Attending the Divine Liturgy this Sunday, can someone help? :)

[Domnall]

Hi everyone! I’ll be attending the Divine Liturgy and I’m super excited, though I have a few questions.

I know there is a link floating around that explains to visitors how the Byzantine liturgy works. Anyone have any idea what I’m talking about, and if so can they link it to me please?

Also, the liturgy will be in Arabic. So, can someone teach me the pronunciation of the major responses (at least, Lord Have Mercy) in Arabic. That’d be awesome

Thanks and God bless!

 

[malphono]

Also, the liturgy will be in Arabic. So, can someone teach me the pronunciation of the major responses (at least, Lord Have Mercy) in Arabic. That’d be awesome

It may be done in Greek which, of course, is Kyrie Eléison. In Arabic, it is: ya rab irham (where the “h” is very “throaty” … as soon as you hear it, you’ll understand what I mean).

The word “amen” is pronounced “ameen” where the “a” is short.

 

[Vico]

Hi everyone! I’ll be attending the Divine Liturgy and I’m super excited, though I have a few questions.

I know there is a link floating around that explains to visitors how the Byzantine liturgy works. Anyone have any idea what I’m talking about, and if so can they link it to me please?

Also, the liturgy will be in Arabic. So, can someone teach me the pronunciation of the major responses (at least, Lord Have Mercy) in Arabic. That’d be awesome

Thanks and God bless!

I am asumming (since you said Byzantine) that it will be Melkite. Here is an English version of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom as used by some Melkites.

melkite.org/PDF/LITURGY2009.pdf

 

[Domnall]

I am asumming (since you said Byzantine) that it will be Melkite. Here is an English version of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom as used by some Melkites.

melkite.org/PDF/LITURGY2009.pdf

The Eparchy’s cathedral is about a half hour from me, so I’m going there for the liturgy.

Thanks for this link!

 

[5Loaves]

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I know there is a link floating around that explains to visitors how the Byzantine liturgy works. Anyone have any idea what I’m talking about, and if so can they link it to me please?

You might be thinking of the website of St. Elias in Brampton, ON which has a lot of very good information. Also 12 Things I Wish I’d Known- First Visit to an Orthodox Church is often cited.

The St. Elias section on the Liturgy and also those on orthodoxwiki and wikipedia can give you some idea of the structure of the liturgy.

Also, the liturgy will be in Arabic. !

Since you’re going to a Melkite parish some things will be different from the descriptions Frederica and St. Elias give. I do believe in the Melkite tradition, at least in my experience, the priest will instinct a somewhat larger piece of the consecrated bread with his hand and then use his fingers to place this Eucharist in your mouth. Frederica and St. Elias are from traditions which have the smaller pieces of the Precious Body soaked in Precious Blood the priest places into our mouths via a small golden spoon. Those two sources also refer to parishes without pews. Melkites I’m familiar with in the No America least seem to use pews.

If you can connect with their deacon before going he might be able to meet you before the Liturgy and possibly have a bilingual copy of the Liturgy you could use. Personally I’m not a fan of using service books, but since you are not familiar with the Liturgy and it won’t be in English perhaps a service book would be beneficial. I prefer watching and listening to having my nose in a book, even when the Liturgy is in a language I don’t know.

Afterward in the social time they probably will have some sort of meal or something more than just coffee since we usually have fasted overnight and are hungry by the end of Liturgy. Hopefully you can stay for that.

Next Th., Jan 6, is one of the 12 Great Feasts, Theophany, the Baptism of our Lord in the Jordan, the manifestation of the Son of God. If you are able to attend the services that day do go!

 

[Domnall]

Afterward in the social time they probably will have some sort of meal or something more than just coffee since we usually have fasted overnight and are hungry by the end of Liturgy. Hopefully you can stay for that.

Should I fast from Midnight-on myself or should I follow the western fasting obligations?

 

[Hesychios]

Should I fast from Midnight-on myself or should I follow the western fasting obligations?

As I recall, you may consider yourself prepared if you meet the requirements of your own particular church.

You always have the personal option to exceed the minmum, even to use the ‘traditional eastern standard’ but your right to receive does not depend upon that.

 

[5Loaves]

Should I fast from Midnight-on myself or should I follow the western fasting obligations?
Hesychios;7404260:

As I recall, you may consider yourself prepared if you meet the requirements of your own particular church.

You always have the personal option to exceed the minmum, even to use the ‘traditional eastern standard’ but your right to receive does not depend upon that.

I think this is correct as far as canon law is concerned and Vico can probably supply the canon for us.

And as Hesychios says, you are free to practice the traditional fast, broken by Holy Eucharist… Fasting is a time of preparation and anticipation for our own benefit. “Obligation” is part of the juridical Western approach which is different from the Eastern approach.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Isn’t the fasting rule also one hour? Or does it vary from EC to EC?

I mean, I attend an 8:30am Divine Liturgy and never have breakfast before hand. I wake up with enough time to shower, get dressed, and drive to parish.

