During the part of the Liturgy where the Consecration occurs, I have noticed two practices when “Amen” is song. Some people cross themselves while others beat their chest once. What is the correct thing to do?
There is nothing in our rubrics that states what should be done. These are just personal practices that are not prescribed in our liturgical books. Since nothing is prescribed, you do not have to do any of the two. The people are imitating what the priest does at the time of the consecration when he makes a sign of the cross and bows in respect as the words of Consecration are said. These are signs of respect. Do what you feel comfortable doing: cross yourself, beat your chest, or just stand in respect.
During the prayer before Holy Communion when saying “Remember me when you come into your kingdom…” and again when saying “God be merciful to me a sinner…” some people cross themselves while others beat their chest. Is there a correct practice or are both correct?
Here again it is a personal practice. Both are correct. Different customs developed in different parts of Ukraine. It depends from which part of the country your ancestors come. Feel free to do what you are comfortable in doing.
Does Advent exist in the Ukrainian Catholic Church? How does this fast differ from Advent?
Yes. Ukrainian Catholics refer to the pre-Christmas fast period as Pylypivka or St. Philip's Fast, as it always begins on the feast of St. Philip the Apostle, November 14. It ends on December 24th.
This fast once had very strict rules. Today, the Church encourages us to abstain from meat on Wednesdays and Fridays. We are also required to practice the spirit of sacrifice, penance, especially charity. To prepare to celebrate the joy of Christmas, we fast, we pray more and we increase our acts of love and compassion.
It is important to approach the fasting with the right attitude. It does not make sense to abstain from meat on Friday only to go out to an elegant lobster dinner. It is essential that an inner fast accompany the outer fast. Fasting involves not just food, but the entire being. Our mouths should fast from off-color, offensive or hurtful words. Our eyes should fast from things they shouldn’t see, perhaps movies or television programs that do not promote Christian values. Our ears should fast from listening to things they shouldn’t, like gossip and music that goes against moral integrity. Our minds should fast from thoughts that aren’t compatible with our life as Christians.
Both Advent and Pylypivka are preparations for Christmas, but they differ in some aspects. Advent in the Roman Catholic Church begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. These four weeks represent the four thousand years before the coming of Christ. The Eastern Church prepares for forty days which models the forty day fast of Moses before he received the Ten Commandments.
Advent is celebrated in the Sunday masses of the Roman rite. Unlike the Latin Rite, our Advent is not a liturgical season; we do not see any changes in the Divine Liturgy, Vespers or Matins, except for the two Sundays immediately preceding Christmas. However, the Gospels of the Sundays of Pylypivka each carry a theme that helps us to prepare for Christmas.
The Western focus is the anticipation of King and Messiah. The Eastern focus is on the Light we are awaiting. The Nativity is celebrated as daylight hours begin to lengthen. We celebrate the victory of light over darkness both in nature and in us. We look to the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord (Theophany), the Feast of Lights, as fulfillment of this preparation. The Western Church’s preparation is fulfilled in the celebration of Christmas.
Some of the things we can do during this Christmas fast are the following:
1) Read and Reflect: Set time aside each day to spend in prayer and reading connected with Christmas and its meaning. This can include readings from the Old Testament, especially from the prophets, who foretold the coming of the Messiah.
These could include: Micah 5:2-4, Baruch 3:35-4:4, Isaiah 7:10-16, Isaiah 8:1-4, 9-10, Genesis 1:1-13, Numbers 24:2-3, 5-9,17-18, Micah 4:6-7, Isaiah 11:1-10, Daniel 2:31-36, 44-45, Isaiah 9:6-7.
New Testament: Matthew 1:18-25, Matthew 2:1-12, Matthew 2:13-23, Luke 2:1-20, Galatians 3:23-29, Hebrews 1:1-12, Hebrews 1:10-2:3, Hebrews 2:11-18.
