| Conclusion of the Divine Liturgy: Prayer and Gospel |
Yet another beautiful prayer of St. John Chrysostom is offered at the end of The Divine Liturgy. It asks God to protect those who have come to worship Him, and to build up His holy Church [52-53].
The Badarak concludes with the Word of God in the Gospel according to St. John [1:1-14]. This custom came to the Armenian Divine Liturgy from the medieval Roman Mass, which the Armenians came to know when the Crusaders passed through Cilician Armenia on their way to the Holy Land in the middle ages.
After the final blessing the faithful come forward to kiss the Gospel book, saying, Heeshestseh Der zamenayn Badarakus ko, "May the Lord remember all your sacrifices" [55]. |
"It is truly proper and right" |
The Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church has sustained the Armenian people continuously for more than 1700 years. Our ancestors found stability and hope in the regular celebration of the Badarak. Their faith in Christ and their ability to persevere with courage, joy, and grace were nourished by regularly receiving the miraculous medicine of life in Holy Communion. Above all, they took to heart the opening words of the Eucharistic Prayer: "It is truly proper and right with most earnest diligence always to adore and glorify you, Father almighty" [29].
Like our blessed ancestors, the saints of the holy Armenian Church, let us today make Almighty God the priority of our lives, worshiping Him and receiving Him in the Divine Liturgy this Sunday and every Sunday until the last day of our lives. To do so with all our heart, soul, and mind, we will become beneficiaries of extraordinary riches in heaven and on earth. We spend so much time, energy, and money investing in the few years we have on this earth. Why not invest ourselves in the life which lasts for eternity? After all, to do so is "truly proper and right." |
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