The Divine Liturgy - Greatest Gift of All

The Greatest Gift.

The Divine Liturgy is the greatest of all gifts the Lord has given us. That is not to minimize all the other gifts we have received. It is He who has given us life. Also it is He who has given us the wonder and beauty of the earthly world He created for our sustenance and enjoyment. What beauty we find in the flowers, the streams, the forests, the mountains, oceans, lakes and deserts. In addition, the Earth is alive with so many amazing creatures. Beyond these gifts is His Incarnation where He came to transform human life so we could be untied with Him, His divinity. Through Him humanity is united with the divine. Also, He gave up His life voluntarily on the Cross for our salvation showing us the path to eternal life with Him by His Resurrection and Ascension. But, the greatest gift is what He has left for us, His Body and Blood that we partake in the Divine Liturgy. In this, even though Jesus is not physically with us, we are united with Him, in full communion with Him. We are filled with His love and His divine energies. This empowers us to continue to do His work, to be a temple of His spirit, and able to shine with a divine radiance His love to others. What a beautiful gift!

Never refuse this gift!

We should not refuse this gift ever. When we come to the Church each Sunday we should seek forgiveness for all our sins and prepare ourself out of our Love of Him by offering our thanks for His sacrifice and all He has provided for us. We should come with the purpose to partake of this gift. To ignore it and to sit by idly observing, we are in a real way refusing communion with God.

A grand mystical happening.

The Divine Liturgy is a coming together of the heavenly church and the earthly church. We are joined with the angels and the saints. We amplify the angelic voices when we offer hymns glorifying Him. We have icons reminding us of the presence power of the saints who also join us.

The Church is more than an Organization

It is too easy to think of the church as another organization or institution. Yes, we do have a council and a president and legal charter. We do need to support the maintenance of the church through our contributions, but all these activities are subordinate to what the Church is. It, with its members, is the Body of Christ. In the Liturgy we all are joined as one body as we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. It is in this way we express our love and receive the strength do do His will.

God wants Union.

Remember that our God wants to be united with us out of His love. The Divine Liturgy is a gift that surpasses all things. We cannot afford to turn our heads at the time His gifts are presented and we are called to come and partake. When we ignore this call it is like we are shutting the door in His face. Instead, we must recognize our unworthiness and come forward to receive this gift out of our love and desire to be united with Him. Through our participation we are consecrating our whole being to be united with Him and to do His work

Saint Nicodemus says,

"Ask God, in Whom you believe and Whom you love that in you He increase love, a desire for unity with Him, and fervor of love for Him. 

"As you partake of this holy gift remember how powerful it is.  Allow it to nurture in you meekness, giving you greater patience in you daily work and a greater love of God."

“Through Divine Communion Christ implants in us the seeds of immortality, as He Himself said, ‘Whosoever eats My flesh and drinks my Blood, has eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:54).”

Inspired by Saint Nicodemus. What has God Done for Our Salvation, "The Greatness of the Divine Eucharist," pp 6-10