Liturgy and Spiritual Practices

When Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt, he was given explicit instructions on how they were to worship the God who freed them. From this beginning arose the complex liturgical Temple worship of ancient Israel. In the New Testament, Jesus' disciples, who were all Jewish, at first continued to worship in the Temple and afterwards gathered to celebrate the particularly Christian "breaking of bread," the Holy Eucharist.

Christian life is described in the Book of Acts as continuing "steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers." The liturgy is the common work of the people of God—the offering of praise, thanksgiving, and the Eucharist in which we participate in the Body and Blood of Christ. In the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, the liturgy and spiritual practices are rooted in the West Syrian (Antiochene) tradition, which shapes our worship, calendar, and daily prayer.

Through the liturgy we encounter the limitless God in time and space; we offer moments and places purified for worship. The aim of the liturgical year and spiritual practices is that our entire life be filled with God's presence— through humility, submission, service, lent, fasting, and participation in the liturgical services with ever-increasing preparation and devotion.