Messages From Within the Great Fast

 One of the calendar listed readings for the second Thursday of the Great Fast was from Isaiah Chapter 6.  It provides the prophet’s vision of heaven.  The words of the prophet are in part institutionalized within the Liturgy of St. Basil.

I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”

Picture yourself standing in this place and witnessing what Isaiah was blessed to see!

And yet, you also are so blessed, and perhaps even more so—because you witness this same scene inside of today’s Divine Liturgy, but not only becoming witnesses of the Lord’s glory, but of His provision to us, to His Bride the Church, and to the whole world (that portion which will accept Him) of His precious Body and Blood!

Isaiah continues:  “The posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.”

There’s nothing more beautiful than being inside a church on a bright sunny day, with sunbeams shining inside and illuminating the clouds of incense coming from the censer.  It provides a visual image of the warmness of our fervent prayer rising towards the light that comes from Heaven.

So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

The word translated as “undone” is interesting.  From the Hebrew it can mean “cut off”, “perish”, or “destroy”.  Isaiah is clearly afraid that, because of the holiness of what he has seen, he cannot go on living as a mortal.

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.”

The faithful seldom get to hear this, but within ANY Divine Liturgy or even a Presanctified Liturgy, when the clergy commune themselves, they partake first of the Body of our Lord, then afterward they take the Cup and sip three times— “In the name of the Father (sip), Amen!  And of the Son (sip), Amen! And of the Holy Spirit (sip), Amen, Amen, Amen!”

Immediately after this act, the priest returns the Chalice to the Altar Table with the prayer, “Lo, this has touched my lips.  It shall wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sins!”

If you didn’t know before, you now know how intimately tied to Isaiah, to the Prophets, and to the Old Testament much of our regular worship is!

For his part, Isaiah is so overwhelmed with what has just transpired (as are those who partake at the contemporary Altars) that he is ready for the following call:

I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”  Isaiah boldly steps forward.  Here I am!  Send me!!

Let us show such zeal, for our Lord blesses us to receive in its fullness the Holy Eucharist into ourselves, that which Isaiah only received in figure, as a ‘type’ in a vision.  Let us leave every Liturgy with hearts crying out, Here I am!  Send me, Lord, send me!!!