Icon designed by Dr. Youssef Nassief and Dr. Bedour Latif

217 Pages·1999·1.32 MB·English

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ King of Kings and
Lord of lords
Icon designed by Dr. Youssef Nassief and Dr. Bedour Latif
H.H. Pope Shenouda III, 117th Pope of
Alexandria and the See of St. Mark
3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit, one God. Amen.

fnOoitalsna rhTsilg ne EhonTToitcudortn I

“HOW TO BENEFIT FROM THE HOLY LITURGY”

y ltrli oa fefi fehcdont eele sptlbkisaa ohel so Tsnabnehaerbt
.noitargimm if osdna leh tn ihtuo ydn anerdlih ceht

I eveileb siht koob si yrev tnatropmi rof yreve nocaeddna
rebmem fo eht noitagergnoc ohw ylraed sevol eht droLdna
yltsenrae skees ot tifeneb morf yreve tnemom tneps ni
yds,leyh nt ocyo teryjrb se avoeuyhlhafhhatetemtcmehofc
eht hcruhc sreffo dna eviecer lautirips ssenlluf morf eht
- f:eokatr aype h’tslaem‘

V snemuhcet aec h ftyogrut illanirtc o fdloa eemht
V eht laem fo lautirips gnippihsrow ni eht ygrutil fo
ygruti llaicifirca seh tr o,sreveileb
V neht enhotinumm ofco eht yloH ydoB dna doolB foruo
droL d,olGeu nhacmimhEw ew ekatrap fo ni aylihtrow
rennam dna evah tsirhC gnidiba ni ,su sa eht droL
d e:simorp “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood
abides in Me and I in him” nhoJ(.)65:6

ya M siht koob eb a ecruos fgoniss erlobf lla ohw daer ,tios
taht yeht yam nrael woh ot tifene bmorf eht eni.vyigDrutiL
4
hguorhT eht snoissecretni fo ruo rehtom .tS yraM dnaeht
sreyarp fo siH sseniloH ruo devoleb rehtaf epoPaduonehS
III.

.sss ued l reebfoch oLaterhg T

psouhosait BteM
.yretsan onMair y l SfEtoobb A

5
HOW TO BENEFIT FROM THE HOLY
LITURGY

By His Grace Bishop Mettaous, Abbot of St. Mary
& El Syrian Monastery

Introduction To The First Edition

n I ruo citpoC ,hcruhC eht yloH ,ssaM ni reh ecnessefo
puorg reyarp dna ,pihsrow si eht esuoh fo doG dna ehtrood
fo ,nevaeh eht esuoh fo slegna dna eht noitagergnoc foeht
.stnias

gniru Deht ylo H,s ssalMe g,ns aldenga neamhhitcbruarehC
dna eht ,mihpareS rehtegot htiw lla eht ylnevaeh stsohera
tnese rdpn agn iedrn aueohrt rruastl ahti wta e.rygrolg tAeht
e mtonse emnwoeamhw e htts esilrlpac no eht y ltoiHripSot
mrofsnart eht daerb dna eniw tneserp no eht ratla otnieht
yloh ydoB dna doolB fo ruo ,droL eH si tneserp tsdimaeht
.slegn aylo hsi Hf ognisiarp

eh T emit ew dneps ni hcruhc gnirud eht ssaM si a ecilsfo
nevaeh no .htrae ehT yrolg thgim eb neddih morf ruoseye
esua ceewb e rlalit sni e,hhts etl u fdbyenrai msoetd eessiH
.ynomits ertie h otstessent iew rda nea eds iddeed ndi nyarolg

te Y etipsed lla eseht ,seirolg ynam sserpxe taht yeht odton
tifeneb morf gnidnetta eht yloH .ssaM ,oS woh naceno
?ssa Meh tmor ftifeneb
6
sre d tndainhhawtsr etd sn, tru sesigiwufnhmitre wesrnoafe B
. .t.ifen egbniviecer

