'And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age'. These are the words of the Lord, who keeps His promise, by still being present in the world, for His Church, according to the Orthodox teaching, is Christ perpetuated in the centuries to come. The Divine Liturgy is a realization of the mystery of the Church. Christ is in the centre together with his Holy Angels, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs and Holy Ascetics. For, during the Divine Liturgy, heavens stand open and, in a mystical way, the Lord Jesus Christ himself offers the bloodless Sacrifice and is at the same time the Offerer and the Offered.

Thus, when in his first act before the celebration of the Divine Liturgy the priest receives the blessing from either the Bishop (in a parish) or the Hegumen (in a Monastery), he in reality receives the blessing from Christ himself. Then he celebrates the Divine Liturgy in the name and on behalf of the brotherhood, i.e. the full number of the faithful.

To celebrate the Divine Liturgy is to perform a ministry, the highest in position, which is really offered 'in the midst of an ecclesiastical community' and 'with the consent of the full number of the faithful'. This celebration does not have an individual character; it is rather a kind of 'co-celebration'. Everybody contributes to it, others by chanting, others by praying, others by the office they hold and others in silence 'by their heartfelt joy'. The blessing sought by the celebrant indicates that he acts in obedience to his spiritual father, the Bishop/Hegumen, and thus to God. The unanimous consent and unity of the congregation is also necessary in order for the priest to proceed with the celebration of the Divine Office. Needless to say that he must be properly prepared. And if in the realm of the material things the blessing of the Hegumen is necessary in order for the monk to proceed with his daily chores, what can one say of the realm of divine and holy things, where everything should be done in all humility, 'in a fitting and orderly way'?

Having received the blessing of the Bishop/Hegumen, the priest in reality 'receives the permission' or the Kairos, i.e. he readies himself for the entry into the sanctuary or bema in order to make preparations up to the opening of the Divine Liturgy. His personal preparation is aided by a series of sublime hymns with which he asks God's mercy and compassion so as to be able to celebrate the divine Sacrament. Then he venerates the panel icons on the bema screen: the immaculate icon of the Lord, the one of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that of St John the Baptist 'the most venerated among the prophets', as well as the icons of other Saints, which 'proclaim' the work of God for the salvation of humankind. The veneration of the holy icons by the officiating priest shows not only that together with the invisibly present Christ co-officiate, participate and rejoice our Lady the Mother of God and the Saints, but also that for the celebration of the Sacrament the officiating priest requires the power of the Lord and the intercession of the Saints. Such things are included in the closing prayer of the Kairos office. At the end of the above prayer the priest draws back the curtain of the Royal Gates asking for the intercession of the Mother of God and declaring in this way that the heavens stand now open. He then enters the bema to kiss the Altar, showing his love—as well as the love of the congregation that he represents—towards the God of love and accepting the sanctification, which proceeds from the holy Altar.

He then changes into his special garments called the sacred vestments. The priest lends himself to Christ so the sacred vestments should manifest His brightness in the way it was manifested on the Mount Tabor. He clothes himself after having kissed and blessed each and every one of these garments; five vestments, each one the type of one of the five perfect powers of one's body, i.e. the five senses. Their names are: i. the Alb or Sticharion, ii. the Stole or Epitrachelion, iii. the Cincture or Girdle, iv. the Maniples or Epimanikia and v. the Chasuble or Phelonion.

The white Sticharion indicates that beside the priest stands God himself so as to give him aid and strength. Its white colour reminds us of the fact that the priest has been cleansed and sanctified by grace. In the words recited by the priest, while clothing himself in this garment, one can find the statement that it is God who made the priest worthy of the priestly office, this is why he 'clothed' him in every honour:

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels, always, now and forever and from all ages to all ages. Amen

Then the priest puts on the Epitrachelion, which symbolizes the pouring of divine grace of priesthood that God granted to Aaron, the first priest in the Old Testament, and from then on, and until the end of times, grants to all those ordained by the Holy Spirit:

Blessed is God, Who pours His Grace upon His priests; It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes, always, now and forever and from all ages to all ages. Amen.

This divine grace of priesthood must be fastened on the priest's body with a special belt; it is the belt of the observance of virtues and of the restriction of degrading passions. Such are the connotations of the Cincture or Girdle with which the priest fastens the Epitrachelion on his body. At the same time the Cincture is a belt of struggle: God 'has girded' the priest with His strength, He also grants him the divine grace, which is necessary so that the priest celebrates the liturgy:

Blessed is God who girded me with strength, and made my way safe, always, now and forever and from all ages to all ages. Amen.

Afterwards, the priest fastens around his wrists the Epimanikia, which indicate that his hands are covered in majesty and thus they are ready for the ministry. The right Epimanikion signifies the power of God, whereas the left one reminds us of God's creation of humankind:

Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power—your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy. In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries, always, now and forever and from all ages to all ages. Amen,

and:

Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments, always, now and forever and from all ages to all ages. Amen.

On top of all the aforementioned garments the priest wears the Phelonion, which denotes divine righteousness and indicates that the priest should abstain from any human activity. By wearing the Phelonion the priest imitates Christ, the One who struggled for real righteousness:

Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your faithful shout for joy, always, now and forever and from all ages to all ages. Amen.

Now that he is in his full vestment, the officiating priest proceeds with an act that is called 'the cleansing (or the washing) of the hands'. This gesture has a practical as well as a symbolic value: the cleansing of the hands is a symbol of the need for a cleansed soul, which is a sine qua non for an officiating priest:

I wash my hands in innocence, and go around your Altar, O Lord, singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all your wondrous deeds. O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell, and the place where your glory abides. Do not sweep me away with sinners, nor my life with the bloodthirsty, those in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes. But as for me, I walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me. My foot stands on level ground; in the great congregation I will bless the Lord, always, now and forever and from all ages to all ages. Amen.

Finally, the priest is ready to proceed with the Office of Preparation, which takes place on the Table of Oblation or Prothesis, situated in the northern side of the bema, on the left of the Altar. The Preparation is a special office during which the priest prepares the bread and the wine for the Eucharist. He uses portions of the gifts that the faithful have brought with them so as to offer them to God. These gifts are: circular loaves of bread or prosphora as well as sweet red wine or nama. In a profoundly symbolic offer the faithful give the Lord bread and wine asking Him to change them into His Body and Blood and feed them with these.

Two basic sacred accessories are used during the Divine Liturgy: the Chalice or Holy Cup and the Paten or Holy Diskos. Into the Chalice the priest pours the offered wine, whereas on the Diskos he places the offered bread. It is Christ himself who named His Sacrifice by crucifixion 'a cup' that His Father has given Him. But the moment the Lord was crucified, this cup of death became a 'cup of blessing', a cup of the salvation of humankind. 'The Diskos, on the other hand, stands for the coffin, in which the Lord's body is set by the priest and the deacon', according to St Germanus of Constantinople. In the writings of St Symeon of Thessalonica we also find the Diskos as an image of Heaven.

• After having prostrated three times in a row, the priest asks God's mercy so as to proceed with the preparation of the gifts for the Eucharist. He elevates to the level of his head one of the prosphora together with the Lance, while with his words he underlines the fact that Christ was crucified and he was 'pierced' with a spear so as to redeem humans from the 'old law', i.e. from being slaves to the religious provisions of the Law of Moses, and to save them from sin and death.
• Immediately after that, the priest makes the sign of the cross over the prosphoron, the central part of which—the Lamb or Amnos —he will remove shortly afterwards so as to be consecrated, with the invocation of the Holy Spirit, into the Body of Christ. This underlines the fact that in every part of the Diving Liturgy there is a 'remembrance' of Christ. Actually it is Christ himself who instructed His disciples to celebrate the Divine Liturgy 'in remembrance' of Him. Thus the Divine Liturgy is the act by which Christ's presence among us is manifested.
• This remembrance is not void of content: cutting out the portion of the prosphoron known as the Amnos the priest recites Isaiah's prophecy about the Messiah: He will be sacrificed 'like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent', i.e. He will accept everything without protest and in all humility He will highlight His divine mission to save humankind. The above act is also an image of the Lord leaving this world and going to the Father through death: 'again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father' (John 16:28).
• Then the priest proceeds with a symbolic representation of the Crucifixion: he places the Amnos on the Diskos announcing Christ's Sacrifice. He seals, i.e. he makes a deep crosswise cut in the Amnos, commemorating the benefactions of the Lord's Sacrifice by Crucifixion. The aforementioned gifts, especially the Amnos, are offered both in thanksgiving for all benefactions we are already given and in supplication for all benefactions to come. Thus, the central part is separated from the rest of the prosphoron so as to be dedicated to God and consecrated. This reminds us of the fact that the Lord was separated from humans—in whose nature He partakes out of loving kindness—so as to be led as the sheep to the slaughter. Not yet distancing himself from what happened at the Crucifixion, the priest commemorates the spearing of the Lord's side from where came out blood and water: 'one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out'. In the same way the priest pierces the central part of the Lamb and simultaneously pours a portion of nama and water into the Chalice. He then blesses the union of the two elements in the Chalice.
• Afterwards, the priest starts cutting out portions of the prosphoron in memory of the Mother of God, of the Saints, etc. It should be noted that, while still performing the Kairos office, the priest asks the Virgin Mary to intercede with God so that he may be worthy to celebrate the Divine Liturgy. The Mother of God is in reality a bond between Heaven and Earth. Her pre-eminence is underlined by the placing of her portion—a triangular one marked with the letters Μ and Θ (i.e. Μother of God [in Greek Μήτηρ Θεοῦ]—in the right of the Amnos, i.e. in the side of Christ. And this is expressed in such terms as 'at your right hand stands the Queen (...)'
• Then the priest lifts out a portion in memory of the Angels and places it in the left of the Lamb. Next in importance, after the Mother of God, come the Angels, who also acted as servants to God insofar as His plan of human salvation is concerned. The place next to Christ (the Amnos) is rightfully theirs, in any case they are going to be invisibly present during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.
• At the side of—and under—the Angels' portion the priest places three groups of similar portions, in three columns, to commemorate: St John the Baptist; the Prophets; the praiseworthy Apostles; the Great Fathers, Teachers and Hierarchs of the Church; Stephen the Protomartyr; the Martyrs; the Holy Ascetics of the Church; the Holy Unmercenaries; the Ancestors; the Saint of the day; and St John Chrysostom, the author of the Divine Liturgy. This configuration of Saints around Christ has a deeper meaning: it indicates not only that when the Church celebrates the Divine Liturgy there is a great unity between the faithful and the Saints, but also that the Saints are considered by the Church as paragons of righteous life. Leading such a life they obtained a place beside Christ and became 'the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in Heaven' (Hebrews 12:23).
• Next in order is the commemoration of the living—those who press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God—and of the departed. First there is a commemoration of all the Orthodox Churches and secondly a commemoration of the Bishop of the local Church. Portions of the prosphoron for all the aforementioned people are placed below the Amnos. Then the priest mentions by name several living and departed people cutting very small pieces—a particle for each one of them—out of the prosphoron and placing them below the Amnos. Finally, the priest mentions his own name, asking God to forgive all his sins so as to able to officiate. The Office of Preparation ends here, on the Diskos lies a summary of the perfect form of the Church, this 'body' of universal dimensions, extending over both the heavens and the Earth and encompassing not only the living but also the departed. The Church is the living image of the Body of Christ! A complete society in a complete body, according to Paul Evdokimov

The priest now proceeds to the covering of the Holy Gifts. First he offers incense to God in thanksgiving, a gesture which also acts as an icon of the Holy Spirit: 'Incense we offer Thee, O Christ our God, as an odour of spiritual fragrance. Do Thou accept it at Thy Heavenly Altar and send down upon us the Grace of Thy Holy Spirit'. He then takes one of the sacred accessories called the Asterisk and places it on the Diskos, over the Amnos and the aforementioned portions. This gesture is an image both of the star, which stopped over the place where Christ was born, and of the Universe, which was created by God: 'By the word of the Lord the heavens were made' (Psalms 32:6).

Over the Asterisk a crosswise cover is placed by the priest, who simultaneously recites the psalm verse: 'The Lord is reigning, He is clothed with Majesty', underlining the fact that Christ acquired a human body and by virtue of His Incarnation has trampled the enemy of man.

Another crosswise cover of the same size as the first one is placed over the Chalice by the priest as a reminder of God's benefactions towards humankind and the rest of the Creation: 'Thy virtue, O Christ, has covered the Heavens, and the Earth is full of Thy praise'. These two covers of equal size signify the bands of cloth of Christ's Birth as well as the linen wrappings of his Burial.

Then the priest places a rectangular cover, called the Aer (air), across the Diskos and the Chalice, asking God—on behalf of the faithful—for protection, inner peace and mercy: 'Cover us under the shelter of Thy wings; drive away from us every enemy and adversary; give us a peaceful life; O Lord, have mercy on us and on Thy world, and save our souls, for Thou art Good and Kind and Compassionate'.

After having covered the aforementioned sacred accessories, the priest censes them, blessing God. This act is an offer of incense to God in thanksgiving and a praise for all His benefactions towards humankind.

The preparation of the Gifts for the Eucharist will soon be concluded. The priest now recites the closing prayer of the Office of Preparation, asking God to accept the offering, bless those who brought it and those who have already been commemorated, and make him worthy to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, by creating in him a clean heart and conscience. This is the end of the Office of Preparation. The priest then kisses the Holy Gifts and blesses the Holy Trinity.

