Procession of the Oblations during the Feast of the Resurrection

Yoan

Hi,

There is this topic that comes up every single year in our Church without any clear answer which is about doing a procession of the Oblations during the Feast of the Resurrection while chanting Epouro.

There is 2 schools of thought about it:

1) We should do a procession of the Oblations on the Feast of the Nativity, Theophany and Resurrection.

=> Argument that I heard: it's written in our liturgical rites so we have to do it.

2) We should only do a procession of the Oblations on the Feast of the Nativity and Theophany, not on the Feast of the Resurrection.

- Argument that I heard: Christ is already on the altar (as He was buried on Great Friday) so the procession doesn't make sense.

What's your opinion about this topic?

Understanding the meaning of this procession may help answering this question.

Yoan. 

minatasgeel

Actually, I have never heard anything about this before. All books say that you do an entrance from the church door to the royal door. 

However, the argument in #2 is flawed since by that argument, "Christ cannot be offered as the Lamb on the altar if He is there in the cloth/box."

You are right, understanding the meaning of the entrance matters. And its true meaning is that it was done every single liturgy as the people offer the "first fruits" to the deacons and the deacons would bring them, the Lamb and the Wine, in a respectable entrance to Abouna to choose the Lamb.

Yoan

Hi Minatasgeel,

Thank you very much for your contribution :)

Just to clarify my wording, when I say "procession", I do mean "entrance from the church door to the royal door". I used the same word than "Coptic Heritage" in their "rites encyclopaedia".

minatasgeel

We use it like that too. 

Yoan

What's your opinion about chanting Epouro which is a hymn about Christ if the procession is just about the oblations (bread and wine) at that stage?

minatasgeel

well those are going to become the King. So that's why it's most appropriate. The only exception i can thing of is on Hosanna Sunday which, in that day, is the hymn of welcoming the King. 

Yoan

Very clear, thanks a lot!

Yoan

I have one last question, what could be the reason for the Church to stop doing this procession on every single Liturgy?

My guess would be that it is for time-management purposes.

Doing this procession during every single Liturgy would make the Liturgy too long, so the Church may have decided to skip the procession to accommodate the people.

However, to preserve our rites, the Church may have asked that we do keep this procession during major feasts; mostly Nativity, Theophany and Resurrection.

minatasgeel

I wouldn't say time is the main reason, while it is a factor. but consider this:

- People don't bring fruitfruits in the same way any more

- The number deacons and people in each liturgy

- The fact that the diaconate was almost lost

- The size and structure of a church

Yoan

Very interesting, thank you Minatasgeel.