Proskomedia in the Orthodox Eucharist

Here is a step by step guide to the Proskomedia (Offering) which is completed during Orthros or Matins before the Divine Liturgy begins.

1. After strengthening himself through a few prayers and venerating the icons, the priest enters the Holy Altar and kisses the Gospel and Altar Table in preparation to celebrate the Divine Liturgy.

2. Next, he puts on his full set of vestments, blessing and kissing each item while reciting a matching Scripture verse.

3. The priest then washes his hands, thus expressing his desire to be more cleansed of his sins, while reciting Psalm 26:6-12. "I will wash my hands among the innocents, and so will I go around Thy Altar, O Lord..."

4. Next, he bows 3x before the Prothesis, or table used for the Proskomedi, and prays "O God, cleanse me, a sinner, and have mercy on me" (Luke 18:13)

5. The priest then selects one of the prosphora breads to hold in his left hand, while using his right hand for the lance. He touches the lance on the seal, elevating them both to the level of his head and says, "Thou hast redeemed us from the curse of the law by Thy precious Blood. Nailed on the Cross and pierced with a spear, Thou hast bestowed immortality upon mankind. O Savior, glory to Thee."

6. He makes the sign of the Cross over the Credence with the prosphora and lance saying "Blessed is our God, always, now and forever and from all ages to all ages." Then 3 x the priest makes the sign of the Cross with the lance over the seal, saying each time "In remembrance of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 11:24, Luke 22:19)

7. Next the priest cuts out a portion of bread from the central part (IC XC = Jesus Christ prevails) of the prosphora's seal in the shape of a cube, called "Amnos" or Lamb, which at first represents the Body of Christ and into which it later changes. Thrusting the lance into the right side of the seal (priest's left) he says, "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter."

8. Then thrusting the lance into the left side, he says, "And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, so He opens not His mouth."

9. The priest also thrusts the lance into the upper part of the seal, saying "In His humiliation justice was denied Him."

10. Finally, thrusting the lance into the lower part of the central square, he recites the word of the prophet, who contemplated the wondrous origin or lineage of the condemned Lamb; "Who shall declare his generation?" 

11. Then the priest inserts the lance beneath the seal and lifts up the "Lamb" and places it on the center of the Paten saying, "For His Life is removed from the earth." This represents the separation of Christ from the flesh of the Virgin Mary.

12. Turning the "Lamb" downward, the priest makes with the lance a deep crosswise cut as a sign of Christ's death on the Cross and says, "The Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world, is sacrificed for the life and the salvation of the world" (John 1:29, 1 John 2:2)

13. Next, the priest turns the "Lamb" upright and pierces it with the lance on the right side, marked 'NI', saying "One of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water. And he who saw it bore witness and his witness is true" (John 19:34)

14.The priest then pours wine and water into the Chalice; the he blesses them saying, "Blessed is the union of Thy Holy Gifts, always, now and forever and from all ages to all ages." This symbol of the blood and water which poured forth from Christ's side is what later becomes His Blood.

15. Additional portions are cut out in memory of the Saints, placing these pieces beside the "Lamb" on the Paten, since the saints had a burning desire to be everywhere with their Lord. The first triangle portion is in memory of the Theotokos, saying "In honor and  memory of our most Blessed and Glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary, through Whose intercessions do Thou O Lord, accept this Sacrifice upon Thy Heavenly Altar." This portion is placed on the right side of the "Lamb" (the priest's left) with this prophetic recitation, "On Thy right hand stood the Queen, clothed in vesture wrought with gold and arrayed in many colors" (Psalm 44:10).

The priest then cuts nine additional smaller triangles in memory of:

    1. The Archangels and Angels
    2. The Prophets
    3. The Apostles
    4. The Holy Fathers
    5. The Martyrs
    6. The Holy Ascetics
    7. The Holy Unmercenaries
    8. The Ancestors of our Lord, Joachim & Anna, Saint of Day
   9.  Saint whose Liturgy is celebrated

All these portions are placed in three columns on the left side of the "Lamb."