Finally, the priest censes every part of the bema as well as the area outside it, an act that underlines the holiness of the Divine Liturgy, which is about to begin. The faithful will shortly meet the Lord, the air is already fragrant with incense, just as it was fragrant with oil every time the ancient peoples of the East went out to meet their King.

The Divine Liturgy is the mystery of Christ's presence and at the same time a manifestation of the blessed Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. For Christ's presence is in reality the Kingdom of God. While the priest blesses and pronounces happy the Kingdom of God, he holds in his hands the Book of Gospels and makes with it the sign of the Cross over the Altar. Thus, the first utterance in the Divine Liturgy is a blessing, whereas the first gesture is the sign of the Cross. The Divine Liturgy is the Kingdom of God. And it is the Cross that leads the way to this blessed Kingdom.

As an answer to the glorification of God by the priest, the faithful intone the word Amen, which means 'verily', 'truly'. By this consent of the people the priest's blessing ascends to the heavenly Altar. Thus the name Liturgy [lēitos ‘public’ + -ergon ‘working’] is constantly vindicated throughout the service: it is the people's work. The faithful together with the officiating priest participate and act in it.

Immediately after the glorification of the Kingdom of God our Mother the Church shows us the mode of public liturgical prayer: 'in peace let us pray to the Lord'. The faithful must firstly and most importantly be in peace so as to be worthy to participate in the Divine Liturgy and receive the Communion.

From the very first, the priest motivates the faithful and prays for many of their spiritual and material needs: for instance, he prays for their inner peace (i.e. the peace from above), for the salvation of the soul, as well as for the peace of the whole world. Having peace in their heart, the faithful, together with the priest, pray for: their Bishop; the people of their local Church; the welfare of God's Churches; the union of all Christians. They also pray on behalf of: those who enter the church with faith; the God-fearing Christians; the travellers; the sick; the suffering; the ones in captivity. Additionally they ask God for fair seasons and the abundance of the fruits of the earth, for the deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger and necessity. All the above petitions compose the Litany of Peace, which is called like that, because its first three petitions highlight inner peace as well as world peace as an absolute necessity.

According to St Basil the Great 'the person who seeks peace seeks Christ'. Christ is our peace. The peace that He gave us is ensured through repentance. For to repent is to return to Christ, who is the peace of the soul. The tears of repentance mark the beginning of the road, the peace of the soul comes at a later stage. 'This Sacrament is a Sacrament of peace', notes St John Chrysostom in one of his Homilies, for the Divine Liturgy is our chance to meet the Lord, who is our peace.

'Having prayed for everything', notes Nicholas Cabasilas, 'the priest urges us to commend ourselves to God'. Through the priest, our Holy Mother, the Church, encourages us to entrust our life and the lives of our brothers and sisters to God. She encourages us, especially during the Divine Liturgy, to offer Him ourselves so that He abides in us.

Next in order are the Antiphons, which initially were a separate office, of the kind of a Supplication or Lity. This office used to take place before the celebration of the Divine Liturgy outside the Nave. The Antiphons are in reality verses from the Psalter, which are chanted alternately, accompanied by one of two refrains. These refrains are: 'Through the prayers of the Theotokos...' and 'Save us, O Son of God...'

The Antiphons are now chanted in the beginning of the Divine Liturgy, so that the faithful get prepared to meet the Lord. Each one of the Antiphons is followed by a prayer recited by the priest. These prayers are called the Prayers of the Antiphons.

In the prayer of the first Antiphon the priest asks God's 'loving kindness' and 'compassion'. In the prayer of the second Antiphon he asks God to give strength to those who take care of His house, i.e. of the church. In the prayer of the third Antiphon the priest asks God to enlighten those present, so as to understand His truth. The Antiphons are concluded with a complete confession of faith, a kind of a brief Creed: 'The Only-Begotten Son and Immortal Word of God (...)'. The above hymn is sung at this point so that the Catechumens, i.e. those who have not yet been baptized, confess their faith in unison with the members of the Church. Shortly they will leave the Nave for the inner Narthex or Lity, for they are not still eligible for a participation in the rest of the Divine Liturgy.

Shortly before the Little Entrance, the churchwarden opens the Royal Gates, reminding us of the person of Christ who has opened the Kingdom of God. Afterwards, the churchwarden heads the procession of the Little Entrance, holding a lighted candle—followed by the priest, who holds the book of Gospels—and being a type of St John the Baptist, Christ's Forerunner.

In the prayer of the Little Entrance the priest asks God to grant that there may be an invisible presence of co-officiating Angels. This is a mystery experienced in the History of the Church by such God-bearing fathers as St Spyridon (it is noted in his Life that 'Angels ministered with him'). The prayer of the Little Entrance reminds the faithful of the fact that the Angels are paragons of incessant glorification of God. The closing words of the prayer refer to the entering of the heavenly into the earthly things.

Until the 7th century the Divine Liturgy started with the entrance of the Book of Gospels in the Nave. The celebrant, after having dressed himself in the vestry, was entering the Nave in his sacred vestments, holding in his hands the Book of Gospels, which he had also taken from the vestry. In case the celebrant was a Bishop it was at this same time that he was entering the Nave to change, in the presence of the faithful, into the High-Priest's vestments.

The Little Entrance reminds us of the way the laity and the clergy entered the church up to the 7th century. Even today, every time there is an officiating Bishop in the church, he enters the bema immediately after the Little Entrance, symbolizing God, who entered human history with His Incarnation.

According to the Fathers of the Church and the Ecclesiastical Writers, the Divine Liturgy is full of symbolism. But the symbols in Orthodoxy are neither vestiges of the past, nor a representation of events connected with the past in a symbolic, i.e. mysterious and incomprehensible way. A symbol reveals to the faithful the secrets of God's love and at the same time conceals them from the uninitiated—the same applies to the Lord's parables. Symbols in the context of worship are the words, invocations, prayers, acts and gestures, which reveal the mystery of human salvation as was worked by Jesus through His life, words and suffering for us humans and of course through what He promised for the Age to Come. This is why 'remembrance' in the Church does not just mean remembering the things of the past, but rather experiencing the holy history of salvation today, in the present, as is noted in the Church's hymns: 'Today is hung on the tree He who (...)', etc. The symbols are the things we see, which we automatically connect with the truths and notions that we do not see. Thus, any symbolically interpreted part of the Divine Liturgy is either revealing the things to come—our situation in the Kingdom of God (eschatological symbolism)—or familiarizing us with the life of Christ and the Economy of Salvation, i.e. God's plan to save humankind (historical symbolism).

