Divine Liturgy
Why does the priest wash his hands during the service?
The priest washes his hands as a sign of purity and preparation before serving at the altar. The act echoes the Psalm prayed in the Church's worship: the priest asks to approach the altar with a clean heart and faithful service.
I will wash my hands in innocence; so I will go about Your altar, O Lord.
Where It Belongs In The Service
The washing appears as the priest prepares to offer and serve at the altar. In the Offering of the Lamb and again within the Eucharistic order, the priest's hands are connected with receiving, blessing, touching, and distributing holy things. The visible washing teaches that the priestly service is approached with repentance, humility, and attention.
The action is also a prayer in the body. The priest stands before God on behalf of the people, and his service must be shaped by purity of heart. The water expresses the Church's desire that the one serving the mysteries should approach with clean hands and a clean heart.
What The Gesture Teaches
Small actions in the Liturgy often carry theological meaning. This one says that the altar is holy, that service requires preparation, and that the priest approaches the mystery by prayer rather than personal confidence. The faithful see the gesture and learn the same lesson: holy things are received with repentance, sobriety, and reverence.
The washing also connects the service to the wider biblical pattern of approaching God with purity. The altar is holy, the Eucharist is the holy mystery of Christ's Body and Blood, and the priest's washed hands become one visible sign that the whole Liturgy is ordered around the holiness of God and the mercy by which His people approach Him.
- Coptic Liturgies, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Overview of the Divine Liturgy, the three Coptic liturgies, and the principal parts of the Eucharistic service.
- Coptic Rites (4): Liturgy of the Believers, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Teaching slides on the Anaphora, institution narrative, invocation of the Holy Spirit, consecration, litanies, and Communion.
- The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil, CopticChurch.net. Service text and introduction for the most commonly used Coptic Divine Liturgy.
- Church Architecture and Priests' Vestments, Servants Preparation Program, SUSCopts. Servants-prep lesson on Coptic church architecture, sanctuary meaning, altar space, and priestly vestments.
Altar: The holy table in the sanctuary where the Eucharistic gifts are offered and consecrated, treated with reverence as the center of liturgical worship.
Lamb: The holy bread selected during the Offering of the Lamb, named in relation to Christ the Lamb of God who gives Himself for the life of the world.
Mysteries: The Orthodox name for the sacraments, calling attention to God's grace given through visible rites such as Baptism, Chrismation, Confession, and the Eucharist.
Eucharist: A Greek word meaning thanksgiving. In Orthodox worship it names the sacrament in which bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ.