“The Scriptural Basis of the Divine Liturgy: Meditations on the Coptic Orthodox Liturgy of Saint Basil”
By Rany Makaryus
Price: £6.95 (Amazon UK)
ISBN: 1732891818
By Rany Makaryus
Price: £6.95 (Amazon UK)
ISBN: 1732891818
Today’s blog post will be slightly different to the usual.
Instead of reviewing a book, we have the blessing of hearing from the
author. Rany Makaryus’ book “The Scriptural Basis of the Divine Liturgy” is a
wonderful introductory text to liturgical studies, exploring the scriptural
links between the Liturgical prayers of the Coptic Orthodox Church and Scripture,
as well as the origins of our Liturgical practice found therein.
So here is what Rany had to say:
“Do you remember the
last time you focused on what was being recited in church before taking
communion? It is very hard to focus on that. We always have so much on our
minds as we stand there stressed out about work, conflicts with others,
problems we are facing, and pending tasks we need to complete. Besides the
stress, any little thing happening around us so easily distracts us¾just
a small alert from our phone can send our minds off in many different
directions. Worse is that it seems we have become rather immune to the many
prayers that are recited on a weekly basis.
Growing up going to
church on a weekly basis and being the smart aleck kid that I was, I liked to
ask annoying questions such as, “If Jesus said that we should not use vain
repetitions in our prayers, then why do we repeat prayers so many times during
the liturgy?” Similarly, we might ask why the prayers in church are so long and
drawn out. This might be the case in many different churches, but it is
particularly true about the Coptic Orthodox Church. If you've ever been to one
of our liturgies, you will realize just how long this could take. The shortest
I’ve ever seen is at least 2 hours from when the service begins to when we
heard the words “Go in peace.” Much happens in that time, and if we really care
to know the answers to these questions, we should diligently try to understand
what is being said and done.
The Coptic Orthodox
Church presents us with many rich traditions and prayers that are meant to keep
us rooted in the true faith. In fact, as
much as the liturgy is meant to prepare us for receiving Holy Communion, it is
also a way for us to learn about our faith. There is so much that a believer
can learn about Christianity simply by attending and paying attention during
the liturgical prayers on a weekly basis.
When I started to dig
deep into understanding why there are so many prayers, why they are all so
important in preparation for receiving this sacrament, and how they were all
put together in the form that we now have, it became very clear that these
prayers have one main source, and that is the Holy Bible. I was most intrigued
by the words of Saint Paul to the church in Corinth about their church
gatherings saying, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to
you...” (1 Cor 11:23). This phrase indicates that this tradition of breaking
the bread and sharing in communion with one another¾receiving
the Body and Blood of Christ¾was instituted by Christ
Himself. We can further extrapolate from this that this tradition was preserved
by the church and passed down to us through the past 2 millennia. Further
evidence of this is that different churches throughout the world, many of which
have not maintained much communications for centuries, currently have very
similar phrases used in their prayers.
How is it that these
prayers can be preserved, not only through time, but also throughout many
different cultures and traditions around the world? The reality is that this is
mainly because these prayers have their roots in the scriptures that we all
hold so dear to our faith. This was the principle inspiration for me as I put
together my findings, leading to writing the book Scriptural Basis of the
Divine Liturgy: Meditations on the Coptic Orthodox Liturgy of Saint Basil.
Though it might be hard to focus on the prayers during the liturgy, if we
really want to take our faith seriously, we should strive to understand the
meaning behind these prayers that we hear on a weekly basis. Hopefully, with
this new year, we can take a renewed focus on the liturgy and the depth of
meaning we gain from it. “
Scriptural Basis of the Divine Liturgy is available now on Amazon UK:
Scriptural Basis of the Divine Liturgy is available now on Amazon UK:
For kindle version:
