|
|
SACRAMENTAL
RITES IN
THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH 2nd
Edition His Grace Bishop Mettaous Abbot Of El-SYRIAN Monastery CONTENTS Page Foreword,
by His Grace Bishop Moussa Introduction,
by His Grace Bishop Mettaous Chapter
One ·
Sacrament
of Baptism
Chapter
Two ·
Sacrament of Confirmation
Chapter
Three ·
Sacrament of Repentance & Confession Chapter
Four ·
Sacrament of Holy Eucharist
Chapter
Five ·
Sacrament of Unction of the Sick Chapter
Six ·
Sacrament of Holy Matrimony Chapter
Seven ·
Sacrament of Priesthood Foreword I
am delighted to have the blessing of presenting this important ritual
encyclopedia to the beloved Coptic readers. His
Grace the great Bishop Mettaous is one of the prominent scholars of Ritual
Theology in our contemporary era, and all his writings are useful, necessary
references, as they include a scientific spirit, an elaborate research and
spiritual gratification. The church
meant the rite to be a living expression of enlightened thinking and a spirit
sparkling by divine love. The
“Sacramental Rites” encyclopedia is an urgent need for our Coptic Orthodox
Library, as there are no elaborate references now, about this enlivening topic.
So here comes this encyclopedia, a gratification for the church’s
children and an enrichment to the Coptic Library, at the right time, led by the
Holy Spirit of God. I
do not need to elaborate about the gratifying, attractive style of His Grace
Bishop Mettaous who satisfied us in his books, such as “Spirituality of the
Rites of the Holy Liturgy” and “The Eminence of Monasticism” as well as
many other spiritual, theological and ritual topics. We
perceive a blessed, educational revival in the era of His Holiness Pope Shenouda
III, by books, cassettes and video films, shared by many bishops, priests,
monks, servants, led by His Holiness, his direct shepherdhood and unique
example. May
the Lord bless these efforts and gratify us with more writings by His Grace
Bishop Mettaous, by the prayers of his Holiness Pope Shenouda III.
May the grace of the Lord bless us. Bishop
Moussa General
Bishop V In
the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God Amen. Introduction
To The First Edition The
seven Sacraments of the Church are the channels by which we receive the graces
and blessings of the Holy Spirit. The
Holy Spirit has existed in the church since the day of Pentecost, when He dwelt
in it according to the Lord’s promise: “I
will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may
abide with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth when the world cannot receive,
because it neither sees Him nor knows Him, but you know Him for He dwells with
you, and will be in you” (John 14:16,17). The
Holy Spirit works in the church through the Sacraments, giving us His gifts,
blessings and comfort, and teaches us and guides us to the way of truth. “But
the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will
teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to
you” (John
14:26). The
Seven Sacraments of the Church are:
1- Sacrament
of Baptism. 2- Sacrament
of Confirmation 3- Sacrament
of Confession 4- Sacrament
of Eucharist 5- Sacrament
of Unction of Sick 6- Sacrament
of Matrimony 7- Sacrament
of Priesthood. The
Lord Christ instituted all these Sacraments, and the Holy Bible mentions them in
detail. 1-
Sacrament of Baptism
Instituted by the Lord Jesus by His Baptism in the River Jordan and by
His words to Nicodemus saying: “Most
assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of
God... Most assuredly, I say to
you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of
God” (John 3), and by saying to our fathers the Apostles,
“Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). 2-
Sacrament of Confirmation
Instituted by Lord Jesus when He said:
“If anyone thirsts let him come to Me and drink.
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will
flow rivers of living water”. But
this He spoke concerning the Spirit whom those believing in Him would receive;
for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37-39).
About the Sacrament of Confirmation, in the Book of Acts it is
mentioned : “Now when the
Apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God,
they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them
that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For
as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:14-17).
The Holy Spirit was received by the laying of hands, but when the number
of believers increased, the Apostles were unable to keep track of each
individual to lay upon them their hands in order to receive the Holy Spirit.
So they made the Myron out of certain oils mixed with spices; the same
spices which were brought to the tomb to embalm the shrouded Christ.