Next, the priest cuts a big portion of bread out which he cuts little particles for living persons: The Archbishop, bishops, priests, deacons, etc, and for those names offered with the prosphoras. Also for the departed, praying for the remission of their sins. Lastly for himself, saying "Remember, O Lord, my unworthiness and forgive all my sins, both voluntary and involuntary."
These pieces are placed below the "Lamb" on the Paten.

Finally, the priest goes back in time to Christ's Birth, remembering when the star shone above the Child and the wisemen offered to Christ the incense, in order to bless the incense with this prayer, "Incense we offer Thee, O Christ our God, as an odor of spiritual fragrance. Do Thou accept is at Thy Heavenly Altar and send down upon us the Grace of Thy Holy Spirit." He censes the Asterik, which he places on the Paten saying, "And the star came and stood over the place where the Child was." (Matthew 2:9)

The priest continues to incense 2 small veils, one for the Paten and one for the Chalice, then the large veil over both, reciting "The Lord is reigning, He is clothed with Majesty; The Lord has clothed with strength wherewith He was girded Himself." (Psalm 93) "Thy virtue, O Christ, has covered the Heavens, and the earth is full of Thy praise. Cover us under the shelter of Thy wings; drive away from us every enemy and adversary; give us a peaceful life; O Lord, have mercy on us and on Thy world, and save our souls, for Thou art Good and Compassionate. Blessed art Thou, O our God, Who art thus well pleased; glory to Thee, always now and forever and from all ages to all ages."

The Proskimidi is concluded with this prayer

"O God, our God, Who has sent us the Heavenly Bread, the Food of the entire world, our Lord and our God Jesus Christ, to save us, to ransom us, to do us good, to bless and sanctify us; do Thou Thyself bless this offering and accept it at Thine Altar above the Heavens. Remember in Thy Goodness and loving kindness both those who brought this offering, and those for whom they brought it; and keep us blameless in the celebration of Thy Holy Sacraments; for Holy and glorious is Thy name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, always, now and forever and from all ages to all ages. Amen."

The Chalice and Paten are uncovered as a sign of the Resurrection of Christ just before the worshipers recite the Nicene Creed during the Divine Liturgy. The Holy Gifts are later consecrated separately because Christ's Body and Blood were separated in His death upon the Cross.

After the Lord's Prayer is recited, and the people proclaim "One is Holy, One is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen." the priest then breaks the Lamb which by this time has become the Body of Christ into four pieces. This signifies the Lord's suffering and bruising on the Cross. The four pieces are arranged in the form of a cross. He takes the portion marked "IC" makes teh sign of the cross over the chalice, and a s a symbol of the reuniting of our Lord's soul and body at the time of the Resurrection, he places it in the chalice saying,
"The fullness of the Cup of the Faith and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

The priest blesses the container of boiling water, adding hot water to the Chalice saying,
"The  ardor of Faith, full of the Holy Spirit. Amen." He partakes of the Body still on the Paten and then drinks the Blood saying "This hath touched my lips, and shall take away mine iniquities and purge away my sins,"  before adding all portions into the Chalice  to distribute to the faithful baptized Orthodox Christians who have properly  prepared. Prayers of thanksgiving are read by not only the priests afterward, but properly so, by everyone who received.

May this text taken from a small book by Rev. Father Nicholas Elias be fruitful to all who read it. If you have the opportunity, ask your parish priests to invite the children to surround a small table for the Proskomedi Service, outside the Altar as part of a Teaching Liturgy.

Prosforo Workshop & Puzzle Activity

As we draw near to Christ, we often ask what gift can we offer to Him, especially a tangible one for our children to make. It is easy to overlook and under value the simple things that we can do with our own hands. If we are attending Church, one of the greatest offerings we can bring to Christ is the bread used to become His Holy Body. "Prosforo" literally means offering, as in offering a gift....perfect for Christmas! See the lesson below for Scripture quotes and ingredient significance.

