Continued 👇🏾
The Holy Liturgy is a heavenly mystery celebrated on earth. Through it, we offer true and living worship to God, proclaim our foundational faith, and participate in the mysteries of the Church, especially the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
✍🏾This heavenly reality is clearly revealed in Isaiah 6:1–end, where the prophet witnesses the worship of heaven:
👉🏾 “Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said:Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;the whole earth is full of His glory.And the house was filled with smoke.”
On Sundays and major feast days, the faithful gather to participate in the Holy Liturgy .
Those who have properly prepared themselves through fasting, confession, prayer, and reconciliation receive the Holy Body and Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Those who have not prepared themselves for the Sacrament of Holy Communion do not receive the Holy Body and Precious Blood. Instead, they receive a blessing, make the sign of the cross, and return with reverence, awaiting a future time when they are spiritually prepared.
The Holy Liturgy is a communal act of worship, led by priests, assisted by deacons, and prayerfully participated in by the entire congregation.
✍🏾The service follows an established and orderly tradition:
👉🏾The sera'i priest stands to the west of the altar, facing east.
👉🏾The priest (nifk kahn) also stand to the south of the altar, facing north, according to the rite being performed.
👉🏾The sear'i deacon stands to the east, facing west.
👉🏾The nifk deacon also stands to the north, facing south, surrounding the altar in service and reverence.
👉🏾A fifth minister (assistant) stands to the left of the priest and lights the lamp for him when required.
✍🏾Liturgical Discipline
Because the sacred book is placed on a bench, only the priest or another ordained priest may open it. This follows the established discipline of the Church.
✍🏾Throughout the Holy Liturgy, the clergy move according to the order of the rite, offering blessings, prayers, incense, and prostrations, all done with reverence, harmony, and obedience to the tradition of the Church.
✍🏾Order of Service in the Qine Mahlet
👉🏾In the Qine Maḥlet (ቅኔ መሕሌት), there are groups of believers and clergy who stand and serve according to the established order of the Church, both in the kidist and in the Mekdes.
👉🏾In the northeastern service area of the Qine Maḥlet, men stand and serve the faithful according to their assigned ministry.
👉🏾In the western part of the sanctuary, priests and deacons stand and serve.
✍🏾In the southern area, nuns, priests and deacons wives, and praying believers stand and serve in reverence, each according to their role.
✍🏾The believers who stand and serve in these areas participate in the service,
The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is performed only in the sanctuary, and only by ordained priests.
✍🏾The sanctuary is the holy place where only priests may enter, where the Holy Body is consecrated, and from which the priests come forth to bless the faithful.
✍🏾In these various sections of the church, many services are carried out, including prayers, chanting, incense, blessings, and orderly participation .
✍🏾When the Holy Liturgy is celebrated, both clergy and faithful receive their portion of the Word of God, bow in reverence, and participate through prayer and blessing according to Church tradition.
✍🏾For this reason, we say that the Holy Liturgy is a worship that is visible, tangible, audible, and living. It is not abstract or hidden, but fully expressed through action, sound, movement, and sacred order.
Continues 👇🏾