The Liturgical Life: The Veiled Christ

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The Liturgical LifeThe Veiled Christ
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Christ The Head

• Christ is head of the church and He is the
  Savior of the body. (Eph 523)
• The Church can not exist without Christ He is
• Head
• Significance
• History His-story
• Rites
• Dogma
• Service
• All in all
• We can not experience the Church without finding
  Christ

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Christ Always Present

• Immanuel our God is now in our midst, with the
  glory of His Father and the Holy Spirit. (Pouro
  - Hymn of Joy)
• I am with you always, even to the end of the
  age. (Matt 2820)
• For where two or three are gathered together in
  My name, I am there in the midst of them. (Matt
  182)
• He is always present in the Church, and He has
  made us unto Himself an assembled people

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Christ Always Present

• To gather His flock
• Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong
  hand, And His arm shall rule for Him Behold, His
  reward is with Him, And His work before Him. He
  will feed His flock like a shepherd He will
  gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in
  His bosom, And gently lead those who are with
  young. (Isa 4010-11)
• To support our weak struggles with His grace
• There is a river whose streams shall make glad
  the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle
  of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she
  shall not be moved God shall help her, just at
  the break of dawn. (Psa 464-5)

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Christ Always Present

• To grant us Life through His Body and Blood
• I am the living bread which came down from
  heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will
  live forever and the bread that I shall give is
  My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the
  world. (Jn 651)
• To give us a significance
• without Me you can do nothing. (Jn 155)

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Christs Presence in the Church

• We See Christ in the Church in four
  manifestations
• Christ, the Veiled
• Truly You are God, who hide Yourself,       O
  God of Israel, the Savior! (Isa 4515)
• Christ, the Teacher
• You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well,
  for so I am. (Jn 1313)
• Christ, the Sacrifice
• but now, once at the end of the ages, He has
  appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
  Himself. (Heb 926)
• Christ, the Shepherd
• For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne
  will shepherd them and lead them to living
  fountains of waters (Rev 717)

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Christ, the Veiled

• The priest opens the veil of the sanctuary
• He declares that
• the gate of heaven is open to the faithful
• Whenever we stand in Your Holy Sanctuary, we are
  considered standing in Heaven (Agpia prayers)
• The gate is open only through Gods mercy
• He prays

Have mercy on us, O God, the Father, the Pantocrator. All-Holy Trinity, have mercy on us Ele/con /mac o Yeoc o Pat/r o pantokratwr Panagia Triac ele/con /mac
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Christ, the Veiled

• He open with faith that he is to face the Dweller
  of this Holy place
• Gen 28
• Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not
  know it.
• How awesome is this place! This is none other
  than the house of God, and this is the gate of
  heaven!

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Christ, the Veiled

• The priest prostrates himself before the
  sanctuary door, saying

We worship You, O Christ, with Your good Father and the Holy Spirit, for You (have come) and saved us. Tenouwst mmok w Pi,rictoc nem Pekiwt nagayoc nem Pipneuma eyouab je (aki) akcw mmon.
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Christ, the Veiled

• The priest leads the congregation in giving
  thanks to God whose presence has covered us,
  helped us, guarded us, accepted us to Himself,
  spared us, supported us, and has brought us to
  this hour

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Christ, the Veiled

• The priest goes up to the altar to raise incense,
  proclaiming the presence of the Christ, Who is
  veiled in clouds, darkness (incense)

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Christ, the Veiled

• So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near
  the thick darkness where God was. (Exo 2021)
• He bowed the heavens also, and came down With
  darkness under His feet. (Psa 18)
• The LORD said He would dwell in the dark
  cloud. (1Ki 812)
• Clouds and darkness surround Him (Psa 972)

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Christ, the Veiled

• As the incense spreads, and the priest
  disappears in the incense, the Church realizes
  the presence of the veiled Christ, and chants
  (verses of the cymbals)

We worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, one in essence. Tenouwst mViwt nem Ps/ri nem Pipneuma eyouab triac eyouab noumooucioc.
Hail to the Church, the house of the angels... ltere ekkl/cia p/i nte niaggeloc ...
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Christ, the Veiled

• Incense symbolizes the cloud of saints and their
  prayers
• we are surrounded by so great a cloud of
  witnesses (Heb 121)
• Christs advent is always accompanied by saints
  and angles
• Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the
  clouds with great power and glory. And then He
  will send His angels (Mk 1326)
• when He comes in the glory of His Father with
  the holy angels. (Mk 838)

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Christ, the Veiled

• As the cloud of incense fills the church, the
  congregation begins to greet the saints who are
  accompanying Christ