Many of you may have held Prosforo workshops before at your parishes. Great! Do it again and again - the kids love it! Next time, arrange a few of the following activities to enhance the experience:

• NEW Lesson Plan & Puzzle activity of the Proskomidi: located here where each child cuts and glues the pieces of the Seal to understand their significance.
  
• NEW book from Potamitis Publishing "Yiayia and the Prosphoron" located here in many languages
• Book "The Woman and the Wheat" located here
• As each child presses the seal onto the loaf, ask them to repeat out loud the Jesus Prayer "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Me, a Sinner."
• We always begin with a prayer and the children incense the whole kitchen! Some have never held charcoal in a tweezers before - it's great hands on fun!
• Before finishing, write the first names of those Orthodox Christians that the children would like to pray for to be given to the priest along with the Prosforo for commemoration.
• Lastly, don't forget that the Prosforo bread needs to arrive at the beginning of Orthros/Matins so get it there even Saturday night for the Vespers service.
 

Christ said "I am the Bread of Life and whomever eats of it shall never hunger."

The Way We Worship

Introduce to your children an activity illustrating  the way we worship and more importantly, why we worship the way we do in the Orthodox Church. Below are some talking points for the lesson, as well as a coordinating activity or craft.

1. When we enter the Church, we try to leave behind the cares of the world. School, Homework, Chores, Tomorrow, What's for dinner....etc. Beginning in the Nave (like a boat in the "Navy") we travel closer and closer to God during the service, moving towards Paradise, which is represented by the Holy Altar, ultimately receiving the Eucharist just at Paradise's doors.

2. Each week, we worship the same way and celebrate the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom from the 5th century. The word "liturgia" literally means "work of the people." By attending the Divine Liturgy, we are choosing to give back this time to God.  This is our "work." We offer our gifts to Him - our time, our attention, our prayers, our voices. and more tangibly the wine and bread, made with our own hands from the very gifts that God has given us - grapes and wheat. We become co-workers in God's activity.

3. Everyone in the "Ekklesia" is united by a common Orthdoox baptism and confession of faith. We are one created family, surrounded with the Angels and Saints in heaven. Those in the world, the Church militant or army in spiritual battle, mirror the same actions in heaven by the Church Triumphant, the Saints who have already passed the test of life on Earth! We worship God in the Orthodox Church with all of our senses in order to fully participate with our mind, body and soul.

This "ascesis" or spiritual way of life is our path to sanctification (becoming holy through His holiness)

Activity - Ask the children to correctly match the ways we worship God with our senses- if possible, they can make the drawings themselves on colored paper, or you can cut and paste from pictures

• Ears - We hear the word of God in the Gospel and Epistles readings 
• Voices - We chant the praises of the angels 
• Hands- We form the sign of the life-giving Cross 
• Nose - We smell the incense as an offering of our prayer rising to heaven 
• Body - We bow our heads, bend to the ground and kneel to worship God 
• Eyes - We see the light of Christ in every candle and focus our prayers to the windows of heaven, the icons.
• Mouth - We taste the very Body and Blood of Christ, the blessed five loaves of artoclasia, wine & oil, the blessed boiled wheat kollyva, and/or the blessed antidoro or dismissal bread, and blessed grapes at the feast of the Transfiguration.

4. Lastly, let us not forget that the Divine Liturgy is for the whole world, and through this special service, God helps and saves His creation. We not only say prayers for the weather, for our food and crops, for our protection from danger and for a faithful life, but we pray for the "peace of the whole world." Although our local Church may not offer a Divine Liturgy everyday, don't forget that in monasteries around the world, the Divine Liturgy is being offered daily, without stop, as a constant prayer to God.

"A Russian priest was speaking with a minister of another denomination one day. The later spoke at great length about all the wonderful things that his church did for the poor and the environment through service projects, soup kitchens, volunteering, and the likes. Then he asked the Russian priest what the Orthodox people do? And the Russian priest paused quietly for a moment, and simply responded, we offer the Divine Liturgy on behalf of the whole world."    

