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The Liturgy as Journey: Why Arrival Time Matters for Communion

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The video outlines the opening movements of the Divine Liturgy and explains a common pastoral teaching about late arrival. It begins with the priest's exclamation, "Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," which places the faithful at the doorway of God's Kingdom. The great litany follows, "In peace, let us pray to the Lord", where the congregation intercedes for the whole world, the sick, travelers, and all who suffer.

Then the Gospel book is carried out and read, and Christ speaks directly to the people. Many priests teach that arriving after the Gospel reading means one should not receive Holy Communion that day, because the Liturgy is a single journey from its beginning to the chalice, and hearing Christ's word precedes receiving His body and blood.

The video adds a pastoral note: those with small children, work obligations, or circumstances beyond their control should simply do their best, because God sees their situation.

Key moments

  1. The liturgy begins with the priest saying "Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," and from that moment the faithful stand at the doorway of the Kingdom of God.
  2. The great prayer of the church follows, "In peace, let us pray to the Lord", where the congregation prays for the whole world, the sick, travelers, and those who suffer as one family.
  3. The gospel book is carried out and the gospel is read, and Christ speaks to the people.
  4. Many priests say that if you come after the gospel, you should not receive communion that day because you have missed the part where we hear Christ before we receive him.
  5. The liturgy is a journey that the faithful work together from the beginning to the end, to the chalice.
  6. If you have little children, work, or something you cannot control, God sees that, so just do your best.
21 opinions in the discussion 16 participants, 11 replies to each other The opinion with the most support I grew up Lutheran and converted to Orthodoxy later in life. For me the thought of not being at liturgy from the beginning is unacceptable; also, the way people come and go during it is very distracting to me... but that's my flesh talking and I should focus… Read the discussion
74 comments at the source Original on Instagram

Discussion · 21

Opinions are anonymous retellings of real comments from the original discussion. The same colour marks the same participant.

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  • opinion#2018

    I grew up Lutheran and converted to Orthodoxy later in life. For me the thought of not being at liturgy from the beginning is unacceptable; also, the way people come and go during it is very distracting to me... but that's my flesh talking and I should focus only on God 🙏🏻

    • opinion#2019

      You don't know what other people are going through. Offer compassion instead of "unacceptable" thoughts.

    • opinion#2020

      I said FOR ME it is unacceptable. That means I CANNOT imagine MYSELF being LATE.

    • opinion#2021

      Yeah, offer yourself some compassion too. You are acceptable to Christ even if you show up late every time.

    • opinion#2022

      It is wrong to show up late every time. I'm not condemning anyone who shows up late every time, but it is undeniably a display of irreverence to show up to church late without good reason.

    • opinion#2023

      And what of it? Do you concern yourself with every "display of irreverence" you see? How do you get through your day like this? Don't you have a log in your own eye?

    • opinion#2024

      no but we also shouldn't be brushing off this lukewarm behavior as if it's acceptable.

    • opinion#2025

      acceptable to whom? Mind your own

    • opinion#2026

      it is hard to believe that someone is arguing that being late to church all the time is actually okay. habitual laziness and tardiness to what is supposed to be the most sacred part of our week. Lord have mercy.

  • opinion#2014

    This comment is off topic, but I want to thank you for starting your Instagram page and for the information you share. I'm in my late 60s and I've been a Baptist most of my life. I'm looking into the Orthodox Church and find your information very helpful in learning more about it. May God continue to bless you and guide you as you share more about the Orthodox Church.

    • opinion#2027

      I became Orthodox later in life also. In my 'mature age'.. there is an expectation with some that you should become fully practicing immediately but I would say come to it in your time. A few people will understand that if you've been established in another church for your entire life then it takes time to undo their ways and take on new ways. I only took part in practices when I understood them and agreed that it was right before God. Some parts of it take years, for me anyway. Some of it I may never fully understand, but my lack of understanding doesn't mean that it's not the true church. May Christ guide you.

    • opinion#2028

      I was 58 when I was baptized and the learning never ends. It's glorious!

  • opinion#2016

    I get there near the end of Orthos. I've shown up at the beginning of Orthos, but as a new catechumen I don't really understand what's going on and kind of just stand there. Hahaha.

    • opinion#2029

      orthros is the liturgy before the liturgy in a way. Use it to quietly pray, or just relax the mind and heart before service.

  • opinion#2015

    I had read this about Holy Communion and the Gospel in the book "Experiences During the Divine Liturgy"... one of the best books about the Divine Liturgy 🙌

  • opinion#2017

    I get to church during Orthos typically. I have a 3-year-old and it's hard to get him there for the beginning of Orthos at 7:30-8:00.

  • opinion#2012

    We arrive 30 minutes before the start of liturgy for confession and lighting candles for our loved ones, then hellos and hugs to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Then come the opening prayers for all, the reading of the Holy gospels, and the prayers in preparation to receive the Eucharist ❤️

  • opinion#2013

    Although I have a local church I attend, I prefer to drive four hours to Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York at least twice a month, and I always get there an hour early to pray to the icons, not to mention visiting Father Serafine and lighting a candle.

  • opinion#2009

    I go early, half an hour or more before the Holy Liturgy starts. There are few people inside then, and even though I pray at home and speak to God, I have this feeling that on Sunday morning there He hears me loud and clear. Nowadays I'm getting used to people who come halfway through the Liturgy or just for communion, but there was a time when I felt so much nervousness when the latecomers were fussing around and talking to each other, especially old ladies, sharing cake recipes or how their children and nephews did during the week. You don't want to know what my mind imagined. I say it's common sense to respect others' silence and prayers and try to be at the beginning of the service in church.

  • opinion#2010

    This is more because of families with children. Their kids go to school all week and on Sunday they let them rest a bit more. It's also because somehow all activities and children's parties happen at the same time as Liturgy. Priests in Romania focus more on not eating before the Liturgy rather than what you say. It's an outside attack on the families! When I'm late to church with my 4 children (I try not to be) it's because I have to get them ready in time, feed them nourishing food so they're not agitated, and make sure I bring food to church to share, since many people without children only bring sugary food. So for a mother it's much more. God bless all mothers with children ☦️☦️☦️

  • opinion#2011

    I'll admit I'm not there from the start, but I'm there every Sunday now and I make sure I'm there before the gospel reading. Every week I draw closer. I only started going regularly in the last two years, and now if I miss church I feel lost for the whole week. When the Eucharist is walked around the church I feel a deep connection now that often brings me to tears as I close my eyes and feel it's Jesus walking around. God bless all people, so much to learn ✝️