Divine Liturgy

between the church and its followers are revealed. Although Saint Michael church 's parish is small and possesses diversity, these bonds always exist in Saint Michael church. Prothesis, which is a short preparatory service, that comes before the Divine Liturgy. During this service, servants turn on the light, in the chamber, as a symbol of Jesus existence in the spirit of the people in church. Prayers participate deeply, strenuously, and vigorously in this service to show and express their…

base in the West. Ultimately, this period saw an intermingling of both high and low church. While the practice and study of theology, liturgy, and traditional ceremony…

Worship is God’s initiative to self-disclose to humanity through God’s redemptive acts of love, that amaze us, and invite us to respond in awe, humility, and gratitude while ascribing honor and worth to the one and true God that engages us in a covenantal relationship of love and obedience and gives us the hope of recreation. Worship is the product of experiencing God’s numinous, because God’s love, grace, and mercy are revealed to us. At that precise moment, our eyes are opened, and a…

We can securely attribute more compositions to Hildegard von Bingen than to any other musician, male or female, who worked before the early 14th century. In spite of her impressive output, Hildegard did not consider herself and impressive composer or musician. Born into a noble family in what is now western Germany, she entered Benedictine convent at the age of 7 and took vows when she was 16. In her early 30s she began to experience visions and revelations, which she recorded in a series of…

in hopes of receiving the ultimate pat of approval on the head instead of properly ministering to their flock in accordance with God's wisdom." - Doreen Elizabeth Wells There exists two distinct ways of understanding the role of presider in the Liturgy: "in persona Christi" (in the person of Christ) and "in persona…

In ancient Israel, protocol at animal sacrifices permitted the high priest’s servants to plunge a three-pronged fork into the cauldron of boiling water and return to the high priest whatever amount of meat they were able to draw up. In defiance of this rule of law, the sons of Eli (the high priest and predecessor of Samuel as judge of Israel) instructed their servants to take as much meat as they wanted, forcefully if necessary, even before the meat was fully cooked. "This sin of the young men…

Beguine movement began in the early 12th century and grew rapidly to the point where houses (Beguinages) within a town or city were common. Beguines practiced renewable vows with the option to leave the community (ex to marry), and mysticism through liturgy. Marguerite Porete, a Beguine mystic, was burned for heresy for her mystical writings,…

catechists are challenged to invite others into a relationship with Christ. Over time, theologians have developed varying pedagogies meant to direct the catechist in his or her ministry, though it is important that these methods be in conformity to the Divine Pedagogy. Groome’s Shared Christian Praxis and Cavalletti’s Catechesis of the Good Shepherd draw upon the Pedagogy of God through the role of the catechist and through the means by which one obtains knowledge. According to Groome’s…

The life of a Benedictine monk is based on one thing necessary: quaerere Deum which means to seek God. Some of the first Benedictine monks where living in Monte Cassino in the middle of the 6th century, living under the Rule of St. Benedict himself. By the end of the 10th century, the Rule of Benedict was used mainly through England. The Benedictine monks where also called the black monks. A typical here day begins at 3:10 a.m. with the wake-up bell and after a small cup of coffee, we make our…

conclude with a summary. Near the beginning of chapter three, O’Neill explains that the “restoration of the sinner can be achieved only by grace.” (O’Neill pg. 47) Grace is essential in the lives of Christians because it allows them to share in God’s divine nature, it likewise manifests Yahweh’s image in them, and it also brings about the indwelling of the Trinity within those individuals. (cf. O’Neill pg. 51) Without the assistance of grace, according to O’Neill, it is impossible for…