The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom

About the Liturgy

The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom is the most frequently celebrated Christian service in Orthodoxy. It bears the name of the great archbishop of Constantinople and teacher of the Church, Saint John Chrysostom (347–407), who arranged and shortened an older form of the liturgy, adapting it for wider use.

The Liturgy is not the “invention” of one man — its roots reach back to the Apostles and to Christ Himself, who at the Last Supper established its heart: the offering of bread and wine, the thanksgiving (eucharist) and Communion. Saint John Chrysostom arranged this ancient structure, deepened it poetically and gave it liturgical form. His Liturgy has been celebrated without interruption in the Orthodox churches since the 5th century.

Besides the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, two others are used in the Serbian Orthodox Church: the Liturgy of St Basil the Great (longer, celebrated ten times a year on certain feasts and on the Sundays of the fast) and the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (of St Gregory the Dialogist — celebrated on the Wednesdays and Fridays of the Great Fast).

The Liturgy is not merely a gathering for prayer — it is a true encounter of the Church with Christ. Orthodox theologians emphasize: at the Liturgy heaven and earth become one, and together with the angels we sing praise to God.

Preparation of the Faithful

The Liturgy begins before the believer enters the church. Preparation is part of the rite.

Spiritual preparation: The evening before the Liturgy is an evening of peace — quarrels, harsh conversations and excessive watching of television are avoided. The evening prayers are read. The day before the Liturgy, fasting is recommended (abstaining from meat, dairy, eggs and alcohol) along with abstinence from marital relations.

Morning prayers: In the morning, before setting out for church, the believer reads the morning prayers and, if going to commune, the Rule for Holy Communion (three canons, an akathist and prayers). This rule is extensive — many read it the evening before and again in the morning.

Fast from food: Whoever is going to commune eats nothing from midnight — not even water, with no medical exception.

Confession: Before Communion, the believer is obliged to confess — ideally the day before or early in the morning before the Liturgy. Without Confession, adults do not approach Communion.

Arrival at the church: One comes before the beginning of the Liturgy, takes off one’s coat, lights a candle, makes a small prostration before the icons. Women enter with their heads covered.

The Order of the Liturgy

The Proskomedia (the Liturgy of Preparation)

Before the faithful enter, the priest performs the Proskomedia — the hidden liturgical preparation at the altar, behind the iconostasis. He takes a special bread (the prosphora) and with a special lance (the diskos knife) removes the portions that symbolize Christ, the Theotokos, all the saints, and the living and departed faithful.

The commemoration lists (slips of paper with names) that the faithful bring before the Liturgy or send to the priest are taken up precisely here — the priest reads each name and removes a particle of bread for each person commemorated. These particles are at the end of the Liturgy placed into the chalice (the Holy Blood) with a prayer for forgiveness.

The Proskomedia reminds us: at the Liturgy the Church prays for both the living and the departed, in the one communion of the Body of Christ.

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The Liturgy of the Catechumens

The Beginning (the Opening)

The Liturgy begins with the words of the deacon: “Bless, master!” The priest in the altar raises the Holy Gospel and exclaims: “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.” The choir responds: “Amen.” This is the beginning of the liturgical space — the Church has entered the Kingdom of God.

The Great Litany (the Litany of Peace)

The deacon or priest aloud sets forth the petitions — for peace in the world, for the Church, for the patriarch, for all the faithful. To each petition the choir responds: “Lord, have mercy.” These litanies are the voice of the Church praying for all and for each.

The Antiphons

Three groups of psalm verses — the antiphons — are sung (or read). At the third antiphon the Beatitudes from the Gospel (Mt 5) are sung, while in the altar the “Little Entrance” is performed — the carrying out of the Holy Gospel.

The Little Entrance

The deacon or priest carries the Holy Gospel out of the altar and re-enters with it, symbolizing the coming of Christ the Logos into the world. The choir sings “O come, let us worship…”

The Trisagion

“Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us” — the Trisagion (the Thrice-Holy Hymn) is sung three times. This is the angelic greeting to God — the Church joins in the heavenly song.

The Epistle

A passage from the Apostolic Epistles is read — each day in the calendar has an appointed reading (with its prokeimenon). Between the readings the prokeimenon (a shorter verse) is sung. After the Epistle the deacon says “Peace be unto thee that readest” and the faithful respond.

The Gospel

The priest or deacon reads the Holy Gospel. During the reading the faithful stand still, without moving. After the reading: “Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee.”

