The Liturgy of the Faithful
The Lord is with You
The Priest blesses the Congregation, making the sign of the cross upon them, upon the altar servants and upon himself.
Priest· St Basil
The Lord be with you all.
Priest· St Gregory
The love of God the Father, the grace of the Only-begotten Son, our Lord, God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and the fellowship and gift of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Congregation
And with your spirit.
Priest
Lift up your hearts.
Congregation
They are with the Lord.
The Priest prays with his hands covered with cloths. This symbolises the seraphim who
stand before God with their faces and feet covered by their wings.
Around Him stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
— Isaiah 6:2
Priest
Let us give thanks to the Lord.
Congregation
It is fitting and right.
In the Greek — ἀναφέρω (anapherō) — “anaphora” means to carry up. We ascend with the prayers to heaven, provided there is heart and mind readiness. We declare the Lord’s presence with us, lift our hearts to Him, and then thank Him.
The three key phrases used — “The Lord be with you”, “Lift up your hearts”, and “Let us give thanks to the Lord” — express the nature of the sacrament: 1) the presence of the Lord and His attendance in His Church with His people, 2) the elevation of believers to heaven, and 3) a sacrifice of thanks to the Lord for His gifts, the creation He made, and for His precious salvation that He granted us through His abundant grace.
The true offering that must be presented is the heart. The offering of the oblations directs the mind to the fact that the heart must be offered to God. The offering of the life, an offering of love to God.