The Divine Liturgy

The central worship service of the Orthodox Church is called the Divine Liturgy (meaning ‘The Divine Work’). The Divine Liturgy is a Eucharistic service and contains two main parts: the Liturgy of the Catechumens, sometimes called the Liturgy of the Word, at which the Scriptures are proclaimed and expounded, and the Liturgy of the Faithful, sometimes called the Liturgy of the Eucharist, in which the gifts of bread and wine are offered and consecrated. The Church teaches that these gifts, in a mystical manner, truly become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The Lord says, ‘unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day’ (Jn 6:53-54). Thus, the Orthodox Church has the Eucharist at the center of Her worship.

 While the Divine Liturgy is the central worship service of the Church, and is served every Sunday, the Church has an entire daily cycle of services, which begin at sunset and are served at their appointed hour until sunset on the following day, when the cycle begins all over again with the evening service of Vespers.