AN ATTENTIVE MEMBER of our regular congregation has drawn our attention to an important point: that there seems among some people to be an greater emphasis on the social gathering and the meal after the Sunday Liturgy than on the service itself. Our people are scattered over a wide area, and only at Sunday worship do they have the opportunity to meet and talk, and so perhaps this is natural. Also we do not have the facilities to provide a formal meal as in most monasteries immediately after service. But this parishioner has an extremely good point. The Divine Liturgy itself should and must be the focus of our life. Make sure you prepare for it; make sure you arrive in good time for the service; make sure that you attend to it. And as often as possible prepare to receive the Holy Mysteries at the service. When you arrive, do not hang around outside greeting friends, but hurry to the service. What comes afterwards, the social gathering and the meal, have their importance, but NEVER EVER let them become the most important part of your Sunday observance.
