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 Litany and Hymns of Thanksgiving

Having partaken of the divine, holy, pure, immortal, heavenly and life-creating fearful Mysteries of Christ, let us worthily give thanks to the Lord.

We Have Seen the True Light ... Let Our Mouths Be Filled

After all have received, the priest raises the cup with both hands and blesses the people, saying:

Priest: O God, save your people and bless your heritage!

And the people respond:

People: We have seen the true light! We have received the heavenly Spirit! We have found the true Faith! Therefore, let us worship the undivided Trinity who has saved us.

People: Let our mouths be filled with your praise, O Lord, for you have counted us worthy to partake of your holy, divine, immortal, pure and life-creating Mysteries. Preserve us in holiness so that we may sing of your glory, practicing your righteousness all through the day. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Prayer Behind the Ambon

Priest: Let us go forth in peace!
People: In the name of the Lord!
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.

Priest: O Lord, who bless those who bless you and sanctify those who put their trust in you, save your people and bless your heritage. Guard the fullness of your Church. Sanctify those who love the beauty of your house. Glorify them by your divine power, and do not abandon us who put our hope in you. Grant peace to your world, to your Churches, to the clergy, to civil authorities and to all your people. For all that is good, everything that is perfect is given to us from above, coming down from you, the father of all light, and we offer glory, thanks and worship to You: to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

People: Amen.
Blessed be the name of the Lord, henceforth and forevermore! Blessed be the name of the Lord, henceforth and forevermore! Blessed be the name of the Lord, henceforth and forevermore!

God’s action in this world is the transformation of time into the history of salvation, not only of times past belonging to our ancestors in the faith, but also our own time here and now. This is the meaning of the old covenant and its fulfillment in the new: expectation of and preparation for salvation. Salvation history is the gradual restoration of memory, for the individual, the nation, and the world. In the fullness of time we become able to recognize God in the Savior who has already come. This is why St. Simeon called Christ, “the salvation prepared before the face of all people.” To be a Christian therefore is to know Christ, to remember Him and keep Him always in our minds. It is not simply to know about Him or to understand the doctrines of the Church, but to know Him as a living person among us. “Christ is in our midst. He is and ever shall be!” Our fallen memory is condemned to resurrect the past, but our restored memory is a joyous recognition of the one who was resurrected, lives in the present, and abides with us always. This reality is expressed beautifully in this final litany and these hymns of thanksgiving. “Let us worthily give thanks to the Lord.” “We have seen the true light.” “Let our mouths be filled with your praise, O Lord.” “Everything that is perfect is given to us from above.” We have entered into the new time of the new creation. The joy of this final act of the Divine Liturgy is that it celebrates the Eucharist as a manifestation of the Kingdom for which God created the world. Everything that Christ accomplished: “the cross, the tomb, the resurrection on the third day, the ascension into heaven, the sitting at the right hand, and the second and glorious coming,” is a consequence of this manifestation of the Kingdom. “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!”