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Christ, the Veiled

• The Verses of Cymbals

Hail to you, O Mary, the fair dove, who has borne for us God the Logos. ltere ne Maria rompi eynecwc y/etacmici nan mVnou pilogoc.
Hail to you, O Mary, with a holy hail. Hail to you, O Mary, the mother of the Holy One. ltere ne Maria qen ou,ere efouab ,ere ne Maria ymau mv/eyouab.
Hail to Michael, the great archangel. Hail to Gabriel, chosen to bear glad tidings. ltere Mi,a/l pinis nar,iaggeloc ,ere Gabri/l picwtp mpifaisennoufi.
Hail to the cherubim. Hail to the seraphim. Hail to all the heavenly orders. ltere ni,eroubim ,ere niceravim ,ere nitagma t/rou nepouranion.
Hail to John, the great forerunner, hail to the priest, the kinsman of Immanuel. ltere Iwann/c pinis mprolromoc ,ere piou/b pcuggen/c nEmmanou/l.
Hail to my lords and fathers the apostles, hail to the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. ltere naoic nio napoctoloc ,ere nimay/t/c nte Penoic I/couc Pi,rictoc.
Hail to you, O martyr, hail to the Evangelist, hail to the apostle, Mark the beholder of God. ltere nak w pimarturoc ,ere pieuaggelict/c ,ere piapoctoloc Markoc piyewrimoc.
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A Transfiguration

• A wonderful transfiguration of the Church by
  the presence of her Christ
• Becoming members of the household of God
• Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and
  foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints
  and members of the household of God (Eph 219)
• They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud
  and in the sea. (1Cor 102))

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Transfiguration Through His Sacrifice

• While going around the Church, the priest recites
  the five Contemplatory Verses
• "Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and
  forever. He, being one Hypostasis, we worship and
  glorify Him."
• "This is He Who raised Himself as an acceptable
  sacrifice on the cross for our salvation".
• "So His Good Father smelled it on Golgotha at the
  timeof evening.
• "He opened to us the gates of Paradise and
  returned Adam to his rightful place."
• "Because of His cross and Holy Resurrection, He
  returned man once more to Paradise".
• All five of these verses are a glorification for
  Christ, Who was crucified for our sake, and gave
  us salvation.

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Invocation of Absent Members

• The Priest begins to call upon, and pray for, the
  absent members of the Body of the Church
• (Litany of the Departed Vespers)
• Those who Departed
• Praying for their repose and forgiveness of their
  sins
• That they may join us on last day
• Raise up their bodies also on the Day which You
  have appointed, according to Your true promises
  which are without lie.

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Invocation of Absent Members

• (Litany of the Sick Matins)
• Praying for their healing of all illnesses
• All souls that are distressed or bound, grant
  them mercy, O Lord grant them rest, grant them
  refreshment, grant them grace, grant them help,
  grant them salvation, grant them the forgiveness
  of their sins and their iniquities.
• (Litany of the Travelers Matins)
• Praying for their return
• Graciously accompany them in their departure and
  be their companion intheir travel. Bring them
  back to their own, rejoicing with joy and safe in
  security.

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Invocation of Absent Members

• The night reminds us with the end (of life)
• As for us all, grant us our Christian perfection
  that would be pleasing to You, and give them and
  us a share and an inheritance with all Your
  saints.
• The morning reminds us of a new beginning
• A chance for healing
• As for us too, O Lord, the sicknesses of our
  souls,heal and also those of our bodies, cure.
• A chance for achievement
• As for us too, O Lord, keep our sojourn in this
  lifewithout harm, without storm, and undisturbed
  to the end.

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Praises of the Entire Church

• With the presence of Christ, and the gathering
  of the entire church (those who are present and
  those absent), the entire church begins to
  praise God (in all His saints)
• The Doxologies

Hail to you, O Virgin, / the true Queen indeed. / Hail to the pride of our race, / who has borne for us Immanuel. ltere ne w paryenoc ourw mm/i nal/yin/ ,ere psousou nte pengenoc arejvo nan nEmmanou/l.
We ask you to remember us, / O faithful patroness, / before our Lord Jesus Christ, / that He may forgive us our sins. Tenho aripenmeui w proctat/c etenhot nahren Penoic I/couc Pi,rictoc ntef,a nennobi nan ebol.
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The Liturgical Life

• Only through seeing Christ in the Liturgy, can we
  enjoy this life
• and to make all see what is the fellowship of
  the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages
  has been hidden in God who created all things
  through Jesus Christ (Eph 39)