BCP: Liturgy and priesthood – to the roots of the Calvary sacrifice

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Let us consider the liturgy from the point of view of spiritual benefit. The condition for a deeper experience of Christ’s Calvary sacrifice is two moments of silence. One before the Consecration and the other after it.

At the first moment of silence, the priest realizes the spiritual roots of the New Testament priesthood. These go back to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.

The bloodless sacrifice was instituted and the Holy Spirit was given on Mount Zion. Even today, through the sacrament of the priesthood, the Holy Spirit makes present Christ’s sacrifice on the cross!

The Church was born on Mount Zion on the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit. In the Bible, especially in the Prophets, Mount Zion in Jerusalem is emphasized many times. After Pentecost, the Holy Spirit began to work especially through the sacraments. Christ, as the Son of God who took on our human nature, paid for our sins with His blood and death. After His resurrection and glorification, the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles. In Holy Baptism, He gives us divine life. Jesus said: “You must be born of water and the Spirit.” (cf. Jn 3:5) From farthest east to farthest west, the Holy Spirit makes present Christ’s pure offering in the liturgy (Mal 1:11). In the Eastern epiclesis, the priest asks for the sending of the Holy Spirit not only on the gifts, but also on us, that is, on the priest and the people.

A priest of Christ must pursue a devout life. He received the anointing of the Holy Spirit at ordination. He must revive this anointing at every Holy Mass by faith, precisely by asking for the Holy Spirit to be sent again. The priest’s spiritual life is intrinsically connected with Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The priest is to be transformed into Christ so that he may cry out with the Apostle, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” (Gal 2:20) The faith associated with asking for the Holy Spirit before the Consecration prevents soulless routine. About a three minutes pause before the Consecration leads to a deeper concentration before the culmination of the Eucharistic mystery. After the Consecration again, a three to five minutes adoration disposes the priest to be transformed into Christ. This involves 1) the inner experience of the testament from the cross, 2) the act of perfect contrition, and especially 3) the union with the death of Christ. What the Church needs most today is holy priests. It is not necessary for every priest of Christ to have visible stigmata, such as Padre Pio, but each of them should pursue union with Christ crucified.

The sacrament of the New Testament priesthood was established along with the institution of Christ’s bloodless sacrifice. Jesus took bread and said, “This is My body…” and then He took a cup of wine and said, “This is My blood…” These words refer to the Eucharist. Christ’s final command applies to the establishment of the New Testament priesthood: “Do this…!” It means that the apostles are to offer this bloodless sacrifice not as a symbol, but in order to make present its fulfilment at Calvary. The unity between its institution on Mount Zion, its accomplishment at Calvary, and its realization at a specific time and place is achieved through the working of the Holy Spirit. He works it through the priest anointed to offer up this sacrifice.

What do the next words “in remembrance of Me” mean? Their meaning is: “Do this as My unchangeable legacy that I leave to you before My death.” This is the true meaning of the words “in remembrance of Me”.

Christ’s statement on Zion, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:22), also applies to the institution of the priesthood.

Both the sacraments, the Eucharist and the priesthood, were instituted on Mount Zion and also accomplished there at the descent of the Holy Spirit.

The apostles celebrated the first Holy Mass on the same day or in the days following the sending of the Holy Spirit. It is quite clear that this liturgy did not look like it does today. The apostles prayed spontaneously, but the culmination was Christ’s words of institution and a fervent invocation of the Holy Spirit. With the course of time, various forms of liturgy emerged in both the East and the West. This was especially the case between the first and third centuries, at the time of the bloody persecution of Christians. In the fourth century, the order of the liturgy in the East was revised by St Basil the Great and St John Chrysostom. In the West, the liturgy was revised by Pope Damasus. Even after that, there were still others in addition to these two liturgies, such as the Liturgy of St James, or later the Gallic liturgy, Ambrosian liturgy…

All liturgies except prayers and chants had the same essence, namely the words of Christ and the epiclesis. Pope Damasus deliberately omitted any mention of the Holy Spirit for fear of abuse. He assumed that the Holy Spirit works implicitly through the sacrament of the priesthood itself. Without the Holy Spirit, the sacraments do not work in the Church.

In this view of history, let us also look at the current situation. The Eastern Church primarily celebrates the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom. The Western Church has celebrated the Mass of Pope Paul VI, the so-called Novus Ordo, since 1967.

