Eastern Rite Catholics and Adoration

[rdiienno]

After having the privilege of attending a Melkite rite Mass, I got to wondering if they have any way of preserving the hosts as us in the Latin Rite. For example, one of my favorite devotions is spending a holy hour in front of our Lord exposed in the monstrance. Is this possible in the Eastern rite churches with the difference in the bread prior to consecration? Long story short, do Eastern rite churches use monstances? Tabernacles?

 

[Hesychios]

I will give you a brief and somewhat unfair answer.

No.

I am not capable of going into this more fully but I will say that in the East the Eucharist is thought of in more dynamic terms.

In other words the Eucharist is intended to be eaten, the actual act of eating is essential to the concept. There is some Eucharist reserved in the tabernacle for emergency use. The greater portion is not reserved for subsequent liturgies (as azymite hosts will be) but will be routinely gobbled up at the conclusion of the liturgy by a priest or deacon. There are no monstrances that I know of.

So I suppose that it is possible to have Eucharistic adoration, but the concept never caught on in a big way.

I will say that we all know that the tabernacle has the Eucharist in it when the red candle lamp is lit, we do come to pray at any hour of the day, standing before the iconostasis, lighting candles and bowing our heads.

But we would do that anyway, the altar is a Holy place, it is God’s place, the Holy of Holies.

 

[Edwin1961]

There is a LOT of symbolism in the Eastern Catholic Chiurches. Just entering into the “Lord’s House/Temple” is significant enough to know that this is not just ‘another place’. (this idea is borrowed from the Jewish traditon of the OT, AND that of the early Church).
WIth all of the Icons, lingering smell of incense, candles, let’s us know that Christ is here.
I have been to Eucharist Adoration in the Roman Rite and I recognize the power of that, BUT it is still BETTER to have Christ HIMSELF come into you through the Bread and the Wine!
(Just this past Tuesday, I had a chance to go with my aunt to Eucharist Adoration, BUT chose to go to my Church to recieve Christ FULLY)

Go with God!
Edwin

 

[a_pilgrim]

Perhaps some of my more learned brothers and sisters can help me out here, but I seem to recall this…

In 1596, many Eastern Orthodox were reunited with the Catholic Church by virtue of the terms of the Union of Brest. This document spelled out, in very specific language, the terms of the reunion as well as the guarantees that the Easterners would be forever granted under their union with Rome. One of the terms, as I recall, specifically stated that the Eastern Catholic Church would not be required to participate in Western celebrations such as the Feast of Corpus Christi, including processions and such that may involve the public display of the Eucharist.

Rome has formally acknowledged, by virtue of this Union, that this practice does not fit with Eastern Catholic theology.

a pilgrim

 

[diaconate]

Pilgrim,Edwin, and Hesychios are correct that there is no adoration in the Eastern Catholic church. Unfortunetly at one time there was. When the Eastern church came to country we were Latinized. I did see a monstrance that was made to hold the square host that we use. That monstrance is now in a museam. We do have a benediction so to say. After communion at every Divine Liturgy the priest blesses the congregation with the chalice before it is abluted(consumed). We do have other liturgies that are not well known of in the west like Moleben to Christ or Mary, or Achasist to Jesus or Mary.

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!

 

[DrCat]

diaconate:

We do have other liturgies that are not well known of in the west like Moleben to Christ or Mary, or Achasist to Jesus or Mary.

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!

Interesting topic. Diaconate, would you be willing to describe or explain what these are? I know little about Eastern Catholicism, but am interested in learning. Unfortunately, I know of no Eastern Rite Catholic churches in my vicinity (although there must be some someplace on the Island). I hope to attend one some day.

John

 

[akemner]

To get back more specifically to rdiienno’s questions:

Yes, we do reserve some our Lord’s Body and Blood, and we do have tabernacles. The way the Eucharist is reserved is that a cube is taken (the Lamb-the part that when looking at the loaf has a cross and in each quadrant made by the Cross are IC XC NI KA ). Then a little bit of the Blood is poured onto the top. This is then put into a special box for several to dry (this is important, or else the Eucharist will get moldy). This is then put into a box like the one it is dried in, but smaller, then placed in the tabernacle. This procedure happens at least once a year, on Holy Thursday, and also through out the year as needed (this is reserved for the sick).

