the church - meaning & importance - st. mary's...
TRANSCRIPT
The Church - Meaning & Importance
Holy Church
The Church is...
1) A Divine Mystery.
2) The body of Christ.
3) God’s building.
4) Holy.
5) The one Holy, Catholic & Apostolic .
Our Church
A Divine Mystery
The Body of Christ
God’s Building
(God Dwells)
Is Holy
The One: Holy,
Catholic & Apostolic
Worship & Liturgical Traditions
Traditions
ALEXANDRIA (Egypt)
PALESTINE
& SYRIA Eastern Regions Africa
Norhtern Italy &
Other places
Syrian Liturgy
Eastern Liturgy
(Nestorian) Western Liturgy
Three Ecumenical Synods
Patriarchate of Antioch
Patriarchate of
Tigris
Catholicate of
Malankara
Holy Qurbana
Traditions
= Our Liturgy
• Holy Madbaha is the Place of Sacrifice.
• The Paradise – where we find the sacred body & blood of Jesus Christ.
( Genesis 3:22)
• Heavenly Worship -Madbaha represents heaven.
• Crucifixion - Madbaha represents Mount Calvary.
• Holy of Holies - Madbaha represents the Holy of Holies in Jerusalem Temple.
• Mount Sinai - Madbaha represents Mount Sinai, where God appeared to Moses. (Genesis 19:16 -22)
Thirasheela – Curtain / Veil
• As the sky separates Heaven and earth, the curtain separates the Sanctuary.
• As the Madbaha represents Heaven, unveiling the Madbaha denotes the opening of Heaven to us.
• Thirasheela represents the veil that separated the Holy of Holies inside the old Jerusalem Temple.
• This veil was torn apart into two at the hour of death of our Lord Jesus on the Cross. (St Luke 23:45)
• In Jewish tradition, the veil signifies the sins of humankind that separate man from God. By the death of Christ on the Cross, this veil was torn and this represents the forgiveness of sins.
• The veil is also a symbol of body of Christ, which is the new way of life towards the Sanctury (Hebrew 10:19-20).
• This is the reason why soon after the Holy Baptism, the priest takes the child inside the Madbaha, symbolising the entry to heaven ( Madbaha) through the body of Christ(Thirasheela) .
• Heaven is beyond time & space and is also beyond the perception of bodily senses.
This hidden nature of heaven is symbolised by the the curtain or thirasseela.
• The Thronos or Holy Altar symbolises the Throne of God in Heaven.
• While we celebrate Holy Qurbana, this is how we become part takers of the heavenly sacrifice, that’s always going on in the heaven.
• The Altar is consecrated with Holy Mooron while we consecrate a new Church building. (Church Consecration)
• We are the Temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16) & our heart represents the throne of God.
The Holy Thronos also represents:-
1) The Manger in Bethlehem. 2) Calvary in Jerusalem. 3) Tomb of our Lord. 4) Mount Olive where he ascended to heaven finally.
Thableetha ( Table-let)
• This is a wooden plank consecrated by a bishop with the Holy Mooron, during the consecration time of a new church.
• Also known as the Moving Altar.
• Without Thableetha we cannot celebrate the Holy Qurbana
• Even if there is an annointed altar (with Holy Mooron), for the Holy Qurbana celeberation, this Tablet is always placed on top of the Altar to keep the Holy Qurbana.
• Thableetha symbolises Jesus Christ, who is the corner stone of our Church.
The Cross
• 1 Corinthians 15:14 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching
is empty and your faith is also empty.
• The Empty cross usually will be adorned with a red stole symbolising our resurrected Lord.
• It represents the Rod of Aaron, that sprouted – proving that the priesthood belongs to Aaron. This rod is placed in the Ark of Covenant (Jerusalem Temple)Num 17: 1-10.
• This also reminds us of the Rod of Moses, that worked for Israelites against the egyptians and also guided their way to land of Canaan through the Red Sea.
Sign of Cross
• Making a sign of Cross is a speechless prayer.
