Thank you so much to the parents and sponsors who joined our Confirmands by coming to our prep class on Sunday, April 14. I walked everyone through the history of what the Byzantine Rite is, how it came to be, and what it holds in common with the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, to which we belong.
I am really looking forward to meeting all of you at 10:15 or so on Sunday, April 21, at 1002 Bahama Avenue, Fort Pierce, FL 34982. Remember, the parking lot is a triangular patch of lawn in a residential neighborhood. Park safely but as close to another car as you feel comfortable so that everyone fits -- or carpool! The church and its parking lot are tiny. I got some more practical information about receiving Communion to share with after talking with the parish secretary, Aileen: 1-She's informing Father Frank Hanincik that we are coming, so "he will bake an extra loaf of bread for" us!! Interesting! 2-She's also informing the Cantor, so he or she might announce page numbers in the missalettes to make it easier for us to follow along. 3-I found the following video -- please fast forward to the :57 minute mark. As he comes to the place of Communion and invites you up to receive, you will hear Father chant, "Approach with fear of the God and with faith." (I LOVE THAT! What a reminder!) This is when everyone gets in line (single file) to receive Communion. After they've received, they turn left or right to return to the pew -- this is very familiar to us. 4-Notice that the deacon and the altar server hold a red napkin under the chin of the person receiving Communion. This is exactly like the gold paten that was held under our chins at the Traditional Latin Mass. This is good news that we don't have to worry about the Blessed Sacrament falling to the floor! Allow the napkin to touch your neck, please. If you aren't standing close enough, you might feel the altar server's hand on your back pushing you forward -- see this in the video. 5-Everyone crosses their arms over their chest; do not hold your hands in prayer position when receiving. (See the first woman in the video who receives.) This is different for us. 6-Because of COVID, Father now uses individual wooden spoons, not one gold spoon. 7-When receiving you do not have to tilt your head back -- watch the video. 8-When receiving, you do have to make sure you've consumed all of it. You know how your dental hygienist rinses your teeth and then puts a suction tube in your mouth and says, "Close. ... Open." -- That's what we need to do. The Parish Secretary says Father will feed you (like a dad feeds a baby) and you have to close your mouth around the spoon to get everything off of it. In the video, I saw a couple people almost scrape the spoon with their teeth as Father withdrew it. There's no rush. Make sure the Blessed Sacrament is in your mouth. Watch the video starting at the 57-minute mark. 9-If you don't get everything off of the spoon, Father has to put your spoon into his mouth to do it -- that's a serious belief in the Real Presence!! His love for Christ and his belief in respecting the Blessed Sacrament is greater than his disgust of having to do that. 10-People make the Sign of the Cross after receiving, but it's a little differently than we do: forehead -> belly -> RIGHT shoulder -> left shoulder. You can make the Sign that way, or the Roman way. Watch the video -- I can see there are some Roman Rite Catholics already attending this Liturgy! 11-You will see some people venerating the ikon (icon) before receiving Communion. At first I thought it was Sts. Cyril and Methodius, but I looked more closely and I think it might be the Risen Christ, which is Easter. Anyway, watch the video and see how different people touch different parts with their fingertips; some trace mini Signs of the Cross on the ikon; some people kiss it, or touch their foreheads to it. You can do that if you want, but you don't have to. 12-You might notice in the video that it looks like Father is saying something more than "The Body of Christ." Let's talk about that: As Father is giving you Communion, he may ask you your baptismal name -- this is your complete first name, but not your last name (for example, you'd answer "Robert" not "Bobby" or some other nickname). Once he knows your name, he will use it by saying "The servant of God, __(says your name)__, is communicated with the precious and holy Body and Blood of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of his/her sins and for life everlasting." WOW! Why? Every sacrament is considered a personal encounter with Jesus. The priest says your name at your baptism. The priest says your name when you are married or when you are ordained. Soon, you will hear the bishop say your "new name" at Confirmation. You can see, then, that the use of the name is very very important -- we even have a Commandment that forbids us to use God's holy Name in vain, and Jews don't even spell the name of "G-d." So, the Byzantine Rite emphasizes that the worst possible fate for a human being is for God to forget them. That is why when we pray for the dead, we pray not only for their blessed repose ("RIP") but we also pray that their memory may be eternal -- that God will always hold the person in His memory. WOW! So personal!! 