Our brothers and sisters in Orthodox churches (excepting those who follow the Western rite?) and those who are Byzantine Catholics today begin a new year of grace. My dear friend Ezekiel reminded me of this today.
Here is the Kontakion of the New Year:
O Creator and Master of time and eternity, supersubstantial God of all, O Merciful One: bless the course of this year, and in your boundless mercy, save all those who worship You, our one and only Master, and who cry out to You in fear: "O Saviour, grant a happy year to all mankind!"
Wishing all my Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic friends a blessed and joyous new year of grace!
8 comments:
Thank you.
Bonzai! le Sheboygan!
Seriously, here is something that has confounded me for a time or two. What is the status of Eastern rite Lutherans? I keep hearing about all of these different rites and it is very hard to keep them together.
As far as I know, Artimus, the only Eastern rite Lutherans are those who are members of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church. You can find the liturgy of that Church Here
What do you think of the Anaphora of this Liturgy?
Btw, when I was in Sweden in 1999, in Gothenburg I met a Pastor Bengt Westholm, a strong Confessionalist and one who had much to do with a newly-created Moldovan Lutheran Church. He told me that it used a Liturgy based on that of St. John Chrysostom -- but that in place of the Anaphora, after the Sanctus it had only the Verba.
Dr. Tighe,
I had not heard of the Molovan Lutheran Church using the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. I'll have to check into that!
As to the anaphora here, I think it is good. I wish there were a bit more of it left in place. For example, after the anamnasis, it would be great to have had:
...we praise You, we bless You, and we give You thanks
and then move into the epiclesis. Also, I really love the St. Basil epiclesis: and show this bread to be the body of Your Christ... I wish that something along those lines had been added.
From the standpoint of Lutheranism, it seems that the Eastern anaphorae were very logical places to look to fill the void that was created by the wholesale loss of the Roman canon, because while the canon comes in for very sharp criticism from the Confessions, the Eastern anaphorae, whenever referred to, are only praised.
except those who are old calendarists too.
Thanks for the new year's blessing.
Deb
Mimi and Deb,
You're welcome! I hope that the new year of grace for you will be filled with the joy of Christ's presence and love.
I'd never heard of Eastern Rite Lutherans, thank you so much for this exchange.
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