How We Pray at Home with Children

It can sometimes be a very frustrating task, getting kids to cooperate at daily prayer times..beyond just meals that is. I'm
sharing the bare bones of our morning/evening routine with you, so that we might encourage each other in the daily struggle to teach our kids to pray with their whole  mind, body and soul: to learn that communicating with God is an ongoing relationship and gift of love that requires effort, attentiveness and sacrifice. Here is what we do....please comment and post your tips for others. May God strengthen and illumine us as parents!

MORNING PRAYERS - before breakfast and school

• Stand and make the sign of the Cross or bows to begin
• Light individual candles at vigil lamp (vigil lamp is constant flame in our home in front of our icons using olive oil as our continuous offering to God for His presence and blessing. A big void is noticed if this light goes out. Try it for a month and see!)
• "Through the prayers of the holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen... (ADULT)
• Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal.....3x    (ROTATE HAVING KIDS SAY THIS)
• All Holy Trinity, have mercy on us, ....(ANOTHER KID)
• Glory to the Father, Son, Holy Spirit...   (ANOTHER KID)
• Our Father...etc   (Another KID)
• Through the prayers of holy fathers.... (ADULT)
• THEOS KURIOS   (We all chant this "God is the Lord, and has revealed Himself to us, blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord" with verses from Orthros)
• (One) Morning Prayer (Having risen from sleep, we thank you o Christ our God....)
• TIN TIN ME O TERA (We all chant "You are honored more than the Cherubim" with verses and one kid incenses icons and us)
• Prayer for School  (I can post this if you want - we kneel for this )
• 3 full body Prostrations saying Jesus prayer aloud. (We end every prayer time with this)
• Through the prayers of holy fathers...."  (ADULT)
• Venerate icons
• Anoint foreheads with holy oil in a cross
• Eat piece of dried antidoron 
• Blow out candles

EVENING PRAYERS - much harder and abbreviated often because of bedtime behavior/silliness. Sometimes children listen to the prayers from their beds if unruly

• Light candle at vigil lamp
• Through the prayers of holy fathers.... (ADULT)
• Holy God, Holy mighty, Holy Immortal.....3x    (ROTATE HAVING KIDS SAY THIS)
• All Holy Trinity, have mercy on us, ....(ANOTHER KID)
• Glory to the Father, Son, Holy Spirit   (ANOTHER KID)
• Our Father...etc   (Another KID)
• Through the prayers of holy fathers.... (ADULT)
• FOS ILARON  (We chant "O Blessed Light" from Vespers)
• Evening Prokeimenon  (changes for each day from Vespers)
• "Grant Lord, to keep up this night without sin..."  (prayer from Vespers)
• "Lord our God, if during this day, I have sinned...." (prayer while kneeling)
• 3 full body prostrations saying Jesus Prayer aloud
• Venerate icons
• Lights out - sometimes adult reads life of Saint or Bible to fall asleep

TIPS
Consider asking the kids to chant "Lord Have mercy (3x)" as a good break from Mom or Dad reading all the time. Lastly, consider quiet time for specific "Prayer Rope"to be said. Provide one for each child on car rides, or afterschool walks....praying for people by name. On the drive to Liturgy, read the Epistle/Gospel in your language, or share a feastday lesson. Listen to chanting or lives of Saints.

Of course there are several prayerbooks with prayer rules and prayers for specific needs, the six hours of daily prayer, unceasing Jesus prayer, etc. I simply only wish to offer an abbreviated version of what works in our family at this time.

 What do you do?

Show & Tell from the Altar

A Very Popular Activity
Using the handout below, consider introducing your young people to many of the items from the altar that they rarely get to see. Start with pictures if you'd like and ask your local priest to invite the kids for a close-up encounter! Can they find those items on the page? He can remove them and bring them to the Solea, or kids can stand at the royal doors and point to objects they'd like to see.

Here are a few items to identify and DISCUSS! (If you need more on the meaning of an item, its location in Scripture, or its name in Greek, please e-mail me as I have a great reference book of these things!)

