the power of worship throne of glory and behold the depths. you are without beginning, invisible,...

Annual Archon Lenten RetreatFr. Stefanos Alexopoulos

Assistant Professor of Liturgical StudiesCatholic University of America

Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church of the Hamptons

April 15-16, 2016

THE POWER

of WORSHIPInsights From

LITURGICAL HISTORY, LITURGICAL THEOLOGY,

& LITURGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Fr. Stefanos was born in Zimbabwe, raised in South Africa and Greece, and received his higher education in the United States, earning a B.A. in Religious Studies from Hellenic College, a M.Div. from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, both in Brookline, MA., and a Ph.D. in Liturgical Studies from the University of Notre Dame. While at the University of Notre Dame he taught the course “The Spirituality of the Christian East: Experience, Form, and Expression” for which he received the Outstanding Graduate Student Teacher Kaneb Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 2003 Fr. Stefanos returned to Greece where he served as a parish priest and taught for the College Year in Athens Program, for the Greco-Roman Program of St. John’s University/St. Benedict’s College, Collegeville, MN, and for the Pastoral Institute of the Archdiocese of Athens, Church of Greece. In 2009 he was elected Assistant Professor of Liturgy at the Ecclesiastical Academy of Athens. In the Spring of 2012 he was invited to teach at the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale University as a visiting professor. His work has appeared in English, Greek, German and Russian. He is the author of The Presanctified Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite: A Comparative Analysis of Its Origins, Evolution, and Structural Units in the series Liturgia Condenda 21 (Peeters Publishers, 2009). He is a member of the North American Academy of Liturgy and the Society of Oriental Liturgy, which he served as Secretary between 2006-2012.

Since 2009 is actively involved in the new Catalogue of Byzantine Manuscripts project out of the Protestant Theological University (Holland). He is an ordained Greek Orthodox priest, the son and grandson of priests, and since 2010 has been appointed full member of the Special Synodical Committee on Liturgical Renewal of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece. Fr. Stefanos joined the Faculty of the School of the Theology and Religious Studies at Catholic University of America in the Fall of 2013.

His research focuses on aspects of Byzantine Liturgical History, Eastern Liturgical Traditions and Liturgical Renewal. His current projects include a book-length study on the history of the private “Office of Holy Communion” in the Byzantine rite, a book-length study on the history and theology of the Minor Hours in the Byzantine Rite, and a book-length introduction to Eastern Liturgies.

Rev. Stefanos Alexopoulos, Ph.D.

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SESSION I:

WHAT IS LITURGY? INSIGHTS FROM LITURGICAL HISTORY

Handouts for Presentation1. Outline of Byzantine Liturgy2. Map of Constantinople3. Floorplan of Hagia Sophia

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Outline of Byzantine Liturgy

Cathedral Monastic

Typikon of the Great Church [1] Typikon of Lavra of St. Sabas [2]

(Constantinople) (Palestine)

Stoudios Monastery: “Studite” Synthesis [3]

-turning point: Iconoclasm-

-replaces urban monastic

tradition of Constantinople

of the “Akoimetoi”[4] -

“Neo-Sabaitic” Synthesis

-turning point: 1204 (4th Crusade)-

Printed editions of the St. Sabas Typikon

(editio princeps 1545) [5]

*Athonite Typika [8] Typikon of Constantine (1838) [6]

-adaptation to -adaptation to parish needs

uses of Mt. Athos monasteries-

*Regas Typikon [9]

Typikon of Violakis (1888) [7]

-correction of Constantine

Annual Calendar/Typikon [10]

of Church of Greece

-reflects “Greek” use

-adaptation to “new” (Gregorian) calendar

-application of Typikon to particular year

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Notes

[1] J. MATEOS, Le Typikon de la Grande Église, (Orientalia Christiana Analecta, 165-166), 2 Vols,

Rome, 1962-1963.

[2] Sinai gr. 1094 of the twelfth/thirteenth century, Sinai gr. 1096 of the twelfth/thirteenth and

Sinai gr. 1095 of the twelfth century, in A. DMITRIEVSKIJ, Opisanie liturgiceskix rukopisej

xranjascixsja v bibliotekax pravoslavnago vostoka, Vol 3, Petrograd, 1917.