2) Things to do as a family:
a) Go to church together
b) Discuss the Sunday readings and sermon
c) Make a special effort to look at each other in a positive way
d) Sacrifice something you like to eat or do
e) Reach out to someone who could use your attention and help
f) Gather together for prayer daily
g) Visit a shut-in together, and perhaps decorate their home for Christmas.
h) When doing Christmas baking, take some to a neighbor
i) Perform random acts of kindness anonymously such as plugging a parking meter when you are leaving, or leaving a treat on a friend’s or teacher’s desk
j) In all places, times, and situations, bring the light of Christ. Ask yourself what Jesus would do, and do it!
Let us approach this time of preparation in the hope that is time allows us to experience a new awareness of His presence. We should strive to rid ourselves of the thoughts and passions that distract us as our hearts, minds, and voices sing “God is with us”.
Tell me something about the symbols used to represent the four evangelists.
In Ezekiel 1:4ff we read: “As I looked, a stormy wind came out of the north: a great cloud with brightness around it and fire flashing forth continually, and in the middle of the fire, something like gleaming amber. In the middle of it was something like four living creatures. This was their appearance: they were of human form. Each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. As for the appearance of their faces: the four had the face of a human being, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle; such were their faces.”
These are called the tetramorphs. The four faces thus described were Babylonian symbols representing the four fixed signs of the zodiac - the Ox, representing the sign of Taurus, the lion the sign of Leo, the Eagle of the sign of Scorpio, and the man, symbol of the sign of Aquarius. The four likewise symbolize the four ancient elements of air, water, earth, and fire. Like in other cases the Christians took pagan symbols that were familiar to the people of the time and made them into Christian symbols. Even the date of celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord had a similar history.
While these were not specifically references to the gospel writers. Early Christians saw each as an appropriate image for one of the evangelists. These are the icons that we find on the Royal Doors on our Iconostas.
Matthew became the winged man, since his gospel begins with the genealogy of Jesus, that is, his human history. He writes that Jesus descended from the man David. He also dwells on the humanity of Jesus.
Mark became associated with the lion, an image linked to the wilderness, referred to in Mark's opening verses. A man is seated writing, and by his side a winged lion. Mark begins his gospel with the sojourn of Jesus in the wilderness, amidst wild beasts, and the temptation of Satan, “the roaring lion.” The lion is a royal symbol. Mark discusses Christ's royalty.
Luke's symbol became the ox, a symbol of sacrifice in the Jewish and pagan world. There is a man with a pen, looking in deep thought over a scroll, and near him an ox chewing the cud. The latter part also refers to the eclectic character of St. Luke’s Gospel.
John's symbol became the eagle, a bird that can soar higher than any other, just as John's theology and poetic imagery are lofty and inspiring. He is caught up in the Spirit and has soared spiritually.
Please explain how the procedure works for having a Divine Liturgy celebrated for a special intention. Why are the Fathers so far behind?
You may drop an ordinary envelope into the collection plate and write “Divine Liturgy” on the outside. Inside include a note along with the stipend stating the intention for which you wish the Liturgy to be celebrated. Also include your name and phone number. State how you would like it to appear in the bulletin. If it is for the occasion of some special event, state the date when you would like it celebrated. We will try to accommodate you as well as we can. You may also phone the secretary during office hours and make the arrangements.
We apologize that we are so far behind. Our parishioners are very generous and we receive more requests than we can handle. It was easier when we had three priests in our parish.
What is the name of the icon above the Dormition and below the Descent of the Holy Spirit?
It is an icon of St. Andrew blessing the hills of Kyiv. St. Andrew is one of the apostles. He was the one first called by Christ. The apostle Andrew is a brother of St. Peter. Tradition has it that he visited Ukraine during his lifetime and blessed the hills where the capital of Ukraine is now located.
Why are Eastern Catholic priests allowed to be married and who finances it all?
Eastern Christianity has always had a tradition of a married priesthood. While rather early on there was a push for mandatory celibacy in the Western Church, this never spread to the East, although the Eastern Churches did opt to require celibacy for bishops. Evidence for the Eastern discipline is found in St. Paul's epistle to Timothy, as well as other scriptural sources.
