The Prayer of Reconciliation (1970)
Source: Manārat al-Aqdās, Vol. 3 (al-Dahir: al-Matba‘a al-Tajariyya al-Haditha, 1972): 20–23.
The third volume of Fr Manqaryus Awadalla’s series Manārat al-Aqdās (The Lamp of the Holy Places) provides a detailed commentary on each part of the Coptic liturgy. The translation below is made from the volume’s first edition, published in 1972.
The Prayer of Reconciliation
The Prayer of Reconciliation consists of contemplations on God’s creation of the man without corruption, his fall through the envy of the devil which brought death upon him along with its consequences. But we were saved through the manifestation of Jesus Christ, through whom the peace filled the world, by which the hosts of angels glorify Him saying: “Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth and good will toward men.”
At this point, the deacon cries out alerting the congregation to pray for perfect peace and love… Then the priest continues the Prayer of Reconciliation, asking God to fill our hearts with peace, to cleanse us from all guile, hypocrisy and from all evils, and to make us worthy to greet one another with a holy kiss, that we may be worthy to partake of the divine gifts.
It is worth noting that in this part of the prayer, the priest holds a veil[1]lifāfa which had [formerly] been placed upon the prospherin. and which symbolizes the seal that was placed on the tomb after the burial of our Saviour. The raising of the veil symbolizes the opening of the seals upon the holy tomb.
The priest asks in this prayer that [the Lord] fill our hearts with His peace, because when Peter and John went into the tomb and did not find the Savior, they were afraid, and so were the women. For this reason, the priest asks for peace for the congregation, who are bearing witness in remembrance of the resurrection of the Lord Christ.[2]al-ḥāḍirīn al-mushāhidīn dhikrā qiyāmat al-sayyid al-Masīḥ After this prayer, the prospherin is lifted up, symbolizing the opening of the tomb and the resurrection of the Lord of glory.
After this prayer, the deacon cries out saying: “Greet one another with a holy kiss,” which is proof of love and forgiveness, so that we can partake in the holy gifts.
In the first book of the Coptic Canons of the Apostles (31, 52), it is written: “Let the women kiss the women, and let the men
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not kiss the women,” and in the Didascalia (34): “The men do not kiss the women, nor the women kiss the men, but the men kiss the men, and the women kiss the women.”[3]Fr Manqaryus gives the source here as Dsq. 34, referring to the Didascalia Apostolorum (known as the Dusqūliyya in Arabic), however that text only contains 26 chapters. It seems to correspond to a line in the Apostolic Constitutions (VIII.11).
The deacon calls for the kiss and the salutation, because Jesus made peace and reconciliation on earth (Rom 5:10).
The priests also kiss one another, because reconciliation and love should reign between them, as Aaron kissed his brother Moses when he met him at the mount of God, and they agreed together to free the people from slavery. The Lord of glory said: “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another …” (Jn 13:34–35) The fathers kiss their sons, as Jacob kissed Joseph, and the father his prodigal son. The sons kiss their fathers, as Jacob kissed his father Isaac. The brothers kiss one another, as Joseph kissed Benjamin. The grandfathers kiss their grandsons, as Jacob kissed Manasseh and Ephraim. Friend kisses friend as Jonathan and David. The women kiss one another as Ruth and her mother-in-law.
In the book of Al-Jawhara, chapter 74, it is written: “The kiss is done so: Every one kisses the other in the right side of his neck, then greet him shacking hands, and the other does the same in return.”[4]al-Jawhara al-nafīsa fī ‘ulūm al-kanīsa (The Precious Jewel in the Ecclesiastical Sciences) is a work by the 13th century theologian Ibn Siba‘. See Aziz S. Atiya, “Ibn Siba‘, Yuhanna Ibn Abi Zakariyya,” in The Coptic Encyclopedia, vol. 4 (Claremont Graduate University, 1991): 1272a-1272b.
According to tradition, the consecration of all priestly orders except the bishop takes place after the holy kiss, i.e. after the Prayer of Reconciliation.
In the Greek Church, after the deacon calls for the holy kiss, he cries: “The doors, the doors!” so that they close the doors, and recite afterwards the Canon of Faith.[5]qanūn al-imān, i.e. the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed.
It is worth noting that the kiss, which is a sign of love, takes place after the Canon of Faith, that faith is joined with love, as the apostle has said: “if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing…” (1 Cor 13:2) This kiss is the sign of unity between the members of the Church, in one body and one spirit, as the apostle Paul indicates to us when he says: “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith,
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one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all.” (Eph 4:4–7)
It is also worth noting that there are other Prayers of Reconciliation in the liturgical rites of our Coptic Church, in the anaphoras of St Gregory and of St Cyril.
In the liturgy of St Gregory, the Prayer of Reconciliation begins: “O You, the Being, who was and who abides forever, the Eternal, co-essential, co-enthroned, co-creator with the Father …”
In the Cyrilline Liturgy, the Prayer of Reconciliation begins: “O Author of life and King of ages, God to whom every knee bows …”
After the call for the kiss, the congregation sings the aspasmos, which begins with the following: “Rejoice, O Mary, the maidservant and mother…” It is sung on ordinary (annual) days[6]yu-qāl fī al-ayyām al-i‘tīyādiyya (al-sanawī) and on feasts of the Holy Virgin, but other aspasmoses are also sung on various occasions. Aspasmos is a Greek word which means ‘peace.’
After the aspasmos, they sing “Through the intercessions of the Mother of God…,” asking God to grant us the forgiveness of our sins through her intercessions. The Coptic Church believes in the intercessions of the Virgin and the saints, and teaches that intercession is legitimate, but not obligatory.[7]al-shifā‘a jā’iza wa laysat bi-wājib-hu
During this time, the priest lifts up the prospherin with the help of the deacon, shaking it in the process. The prospherin is a white veil of silk or linen, decorated with figures representing the burial of the Savior and the four evangelists, with small bells attached to it. It represents the stone which was laid on the tomb.
The lifting up of the prospherin symbolizes the rolling away of the stone from the door of the tomb. The deacon in this respect, represents the angel, who rolled away the stone.
The shaking of the prospherin represents the return of the spirit to the Savior, the earthquake which happened during the resurrection (Mt 28:2), and the fall of the angels from their thrones
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along with their leader after their disobedience and rebellion, and the chaos they caused, after which silence reigned, because the rest of the angels with Michael, the leader of their armies, at their head, showed obedience and submission to the Divine Majesty.
At this point, which is the time of the remembrance of the holy resurrection, the deacon prays, saying: “Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Yes, Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, hear us and have mercy upon us.”
We observe here that the priest takes up the veil, which was on the prospherin with his left hand, and that which was on the paten with his right hand.
During the uncovering of the sacraments,[8]‘inda kashf al-asrār the cup remains covered. This indicates that the divinity parted not from the humanity of the Lord Christ, even when he was in the tomb, but remained united with the body.
The hands of the priest which hold the veils represent Peter and Paul kissing the shrouds.[9]Apparently an error; Fr Manqaryus probably meant to refer to Peter and John (rather than Peter and Paul), since the reference is to Peter and John’s visit to the empty tomb in Jn 20:3–9. The paten resembles the tomb, the veils the linen wrappings, the dome to the head covering,[10]al-qubba bi-l-‘imāma and the cup to the abyss.[11]al-kā’s bi-l-hāwiyya
We can understand the fact that the cup remains covered to signify that the spirit of the Savior remained in the abyss until the third day, then returned to the body at the resurrection. Moreover, the uncovering of the sacraments is a symbol of the fulfillment of the prophecies of the fathers, similar to the uncovering of the veils which conceal the truth, concerning which the apostle Paul said: “But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart. But whensoever it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away (2 Cor 3:15–16)
The uncovering of the sacraments reminds us as well that what is on the altar is the true body of Christ and His true blood; their being covered up during certain parts is an indication of the limited ability of our minds to comprehend the sublimity of this mystery.
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Notes:
| ↑1 | lifāfa |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | al-ḥāḍirīn al-mushāhidīn dhikrā qiyāmat al-sayyid al-Masīḥ |
| ↑3 | Fr Manqaryus gives the source here as Dsq. 34, referring to the Didascalia Apostolorum (known as the Dusqūliyya in Arabic), however that text only contains 26 chapters. It seems to correspond to a line in the Apostolic Constitutions (VIII.11). |
| ↑4 | al-Jawhara al-nafīsa fī ‘ulūm al-kanīsa (The Precious Jewel in the Ecclesiastical Sciences) is a work by the 13th century theologian Ibn Siba‘. See Aziz S. Atiya, “Ibn Siba‘, Yuhanna Ibn Abi Zakariyya,” in The Coptic Encyclopedia, vol. 4 (Claremont Graduate University, 1991): 1272a-1272b. |
| ↑5 | qanūn al-imān, i.e. the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed. |
| ↑6 | yu-qāl fī al-ayyām al-i‘tīyādiyya (al-sanawī) |
| ↑7 | al-shifā‘a jā’iza wa laysat bi-wājib-hu |
| ↑8 | ‘inda kashf al-asrār |
| ↑9 | Apparently an error; Fr Manqaryus probably meant to refer to Peter and John (rather than Peter and Paul), since the reference is to Peter and John’s visit to the empty tomb in Jn 20:3–9. |
| ↑10 | al-qubba bi-l-‘imāma |
| ↑11 | al-kā’s bi-l-hāwiyya |
How to cite this text (Chicago/Turabian):
Awadalla, Manqaryus. “The Prayer of Reconciliation” [Ṣalāat al-Ṣulḥ] in The Lamp of the Holy Places [Manārat al-Aqdās] Vol. 3 Manārat al-Aqdās, Vol. 3, 20–23. al-Dahir: al-Matba‘a al-Tajariyya al-Haditha, 1972. Translated by Youhanna Elia in Archive of Contemporary Coptic Orthodox Theology. Sydney, NSW: St Cyril’s Coptic Orthodox Theological College. https://accot.stcyrils.edu.au/ma-manaqd3-19/.
(For more information, see Citation Guidelines)
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