[3] D. PETRAS, The Typicon of the Patriarch Alexis the Studite: Novgorod – St. Sophia 1136, (Excerpta

ex dissertatione ad Doctoratum, Pontificium Institutum Orientale), Cleveland, 1991; M. ARRANZ

(Ed.), Le Typicon du Monastère du Saint-Sauveur à Messine, (Orientalia Christiana Analecta 185),

Rome, 1969.

[4] I. FOUNTOULES, Ἡ Εἰκοσιτετράωρος Ἀκοίμητος Δοξολογία, Athens, 1963.

[5] Editio princeps: Τυπικὸν τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς ἀκολουθίας τῆς ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις Ἁγίας

Λαύρας τοῦ Ὁσίου καὶ Θεοφόρου πατρὸς ἡμῶν Σάββα, Venice, 1545. Later editions were

printed in 1577, 1643, 1685, 1738, all in Venice.

[6] C. BYZANTIOS, Τυπικὸν Ἐκκλησιαστικὸν κατὰ τὸ ὕφος τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ Μεγάλης

Ἐκκλησίας, Constantinople, 1838, repr. with corrections and additions in Constantinople in

1868, and finally in Venice in 1881.

[7] G. VIOLAKES, Τυπικὸν τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ Μεγάλης Ἐκκλησίας, Constantinople, 1888, and

since then numerous reprints in Athens from Saliveros publishing house.

[8] The only Athonite Typikon published is that of the Dionysiou Monastery, written in 1909:

Τυπικὸν τῆς ἐν Ἄθῳ Ἱερᾶς Μονῆς τοῦ Ἁγίου Διονυσίου, Hagion Oros, 2004. Other

contemporary Athonite Typika include that of Philotheou Monastery, written in 1813, that of

Konstamonitou Monastery, written in 1854, that of Xiropotamou Monastery, written in 1927.

See Konstantinos PAPAYIANNIS, Σύστημα Τυπικοῦ τῶν Ἀκολουθιῶν τοῦ Ὅλου Ἐνιαυτοῦ,

Athens, 2006, pp. 21-22.

[9] G. REGAS, Τυπικόν, (Λειτουργικὰ Βλατάδων 1) Thessaloniki, 1994, but originally written in

1908.

[10] Ἐκκλησιαστικὸν Ἡμερολόγιον 1924-1951, Ἡμερολόγιον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῆς Ἑλλάδος 1952-

1988, and Δίτπυχα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῆς Ἑλλάδος 1989- .

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Map of Constantinople

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Floor Plan of Haghia Sophia

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SESSION II:

WHAT DOES LITURGY DO? INSIGHTS FROM LITURGICAL THEOLOGY

Handouts for Presentation1. Anaphora of Basil

Texts for Breakout Sessions:1. Prayer of Trisagion2. Prayer of the Gospel3. Prayer of Oil of Gladness4. Prayer of Chrismation5. Prayer of the Joining of Hands6. Prayer of Funeral/Memorial/Trisagion Services

Tasks for Breakout Sessions1. What is this prayer about?2. Identify the structure of the prayer3. Identify the verbs in the prayer4. What does the prayer ask for? 5. What three key words would you highlight?6. How does this prayer reflect the Church’s and our belief about

_____________?

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Anaphora of Basil Priest: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the

Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.

People: And with your spirit.

Priest: Let us lift up our hearts.

People: We lift them up to the Lord.

Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord.

People: It is proper and right.

Priest: Master, Lord, God, worshipful Father almighty, it is truly just and right to the majesty of Your holiness to praise You, to hymn You, to bless You, to worship You, to give thanks to You, to glorify You, the only true God, and to offer to You this our spiritual worship with a contrite heart and a humble spirit. For You have given us to know Your truth. Who is worthy to praise Your mighty acts? Or to make known all Your praises? Or tell of all Your wonderful deeds at all times? Master of all things, Lord of heaven and earth, and of every creature visible and invisible, You are seated upon the throne of glory and behold the depths. You are without beginning, invisible, incomprehensible, beyond words, unchangeable. You are the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the great God and Savior of our hope, the image of Your goodness, the true seal of revealing in Himself You, the Father. He is the living Word, the true God, eternal wisdom, life, sanctification, power, and the true light. Through Him the Holy Spirit was manifested, the spirit of truth the gift of Sonship, the pledge of our future inheritance, the first fruits of eternal blessings, the life giving power, the source of sanctification through whom every rational and spiritual creature is made capable of worshiping You and giving You eternal glorification, for all things are subject to You. For You are praised by the angels, archangels, thrones, dominions,

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principalities, authorities, powers, and the many eyed Cherubim. Round about You stand the Seraphim, one with six wings and the other with six wings; with two they cover their faces; with two they cover their feet; with two they fly, crying out to one another with unceasing voices and ever-resounding praises:

Priest: Singing the victory hymn, proclaiming, crying out, and saying:

People: Holy, holy, holy, Lord Sabaoth, heaven and earth are filled with Your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna to God in the highest.

Priest: Together with these blessed powers, loving Master we sinners also cry out and say: Truly You are holy and most holy, and there are no bounds to the majesty of Your holiness. You are holy in all Your works, for with righteousness and true judgment You have ordered all things for us. For having made man by taking dust from the earth, and having honored him with Your own image, O God, You placed him in a garden of delight, promising him eternal life and the enjoyment of everlasting blessings in the observance of Your commandments. But when he disobeyed You, the true God who had created him, and was led astray by the deception of the serpent becoming subject to death through his own transgressions, You, O God, in Your righteous judgment, expelled him from paradise into this world, returning him to the earth from which he was taken, yet providing for him the salvation of regeneration in Your Christ. For You did not forever reject Your creature whom You made, O Good One, nor did You forget the work of Your hands, but because of Your tender compassion, You visited him in various ways: You sent forth prophets; You performed mighty works by Your saints who in every generation have pleased You. You spoke to us by the mouth of Your servants the prophets, announcing to us the salvation which was to come; You gave us the law to help us; You appointed angels as guardians. And when the fullness of time had come, You spoke to us through Your Son Himself, through whom You created the

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ages. He, being the splendor of Your glory and the image of Your being, upholding all things by the word of His power, thought it not robbery to be equal with You, God and Father. But, being God before all ages, He appeared on earth and lived with humankind. Becoming incarnate from a holy Virgin, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, conforming to the body of our lowliness, that He might change us in the likeness of the image of His glory. For, since through man sin came into the world and through sin death, it pleased Your only begotten Son, who is in Your bosom, God and Father, born of a woman, the holy Theotokos and ever virgin Mary; born under the law, to condemn sin in His flesh, so that those who died in Adam may be brought to life in Him, Your Christ. He lived in this world, and gave us precepts of salvation. Releasing us from the delusions of idolatry, He guided us to the sure knowledge of You, the true God and Father. He acquired us for Himself, as His chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Having cleansed us by water and sanctified us with the Holy Spirit, He gave Himself as ransom to death in which we were held captive, sold under sin. Descending into Hades through the cross, that He might fill all things with Himself, He loosed the bonds of death. He rose on the third day, having opened a path for all flesh to the resurrection from the dead, since it was not possible that the Author of life would be dominated by corruption. So He became the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep, the first born of the dead, that He might be Himself the first in all things. Ascending into heaven, He sat at the right hand of Your majesty on high and He will come to render to each according to His works. As memorials of His saving passion, He has left us these gifts which we have set forth before You according to His commands. For when He was about to go forth to His voluntary, ever memorable, and life-giving death, on the night on which He was delivered up for the life of the world, He took bread in His holy and pure hands, and presenting it to You, God and Father, and offering thanks, blessing, sanctifying, and breaking it:

Priest: He gave it to His holy disciples and apostles saying: Take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you and for the forgiveness of sins.

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People: Amen.

Priest: Likewise, He took the cup of the fruit of vine, and having mingled it, offering thanks, blessing, and sanctifying it.

