Mindful Prayer: Renewing Our Offering of the Divine Liturgy


The apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 12:2: “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is.” This renewal is nowhere more necessary than in the way we approach the Divine Liturgy, the heart of the Church’s worship and the fountain of her life. For the liturgy is not ours to rush through or complete as a duty; it is God’s gift, the place where heaven and earth meet, where the Spirit lifts us into communion with the Father through the Son.

Praying with Spirit and Mind

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14:15: “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the mind also.” In this verse, he describes the essence of liturgical prayer. To pray with the spirit is to allow the Holy Spirit to stir our hearts with love, awe, and adoration. To pray with the mind is to be conscious, deliberate, and attentive, understanding the meaning of what we proclaim. In the Divine Liturgy, spirit and mind must be united so that our prayer becomes both fiery and thoughtful, a true sacrifice of praise.

St. John Chrysostom warned his flock: “When you are in prayer, do not allow your mind to wander here and there; but collect it, bring it back, and confine it within the words you speak. For you stand in the presence of the Lord of all, and you converse with God Himself.” If this is true of private prayer, how much more must it be true of the Eucharistic prayer, where we dare to call down the Holy Spirit upon the bread, wine, us, and receive the Body and Blood of Christ?

The Danger of Routine

As clergy and worshippers, we face the danger of treating the liturgy as routine. Priests may feel pressure to move quickly, deacons may sing without reflection, and the faithful may attend without engaging their hearts. In haste, the prayers become words to get through, as though the goal were to finish rather than to enter into the mystery.

But Paul’s teaching cuts through this habit: prayer that does not engage the mind is incomplete, and prayer that is hurried loses its power. Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so liturgical words without awareness become empty sounds. St. Basil the Great reminds us: “The words of the prayers are not idle phrases, but each contains great meaning, set forth by the Spirit, to instruct our souls and to lift our minds to God.” To rush through the liturgy is to rob ourselves of the very instruction and nourishment it is meant to give.

The Treasure of the Liturgy

The Divine Liturgy is the crown of our worship, the living theology of the Church offered in prayer and song. Every petition, every hymn, every proclamation reveals God’s saving work and invites us into it. When we chant “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth,” we are joining the hymn of the angels (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). When we say “Our Father,” we stand before God the Father as His children, lifting our voices in the very prayer Christ gave us.

If we rush through these moments, we treat holy things as ordinary. But when we pause, listen, and contemplate, the veil is lifted, and we taste the reality of heaven.

The Priority of Worship

In parish life, many responsibilities weigh on clergy and laity alike: meetings, teaching, service, and activities. Yet none of these can surpass the Eucharist, for in it we participate in Christ Himself. As Paul reminds us: “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16).

If this is so, then the Divine Liturgy must be the priority of our service and worship. It is not something we fit in quickly before moving on to other duties, but the very source from which all service flows and to which all service returns.

A Call to Renewal

What we need today is a renewal in the way we offer the liturgy—a renewal for clergy and for worshippers alike. Priests must celebrate with reverence, attentiveness, and pastoral care, ensuring that every word and action is offered as prayer. Deacons must chant with understanding, leading the people not in sound alone but in faith. The faithful must listen, respond, and pray with their whole being, knowing that in the liturgy they are standing at the very throne of God.

Mindful prayer in the Divine Liturgy means slowing down, letting every word and hymn sink into our hearts. It means recognizing that we are not completing a ritual, but offering the eternal sacrifice of Christ, joining the heavenly liturgy of angels and saints. When clergy and worshippers alike embrace this mindfulness, the Eucharist ceases to be routine and becomes life itself.

An Exhortation to Clergy and Congregation

Beloved fathers, brothers, and children in Christ, let us not allow the Divine Liturgy to become routine in our midst. Let us not treat it as an obligation to finish, but as the holy mystery that sustains our life. As clergy, let us approach the altar with awe, celebrating with reverence and mindful prayer. As faithful worshippers, let us come to church not to watch or to hurry, but to stand with our whole being before God, uniting our spirit and mind in every prayer we offer.

When we slow down, when we pray with attention, when we let every word of the liturgy speak to our souls, then the Eucharist becomes for us what it truly is: the banquet of the Kingdom, the fountain of life, and the presence of Christ Himself in our midst.

Let us, then, renew together the way we offer the Divine Liturgy—priests, deacons, and faithful—so that our worship may be spirit-filled, mindful, and worthy of the God who calls us into His presence.

Hegumen Abraam Sleman

Jersey City, New Jersey

frsleman@CopticChurch.net

#MindfulPrayer, #DivineLiturgy, #EucharisticLife, #PrayWithSpiritAndMind, #StJohnChrysostom, #StBasilTheGreat, #LivingTheLiturgy, #HolyEucharist, #WorshipWithReverence, #ChurchRenewal, #HeavenOnEarth, #BanquetOfTheKingdom, #LifeInChrist

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pastoral Statement on the East Brunswick Tragedy

Image
With heavy hearts, we mourn the tragic event that took place in East Brunswick on   Friday, February 28, 2025 , where a wife lost her life at the hands of her husband. As a church, we extend our deepest   sympathies and condolences   to her family, loved ones, and all those affected by this heartbreaking act of violence. In this time of sorrow, we turn to the   comfort of God’s Word   and the hope found in Christ. 1. God Feels Our Grief and Will Redeem Creation In moments of deep sorrow, we take refuge in the truth that God sees our pain, hears our cries, and is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). Though the world is marred by sin and violence, God is at work to redeem creation from its corruption (Romans 8:21-23). We hold onto the promise that Christ will return and make all things new, bringing justice, healing, and an end to suffering (Revelation 21:4-5). 2. The Church Condemns Domestic Violence and All Acts of Harm The Church...
Read more

The Eucharist: The Heart of Christian Unity - Preface of a New Book

Image
The prayer of the Lord Jesus in John 17:21 remains an urgent call to the Church today: “That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” The division among Christians stands in stark contrast to Christ’s desire for unity, and nowhere is this division more visible than at the Eucharistic table, where the Body and Blood of Christ should bring believers together as one.  The Eucharist: The Heart of the Christian Unity  The Eucharist has always been at the heart of Christian life and unity, serving as both a sign and source of communion with Christ and with one another. The earliest Christians gathered around the Eucharist, recognizing it as the fulfillment of God’s covenant and as a means of participating in the very life of Christ. The Church Fathers spoke of the Eucharist as the binding force of Christian unity, teaching that those who share in the one Bread and one Cup becom...
Read more

A Prayerful Message to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV: A Call for Eucharistic Unity

Image
With deep joy and reverence, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on his election as the 267th Bishop of Rome and Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Catholic Church. May the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd and Eternal High Priest, fill Your Holiness with divine wisdom, strength, and peace as you begin your sacred ministry of shepherding the Church in this pivotal time of history. At this moment of grace and renewal, I raise a humble and heartfelt appeal — that Your Holiness may stand united with all the Churches that confess the real presence of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist — His true Body and His true Blood — to work together toward the restoration of Eucharistic unity. This unity is not a mere symbol of agreement, but a faithful response to the prayer of Christ Himself: “That they may all be one, even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:21). The Euchari...
Read more