Do the Eastern Orthodox participate in Eucharistic adoration?

[Ave Maria]

Hi everyone. Do the Eastern Orthodox participate in Eucharistic adoration or not? If not, why not?

 

[Rowan]

We do adore the Eucharist - before Communion, when the Gifts are processed around the sanctuary at the Great Entrance, during, when the faithful kiss the chalice after receiving, and after, when the priest blesses us with the chalice. We just don't have a separate service for doing so.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think this service is on the books for Western Rite Orthodox, either.

 

[fated]

Hi everyone. Do the Eastern Orthodox participate in Eucharistic adoration or not? If not, why not?

Sort of. They sometimes leave gifts out, but they do not have the defined doctrine of persistence.

 

[Greg the byzantine]

As Rowan put it the Eucharist is adored in the East as it is the Body and Blood of Christ as a part of the Liturgy. There is no separate service for Eucharistic Adoration in Eastern Orthodox Churches, however that does not mean there is no Eucharistic Adoration outside of the Liturgy. Most Priests reserve the Consecrated Eucharist for the sick and dying. The Consecrated Eucharist is placed in a Tabernacle on the Altar, although not in a Monstrance as in Catholic Churches. For this reason an eternal candle is placed before the Tabernacle and whenever you pass a church or the altar you make the sign of the cross in recognition of Christ's presence.

 

[Mary of Bethany]

We specifically don't leave the Gifts out for adoration, because the Gifts are our spiritual food, not for adoration. As Rowan said, when we are in the presence of the sanctified gifts before they are consumed, then we bow/prostrate in reverence to the Body and Blood of Christ.

Mary

 

[Mikeb85]

Hi everyone. Do the Eastern Orthodox participate in Eucharistic adoration or not? If not, why not?

No. We are supposed to participate in the Mystical Supper, not simply stare at the gifts. As has been said, sometimes some of the gifts are separated, but to be taken to the sick or consumed later.

 

[Ave Maria]

No. We are supposed to participate in the Mystical Supper, not simply stare at the gifts. As has been said, sometimes some of the gifts are separated, but to be taken to the sick or consumed later.

Just so you know, Catholics do not "simply stare at the gifts". We may appear to be doing that but in fact we are praying to Jesus and worshiping Him all at one time.

Also, I'm confused as to what you all mean by the "gifts". Are you talking about the pre-consecrated bread and wine or the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus after the consecration?

 

[Thekla]

IIRC, the Eucharist is His resurrected body and blood. We consume the Eucharist, but do not practice adoration, reflecting the specific command of Christ as recorded.

 

[HandmaidenOfGod]

Not to break up this love-fest (as I do have tremendous respect for the RCC), but I would like to point out some differances between the two.

In the EOC liturgy (also used by the Byzantine rite of the Catholic Church), the priest faces the altar, and it is a work of the people, not of the priest. Everyone participates, and is involved in the worship.

In the Novus Ordo Mass, the priest faces the people, rather than the altar. In the Tridentine Mass, the priest faces the altar, but the priest rarely speaks, and it is mostly the choir singing in Latin.

Another difference between the two churches are views on sin. In the Orthodox Church, sin is sin. It does not matter how much you missed the mark; you missed it, and must ask God for forgiveness.

In the Catholic Church, there are all kinds of buckets of sin; venial sins, cardinal sins, sins that will get you into hell immediately, sins that won't get you into hell, but might toast your buns a bit. (Just kidding about the last two )

Are these huge differences? No, but since the OP asked what they are, I figured I'd bring them up.

 

[Rowan]

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think this service is on the books for Western Rite Orthodox, either.

I'm correcting myself. On the Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church website, it has the service booklet of the Stations of the Cross with the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament available for download:

http://holyincarnation.org/servicebooklets.php

So, yes, in the Western tradition, we do.

 

[Rowan]

In the Novus Ordo Mass, the priest faces the people, rather than the altar. In the Tridentine Mass, the priest faces the altar, but the priest rarely speaks, and it is mostly the choir singing in Latin.

Since I brought the WRO up, I wanted to add that Western Orthodox do the traditional Roman Mass in English.

 

[WarriorAngel]

Not to break up this love-fest (as I do have tremendous respect for the RCC), but I would like to point out some differances between the two.

In the EOC liturgy (also used by the Byzantine rite of the Catholic Church), the priest faces the altar, and it is a work of the people, not of the priest. Everyone participates, and is involved in the worship.

In the Novus Ordo Mass, the priest faces the people, rather than the altar. In the Tridentine Mass, the priest faces the altar, but the priest rarely speaks, and it is mostly the choir singing in Latin.

Another difference between the two churches are views on sin. In the Orthodox Church, sin is sin. It does not matter how much you missed the mark; you missed it, and must ask God for forgiveness.