What would I personally say on the question of the liturgy? I have celebrated the liturgy daily for fifty years. Before and during my studies in the seminary, I tried to inwardly experience the former Latin Mass. When I became a priest, I began to celebrate the Mass of Paul VI. Since I joined the Order of St Basil the Great and transferred to the Eastern rite thirty years ago, I have celebrated the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom. Ever since my conversion at the age of fifteen, I have focused my attention on the essence. The liturgy was to me the source of strength in the life struggle against sin, in the struggle to keep my heart and mind pure, to save my immortal soul. When, during our studies in the seminary, we experienced the end of the Latin Mass and began to celebrate the reformed Mass with the altar turned to face the people and with the abandonment of Latin, as a seminarian I still adhered to the spiritual experience of the essence of the holy sacrifice. Basically, therefore, I did not care if the Latin or Reformed Mass was celebrated. I found the external change unnecessary. As a priest, I continued to experience the Holy Mass personally and internally.

I continued my efforts to inwardly experience the essence of the liturgy even when I celebrated the Eastern Liturgy. What do I want to say? In fact, I would like to encourage both Latin- and Greek-rite priests as well as all sincere believers to experience this mystery of the faith more deeply. The above-mentioned moment of silence before and after the culmination of the liturgy may be helpful in this respect. The mystery of the faith culminates in the Epiclesis associated with the Consecration.

During the first pause or moment of silence, it is appropriate for the priest and the people to kneel for a while and for the choir, if there is one, to sing an antiphon. In the Western liturgy, it is best to sing “Veni Sancte Spiritus” at the first pause. In their spirit, the priest and the faithful are on Mount Zion where Jesus instituted a bloodless sacrifice. At the same time, the apostles were anointed there and empowered by the Holy Spirit to offer the sacrifice of Christ. This is the new and eternal covenant sealed with the blood of Christ.

After the Consecration, there is a second moment of silence when the priest and the faithful kneel. Here everyone realizes the following: Now I stand in spirit by the cross of Christ by the side of the Mother of Jesus in the place of the Apostle John. Jesus sees me and speaks to me. Now, at the moment before His death, He leaves His last will and testament also to me in the words, “Behold, your Mother.” The Apostle John spiritually received the Mother of Jesus into his own – Greek eis ta idia. At this hour, I receive her spiritually just as he did when he stood by the cross. I can slowly utter the divine name of Jesus with faith – Yehoshua in Aramaic. After that, I make an act of perfect contrition. My spiritual eyes are fixed on the five wounds of Christ. Looking at each of the wounds, I can say slowly in my mind, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner.” Then I realize the essence of the Consecration, namely the making present of the death of Christ, into which I was immersed through baptism (Rom 6:4). I can think of the words of Jesus, when He cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani.” They express Jesus’ most difficult spiritual struggle. He took on Himself the root of all the evil which is in man. He also took on Himself all sins and crimes of mankind. He suffered the utmost pain – spiritual darkness, separation from the Father. The last words express the accomplishment of a breakthrough into the spiritual darkness that envelops man. This opened the way up for us to commit our spirit into the Father’s hands along with the spirit of Jesus. Our salvation, which is in our inner union with Jesus, is thus finished.

The priest ends this second moment of silence by singing, “The mystery of faith”, and the people reply, “We proclaim Your death, O Lord…”

The vital necessity today is metanoia, i.e. the conversion of our mind and our lifestyle to God. Let it be declared by an outward gesture, namely that during the Mass the priest will again turn to face God, who is present in the tabernacle, and will no longer stand with his back to Him.

Finally, a brief overview of the two pauses

The first moment of silence lasts about three minutes. It comes before the opening words of the Consecration. The priest and the people kneel and the choir sings the antiphon Veni Sancte Spiritus.

Both the priest and the faithful realize that Jesus instituted a bloodless sacrifice on Mount Zion. It was there that the Holy Spirit was given too. He will now make present Christ’s sacrifice through the priest! Veni Sancte Spiritus… I receive with faith the same Holy Spirit as the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost.

The second moment of silence after the Consecration lasts about three to five minutes. The priest and the people kneel; the choir sings an antiphon which repeats the name of Jesus. Both the priest and the faithful realize the following:

1) Testament from the cross

I stand in spirit at Calvary. Jesus, You see me now and now You say to me, “Behold, your Mother!” – I receive. I say in spirit: “Ye-ho-shu-aa-aa-aa”.

2) The act of contrition

I look at Your wounds, and say in my mind: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner.” I repeat it five times.

3) The death of Christ

We were immersed through baptism into Christ’s death. Now I am united to Your death, by which I am saved. I say in spirit slowly with faith: “Ye-ho-shu-aa-aa-aa”.

 

+ Elijah

Patriarch of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate

 

29 June 2022

 

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