On the basis of all the above, the Little Entrance is a symbol of the Lord's redeeming Incarnation, i.e. of His coming to Earth, through which humanity was called into reconciliation and communion with God. According to another interpretation, the Little Entrance symbolizes the beginning of the teaching and the ministry of Christ. The lifting up of the Book of Gospels signifies that the truth has been revealed.

The blessing of the Little Entrance is in reality a glorification of God, a thanksgiving for God's benefactions

Every sanctifying act in the Church's worship begins with a blessing. The blessing at this point of the Divine Liturgy is a declaration of its ceremonial opening by the entrance of the clergy into the bema. The priest intones: 'Wisdom; stand up', instructing the congregation to accept the teaching of the Lord, who is the Wisdom of God, and give all their attention to God's worship.

In recognition of the divinity of Jesus, who is the Resurrected Lord, a brief hymn is then chanted, called the Little Entrance hymn ('Come, let us worship (...)'). This recognition is a sine qua non for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. According to St Symeon of Thessalonica, this hymn is a symbol of the acclamation of Christ in His glory, i.e. the acclamation of Christ after His Resurrection and Ascension.

Immediately after the Little Entrance the Dismissal Hymns or Apolytikia are chanted. These hymns refer to the events of the life of the Lord as well as to His Saints. In our Monastery we chant: the apolytikion of the Feast of the Transfiguration, for to this event is consecrated the main church or Katholikon of the Monastery; the apolytikion of the Mother of God-Abbess of Mount Athos or Panagia Gerontissa, the Patroness Saint of the Monastery of Pantokratoros; the apolytikia of the Saints who led the life of an ascetic in the Monastery of Pantokratoros; and the apolytikion of All the Venerable Fathers of Mount Athos. The commemoration of the Saints of the Church through the apolytikia underlines the unity of the Church. Everybody participates in the act of veneration of Jesus, our Lord; it feels like a gathering of the 'Saints' of the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant.

While the Thrice-Holy hymn ('Holy God, Holy Mighty (...)') is being chanted, the priest reads the prayer of the Thrice-Holy hymn.

The prayer of the Thrice-Holy hymn underlines that during the Divine Liturgy the whole body of the faithful (the Church Militant) participates in the glorification of God together with the Angels. This prayer lays special emphasis on not only God's creation of humankind but also the Economy of Salvation, on the basis of which God saves humankind, through the way of repentance. Thus, a clean soul from the part of the faithful is a prerequisite for their participation in the Divine Liturgy. The prayer in reality refers to a fight that has to be fought by each one of the faithful, who for their cause cannot but invoke the Saints and the Mother of God.

The glorification of the Triune God, which coincides with the closing words of the above prayer, acts like a prelude to what comes next. The celebration cannot continue unless there is a declaration and a proclamation of the holiness of the Triune God.

The Thrice-Holy hymn ('Holy God, Holy Mighty (...)') is in reality the glorification of God by the Angels as described in the vision of the Prophet Isaiah and in the Revelation to John. In the Divine Liturgy it is a hymn, which is sung jointly by the Angels, the humans and the whole of the creation at the remembrance of all the divine benefactions and especially salvation. It is, in short, a song for the magnificence of divine love!

The ceremonial of the Divine Liturgy is compared to a 'spiritual ascent', a route to perfection. In this process the enlightenment of God acts like a spiritual compass. God guides humans to perfection through the safety of His teachings, instructing them to accept His commandments in their lives. This is why, after the hymns, it is time for the Word to form the souls of the faithful.

In every Divine Liturgy there are two kinds of readings from the Scriptures: the first (the Apostolos) is an excerpt from the New Testament Epistles or the Acts of the Apostles, the other (the Gospel) is an excerpt from the Gospels.

But before the Gospel, the priest reads the prayer of the Gospel, in which it is implied that by His Incarnation the Lord lifted the all-encompassing spiritual darkness and let the true Light shine upon Earth.

Some commentators of the Divine Liturgy stress at this point something really important: a clear contrast between the Old and the New Testaments. In the Old Testament God's will was revealed dimly, in an enigmatic way, whereas in the New Testament the word of the Gospel shines with its directness, rendering each faithful a witness of Christ's teaching, i.e. a witness of His work of salvation (Passion-Resurrection-Ascension).

This is why we ask for His Light! Not any kind of light but the light of godly knowledge, the one that only He can implant in our souls, so that we are able to see Him, comprehend Him and opt for the truth of His life and His offer of salvation. Godly knowledge is acquired in two ways: by God recognizing humans as His offspring and by God revealing His existence to them. In this process a fight against the 'desires of the flesh' is a prerequisite. The 'desires of the flesh' are not the everyday human needs (food, clothes, love, etc.), but their misuse, i.e. the degrading passions.

The content of the prayer of the Gospel provides a spiritual framework for the Christian, who wants to fully understand the teaching of Christ.

Once more the faithful are instructed to invoke God with an even greater series of supplications. This is called the Litany of Great Supplication, it is indeed much more fervent and stronger than the Litany of Peace, and reminds us of the prayer of Moses, which came from the depths of his heart.

Shortly before the ending of the first part of the Divine Liturgy, the priest reads the prayer of the Catechumens.

The Catechumens were in the ancient Church the people who intended to be baptized and had thus started attending the Catechism, learning their new faith. They participated in the Divine Liturgy, heard the readings from the Scripture but then were called to leave, for they had not yet been baptized, i.e. they were not eligible to participate in the Sacrament. Before their leaving the Nave, the priest was reading the prayer of the dismissal of the Catechumens, who stood with their heads bowed in order to receive the blessing from the Bishop or the priest.

Nowadays that there are no Catechumens in the ancient sense of the word, the above prayer concerns first and foremost every child born to Christian parents, which has not yet been baptized and secondly the ones who learn the faith in Christian missions as well as those who seek the truth. But it also concerns the faithful, who, despite the fact that they are baptized, they still are 'Catechumens' due to their need for a post-baptismal deeper instruction in the faith. The prayer of the dismissal of the Catechumens reminds us that we should incessantly study the content of our faith and constantly try to perfect our Christian life.

This prayer, by the use of such words for the Sacrament as: 'the washing of rebirth', 'the forgiveness of sins' and 'the garment of incorruption', is also an outline of the theology of Baptism. With the above words Baptism, in accordance with the Lord's commandment, is presented as a new life for humans, a life which, through Jesus Christ, extends to all eternity.

At the same time the prayer includes the notion of the Church as a Body. This Body prays fervently and is in anguish and pain over those who are not yet members of the Body of Christ.

The second part of the Divine Liturgy begins here. It is called The Liturgy of the Faithful, for, in the Church of the first centuries, only the baptized could remain in the Nave from this point on.