Who finances it all? The parishes do. This is one of the challenges of having a married priesthood - the parish has to be able to support a priest with a family. This can be difficult for some smaller parishes, although it can be done.
Excerpts from EWTN
Answer by Anthony Dragani on 06-28-2005
www.ewtn.com
After receiving Holy Communion, do we cross ourselves or not?
There is nothing in the rubrics of the Ukrainian Catholic Church concerning what we must do. A common practice is that we cross ourselves before receiving Holy Communion. We then fold our hands on our chest as we receive the Holy Eucharist. After that step aside a couple of steps to the side and then make a Sign of the Cross and a bow towards the altar before we return to our pew.
Why do the Roman Catholics make the sign of the Cross go from the left to the right shoulder and we go from the right to the left?
Until the 14th century, the Christians of the Eastern and Western Church made the sign of the cross in the same manner. They joined the thumb, index and middle fingers to symbolize the Holy Trinity and then invoked the Trinity as they touched their head then their stomach and then went from right to left. The Sign of the Cross symbolized a compendium of the life of Christ and the touching of one's stomach when one said "And the Son" symbolizes the Incarnation of Christ in the womb of His Mother. By going to the right shoulder, we confess that Christ, after His death on the Cross and Resurrection, ascended to heaven where He sits at the Right Hand of the Father. This is also a confession of Christ's Deity, since only equals may sit in the Presence of the King - in this case, God the Father.
In the Western Church they cross themselves from left to right. We understand this to mean that Christ brought us from the darkness of sin (the left, in Latin "sinister"), to the Light of His Grace on the right.
The custom of crossing of crossing from left to right came later for Catholics of the Western Church. The reason for this was that the laity began imitating their priests who, when they blessed their congregations, moved their hands from left to right. They were facing the congregation and so moved their hands in unison with their flock that were going from right to left. Soon, laity began doing as the priests did and a new practice was born, different from the ancient Latin one which was formerly the same as that of the Eastern Church.
The Roman Catholic practice of crossing with the whole hand also derived from an imitation of their priests who blessed with their whole hand. In the Eastern Church we put together the thumb and the first two fingers to signify the Trinity. The other two fingers are bent down to indicate that Christ has two natures, Human and Divine.
Why do we make the Sign of the Cross three times, while the Roman Catholics only once?
Many actions in the Eastern Church are done three times. This is to emphasize our belief in the Holy Trinity. The Roman Catholics in making Sign of the Cross once symbolize that though there are three Persons in God, there is one God.
Should we end the Sign of the Cross on the left shoulder or on the stomach? When did this change and why?
In examining the various customs in making the sign of the cross, I have noticed three versions depending on local custom.
In one we touch the forehead, stomach, right shoulder and then finish on the left shoulder.
In a second we do the same, but then finish on the stomach.
There is a third form that is often done before the Tetrapod in Church or before the iconostas as we face towards the altar. Here we touch the forehead, stomach, right shoulder, left shoulder and then finish by extending our hand toward the floor and make a bow at the same time. Feel free to follow the custom to which you are accustomed. We see so much variety in our Ukrainian Catholic Church.
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At what times of the year should we stand instead of kneeling for prayer? I have noticed that some people stand on Sundays at some churches.
This is really a two part question. The Council of Nicea in 325 decreed that a person should not kneel for prayer during the Easter-Ascension season. This is the same council that gave us the creed we say during the Divine Liturgy. We use this body posture to proclaim to each other that we believe that Christ arose from the dead and then ascended into heaven. The first time that we would kneel for prayer is on Pentecost Sunday when we kneel down and sing the prayer to the Holy Spirit, “O, Heavenly King…”
In some parishes people do not kneel at all on Sundays. This is because each Sunday is a commemoration of the Lord’s Resurrection. They do not kneel even when they pray their private prayers before and after the Divine Liturgy.
