Old Testament Images. The tree of life in Eden ( Genesis 2:9, 3:22), the sacrifice of Abel (Genesis 4:4), The ark of Noah ( Genesis 6:14 to 8:22), the sacrifice of Abraham on Mt Moriah ( Genesis 22:13), the offering of Melchizedek ( genesis 14:18), and of our Lord. The brass serpent (Number 21:5-9), Passover lamb ( Exodus 12:5-70), the live coal given to prophet Isaiah ( 6:6-7) , are some of the other old testament images of the holy Eucharist. Prevalent Terms: The following are some of the familiar terms generally used in connection with the Holy Eucharist 1) Lords Supper ( 1 Cor. 11:20) 2) Lords table ( 1 Cor. 11:21) 3) Breaking of the bread ( Acts 2:32, 20:7) 4) Communion ( 1 Cor. 10:16) 5) Eucharist ( Greek term) 6) Mystery ( Orthodox term) 7) Mass ( Roman Catholic term) 8) Service 9) Fellowship (Both protestant terms) 10) Holy Sacrifice 11) Offering ( both old Testament terms) The celebrant priest the representative of god as well as man and the mediator between god and the congregation leads this worship service, and prays for him and for the congregation, living and the dead. The preparation for the communion service actually begins from the previous evening with prayers, fasting, abstinence, meditation etc. Preparations: The priest showing his human sinful nature, wears a black robe on his regular dress. He stands in reverence before the central door to the sanctuary, makes the sign of the cross, and says the opening prayer followed by the recitation of the Psalms 51. Then he kisses the hands of the bishops, if present asking permission to leave, and asks forgiveness to priests by giving the hands of peace. Then he faces the whole congregation out-stretching his hands bowing to them and asks to pray for him that the Lord may accept his offering . After this, he enters into the sanctuary, which will then be veiled. The Veil (Altar curtain ) Ex. 36:16 This signifies the sky in between the Heaven and the Earth. As the Heaven is hidden form the earth, the sanctuary is divided from the main body of the church by this veil. The congregation outside the sanctuary, and the representative of our Lord and heavenly angels inside the sanctuary, stand and worship God. As Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and intercedes, the priest stands inside the sanctuary, on the other side of the veil, and intercedes for the congregation. This curtain is drawn when the priest and the congregation worship the God together, thus the Heaven and the Earth are joined together in worshipping and praying. The Sanctuary: Holy Eucharist, or the sacrifice of our Lord on Calvary, is conducted on the altar in the sanctuary. Here the entire life of our Lord is actually preented in dramatic fashion. The sanctuary is the heaven with the presence of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit along with the angels (Eph. 2:1-16). This is like the holy of holies of Jerusalem temple( Hebrews 9: 4-5 ). This is Gogultha ( Genesis 14:18) where Melchizedek worshipped ( whixh was close to Adams sepulcher where the cross of Lord for crucifixion was erected.) As the mother and the disciples watched the crucifixion and the shedding of blood from our Lords body, here in the sanctuary, the worshippers watch his presence in the bread and wine on the altar. The sanctuary symbolizes Mt Sinai ( Ex. 19: 16-25),a s well as paradise (Rev. 2:7). The Altar: The altar has been know as 1) The table of sacrifice 2) Throne of God in Heaven 3) Tomb of our Lord 4) Table of life 5) Manger 6) Israel 7) Mt Calvary The Cross: There must be a cross on the altar when we celebrate the Holy Eucharist. It shows the presence of our Lord and Savior. Cross is the symbol of salvation. The top of the cross stands for love, the bottom for humility, the right side for obedience and the left side for patience. Cross reveals the passion and death of our Lord. It is our weapon to fight against the evil. The writing on the cross: “INRI” stands for “Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews.” The Coverings: The first covering of the altar, the white linen, represents the winding-sheet in which the body of our Lord was wrapped. The upper altar-cloth, of rich and brilliant material represents the glory of Gods throne. It covers the front of the altar to the ground usually with three divisions (denotes Trinity) with cross in the centre representing the Lord. The two coverings are also interpreted as the Church and the Universe. The Candles: There may be twelve candles on the altar as of Apostles or seven as of the Jerusalem temple. Seven is our customary sacred number. There were many lights in the Upper chamber (Acts 20:8) Candles stand for light. Our Lord is the light of the world. (Jn. 1:9, 8:12) . The candle wax, when it melts is changed into another shape. This is like a person when he accepts Christianity by rebirth in Jesus Christ, becoming a new creation in Jesus, the Lord. Lighted Candles in the church shows that the Christian church is the continuation of the Jerusalem temple. Candles also stand for the illumination of our souls by the spirit. Canopy: In some sanctuaries, a canopy is suspended over the altar, to represent the heavens outspread over the earth, upon which sacrifice is offered for the sins of the world.
Previous	Qurbana Main page	Next