We arrive to Church at the beginning of the Divine Service. In the early Church, the group of faithful used to arrive before the priest and he enters carrying the Gospel and saying: “Wisdom, let us be attentive”, which means that what I carry in my hands is the Wisdom so stand up to receive it. The divine words that we say or chant or act with motion is a banquet, and the invited come to the banquet of the righteous in a specified time.
And if the invitation was for the Divine Liturgy, it is one motion that has a beginning and an end. Everything in the Liturgy is a multi-faced food like the Litanies, chants, the two New Testament readings, and also the words of sanctification, communion and the ending. All the phases of the service are overlapping. At the Gospel reading for example, the divine word purifies you and you repent to be able to have communion with worthiness, therefore it isn’t compatible with the phases to go forward to communion if you didn’t get ready with what precedes it.
And if you wanted to live a perfect Sunday, you come to the Matins service in order to enter the ambience of Resurrection. And the meaningful Resurrection is spread in your ears. However, this is another subject.
If you were invited to a wedding, you are originally going to pray for the bride and groom and not only to congratulate them at the end. Congratulating has another place. How ugly it is to see the believers coming throughout the whole hour of the Liturgy. In this archdiocese, the time of the beginning of the service on Sunday morning is at ten or a little bit before. Why all this deceleration? What were you doing before that? If it is an issue of breakfast, this is out of question because you are coming to have Divine Communion. And if the slowing down is a result of being late at night, then this means that you love to stay up more than you love the Liturgy. Also, one of your family members being late cannot be your excuse. Teach your family to have time discipline because in all occasions this is a part of politeness and in the issue of your prayer this is a part of piety.
A flaming person in God’s love does not miss any word of His Words. You might miss a word that could save you from the situation that is causing you pain. You might find in some words an answer to questions that were worrying you. I hope that you also don’t forget that you are not alone in existence and that the Liturgy on Sunday morning or in feasts is the place where the community meets in front of God’s face. You are formed of two things: To be seen by the Lord on his banquet, and to be seen by the brothers as a support for them so that Christ looks at you as his body, i.e. his visible spread. As for going whenever suites your mood, this means that you do not want to condition your mind according to Christ and that you meet him whenever you want while he wants to receive you in every offering and in every season.
As for complaining that your circumstances didn’t allow you, this is unacceptable because your circumstances always allow you to welcome a friend that you love. And if you were an immigrant and a dear person died here, you leave everything to attend a funeral. I know countries in which believers spend one or two hours by car to reach the closest Church of ours. And you leave an Orthodox Church that is not more than quarter of an hour away to go to another Church because it is located in your street. And your excuse in this is that all Christian sects are one.
The issue of time and time accuracy is an essential subject in our education and an essential part in our spiritual belonging. If you were disciplined in time you prove that you are a serious person.
Translated by Mark Najjar
Original Text: “وقت المجيء إلى الكنيسة” –Raiati 1 – 07.01.2001
