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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center

Great Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ Blessing of Grapes

On the Great Feast of the Transfiguration of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, grapes are blessed.

Prayer to Bless the Grapes

This Blessing of Grapes text is from August Menaion and from Byzantine Melkite Euchologion published by the Eparchy of Newton (Our Lady of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) in Roslindale, MA), Roslindale, Massachusetts, United States. These books are available from Sophia Press, Eparchy of Newton (Our Lady of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) in Roslindale, Massachusetts, United States).

Priest: Let us pray to the Lord.

Response: Lord, have mercy.

Bless, O Father, this new fruit of the vine, which you permitted to ripen through good weather, and drops of dew and may it bring joy for us who will partake of this fruit of the vine, and forgiveness of sins to those who offer it, through the pure Body and Blood of Your Christ, with whom You are blessed, together with Your all holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.
R.Amen.

When are the Grapes Blessed

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, grapes are blessed by the priest. Then, the grapes are distributed to the people to eat and to take home.

Why Bless Grapes

Grapes are symbols of transformation, new life, and Holy God's gifts.

Grapes are a representation of transformation

Grapes are blessed because they show physical transformation and represent a religious transformation.

The physical transformation is the following:

• The transformation of flowers into fruit (jucy fruit and dried fruit {rasins}).
• The transformation of jucy fruit into juice.
• The transformation of juice into wine.

The religious transformation is the following:

• The mystical transformation of wine into the Blood of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ in the Divine Liturgy.

Grapes are a representation of New Life

Grapes represent new life on their old vines.

Grapes are a representation of Holy God's Gifts

A good harvest is a gift from Holy God. A good harvest includes mature fruit such as grapes.

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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is dedicated to my cousins: Bucky (Richard C. Liles) and Shirley (Shirley Jean Liles Buck). Bucky fell asleep in the Lord on Dec. 12, 2000 and Shirley fell asleep in the Lord on Nov. 8, 2001.
O God of all spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death, overcome the devil, and given life to the world: grant, O Lord, to the souls of your servants Bucky and Shirley, who has departed from this life, that it may rest in a place of light, in a place of happiness, in a place of peace, where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, forgive him/her every sin he/she has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is not a man who lives and does not sin : You alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting, and your word is true. You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the repose of your departed servants Bucky and Shirley. O Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good and life-givng Spirit, now and always and for ages upon ages. Amen.

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Last Updated: Saturday, August 08, 2009, 22:30:48, CDT
The current date and time is: Friday, July 30, 2010, 00:56:42, CDT or Friday, July 30, 2010, 05:56:42, GMT