The Divine Liturgy: The Fulfillment of Time

Hi Soul 🌻 

Be still. Be offered. Be transformed.

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” — Colossians 1:27

Take a moment to pause before reading.

Bring your attention to where you are.

Bring your attention to what you are carrying.

Bring your attention to Christ already present.

There are moments in the Christian life when we may find ourselves thinking about the mysteries of faith as events that happened long ago — Christ was born, Christ died, Christ rose, Christ ascended.

The Byzantine tradition invites us into something much more mysterious.

In the Divine Liturgy, we do not simply remember what Christ has done. Through anamnesis, His saving love becomes present to us here and now. Past, present, and even the future Kingdom mysteriously meet in the eternal present of God.

And perhaps even more mysteriously, we are not merely witnessing this mystery.

We are being drawn into it.

The Holy Spirit is invoked “upon us and upon these gifts.” The bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ, and we who receive Him are invited to become increasingly like the One we receive — sanctified, transformed, and drawn into communion with God and one another.

Here is a question to carry with you as you read:

What if the Divine Liturgy is not simply something I attend, but a mystery that is gradually transforming who I am becoming?

I continue my journey through the Byzantine Catholic Catechism with Fr. Ed from St. Mary's Byzantine Catholic Church in New York.

This time I'm sharing from Chapter 4 — The Divine Liturgy: The Fulfillment of Time, which explores the Paschal Mystery, Christ as our Passover, the Eucharist and the New Covenant, anamnesis, the Anaphora and Epiclesis, and how the Divine Liturgy makes the saving mystery of Christ present for our sanctification and deification.

Below, I'll share my reading notes, reflections, and the questions and conversations that emerged during this catechism meeting.