It has been said that a journey of a thousand miles begins
with a single step. Perhaps a more proper translation of this thought offered
by Lao Tzu is that The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet.
No matter how we say it, the journey into the Divine Liturgy, and therefore
into the Divine, begins with a step of the foot, but that foot must be ready –
socks and shoes, muscles and even callouses, to travel the road ahead.
Preparation for the Divine Liturgy is essential. A soul who
is present and ready for this Divine Mystery must prepare itself, as must the
minister who will be celebrate the Liturgy. Both the priest and the participant
enter to the sanctuary putting off their worldly garments and understand that
there is a sacredness to the space they enter. The physical structure of the
church is most often the place where this sacrament is celebrated. It has been
consecrated, that is, it has been set aside for the purpose of this sacred
work, just as the priest, the minister of the sacrament, is consecrated and ordained
for this celebration. He is man, not God. He stands humbly before the presence
of God. As you can imagine, there can be no ego present at this moment, and so
begins the stripping of the trappings of the world.
Because the Divine Liturgy is such an awesome and sacred
ceremony, the participant goes through a series of physical, spiritual and
emotional preparatory activities. Let us begin with the physical preparation,
because by far, it is the easiest to comprehend.
In the vestry of the church the priest engages in a
transformative process. The Divine Liturgy begins with the reciting of Psalm
132, “Let your priests be clothed with righteousness; and let your saints shout
for joy.” As we hear, the first utterances are in the spirit of a festival –
shouting for joy! In fact, the Divine Liturgy is a celebration. In that spirit,
the Priest offers his first prayer of the day before transforming himself with
the physical robes and vestments of the day. As we listen to it, place yourself
in that spirit of joy and understanding. It is the First Step of our journey:
O Jesus Christ our Lord who are clothed with light as with a
garment, you did appear upon earth in unspeakable humility and walked with men
and women.
[As you grant me permission to be vested for this service] make
me, your unprofitable servant, also worthy at this hour to approach the
spiritual service of your glory, so that I may divest myself of all ungodliness
which is a garment of defilement, and that I may be adorned with your light.
Cast away my wickedness from me and shake me out of my transgressions that I
may be made worthy of the light prepared by you in the world to come.
Grant me to enter
with priestly glory upon the ministry of your holy things. Christ, you did bear
the sins of all, for you are the holiness of our souls and upon you, befits glory,
dominion and honor.
In saying this prayer, we take the first step of
preparation. We will continue tomorrow by introducing the vestments that
prepare us physically to celebrate with joy, the Divine Liturgy.
Today: Preparations - taking the first step before vesting.
Lenten Recipe 2: Mushroom Fried Rice
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Background Lent Song: Here I Am to Worship played by Heidi
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