The Three main Parts

 The Holy Eucharist is divided into three main parts:

1. Pre- Communion Service

2. Communion Service ( public Celebration)

3. Post Communion Service

 Pre – Communion Service:

Entrance into the Sanctuary:The celebrant prest enters into the sanctuary with prayers (Ps. 43:4), bows his head before the altar with penitence, and goes around kissing the corners of the altar starting from the right hand side with praise and thanksgiving. (Ps. 118:27-28)

The Vesting:  After the preliminary prayers and preparation, the celebrant washes his hands and puts on his vestments (seven pieces for the priest and twelve for bishops ) The vestments are “for glory and for beauty” ( Ex. 28:2)

 1. The black robe :  This denotes the sinful nature

2. Surplice :  The white robe of incorruption through the purification of the holy spirit . it symbolizes purity and holiness.

 3. Stole: This is to grid with strength in defeating the enemies (Ps. 18: 39-40). It is also the breast plate of righteousness ( Eph. 6:14)

 4. Girdle :  This is the sword for triumphant( Ps. 45:3) and the belt signifying the truth (Eph. 6:14)

 5. Sleeves : two sleeves to make the hands instruments of righteousness and good works. ( Ps. 18: 34 -36) . They are armours.

 6. Chasuble or Cope: This is the robe of glory and righteousness. (Ps. 132: 9-10)

 7. Shoes: They symbolize the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15). They are to underfoot serpents, scorpions, and all the powers of the enemy and to cast down under the foot all false pride that is exalted against God. ( 2 Cor. 10:5)

 The Offering:

 After the vesting, the celebrant ascends the Altar step.

 Altar Step :  The priest stands on the altar step to arrange the offering; and after the recitation of the creed he stands to continue the Holy Eucharist. This reminds our lord breaking the bread in the upper room.(Mk. 14:15). The step is the ladder to heaven. The Eucharist is being held there where ranking angels ascend and descend.

 In arranging the offering , the priest here places the chalice and the paten; their coverings; the sponge; the spoon and such other needed  things to offer the sacrifice.

 The paten and the chalice:  The paten for the bread and the chalice for the wine are placed on the white portion of the covering of the portable altar.

Astaric (Star):   This supports the veil above the paten so that it may not touch the Holy body . It is also the symbol of the star seen over the manger at the birth of our Lord.

 Spoon: The sacramental spoon is to administer the Holy body and Blood.

 Tongs (Gmourto):  This small cushion is compared to the tongs with which the Seraphins placed the live coal on Isaiah’s lips (Isaiah 6:1 ff). This is used as the sacramental spoon rest, and also to wipe the lips of children after communion.

 The Sponge:  Towels are generally used instead to wipe the fingers of the priests that touch the Body and Blood of our Lord. This is also for wiping the paten and the chalice. This signifies more careful handling of the bread (Body) and the wine (Blood).

 The Veils:  Two richly stitched veils are used to cover the paten and the chalice. The covering period is compared to the time of our Lord with the father in the Old Testament.

 The Air (Shushafo): Shushafo, generally white in color, with embroidered cross and sometimes angels, etc signifies the swaddling clothes of baby Jesus in the manger, in the sepulcher, and the stone that rolled against the tomb. It is also considered as the bright cloud overshadowed at the time of transfiguration on Mount Tabore. (Mt 17:5). When the mysteries are covered with the sushafo, it is the stage of our Lord in the womb of the mother St Mary (humanity), and when it is removed it is the period of the intercession after the resurrection and before the arrival in heaven. The covering of the holy mysteries by shushafo reveals the fact that the divine mysteries are hidden from the understanding of men, and we cannot comprehend how divinity and humanity are united in Christ, as we cannot perceive how the bread and the wine become the body of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 Bread and Wine:  After  arranging the chalice and other things, the celebrant places the newly made special leavened in the paten. The prayer at this time resembles the versus in Acts 8:32 and Isaiah 53: 8. This bread for the holy Eucharist, is made out of the four outstanding ingredients for life: 1) Wheat Flour which stands for clay or dust or mud 2) Water 3) Yeast stands for air, and 4) Salt is for fire.

 Why Leavened bread ??

 Our Lord used the regular leavened bread, i.e. “Lahamo” or “Artos”, and not “Pathiro”  or “Azyme” at the last supper on the eve of Passover ( John 13:1, 29, 18:28, 19:14,31).

The tradition is that the Apostles saved a portion of the mixed flour used to make a bread for the last supper to use as Yeast in preparing the bread thereafter for the communion services and this practice has been continuing ever since. All churches followed this practice for the first ten centuries. Our church still follows the same tradition also to usher that the Lord is the life-giving leaven of the Universe.

 After the bread is placed in the paten, the priest mixes water with wine in the cup pours the same in the chalice. This reminds us that the divinity and the humanity are mixed in our Lord Jesus Christ ; That our Lord mixed wine and water at the last supper; and also that blood and water came out, when pierced at His side on the cross to wash away the sins of all creation.

 In the Old Testament times, lambs, calves, doves and pigeons were offered for sacrifice. In the New Testament, instead, only wheat flour and grape wine have been used. People used to bring the bread and wine to the church to offer. For practical purposes, this custom has been changed by making bread at the church and arranging wine there for which certain amount is being paid to the priest for offering the sacrifices.

 Bread is a sign of Life. When we offer bread, we offer our life our own lives to God.

 Preparation of the Altar:

 Here the priest first kneels down before the altar and says a prayer of penitence and self-offering inaudibly. There after he kisses the altar, ascends the altar step and takes the covers of the mysteries with special prayers. Then follows the intercession with the paten and the chalice held I hands crossed against each other. Here, after general prayer, intercession of St Mary and the saints are asked and a special prayer for the sick, for the penitents, for the departed and for the relatives of the celebrant are offered. The names of the living and the dead to be remembered for the days qurbana must be submitted to the priest before the preparatory service of intercession. After this the priest places the Mysteries on the altar, and covers it with the spreaded shushafo.

 The Censing:

 Then follows incense intercessions, The priest places the incense in the censer with prayers and continues the intercessions for the living and the departed.

 The Censer: In Old Testament times, perfume was made out of sweet spices ( Ex. 30:34-48). Sweet incense was burnt every morning at that time. (Ex. 30:7; Num 16:6) incense was an inevitable item in the temple. (Heb 9:4; Rev. 8:3-5). The general assumption is that as the smoke goes up, prayer also goes up with it to heaven. (Ps 141:2)

 In the early century, during the persecution period, incense was used in the hiding caves for good smell around. All churches used incense for Eucharist and special services until 6^th century.

 The censer stands for the church. Another interpretation is that the censer is the blessed virgin mother, and the inside is the blessed divine child. The bottom part of the censer is interpreted as the world and the upper part as the heaven. The first chain stands for the father , second and third for the divine-human son, and the fourth for the Holy Spirit . The four chains together form the Trinitarian unity. The 72 links that make the chains show the 72 evangelists and the 12 bells stand for the 12 apostles. Then the charcoal stands for the sinful people and the fire stands for God. By the presence of God, the sinner is changed in to fire. Incense stands for good deeds.

The censer, which with the incense placed there in, is also symbolical of the gifts offered by the wise men to the infant Jesus…..gold, frankincense and myrrh.

 The priest, after the incense intercessions, concludes this inaudible service that symbolizes the offering of Aaron and his sons mentioned in the written law  (Lev. 8:16) with Trisagion, Lords prayer and the Nicene Creed.