13-After everyone receives, they go back to their pews to pray. Father prays out loud as well. Notice how his back is to the congregation, just like the priest in the Traditional Latin Rite Mass we attended. This is the most ancient form the Mass! The priest's orientation at Holy Family facing the congregation is only about 50 years old. 14-You'll see Father holding a gold, jeweled cross and blessing you with it by extending it. 15-Sometimes, everyone comes up one more time. I'm not sure if the Liturgy will end with #14 above, or if our Liturgy will include the following: Father may offer the opportunity to receive a blessing with an anointing oil on your forehead. This is very similar to what will happen to you at Confirmation! Move your hair toward the side so he has easy access to your forehead, or nod your head chin to chest and he will anoint the top of your head. Watch this (different) video starting at 1:17 to see what I mean. 16-To the right and left of Father are an altar server and a deacon. They are holding small baskets. You may take a piece of that bread if you want. This is called Antidor, which means blessed bread. This is not consecrated Holy Eucharist. This is for people who cannot receive Communion (because they are too young and haven't received Communion yet, or because they need to go to confession, or because they are sick and could not come to Liturgy, etc.). Leave the church once you receive your blessing. 17-It's cool seeing them close up the sanctuary, closing the "Royal Gate" and drawing the curtain. 18-On the way home, please discuss what you witnessed. I know I am very interested in language, so I know I would respond to how much repetition was going on, and think about why so many sentences were repeated and repeated again. Why would the Church choose to have us do that? How did you feel about that? Even if you had a negative reaction (you didn't like it), can you understand why? Also, you could compare how much time the congregation is verbal in the Byzantine Rite versus the Latin/Roman Rite. Do you have a new appreciation for the Roman Rite, or do you like to be involved so much? Decor: colorful for sure! Gaudy or beautiful, in your opinion? Did you have a favorite piece? Is there any time to daydream during a Byzantine Liturgy, between the imagery and the chanting? That might be a good thing! What's your opinion about the priest facing east, with his back toward the congregation? We've seen this twice now. What do you think about it? Do you think you'll ever go to a Byzantine Liturgy again? Why or why not? I do not need a written response to these questions or any others that you want to discuss as a family. But I do want you to share your reactions with each other. Thank you. IN SUM: Watch the first video I refer to (#3 through #14 and #17) starting at the :57 minute mark, and you can watch it even if you do not have a Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/frank.hanincik/videos/962089745267088?idorvanity=910562085622934 Watch the second video I refer to (#15 and #16) starting at the 1:17 mark: https://www.facebook.com/frank.hanincik/videos/402434922499576?idorvanity=910562085622934 ~~~~ One last thing: This is the beautiful, beautiful prayer the congregation prays out-loud together before receiving Communion: O Lord, I believe and profess that you are truly Christ, The Son of the living God, who came into the world To save sinners of whom I am the first. Accept me today as a partaker of your mystical supper, O Son of God, For I will not reveal your mystery to your enemies, Nor will I give you a kiss as did Judas, But like the thief I profess to you: Remember me, O Lord, when you come in your kingdom. Remember me, O Master, when you come in your kingdom. Remember me, O Holy One, when you come in your kingdom. May the partaking of your Holy mysteries, O Lord, Be not for my judgment or condemnation, But for the healing of my soul and body. O Lord, I also believe and profess, that this, Which I am about to receive, Is truly your most precious Body, and your life-giving Blood, Which, I pray, make me worthy to receive For the remission of all my sins and for life everlasting. Amen O God, be merciful to me, a sinner. O God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me. O Lord, forgive me for I have sinned without number.
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