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Bi-Weekly Bible Study & Newsletter Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church in North America M G S O S A
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Qurbono Commentary
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Next> Part 2
Part 1: Posted Jan 8th, 2006
For the first part of our Qurbono explanation, let us cover the basics. The word itself means “sacrifice”. The Qurbono is considered the queen of the sacraments because it completes all the others and is central to the life of an Orthodox Christian. The church continues to meet together as a community to worship God in the Qurbono. It is essentially a preview of our existence in Heaven. First, let us look into the setup and layout of the church. The church is to be built facing the East. The reason for this is simple. St. Mathew tells us that the second coming of our Lord will be from the East (24:27). So we look towards the direction of His coming as we pray. Unfortunately in America, many of our churches do not follow this model since we hardly ever build but instead purchase churches. But we should nonetheless remember that when the Lord comes again, He will come from the East. Let us now focus on three main parts of the church. First is the Sanctuary. There are many interpretations of its symbolism. The most typical is the representation of Heaven. This is why steps separate the sanctuary and those inside represent the heavenly hosts. We look up towards heaven filled with the majesty of bells, incense and the angels who are praising God. The veil or curtain separates Earth and Heaven “and the hiddenness of that place” (108). The other two sections are the Chancel and Nave. A fence usually separates these two sections. In order to understand the meaning of these two sections, first read the nineteenth chapter of Exodus. Before giving the Ten Commandments, God instructs Moses to go up the mountain by himself. Before doing this, Moses first warns the people to stay in the valley below. God says, “Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it’” (v. 12). The Chancel and Nave represent these areas even today. The nave, where the congregation stands, is the valley. “The place known as the chancel represents the inter-space between the valley and the place where Moses prayed. Just as Moses interceded for the people, the priest intercedes for the people” (100). The sanctuary, chancel, and nave are the three main parts of a church. Each one holds a symbolic and historic meaning.
Next> Part 2
Source: Dr. Kadavil, Mor Athanasius. The Eucharist Service of the Jacobite Syrian Christians. Kerala: Mor Adai Study Centre, 2003. |
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Ponderous ideas |
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