Kauma
P. Holy art thou O God
C. Holy art Thou, Almighty Lord
P. Holy art Thou, Immortal Lord
C. Oh Thou that was crucified for us have mercy on us.
Kauma is a Syriac word which means stand up. “Koumi”[Mark 5:41] is an Aramaic word means ‘Stand up’. It implies not only that we physically stand up,
but spiritually too our hearts and minds rise up as we begin to worship God. In the Kauma prayer, we give praise to God and adore Him, hence Kauma is also referred to as adoration. In the Kauma, we also seek God’s mercy, so that we could approach God’s throne with confidence (Hebrews 4:16) and worship God.
Veil: The veil or the curtain separates the madhbaha from the place where the congregation sits. Veil signifies the hiddenness of heaven. The drawing aside of veil during the worship marks the opening of heaven and we are joining along with the heavenly worship. Heaven and earth are worshipping together. Madhbaha symbolizes heaven and the place where the congregation sits symbolizes earth.
Sign of the Cross: We draw the sign of cross holding the thumb, forefinger and middle finger together, signifying
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
When we draw the sign of the cross it means:
God from heaven,
came down to earth,
I was a sinner on the left, He died for me,
And brought me to His right side and made me His child.
During the Qurbana service, when the celebrant gives the blessing, he makes the sign of the
cross, the congregation responds by drawing the sign of the cross as a sign of accepting the
blessing.
Censers: A vessel used for burning incense and it is suspended on four chains. The three outer chains (for the Holy Trinity) attached to the bowl, and a fourth inner chain (for the Oneness of God) attached to the lid.
Incense is usually prepared by the deacon who lights the charcoals that are kept in the censer and
then before the worship service, incense is placed on the top of the charcoal and it gives a
pleasant-smelling odor and smoke.
Incense used during worship symbolizes two things:
1) Psalms 141:2 reads, “May my prayer be set before you like incense”. As the smoke rises
upwards, it symbolizes our prayers rising to God. This is also mentioned in the book of
Revelation 8:3, where in the angel of heaven offers incense, which rises before God with
the prayers of the saints.
2) As the sweet-smelling smoke of incense fills the place, it symbolizes God’s presence
among us.
Incense also serves to veil or to cover up something. The smoke of incense obscures our vision.
During the gospel reading, the deacon stands at the left side of the altar and swings the incense,
so that the smoke of incense veils or covers up the celebrant and the worshippers give
importance to hearing the gospel. Just like in Exodus 19, 20 & Deuteronomy 4 we read when
God descended on Mt Sinai and spoke to them, the mountain was wrapped up in smoke and
people only heard the voice.
Incense is used only during the Ante-Communion (the first part) service. Ante Communion
service is to spiritually prepare the worshippers for the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
Why incense is not used after the ante-Communion?