Priest: He gave it to His holy disciples and apostles saying: Drink of this all of you. This is my blood of the new Covenant, shed for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins.

People: Amen.

Priest: Do this in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this Bread and drink this Cup, you proclaim my death, and you confess my resurrection. Therefore, Master, we also, remembering His saving passion and life giving cross, His three; day burial and resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven, and enthronement at Your right hand, God and Father, and His glorious and awesome second coming.

Priest: We offer to You these gifts from Your own gifts in all and for all.

People: We praise You, we bless You, we give thanks to You, and we pray to You, Lord our God.

Priest: Therefore, most holy Master, we also, Your sinful and unworthy servants, whom You have made worthy to serve at Your holy altar, not because of our own righteousness (for we have not done anything good upon the earth), but because of Your mercy and compassion, which You have so richly poured upon us, we dare to approach Your holy altar, and bring forth the symbols of the holy Body and Blood of Your Christ. We pray to You and call upon You, O Holy of Holies, that by the favor of Your goodness, Your Holy Spirit may come upon us and upon the gifts here presented, to bless, sanctify, and make this bread to be the precious Body of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Deacon: Amen.

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Priest: And this cup to be the precious Blood of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Deacon: Amen.

Priest: Shed for the life and salvation of the world.

Deacon: Amen. Amen. Amen.

Priest: And unite us all to one another who become partakers of the one Bread and the Cup in the communion of the one Holy Spirit. Grant that none of us may partake of the holy Body and Blood of Your Christ to judgment or condemnation; but, that we may find mercy and grace with all the saints who through the ages have pleased You: forefathers, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, preachers, evangelists, martyrs, confessors, teachers, and every righteous spirit made perfect in faith.

The Intercessions follow (see text for Session III below)Source: http://www.goarch.org/chapel/liturgical_texts/basil

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Breakout Session IPrayer of Trisagion (Liturgy of the Word) http://www.goarch.org/chapel/liturgical_texts/liturgy_hchc

Holy God, You dwell among Your saints. You are praised by the Seraphim with the thrice holy hymn and glorified by the Cherubim and worshiped by all the heavenly powers. You have brought all things out of nothing into being. You have created man and woman in Your image and likeness and adorned them with all the gifts of Your grace. You give wisdom and understanding to the supplicant and do not overlook the sinner but have established repentance as the way of salvation. You have enabled us, Your lowly and unworthy servants, to stand at this hour before the glory of Your holy altar and to offer to You due worship and praise. Master, accept the thrice holy hymn also from the lips of us sinners and visit us in Your goodness. Forgive our voluntary and involuntary transgressions, sanctify our souls and bodies, and grant that we may worship and serve You in holiness all the days of our lives, by the intercessions of the holy Theotokos and of all the saints who have pleased You throughout the ages..

1. What is this prayer about?

2. Identify the structure of the prayer

3. Identify the verbs in the prayer

4. What does the prayer ask for?

5. What three key words would you highlight?

6. How does this prayer reflect the Church’s and our belief about _____________?

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Breakout Session IIPrayer of the Gospel (Liturgy of the Word)http://www.goarch.org/chapel/liturgical_texts/liturgy_hchc

Shine within our hearts, loving Master, the pure light of Your divine knowledge and open the eyes of our minds that we may comprehend the message of Your Gospel. Instill in us, also, reverence for Your blessed commandments, so that having conquered sinful desires, we may pursue a spiritual life, thinking and doing all those things that are pleasing to You. For You, Christ our God, are the light of our souls and bodies, and to You we give glory together with Your Father who is without beginning and Your all holy, good, and life giving Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen







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Breakout Session IIIPrayer of the Oil of Gladness (Baptism)http://www.goarch.org/chapel/liturgical_texts/baptism

Sovereign Lord and Master, God of our Fathers, Who did send to them in the Ark of Noah a dove bearing a twig of olive in its beak as a sign of reconciliation and salvation from the Flood, and through these things prefigured the Mystery of Grace; and thereby have filled them that were under the Law with the Holy Spirit, and perfected them that are under Grace: do You Yourself bless this Oil by the power (+) and operation (+) and descent of the Holy Spirit (+) that it may become an anointing of incorruption, a shield of righteousness, a renewal of soul and body, and averting of every operation of the devil, to the removal of all evils from them that are anointed with it in faith, or that are partakers of it. To Your Glory, and to that of Your Only-Begotten Son, and of Your All; Holy, Good, and Life; creating Spirit, both now and ever, and to the ages of ages.







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Breakout Session IVPrayer of Chrismation (Baptism)http://www.goarch.org/chapel/liturgical_texts/baptism Blessed are You, Lord God Almighty, Fountain of Blessings, Sun of Righteousness, Who made to shine forth for those in darkness a light of salvation through the manifestation of Your Only-Begotten Son and our God, granting unto us, though we are unworthy, blessed cleansing in Holy Water, and divine sanctification in the Life; effecting Anointing; Who now also has been well-pleased to regenerate this Your servant newly illuminated through Water and Spirit, giving him (her) forgiveness of his (her) voluntary and involuntary sins: do You Yourself, Sovereign Master, Compassionate King of All, bestow upon him (her) also the Seal of Your omnipotent and adorable Holy Spirit, and the Communion of the Holy Body and Most Precious Blood of Your Christ; keep him (her) in Your sanctification; confirm him (her) in the Orthodox Faith; deliver him (her) from the Evil One and all his devices; preserve his (her) soul, through Your saving fear, in purity and righteousness, that in every work and word, being acceptable before You, he (she) may become a child and heir of Your heavenly Kingdom. For You are our God, the God of Mercy and Salvation, and to You do we send up Glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and to the ages of ages.







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Breakout Session VPrayer of the Joining of Hands (Marriage)http://www.goarch.org/chapel/liturgical_texts/wedding

Holy God, Who fashioned man from the dust, and from his rib fashioned woman, and joined her to him as a helpmate for him, for it was seemly unto Your Majesty for man not to be alone upon the earth, do You Yourself, O Sovereign Lord, stretch forth Your hand from Your holy dwelling place, and join together this Your servant (Name) and Your servant (Name), for by You is a wife joined to her husband. Join them together in oneness of mind; crown them with wedlock into one flesh; grant to them the fruit of the womb, and the gain of well-favored children, for Yours is the dominion, and Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and to the ages of ages.







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Breakout Session VIPrayer of Funeral/Memorial/Trisagion Serviceshttp://www.goarch.org/chapel/liturgical_texts/trisagion

O God of all spirits and of every flesh, Who did trod down death and overcome the devil, bestowing life on this Your world, to the soul of this Your servant (Name), departed this life, do You Yourself, O Lord, give rest in a place of light, in a place of green pasture, in a place of refreshment, from where pain and sorrow and mourning have fled away. Every sin by him (her) committed in thought, word, or deed, do You as our Good and Loving God forgive; seeing that there is no man who shall live and sin not, for You alone are without sin. Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your Law is truth; for You are the Resurrection, the Life, and the Repose of Your servant (Name), departed this life, O Christ our God; and to You do we send up glory, with Your Eternal Father and Your All-Holy, Good and Life-creating Spirit; both now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.







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SESSION III:

WHAT DOES LITURGY HAVE TO DO WITH ME/US? INSIGHTS FROM LITURGICAL ANTRHOPOLOGY

Handouts for Presentation1. Anaphora of Basil - Intercessions

Texts for Breakout Sessions:1. Kassiani Troparion2. Prayer from the Office of the Hours3. Prayers at the Time of Communion4. Hymn of Final Greeting (Funeral Office)5. Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian6. Hymns from Easter Matins

Tasks for Breakout Sessions1. How is the human person presented in this prayer/hymn? 2. What is the human person’s relation to Christ? 3. How does that relation affect one’s life? 4. What three key words would you highlight?

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Anaphora of Basil – IntercessionsPriest: Especially for our most holy, pure, blessed, and glorious

Lady, the Theotokos and ever virgin Mary.

