Blessed Is the Kingdom

Reflections on the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

By: Stavros N. Akrotirianakis

Narrated by: Victor Clarke

People often complain that the Divine Liturgy is always the same, week after week. But every ritual, phrase, and action in the service has meaning and purpose, drawing in worshipers with its hymns and prayers and allowing ordinary people to leave the world and enter heaven for a short time.

In this book, Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis, a longtime parish priest, offers reflections on the text of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom to help listeners learn to pray the Liturgy and to understand and appreciate the mystery that unfolds each time it is celebrated.

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Deeper Understanding

In the introduction the author states, “I wrote this book to help readers understand what they should be doing and thinking while the Divine Liturgy is being offered and to assist them in praying the Liturgy.”
You can tell this is the focus of this book as he carefully reviews each portion of the liturgy, discussing the relevant scriptures, as well as excerpts of the Church fathers. Most of us in North America find the Divine Liturgy to be foreign and awkward when beginning to attend an Orthodox Church especially if you are coming from a Protestant denomination. In those types of churches, the worship is shaped by what appeals to the attendees and what the organizers believe that the attendees will enjoy and make them comfortable. Obviously, the Divine Liturgy is totally different. But especially for new converts or inquirers, this difference makes it extremely difficult to feel connected to the worship. Having liturgy books available for attendees to follow along helps, but I know I still felt disconnected not understanding exactly why we were doing things in the service. Adding to this feeling, the names of the songs and the stages of the worship were all very foreign(literally, lol).
I found this book very helpful. I can now fully appreciate the Divine Liturgy and participate in a more reverent way. I knew that the Orthodox Church was established by the Fathers and I have seen time and time again that we can trust that everything we do is done in line with the original one true Church. However, knowing it and having a more full understanding of how to participate in it, are two totally different things. I have found lots of writings on ‘orthodoxy’ ,as in the correct understanding or belief, but I struggled finding resources for ‘orthopraxy’ or correct practice. This book is a good blend of both, in a very practical way.
Lastly, sola-scriptura is mentioned in the introduction of the book. If you live in the United States you will hear this term over and over from non-orthodox Christians when discussing worship. Even though we would disagree with this approach, the scriptural references in this book will be helpful when discussing Orthodox Worship with our current American Protestant culture. There is no trust in any Church tradition with the fear that it could be manipulated if there is no direct reference to scripture. This book makes it very easy to connect each and every part of the Divine Liturgy to Bible scripture. I highly recommend this book. If you are new to Orthodoxy, it will help you worship during the Divine Liturgy with a new depth and understanding; if you are not, it will help you to relate our worship in a way non-Orthodox can better understand.

Practical and Theological

Like the Divine Liturgy itself, this book is a beautiful mixture of intricate theology and down-to-earth practicality. Father Stavros' writing is radiant with humility and deep thoughtfulness as he takes the reader slowly through this central service of the Church. I especially liked how he provides a selection of scripture to accompany each section of the liturgy as well as specific advice about what should occupy our minds as each prayer is being prayed.
I listened to the audiobook, which was read wonderfully, but I would recommend buying the print addition instead--there are many suggestions for prayer, which were difficult to fully engage with in the audio format.

Beautiful and Helpful

An incredible journey through the Divine Liturgy. You get a detailed, but never boring, look at the Liturgy almost line by line, showing the Scriptural basis of what is said and done. Very enlightening.