In the Catholic Church, there are all kinds of buckets of sin; venial sins, cardinal sins, sins that will get you into hell immediately, sins that won't get you into hell, but might toast your buns a bit. (Just kidding about the last two )

Are these huge differences? No, but since the OP asked what they are, I figured I'd bring them up.

Burn our buns eh?
Is that like having a bun in the oven?

Ok, that aside, the mortal and venial sins are Scriptural and Traditional.

In Christian theology, anger, avarice, envy, gluttony, lust, pride, and sloth (or dejection). These vices are considered fundamental to all other sins.

Evagrius Ponticus (AD c. 346-399), a deacon of Constantinople, maintained in his treatise On the Eight Evil Thoughts that the root or principal sins were: gluttony; fornication; avarice; dejection, or lack of pleasure; anger; weariness, or accidie; vainglory; and pride. The monk John Cassian (c. 360-435) followed Evagrius. Pope Gregory the Great was the first, around AD 600, to formulate the seven deadly sins more or less as we know them today

Mortal sin is called mortal because it is the "spiritual" death of the soul (separation from God). If we are in the state of grace it loses this supernatural life for us. If we die without repenting we will lose Him for eternity. However, by turning our hearts back to Him and receiving the Sacrament of Penance we are restored to His friendship. Catholics are not allowed to receive Communion if they have unconfessed mortal sins.

Venial sins are slight sins. They do not break our friendship with God, although they injure it. They involve disobedience of the law of God in slight (venial) matters. If we gossip and destroy a person's reputation it would be a mortal sin. However, normally gossip is about trivial matters and only venially sinful. Additionally, something that is otherwise a mortal sin (e.g. slander) may be in a particular case only a venial sin. The person may have acted without reflection or under force of habit. Thus, not fully intending the action their guilt before God is reduced. It is always good to remember, especially those who are trying to be faithful but sometimes fall, that for mortal sin it must not only be 1) serious matter, but 2) the person must know it is serious and then 3) freely commit it.

These two categories of sin are explicitly to be found in Sacred Scripture. In the Old Covenant there were sins that merited the death penalty and sins that could be expiated by an offering. This Law was a teacher that prepared the way for the faith (Gal. 3:24). In the New Covenant these material categories are replaced by spiritual ones, natural death by eternal death. There are thus daily faults for which we must daily ask forgiveness (Mt. 6:12), for even the "just man falls seven times a day" (Prov. 24:16), and mortal faults that separate the sinner from God (1 Cor. 6:9-10) for all eternity.

And we know through St John that he made distinctions between the two types of sin.

1 John 5
15 And we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask: we know that we have the petitions which we request of him.
16 He that knoweth his brother to sin a sin which is not to death, let him ask, and life shall be given to him, who sinneth not to death. There is a sin unto death: for that I say not that any man ask.
17 All iniquity is sin. And there is a sin unto death.

 

[WarriorAngel]

I'm correcting myself. On the Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church website, it has the service booklet of the Stations of the Cross with the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament available for download:

http://holyincarnation.org/servicebooklets.php

So, yes, in the Western tradition, we do.

Interesting.

 

[JJM]

No. We are supposed to participate in the Mystical Supper, not simply stare at the gifts. As has been said, sometimes some of the gifts are separated, but to be taken to the sick or consumed later.

I'd just like to say that if it wasn't for Eucharistic Adoration (not necessarily Exposition) I may very well not be Christian right now. Christ is present, we ought to worship Him.

 

[Blackknight]

No, we do not have an adoration service. We do respect the body of Christ however at the same time it is food. Anything remaining in the chalice at the end of liturgy is consumed by the priest so there is nothing left to adore any way.

You really have to understand the differences between transubstantiation and consubstantiation, that is a major difference between our theologies.

 

[ContraMundum]

Whether or not your denomination has a position on this- it's a great thing to do and it really brings joy to your life.

 

[Greg the byzantine]

No, we do not have an adoration service. We do respect the body of Christ however at the same time it is food. Anything remaining in the chalice at the end of liturgy is consumed by the priest so there is nothing left to adore any way.

You really have to understand the differences between transubstantiation and consubstantiation, that is a major difference between our theologies.

That's not entirely correct. There is always reserved Eucharist placed in the Tabernacle on every altar for communing the infirm. For that very reason we are technically supposed to cross ourselves every time we pass the altar.

 

[Blackknight]

That's not entirely correct. There is always reserved Eucharist placed in the Tabernacle on every altar for communing the infirm. For that very reason we are technically supposed to cross ourselves every time we pass the altar.

Thanks, I guess I should have mentioned that as well. I guess my point is we do revere the body of Christ but we don't have a separate service for it. The Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts is as close as you get I guess.