The Altar itself as Paradise and the Holy of Holies
Tabernacle
Antimension cloth to serve Liturgy on
Identify the Place of oblation Prothesis
Lance - Knife, double-edged spear which the soldier pierced Christ with on the cross
Star - placed over the Disk, as star which stood over Bethlehem at birth of Christ
Paten or Disk manger for Christ
Spoon - as the Angel used tongs to take the live coal to touch Isaiah's lips to take away his sins
Sponge - to dry chalice, but also as it was filled with vinegar for Christ on the Cross
Zeon - vessel for boiling water, as water and blood came from Christ's side, also our warm faith/zeal
Blessing Cross - always with right hand like Christ
Fans of Seraphim & Cherubim Angels surrounding God's throne

Any relics in reliquary?
Hand Censer -often without bells
Full Censer - Used by Aaron in the temple (1 Chronicles 23:13) Today with 12 bells for Apostles
Incense (smell!) Often handmade, for our prayers to rise to heaven
Holy Altar Table Made of stone (see 1 Cor 10:4), wrapped in clean white cloth as Christ was, and contains relics of Martyrs inside. Is also Golgatha where Christ sacrificed Himself, and His tomb)
Gospel (Find the 4 Evangelists) Christ, the Word, whom came into the world
Bishop's Throne
Bishop's Crown

Iconostasis – the curtain which divided the Tabernacle of the Old Testament into two parts, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. Remember it was torn in two at the Crucifixion of Christ?

Vigil Lamp with oil- The oil symbolizes the peace and mercy of God. The lamps in front of Saints show how they became the “light of the world”

Priests Vestments - another activity with so much meaning! The cuffs, the stole, the girdle!

Have fun - and ask a small quiz all together to see who can remember the names of the items!

Click Here for the Altar Game Handout

Church Craft with Icons

What to do with icon catalogs and paper icons? Here's a quick craft to decorate with your Orthodox kids and religious education classes while offering a small lesson. Print out the black and white drawing of the iconostasis or icon screen,  and glue icons to match your local parish. Look and discuss where special icons are. Help each child to properly place them in order, Christ always being to the right of the royal doors, and the Mother of God with Christ to the left.

Your parish may even have the Annunciation scene depicted on the royal doors, or the Mystical Supper above. St John the Baptist has a fixed position next to Christ. The Patron Saint of the Church is next to the Mother of God.

This can also be an opportunity to discuss how for us Orthodox Christians, the altar is Paradise, the holy of holies, where the greatest miracle on Earth happens - our offering of bread and wine becomes the Holy Body and Blood of Christ our God. It is our tabernacle with manna, our food from heaven, along with the word of God, the Holy Gospel. Archangel Michael stands guard at the left door, as he was positioned after the fall with his sword to protect Paradise - Here, the priest always exits the Altar, making his procession, and at times, entering back into Paradise (the Altar) through the door on the right, which bears the Archangel Gabriel who re-opens Paradise to all repentant believers through the Annunciation.

These are just a few talking points, as you may elaborate and decorate your iconostasis differently according to the age you are working with. Hope this small project  inspires you!

Sunday Gospels for Children

Here's a very nice resource to add to your weekly preparation
for the Divine Liturgy. At this link, you will find illustrated handouts for each Sunday's Gospel offered at five levels with discussion questions. The schedule is according to the Antiochian Orthodox so confirm it with your jurisdiction. For the icon coloring pages alone, it's beneficial! Just be sure to treat these as holy images, and never throw icons away in the garbage!

Thine Own of Thine Own

Saint Vladimir's Press and Jane G. Meyer were generous enough to send me a copy of their recent book, "The Woman and the Wheat" so that I may share my thoughts on this blog. In some ways, I feel very unqualified to do so, not having a literary background. Therefore, I can only speak as a mother who happens to have studied Theology in order to better teach my own children, if God so wills.

