The Divine Liturgy of St. James

The Prothesis

(The Priest prays before the Table of Oblation:)

Priest: O God, our God, who didst send forth the heavenly Bread, the food of the whole world, our Lord Jesus Christ, to be a Savior and Redeemer and Benefactor, blessing and sanctifying us: Do Thou Thyself bless this offering, and receive it to Thine altar above the heavens. Remember, O Good One and Lover of Mankind, those who offered it and those for whom it was offered, and keep us without condemnation in the service of Thy divine mysteries. For hallowed and glorified is Thy most honorable and majestic name, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Enarxis

Deacon: Master, bless!

Priest: Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

People: Amen.

(The Great Litany:)

Deacon: In peace, let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For the peace of the whole world, for the stability of the holy churches of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For this holy house and for those who enter it with faith, reverence, and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For our Archbishop (Name), for the honorable priesthood, the diaconate in Christ, for all the clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For our country, for those in civil authority, and for our armed forces, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For this city, for every city and land, and for the faithful who live in them, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For seasonable weather, for abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For those who travel by land, sea, and air; for the sick, the suffering, the captives and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and necessity, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by Your grace.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Commemorating our most holy, pure, blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another, and our whole life unto Christ our God.

People: To You, O Lord.

(The Prayer of the Incense:)

Priest: O King of glory and Lord of power, Who didst accept the gifts of Abel, the sacrifice of Noah and Abraham, the incense of Aaron and Zacharias: Accept also from the hands of us sinners this incense for a sweet-smelling savor, and for the remission of our sins.

The Liturgy of the Word

(The Small Entrance with the Gospel:)

Deacon: Wisdom! Stand upright!

People: Only-Begotten Son and Immortal Word of God, Who for our salvation willed to be incarnate of the holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, and became man without change; Who was crucified, O Christ our God, and by death has trampled upon death; Who are one of the Holy Trinity, glorified together with the Father and the Holy Spirit: save us!

(The Trisagion is sung:)

People: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3x)
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

(Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel readings follow. In this rite, multiple readings are used.)

Reader: (The reading from the Prophecy of Name...)

Reader: (The reading from the Epistle of Name...)

Priest: Peace be to all.

People: And with your spirit.

Deacon: Wisdom! Stand upright! Let us hear the Holy Gospel.

Priest: The reading from the Holy Gospel according to (Name).

People: Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You.

The Liturgy of the Faithful

(Instead of the Cherubic Hymn, the ancient Hymn of St. James is sung during the Great Entrance:)

People: Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand; Ponder nothing earthly-minded, for with blessing in His hand, Christ our God to earth descendeth, our full homage to demand.

People: King of kings, yet born of Mary, as of old on earth He stood, Lord of lords, in human vesture, in the Body and the Blood; He will give to all the faithful His own Self for heavenly food.

People: Rank on rank the host of heaven spreads its vanguard on the way, as the Light of Light descendeth from the realms of endless day, that the powers of hell may vanish as the darkness clears away.

People: At His feet the six-winged seraph, cherubim with sleepless eye, veil their faces to the Presence, as with ceaseless voice they cry: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Lord Most High!

Deacon: Let us love one another, that with one mind we may confess:

People: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: the Trinity, one in essence and undivided.

(The Nicene Creed is recited:)

People: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty...

Priest: The peace of Christ be with you all.

People: And with your spirit.

Deacon: Let us stand well! Let us stand with fear! Let us be attentive, that we may offer the holy anaphora in peace to God.

The Anaphora of St. James

Priest: The love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

People: And with your spirit.

Priest: Let us lift up our minds and hearts.

People: We lift them up to the Lord.

Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord.

People: It is proper and right.

(The Great Prayer of the Anaphora:)

Priest (Silent): It is truly meet and right, becoming and our bounden duty, to praise Thee, to hymn Thee, to worship Thee, to glorify Thee, to give thanks to Thee, the Maker of all creation, visible and invisible; the Treasure of eternal good things, the Fountain of life and immortality, the God and Master of all. Whom the heavens hymn, and the heaven of heavens, and all their powers; the sun and the moon and all the choir of the stars; the earth, the sea, and all that is in them; the Jerusalem above, the assembly of the elect, the church of the first-born written in heaven; the spirits of just men and of prophets; the souls of martyrs and of apostles; angels, archangels, thrones, dominions, principalities, authorities, and dread powers; the many-eyed cherubim and the six-winged seraphim, who with two wings cover their faces, and with two their feet, and with two they fly, crying one to another with sleepless mouths and unceasing doxologies:

Priest (Exclamation): The triumphal hymn of Thy majestic glory, with clear voice, singing, crying aloud, shouting, and saying:

People: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth, heaven and earth are full of Thy glory! Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!