The Litanies and the Dismissal of the Catechumens

The deacon pronounces the petitions for the catechumens (those preparing for baptism, who are no longer physically present in the church, but the liturgical formula remains). Then he calls upon the faithful to remain: “Ye faithful, again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.”

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The Liturgy of the Faithful

The Cherubic Hymn

One of the most beautiful creations of church music. The faithful sing (or listen): “Let us, who mystically represent the Cherubim and sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-giving Trinity, now lay aside all earthly cares…”

While the choir sings, the deacon and priest perform the secret prayers in the altar and the Holy Offering is prepared.

The Great Entrance

The priest (and deacon) carry out the Holy Gifts — the offering of bread and wine — from the table of preparation, through the north door of the church, through the center of the nave, and return to the altar through the Royal Doors. This is a procession in which Christ symbolically enters Jerusalem — and the faithful stand with reverence, as if they were witnesses of the Passion. The deacon commemorates the priest, the bishop, the patriarch and all the faithful.

The Creed (the Symbol of Faith)

All together sing or recite the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed — “I believe in one God…” This is the confession of faith of the whole Church. Whoever wishes may quietly sing along with the choir.

The Eucharistic Canon (the Anaphora)

The heart of the Liturgy. The priest reads the secret prayers — the Anaphora — the eucharistic prayer that recounts God’s saving works and invokes the Holy Spirit to transform the gifts.

Key moments:

• “Thine own of Thine own we offer unto Thee…” — the choir and priest together
• The Invocation of the Holy Spirit (the Epiclesis) — the priest bows three times and prays the Holy Spirit by His power to transform the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ
• After the Epiclesis, the gifts are transformed — the Holy Mystery is accomplished

The Communion Verse

The choir sings the communion verse (the kinonikon) while the priest and deacon receive Communion in the altar.

The Communion of the Faithful

The Royal Doors open, the priest brings out the chalice and calls the faithful: “With the fear of God, with faith and love, draw near.” The faithful approach humbly, with their arms crossed over their chest, receive Holy Communion, kiss the base of the chalice and go to the side where warm water and antidoron are given.

The Prayers of Thanksgiving

After Communion, the choir sings the troparia of thanksgiving. The priest reads the prayer of thanksgiving.

The Dismissal

The priest comes out with the cross, concludes the Liturgy and blesses the faithful. The faithful kiss the cross and receive the antidoron — the remaining blessed bread. The Liturgy is ended.

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When to Bow and When to Stand

Standing is the basic posture of the Orthodox person at prayer — it symbolizes the resurrection, the upright life in Christ. Bowing is an expression of humility and repentance.

Bow (a prostration to the ground):

• Upon entering and leaving the church
• During the great litanies, at “Lord, have mercy”
• At the beginning of the Eucharistic Canon and at the Epiclesis
• Personally, whenever you feel moved

Do not bow (according to the canons):

• On Sundays and during Pentecost (from Pascha to Pentecost)
• On feast days
• After Communion that day

If you are not sure, observe what the more experienced faithful around you do. The Church is not a military formation — what matters is sincerity, not perfect uniformity.

The Language of the Liturgy in the Serbian Orthodox Church

The Serbian Orthodox Church has changed its liturgical language over the centuries. Originally the Liturgy was in Greek, then in Old Church Slavonic (Church Slavonic), and after St Sava in Serbo-Slavonic — Church Slavonic adapted to Serbian phonetics and tradition.

In the modern age, the question of the language of the Liturgy is open and varied:

• Church Slavonic (Serbo-Slavonic): The majority of Serbian parishes, especially in the diaspora, retain Church Slavonic as the primary liturgical language. The arguments: centuries of tradition, the depth of the language, the distinction from everyday speech that leads into the sacred.

• Modern Serbian: A growing number of parishes, especially in urban areas of Serbia, are introducing modern Serbian for the readings (the Epistle, the Gospel) and sometimes for the litanies. The arguments: comprehensibility, accessibility for the young, fidelity to the original liturgical intent (the Liturgy was always in a comprehensible language).

• Bilingual practice: A compromise that is increasingly common — the choir chants in Church Slavonic, but the priest reads the Epistle and Gospel in Serbian.

The official position of the Serbian Orthodox Church is that both approaches have their justification, and that each diocese and parish may find its own way. What remains unchanging is the essence — Christ is the same in every language, and the Liturgy is the same regardless of phonetics.