The Feast of Faith: An Invitation to the Love Feast of the Kingdom of God

by Abp. of Karelia and All Finland Paavali, Esther Williams (Translator)

The Eucharist, the Divine Liturgy, is at the very center of the Church's life. A 'pastoral letter'; on the Liturgy to his flock, this work speaks eloquently to all Orthodox, indeed to anyone who seeks to understand the role of liturgy in Eastern Christian life. The author bears witness to the remarkable Eucharistic revival which has taken place in Finland. Using simple, accessible language, he guides the faithful towards a deeper understanding of the rites and prayers of the liturgy, and thus towards a more fruitful participation in the Banquet of the Kingdom.

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great handbook to know more about the Divine Liturgy, explaining its different parts, giving spiritual contextualisation and putting in light some local or historical variations of rituals.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE FEAST OF FAITH is an English translation by Esther Williams of Archbishop Paul of Finland's pastoral letter of the mid-1980s which describes the major Orthodox Christian church service, the Divine Liturgy, for those new to Orthodoxy. The archbishop has designed a book that can be carried to church and guide the observer. Between explanations of what is going on and what it means, he provides the text of the major prayers sung by the choir so that the observer can keep his bearings. Esther Williams puts these prayers into the English translation used by the Orthodox Church of America, but other jurisdictions use English translations similar enough. Archbishop Paul of Finland was heavily influenced by the thought of the late Fr. Alexander Schmemann, a liturgical historian who sought to return to an emphasis on clergy and people working together in the realization of the liturgy. In recent times, the Schmemann school felt, the liturgy had become an arcane, hieratic ritual that reduced the people mere observers. +Paul instituted in his archdiocese a new edition of the Divine Liturgy in 1985 that cut out many of the "secret" prayers (utterances by the priest inaudible to the congregation), and THE FEAST OF FAITH is meant to exhort people attending the Divine Liturgy to understand their own part in worship and the need for more frequent Communion.

This book is useful enough for following the liturgy. If you really feel lost and want to have a better understanding of the liturgy's structure, it does the job. But it is a major failing of the book that +Paul does not mention the necessity of fasting and confession before receiving the Eucharist when he describes this part of the liturgy. Yes, there is an appendix on preparation for Communion for those already Orthodox, but even here the recommended fasting is not as strict as in Orthodox tradition, and confession is treated as something necessary only for "serious sins". When I began attending services in the Finnish Orthodox Church, I was shocked by the absence of emphasis on fasting and the serving of the Eucharist that seemed nearly "open communion" like in mainline Protestant denominations. It's a painful thought that through this translation, the Finnish Orthodox Church's modernism might spread to English-speaking countries. Fr. Schmemann is sometimes attacked for his call for more frequent Communion, but he never shied away from the ascetic side of Christian life.

[Roger Burk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful on the meaning of the Eastern Orthodox liturgy, by the archbishop of the Finnish Orthodox Church. It may include some differences from American practice. Some of the pictures show women on one side of the church and men on the other--very old-school. It does discuss some changes that occurred in the liturgy in the first 800 years, and others that some churches have adopted in the last century.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent explanation of the Orthodox faith in understandable & approachable terms.