Badarak

Badarak is the Sacrament of Holy Communion

       The Divine Liturgy (Badarak) is a sacrament instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Badarak, which means Holy Sacrifice, in reference to the sacrificial death of our Lord on the Cross for the atonement of our sins, is the main worship service of the Armenian Church.  It provides the encounter we can have with God in this life.  In the Divine Liturgy we have Jesus Christ, the Son of God in us first by his Word, through the reading of the holy Gospel; and second, by his holy Body and Blood, the Holy Communion. Around these main two themes is a magnificent structure of prayers, music, symbols, and rituals. 

      In all of the traditional churches, the Divine Liturgy consists of four parts: the The Preparation, Synaxis (bashdon jashou), The Sacrifice (ganon srpo badaraki), The last Blessing and Dismissal. 

      The Preparation: This part of the Liturgy is a preparation both on the part of the celebrant priest and the congregation to engage in a sacred service. In this part the celebrant priest puts on the liturgical vestments then he washes his hands as a sign of purification and confesses his sins asking the congregation to pray for him then he approaches the Holy Alter by reciting psalms and prayers and prepares the bread and wine the elements of Badarak behind the curtains.

      Synaxis: The Synaxis, which means "assembly," is the instructive part of the Badarak because this part includes reading of passages from the Bible both from the Old and the New Testament selected according to the lectionary of the Armenian Church. After the Biblical readings the Nicene Creed is recited as a solemn proclamation of our Christian faith. The Synaxix ends with a litany and a prayer.  The closing prayer is specifically for those who are not yet baptized members of the Church.  Since they are not yet permitted to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion, the unbaptized were originally dismissed at the end of the Liturgy of the Word. 

     The Sacrifice: This is the main and the most important part of the Badarak because this is a commemoration of the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ. During this part the Bread and the Wine are transformed into the Flesh and the Blood of our Lord through prayers devotion and the invocation of the Holy Spirit. The structure of the prayers, the hymns and the rituals are to conduct the congregation close to the mystery of the heavenly Bread and Wine.

      As this part begins, the priest takes off his crown and slippers following God's command to Moses: "Do not come near; put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground" (Exodus 3:5).  Soon the deacon processes around the altar elevating the veiled chalice above his head. This procession symbolizes Christ’s victorious entry to Jerusalem.  The procession is followed by the Kiss of Peace which symbolizes the unity of the church. It is also a reminder of Jesus’ commandment: "If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23).

      It is in this part is the climax of the Badarak because we celebrate Christ's last Supper.  It was during that meal in the Upper Room, on the night before His Crucifixion, that Jesus gave his disciples bread and wine, declaring them to be his Body and Blood thus establishing The New Covenant; a radical new relationship of love and fellowship between God and humanity. 

     Nothing but the angelic Hymn “Soorp Soorp” -according to the vision of the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-5), the angels worship God in heaven without ceasing, singing their own hymn of praise: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory”.- can take us to that summit where the celebrant priest quotes Christ's own words: "Take, eat; this is my body...Drink this all of you. This is my blood" (Mathew 26:26-28).

     In the following prayers we call on God's Holy Spirit to come down upon us and upon these gifts, so that they may become truly the Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We also pray to our Heavenly Father for all of our daily cares and concerns.  We pray for peace in the world, for the stability of the Armenian Church, for our Catholicoses, Bishops and clergy, for civil leaders, for travelers, prisoners, captives, for the sick and suffering, for temperate weather and sufficient food, for those who help the poor, for all the living and all the dead. Then the Lord's Prayer is then sung by all.

     After the Lord’s Prayer hymns are sung addressing Christ: “Meeayn soorp”, the Holy Trinity: “Amen, Hayr soorp, Vorteet soorp, Hokeet soorp”.