Most tabernacles look like miniature Greek churches, and they set on the Holy Table. This is the form they are most commonly found in, but the traditional form is that of a dove suspended from the ceiling over the Holy Table ( greekisgreek.net/StLukes/nat6.jpg this is the tabernalce in my home parish)

Further-i have seen a service among Ruthenian recension Churches that resembles Benediction-though it is not this service exactly. It is called “Benediction” in English, but the Slavonic term translations literally as “Supplication”, at the end of which there is a blessing with the Eucharist as at Divine Liturgy-ie, no monstrance, the Eucharist is in a Chalice or on a Diskos ( a paten with a base) and is covered. One will these days only encounter this very rarely, mostly in Ukrainian churches.

The Temple is a special place to pray, a place where God is always present, physically, in his Body and Blood, as well as in his Word (even though the Divine Gifts may not be reserved, there is ALWAYS a Gospel Book on the Holy Table, well, almost always, the exception being at the procalmation of the Gospel). Each Temple is a meeting point between the Divine and mankind, Heaven and Earth, so it is always appropriate to keep watch with our Lord at any time, and to pray with and to Him, along with the saints. All one must do is go, be silent and know God is with us.

Adam

 

[akemner]

Dear DrCat,

If you will humour me, i will try to explain what these services are.
A Moleben (Paraklesis in Greek) is a service to our Lord or Lady or a saint, asking for intercession (the name means “Supplication” and not like the “Supplication” I mentioned above-that is called “Supplikacio”). The Moleben *par excellence *is called the Paraklis (Paraklesis in Greek). It comes in two forms, the Great and Small, and is to the Mother of God. Liturgically it appears the first two weeks in August, when historically it was celebrated in the Great Church (Hagia Sophia in Constantinople) asking for intervention during these hottest days of the year when disease and other nasties plagued the people (there is a fasting season at this time as well). This makes for a wonderful preparation for the celebration of the Dormition of the Theotokos, the last Great Feast of the liturgical year. There are other molebens, most popular are to our Sweetest Lord Jesus, as well as to one’s patron saint and Guardian Angel (there are two of these). The general format of Molebens follows that of the Byzantine office of Orthros (Matins, though this is not exactly correct, as our Matins is a part of Orthros).

Another very important Hymn is the Akathistos (Slavonic and English: Akathist, accent on the second syllable). This means “No Sitting” and is a variation of another hymn, called a Kontakion, of which i will only say that it is a sung sermon. The Akathist par excellence is the Akathist for the Annunciation-composed by St Romanos the Melodist in the 520s. This hymn was very popular both in the Greek and Latin realms (in fact, the oldest manuscript of it is in Latin, dating from the late sixth cent). Eventually it gave rise to the Litany form in the West, but in the East, other Akathists were written following the originals form. Liturgically it appears at Orthros of 25 March, as well as Orthros of Saturday of the Fifth Week of the Great Fast (Lent). In Greek practice, it is divided into four parts, and each part is sung during Compline on the first four Friday nights during the Great Fast, and the whole hymn is sung on the Fifth at the same time (or Orthros is said in anticipation). The hymn is an extended meditation on the Incarnation of Christ (the whole shebang, not just the part dealing with the Annunciation), and has two refrains: “Alleluia” and “Rejoice, O unwedded Bride.”

I think i will stop here.

In Christ,
Adam

 

[Khoria_Anna]

Adam: great summary! FYI: the text of the Annunciation akathist is here : cin.org/akathis.html Anna

 

[Paul_Francis]

a pilgrim:

Rome has formally acknowledged, by virtue of this Union, that this practice does not fit with Eastern Catholic theology.

a pilgrim

If I recall correctly from what I have learned of our Sister Churches, in the East there was no need for Eucharist Adoration. This was because the East did not have the heresy that developed the need in the West for Adoration.

Eucharist Adoration is a tradition of the West, just as there are traditions of the East that are not of the West.

 

[DrCat]

akemner:

If you will humour me, i will try to explain what these services are.
Adam

Adam, Thank you for taking the time to explain this to me. It is quite enlightening. I will do an Internet search on the terms to see what else I can learn. (as well as to see if their is an Eastern Rite anyplace here on the Island.
Khoria Anna:

Adam: great summary! FYI: the text of the Annunciation akathist is here : cin.org/akathis.html
Anna

Anna, Thank you for the site. Quite interesting and helpful.

John