"In the “Woman and the Wheat”, Jane G. Meyer introduces to adults and children the phrase from the Divine Liturgy “Thine Own of Thine Own we offer unto Thee.” With poetic rhythm and soothing illustrations, the book preserves the ancient art of baking prosforo as a joy-filled offering to God to be consecrated and received back again in the Holy Eucharist. It captures the cycle of God’s blessings, through hard work and prayer for one’s self and one’s neighbor, encouraging all of us to a fuller experience of the liturgical life."

Because the book touches on very important elements of Orthodox theology, I would strongly suggest following up on certain points with your children and families. For us, it was a bit unclear how many loaves in fact the woman was offering. This led into a fruitful discussion about the differences between Prosforo, Artoclasia, Andithoro, and normal dinner table bread.

Jane also chose to use the word "myrrh" however she is referring to the moment when the priest censes the Holy Gifts with incense during the Proskimidi. This point of clarification can lead to a more detailed lesson about the Proskimidi itself. For example, the "Lamb" and Wine remain separate, even as they become the Holy Body and Blood of our Lord at the time of the Consecration until the priest receives the Eucharist himself, and unites the two for us to receive from the chalice by the spoon. Stay tuned, I find this an important topic to write about in a future post!

In closing, I would like to commend Jane and St Vladimir's for taking on such a challenging topic in a children's book. Nothing Orthodox ever  seems easy or simple, but it is certain to enrich our lives.

A Miracle

Have you ever said to yourself, where are the miracles of today? Or wouldn't it be something if we were able to witness a miracle in today's day and age? What was it like to be in the presence of our Lord during His Transfiguration (which we celebrate today) or at His first miracle at the Wedding in Cana? Without a doubt, that water became wine to all who witnessed His first public miracle, and to all who called themselves followers of Christ.

Then it happened. This morning, as we knelt for the consecration of the Holy Gifts. We too witnessed a miracle. In fact, the greatest of all miracles. The same One who was capable of transforming water into wine, displayed His glory again and continues to do so for us in every Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox Church. He accepts the bread and wine from our hands, and offers us Himself in return. How? By miracle.

Just as the disciples, we too become eyewitnesses of His majesty (Peter 1:10-19)

Therefore, if you believe in the God who transformed the water into wine, and you have faith that He transforms the bread and wine into His body and blood, then do not hesitate to believe that He too can transform your sinful flesh into His glory.

"We shall walk, O Lord, in the light of the glory of Thy countenance: and in Thy name shall we rejoice all the day" (Psalm 88:16-17)

Receiving the Eucharist

Whoso Eatheth My Flesh and Drinketh My Blood Hath Eternal Life

(quoted from pages 29-35 of Elder Ephraim's text linked below)

"So much has been said about this "controversial point" of the Holy Eucharist that the faithful wonder what they should do in the long run. Two questions mainly arise: a) how often and b) after what preparation may and should the faithful receive the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist?

The answer has been given by the Church, which has been guided, is guided, and shall be guided by the Holy Spirit "to the whole truth"...(read more here)

"...Fasting means continual temperance. In other words, we should not only fast on the set days of the year when we want to receive Communion and then eat so much for the rest of the year so as to replace in the shortest possible period what we had been deprived of on the days of our preparation for the Holy Communion...."

"...It is through this Sacrament that we define our relationship with Christ. According to the way we prepare ourselves and according to the frequency in coming to Communion, we are classified as ardent, or lukewarm, or cold in our love towards Him. Regular Communion means continual repentance..."

"If we come to our confessor with as much confidence as we go to our doctor we are quite certain that through him God shall make the most suitable suggestions for the solution of our problems..."

"In accordance with the preparations you make, you shall be given the grace of the Communion...receive regularly and do so as worthily as possible...'But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup.'

From the Holy Mountain

Here's an excellent SHORT book in PDF format by Geronda Ephraim from 1991 - absolutely worth reading over and over again- (I had never seen it before it person )

If you don't have time for it all... scroll to the sections of interest to you personally!

Call from the Holy Mountain