It reminds us:-
a) The presence of our Lord in our heart.
b) Symbol of receiving the merits of our Lord’s sacrifice.
c) Symbol of our identification with the crucifixion of our Lord.
In short, its a reminds us the born again experience – dying with Christ and rising up with him.
Significance of Signing the Cross
• We draw a line from head to the Chest signifying the coming down of Son of God from Heaven to Earth.
• Then we again draw a line from left shoulder to right shoulder signifying our transferrance to the sacred ones on the right hand side through his Cross.
“Father sent his Son and the Son died for us & and the holy Spirit helped the Son in his death” (Hebrews 9:14)
Thus by making the sign of Cross, we always remember the Holy Trinity
6.Kaasa-Pilasa \ Paten-Chalice
• The bread is placed in the Paten. Wine is mixed with water and is poured into the chalice.
• Kabalana is the covering cloth of Kaasa & Pilasa. It represents “Shekina”(Light) above the ark of covenant in the Jerusalem Temple. (Exod. 40: 17,34,35)
Kabalana
Koukbo
Koukbo(star shaped)- this is used as a support, to prevent kabalana from touching the bread. Koukbo represents the star that appeared above the manger of Infant Jesus.
Spoon (Tharvodo)
The spoon is used to take holy Qurbana. This Spoon represents the tong with which the burning coal was given to prophet Isaiah (Isaiah. 6:6).
• The manna in the golden vessel and the rod of Aron kept in the Ark of covenant may be compared to Holy Qurbana & the Cross on the (Holy Thronos)Alter.
7. Tricolour Spread - Virikkoottu
• The Tricolour spread (with red, green & white colours) is placed at the center of the Thronos over the Tableetha, at the time of Holy Qurbana.
Red represents the universe, Green represents the Earth with all its green vegetation and the white represents the Holy Church, showing the purification through the blood of Lamb(Rev. 7:14)
8.Candles
• Lighted candles are placed on the thronos to represent angels and the saints.
• Two candles represent the Cherubims guarding the Ark of Covenant on either sides.
• Lighted candles also represents the nature of God, as God is light (St. John 8:12, 1John 1:5) (“By thy light”) and all the angels and saints reflect his light (St. Mathew5:14)
9. Sosappa • Sosappa is the white cloth with
which paten and chalice are covered.
• Representing again Shekina – which covered the Ark of Covenant placed in the Holy of Holies at the Jerusalem Temple (O.T)
• It also represents the bright cloud that appeared on the mount of transfiguration. (Mount Tabor)
• The prayer which the Priest prays before covering the Paten and Chalice with Sosappa is - “ the heavens are covered with the brightness of the Holy one and the whole creation is full of His glory.”
10. Gospel – Holy Bible
• It represents the word of God, which is light (Ps.119:105)
• Through the word of God which is light, we must be transformed to a greater degree of Glory, to reach perfection by the working of Holy Spirit. (II Cor. 3:18)
• In Holy Qurbana, we are breaking : the word of God and the body of Christ.
• The Gospel (Evengelion) represents the Ten Commandments of Jerusalem Temple (OT).
11. Censer - Dhoopakutty
“Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.” – Revelation 8:3-4
• The Censer represents our church.
– Charcoal represents us, the sinners.
– Fire represents the Holy Spirit.
– Four Chains represents the Holy Trinity – First and the second chain represents the Father and the Holy Spirit where as the thrid and the fourth chain symbolises the divine & humane nature of the son. (Jesus Christ)
– The twelve bells represents the 12 Apostles and the 72 links in the chain represents the 72 evangelists.
• We offer incense as we commemorate the saints especially in the songs in the “communion of saints”. The incense reminds us of the prayers of our saints.
• We offer incense during the adoration of Holy Trinity.
Adoration to The merciful father Merciful Son Living & the Holy Spirit
...Karunyavaanaya Pithavinu Vandanam... ... Karunyavaanaya Puthranu Vandanam... ...Jeevanullavanum parishudhanumaaya Ruhaayku Vandanam