The Divine Liturgy is the primary worship service of the Church. The
most commonly celebrated forms of the Divine Liturgy are the Liturgy of
St. John Chrysostom, the Liturgy of St. Basil, and the Liturgy of the
Presanctified Gifts, but there are others such as the Liturgy of St.
James; the Liturgy of St. Mark; the Liturgy of St. Gregory the Great
and the Liturgy of St. Tikhon of Moscow. The Divine Liturgy is a
eucharistic service. It contains two parts: the Liturgy of the
Catechumens, sometimes called the Liturgy of the Word, at which the
Scriptures are proclaimed and expounded, and the Liturgy of the
Faithful, sometimes called the Liturgy of the Eucharist, in which the
gifts of bread and wine are offered and consecrated. The Church teaches
that the gifts truly become the body and blood of Jesus Christ, but it
has never dogmatized a particular formula for describing this
transformation. The Prothesis (or proskomedia), the service of
preparing the holy gifts, can be considered a third part which precedes
the beginning of the Liturgy proper.
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Guidelines for the reception of Holy Communion:
All practicing Catholics (Roman, Eastern, and
Oriental) who have received their First Communion according to the
standards of their particular Church and who are in good standing with
their Church may receive the Holy Mysteries (including Holy Communion).
All practicing members of the Eastern or Oriental Orthodox
Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, or the Polish National
Church who are in good standing with their Church and who spontaneously
request it may receive the Holy Mysteries of Repentance and Holy
Communion, but they are counseled to follow the guidelines their own
Churches have set.
In order to receive the Body and Blood of our Savior
in Holy Communion, just tell the priest your Christian name (the name
you were baptized with) when you approach, then open your mouth wide
with your tongue in. Father will take care of the rest!
All other guests are welcome to approach for a
blessing. To do so, simply bow your head forward when you approach
Father. He will say a prayer over you (or your child), asking for God
to bless you.
All the following may avail themselves of this opportunity for a blessing:
-Those who have not kept the fast
-Those who have not recently been to confession
-Those who have not been practicing their faith
-Those who have not yet come to faith in Christ
-Those who are Christians of another denomination
-Those who arrived after the reading of the Gospel
-Those who have not yet received their First Communion according to the standards of their particular church
-Those who refrain from partaking of the Eucharist for other reasons.
