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How the Divine Liturgy Begins: Blessing, Great Litany, and the Small Entrance
54:38
Deacon Seraphim walks through the opening portion of the Divine Liturgy, the Liturgy of the Catechumens. The service starts when the deacon asks the priest for a blessing and the priest proclaims the Kingdom of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Great Litany follows, led by the deacon, with the people answering "Lord, have mercy" to petitions for peace, salvation, the Church, civil authorities, the sick, travelers, and captives.
While the litany continues, the priest prays the first antiphon prayer secretly, addressing God whose power is immeasurable, glory incomprehensible, mercy boundless, and love for mankind inexpressible. The first antiphon uses Psalm 103 to teach how to bless the Lord. The second antiphon's prayer asks God to sanctify those who serve His house and glorify them by divine power.
The hymn "Only-begotten Son" confesses Christ's incarnation, crucifixion, and victory over death. The third antiphon presents the Beatitudes as a portrait of Kingdom citizens. The Small Entrance brings the Gospel book out as Christ's verbal icon, uniting earthly worship with the heavenly liturgy.
St. Germanus interprets the antiphons as the Old Testament period of prophetic announcement and the Small Entrance as Christ coming into the world in the Gospel book. The petition for the bishop confesses that an Orthodox eucharistic assembly exists only through communion with an Orthodox bishop; without the bishop there is no Church and no functioning Liturgy.
The Church prays for civil authorities and those serving in the armed forces regardless of personal approval, because Scripture commands prayer for rulers and the early Church did so under hostile emperors.
Key moments
- The Divine Liturgy begins with the deacon saying "Bless, Master" and the priest blessing the Kingdom of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, followed by the Great Litany petitioning for peace, salvation, weather, the sick, travelers, the bishop, government, harvest, and prisoners.
- The deacon asks for the blessing because the service is received from God, and the priest proclaims the Kingdom as the rule of the living God, love and peace in the Holy Spirit, confessing the Holy Trinity in the Liturgy's first sentence.
- The Great Litany opens with "In peace let us pray to the Lord"; each petition names a person or need to be included in the cry "Lord, have mercy," which means forgiveness, healing, protection, and all that restores God's creatures.
- The petition for the bishop confesses that an Orthodox eucharistic assembly exists only through communion with an Orthodox bishop; without the bishop there is no Church and no functioning Liturgy.
- The Church prays for civil authorities and those serving in the armed forces regardless of personal approval, because Scripture commands prayer for rulers and the early Church did so under hostile emperors.
- While the litany continues, the priest prays the first antiphon prayer secretly, addressing God whose power is immeasurable, glory incomprehensible, mercy boundless, and love for mankind inexpressible, "ineffable" meaning beyond words.
- The hymn "Only-begotten Son" confesses that the immortal Son of God became man without change from the Theotokos, was crucified, trampled death by death, and is one of the Holy Trinity glorified with the Father and the Spirit.
- St. Germanus interprets the antiphons as the Old Testament period of prophetic announcement, and the Small Entrance as Christ coming into the world in the Gospel book, His verbal icon.