The first prayer of the faithful is in fact the first prayer that the priest reads in the presence of nobody else but the faithful in the Nave. Thus, the priest underlines the need for self-control and spiritual purity on his part and on the part of the faithful so that together with him they celebrate the immaculate Sacraments. It is these two virtues that the priest asks God to give him and the faithful as a gift.

According to the Service books, the priest reads the prayer 'after having spread out the Eileton'. The Eileton is a cover for the Altar for use only during the Divine Liturgy. But it has now been replaced by the Antimension, a piece of illuminated cloth, on which the Eucharist is celebrated. The Antimension symbolizes the linen cloth in which Joseph wrapped Christ's body. If the Altar of the church is not yet consecrated, then the Antimension must contain relics of Saints.

The second prayer of the faithful begins emphatically with the phrase 'again and many times', which underlines the need for much more fervent praying. Now that the celebration of the Eucharist is fast approaching, the petitions of the first prayer of the faithful concerning spiritual and bodily purity are reiterated.

Η δεύτερη ευχή των πιστών ξεκινά με την επίταση «πάλι και πολλές φορές», φράση η οποία υποδηλώνει την ανάγκη να καταστεί η προσευχή εντονώτερη. Το περιεχόμενο της ευχής επαναλαμβάνει τα αιτήματα της πρώτης ευχής των πιστών για καθαρότητα ψυχών και σωμάτων, επικειμένης της τελέσεως του κεντρικού τμήματος της θείας Λειτουργίας.

An important feature of the second prayer of the faithful is the priest's phrase 'those who pray with us', which stresses the unity of the clergy and the laity during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and reveals that those, who participate in it, have a specific spiritual purpose: enter into the Kingdom of God, through partaking of His Immaculate Sacraments.

The time has come for the priest to carry the Precious Gifts from the Prothesis to the Altar. But before this act, which is called The Great Entrance, the priest reads the prayer of the Cherubic Hymn.

This prayer is a preparation of the officiating priest (the presbyter or the Bishop) to celebrate the Sacrament. For all, i.e. both the priests and the faithful, need to be spiritually cleansed so as to participate in the Divine Liturgy and receive Christ inside them. Through the text of the prayer the officiating priest recognizes and confesses his unworthiness on the one hand and the divine magnificence of the Sacrament that he is about to celebrate on the other. The priest states that he will now officiate, not because he considers himself pure and holy but thanks to God's mercy. He proclaims the truth that Christ himself is officiating, for He is the one who was made flesh and, on the Cross, He offered himself as a Sacrifice to God; He is the one who becomes all things to all people. Of course the priest is not a liturgical performer but the one who shatters his will so as to be endowed with spiritual senses.

The prayer of the Cherubic Hymn was composed and inserted in the Divine Liturgy after the 8th century, i.e. after the creation of the Office of Preparation (the Offertory). Up to that point the faithful brought their offering, i.e. the bread and wine, to the Diakonikon, a place near the entrance of the church. Thence the deacon was carrying the offering to the Bishop, who was laying it on the Altar so as to start celebrating the Sacrament. In later centuries, the Office of Preparation was composed for the receiving of the offering and its preparation for the Eucharist. By the same time the prayer of the Cherubic Hymn was created, as well as the Great Entrance, i.e. the processional carrying of the Precious Gifts from the Prothesis to the Altar. This is why at the very moment that the priest prays, he also prepares the Altar for the reception of the offered Gifts. With profound reverence he spreads on the centre of the Altar the Antimension, that square cloth, often made of silk, on which is depicted the Passion of Christ. The Antimension symbolizes Christ's tomb and is consecrated by the local Bishop with a special Service. It is solely on the Antimension that the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Sacraments, can be celebrated.

At the same time the Cantors sing the hymn 'Let us who mystically represent the Cherubim (...)', urging the faithful to lay aside all earthly care so as to receive the King of all, the Lord, who is invisibly attended by the Angelic Hosts.

The Great Entrance has been symbolically interpreted as either Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, or His proceeding to His voluntary Passion, or even the carrying of the Lord's Body and Its laying in the tomb.

The priest, while in procession through the faithful, asks Lord, our God, to remember us all in His Kingdom. And as the Cantors finish singing the Cherubic Hymn, the priest sets the Gifts on the Altar, over the Antimension.

The Great Entrance is followed by the Litany of the Precious Gifts, known in Greek as the Litany of Completion, named after its opening phrase: 'Let us complete our prayer to the Lord'. The petitions of this Litany are rather of a spiritual than of a material value. By the end of this Litany, in the same way as what happens in most cases, the priest reads a prayer. In this particular prayer the priest asks God to receive the supplication and the Sacrifice from His people for the remission of their sins. He also prays that the Sacrifice may be well pleasing to Him and hence that the Holy Spirit may be sent down upon the Holy Gifts and upon the people, who offer them.

Afterwards, the priest blesses the people. He lifts up his right hand over the people and makes the sign of the cross. The tips of three fingers are brought together, signifying the Holy Trinity, the other two form a cross or, according to other interpretations, the letter chi (Χ), the first letter of the word Christ in Greek. This might be expressed in the Church's idiom with the phrase 'peace he gives to them', i.e. he gives them Christ's peace. The faithful reply with a wish: 'And unto thy spirit'. Then the priest urges them to love one another, so as to confess their faith with one mind. In case there are co-officiating priests they ask one another's forgiveness—a gesture performed in the past by the people—so that united, mutually loved and mutually forgiven they confess that they believe in the Holy Trinity and thus are deemed worthy to receive Holy Communion.

With the exhortation of the priest to guard well—i.e. with wisdom and attention—the doors so that the uninitiated are unable to enter the church, the faithful proceed to a confession of faith. Yet the above exhortation has also a more profound and vital meaning; it reminds the faithful that they need to guard the doors of their senses, their mind, their thoughts and their eyes, for it is these doors that might make them vulnerable to sin. While the faithful confess their faith, the priest raises the Aer from the Diskos and Chalice and shakes it slowly over them, in a gesture symbolizing the descent of the Holy Spirit.

With the recitation of the Creed the faithful express all these that they have in common. This must happen before they receive the Holy Communion! The Church struggled to formulate its teachings about the Triune God, the One Church and the expected resurrection of the dead. The recitation of the Creed reminds the faithful of this struggle. It is also a chance for the faithful to get a better understanding of the truths of the Church, outside which there is no salvation.

At this specific point the Holy Oblation begins.

After the confession of faith the priest asks the Holy Spirit to come and abide upon the faithful and upon the Precious Gifts and change the latter into the Body and Blood of Christ. But before this, the priest exhorts the faithful to stand upright and with fear so that they in peace offer the Sacrifice to God.

The central part of the Divine Liturgy is now approaching. It is called the Holy Oblation and culminates in the consecration of the Gifts. The churchwarden closes the Royal Gates, a symbol at this point of the stone which was rolled to the door of Christ's tomb. An all-important time, the time to begin the Holy Oblation, has come.

