THE HOLY OFFERING

INTRODUCTION

From the first century of the Christian era, the congregations of churches in the Middle-East have gathered together each Sunday to worship the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. This gathering together has always been around a table, an altar, upon which bread and wine were placed in obedience to the command of Jesus to His apostles, 'Do this, as often as you come together, in remembrance of me. II The service of worship which these congregations used followed a common form, and this form we call a 'liturgy', which is a Greek word meaning 'a work of the people'. This 'work' of worship, or liturgy, and its form are the subject of this booklet.

The liturgy which was (and is) commonly used among Aramaic-speaking people in the Middle-East is known as the Liturgy of the Holy Apostles Addai and Mari. Aramaic was the language spoken throughout the Middle-East in the time of our Lord, and Jesus Himself used this language in His everyday speech and in His teaching. His apostles and most of the earliest Christians spoke Aramaic, and their worship was in this language. Therefore, the Liturgy of the Holy Apostles is very dear to us, though we use an English translation of it.

As you go through this liturgy and consider its forms and meaning, you may be struck by its 'formal' approach to worship. You may find this anachronistic -- out of place -- in this modern world of free expression and individuality. But bear in mind that cpngregational worship was. considered by early Christians to represent a unified approach to God. It was never thought to be a get-together of individuals, each striving to express"himself or herself to make his or her own private connection with God. It was pre-eminently a work of the single 'body', the Church, and each of the limbs and organs was brought into tune, or co-ordinated with each of the others, so that with one mouth the one body could speak with one voice.

As you consider th{s worship, try to picture the congregation as a bride receiving her bride-groom. Put aside, at least for the moment, the modern forms of worship which remind you more of a harem, each of whose members is clamoring for the attention of the husband. If you can do this, you will underst:and better the traditional 'formalism' of worship. It strives to create unified and orderly expressions of the single mind of the Church, which is the bride.

Also bear in mind that the Holy Communion is first and foremost a 'sharing in the body and blood of Christ.' This sharing is for the purpose of making us 'truly one' , to fulfil our Lord's prayer for us before His passion, 'That they might be one, even as we are one.' We are striving to become one with Him and with one another. It is important, then, that in striving to become one, we do so in an orderly and cohesive manner.

This ancient liturgy which we will now discuss is a valuable link with the apostolic Church and its worship. Its language and form tell us a great deal of what the apostles considered to be 'proper' worship. We offer it to you in hope that you will gain a greater appreciation of participation 'in the body and blood of Christ.'

The Holy Offering

The service which most of us are familiar with as 'Holy Communion' is known in the Aramaic language as the Qaddisha Qurbana, or 'Holy Offering'. The structure of this service is called the Liturgy of the Holy Apostles Addai and Mari. Addai and Mari were two of the seventy disciples of Jesus who introduced this liturgy into the Church at Edessa, a city on the Roman border with the Parthian Empire. This liturgy was said to be the same as that used by the Church in Jerusalem, and therefore it is also known as the Liturgy of St. James, who was the first bishop of the Jerusalem Church. This service of worship was adopted by allother Aramaic-speaking churches in Syria and Mesopotamia, and is used in the Holy Apostolic and Catholic Church of the East to the present day.

As we consider this service of worship -- this 'Holy Offering' -- I think it isnecessary for us to ask first: What is an offering? And what does the 'Holy offering' consist of? And why do we continue to offer it? If this service of worship is to be something more than 'dead form' to us, we must understand what we are doing, how we are doing it, and why we perpetually re-do it.

a) What Is An Offering?

From time immemorial righteous men have sought after the presence of God and communion with Him. In the Middle-East, which is the cradle of Jewish and Chrisitian religion, men have sought out holy places and haveconstructed altars there as a witness between God and themselves. They have offered themselves to God there, on those altars, under the form of various gifts. In ancient times these gifts were usually bloody sacrifices, or gifts of grain, fruit, or wine. They were meant originally to appease God, to turn aside His anger, and to persuade Him to grant them favors.

As the knowledge of God grew, and the di vine revelation became more complete these altars, or witnesses between Go and men, became meeting places for them As men offered gifts, they began to perceive that God offered Himself back t them through the same gifts. Forgiveness reconciliation, and a sense of the divin presence were looked for in these sacrifices. Some of them became shared sacrifices, where men would offer some edible gift up to God, and then understood Him to offer Himself back to them throug their eating of the 'consecrated' offer ing. Thereby the idea of communion with God came to be closely associated with the idea of offering.

