Pastoral Reflection: Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026
After Holy Communion, the Divine Liturgy does not end abruptly. Prayers of thanksgiving follow, confessing that although no one is worthy of so great a Gift, God in His mercy has fed His people with heavenly Food.
The service concludes with the invitation, “Let us depart in peace,” and the response, “In the name of the Lord.” As the Liturgy began with the call to pray in peace, so it ends by sending us forth in peace. Having received Christ, the Prince of Peace, we go into the world as His ambassadors, carrying the peace in which we have shared.
The dismissal sends us back into the world with a blessing—not as spectators who have merely attended a service, but as participants who have encountered the living Christ. The final veneration of the cross and the dismissal blessing remind us that the grace of the Liturgy extends far beyond the walls of the church.
We depart strengthened, forgiven, and commissioned to live what we have celebrated.
With love in Christ,
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