People: All of creation rejoices in you, O full of grace: the assembly of angels and the human race. You are a sanctified temple and a spiritual paradise, the glory from whom God was incarnate and became a child; our God, existing before all ages. He made your womb a throne, and your body more spacious than the heavens. All of creation rejoices in you, O full of grace. Glory to you.

Priest: For Saint John the prophet, forerunner, and baptist; for the holy, glorious, and most honorable apostles; for Saint(s) (Names), whose memory we commemorate today; and for all Your saints, through whose supplications, O God, visit us. Remember also all who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection to eternal life (here the priest commemorates the names of the deceased). And grant them rest, our God, where the light of Your countenance shines. Again, we pray to You, be mindful of Your holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, which is from one end of the inhabited earth to the other. Grant peace to her which You have obtained with the precious blood of Your Christ. Strengthen also this holy house to the end of the ages. Remember, Lord, those who have brought You these gifts, and for whom and through whom and the intentions for which they were offered. Remember, Lord, those who bear fruit and do good works in Your holy churches, and those who remember the poor. Reward them with Your rich and heavenly gifts. Grant them in return for earthly things, heavenly gifts; for temporal, eternal; for corruptible, incorruptible. Remember, Lord, those who are in the deserts, on mountains, in caverns, and in the chambers of the earth. Remember, Lord, those living in chastity and godliness, in asceticism and holiness of life. Remember, Lord, this country and all those in public service whom you have allowed to govern on earth. Grant them profound and lasting peace. Speak to their hearts good things concerning your Church and all your people

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that through the faithful conduct of their duties we may live peaceful and serene lives in all piety and holiness. Sustain the good in their goodness; make the wicked good through Your goodness. Remember, Lord, the people here present and those who are absent with good cause. Have mercy on them and on us according to the multitude of Your mercy. Fill their treasuries with every good thing; preserve their marriages in peace and harmony; nurture the infants; instruct the youth; strengthen the aged; give courage to the faint hearted; reunite those separated; bring back those in error and unite them to Your holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Free those who are held captive by unclean spirits; sail with those who sail; travel with those who travel; defend the widows; protect the orphans; liberate the captives; heal the sick. Remember, Lord, those who are in mines, in exile, in harsh labor, and those in every kind of affliction, necessity, or distress; those who entreat your loving kindness; those who love us and those who hate us; those who have asked us to pray for them, unworthy though we may be. Remember, Lord our God, all Your people, and pour out Your rich mercy upon them, granting them their petitions for salvation. Remember, O God, all those whom we have not remembered through ignorance, forgetfulness or because of their multitude since You know the name and age of each, even from their mother’s womb. For You, Lord, are the helper of the helpless, the hope of the hopeless, the savior of the afflicted, the haven of the voyager, and the physician of the sick. Be all things to all, You who know each person, his requests, his household, and his need. Deliver this community and city, O Lord, and every city and town, from famine, plague, earthquake, flood, fire, sword, invasion of foreign enemies, and civil war.

Priest: Above all, remember, Lord, our Archbishop (Name) and our Bishop (Name): Grant that they may serve Your holy churches in peace. Keep them safe, honorable, and healthy for many years, rightly teaching the word of Your truth.

Deacon: Remember also, Lord, those whom each of us calls to mind and all your people.

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People: And all Your people.

Priest: (in a low voice) Remember, Lord, all Orthodox bishops who rightly teach the word of Your truth. Remember Lord, my unworthiness according to the multitude of Your mercies; forgive my every transgression, both voluntary and involuntary. Do not take away the grace of Your Holy Spirit from these gifts presented because of my sins. Remember, Lord, the presbyters, the diaconate in Christ, and every order of the clergy, and do not confound any of us who stand about Your holy altar. Visit us with Your goodness, Lord; manifest Yourself to us through Your rich compassion. Grant us seasonable weather and fruitful seasons; send gentle showers upon the earth so that it may bear fruit; bless the crown of the year of Your goodness. Prevent schism in the Church; pacify the raging of the heathen. Quickly stop the uprisings of heresies by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Receive us all into Your kingdom. Declare us to be sons and daughters of the light and of the day. Grant us Your peace and love, Lord our God, for You have given all things to us.