During the Mosaic age -- the age of the Old Testament -- God revealed to men that He desired them to offer gifts as a community. It was in this revelation that the office of priesthood came into being. One man, or in some cases a group of men, would offer up a sacrifice for the entire community, and the community would receive back from God the benefits sought in the offering. The life of the community was unified through this, and they began to see themselves as one people, one Church, partaking in one offering upon one altar in Jerusalem. This altar in the Temple was the community's witness between it and God, and God came to Israel through her offerings.

When our Lord Jesus Christ ascended the hill of Calvary and was impaled upon the cross, He became the supreme offering for all mankind as a large community. He was the priest -- that is, He offered Himself for the whole community of man. The cross was His witness, His altar. His body and blood became the substance of the gift, the offering itself. And after His resurrection -- that is, after the gift had received its consecration -- He offered Himself back to us. It was only then that His disciples understood His earlier words, 'Unless you eat my bodyand drink my blood, you have no life in you.' He was to become the substance of a shared offering. Reconciliation, forgiveness, and the divine presence were to be communicated to them, and to succeeding generations, through this offering.

The multiple offerings of the Old Testament had come to an end. The continual approach to God with the blood of bulls and goats was finished. The attempts at appeasing God and being reconciled to Him were over. The one offering of Christ upon the one altar of the cross through His own mediating priesthood had secured all the benefits which mankind had sought from God. It was only necessary for men to appropriate them by faith in Him and His work.

b) What Does The 'Holy Offering' Consist Of?

What, then, is the Holy Offering which the Church makes each Sunday? The Liturgyof the Holy Apostles Addai and Mari is an offering which is different in kind from the old sacrifices of the patriarchs, and we shall see what sort it is by looking closely at its order.

The liturgy is actually divided into two parts, both of which are called 'offerings' : The Offering of the Catechumens, and the Offering of the Faithful. The first part is designed especially for those who are not yet baptized and are therefore ineligible for communion. The second part is devoted to a memorial of the passion, death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and culminates in His communion of Himself to the faithful of the Church.

The Offering of the Catechumens is actually an offering of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving to God. The 'gifts' offered are verbal and spiritual. Those who are seeking God and the fellowship of Christ's Church, but who have not yet been initiated into the Church through the sacrament of baptism, are given the opportunity to offer up the praise and gratitude of a thankful heart, which is pleasing to God. The altar of this service is the 'Sh'khinta', or table of the cross which sits in front of the congregation. This stark cross is the witness between the worshippers and God. It is the table of the 'Presence' which was located outside the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem Temple -- that is, it is The Christian equivalent of it. It stands as a confirmation between the worshipper and the object of his worship.

The offering of the catachumens is, then, the offering of a pure heart in prayer, praise, and confession. The altar of witness is the table of the cross. But an offering is incomplete unless the divine presence is communicated in some way. This is done through the reading of Holy Scripture. Lessons from the Old Testament and the New Testament are read for the hearers, and the high point of this service is the reading of the Gospel in which the words and deeds of our Lord are 'communicated' to those in the congregation. Grace is given directly from God thereby, and He fulfils His part of the offering. A sermon is delivered which is designed to prepare the catachumens for entrance into the life of the Church.

The second part of the liturgy, the offering of the Faithful, is the main reason for the Church's coming together. In it, bread and wine are offered to God on the altar in the sanctuary. The faithful offer themselves through these gifts. And following the form which we have been discussing, Jesus Christ. offers Himself back to the faithful. The faithful receive through this offering of Christ all the benefits which He secured for . them on the cross: re~onc1liation with God, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life.

c) Why Do We continue To Offer It?

When our Lord took bread and wine at the last supper, and offered it up with thanksgivings, He said, 'This is my body... this is my blood... do this in remembrance of me. ' After His passion, death, burial, and resurrection, the meaning of these words became clear to His disciples. They continued the 'breaking of bread' in their assemblies as a regular feature of worship. They understood the ancient and hallowed meaning of offerings: that they were a means to participate in the divine life. They remembered our Lord's words, 'He that eateth my bo.dy and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him, and I will raise him up at the last day; and he cometh not into judgment , but hath passed from death to life eternal.'

But we have said that the liturgy is a different kind of offering, and this must be considered. The sacrifice which we make is a 'memorial' of the passion, death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord. It is a drama which re-creates the drama of our salvation. Nothing in the offering should properly draw attention to itself, but should speak to us of that one great sacrifice of Christ. The priest who mediates for the Church at the must compel us to look at Christ, for there is but 'one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus' , as the Scriptures say. The altar of witness must stand as a picture of the cross of His humiliation, the one effectual altar of sacrifice. The substances of bread and wine must become indeed the body and blood of Christ, for bread and wine can only sustain us, they cannot save us.

The Liturgy of the Holy Apostles then becomes for us a vehicle to take us to Christ. It is through Him that communion with God takes place. The drama of the I HolyOffering, and the work of worship which we perform in it, link us up with the one great offering, and we participate in that offering each time we participate in the holy communion. Like the ancients, we approach an altar where we expect to meet with the divine presence. We make an offering there, and He meets us there and gives us back Himself.

Our part is the offering of bread and wine on an altar of witness between ourselves and God, and to receive back and consume the consecrated elements. God's part is the offering of His Son, on the altar of the cross, and giving Him back to us in the form of divine life in the Sacraments. This He did, and this we do, as the means to reconciliation, forgiveness, and eternal life.

The Offering of the Catechumens

The Liturgy of the Holy Apostles begins with the Offering of the Catechumens, 'learners'. This first part of the liturgy is designed to serve people who have not yet been baptized, or who are out of communion with the Church for some reason. This part of the service is 'open', and anyone is eligible to participate in it.

The Offering of the Catechumens is made up of seven parts: the Introduction, the Introit Psalm, the Lakhumara, the Qaddisha Allaha, the Lections, the Karozutha, and the Dismissal. The first four parts can be conveniently grouped together as 'prayer and praise'. The fifth part may be termed 'instruction'. And the sixth part we may call 'petitions'. The seventh, the Dismissal, stands apart for reasons we will talk about later.

a) Prayer and Praise

The liturgy begins with 'Glory to God in the highest'. This announcement of the angels to the shepherds at the birth of our Lord was the first heavenly announcement of the Incarnation to the world. It is a heavenly praise, coming directly from the heavenly hosts through the Holy Scriptures to us.

All the opening prayers of the congregation are Scriptural. The 'Gloria in Excelsis' is followed by the Lord's prayer, which is interwoven with a 'Trisagion' or thrice-holy, prayer. The Lord's prayer is recorded for us by the Gospels as an example of Godly petition, and was given to us by Jesus Himself. The thriceholy prayer was heard by the prophet Isaiah in a vision as he saw the worship of the angels around the throne of God. So we are off on firm ground, following the forms which the Bible has taught us.

The second part of the prayers and praises is also Biblical. 'Marmyatha', or psalms, are sung from the book of Psalms compiled by King David and others for the liturgical worship of Israel. The Psalms is the song book of the Jews, and its use was continued in the Church from the beginning of Christianity. The Psalms are considered to be God-inspired, and therefore worthy of Godly worship. No other hymns can replace these Scriptural hymns for us, and the catechumens, or learners, are taught from the very beginning to worship God according to Scriptural models.

The third part of this section is the Lakhumara. This Aramaic word means 'Thee, Lord', and is the opening word of a confession of the lordship of Jesus Christ. 'Thee, Lord of all, we confess, and Thee, Jesus Christ, we glorify; for Thou art the quickener of our bodies and Thou art the savior of our souls. ' The learners are taught to confess Christ as the supreme creator and sustainer of life, and also as Lord and giver of eternal life. He is Lord of our life, and of our death, and of our resurrection. By this confession, attention is focused on Jesus, who must become the center of our worship and the hope of our salvation.

The liturgy began with Godly prayers interlaced with the angelic worship, 'Holy, holy, holy art Thou. ' This section ends with an expanded form of this Trisagion: 'Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy upon us.' This Qaddisha Allaha (Holy God) is used also in the Greek and African churches, and is also being re-introduced into the European churches. It is an ancient usage which is, again, based on a Biblical model.

It is conceded, then, by apostolic worship, that the Offering of the Catachumens must be centered in the Bible. Those who must worship God and learn of God at the same time can do both in the natural worship forms of the Holy Scriptures. The word of God is enthroned by the Church, and attention is drawn to the revelations He gave us. Those revelations are two-fold: the word, that is, the Holy Scriptures; and the Word made flesh, that is, our Lord Jesus Christ.

b) Instruction

In the opening chapter we described an offering as an attempt by men to participate in the divine life. We said that men bring gifts which they offer to God, and God in turn gives Himself back to men. The Offering of the Catechumens has been described as their offering of prayer and praise to God. We come now to the section which gives back the divine presence to them in the form of 'wisdom and enlightenment'.

