COMMUNION
And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
1 Corinthians 11:24
Sunday is the Lord's Day (Giragi is from the Greek for Lord"). It is a little Easter commemorating Jesus' triumph over sin and death. At the time of Sts. Thaddeus and Bartholomew, who brought the message of Christ to Armenia, the eucharistic meal was very simple. With the sharing of bread and wine, Christ was present. At about the end of the 10th century, the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church was formalized.
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The language of worship is krapar (classical Armenian) with additional Greek and Hebrew words that have been retained from the early liturgies used by Armenians. Before St. Mesrob created the Armenian alphabet, services were conducted in Greek and Syriac.
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Holy Communion is the purpose and reason Christians gather together to celebrate the mystery of Christ's presence in the world. The service of the Divine Liturgy (Soorp Badarak), of which Holy Communion is part, is the central action of the Christian community and binds us all together as followers of Christ's way. The Divine Liturgy is also our act of thanksgiving to God for the gifts of both earthly and eternal life which are ours in Christ.