 

[Aramis]

Isn’t the fasting rule also one hour? Or does it vary from EC to EC?

I mean, I attend an 8:30am Divine Liturgy and never have breakfast before hand. I wake up with enough time to shower, get dressed, and drive to parish.

It varies widely by church sui iuris, and occasionally by eparchy.

Traditional Byzantine is either from vespers to liturgy, or from midnight to liturgy.

 

[5Loaves]

Isn’t the fasting rule also one hour? Or does it vary from EC to EC?

It varies widely

by church sui iuris, and occasionally by eparchy.

Traditional Byzantine is either from vespers to liturgy, or from midnight to liturgy.

Apart from variation by Church* sui iuris*, economia etc. are there Churches where the normal practice is as short as an hour? I admit ignorance. The shortest I’ve been exposed to is refraining from noon until evening DL for evening Liturgy.

 

[Tradycja]

I would search around on youtube. There is a lot of video footage of Divine Liturgies there.

 

[Vico]

I think this is correct as far as canon law is concerned and Vico can probably supply the canon for us.

And as Hesychios says, you are free to practice the traditional fast, broken by Holy Eucharist… Fasting is a time of preparation and anticipation for our own benefit. “Obligation” is part of the juridical Western approach which is different from the Eastern approach.

Here is a “canon” for fasting before communion: through fasting and prayer, He reveals Himself to us as our true food and drink.

Kalistos Ware, from Orthodox Church (topic: The Eucharist):
Orthodoxy insists on a strict fast before communion, and nothing can be eaten or drunk after waking in the morning (‘You know that those’ who invite the Emperor to their house, first clean their home. So you, if you want to bring God into your bodily home for the illumination of your life, must first sanctify your body by fasting’ (from the Hundred Chapters of Gennadius). In cases of sickness or genuine necessity, a confessor can grant dispensations from this communion fast).
Also, from St. John Chrysostom - Five Paths of Repentance:

• A first path of repentance is the condemnation of your own sins: Be the first to admit your sins and you will be justified.
• Another and no less valuable one is to put out of our minds the harm done us by our enemies, in order to master our anger, and to forgive our fellow servants’ sins against us.
• Do you want to know of a third path? It consists of prayer that is fervent, careful and comes from the heart.
• If you want to hear of a fourth, I will mention almsgiving…
• If, moreover, a man lives a modest, humble life, that, no less than the other things I have mentioned, takes sin away.
• Thus I have shown you five paths of repentance; condemnation of your own sins, forgiveness of our neighbor’s sins against us, prayer, almsgiving and humility. Do not be idle, then, but walk daily in all these paths; they are easy, and you cannot plead your poverty.

 

[Aramis]

Apart from variation by Church* sui iuris*, economia etc. are there Churches where the normal practice is as short as an hour? I admit ignorance. The shortest I’ve been exposed to is refraining from noon until evening DL for evening Liturgy.

Ruthenians in the US Metropolia are obligated to a 1-hour pre-DL water-permitted fast. longer is encouraged.

 

[ciero]

Hi everyone! I’ll be attending the Divine Liturgy and I’m super excited, though I have a few questions.

I know there is a link floating around that explains to visitors how the Byzantine liturgy works. Anyone have any idea what I’m talking about, and if so can they link it to me please?

Also, the liturgy will be in Arabic. So, can someone teach me the pronunciation of the major responses (at least, Lord Have Mercy) in Arabic. That’d be awesome

Thanks and God bless!

Are you sure the Liturgy will be in Arabic? Is it a special occasion? I have been to the Melkite cathedral at least 25 times over the years and have been amazed that there has NEVER been a word of Arabic during the Liturgy. Such a difference then what I’m used to at most Melkite parishes.

 

[malphono]

Are you sure the Liturgy will be in Arabic? Is it a special occasion? I have been to the Melkite cathedral at least 25 times over the years and have been amazed that there has NEVER been a word of Arabic during the Liturgy. Such a difference then what I’m used to at most Melkite parishes.

The Melkites actually do use some Arabic (and even – G-d forbid – some Greek) but the when and how much depends on the parish, the priest, and the occasion.

 

[5Loaves]

The Melkites actually do use some Arabic (and even – G-d forbid – some Greek) but the when and how much depends on the parish, the priest, and the occasion.

We get some Arabic in our (Russian Parish ) Liturgy and festal greetings because of our Melkite connection. I like when Father uses it.

 

[ciero]

The Melkites actually do use some Arabic (and even – G-d forbid – some Greek) but the when and how much depends on the parish, the priest, and the occasion.

Yeah I know, most Melkite parishes use a good amount of Arabic and Greek, but I have never heard a word of either at the cathedral. I found this quite interesting.

 

[Domnall]

Yeah I know, most Melkite parishes use a good amount of Arabic and Greek, but I have never heard a word of either at the cathedral. I found this quite interesting.

Well then, I was under the impression from the cathedral’s website that the liturgy would be in Arabic. if, in fact, it’s in English I’ll at least be able to follow along better