The other question is when one should stand during the Divine Liturgy. There are four times when the priest or deacon tells us to stand. One is on page 29 in our Liturgy books. We are to stand during the Little Entrance at the Third Antiphon. On page 33 we are given direction to stand for the reading of the Gospel. On page 77 we are reminded to stand for the Ambo prayer and for the reception of the final blessing before we leave the church. Actually we are not told to stand up, because it is presumed that the people are already standing at the time the command is given. We are told to stand with attention, because something important is about to happen.
There is a fourth time that we are asked to stand. At the beginning of the Anaphora on page 51 the priest or deacon says, “Let us stand well, let us stand with fear; let us be attentive to offer in peace the holy oblation.” This is the part of the Liturgy when the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Our Lord. This should be done not only during the Easter season but during the entire year. The reason we are asked to stand here is that standing is a posture of respect. We stand when an important person enters the room. We stand when we honour someone as we sing “Happy Birthday.” We see on TV that in court people stand when the judge walks into the room. We also stand during this time out of reverence and respect when Christ comes onto our altars.
I have noted that at Saints Peter and Paul Church we stand for three of the four times. Personally I would like to see us stand at all four times in the Divine Liturgy, all year long. Feel free to do what you feel comfortable in doing. A reason why in some parishes people kneel during this part of the Liturgy is that it was a custom we adopted from the Roman Catholics.
Why is part of the Creed deleted from the one said in the Liturgy – and in all the books? Isn’t this one of the reasons for separation of the Orthodox and Catholic Church originally?
What you are referring to is what is historically known as the filioque (and the Son) question. The Creed that we recite in our Divine Liturgy is known as the Nicean Creed. It was composed during the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., an ecumenical council of the church. It did not have the added words.
In later years the Western Church (Roman Catholic) added the words and the Son to the Nicean Creed. This was one of the issues in the separation of the church in the Great Schism of 1054. In 587 A.D. a council in Toledo, Spain added the words and the Son to the Creed to combat Arianism, a heresy of the time. It was added to emphasize that the Father and the Son are consubstantial, and not that the Father has precedence over the Son as Arainism stated. The belief of the East and the West is the same, the wording is different.
We have been asked by the Holy Father and the Second Vatican Council to return to our roots, and our Metropolitans have asked us to delete those words.
Do you have more information on Arianism?
ROME, OCT. 9, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the new Vatican secretary of state, says that the Church continues to be tempted by the Arian heresy, the idea that Christ is not God.
In an interview with the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio, the Italian cardinal acknowledged that "one of the main problems of our time is the problem of Christology," according to which Christ is considered only as "a great man." "If Christ's divinity is doubted," the foundation of Christianity is doubted, he said.
The Vatican official recalled the doctrine of Arius (256-336), a priest of Alexandria and later a bishop, who, beginning in 318, denied the divinity of the Word, the Second Person of the Trinity.
Symptoms of this denial of Jesus' divinity include the support received by "The Da Vinci Code," despite its "absolutely shameful fictional inventions," said Cardinal Bertone.
"But we see in addition that even in the elaboration of certain theology, doubt is cast on the divinity and salvific unicity of Christ, the only Saviour," he continued. "This Christological reduction betrays the faith of the nascent Church and of the great Christological councils of Nicaea, Constantinople and Chalcedon.
"It is an authentic betrayal and a denial of the faith of our fathers." According to the cardinal, "it is necessary, therefore, to return to Christological faith, to the centrality of Christ, true God and therefore only Saviour."
What is our church’s stand on tithing?
The Church does not require anyone to tithe. All Catholics are obliged to support the parish to which they belong, not as a charity, but as their own spiritual family. Some will be able to do more than others, and some will be more generous than others. God knows our hearts, our pocketbooks, and our circumstances and so He is the ultimate Judge in this matter, as in all else. There is no evidence in the New Testament that binds a Christian to tithe, that is, to provide ten percent of income to the Church, as a standard. On the other hand, we do have an obligation to support our spiritual family, that is, the local parish, in accord with our means and our circumstances.