The Lections, or readings from the Bible, are usually four in number. The first two are from the Old Testament: one from the Law, that is, the books of Moses; and one from the Prophet, that is, the rest of the Old Testament. Occasionally a reading from the Law will be dropped in favor of a reading from the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament.

The third Lection is a reading from the Apostle. This is always selected from one of the letters of St. Paul. This reading is tied in with the Law and the Prophet, and gives a Christian interpretation of them. It also ties in with the fourth reading, the Gospel, which is selected from one of the four evangelists, Ss. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The last-named reading -- that of the Gospel -- is the high point of the offering of the Catechumens. It corresponds to the 'Nithi Mar', or calling down of the Holy Spirit, in the Offering of the faithful. It is the most holy moment in this offering, and is treated with great awe and respect.

The priest approaches the altar respectfully, lifts up the Gospel, and utters an exclamation of praise to Christ. He then prays for the benefits of the Gospel: 'Lord, grant unto us Thy wisdom through the hearing of Thy Law, and enlighten our minds by Thy knowledge. May Thy truth purify our souls and give us the strength and will to be obedient unto Thee. May we respond quickly to Thy commands in all circumstances, O Lord of all, eternal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.'

The priest then brings the Gospel out to the temple where the people are assembled, even as Christ brought the good news to men from the sanctuary of heaven. He gives them the peace, and begins the reading. The perfect law of Christ is proclaimed for the hearers, that they might obtain from it wisdom and enlightenment. Grace is administered through the life-giving words, and God's offering of Himself is perfected for the learners.

A sermon may be delivered at this point to expand upon the truth of the Scriptures. The instruction of the learners is the point of this part of the Offering of the Catechumens, and its reference point is, again, the Holy Scriptures and Jesus Christ.

c) Petitions

A deacon now leads the congregation in a series of petitions called the Karozutha (Proclamation). This series of short prayers is common to all Christian worship, and is known in the West as a 'litany'. The Bible is once again our source and teacher in this matter. In St. Paul's first letter to St. Timothy, the bishop of Ephesus, he gives these instructions on liturgical prayer: 'First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered for all men; for sovereigns and all in high office, that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in full observance of religion and high standards of morality. Such prayer is right, and approved by God our Savior...'

The Karozutha is a series of prayers for civil officials, Church officials, crops, the weather, health, men, women, etc. It is a list of Godly petitions given in obedience to the command of the apostle' who assures us that this prayer is approved by God. In this, as before, the structure of our worship derives from divine revelation and apostolic practice.

d) The Dismissal

The Dismissal is an ancient form which is not generally observed today, though the form remains in most places in the East. After a final prayer by the priest for the catechumens, they are dismissed from the Church by a deacon. In ancient times those who were unbaptized or out of communion with the Church were not permitted to remain for the Offering of the Faithful. Today no one is literally asked to leave the temple, but all are permitted to remain, at least as observers, for the remainder of the Liturgy of the Holy Apostles.

It ought to be noted here that, though no one is literally dismissed at this point, those who have not been baptized and sealed (confirmed) must not later approach the altar to take the Sacrament. Laxity often leads to abuse of the Sacrament in large churches, and the offering is made mockery by many who live in flagrant sin, or who refuse to submit to the discipline of the Church. Great care must be exercised by all, that the Holy Sacrament is not profaned and pure worship sullied by laxness.

In summary, the Offering of the Catechumens is an offering of prayer and praise, a liturgy of worship built upon the pure model of Holy Scripture. God's offering of Himself is through the same Holy Scripture through the reading of the Law, Prophet, Apostle, and Gospel. The focus of this part of the liturgy is upon the Word of God made flesh, Jesus Christ, and upon the word of God revealed through Godly men who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. The table of the cross has been our altar of witness throughout this offering. It is a stark reminder to those who would learn, that God and man met and were reconciled through the self-offering of Christ upon that cross.

'As God in his wisdom ordained, the world failed to find him by its wisdom, and he chose to save those who have faith by the folly of the Gospel. Jews call for miracles, Greeks look for wisdom; but we proclaim Christ -- yes, Christ nailed to the cross...'
(I Corinthians 1:21-23a)

The Offering of the Faithful

It has been the practice of the Church from the beginning of its existence, to meet in assembly regularly for the 'breaking of bread' as our Lord commanded. This breaking of bread and communion of the faithful is the main reason for our coming together. The Offering of the Catechumens which has just been described to you has great importance, both for the unlearned and the faithful. In it we have the word of God proclaimed regularly. But the breaking of bread, and the communion in the body and blood of Christ, our sacrifice, is our main motive for assembly.

The Offering of the Faithful can be easily divided into four sections: the Presentation of the Gifts, the Hallowing of the Gifts, the Preparation for Communion, and the Communion. To put it another way, we come to God with our offering, He consecrates our offering by His Holy Spirit, we come to Him with our hearts, minds, and bodies, and He consecrates them by giving Himself -- that is Christ -- to us through the consecrated gifts.

The offering of bread and wine which we make is placed upon an altar of witness in the Holy Place set aside for that purpose. The priest mediates between the Church and Christ, who Himself, according to His promise, honors our offering by filling it with Himself by the power of the Holy Spirit. We respectfully prepare ourselves to receive the communicated presence of God, and God unfailingly gives Himself to men of faith.

In this offering there are two things happening: we are giving, and God is giving. These two things are the substance of all sacrifices from ancient Biblical times down to the present day. Our Lord said, 'Come unto me, all ye who travail', and 'Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.' Coming to Him with our poor gifts -- a simple offering of bread and wine, and a faulty, sin-laden offering of ourselves -- is our part in the redemptive and life-giving work of Sacramental worship. God's giving of Himself in all His fullness through the body and blood of Christ, 'In whom dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily', is His part in the same worship.

This ongoing work -- this 'coming', 'meeting', and 'communing' -- is what Christian men and women have done, and are doing, since the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His victory over sin and death. That victory we share in by sharing in the substance of His life. That substantial life is given to us when we give ourselves to Him.

We shall then describe the presentation of our gifts, the consecration of those gifts, the preparation and presentation of ourselves, and the reception of Christ and the fullness of God through the offering.

The Presentation of the Gifts

The Offering of the Faithful in the Liturgy of the Holy Apostles Addai and Mari begins with the priest ceremonially preparing himself to enter the Holy Place. The Holy Place is the sanctuary at the front of the church, and it is separated from the temple, or nave, by a wall with a door in its center. Beyond the wall is a raised space upon which the altar sits. This consecrated place is entered only to get the Gospel for reading during the Offering of the Catechumens. Otherwise, the entire worship of the learners is conducted from outside the Holy Place.

During the presentation of the gifts, the Holy Place becomes the dramatic location of Mount Calvary. Before this in the liturgy it represented the place where God dwells -- inaccessible and apart from men. This was the God of the Old Testament, whose presence was obscure and remote from men. He could not be looked upon, and no man could approach near to Him. He was aloof.

But during the Offering of the Catechumens a dramatic moment occurred. The priest went into the Holy Place and brought out the Gospel. This represented to the assembly what the Son of God did when He became flesh and dwelt among us. He brought God out from His obscure dwelling in Heaven. He brought Him near to us, to share with us our life in the world -- the Temple -- where we lived separated from God by the wall of our sins and wickedness. 'And we beheld His glory, the glory of the Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. ,

Now the image changes. The Holy Place is no longer the remote dwelling-place of God, but the holy place whereon Christ made the supreme sacrifice, the offeringup of Himself as a propitiation for our sins. The priest dons the 'Ma'apra', or chasuble. He washes his hands, even as Christ was washed by the Baptist in accordance with human ordinances and divine decree. He enters the Holy Place respectfully along with a deacon, and they bring the gifts of bread and wine to the altar.

Take note that in the drama of the sacrifice, the priest represents Christ to us. He lifts up the gifts with his arms crossed in the sign of the cross, even as Christ was lifted up as a spectacle for all to gaze upon. He offers them to God as a propitiatory sacrifice, acceptable to God and according to His coUDIIand. This is what Christ did when He voluntarily submitted to the humiliation of the cross, and offered Himself in the same way.

But take note, too, that the elements of bread and wine also represent Christ, since He was also the sacrifice as well as the sacrificer (the priest). They graphically represent the substance of His natural life, His body and His blood, We are bidden to draw near in awe and love, and to behold the spectacle of our redemption.

But if the priest represents Christ to us, he also represents us to God. In this way he is like our Lord, for He offered us, our selves, to God in Himself. In. a body like ours he took upon Himself our sins and shortcomings, and offered us up to God. The bread and wine also represent us to God. They are our sustenance, that which maintains the substance of our lives -- our flesh and our blood. We are lifted up to God with the elements and with Christ on the cross. We come to Him and present ourselves as an offering, with our Lord Jesus Christ guaranteeing the worthiness of our offering, since it is He who is offered, and ourselves with Him.

The priest, then, represents Christ to us, and us to Him. The bread and wine represent Christ to us, and us to Him. The altar represents the witness of the cross between God and men. The Holy Place represents Mount Calvary where the drama of our redemption took place.

When the priest has placed our offering (and Christ's) upon the altar, he devotes it as a memorial to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ, and to the patron saint of the church. Then he returns to the door to lead the congregation in the Church's statement of faith, the Nicene Creed.

When the Creed is finished, the priest, as our representative, makes a solemn approach to the altar with prostrations. He glorifies Christ in prayer, and comes near with awe to the altar. He rises and kisses the altar, taking from it the 'peace', and giving it in return to the people. All then give one another the kiss of peace, putting aside all quarrelsome and angry thoughts, so that we may come to God with a pure heart and good intention.

The kiss of peace has its beginnings in ancient times, when men showed their good will toward one another upon meeting by bestowing a kiss. It was a sign of fellowship and personal communion. The Apostle St. Paul exhorts us to give one another the kiss of peace in the love of Christ. It is essential to be at peace when we make our offering, since we are one body. The body cannot be divided. It cannot be splintered by jealousy and strife. We worship liturgically because we desire to present a unified approach to God -- to speak with one voice. Therefore we must be at peace, and that peace must be the peace of Christ. Thus we have, 'Give the peace to one another in the love of Christ', in preparation for our offering.

In his letter to the Colossians, St. Paul declares, 'Through him (Christ Jesus) God chose to reconcile the whole universe to himself, making peace through the shedding of his blood upon the cross -- to reconcile all things, whether on earth or in heaven, through him alone.' By this we are reminded that the source of peace and reconciliation is the 'shedding of his blood upon the cross', and so it is from the altar -- the witnessing cross -that the priest takes the peace and gives it throughout the congregation. And as he represented us when he approached the altar, he represents Christ when he comes from the altar with 'peace'.

The final part of the presentation of the gifts is a devotion of those gifts as a memorial to all the departed. The deacon proclaims this intention while the priest prays silently for worthiness from God to offer the consecration prayers. This 'Dukhrana' by the deacon reminds us of the ongoing fellowship we have with all the Church that has gone before. The fact pf physical death has not separated us from the faithful of past generations, but our worship is bound together with theirs, and we remain faithful to their witness.

The presentation of the gifts consists, then, of the offering by the Church of bread and wine upon the altar in memorial of Christ's offering of Himself on Calvary. Our faith is declared, our peace is made with one another, and our unity with the Church throughout the world, both the living and the dead, is affirmed. We are now ready for the consecration of our gifts.

The Hallowing of the Gifts

The priest has now presented the gifts on the altar. The Church has declared its confession of faith. Peace has been made throughout the congregation. And a memorial has been made which unites the Church with all the rest of the Church, living and dead, in one common worship. We are now ready to offer our Qudasha (Hallowing) Prayers. (These are called the 'Eucharistic' prayers in the Western churches.)

The Hallowing may be conveniently divided into four parts: the call to worship, the Hallowing Prayer, the Nithi Mar, and the doxology. The structure, or form, which these prayers take is the same throughout the Church, East and West. A common apostolic source underlies all liturgical worship. A student of liturgy would be able to see the similarity in the way Christians approach God, from the British Isles to the South of India. This part of the liturgy especially shows a common apostolic source, and is a comforting reminder that we all derive our authority and practice from the apostles and, through them, from Christ Himself.

There are three hallowing prayers used in the Church of the East: the Hallowing of the Apostles, used from Easter to Annunciations (Advent); the Hallowing of St. Theodore, used from Annunciations to Easter; and the Hallowing of St. Nestorius, used on certain feasts and memorials. Our discussion will be on the Hallowing of the Apostles, for this is the oldest and most familiar of the three.

We will compare the Hallowing of the Apostles with the other two when there is a difference in form.

a) The Call to Worship

The priest begins this portion of the service by signing the gifts with the cross and proclaiming, 'The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all, now, always, and for ever and ever. ' He then calls the people to 'Lift up your minds'. This corresponds to the 'Sursum Corda' in the Western Church.

b) The Hallowing Prayer

The Hallowing Prayer begins with an address to our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the object of this prayer. 'Worthy of praise from every mouth, and of confession from every tongue, and of exaltation from every creature, is Thine adorable and glorious Name.' Right off we have an intimation of the great antiquity of this portion of the liturgy. It is addressed to our Lord. All later and more refined liturgies address the Eucharistic prayers to the Holy Trinity. The later prayers of Theodore and Nestorius reflect this development, and they are addressed to the Trinity accordingly. But our prayer, that of the Holy Apostles Addai and Mari, comes from the primitive age of the Church, when men took the Holy Trinity for granted, and were not bothered by later doctrinal disputes.

Scholars have been able to trace this prayer back to the second century of the Church, and believe that it is actually older than that. Our traditions, of course, teach us that it comes from the apostles themselves. At any rate, all are agreed that this prayer is the most ancient prayer still used in the Church anywhere for the purpose of hallowing, or consecrating, the gifts. It innocently addresses Christ as the object of our worship, and from whom we expect to receive the benefits of communion. In Him the entire Godhead is addressed, for He is the 'fullness of the Godhead'.

Following the address, there is a short memorial of creation, in which our Lord is credited with being the maker of all things. Then comes a preface to the Qaddish in which we join ourselves with all the hosts of Heaven in glorifying the sovereignty of Christ over all things. The Qaddish, or 'Sanctus' as it is known in the West, is then sung by the entire congregation. This Biblical prayer joins us with the Jerusalem crowds who went before Jesus on Palm Sunday and hailed Him as their king. 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts... Hosanna in the highest! ,

Then follow the thanksgivings, first for the Incarnation, and then for redemption. In these prayers the priest recounts the story of the Son of God coming to us in our miserable condition, and the reason for His coming, to save us. Then he goes over again what our Lord did for us when He came: He 'exalted our low estate and restored us from our fall'; Regave 'new life unto the flesh', forgave our sins, 'justified us from our sinful state, enlightened our minds', and 'condemned our enemi.es and granted victory to the weakness of our frail nature...'

These Hallowing prayers began with an address to the object of our worship, our Lord Jesus Christ. They have memorialized His sovereignty over creation. They have joined us with all the righteous and the hosts of Heaven in the glorif.ying of His sovereignty. 1md they have offered thanksgivings for His coming to us and saving us. They have exalted Jesus Christ as God, as creator, as sovereign Lord, as man, and as savior. His two natures, God and man, are together worshipped in one Lord.

c) The Nithi Mar

The next section of the Hallowing of the Gifts is the actual consecration of the gifts. It begins with a humble statement: 'We also, O my Lord, Thy weak, frail, and miserable servants who are gathered together in Thy Name... stand before Thee at this time...' Our Lord has promised that 'where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them. 'Therefore we may call this prayer 'the Presence'. We are gathered in humble recognition of our faults; but He has promised us that He will be there with us.

At this point in a well-developed liturgy there would occur the 'Words of our Lord', the institution. But keep in mind that the breaking of bread in the churches was taking place from the foundation of the Church as the book of Acts tells us. Before the Gospels were written and widely disseminated; before St. Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians and this letter had circulated among the other churches; long before any of this, priests and congregations were offering liturgical prayers and consecrating the gifts of bread and wine.

The Hallowing of the Holy Apostles, as we have said, is the oldest hallowing prayer in use anywhere in the Church. At this point, where the words of our Lord appear in later liturgies, there is the simple statement that we. 'have received by tradition the example which is from Thee. ' The bishops and priests in the Middle-East who regularly prayed for the sanctification of the offering knew only the tradition which was handed over to them from the apostles, and that it came directly from Christ.

The later Hallowings of Theodore and Nestorius, which are also used in the Church of the East, do contain the words of our Lord in this place.

The Nithi Mar, or consecration prayer, now takes place. The words 'Nithi Mar' mean, 'Let Him come, Lord', in the Aramaic language. This is the prayer in which the Holy Spirit is invoked. He is asked to come and fill our offering of bread and wine with the presence of God, so that they may become the body and blood of Christ.

This is the most solemn moment in the entire liturgy. The priest lifts his hands and solemnly imposes them upon the elements, and the people all prostrate. God comes to us, and especially to the elements, and He makes them a vehicle for grace, fo~ communicating Himself to us. Remember that this is the purpose of 'offerings'. We come to God, and He comes to us. He makes our offering a source of life to us. It becomes then His offering to us.

The priest now asks for the specific benefits of communion. He asks that the Holy Spirit bless and hallow the gifts. He asks that the gifts themselvesmight become a means for 'the pardon of our offences... the remission of sins... for granting unto us the great hope of resurrection from the dead, and new life in the kingdom of Heaven...'

Then follows the doxology, in which we offer praise and thanksgivings for the fulfilment of our request, and lift up 'praise, honor, confession, and worship to Thy living and life-giving Name, now, always, and for ever and ever.'

The Hallowing of the Gifts began with a call to worship, proceeded to worship and glorification of Christ, then to thanksgivings, then to affirming our faith in the presence of Christ with us. The priest asserted the authority by which the offering is made, that is, the tradition handed down from Christ through the apostles. Then the Holy Spirit was invoked to make our offering into a vehicle of grace, the body and blood of Christ; and praise and thanksgivings were offered for this accomplished work. The hallowing is now finished. Christ is present in the Sacraments. We have come and God has come. We are ready for participation in the divine life, for receiving the body and blood of Christ.

The Preparation for Communion

The offering has been made. Christ has been lifted up on the cross in the recreation of His passion. The drama now shifts to the tomb, and the Holy Place becomes the place where they laid Him. The curtains are closed, and the wall and curtains veil the congregation from the Holy Place. Christ is entombed, and He descends, in this dramatic re-creation, into Sheol to offer salvation to the souls bound there.

The priest begins to prepare Himself to approach the consecrated offering. He washes his hands again, and while he is being censed, he confesses his sins and shortcomings, and asks for forgiveness. He! then censes the altar, the gifts, (now become the body and blood of Christ), and the deacons. He draws near and picks up the host and breaks it. Then he signs the cup with the sign of the cross, dipping the host into the cup. He takes back the broken portion, unites it with the portion broken off, and lifts them up as one united loaf.

While this is going on, the congregation is singing anthems and preparing for communion. They await the opening of the tomb, the withdrawing of the veil, with anticipation. And when the priest has finished the signing and breaking, a deacon opens the veil while the priest proclaims, 'Glory to Thee, O God. Glory to Thee, eternal Son. Glory to Thee, O Holy Spirit, who sanctifiest all for ever. ' Then follows the same apostolic blessing which began the hallowing.

The deacon now bids all to come near and receive the Sacraments. He leads them in a karozutha (litany) of preparation in which they confess their faults and ask for forgiveness. All this time the priest is breaking the host into communion portions, while thanking God for the great work of redemption which was accomplished in the sacrifice of Christ. They say the Lord's prayer, and they are ready for the communion in the body and blood of Christ.

The preparations began with the priest cleansing himself ceremonially and by prayer. Then the offering was perfected by intermingling the host with the cup. The resurrection was proclaimed at the opening of the tomb. The people confessed their sins and were made ready. And the liturgy, which opened with the Lord's prayer, closes with the Lord's prayer. All is ready for the administration of the divine presence to the people, and their communion with God through the offering.

The Communion

The priest now bids the faithful to come forward and receive the body and blood of Christ. He and the deacons bring out the gifts which we made to God, and begin to give them back to us. God has transformed them into divine offerings. of His Son to us. A deacon holds the paten while the priest gives the host to each communicant, who holds out his hand to receive, and then consumes the divine presence. Another deacon administers the cup. The faithful receive both species, and they commune standing rather than kneeling.

Following the communion, the priest administers a final blessing which includes the promise of our Lord: 'He that eateth my body and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him, and I will raise him up in the last day; and he cometh not into judgment, but hath passed from death to life eternal.' The ultimate hope of all offerings is confirmed by this promise. We have offered our gifts on the altar of witness, and God has honored our offering by communicating Himself through it to us.

The priest and deacons go back into the Holy Place and consume what remains of the body and blood of Christ, offering prayers and thanksgiving unto God.

Conclusion

What have men sought in making sacrifices or offerings from the beginning? They have sought reconciliation with God, forgiveness, and a sense of participation in the divine. What have we sought in making our Holy Offering? Exactly the same things. But we have the assurance of our Lord that He is truly communicated to us through the Holy Offering. In the Sacraments, which by their consecration become the body and blood of Christ, we receive the substantial life of Christ, and that life brings with it union with God, forgiveness, and grace for living according to His will.

We are bound up with God and with one another in this sharing of Christ. The end of man's dreams, reconciliation and eternal life, we take and in faith we believe that Jesus Christ our Lord has entered our lives and ensured the permanency of all life for us.

Our offering is a 'memorial' of the one great offering of Jesus on the cross. It is not a new or fresh offering we make each Sunday, but a dramatic re-creation of the facts of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. We link our simple offering by prayer to that one great offering, and in so doing we assure its efficacy. 'This do in remembrance of me.' 'This' we do.