Prayers of priest before celebrating the divine liturgy

[MichaelBurk]

Hi everyone.

I'm Anglican Catholic, and I recently heard a priest who came to us from the Greek Orthodox communion saying some prayers before he celebrated the Divine liturgy (on the feast of St. Catherine of Mt. Sinai last week.)

It sounded like he was asking God to protect him from the assaults of the devil, and to restore something he lost in the fall.

He said there are three feast days next week (honoring St. Sabast, St. Ambrose, and another Saint I can't remember right now), and he's gotten permission to celebrate those days even though they're not in our prayer book (and I may be assisting him, as I did on the feast of St. Catherine last week, and the feast of St. Andrew today.)

But does anyone know what prayer he was saying, or what it was he lost in the fall that he was asking God to restore to him?

And is this a prayer Greek Orthodox priests always say before celebrating the Divine liturgy?

 

[ArmyMatt]

the clergy have entrance prayers prior to doing anything for the Liturgy, maybe that is what he was talking about? there are also a lot of personal prayers that can be prayed as well

 

[MichaelBurk]

Thank you.

And is there something we lost in the fall that the priest asks God to restore to him before he celebrates the mass?

 

[~Anastasia~]

I couldn't find those prayers (but searching for them let me stumble onto a book very interesting to me, as someone who will never be behind the altar and a layperson).

I thought surely it was a standard prayer and Matt would know.

We do have prayers to restore "our original beauty" as before the fall, meaning back to the image and likeness of God without it being marred or obscured by sin and sinful inclinations.

I don't know if the priest would be praying something like then ... ?

 

[ArmyMatt]

And is there something we lost in the fall that the priest asks God to restore to him before he celebrates the mass?

I don't think so. the Liturgy taps us into the Resurrected Life of Christ in the Eucharist, so we get a foretaste of the glory that is beyond what we had prior to the Fall.

 

[MichaelBurk]

I don't think so. the Liturgy taps us into the Resurrected Life of Christ in the Eucharist, so we get a foretaste of the glory that is beyond what we had prior to the Fall.

So the words "...that I lost in the fall" aren't normally used in any entrance prayer?

 

[ArmyMatt]

maybe some personal prayers, but not in the actual Entrance Prayers. we profess a reality in the Liturgy that is greater than Eden