Unfortunately Catholics as a whole [of course there are always exceptions] do not give as much per capita as other Christians do. We Catholics need to address the issue of what we give each week as asking ourselves the question of: is what I am giving truly sacrificial for me or is it just loose change or loose cash that I am giving on Sundays? Remember, so long as what you are giving is truly sacrificial then you are doing the right thing. If what you call a sacrifice is a mere $5 a week, but you live in a big house, drive a brand new car, go here there and everywhere on vacation, then perhaps that is not a sacrificial amount at all.
Excerpts from EWTN
What is the history of the Sorokousty Services? How are the dates determined?
Sorokousty services have been celebrated in the Ukrainian Catholic church for centuries. It is a prayer service for the deceased. It is a tradition that developed over time. There are no records to show exactly where and when these services first began. We have records which date to 980 that state that the Studite monks gathered at the cemetery on the Saturday before Meat-fare Sunday and on the Saturday before Pentecost to pray for the deceased. The root of the word Sorokousty comes from “sorok” the Ukrainian word for forty and “usta” the word for mouths. Originally in the monasteries forty clerics, bishops, priests and deacons, would sing this service.
Each Saturday is a traditional day for commemorating the deceased. We remember the deceased in the Tropar and Kondak of Saturday. Besides commemorating the faithful departed every Saturday of the year there are 5 special Saturdays where we celebrate the Sorokousty service. These are called All Souls Saturdays. The first is the Saturday before Meat-fare Sunday. The gospel on the following day is that of the Last Judgment. We pray for all the deceased that, as they stand before the Just Judge, they may stand on the right and enter the Kingdom of God. We also celebrate Sorokousty services on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Sundays of Lent. The other is the Saturday before Pentecost, the Descent of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is the final act of redemption. The church wishes that the departed souls share in all the graces of redemption.
The Ukrainian Catholic Church observes a 40 day fast before Easter as does the Roman Catholic Church. Why then do the fasts start on different days?
The question of the forty days of Lent is the manner in which the forth days of Lent are calculated. The Eastern Church includes Sundays and the Western Church does not.
Eastern Christians do not observe the Great and Holy Week (the week before Easter Sunday) as part of the Great Fast. The events of this week are so extraordinary and have such a deep and profound meaning to our salvation that they merit consideration apart from the Great Fast. It is definitely not a week of feasting, but it takes on, perhaps, an even more intense spirit of solemnity and fasting. Our last day of Lent is the Friday before Lazarus Saturday (April 7, this year). We then have two special days in our liturgical calendar. Lazarus Saturday prefigures the great event the Resurrection and Palm Sunday, where Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem. Then we observe the most solemn days of the year, Holy Week. If you count back 40 days (including Sundays) from the Friday before Lazarus Saturday, you will have the start of the observance of the Eastern Christian Great Fast.
The Western Church (Roman Catholic) includes Holy Week in their forty days of Lent and Lent ends on Holy Saturday. In the Western Church it was decided that Sundays would not be considered days of fasting during Lent. If you start on Holy Saturday skip the Sundays, and count out backward 40 days, you determine Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent for the Roman Catholics.
Could you please give me a brief explanation of what Catholics believe in? This will help me explain our religion to my friends.
We believe that God became a man, whom history calls Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was executed on the cross, but was raised from the dead three days later. Because of his resurrection every man and woman can be freed from the chains of death, and can experience immortal life.
Also, because God became human, we can become like God. Through a process called "theosis" we can become sharers in God's own divine life. This is a growing process that takes an entire lifetime to complete. To nurture us in this growth Jesus has sent us the Holy Spirit, who functions through tangible physical signs that we call "sacraments" or "Mysteries." Through the sacraments we are gradually transformed more completely into the image and likeness of God. Also, the Holy Spirit unites us into a supernatural family, which is called the "Church." The Church is described as "Catholic" because it is universal, and embraces people of all races and backgrounds. It is the universal family of God, and is invigorated by the Holy Spirit. The Church also serves as our teacher and mother, providing solid spiritual nourishment to help us in the process of theosis.
This is a very cursory overview. We hope it serves as a starting point for your discussions!
Excerpts from EWTN: