www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Eucharistic devotion among Byzantine Catholics

"Since the Eucharist is God Himself, why would one want to spend time adoring the
Body and Blood of Christ when one can partake of it? Was it given to us to worship
or to partake of?

While all prayer is good and profitable, what special graces does one receive in adoring the Eucharist that one does not receive by partaking of it?"

Hence the motivation for reception at every Liturgy as St. Pius X urged us towards. In a way, non-communication at Divine Liturgy is a form of Eucharistic adoration without reception.

Glory to Jesus Christ ! I think that there is a way that one can practice Eucharistic Adoration and remain in an Orthodox mindset. Byzantino or a group of people could pray the Prayers of Preparation for Communion, say after Saturday Vespers, and the Prayers of Thanksgiving before and after the reception of the Body and Blood of the Lord on the following Sunday. These worshipers would focus their attention on Christ present in the Kivot or the Artophorion. Unlike the Roman practice the Body of the Lord would not be visible. This would have the advantage of uniting Adoration with actual Communion. The disadvantage is that this just is not Orthodox practice. Orthodox believers, as far as I can tell, just do not pay attention to Jesus, in this form, after he has been returned to the Kivot. Please, if this is not correct let me know. One ought to also note that while Orthodox theology always has looked on the Eucharist as food. We all know that in past practice most Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic believers partook of Communion only a few times a year. Under these circumstances, Eucharistic Devotion can make some sense. If one cannot partake of the Eucharist as food is it a bad idea spend some time in contemplation of His Body and Blood present in the Kivot ? What do you think ? I have not yet read Schmemannn on the subject.

[This message has been edited by Doulos of Fatima (edited 02-26-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Doulos of Fatima (edited 02-26-2000).]

Doxa Theo!

I have been following all the posts and I am glad for the answer to this question about Eucharistic Adoration. I see that my thinking was going in the right direction. This is a "latinization". The East never had a problem about the Eucharist. None whatsoever. The problem took place in the West. To me, The Divine Liturgy is the epitomy of Adoration to Our Lord. This is just my opinion.

Well, it has been over a year since the last post on this thread....

This Thursday is the feast of the Holy Eucharist for those Byzantine Catholic Churches that still maintain this feast on their liturgical calendar.

Recently, I read in a local Catholic periodical that a Melkite parish in a neighboring city will celebrate the feast of the Holy Eucharist. The pastor stated that this feast is still celebrated among the Melkites in Lebanon and that eucharistic processions are very popular among them on that day. The pastor says that he will celebrate a divine liturgy for the feast although there will not be a eucharistic procession. He also stated that he will talk about the feast in his homily the following Sunday.

I am wondering if there are other Byzantine Catholic parishes (Melkite,Ukrainian,Ruthenian,etc)who will also be celebrating the feast of the Holy Eucharist on Thursday. What is the status of this feast in the liturgical calendar of the various Byzantine Catholic churches?

I will appreciate any information. God bless you.

[This message has been edited by Byzantino (edited 06-12-2001).]

When I looked at the Typikon of the Pittsburgh Metropolia, there was no mention of this feast. Therefore, I assume that we need to look at our calendars to discover what we're celebrating. While the Ukrainians and Melkites and Maronites have Western style feast celebrations, I think we need to make sure that we are doing what we do in order to live out our spiritual patrimony and then to go to the real practice of our peoples.

Blessings!

If this understanding of the Eucharist is correct, then why do we need the veneration of icons of Christ either? After all, if the icon as window into heaven is venerated, shouldn't the Holy Gifts be as well? And in the Holy Gifts we certainly have Christ present in a way that is greater than in the icon?

Don

Thanks for posting the tropar� and kondak for the Melkite observance of Corpus Christi. (From what I remember from Byzantine Catholic calendars, Ukrainian Catholics observe Corpus Christi too.) Interesting that the prayers themselves don�t sound Roman at all (perhaps not surprising for Melkites), for a feast that, while I�m happy it�s not heretical or a liberal innovation, is obviously an import from French and Polish Roman Catholic practice. I hope that tomorrow I remember to print them out when I have access to a laser printer!

The posters who point out there is no Eucharistic devotion outside of Liturgy in Orthodoxy because there never were heresies about the Blessed Sacrament in the East are right.

No surprise to anyone: I believe that ultimately the restorers are right among the Byzantine Catholics, that imports such as this aren�t necessary and, as one person pointed out, while not bad or heretical, out of harmony with the emphases in Orthodox worship (the Eucharist as food).

But we all share the same belief in the one Eucharist. As Bishop Kallistos wrote, there is no theological reason why we can�t have extraliturgical devotion to the reserved Sacrament; He is there.

I�ve seen �Byzantine Benediction� once, done by Ruthenians. The ciborium has a veil over it, just like at the Great Entrance at Liturgy. I don�t remember much else about it.

priest: O saving Sacrifice!

cantor/people: The one that opens the heavenly door, defend(?) from the enemies, giving strength and help.

priest: To the Lord one in the Trinity.

c/p: Let there be eternal glory granting eternal life in the kingdom, amen.

