I am a newly baptized Christian, in my twenties living in
Alexandria, the intellectual capital of the Roman Empire. I was a pagan and
converted to Christianity last year by the disciples of Mark the Evangelist. As
a disciple of Jesus Christ, I am proud to be called a “Christian,” which is so
named first in Antioch. Today is Sunday. It is the Lord’s Day to commemorate
the resurrection of Jesus. I woke up before sunrise for the weekly Christian
worship in the home of a brother in Christ. Outside is dark with nobody in the
street. Most people are still in their beds and work has yet to begin[1].
I washed and dressed in the dark for I need to be very careful in order not to
attract the attention of the city guards. Christianity is an illegal religion
in the Roman Empire and there is persecution everywhere on the followers of
Christ. However, I am not afraid as I know that Jesus, by his death and
resurrection gives life to all who believe in him. When I was still a
catechumen, I heard the bishop saying that Jesus is the resurrection and the
life and those who believe in him, even though they die, will live, and whoever
who lives and believes in him will never die. I baptized because I firmly
believe that Jesus is the Lord and my Savior. Before I leave home, I take a
small loaf of bread and wrap it in a linen cloth. We have to share the bread
among ourselves in the worship today.
I go into the street in darkness and head towards the home of
my fellow Christian who has a bigger house to accommodate around 100 believers
including about 20 catechumens. I remain highly alert so as to avoid running
into the city guards. When I arrive at the venue, I knock the door five times
with a specific rhythm to be recognized. Deacon Joseph opens the door for me.
The worship is just about to begin. Everyone has an accustomed place. The
bishop and priests have their designated seats at the east end of the house.
Old men are sitting in one place and old women sitting in another. Young men
like me are standing behind the old men and young women gather in another area
behind the old women. Children are standing aside but the younger ones are
allowed to be accompanied by their fathers or mothers. There are designated
areas for consecrated virgins and widows. At the back of the house are the
catechumens who are yet to be baptized. Deacon Joseph is in charge of the place
to ensure that it remains proper and orderly during the worship.
Led by the bishop, the priests enter their designated places
with the bishop’s throne in the middle. All stand facing the East to pray,
waiting for the sun to rise in front of us. At times, we sing hymns together to
praise God. After the introductory prayers to confess our sins, the bishop sits
on his throne and a deacon reads from the Book of Isaiah, followed by a reading
from Paul the Apostle’s letter to the Thessalonians, and finally the story
about Jesus’ healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath. The bishop then
delivers the homily to urge us to believe in God’s salvation through Jesus and
encourage us to keep our faith in the midst of persecution. After the homily,
the bishop says the dismissal prayer of the unbaptized and the deacon announces
that all the catechumens should leave now since they are not allowed to join us
in the Eucharistic prayer.
After the dismissal of the catechumens, Deacon Joseph
collects the loaves of bread brought by everyone into a large basket and places
it on the altar. The bishop then starts to recite the Eucharistic prayer by
telling the story of salvation and remembering Jesus’ suffering and dying on
the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins. He does what the Lord commanded his
disciples at the Last Supper by taking the bread, giving thanks to God, and
breaking it. He also blesses the cup containing mixed wine and water. In his
prayers, the bishop prays especially for the poor, the widows, the orphans, and
the dead, and invokes the Church triumphant to bless the Father through our
Savior. We respond with “Amen” at the conclusion of prayers as a declaration of
affirmation. After the Eucharistic prayer, the whole congregation says Our
Father to prepare for Communion. The bishop distributes the bread and wine,
which has now become the body and blood of the Lord to the priests and deacons,
and the deacons in turn distribute the body and blood of Christ to the
faithful. After Communion, the bishop gives a final blessing and pronounces the
dismissal. At daybreak, we leave the house in groups of two to three through
several exits and go to work with a thankful heart. Yet all of us wait in
joyful hope for another celebration of the Agape feast to take place in smaller
groups in the evening today. Praise the Lord!
References
Aquilina, Mike. The Mass of the Early Christians.
Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 2007. Print.
Chapp, Carmina. Lecture Notes for TH 586 Lesson 3
Early Church.
Troutman, Tim. "Christian Worship in the
First Century." N.p., n.d. Web. 04 July 2016.
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