Priest: And grant that with one voice and one heart we may glorify and praise Your most honored and majestic name, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages.

People: Amen.

Source: http://www.goarch.org/chapel/liturgical_texts/basil

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Breakout Session IKassiani Troparionhttp://www.anastasis.org.uk/HWWed-M.htm

Lord, the woman who had fallen into many sins, perceiving your divinity, took up the role of myrrh-bearer, and with lamentation brings sweet myrrh to you before your burial. ‘Alas!’, she says, ‘for night is for me a frenzy of lust, a dark and moonless love of sin. Accept the fountains of my tears, you who from the clouds draw out the water of the sea; bow yourself down to the groaning of my heart, you who bowed the heavens by your ineffable self-emptying. I shall kiss your immaculate feet, and wipe them again with the locks of my hair, those feet whose sound Eve heard at dusk in Paradise, and hid herself in fear. Who can search out the multitude of my sins and the depths of your judgements, my Savior, Savior of souls? Do not despise me, your servant, for you have mercy without measure’.

1. How is the human person presented in this prayer/hymn?

2. What is the human person’s relation to Christ?

3. How does that relation affect one’s life?


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Breakout Session IIFrom the Office of the Hourshttp://www.anastasis.org.uk/HWFri-Hrs.htm

At every time and at every hour, in heaven and on earth worshipped and glorified, Christ God, long-suffering, great in mercy, great in compassion, loving the just and merciful to sinners, calling all to salvation by the promise of the blessings to come; do you, Lord, yourself accept our entreaties at this hour, and direct our lives to your commandments. Sanctify our souls, purify our bodies, correct our thoughts, cleanse our ideas and deliver us from every distress, evil, and pain. Wall us about with your holy Angels, that protected and guided by their host we may reach the unity of the faith and the knowledge of your unapproachable glory; for you are blessed to the ages of ages. Amen.





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Breakout Session IIIPrayers at the time of Communionhttp://www.goarch.org/chapel/liturgical_texts/liturgy_hchc

How shall I, who am unworthy, enter into the splendor of Your saints? If I dare to enter into the bridal chamber, my clothing will accuse me, since it is not a wedding garment; and being bound up, I shall be cast out by the angels. In Your love, Lord, cleanse my soul and save me.

Loving Master, Lord Jesus Christ, my God, let not these holy Gifts be to my condemnation because of my unworthiness, but for the cleansing and sanctification of soul and body and the pledge of the future life and kingdom. It is good for me to cling to God and to place in Him the hope of my salvation.





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Breakout Session IVHymn of Final Greeting (Funeral Office)http://www.anastasis.org.uk/funeral.htm

What is our life? Merely a flower, a vapor and morning dew. Come then, let us look closely at the graves; where is the body’s beauty? Where its youth? Where are the eyes and the form of the flesh? All have withered like grass, all have vanished; come, let us fall down before Christ with tears.





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Breakout Session VPrayer of St. Ephraim the Syrianhttp://www.goarch.org/resources/prayers/saint_ephrem

O Lord and Master of my life!Take from me the spirit of sloth,faint-heartedness, lust of power, and idle talk.

But give rather the spirit of chastity,humility, patience, and love to Thy servant.

Yea, Lord and King! Grant me to see my own errorsand not to judge my brother,for Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.





28

Breakout Session VIHymns from Easter Matinshttp://www.anastasis.org.uk/pascha.htm

The day of Resurrection, let us be radiant, O peoples! Pascha, the Lord’s Pascha; for Christ God has brought us from death to life, and from earth to heaven, as we sing the triumphal song (Easter Canon, Heirmos, ode 1).

Yesterday I was buried with you O Christ, today I rise with you as you arise. Yesterday I was crucified with you; glorify me with you, Saviour, in your Kingdom (Easter Canon, Troparion of Ode 3).

The day of Resurrection; let us be radiant for the festival, and let us embrace one another. Let us say, brethren, even to those that hate us, ‘Let us forgive all things on the Resurrection’, and so let us cry, ‘Christ has risen from the dead: by death he has trampled on death, and to those in the graves given life’ (Doxastikon of Easter).





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