THE DIVINE LITURGY OF ST. JAMES


Dear Brothers,

I want to share with you a document I have gotten much inspiriation from, and much help for deepening my living of the Mass. Some time ago, I came across a copy of ONE OF the oldest liturgy in Christendom, the Liturgy of St. James, so called because it was developed and used under the patronage of James, first bishop of Jerusalem, and brother of the Lord.

What struck me about this text is the trinitarian spirit it emanates, and the atmosphere of faith and contact with the divine it helps to foster. I find that just reading a paragraph or two a day keeps my liturgical piety much more alive than it was before. It is an excellenct resource for prayer, especially as a preparation and thanksgiving for the Eucharist.

The best copy I could find online was a translation from almost a hundred years ago, in awkward and outdated English, and full of grammatical errors. I tried to clean it up and put a few line drawings I downloaded into the text, to make it more presentable and "pray-able."

Hope you enjoy it as I have.

Yours in Him,

Fr Joseph MC

 

1: Beginning

2: Prayer standing beside the altar

3: First Prayer of incense

4: Prayer of the entrance

5: After the approach to the altar

6: After the reading

7: The Cherubic Hymn

8: The Universal Litany

9: Prayer of the veil

10: The Anaphora

11: The Oblation

12: Embolism

13: Prayer

14: After dismissal

15: Appendix: The ancient Liturgy of Jerusalem