Today in church, I kept thinking, "Where are we?."
Some of the prayers seem to be locating us on earth, where we pray for ongoing-in-time kinds of things such as seasonable weather, continuing sanctification, those who travel by land, sea, and air, and so on.
But other prayers would seem to locate us beyond time and space, in eternity, already at the Heavenly Marriage Supper where all is complete: "Thou it was who brought us from non-existence into being, and when we had fallen away, didst raise us up again, and didst not cease to do all things until Thou hadst brought us up to heaven and hadst endowed us with 'Thy Kingdom which is to come" and even more explicitly: "Remembering this saving commandment and all those things which have come to pass for us: the cross, the tomb, the resurrection on the third day, the ascension into heaven, the sitting at the right hand of God the Father, the second and glorious coming."
When I got home, I checked Orrologion's blog which I had not visited for a long time--I have been very behind on everything, including blog-reading--and found a link to a little book called Theosis: The True Purpose of Human Life" by Archimandrite George, the Abbot
of St. Gregorios Monastery. Here is what the Archimandrite says about location, location, location:
"...[E]very Sunday and every time the
Divine Liturgy is celebrated, we are all present
in it together with all the Angels and all the
Saints through all the ages. Even our departed
relatives are present, if, of course, they are
united with Christ. We are all there and communicate
amongst ourselves mystically, not
externally, but in Christ."
http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/general/theosis.aspx
So...is there only one Liturgy, for all time and eternity, and that's where we all actually are?
Is this true for every service, such as Vespers, etc.?
Is it true when we're home praying "alone"? Praying "alone" as we walk down the street?
When, in fact, is it not the case?
It does feel very much like we're in a different place during Liturgy. But if so, why am I so distracted all the time?
When I am distracted, am I not there in that place anymore, for the duration of the distraction? Am I thus blipping in and out of heaven like a weak electronic signal?
Am I being too literalistic here?
What do they mean by "this bloodless sacrifice" if we're actually partaking of Christ's Body and Blood?
***
4 comments:
Glad my link could be of help.
The Divine Liturgy stands outside of time, which is why it is not numbered among the 'daily' cycle of services as are Vespers, Matins, the Hours, etc. It is an eschatological event 'Today', in the great Now of the Eternal Present in the age to come. We enter into that one sacrifice which was and is and always shall be forever without end.
I like the Kondak for the Feast of the Protection (as sung at the OCA's Cathedral in NYC named for this feast) on this topic:
TODAY the Virgin stands forth in the Church and with the choirs of saints prays to God for us; the hierarchs bow down with the angels, the apostles and the prophets rejoice for the Mother of God prays to the eternal God for us.
Thank you, Orrologion.
...So...it's one Eucharist, and everybody--past, present, and future is there? And we go in and out of that when we go in and out of church before and after Liturgy? And this must include people who haven't even been born and lived their lives and died yet, because from the point of view of eternity, they have done so?
That's my understanding, yes. This is how the Anaphora can "remember" not only past events, but also the future event of the Second Coming.
Thank you, Orrologion.
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