(The Words of Institution:)

Priest (Silent): Holy art Thou, O King of the ages, and Lord and Giver of all holiness; holy also Thine only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom Thou didst make all things; holy also Thy Holy Spirit, who searches all things, even the deep things of God. Holy art Thou, Almighty, All-powerful, Good, Dreadful, Compassionate, Who hadst most compassion upon Thy creature; Who didst make man from the earth after Thine image and likeness, and didst give him the delight of Paradise. And when he had transgressed Thy commandment and fallen away, Thou didst not disregard him nor forsake him, O Good One, but didst chasten him as a merciful Father, didst call him by the Law, didst school him by the Prophets; and finally, Thou didst send forth Thine only-begotten Son Himself into the world, that He might renew and restore Thine image.

Priest (Silent): For in the night in which He was betrayed, or rather surrendered Himself for the life and salvation of the world, having taken bread in His holy and pure and blameless and immortal hands, looking up to heaven, and showing it to Thee, His God and Father, He gave thanks, and hallowed, and broke, and gave it to His disciples and apostles, saying:

Priest (Exclamation): Take, eat; this is My Body, which is broken for you and distributed for the remission of sins.

People: Amen.

Priest (Silent): Likewise also the cup after supper, having taken it and mixed it with wine and water, and looking up to heaven, and showing it to Thee, His God and Father, He gave thanks, and hallowed, and blessed, and filled it with the Holy Spirit, and gave it to His disciples and apostles, saying:

Priest (Exclamation): Drink of this, all of you; this is My Blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you and for many, and distributed for the remission of sins.

People: Amen.

Priest: Do this in remembrance of Me; for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Son of Man and confess His resurrection, until He comes.

People: Thy death, O Lord, we proclaim, and Thy resurrection we confess.

(The Epiklesis:)

Priest (Silent): We also, O Master, remembering His saving Passion, His life-giving Cross, His three-day Burial, His Resurrection from the dead, His Ascension into heaven, and His Sitting at Thy right hand, God and Father, and His second and glorious and dread Coming... offer to Thee, O Master, this awesome and bloodless sacrifice. Have mercy on us, O God, according to Thy great mercy, and send forth upon us and upon these gifts here set forth Thy Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, equal in throne to Thee, God and Father, and to Thine only-begotten Son, reigning with Thee, consubstantial and co-eternal, Who spoke by the Law and the Prophets and Thy New Covenant, Who descended in the form of a dove upon our Lord Jesus Christ in the river Jordan, and remained upon Him, Who descended upon Thy holy Apostles in the form of fiery tongues in the upper room of the holy and glorious Zion on the day of Holy Pentecost. Send down, O Master, the same Holy Spirit upon us and upon these holy gifts here set forth, that He may come upon them and by His holy and good and glorious presence may sanctify them and make this bread the holy Body of Thy Christ. (Amen). And this cup the precious Blood of Thy Christ. (Amen). That they may be to all who partake of them for remission of sins and for eternal life, for sanctification of souls and bodies, for bringing forth of good works, for the confirmation of Thy holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

(The Great Intercessions: In the Liturgy of St. James, these are particularly long and start from the Holy Places of Jerusalem.)

Priest: We offer them to Thee, O Master, for Thy holy places which Thou hast glorified by the manifestation of Thy Christ, and by the visitation of Thy Holy Spirit; especially for the holy and glorious Zion, the mother of all the churches; and for Thy holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church throughout the whole world. Grant her, O Lord, the rich gifts of Thy Holy Spirit. Remember, Lord, our holy fathers and bishops in her, who in all the world rightly teach the word of Thy truth. Remember, Lord, this holy house and those who dwell in it in faith and piety. Remember, Lord, every city and land and the orthodox who dwell in them; grant them peace and safety.

Holy Communion

Priest: And make us worthy, Master, with boldness and without condemnation, to dare call Thee, the heavenly God, Father, and to say:

People: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Priest: Peace be to all.

People: And with Thy spirit.

Deacon: Let us bow our heads to the Lord.

People: To Thee, O Lord.

Priest: The holy things for the holy.

People: One is Holy, One is Lord: Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

(The Fraction and Communion follow.)

Priest: With fear of God, faith, and love, draw near.

People: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. The Lord is God and has revealed Himself to us. Receive the Body of Christ; taste of the fountain of immortality. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

The Dismissal

Deacon: Let us depart in peace.

People: In the name of the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

Priest: (The Final Blessing): The blessing of the Lord and His mercy come upon you, through His grace and love for mankind, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Priest: Glory to Thee, O Christ our God and our hope, glory to Thee.

People: Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Lord, have mercy (3x). Father, bless.

Priest: May Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His all-pure and holy Mother; of the holy and glorious Apostles; of the holy and glorious Apostle James, Brother of the Lord and first Bishop of Jerusalem; and of all the saints: have mercy on us and save us, for He is good and loves mankind.

People: Amen.