Priest: In peace let us pray to the Lord.
People: Kyrie eleison.

Priest: For the peace from above and the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Kyrie eleison.

Priest: For peace in the whole world, for the stability of the holy churches of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Kyrie eleison.

(The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, page 1)

The above are the first three petitions of the Great Litany. A litany is a succession of short prayers or supplications that are followed by the same short response from the congregation. The Great Litany is called thus because of its length (eleven petitions) and completeness. As we will see today and the next couple of weeks, in this litany we pray for ourselves, for the church, for our country and its people and even for the whole world! The petitions are intoned by the priest (or a deacon, if present) on behalf of all of us, and we confirm each petition by answering Kyrie eleison, which means “Lord have mercy.” By saying this, we recognize that, although we do not always deserve to receive what we are asking for, God is almighty and in His mercy He bestows on us His countless blessings.

The first petition reminds us that in order to pray, we must have peace and focus. If we are agitated and our mind is wandering elsewhere, then our Kyrie eleisons are just a meaningless repetition.

The second petition clarifies that we expect God to help us even in maintaining peace and focus. This peace from above, the heavenly peace, is the peace that our Lord Jesus Christ bestowed on the Apostles after He resurrected from the dead (John 20:19-23). This supernatural peace enables us to avoid falling into sin and keeps us on the way to salvation. Notice that the salvation of our soul is the first specific thing that we pray for, because it is the most important of all, as Jesus said: “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26)

The third petition invokes God’s mercy to bestow peace upon the whole world. We might think that we are insignificant on the scale of the whole world, but God hears our prayers and He is Almighty. As long as we live in this fallen world, there will be wars, but we always pray for peace. The rest of the petition focuses on the churches all around the world, asking God to keep them well rooted in the tradition and faith of the apostles and also to maintain their unity. There might be many churches, but we are one Body in Christ.

Priest: For this holy house and for those who enter it with faith, reverence and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Kyrie eleison.
Priest: For our Archbishop Methodios, the honorable presbyters, the deacons in the service of Christ, and all the clergy and laity, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Kyrie eleison.
(The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, page 2)

The fourth petition brings the focus upon our church and the proper attitude for entering it. First, we must strengthen our faith, because we will have to see what our eyes cannot see and experience mysteries beyond understanding. Second, we approach the church services with reverence, because we follow the tradition of our elders and we are accompanied in our journey by the angels and the saints. Thirdly, we should be in awe, because we are in the presence of God Himself.

The first person we pray for by name is our bishop. The bishop is the shepherd of the local church, the symbol of church unity. His role is to guide all of us into right worship and right teachings. He is assisted in his work by the assembly of elders (presbyters) and by special servers called deacons. These are all members of the clergy. The hierarchy of the Church includes a fourth, most important group: the people of God (in Greek laos), or the laity. The members of the clergy wear distinctive vestments, according to their rank.

We Christians are a sacred nation, a nation of priests. To be a priest means to offer a sacrifice to God. There is a priesthood of all believers that we all receive at baptism, and it consists in giving back to God from the multitude of gifts that He so generously bestows upon us.

Amen—so be it!