How to Benefit from the Holy Liturgy - Pope Kirillos Scientific Family

light of your saints." He then places one spoonful of incense
into the censer presented to him by the deacon, and he then
mentions others who have departed.
Once the deacon has responded, "Let the readers name our
holy fathers who have departed...", the priest would have
completed the recitation of the Diptych inaudibly, then the
congregation respond, "Glory be to You O Lord, Lord have
mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord bless us, Lord repose them,
Amen."
This is a specific response for the Diptych of the departed
and not for the Synaxis as some understand. Due to the
misunderstanding that this is a response for the Synaxis of
Saints, some have added, "May their holy blessings be with
us all, Amen," to the beginning of the response. This
sentence was not originally present in the old liturgy books,
neither in print or in scrolls. The liturgy of the society of the
church's children mentioned it between brackets to denote
that it is not original, but rather, recently added. Logically
though, it is not possible for this response to refer to the
Synaxis of the Saints, ("Lord repose them Amen"), for they
have reached the highest levels of repose, comfort and
happiness in the paradise of joy and their names are placed in
the Synaxis so that we may ask for their intercessions.
If this response is meant for the recently departed then we
should not say, "May their holy blessings be with us all
Amen," because we do not know their fate and the church
has not confessed their holiness. It is not logical to ask for
their repose and then to ask for their blessings. This response
is meant for the recently departed, and not for the saints, as it
is said after the Diptych and not the Synaxis. Another proof
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