Monday, September 27, 2010

How will you give thanks?

“Why do I need to go to church? I don’t get anything out of it.” We often hear such comments then become tongue-tied when trying to respond. Yet, the answer is so simple: “To give thanks to the Lord.”

The Eucharist (from the Greek word meaning to give thanks), is the most important act of our liturgical life. We gather together as a Christian family to give thanks and praise to the One we love and from whom we have received our life. For much the same reason we attend the birthdays, anniversaries and significant events in the lives of those we love. We attend to give, not to get! We attend out of love, not obligation. In this way, we deepen our relationship and connection with the one being honoured and with those gathered to do the same.

In the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Sluzba Bozha, commonly celebrated on Sundays) at the Anaphora (just before the bread and wine are consecrated as the Body and Blood of Christ), the priest recites this prayer (usually silently): It is right and just to sing of You, to bless You, to praise You, to thank You...You brought us from nothingness into being, and after we fell, you raised us up again. You did not cease doing everything, until you led us to heaven and granted us your future kingdom. For this, we give you Thanks ...”. Read it in its entirety on pg. 431 in The Divine Liturgy: An Anthology of Worship (available at Sheptytsky Institute).

We come to Divine Liturgy to give thanks, yet we leave with the greatest gift of all: the most pure Body and Blood of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. This is the gift we celebrate at every Divine Liturgy. Indeed, we have much to be thankful for!

The Saturday (Oct. 23/Nov. 6) before the feast of St. Demetrius, the Church celebrates the first Soul Saturday of the liturgical year. Another five such Saturdays of general commemoration of the dead follow: one a week (Feb. 26) before Great Lent begins, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Saturdays of Lent (Mar. 19, 26 and Apr. 2) and the final one on the Saturday (June 11) before Pentecost. Why the emphasis on prayer for the departed?


Iryna Galadza is Director of the Toronto Eparchy Catechetical Resource Centre, a teacher, mother, grandmother, and wife of Mitred Archpriest Roman Galadza, pastor of St. Elias Church, in Brampton, Ontario.


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"From the Eucharist comes strength to live the Christian life and zeal to share that life with others."-- Pope John Paul II



Prayer offers positive way to deal with death

The Saturday (Oct. 23/Nov. 6) before the feast of St. Demetrius, the Church celebrates the first Soul Saturday of the liturgical year. Another five such Saturdays of general commemoration of the dead follow: one a week (Feb. 26) before Great Lent begins, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Saturdays of Lent (Mar. 19, 26 and Apr. 2) and the final one on the Saturday (June 11) before Pentecost. Why the emphasis on prayer for the departed?

We pray for dead for a number of reasons. Prayer enables us to continue a loving relationship with our dearly departed and reminds us of the hope that someday we’ll be reunited. It helps us come to terms with our own mortality and, can positively affect the way we live. Since we are all sinners, we ask God to be merciful in judging the departed souls of our loved ones and to grant them peaceful repose.

For children, praying for the soul of dido or baba provides a positive way of dealing with death. It teaches them that although death brings sadness, it is not to be feared and loved ones aren’t forgotten.

To fully participate in the tradition of praying for the dead, ensure your family has an updated family memorial book with names going back as many generations as possible, so that they can be remembered in your prayers at home and at memorial services in church, especially on Soul Saturdays.

Deeply meaningful traditions connected with prayers for the dead abound. Read about them in the articles in the following links, and make them a part of your life.

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