that are set on the altar before the priest.

The liturgy in this church is primarily in the Malayalam and English language. Syriac is also used intermittently during the liturgy.

We therefore believe and acknowledge that by receiving the Holy Eucharist, we truly eat the Flesh and drink the Blood of our Savior Jesus Christ for eternal life that we may dwell in Him, and He in us. Jesus said to them: "Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the Body of the Son of man and drink His Blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats of My Body and drinks of My Blood has eternal life; and I will raise him at the last day. For My Body truly is the food, and My Blood truly is the drink. He who eats My Body and drinks My Blood abides with Me, and I in him," (John 6:53-56).

In the Orthodox Church, the Eucharist is also known as the Divine Liturgy. The word liturgy means people's work; this description serves to emphasize the corporate character of the Eucharist. When an Orthodox attends the Divine Liturgy, it is not as an isolated person who comes simply to hear a sermon. Rather, he comes as a member of the Community of Faith who participates in the very purpose of the Church, which is the Worship of the Holy Trinity. Therefore, the Eucharist is truly the center of the life of the Church and the principal means of spiritual development, both for the individual Christian and the Church as a whole. Not only does the Eucharist embody and express the Christian faith in a unique way, but it also enhances and deepens our faith in the Trinity. This sacrament-mystery is the experience toward which all the other activities of the Church are directed and from which they receive their direction.

The Eucharist, the principal sacrament mystery of the Orthodox Church, is not so much a text to be studied, but rather an experience of communion with the Living God in which prayer , music, gestures, the material creation, art and architecture come into full orchestration. The Eucharist is a celebration of faith which touches not only the mind but also the emotions and the senses. Throughout the centuries, Christians have seen many dimensions in the Eucharist. The various titles which have come to describe the rite bear witness to the richness of its meaning. The Eucharist has been known as the Holy offering, the Holy Mysteries, the Mystic Supper, and the Holy Communion. The Orthodox Church recognizes the many facets of the Eucharist and wisely refuses to over-emphasize one element to the detirement of the others. In so doing, Orthodoxy has clearly avoided reducing the Eucharist to a simple memorial of the Last Supper which is only occasionally observed. Following the teachings of both Scripture and Tradition, the Orthodox Church believes that Christ is truly present with His people in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. The Eucharistic gifts of bread and wine become for us His Body and His Blood. We affirm that these Holy Gifts are transfigured into the first fruits of the New Creation in which ultimately God will be "all in all".

As it is celebrated today, the Divine Liturgy is a product of historical development. The fundamental core of the liturgy dates from the time of Christ and the Apostles. To this, prayers, hymns, and gestures have been added throughout the centuries. The liturgy achieved a basic framework by the ninth century.