Encountering the Divine Liturgy Part 28: The Anaphora

 Let us stand aright. Let us stand with fear. Let us attend, that we may offer the holy Oblation in peace.

    Choir: A mercy of peace, a sacrifice of praise.

The priest, having taken the aer from off the holy Things, kissed it, and laid it to one side, says: The grace of our. . .
The deacon, having made a reverence, goes into the sanctuary, and taking a fan, devoutly fans the holy Things. If there are no fans, he does this with one of the veils. Exclamation:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
    Choir: And with thy spirit. The priest, facing east: Let us lift up our hearts. Choir: We lift them up unto the Lord. Priest: Let us give thanks unto the Lord. Choir:

It is meet and right to worship Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinity one in essence and undivided. The priest prays:

It is meet and right to hymn thee, to bless thee, to praise thee, to give thanks unto thee, and to worship thee in every place of thy dominion, for thou art God inexpressibie, inconceivable, invisible, incomprehensible, everexisting, eternally the same, thou and thine only-begotten Son and thy Holy Spirit. Thou didst bring us from nonexistence into being, and when we had fallen away, didst raise us up again, and didst not cease to do all things until thou hadst brought us up to heaven, and hadst bestowed upon us thy kingdom, which is to come. For all these things we give thanks unto thee, and to thine only-begotten Son, and to thy Holy Spirit, for all things of which we know and of which we know not, for the benefits both revealed and unrevealed, which have been done for us. And we give thanks unto thee for this service which thou hast vouchsafed to accept from our hands, even though there stand beside thee thousands of Archangels and ten thousands of Angels, Cherubim and Seraphim, six-winged, many-eyed, borne aloft on their wings.

And the deacon, taking the holy star from the holy diskos, makes the sign of the cross above it, and having kissed it, he lays it aside. Exclamation:

Singing the hymn of victory, shouting, crying, and saying: Choir:

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth, heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

    Then the deacon comes and stands on the right side, and taking a fan in his hand, waves it quietly with all heed and fear over the holy Gifts, so that flies or other insects may not settle on them. The priest prays:

With these blessed Powers, we also, O Master, Lover of man, cry and say, Holy art thou and all-holy, thou and thine only-begotten Son, and thy Holy Spirit; holy art thou and all-holy, and magnificent is thy glory, Who hast so loved thy world as to give thine only-begotten Son that all that believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life, Who when He had come and had fulfilled all the dispensation for us, in the night in which He was given up, or rather, gave Himself up, for the life of the world, took bread in His holy andimmaculate and blameless hands, and when He had given thanks, and blessed it, and hallowed it, and broken it, He gave it to His holy disciples and apostles, saying: Exclamation:

Take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you, for the forgiveness of sins.
    Choir: Amen.

    While this is being said, the deacon shows the priest the holy diskos, holding his orarion with three fingers of his right hand, and in like manner when the priest says: Drink ye all of this, he shows him the holy chalice. The priest, secretly: And likewise the cup after supper, saying: Exclamation:

Drink ye all of this; this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. The priest prays:

Remembering this saving commandment and all those things which came to pass for us: the cross, the grave, the resurrection on the third day, the ascension into heaven, the sitting down at the right hand, the second and glorious coming again, Exclamation:

Thine own of thine own we offer unto thee on behalf of all and for all. While this is being said, the deacon puts aside the fan, and crossing his arms, elevates the holy diskos and the holy chalice, and makes a devout reverence. Choir:

We hymn thee, we bless thee, we give thanks unto thee, O Lord, and we pray unto thee, O our God. The priest prays:

Again we offer unto thee this rational and bloodless worship, and we call upon thee and pray thee, and supplicate thee: send down thy Holy Spirit upon us and upon these Gifts set forth.

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    And the deacon sets aside the fan and draws near to the priest, and they both make three reverences before holy table, praying within themselves and saying: Priest:

O Lord, who at the third hour didst send down thine all-holy Spirit upon thine Apostles, take not the same from us, O Good One, but renew Him in us who pray unto thee. Deacon, the verse:

A clean heart create in me, O God, and a right spirit renew in my inmost parts. Again the priest:

O Lord, who at the third hour . . . Deacon, the verse:

Cast me not away from thy face, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. And again the priest:

O Lord, who at the third hour . . .

Then bowing his head and pointing to the holy Bread with his orarion, the deacon says: Bless, Master, the holy bread.

And the priest, rising, signs the holy Bread saying:

And make this bread the precious Body of thy Christ.
    Deacon: Amen. And again the deacon: Bless, Master, the holy cup. And the priest blessing, says:

And that which is in this cup the precious Blood of thy Christ.
   Choir: Amen.

And again the deacon, showing both the holy Things, says: Bless, Master, both.

The priest, blessing both the holy Things, says: Changing them by thy Holy Spirit. Deacon: Amen. Amen. Amen.

And bowing his head to the priest, the deacon says: Remember me a sinner, holy Master. And the priest says:

May the Lord God remember thee in His kingdom always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

    The deacon says, Amen, and goes forth to where he was before, and taking a fan, waves it overthe holy Things as before. The priest prays:

That to those who shall partake thereof they may be unto cleansing of soul, unto forgiveness of sins, unto communion of thy Holy Spirit, unto fulfillment of the kingdom of heaven, unto boldness toward thee, not unto judgment nor unto condemnation.
Again we offer unto thee this rational worship for those who in faith have gone before to their rest, Forefathers, Fathers, Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Preachers, Evangelists, Martyrs, Confessors, Ascetics, and for every righteous spirit in faith made perfect,

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The portion of the Divine Liturgy described above is known as the Anaphora, the central Eucharistic prayer and the spiritual high point of the entire service. In it, the Church fulfills Christ’s command to “do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19), and mystically participates in the eternal sacrifice of Christ, offered once for all (Hebrews 10:10) yet made present anew in every celebration of the Liturgy.

"Let us stand aright... that we may offer the holy oblation in peace"

This solemn call to spiritual vigilance marks the transition from preparation to offering. The faithful are invited to stand with reverent awe, aware that they are about to enter the holiest mystery of the Church: the consecration of the Gifts and the communion in Christ’s very Body and Blood. The peace with which the oblation is offered is not simply emotional tranquility, but the deep peace (Hebrew shalom, Greek eirēnē) that Christ gives (John 14:27) and which reigns in the reconciled Body of believers.

The Eucharistic Dialogue

The priest’s greeting—“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ… be with you all”—comes directly from St. Paul’s letters (2 Corinthians 13:14), and affirms that this offering is made in the grace-filled communion of the Holy Trinity. The call to "lift up your hearts" is an ancient dialogue rooted in early Christian worship and echoes Lamentations 3:41: "Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven." The people's response, “We lift them up unto the Lord,” proclaims their readiness to ascend in spirit to the heavenly altar.

The Preface: A Thanksgiving for Salvation History

The priest's great prayer of thanksgiving—“It is meet and right to hymn Thee…”—is known as the Preface, and recounts the saving acts of God in history. This is a profoundly theological moment. The Church confesses God's eternal nature, His loving creation of humanity, and His persistent efforts to restore fallen mankind: “Thou didst bring us from nonexistence into being… and didst not cease to do all things until Thou hadst brought us up to heaven.” This rich summary of the divine economy culminates in gratitude for the Kingdom which is already begun and yet still to come.

The Sanctus: Angelic Participation

The Sanctus, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth,” joins the earthly Church to the worship of the heavenly hosts, echoing Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8. The inclusion of "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord" (Psalm 118:26, Matt. 21:9) reveals that Christ Himself is the One who comes, both in His first coming and again sacramentally in the Eucharist.

Institution Narrative and Anamnesis

The priest now solemnly recalls the words and actions of Christ at the Mystical Supper. These are not mere historical recollections, but liturgical and sacramental actions that make the past present: “Take, eat… Drink ye all of this...” This is followed by the Anamnesis, a sacred remembrance not only of the Last Supper but also of the entire economy of salvation: the Cross, the tomb, the Resurrection, Ascension, and Christ’s second and glorious coming. The Church here steps into kairos—God’s eternal time—and offers up all that it has received from God: “Thine own of Thine own, we offer unto Thee, on behalf of all and for all.”

The Epiclesis: Invocation of the Holy Spirit

The most solemn and mystical moment now unfolds: the Epiclesis, or invocation of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Spirit overshadowed the Theotokos (Luke 1:35) and transformed the waters at Theophany (Matt. 3:16), so now the priest prays for the descent of the Spirit upon the Gifts and upon the people. The transformation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is not magical, but pneumatic and ecclesial—a work of the Spirit in the context of the Church's prayer.

The repeated prayer, “O Lord, who at the third hour didst send down Thy Holy Spirit…”, alludes to Pentecost (Acts 2:15) and is chanted three times while the priest and deacon bow before the altar. This threefold prayer is joined with Psalm verses pleading for spiritual renewal (Psalm 50:10–12), reinforcing that the Spirit must renew not only the Gifts but also the hearts of the faithful.

Consecration and Transfiguration of the Gifts

The priest now signs the Gifts with the sign of the Cross, saying: “Make this bread the precious Body of Thy Christ… and that which is in this cup the precious Blood of Thy Christ… changing them by Thy Holy Spirit.” This explicit prayer of consecration affirms that the transformation is effected by the will of the Father, through the Word of the Son, and by the action of the Holy Spirit. The triple "Amen" uttered by the deacon and choir is the response of the entire Church, affirming the mystery with awe and faith.

Prayers for the Living and Departed

The Church, having offered the Gifts, now extends the Eucharistic offering to intercession. The priest prays that the Holy Communion may lead to “the cleansing of soul, forgiveness of sins… fulfillment of the Kingdom,” and not judgment. This reinforces that the Eucharist must be received worthily, as St. Paul warns (1 Corinthians 11:27–29). Following this, the Church remembers those who have gone before, the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1), affirming that the Eucharist unites the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant—the living and the departed, time and eternity.

Conclusion

This entire section of the Divine Liturgy, from the opening exhortation to “stand aright” to the invocation of the Holy Spirit and remembrance of the saints, is a cosmic and mystical act. It is Christ's offering of Himself through His Body, the Church, to the Father. In it, time and eternity meet, heaven and earth are united, and the faithful are drawn into the very life of the Holy Trinity. Through the Epiclesis and the consecration, the Liturgy becomes what St. Nicholas Cabasilas called “the mystery of mysteries,” a participation in the eternal sacrifice of Christ, the true and living Bread come down from heaven (John 6:51).