The first part of the prayer of the Oblation: 'It is meet and right (...)'

The first element of the Holy Oblation is the prayer of the Oblation, which is divided into two segments between which the Triumphal Hymn is sung.

The first segment of the prayer of the Oblation refers to the beginning of the Economy of Salvation: God created humans, but when the latter had fallen away from God, the Creator tried to raise them up again so as to restore their initial relationship with Him. Upon remembering this, the hearts of the faithful are filled with gratitude, which cannot be expressed in equal words or actions and thus becomes an extremely eloquent hymn, not any hymn, but the hymn of the Angels: 'Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Sabaoth (...)'

The Triumphal Hymn: 'Holy, Holy (...)'

The first half of the hymn is in reality Isaiah 6:3. It is the hymn of the triumph of the Angelic Hosts over the devil. The Hebrew term 'Sabaoth' refers to the power of God. The second half of the hymn consists of two elements: i. the glorification of God by the Angels and ii. the hymn with which the people of Jerusalem received Christ. Thus by chanting this hymn we imitate the Angels and at the same time we imitate the people of the Holy City.

The Divine Liturgy is celebrated in this world but the Triumphal Hymn indicates that it is an icon of the incessant glorification of God by the Archangels. It is therefore a confirmation of the unity, which exists between Heaven and Earth and a foretaste of the time when—in the Kingdom of God—both the faithful and the Angelic Hosts will be united in His worship.

The second part of the prayer of the Oblation: 'And with these blessed (...)'

In the second segment of the prayer of the Oblation there is a universal glorification of the Incarnation and the redemption of humankind through the work of the Only-Begotten Son of God. The prayer now concentrates on a crucial point in the ministry of Christ, the Institution of the Lord's Supper during the Last or Mystical Supper. The Eucharist is being presented here as the focal point, the culmination of Christ's ministry. It should be noted that the qualifier Mystical before the noun Supper is used not in the ancient Greek sense of the word (Mystical=apokryphos, hidden, known only to the chosen ones), it rather denotes holiness; The Mystical Supper is the supper which leads humanity to its most sacred prospect, namely salvation.

This segment of the prayer of the Oblation introduces us to the notion that the Divine Liturgy is a 'Sacrifice', the utmost Sacrifice of the Lord on the Cross which is repeated every time the Divine Liturgy is celebrated, being the culmination of the Mystery of God's love as is stated in 1 John 4:9-10: 'God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world (...) to be the atoning Sacrifice for our sins'.

Both segments of the prayer of the Oblation are an outline of the theology of the Divine Liturgy: God sought for the humans, who had retreated into a world of delusion, and formed a plan for their salvation. Thus we humans celebrate the Divine Liturgy in glorification and in thanksgiving to God.

The words of institution of the Sacrament: 'Take, eat (...)'

The priest at this point intones the words of institution of the 'dreaded' Sacrament. The Divine Liturgy is a continuation of the Last Supper. With the words 'Take, eat' and 'Drink from it, all of you' the Lord taught his disciples that His 'remembrance' involves actions and not just recollections, it is the celebration of the Mystery of His Supper. It is a real Sacrifice, a fatherly offer and not a theatrical performance. Christ himself is present, urging us to partake in the eternal life. The words of institution proclaim the truth that the Eucharist centres around the Lord and is celebrated 'for the remission of sins'.

The prayer of the Anamnesis: 'Remembering therefore (...)'

Through the prayers and the various gestures of the Divine Liturgy, there is a renewed remembrance of what Christ did for humans and their salvation. Thus the faithful, by participating in the Divine Liturgy, are not merely sharing a recollection of Christ's Sacrifice, they rather experience this Sacrifice. The remembrance of Christ's benefactions results in the faithful establishing a closer relationship with Him and strengthens their resolve to meet Him. According to Paul the Apostle, the Church celebrates the Eucharist 'in remembrance of' Christ and persists with this 'until he comes' (1 Corinthians 11:25-26). The prayer culminates in the remembrance of Christ 'coming again a second time in glory'. For those who cannot comprehend how one is able to remember something that has not happened yet, this appears to be sheer 'foolishness'. For the faithful though, who, through their experience, know how Christ described His Second Coming and what Christ has done out of endless love for the majestic salvation of humankind and the Creation, this is a constant belief. Being fully aware of benefits, both manifest and hid, the priest offers in return to the ever slaughtered Lord 'His own from His own'. At the same time the hymn 'We hymn Thee, we bless Thee, we give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, and we pray unto Thee, our God' constitutes a universal glorification of God by the faithful, who feel a deep sense of gratitude for 'all the things they know and they do not know'.

The first part of the prayer of the Diptychs: 'That they may be to them that partake thereof unto (...)'

The bloodless Sacrifice is offered for everybody. It is a glorifying of the Saints, especially the Mother of God, St John the Baptist and the Apostles. It is offered in supplication for both the living and the departed, for the whole Universe, for the material and spiritual needs of the faithful, and for 'all and everyone'.

Each and every day of the annual liturgical cycle of the Church is dedicated to the memory of Saints. In the first part of the prayer of the Diptychs, the Church sets the Saint of the day an example for the faithful; indeed it is the presence and intercession of the Saints that support the lives of those who participate in the Divine Liturgy. The Saint of the day is commemorated in the Diptychs (the lists of the most important holy persons in Church's history), for it is through the imitation of this Saint's life that the participants in the Divine Liturgy are guided to union with God. So this part of the prayer of the Diptychs is read in thanksgiving to God, for it is through God's grace that the Saints act as the protectors and spiritual leaders of the faithful. We also thank the Saints, for they are a paradigm for us to copy.

According to the Church Fathers, the prayer of the Diptychs is not void of allegory. The prayer's symbolism is found in that the commemoration of the Saints is not a roll call but a proclamation of their holiness, a recognition of the divine energies. For looking into their lives, their miracles and their falling asleep, we are reassured about God's action in the world.

The second part of the prayer of the Diptychs: 'Also we beseech Thee (...)'

After the commemoration of the holy persons of the Christian Church and the glorification of God, who bestowed sanctity upon them, the second part of the prayer of the Diptychs begins. Here the priest asks God to be mindful of every Orthodox Bishop in the world and of every single person and especially of those in need. Even now in this most holy moment of the Divine Liturgy, the Church does not forget that in the world there is a lot of grief and hardship. The Divine Liturgy is not a supernatural process; it rather transmits the sanctification of God to the people of today so that they may be able to meet their various needs.

Some commentators of this prayer hold the opinion that the prayer alludes to the universality of the message of salvation. In other words: prayers for all people without exceptions might result in a society without distinctions.

The prayer of the Epiclesis: 'Moreover we offer unto Thee this reasonable (...)'

The central act of the Divine Liturgy and the culmination of the Sacrament is the Epiclesis, i.e. the Invocation of the Holy Spirit, who will sanctify the Gifts and change them into the Body and Blood of Christ. The Eucharist is in its totality the work of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who continues Christ's work. The temporal mission of the Comforter to the world is a confirmation of God not having abandoned His children. Therefore, in the Divine Liturgy the Church asks God to send down the Holy Spirit so as to consecrate the offering, i.e. the bread and wine. Thus, the working of the Holy Spirit constitutes for the Church a reaffirmation of God being present through His divine energies in the Church's life. The presence of the Spirit in the Church does also remind us of the invisible presence of Christ in the Divine Liturgy, as is noted in another prayer (Christ is the one that sits on the right hand of the Father and at the same time is invisibly present in the church during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy). With the invocation of the Holy Spirit the members of the Church receive the gift of the Eucharistic unity, for it is the Holy Spirit who 'holds together the whole institution of the Church'. The Divine Liturgy is love, God's love for humans and vice versa. In every Divine Liturgy, during the Epiclesis, the Church re-experiences the Mystery of the Pentecost. At that day the Most-Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles; now the Holy Spirit descends so as to consecrate the Gifts, i.e. the offering of the faithful. The presence of the Holy Spirit changes the bread and wine into the Body proper and the Blood proper of Christ. The Epiclesis is not simply intoned by the priest; it is rather officiated by the whole Body of the Church.

The prayer of the Invocation of the Holy Spirit mentions the benefactions received by the faithful, upon partaking of the Sacrament, namely: inner peace; the remission of sins; the gifts of the Holy Spirit; the Kingdom of Heaven; boldness towards God; and the avoiding of sin and of divine condemnation. The promise that the Lord made in the Last Supper is now fulfilled. So despite the fact that the Epiclesis is pneumatological in content, it also bears the signs of historical symbolism, alluding to Christ's work for the salvation of humankind.

At this point begins the preparation for the Holy Communion of both the priest and the people. The priest through a series of petitions asks God to send down to him as well as to the faithful His grace so that they get prepared for the Holy Communion. The first prayer of preparation for the Holy Communion ('Unto Thee we entrust (...)') is an outline of the theology of the Eucharist: Holy Communion is called therein a 'heavenly and dreadful Mystery', which is offered on a 'holy and spiritual' Table. These theological expressions about the Holy Communion reveal the holiness of the Sacrament, which is indeed a divine gift, a gift that the faithful cannot receive unconditionally and without preparation.

The basic prerequisite is underlined in the aforementioned prayer: a pure conscience on the part of the faithful is a sine qua non. 'Conscience' is a comprehensive term, which covers the full spectrum of spirituality. Even in psychological sciences conscience is considered as the pivot in shaping a balanced human personality. Pure conscience is therefore an essential precondition for the partaking of the most pure Sacrament.

We should note here that this prayer of preparation for the Holy Communion does not fail to refer to the benefits of the Sacrament, which are the following: remission of sins; forgiveness of transgressions; inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven; boldness upon approaching the Lord; abstention from sin; and deliverance from condemnation. It should be underlined that the remission of sins is the result of the partaking of the Sacrament (we receive the Sacrament for the remission of our sins) and not a prerequisite for a participation in it (we need not be without sin so as to receive the Sacrament). The Church should lay emphasis on this truth in our modern world: God invites to Holy Communion not the Saints or the perfect ones but all of us, sinners.

The Holy Communion symbolizes the participation of the faithful in the Resurrection of Christ. Besides, it is of the resurrected Body of the Lord that the faithful partake. It is in this sense that the Holy Communion is allegorically considered as an 'inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven'.

Next in order is a recitation of the Lord's Prayer. The Lord considered this prayer a most suitable one for His faithful, for, through the prayer's wording, the faithful recognize that they belong to the same family of brothers and sisters. Moreover, this prayer teaches them that God forgives them their great debts, provided that they have already forgiven their fellows' lesser ones.

The second prayer of preparation for the Holy Communion is the 'Prayer at the Bowing of Heads', which is read in gratification and thanksgiving to God. Through His Sacrifice by crucifixion Christ made humans 'His friends' (this is His exact words to the disciples), so the faithful at this point bow their heads in reply to this privilege they have. The priest asks God to 'individualize' the benefits that the participation to Holy Communion gives the faithful ('Do Thou, therefore, O Master, administer these Offerings to all of us for our benefit according to the individual need of each'), underlining in this way that the partaking of the Sacrament is not connected with human body in a vague way, it is rather connected with the specific needs and problems of each and every one of the members of the Church (some of these are mentioned in the prayer). In this prayer of thanksgiving the faithful rejoice at the Lord's death, the death of each and every one of them and the pledge of eternal life.

The aforementioned prayer has a great symbolic significance: through its wording it indicates that the participation of the faithful in the Resurrection can be individualized, i.e. it can be made different to suit the needs of a particular person according to his or her own personality. This participation is an inner, personal, conscious sacrifice. It is not a hindrance to plans, hopes and life but an approval, an encouragement, a blessing.

Shortly before the Holy Communion a last prayer of preparation underlines the mystery of the presence of Christ during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy: God is in His 'holy dwelling place', on His 'throne', but at the same time He is invisibly present with us. He is the one that will administer the Holy Communion to the priests, who subsequently will administer it to the faithful in continuation of His work.

At this point begins the Holy Communion. First it is received by the priest, then by the faithful. The first act of this process is the 'breaking of the Amnos', i.e. the dividing of the Amnos into four pieces. It is a continuation of the act, which was performed by Christ at the Last Supper, when He took a loaf of bread, broke it and gave it to His disciples. This act is repeated every time the Divine Liturgy is celebrated and it is called 'the breaking (dividing) of the bread'. During this breaking the priest says that Christ 'is broken, yet is not divided' for He is present, all of Him, in each and every part of the 'divided' Amnos and, though eaten, He is never consumed.

Afterwards, he arranges, in the form of a cross, all four pieces of the Amnos on the Diskos and then he places one of these pieces into the Chalice, thus uniting the Body of Christ with His Blood. The priest's words 'The fullness of the Cup of the Faith and of the Holy Spirit' refer to the Lord, who renders us full of the Holy Spirit.

The breaking of the bread is the act by which the members of the primitive Church recognized one another. In the Gospel of Luke two disciples going to a village called Emmaus recognize the Resurrected Lord through His taking the bread, blessing and breaking it.

After having finished with the union of the Amnos with the Holy Blood, the priest pours warm water or Zeon into the Chalice. According to St Germanus of Constantinople, the priest pours the Zeon into the Cup in remembrance of the hot blood and water that flowed from the undefiled side of the Lord. Thus, hot water is used in Holy Communion, adding to the symbolism of the Sacrament. The Zeon also signifies the fervour of faith.

Then the priest recites some prayers of preparation for the Holy Communion, which are part of a Service called The Preparatory Prayers for Holy Communion. Afterwards, he is the first to partake of Christ's Body—and of His Blood straight from the Chalice.

He subsequently gets prepared to administer the Holy Communion to the faithful.

The priest places all the remaining segments of the Amnos into the Chalice, then the portions of the Mother of God and the Saints. Then placing the particles of those he earlier mentioned by name in the Office of Preparation he says: 'Wash away, O Lord, the sins of them that have been remembered here, by Thy precious Blood'.

In the end he carefully wipes the Diskos so that there are no remaining particles or pearls on it. He then carefully wipes the Antimension for any remaining pearls, with a tailor-made accessory made of compressed natural sponge. This is called the Mousa and it is kept within the Antimension.

The priest goes out of the bema and invites the people to Communion, an invitation, which is subject to certain conditions, namely 'fear of God, faith and love'. St John Chrysostom, the author of the Divine Liturgy, gives similar advice: 'When you are about to draw near the divine and dreadful Table, entering this holy mystagogy, do so with fear and trembling, with a clear conscience, with fasting and prayer'.

The priest's words indicate that proper preparation is required so that the faithful proceed to Holy Communion. With fear of God (i.e. with a deep respect for Him), faith and love the faithful are invited to partake of the Lord's Body and Blood, which is administered to them with the Holy Spoon, a symbol of the pair of tongs used by the seraph in prophet Isaiah's vision. 'Faith' is the first step towards a life in Jesus. The 'fear of God' exists in human soul when all earthly care is laid aside. 'Love' is a firm decision to give a part of our existence (and not only our alms) to our fellow humans.

And when the people have received communion, they express this direct liturgical experience they had by means of a joyful hymn. The community has celebrated a festival, so its members leap for joy for what they have experienced. It has been a liturgical experience par excellence; the faithful have seen the true Light; they have received the Heavenly Spirit; and they have found the true Faith, by worshipping the undivided Trinity who has saved them.

Finally, the priest raises in a crosswise movement the Holy Gifts over the faithful and blesses God. This gesture signifies Christ's Ascension. At the time of the Ascension, Christ promised that He will always be with humans and will send them the Holy Spirit. This promise is repeated and renewed over the course of the Divine Liturgy.

Thus, the faithful leave the church, their souls being full of Grace and full of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

At this point the priest gives thanks to God for his—and for the congregation's—partaking of the Holy Communion.

The prayer of thanksgiving refers to the Holy Communion as something that comes from the heavens ('Heavenly Mysteries') and gives immortality to the communicants ('Immortal Mysteries'). It is 'the medicine of immortality and the antidote to prevent us from dying'. It shows to the communicants what life everlasting will be like. It is a foretaste of immortality here and now. The prayer of thanksgiving is a loud reiteration of the same thing that each one of the faithful heard upon receiving Communion: 'The servant of God partakes (...) for the remission of his/her sins and unto life everlasting'. By participating in the Divine Liturgy and partaking of Holy Communion, every Christian has an experience of the resurrected Christ and a foretaste of his or her own resurrection.

In the Church of the first centuries the priest announced the end of the Divine Liturgy with the phrase: 'Let us depart in peace'. This was the closing phrase of the Eucharistic gathering; it was the dismissal of the faithful. The resurrected Christ, who is true Light, was now among the faithful. He was inside them. It was high time, the Church suggested, that the faithful turned back to the world, full of light, full of real life, full of Christ.

Nowadays there is an additional prayer, which is read after the phrase 'Let us depart in peace'. This is called the Ambo prayer, for when it was added to the Divine Liturgy, it was read in the middle of the Nave, behind the Ambo.

It is a final glorification of God, a brief recapitulation of the major petitions, which are included in the various prayers of the Divine Liturgy. All those who have partaken of the Body and Blood of Christ are now called, upon leaving the church, to prove in their everyday life that they worthily received the Sacrament. This is why the Church uses the Ambo prayer. With this prayer the Church asks God to strengthen the faithful in their struggle and make them officiate a 'Liturgy after the Liturgy'. In other words the faithful, who have received Christ, should, like a little yeast that leavens the whole batch of dough, bring Him to the rest of the world; this is their special duty for God's Creation.

Afterwards, the priest reads a beautiful, though virtually unknown, prayer. He is now before the Prothesis, in front of the Holy Gifts. He asks Christ, who is the fulfilment of all the prophecies pertaining to world's salvation and the fullness of joy, to fill the hearts of the faithful with gladness! Christ is not only the giver of joy but also the joy given to each and every one of the faithful, to each and every one of us.

The Divine Liturgy has now ended. The priest blesses the people with the sign of the cross, asks God to send His blessing upon the faithful and then proceeds to the Dismissal. First he confesses faith to the only true God, the one that the faithful have just received, and then he commemorates many interceding Saints, especially the Most-Holy Mother of God. According to St Nicholas Cabasilas, at the Dismissal the priest asks God to save us in His mercy, since we have nothing to show worthy of salvation on our own. We thus entrust God to save us in his loving kindness.

After the dismissal, the priest distributes to those who did not receive the Holy Communion the Antidoron, i.e. pieces of blessed bread. This reminds us of the love-feasts of the primitive Church. It is also given 'instead of the Gifts' (i.e. the Holy Communion). Of course in no case is the Antidoron a substitute for the 'Gift', it is rather a giving of 'spiritual comfort' to those who did not manage to participate in the Sacrament. The Antidoron is not only God's gift to the faithful but also a generous gift of our Most-Holy Mother of God. This is so because the Antidoron comes from the offered prosphora, which in reality symbolize our glorious Lady.

Finally the priest asks God to have mercy upon the faithful and save them 'through the prayers' of the Church Triumphant and the Church Militant.

The priest now consumes what remained from the Holy Communion, i.e. the portions of the Saints, those of the living and the departed etc., which in reality is the Body and Blood of Christ. This remainder is holy, so it cannot be drawn from the Chalice in any way, other than consuming.

Afterwards, he pours into the Chalice a small quantity of water so as to rinse the Cup and the Holy Spoon. None of the particles, i.e. the pearls of our Lord's Body and Blood, should remain in the Chalice. So he rinses and then wipes both the Chalice and the Holy Spoon with the Communion Purificator, which he then folds and puts over the Sacred Vessels.

During the consuming, either the priest inaudibly or one of the faithful aloud, recites the Prayers of Thanksgiving after Holy Communion, which is in reality a series of short sublime prayers. Just like upon receiving any gift arises in us a wish to thank the one who brought it, a strong wish to thank God appears upon receiving this invaluable great gift, the Holy Communion.