About the Divine Liturgy

[ontheway1]

“The DIVINE LITURGY as practiced by the Orthodox & Eastern Catholics makes our ordinary Mass look like a Kansas tent-revival meeting rather than Christs/God’s wonderful gift to us!”

Found this post by Emil3 on a thread from 10 years ago. It will sound a little harsh to some ears, but is it not true? If you participate in the Eastern Liturgy, what is your opinion on this?

 

[Isaac14]

Although I’m Orthodox, my wife is Catholic, I’ve been to more than a few masses. I’d say I very much disagree with the sentiment quoted. Most all are reverent, though some are much more beautiful in terms of choice of music, church architecture, etc. while others were much more bland with lackluster music.

In no case, however, could the services ever be reasonably compared to a “Kansas tent-revival meeting”. Regardless of the subjective quality of the masses I’ve attended, it was plainly clear that the focus is the body and blood of a Christ given in the Eucharist.

There is certainly a world of difference between the liturgies of the East and West, but in my opinion they are significantly more similar than any comparison to the protestant world.

 

[CoffeeFanatic]

I’m Orthodox and I love the Divine Liturgy and am partial to it. I fell in love with it right away. (If I had ever visited an EF or AO mass first- I might be Catholic now instead- who knows?) I’ve been to a few masses. I was raised Pentecostal. Masses are nothing like a revival meeting, even the ones that used hymnals that had similar music back in the 80s.

One thing I’ve noticed is that we tend to sing and/or chant things in the Divine Liturgy that will just be spoken in the mass. If you get to the meat of what is being said and going on, you will see more similarities. Masses tend to be quieter and shorter due to this (though I’m certain there are probably exceptions around).

ETA: I’m not disparaging masses here at all. Liturgics developed slightly differently in the East and the West- even before the schism. Just because I have a preference for the DL doesn’t mean I dislike masses. I went straight to the most liturgical thing I could find and still be in the same religion after my particular upbringing as pentecostal, and Orthodoxy fit the bill.

 

[Dovekin]

When Vladimir, the pagan king of Russia, was seeking a religion, he sent men out to get information on religious practices. When they returned, they reported:

When we journeyed among the Bulgars, we beheld how they worship in their temple, called a mosque, while they stand ungirt. The Bulgar bows, sits down, looks hither and thither like one possessed, and there is no happiness among them, but instead only sorrow and a dreadful stench. Their religion is not good.
Then we went among the Germans, and saw them performing many ceremonies in their temples; but we beheld no glory there.
Then we went to Greece, and the Greeks led us to the edifices where they worship their God, and we knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth. For on earth there is no such splendor or such beauty, and we are at a loss how to describe it. \Ve only know that God dwells there among men, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of other nations. For we cannot forget that beauty.
The Russian Primary Chronicle

Vladimir chose the religion of he Greeks and started what would become the Russian Orthodox tradition. The beauty of their Divine Liturgy is a primary value for the Orthodox, cultivated in the light of this conversion story. Contrasting that imagery with other religions remains one way to express their faith.

 

[jimXroberts]

I have been to Divine Liturgy in the Belorussian Rite, in the Ukrainian Rite and in the Byzantine Rite in Sicily. I have also attended Liturgy in a Greek Orthodox Church and in a Coptic Orthodox Church. All are very moving and uplifting. However, I prefer Mass at my own parish church - mainly because it’s what I have grown up with and I have studied it in a lot of detail.

 

[HeDa]

A sung High Mass “with everything included” is a great joy to me. It doesn’t matter if it is in Latin or in the vernacular language. When the people sing their responses as well as the Creed and Our Father everyone prays together which is different than when some are “hurrying” the responses because their vernacular language is spoken faster than the vernacular language where they now live. It wouldn’t help with everything sung in Latin as a large part of the people are from the Eastern Churches and their liturgical languages are different.