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The Divine Liturgy, Part 8
The Nature of the Divine Liturgy. The Hierarchical vs. Priestly Liturgies
Talk by Metropolitan Jonah 
June 30, 2026

Summary: Metropolitan Jonah discusses the nature of the Divine Liturgy and differences between the Hierarchical and Priestly Divine Liturgies. 
Topics discussed include:
(1) The organizational development of the Church since the early centuries and its effect on the Hierarchical vs Priestly Liturgy;
(2) What is the Divine Liturgy? It is the Lord acting, with the Clergy in assistance. God is the object and the subject. Christ is praying to the Father. We all (Clergy and Faithful) enter into the prayers of Christ to the Father, as we pray together in one mystical person, the body of Christ. The Liturgy is literally the entry into and abiding in the Kingdom of God --- a  participation in the Angelic Liturgy before the Throne of God in Heaven. We leave the world outside the doors and enter into the Kingdom of God with all the Angels and Saints;
(3) The Holy Table is a type of the Throne of God, approached with awe and humility. The need for reverence and awe in Church, particularly in the modern egalitarian secular age. When we hear "Blessed is the Kingdom" we should all fall silent, discard all worldly distractions, and listen to the Priest. As we become more spiritual we will become aware of the Presence of God, the Angels and the Saints. Our worship is to glorify God with all the Angels and Saints; On the great reverence of Priests, especially in Russia and in the Athonite Monasteries.
(4) The double ascent: In the words of the Word in the Gospel, and in Communion in the Body and Blood of Christ;
(5) The Trisagion.