It was approved for the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, and allowed the
priests to anoint the newly baptised by the Myron to receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit, to dwell in them, in order to become temples of the Holy Spirit. 3-
Sacrament Of Repentance
Instituted by the Lord Jesus when He said to His pure disciples:
“Assuredly I say to
you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose
on earth will be loosed in heaven”
(Matthew: 18:18), and after Resurrection He said, “As
the Father has sent me, I also send you and when He had said this, He breathed
on them, and said to them “Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them, if you retain the
sins of any, they are retained” (John
20: 21-22). 4-
Sacrament Of The Eucharist (Thanksgiving)
Instituted by the Lord Jesus in the upper room in Zion, on the night of
His passion when He took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to His
disciples saying, “Take eat,
this is My Body. Then He took the
cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it
and He said to them “This is My Blood of the new covenant which is shed for
many” (Mark 14: 22-24). 5-
Sacrament Of The Unction Of The Sick
Instituted by the Lord Jesus when He said to His disciples, “Heal
the sick, cleanse the lepers” (Matthew 10:8), and, “Whatever city you enter … heal the sick who are there”
(Luke 10:8). The Apostles then put the Lord’s words
into practice : “They
anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them”
(Mark 6:13). Our teacher St.
James the Apostle advised believers to practice it, by saying, “Is anyone among you sick? Let
him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him
with oil in the name of the Lord. And
the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if
he has committed sins, he will be forgiven”
(James 5:14-15). 6-
Sacrament of The Holy Matrimony
Instituted by the Lord Jesus who blessed the Sacrament of Matrimony by
attending the wedding of Cana of Galilee, where, “He
manifested His glory and His disciples believed in Him” (John
2: 1-11). Also, teacher St. Paul says, “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the
Churches”
(Ephesians 5:32). This means that the physical union between a man and
his wife is a sign and symbol of a greater spiritual matter, that is, of the
unity of heart and soul, resembling the unity of Christ and the Church. 7-
Sacrament of Priesthood Instituted by the
Lord Jesus when He chose His twelve disciples among many of His followers, and
called them Apostles. The selection
was accomplished after a whole night of prayer, when the Lord Jesus went out to
the mountain to pray (Luke 6: 12-13), and then sent them to preach saying, “The
Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”
(Matthew 10:7). The Lord said to them, “I
chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your
fruit should remain”
(John 15:16). He gave them the
authority saying, “Assuredly
I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever
you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).
After the resurrection, the Lord, “Breathed on them and said to them: “Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.
If you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 2:23), and
to them only, He said, “Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
things that I have commanded you” (Matthew: 28:19-20).
He gave the mystery of His Holy Body and Blood only to them saying, “Do
this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). Definition
of a Church Sacrament
The
Church Sacrament is an invisible grace we receive by practicing a visible rite,
and a visible sign or substance performed by a priest. 1-
In the Baptism the substance is water by which we receive the second
birth from Water and Spirit. 2-
In the Confirmation the substance is the oil of Myron, by which the Holy
Spirit dwells in us. 3-
The sign of the Sacrament of Confession is the confessing person, who
accepts the prayer of absolution at the end of Confession to gain forgiveness of
sins. 4-
The substance of the Sacrament of Communion is the bread and wine, by
which we eat the Holy Body and Precious Blood of Emmanuel our God. 5-
The substance of the Sacrament of Unction of sick is oil, by which we
receive physical and psychological remedy. 6-
The sign of the Sacrament of Matrimony is the bride and groom who receive
the prayers, so the Holy Spirit dwells upon them and unites them in body and
spirit. 7-
The sign of the Sacrament of Priesthood is the ordained person, who
accepts the prayers of the Sacrament of Priesthood and the laying of hands for a
certain priestly rank, to gain the grace for starting church services - whether
Sacraments or authority for various church matters and management. Redemptive
and Non-Redemptive Sacraments
There
are four redemptive Sacraments out of the Seven Sacraments.
They are necessary for eternal salvation, and every believer should
practice them in order to gain eternal salvation. These are : 1- Baptism
2-
Confirmation 3- Confession
4-
Communion The
other three Sacraments are non-redemptive and unnecessary for eternal salvation. 5- Sacrament
of Unction of the Sick
Given for the remedy of those who are physically or psychologically
unwell only. 6- Sacrament
of Matrimony
For those who want to marry for the purpose of sharing lives and bearing
children. However, there are many monks and nuns, and those who live celibate
lives who gain eternal life with merit. 7- Sacrament
of Priesthood
Reserved only for those who are ordained as a deacon, priest or bishop.
