Comparisons Between II Corinthians and the Liturgy

 

Dear Parish Faithful,

Comparisons Between II Corinthians and the Liturgy

At Sunday's Liturgy, I drew attention in the homily to three particular passages in II Corinthians that have now entered into our liturgical prayer, since that is the Epistle that is currently prescribed on Sundays. These are now scriptural texts that we are familiar with through hearing and praying them with such regularity. Yet, this is only a small fraction of the scriptural texts that have been absorbed into the Liturgy and other services of the Church. In fact, according to Met. Kallistos Ware in his book The Orthodox Church: " ... the whole text of each service is shot through with Biblical language, and it has been calculated that the Liturgy contains 98 quotations from the Old Testament and 114 from the new." Thus, in the Liturgy, we "pray the Scriptures."

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II Cor. 5:10 – “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.” 

Liturgy (Litany of Fervent Supplication) – A Christian ending to our life: painless, blameless, and peaceful; and a good defense before the dread judgment seat of Christ …

II Cor. 7:1 – “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God.”

Liturgy (Second Prayer of the Faithful) – … Thou would cleanse our souls and bodies from all defilement of flesh and spirit …

II Cor 13:13 - “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”

Liturgy (The Anaphora) – The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

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II Cor. 3:18 – “All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

“One ought not then to be distressed when one considers this tendency in our nature; rather let us change in such a way that we may constantly evolve towards what is better, being transformed from glory to glory, and thus always improving and ever becoming more perfect by daily growth, and never arriving at any limit of perfection. For that perfection consists in our never stopping in our growth in good, never circumscribing our perfection by any limitation.”

St. Gregory of Nyssa On Perfection