. i Coming late to Church - fI eno semoc ot hcruhc,etal
yeht lliw evirped sevlesmeht fo gniviecer eht yloH
.noinum myoeChT lliw osla e vsiervpleedsmeh tfogninetsil
ot eht leps o,Gsgnidaer eht lufitua e,bsnmyh dna ehtylpeed
lau tsirreiypasr pdias gnirud eht en i;vyig DrsurteiyLarptaht
tfilpu s’eno traeh dna tirips ot ,nevaeh gnivig trofmocdna
ecaep morf lla yldlrow .serac roF siht ,nosaer eht droL
flesmiH sesivda su ot emoc ot hcruhc ylrae : “Those who
seek Me early will find Me” (Proverbs 8:17).

.i i Not participating in the responses during the Mass -
enO yam emoc ,ylrae tub dnetta sa a rotatceps dna tona
eyl . celtrlnhiooeetwnteH af atpyr igdaf crnpoeiuahtttrialp
evael gnileef yeht evah ton deviecer yna lautirips.tifeneb
reveohW sdnetta eht ssaM si na tnatropmi tnavres foeht
,ssaM dna siht si deifiralc gnirud eht s’tnavreSnoitulosbA
nehw eht tseirp syas : “May Your servants, the ministers of
this day, hegumens, priests, deacons, clergy, all Your people
and my weak self be absolved...”. ecneH n oeihttagergsnioc
eno fo eht eerht tnatropmi seitilanosrep tneserp gnirudeht
ssaM - eht ,ygrelc eht ,snocaed dna eht .noitagergnoc fIeno
fo meht si ,tnesba ti si ton elbissop ot etarbelec ehtyloH
.ssaM

e drdnal ahuysoghr sue tn giien LvhititrnDue dseenropyrev E
etapicitrap ni eht sesnopser htiw lla rieht ,traeh luosdna
sesn en sired r eoov timeo ctrg erfndroiofwGm ooelchftrevo
dna ecaep eH lliw edivorp rof .su ,eroferehT erofebeht
7
lautca sesnopser era eht ,sdrow ehT‘ noitagergnoc
’,.s ’dtsno donennphoosTcpe‘asreedr

.ii i Lack of concentration or contemplation during the
responses -ssy e en essemadrn nhiMiaodmttapnynssahier
noitaticer daetsni fo ni ,noitalpmetnoc dna ecneh ruodnim
yam emoceb detcartsid morf gnisucof no eht sreyarp foeht
.ssaM yrevE ,tnapicitra prehtehw ,ygrelc nocaed roreveileb
dluohs yarp htiw ,noitne tgtnaidnatsrednu dna ni a tiripsfo
,noitalpmetnoc os taht rehtegot htiw eht eltsopA luaPew
,yas “I will pray with the spirit and I will also pray with
understanding, I will sing with the spirit and I will also
sing with understanding”.)51 :s4n1aihtni r1o(C

.v i Occupation with administrative matters instead of
with spiritual matters - emoS ,elpoep gnirud eht,ssaM
ypucco rieht sdnim htiw evitartsinimda ,srettam ekil eht
,sm lganitcell o rc,o)sdae rybl olhlam s’(nabro ke‘ h ftgonilles
ys e toehthdvtogi nuge o s,thdes stn hnoda.tosinimotAanod
sevlesmeht a ecnahc ot netsil ot eht ssaM dna ekatrap nieht
snmyh dna .sesnopser oT ,esoht eht droL suseJ syas :
“These you ought to have done without leaving the others
undone” ekuL( ,)24:11 dnaosla , “To everything there is a
season...” scitsaiselccE( .)1:3 ,ecneH hguohtla ehteltsopA
luaP sllet ,su“ Those who lead, with diligence” snamoR(
,)8:21 dna ta eht emas ,emit yeht etapicitrap ni sreyarpdna
,spihsrow gnidrocca ot tahw eht eltsopA osla sllet su nieht
emas retpahc : “fervent in spirit, serving the Lord,
continuing steadfastly in prayer”. ) 2s1n,a1m1o:R2(1

. v Prayer of the whole Mass in the Coptic language -
emoS nialpmoc taht yeht od ton dnatsrednu gnihtynaro
tifeneb esuaceb yeht od ton dnatsrednu eht citpoCegaugnal
8
ti sdiey ae.,rcnepnic e nerseheiHt f gernroip fyeahrtspsaM
nei g ntaeosuhmogt mmnooa tcl, lg lndainva aae ltra poteb
dias ni ,citpoC rof ti si ruo lanigiro egaugnal dna ruo
,egatireh dna os ti si tnatropmi rof su ton ot tcelgen .ti tIsi
tnatropmi ,revewoh taht eht noitagergnoc yrt ot nraeleht
citpoC ,egaugnal rof ti si eht egaugnal fo ruo srehtafdna
.srehtafdnarg

.i v Lack of partaking of the Holy Communion -emoS
elpoep dnetta eht ssaM ylno tuo fo ,tibah dna evirped
sevlesmeht morf gniviecer eht ylo H,stnemsaermciatSemos
rof shtnom ro .sraey ehT hcruhc sesivda taht lla ,esohtohw
evah dessefnoc dna era yllautirips deraperp dluohseviecer
eht gnynoliiodnHruom cmocotaC eht sdrow fo rudoevoleb
Lord: “Drink from it all of you...” (Matthew 26:26,27).
esohT ohw od ton ekatrap fo eht yloH noinummoCevirped
ta e mrao grd fnsareveil efybotinumm oe chmto rsfevlesmeht
.gnisselb

.ii v Taking the Holy Communion without having
confessed - A nosrep yam emoc ot eviecer eht yloH
,noinummo Celihw gnivah no rieh tecneicsnoc snis tahtera
ton .dessefnoc sihT ytliug gnileef sevirped eht nosrepmorf
gniviecer lautirips noitalosnoc dna .tifeneb ehT nosrep
gniviecer eht yloH noinummoC dluohs eb ,tnatnepererup
.yda edrna

si h, Tkoob yd,merveodla eesbri a el blmauihrt eomtocrevo
eht selcatsbo hcihw tneverp uoy morf gniniag ehtlautirips
stifeneb fo gnidnetta eht .ssaM tI si osla a yenruoj otekat
uoy ot eht htped fo eht ytinu fo eht ssaM dna yloH
.noinum mto ICsnialp xweoh uoy na ce rfalpeesrrpuo yoteb
ydaer dna gnivresed fo eht yloh tnemarcas fo,noinummoC
9
dna ti osla snialpxe eht sesnopser fo eht nocaed dna
.snoitalpmetn olcautiri pesm oonstoitid dn,ainoitagergnoc

sih T,koob “How to benefit from the Holy Mass”,
stnemilpmoc ym tsal ,koob “The Spirituality of the
Rites of the Holy Mass”, hcihw sesucof no ehtsreyarp
dna slautir fo eht .tseirp sihT ,koob ,revewoh sesucoferom
no eht ,sesnopser secitcarp dna snoitalpmetnoc fo eht
.s sya lM eoghHnti rnuoditagerg n dosncnaocaed

“For those who worship Him must worship in spirit and
truth” nhoJ(.)42:4

e W ksa ruo devoleb doG ot sselb siht koob os taht tiyam
emo c egeacnbr i ufsooost selll bao hdwa e,rti o stah ttiyam
egaruocne ,noitalpmetnoc ,gnidnatsrednu noitartnecnocdna
htped fo reyarp gnirud eht yloH ,ssaM dna os taht ewyam
deecorp ot eviecer eht ylo HnoinummoC ni ssenihtrohwtiw
a etirtnoc ;tirips ecneh gniniatta elbatnuocnu sgnisselbdna
comfort.

hti W eht sgnisselb fo ruo devoleb rehtaf siH sseniloHepoP
Shenouda III.

10