This is a direct copy of the Latin hymn O salutaris Hostia, �O saving Victim�, part of the Roman service of Benediction.

Serge

<a href="http://oldworldrus.com">Old World Rus�</a>

Dear Friends,
Christ is among us!
I just thought that it would be appropriate that a Byzantine Catholic respond to this question. Number 0ne, in 16 years of priestly ministry I have NEVER served any form of "Supplication" or "Benediction" Service involving the Eucharist. Nor can I remember being asked to do so. It certainly is true that one of the latinizations left in the Uniontown Pilgrimage is the "Eucharistic Procession and Supplication." Uniontown is the only place that I have actually seen these Services.

Both the Ukrainian and Melkite Byzantine Churches adopted their feasts of the Holy Eucharist directly from the latin practice of "Corpus Christi." But again I have never seen "Eucharistic Devotional Services" either in Ukraine or the Middle East.

In the tradition of Byzantine Christianity "Eucharistic Devotion" is most properly the reception of the Holy Mysteries. When one receives the Holy Mysteries, with a proper repentant heart, we "become what we eat."

In the Latin Tradition the Eucharist is "exposed." In the Latin Mass, the priest elevates on high the Sacred Species for all to see and worship. In the Byzantine Church the Eucharist is "hidden" behind and icon screen and curtain. In the Byzantine Liturgy there is never a time when the priest elevates the Species over his head and if one is following the ruthenian Recension fully, the curtain and Royal Doors would be closed anyway.

With so many proper Byzantine Services to celebrate, be they Molebens, Akathists, Vespers, Matins, Paraclis and others; do we really need to copy a tradition truly outside of the Byzantine Tradition.

Now please do not construe what I am saying as opposing what Roman Catholics do in their own Churches regarding "Eucharistic Adoration." It has become a part of their tradition for the past 1000 years. Nor am I opposed to Byzantine Catholic Churches being open for people to come and pray before the various Holy Icons or sit in contemplation. It is just that we do not need to continue what is ultimately foreign to our theological heritage.

Sincerely Yours in the Holy Trinity,
The unworthy priest,
Rev. Dr. Bryan Eyman

Dear Friends,

This is one of the most interesting and informative threads I have yet to come across anywhere!

Since Ukrainian Catholics were mentioned, I thought I would address this issue within that tradition.

There was an attempt to "Byzantinize" the Feasts of Corpus Christi and the Sacred Heart by Patriarch Slipyj.

Thus, the Troparia and Kondakia of these feasts (they also have Akathists prepared by Fr. Isidore Dolnitsky), are very "Byzantine" sounding.

Patriarch Slipyj himself practiced Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Church of St Neilos in Rome. He sometimes performed the Supplication Service with a Monstrance e.g. in Lourdes.

But these feasts, while they are still in the Calendar, are no longer celebrated by all parishes in our Church.

The "Eastern" Rite parishes do not observe these feasts but parishes run by the Basilians and other religious orders would and do.

Our Church is like the Anglican with its "High" and "Low" groups, but we have "Eastern" and "Western" oriented parishes.

I have attended Eucharistic services at RC Churches, no problem. This is why the feasts were introduced into our Church in the first place, because they were attracting our people in the old country.

There is no doubt but that both Western and Eastern Churches foster devotion to the Holy Eucharist (!). But they do it differently, and because one Church has certain practices the other doesn't, this doesn't mean that it values our Lord in Communion any less.

As Met. Andrew Sheptytsky said, the East looks at the Christian Mystery as such.

The East bows down before the Mystery of Christ in Holy Communion.

After all, the elements of Bread and Wine do not change their appearance after the Consecration.

This is why the East "covers up" what the West would wish to expose in a Monstrance.

With respect to para-liturgical devotion to the Eucharist, while the RC Church supports it, of course, the Church is also for placing devotion to the Eucharist within its most proper context which is the Celebration of the Mass.

The Supplication Service to Holy Communion in the East is not only a Latinization, it is entirely unnecessary. Why?

This is so because our Divine Liturgy has ALWAYS had the blessing of the people with the Holy Eucharist RIGHT IN the Liturgy itself.

To want to have a paraliturgical blessing, such as occurs in the Supplication Service, is to slavishly imitate RC practices while betraying a gross ignorance of one's own rich liturgical heritage in this respect.

The heart of Eastern participation in the Body of Christ in the Eucharist is the Divine Liturgy.

The problem is, we ECs have gotten used to hearing the Liturgy so "matter of factly" that we don't prepare properly for it in order to experience a real, worshipful encounter with Christ in the Eucharist.

And when we don't prepare properly, in accordance with our prayerful traditions, then is it any wonder we look elsewhere for the special encounter with Christ in the Eucharist we habitually miss out on each Sunday and other days?

The Supplication Service and other Eucharistic services in the West are all contained within the Divine Liturgy and the way we experience it as Eastern Christians.

We prepare for it first by participating, as much as possible, in the Divine Office before the Liturgy.

Our prayer life during the week and the recitation of the prayers for Holy Communion, as Schmemann said, prepare us as well.

The Jesus Prayer and fasting develop a spiritual hunger in us for our Lord in the Eucharist.

As Eastern Christians, our devotion to the Holy Trinity culminates in the Divine Liturgy and with Christ in the Eucharist we receive the Father and the Holy Spirit.

We carefully Cross ourselves and otherwise attend to each and every word of the Divine Liturgy as it progresses.

We listen to the Gospel and then go to venerate it with a kiss as our First Communion with the Word Who is Christ.

As the priest censes us, we stretch out our hands and say the Jesus Prayer and "Thy Good Spirit will lead me over secure ground."

As the Great Procession comes forward, we say the prayer of the Good Thief and ask God to receive us.

We cross ourselves and bow after the Words of Institution and make a prostration to the floor before Our Lord on the Altar after the "It is truly meet."

Pascha and Pentecost come together in a mystical way and we are present at both during the Divine Liturgy.

We then approach the Holy Mysteries with love and fear in our hearts to partake of the Crucified.

We make one more prostration before our Lord in the Chalice.

We receive in our hearts the Blessed Lord in Communion as it is in our hearts, rather than in the Chalice, that our Lord prefers to be!

We then kiss the edge of the Chalice to venerate the Wounded Side of our Lord since we are nourished Eucharistically from that Side.

We then move to receive bread and water and stand at the side of the Altar.

The Priest then comes out with the Chalice and blesses the entire congregation with Christ in the Eucharist!

He then moves to the side altar, and as he goes, he touches the Chalice to the heads of those who have communicated along the way.

We later receive Blessed Bread which we take home and eat each morning before eating anything else as a way to keep intimately connected to our Lord in the Eucharist until we receive Him again the next time.

After the Liturgy, we receive a blessing from the Priest and recite our Thanksgiving after Communion Office.

Our awareness of Whose Temple we have become is reaffirmed by the practice of not making any prostrations to the ground following Communion.

This is the Eucharistic Adoraton of Our Lord by the Eastern Church.

In terms of Eucharistic Adoration, the Eastern Church takes second place to no one.

Alex

>>>In terms of Eucharistic Adoration, the Eastern Church takes second place to no one<<<

Excellent. I only wish that more Roman Catholics showed as much adoration in preparing to receive our Lord as our Eastern brothers and sisters do.

Certainly, as you point out, the East takes second place to no one.

Columcille

>>The Supplication Service to Holy Communion in the East is not only a Latinization, it is entirely unnecessary. Why?

This is so because our Divine Liturgy has ALWAYS had the blessing of the people with the Holy Eucharist RIGHT IN the Liturgy itself.<<

This also wused to be the case in the Latin Church. The faithful were blessed with the Eucharist as they were about to receive it. (Granted, this is somewhat different than in the Divine Liturgy when the entire congregation is blessed, whether they receive or not.) Personally, I would like to see a return of this tradition.

>>>This also wused to be the case in the Latin Church. The faithful were blessed with the Eucharist as they were about to receive it. (Granted, this is somewhat different than in the Divine Liturgy when the entire congregation is blessed, whether they receive or not.) Personally, I would like to see a return of this tradition<<<

In the Tridentine Mass, the priest makes the sign of the cross with the host in front of the communicant and says: "Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam, Amen."(May the Body of our Lord, Jesus Christ, keep your soul unto life everlasting).

I, too, would like to see this return in the Novus Ordo.

Columcille

[This message has been edited by Columcille (edited 06-14-2001).]

Kurt,

//In a way, non-communication at Divine Liturgy is a form of Eucharistic adoration without reception.//

Huh? It's more like a form of excommunication. Not what the Holy Father intended.

Joe

My dear Roman Catholic Friends,

How erudite and astute of you to extend what I had to say to your liturgical tradition.

I have never considered your points before and thank you for your insights.

Ah, to be young again

But, seriously, yes I have noticed how the RC Priest blesses me with the Host before Communion etc.

I have spoken with an RC priest who was into liturgical theology (our university chaplain) and he said that Rome wanted to bring the public blessing with the Chalice into the Mass, but the "liturgical experts" said that would break the "liturgical flow" of the Roman Rite.

How, I dunno.

Alex

Dear Columcille,

I bow to you, my friend!

And the Old Beleivers (Vasili, are you listening?), as outlined in their "Son of the Church" bring the blessed bread home with them and eat it over a table that has been specially prepared with linen etc.

Was it St Leonard of Port Maurice, that great Saint of the Eucharist, who said that we can never do enough to prepare to receive our Lord in Holy Communion?

Interestingly enough, he also advocated the Jesus Prayer (My Jesus, Mercy, a thousand times a day) as a preparation for Mass and Communion.

Alex