However, the majority of the Congregation have no priestly ranks, but are called
for redemption and eternal life. Physical
Medicine and Spiritual Medicine: Physical
medicine has three classes of medicine:- ·
Preventive
Medicine: like
vaccination given to children against smallpox, paralysis and others, to protect
them against these diseases. ·
Curative
Medicine:
prescribed for a person after having had the doctor diagnose the reason for
illness. ·
Supplementary
Medicine:
various vitamins, prescribed by the doctor to strengthen the human body, giving
energy and immunity against a disease once more. The
same applies to the soul in that resembles the body; it is prone to spiritual
diseases like sin, satanic warfare’s and others. Our
great physician, the Lord Jesus made the church our spiritual hospital, and the
priest as its spiritual physician, as St. John Chrysostom once said, “Are you
a sinner? Go to the Church which is a hospital not a court”.
In the church you will find the spiritual physician who is the priest.
Tell him your sins, as he accurately examines everything and prescribes
the appropriate cure. The
spiritual medicines are the Seven Sacraments of the Church, which are
preventive, curative and supplementary. · PREVENTIVE V
Sacrament
of Myron: by which the Holy Spirit dwells to fortify against sin and evil, helps to overcome sin and provides victory in spiritual
struggle. V
Sacrament
of Matrimony: protects the couple from falling into the sin of adultery. · CURATIVE V
Sacrament
of Baptism: provides the cure from the original sin for children, and
from the committed sins of those older. V
Sacrament
of Confession and Repentance: for those who repent and confess, this sacrament
provides the cure and forgiveness of their sins. V
Sacrament
of Unction of the Sick: provides cure for those who are physically and
psychologically ill, caused by sin. · SUPPLEMENTARY V
Sacrament
of Communion:- after receiving the Holy
Body and precious Blood of the Lord Jesus, we gain power to help us in
overcoming the evil one. V
Sacrament
of Priesthood:- Priesthood gives the priest grace and power in his struggle as
he strives to be our example in
attitude, and not be a stumbling block, but rather to keep himself pure from
sin, and accept the great rank of priesthood in reverence. He should remember
what our teacher St. Paul said: “We
have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men”
(1 Cornithians 4:9). An
Unperishable Feature
Certain
Church Sacraments are performed with an unperishable feature, so must not be
repeated again at any time. V
By Baptism we are made children of God our Father, and this is
unperishable. V
By Chrism we are made soldiers of our great King, and this is
unperishable. V
By Priesthood we are made servants and priests of the great High Priest,
and this is unperishable. But
the rest of the Sacraments are performed repeatedly as needed. Conditions
To Accomplish The Seven Sacraments For
every Sacrament of the seven, there are three essential and necessary conditions
in order to administer them : V
An adequate substance for the Sacrament like water for Baptism,
bread and wine for the Sacrament of Communion, oil for the Unction of the Sick,
and so on. V
An ordained priest by the laying on of the apostolic hand. V
Invocation of the Holy Spirit by the priest, by praying certain prayers for the
dwelling of the Holy Spirit and sanctification of the Sacrament. That
is why the Sacraments must be administered in a correct official way according
to the order given by God, as our Good Saviour instituted and organised them,
placing the adequate substance and specific prayers for every Sacrament, placed
by the fathers guided by the Holy Spirit. The
Sacrament is not true and effective for the believers unless it is administered
correctly according to God’s will, and the placement of the fathers guided by
the Holy Spirit, and handed over by the Church and Holy Councils. These
pages, dear reader, are a detailed study in the rituals and prayers of the Seven
Church Sacraments in our Coptic Orthodox Church, according to the original
situation as placed by our fathers the saints, and it is a humble trial to
explain these rites and prayers, clarifying the wisdom of their organisation,
and also a trial to manifest the spirituality of these rituals and specific
prayers of the Seven Sacraments. We
pray to God to make it a success and a blessing for every person studying these
rites and every reader of this book, through the intercessions of our pure
mother St. Mary and the prayers of our blessed father Pope Shenouda the III,
Amen. Bishop
Mettaous Bishop
and Abbot of El-Syrian Monastery V
In
the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God Amen. Introduction
To The Second Edition The
First Edition of this book was published in 1991, in two parts, by the Bishopric
of Youth in Egypt. As stock ran out, it was requested that this book be
republished. Now
we present it to you, dear reader, in a new edition, as we collected the two
parts in one edition to facilitate its acquirement. We
hope the book satisfies you in its new edition, and may
you help us by your prayers so the book becomes a blessing and benefit
for whoever reads it. Through
the intercessions of our mother St. Mary and all the saints, and the prayers of
our blessed father Pope Shenouda III and his partner in the Apostolic service,
our honoured father His Grace Bishop Moussa, the General Bishop of Youth
Affairs. May the grace of the Lord blesses us, Amen. Bishop
Mettaous Bishop
of El-Syrian Monastery |
|
