The Preparation
Liturgy of the Word
The Antimens
Great Entrance
Kiss of Peace
The Creed
Eucharistic Prayer
Hymn to Theotokos
The Our Father
The Communion
Thanksgiving

The Divine Liturgy

Eucharist means thanksgiving.

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. I Cor. 11:23-26.

The word Eucharist was used by the earliest Christians and can be found in the letter of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Christian community at Corinth: “and when he had given thanks (eucharistias), he broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." (I Cor. 11:24). In “the Apostolic Fathers,” a collection of early Christian writings, the word Eucharist is found as a heading of a section describing the sacrament: “Regarding the Eucharist” (Didache 9:1). Today in the Divine Liturgy, the word is best understood in the context of the preparation for the consecration of the Holy Gifts: the Priest says, “Let us give thanks to the Lord,” and the People respond, “It is proper and right to worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; the Trinity one in essence and undivided.” This sacrament is first and foremost thanksgiving for what has been accomplished in our midst, the Incarnation of God in the person of Jesus Christ.

Another early reference to the Eucharist and one that touches our daily lives as Orthodox Christians is found in the Lord’s Prayer.

“Give us this day our daily bread.”
τον αρτον ημων τον επιουσιον δος ημιν σημερον (Matthew 6:11)

“Give each day our daily bread.”
τον αρτον ημων τον επιουσιον διδου ημιν το καθ ημεραν (Luke 11:3)

Orthodox Christians recite this prayer several times a day at morning and evening prayers and at meal times. By tradition translators have used the English word “daily” for the Greek word “epiousios” but in fact the word cannot be precisely translated. To know what “our daily bread” means one must know what it means to give thanks to God each day, that is to celebrate the Eucharist daily. In this way the Lord’s Prayer orients us towards the Eucharist. In the Divine Liturgy the Lord’s Prayer falls in between the epiclesis and the reception of communion. This emphasizes the importance of saying this prayer before every meal.

Orthodox families have an icon of the Mystical Supper where they gather for their meals together. The family stands together before the meal begins, and recites the Lord’s Prayer. In this way each and every meal is an extension of and a reflection of the Eucharistic meal we share together as a community of believers. It is a daily thanksgiving for what God has accomplished for us in the incarnation and a reminder that we should live each day as if we are going to receive communion.