Part 37: Dismissal Rite

 

This final portion of the Divine Liturgy, commonly known as the Dismissal Rite, is a rich liturgical tapestry of thanksgiving, blessing, and commission. It functions not merely as a conclusion to the Eucharistic celebration, but as the theological consummation of the Church’s ascension to the heavenly altar, now descending back into the world, filled with divine grace. The structure and content of this closing section emphasize the transformation of the people who have communed: they are now vessels of the Holy Mysteries, and the world is their new liturgical space.

Eucharistic Thanksgiving and Ecclesial Sanctification

The deacon’s call to attention—“Attend”—marks the gravity of what has just occurred: “Having partaken of the divine, holy, immaculate, immortal, heavenly, and dread Mysteries of Christ, let us worthily give thanks to the Lord.” This is no rhetorical flourish. Each adjective is a theological declaration about the nature of what the faithful have received. As St. John Chrysostom preaches:

“This Blood, if rightly received, drives away demons and keeps them far from us, even while it calls to us angels and the Lord of angels.” (Homily 46 on John)

The call to “worthily give thanks” now becomes the logical response to having received the Body and Blood of the King. Gratitude (εὐχαριστία) is not merely emotion—it is the liturgical name of the sacrament itself. To “thank” the Lord is to live in the Eucharistic mode, which is to say, to consecrate one’s life as a continual offering.

In the Prayer of Thanksgiving, the priest petitions for the stability of the faithful's life now that they have communed: “Make our way straight. Establish us all in thy fear. Guard our life. Make firm our steps…” These are echoes of the Great Litany at the beginning of the Liturgy, but now intensified: no longer abstract requests, but the necessary fruit of having received Christ. St. Cyril of Jerusalem affirms this connection between the Eucharist and moral transformation:

“As the bread of the Eucharist, after the invocation of the Holy Spirit, is no longer ordinary bread but the Body of Christ, so our souls, receiving this Holy Body, are no longer corruptible but partake in eternal life.” (Mystagogical Catechesis 4.3)

The presence of the Theotokos and all the saints in this prayer reveals the ecclesial and cosmic scope of the Liturgy. The faithful are not isolated individuals; they are communing with the whole Body of Christ—militant and triumphant—through the Communion of Saints.

Sanctification of the Church and the World

As the priest folds the antimension and makes the sign of the Cross with the Gospel, he declares: “For thou art our sanctification…” The antimension contains relics of the saints and symbolizes the presence of the bishop, and the Gospel proclaims the Word made flesh. This final doxology is both theological and ecclesiological: the Church is sanctified because Christ Himself is our sanctification (cf. 1 Cor. 1:30). St. Basil the Great writes:

“Christ is not merely the sanctifier, but sanctification itself. He does not give sanctity as a gift apart from Himself; He gives Himself.” (On the Holy Spirit, Ch. 26)

In the Prayer Behind the Ambo, the priest invokes divine blessing upon the entire created order: the Church, the faithful, the civil authorities, and all people. This is a profound eschatological statement. The Eucharist is not escapist—it sends the Church back into the world, now bearing within it the presence of the Kingdom. The prayer quotes James 1:17—“Every good and perfect gift is from above…”—as a reminder that every grace now bestowed flows from the Father of lights through the Eucharistic Christ.

Antidoron and the Extension of Eucharistic Grace

The distribution of the antidoron (literally “instead of the gifts”) is a powerful expression of Eucharistic inclusion. While not sacramental in the same sense as Communion, the antidoron is sanctified bread that was near the consecrated Gifts. Its distribution to all—including non-communicants—shows that the grace of the Liturgy is not restricted to the chalice, but radiates outward. St. John Chrysostom remarks:

“The table is rich, the Lamb of God is set before us, and still no one goes away hungry. All are invited; the Lord is generous.” (Paschal Homily)

The final blessing—“The blessing of the Lord and His mercy be upon you…”—underscores that the people now carry the grace of Christ into their homes, families, and workplaces. The priest then glorifies Christ, “our Hope”, which calls to mind 1 Timothy 1:1 and Titus 2:13. Christ is not only the giver of the Mysteries but the goal of the entire Christian life.

Dismissal and Benediction: Apostolic Commission

The final dismissal invokes the intercessions of the Theotokos, St. John Chrysostom, and the saint of the day or temple. This situates the faithful within the spiritual lineage of the Church. By naming the author of the Divine Liturgy itself, St. John Chrysostom, the priest reminds us that the Liturgy is not a recent invention but the inheritance of the apostolic and patristic tradition.

As the choir sings the Many Years, the Liturgy moves from the celestial to the temporal. The faithful have “seen the true Light,” and are now sent forth to become that Light in the world (Matt. 5:14). Having communed with the Body of Christ, they now become His Body in the world—living epistles written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God (2 Cor. 3:3).

Conclusion: The World as Altar

Thus, this final part of the Divine Liturgy is no mere conclusion. It is a liturgical commission. The faithful, now filled with the divine Mysteries, are sent forth not as spectators but as bearers of Christ. The liturgy has brought heaven to earth—and now the earth must become a liturgy of thanksgiving in return.

As St. John Chrysostom reminds us:

“The liturgy does not end with the final Amen. It continues in your life—when you forgive your enemy, when you comfort the sick, when you feed the hungry. That is where the Liturgy continues.” (Homily on Matthew 50)

Therefore, “Let us depart in peace” is not a departure from the Liturgy but a mission into the world as transformed, Eucharistic people.