Meaning of the Signing of the Chalice?

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***I have been participating at a Maronite parish Devine Liturgy, for the past 6 months; I am becoming very comfortable there and love the liturgy. Holy week begins in a few hours and I am really looking forward to it. I have looked on line for info on the Amphora for the Signing of the Chalice, on Great Friday, but I can not find anything to explain what “Signing of the Chalice” means.

Can anyone help? Please go into as much detail as you want.

Thanks,

Danny***
 
DJJG said:
I have been participating at a Maronite parish Devine Liturgy, for the past 6 months; I am becoming very comfortable there and love the liturgy. Holy week begins in a few hours and I am really looking forward to it. I have looked on line for info on the Amphora for the Signing of the Chalice, on Great Friday, but I can not find anything to explain what “Signing of the Chalice” means.

Can anyone help? Please go into as much detail as you want.

Thanks,

Danny
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***History

***Synagogue morning services taken for the Church became these: 1 - Sunday morning pre-Eucharist
2 - Daily Hours
3 - Proanaphora of the Liturgy
4 - “Signing of the Chalice” and “Liturgy of the Presanctified”
Signing

During Anaphora (consecration) the gifts are signed that they may become the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. For example, in the **Divine Liturgy of St. James **there are two signings, done in two instances. In each instance one for the Body and one for the Chalice: The celebrant takes the host from the paten with his right hand. He puts it on the palm of his left hand, and raising his eyes upward, says aloud:
When He, the sinless One, was prepared to accept the voluntary death for us sinners, He took bread into His holy hands and when He had given thanks, He blessed + + and sanctified + and broke and gave to His holy disciples, and said: Take, eat of it. This is My Body which for you and for many is broken and given for the remission of sins and for eternal life.
People: Amen.
Code: 
    *The celebrant takes the chalice with both hands,          then he holds it with his left hand and makes over it the sign of the          Cross three times. Then he puts the second finger of his right hand on          its edge and tilts it crosswise, saying*:         Likewise, He took the Cup and when He had given thanks, He blessed           + + and sanctified + and gave it to          His holy disciples, and said: Take, drink of it, all of you. This is My          Blood which for you and for many is shed and given for the remission of          sins and for eternal life.
People: Amen.
​
… The celebrant stretches out his left hand and waves his right hand over the Body and says aloud:
So that, by His indwelling, He (the Holy Spirit) may make this bread the life-giving Body +, the Redeeming Body + and the Body + of Christ our God.
People: Amen.
Code: 
    *The celebrant, likewise, waves his right hand          over the chalice and says aloud*: And may He (the Holy Spirit) perfect this cup into the Blood +          of the New Covenant, the Redeeming Blood +          and the Blood + of Christ our God.
People: Amen.

​
Good Friday

For Maronites, the reserved Eucharist (species of bread) is given on Good Friday, but the Chalice (species of wine) is not reserved. Hence the reserved Eucharist is used and not consecrated, but the signing of the Chalice remains in the anaphora for that day.
 
DJJG said:
I have been participating at a Maronite parish Devine Liturgy, for the past 6 months; I am becoming very comfortable there and love the liturgy. Holy week begins in a few hours and I am really looking forward to it. I have looked on line for info on the Amphora for the Signing of the Chalice, on Great Friday, but I can not find anything to explain what “Signing of the Chalice” means.

Can anyone help? Please go into as much detail as you want.

Thanks,

Danny
Click to expand...
It’s actually called an “Anaphora” not an “amphora” which is a type of vase or jar.

In any case, similar questions have come up in this sub-forum before. For a start, have a look at [thread=843669]this thread[/thread] and [thread=664832]this one[/thread] too. They might be of some help. 🙂
 
Aspects of Maronite History (Part Eight) - The 18th Century

By Chorbishop Seely Beggiani

Liturgical Developments

The publication of a second edition of the Maronite Missal in Rome in 1716 had some impact on Maronite liturgical practice. While it contained a number of ancient Anaphoras (Eucharistic prayers), the “words of institution” remained those of the Roman rite. Nor did the Missal restore the epiclesis (invocation of the Holy Spirit) to its original form. An innovation in this Missal was an anaphora from the canon of the Roman Missal. In subsequent editions of the Missal, this Anaphora had the first position.

The Missal also changed the place of the ablutions in the Liturgy [cleaning of the chalice and of the paten] from after the final blessing to before the prayers of thanksgiving, which represents imitation of the western practice. Another feature of this Missal was the inclusion of a Liturgy of the Signing of the Chalice to be celebrated once a year on Good Friday. A Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified had originally been celebrated throughout all of Lent, but had been abandoned for a long time. In fact, the Liturgy of the Signing of the Chalice was not the ancient Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified but an adaption of the ancient Anaphora of Sharrar (emphasis added).
 
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