Moment of transubstantiaton

[Vico]

Whatever words that are used to describe the real presence of Jesus, the priest raises the consecrated host for his presence to be acknowledged and adored. If Jesus isn’t present, then we are worshipping a piece of bread only. The same holds at the elevation of the chalice. This is true for the Roman rite. I’m not familiar with the Eastern rites.

Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom –

This occurs after the words of institution (and no elevation has been made yet) … a *profound bow *is made in the Byzantine Tradition rather than genuflection, which occurs after the words of institution (one for each) and later after the epiklesis:

CELEBRANT: Remembering, therefore, this saving command and all that has come to pass in our behalf: the cross, the tomb, the resurrection on the third day, the ascension into heaven, the sitting at the right hand, and the second coming in glory: The deacon, taking the diskos in his right hand and the chalice in his left hand and keeping his forearms crossed in the sign of the cross, elevates the gifts making with them the sign of the cross horizontally over the holy table while the celebrant intones:
CELEBRANT: Offering you, your own, from your own. Always and everywhere.
The deacon replaces the gifts and bows reverently with the celebrant and concelebrants, and all present pray:
We praise you, we bless you, we thank you, O Lord, and we pray to you, our God. The celebrant prays aloud:
CELEBRANT: Moreover, we offer to you this spiritual and unbloody sacrifice; and we implore, pray, and entreat you: send down your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts lying before us. The celebrant, concelebrants, and deacon bow three times.
The deacon then bows his head and, pointing with his orarion to the holy bread, says quietly:
DEACON: Reverend Father, bless the holy bread. The celebrant makes the sign of the cross over the bread praying aloud:
CELEBRANT: + And make this bread the precious body of your Christ. DEACON: Amen. The deacon then points with his orarion to the chalice and says:
DEACON: Reverend Father, bless the holy chalice. The celebrant makes the sign of the cross over the chalice, praying aloud:
CELEBRANT: + And that which is in this chalice the precious blood of your Christ. DEACON: Amen. The deacon then points with his orarion to both gifts and says:
DEACON: Reverend Father, bless both. The celebrant makes the sign of the cross over both the bread and chalice, praying aloud:
CELEBRANT: + Changing them by your Holy Spirit.
DEACON: Amen, amen, amen.
CELEBRANT: That for those who partake of them they may bring about a spirit of vigilance, the remission of sins, the communion of your Holy Spirit, the fullness of the heavenly kingdom, and confidence in you, not judgment or condemnation. *The celebrant, concelebrants, and deacon together make a *profound bow.

 

[fred_conty]

Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom –

This occurs after the words of institution (and no elevation has been made yet) … a *profound bow *is made in the Byzantine Tradition rather than genuflection, which occurs after the words of institution (one for each) and later after the epiklesis:

CELEBRANT: Remembering, therefore, this saving command and all that has come to pass in our behalf: the cross, the tomb, the resurrection on the third day, the ascension into heaven, the sitting at the right hand, and the second coming in glory: The deacon, taking the diskos in his right hand and the chalice in his left hand and keeping his forearms crossed in the sign of the cross, elevates the gifts making with them the sign of the cross horizontally over the holy table while the celebrant intones:
CELEBRANT: Offering you, your own, from your own. Always and everywhere.
The deacon replaces the gifts and bows reverently with the celebrant and concelebrants, and all present pray:
We praise you, we bless you, we thank you, O Lord, and we pray to you, our God. The celebrant prays aloud:
CELEBRANT: Moreover, we offer to you this spiritual and unbloody sacrifice; and we implore, pray, and entreat you: send down your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts lying before us. The celebrant, concelebrants, and deacon bow three times.
The deacon then bows his head and, pointing with his orarion to the holy bread, says quietly:
DEACON: Reverend Father, bless the holy bread. The celebrant makes the sign of the cross over the bread praying aloud:
CELEBRANT: + And make this bread the precious body of your Christ. DEACON: Amen. The deacon then points with his orarion to the chalice and says:
DEACON: Reverend Father, bless the holy chalice. The celebrant makes the sign of the cross over the chalice, praying aloud:
CELEBRANT: + And that which is in this chalice the precious blood of your Christ. DEACON: Amen. The deacon then points with his orarion to both gifts and says:
DEACON: Reverend Father, bless both. The celebrant makes the sign of the cross over both the bread and chalice, praying aloud:
CELEBRANT: + Changing them by your Holy Spirit.
DEACON: Amen, amen, amen.
CELEBRANT: That for those who partake of them they may bring about a spirit of vigilance, the remission of sins, the communion of your Holy Spirit, the fullness of the heavenly kingdom, and confidence in you, not judgment or condemnation. *The celebrant, concelebrants, and deacon together make a *profound bow.

The last sign of the cross (third) sounds like the epiclesis which is the point of certainty that the precious body and blood are present. And so all three signs of the cross is the time when the consecration is complete. ???

 

[Vico]

The last sign of the cross (third) sounds like the epiclesis which is the point of certainty that the precious body and blood are present. And so all three signs of the cross is the time when the consecration is complete. ???

The eastern Greek-Catholic churches came form the Eastern Orthodox tradition is that the transubstantiation is performed by the prayer of the whole Church through the whole Divine Liturgy, and is only completed by the invocation of the Holy Spirit in the epiklesis. Also the prayer calls to bring the Holy Spirit on the congregation, each of the faithful being the image (icon) of Christ. A priest once told me that the entire Anaphora (that is equivalent to the Eucharistic Prayer) must be completed and that there is, therefore, no emphasis upon the moment.

 

[RyanBlack]

The last sign of the cross (third) sounds like the epiclesis which is the point of certainty that the precious body and blood are present. And so all three signs of the cross is the time when the consecration is complete. ???

What you are identifying as the epiclesis is merely the end of the epiclesis. Look again at the Liturgy, just before the point where the deacon calls upon the priest to bless the bread, and you will see that the priest has already invoked the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the gifts. However, as Vico has pointed out, in the East, we tend not to focus on a particular moment. If I were pressed to do so, I would say the point immediately after the priest has prayed, “changing them by your Holy Spirit” is the point where we can definitely say that the gifts are no longer bread and wine, but the Body and Blood of our Lord.

 

[fred_conty]

Thank you both, Vico and RyanBlack, it is clearer now.

To me it doesn’t seem to be that much different than the Roman rite.
I’ve always wondered what the Epiclesis was and now I know.