The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is a special service that you can only attend during Lent. Hieromonk Athanasius (Deryugin), dean of the Moscow Sretensky Monastery, answered some questions related to this service.
Hieromonk Athanasius (Deryugin)
—Father Athanasius, your blessing. Please explain how and why the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts came about?
—Lent is a special time in the life of the Church, when not only dietary restrictions are imposed on the faithful, but also rules regarding church services. And one of the major and more noticeable changes is that the full Divine Liturgy is not celebrated on weekdays during Lent. Since the Liturgy is always a festive occasion and commemoration of the Resurrection of Christ, it is rather incompatible with the atmosphere of the weekdays of Lent. But the early Christians were so eager to be with Christ that it was not enough for them to receive Communion only on Saturdays or Sundays. They wanted to take Communion more often, and so such a service was introduced when, on the one hand, there is an opportunity to receive Communion, and on the other hand, the full Liturgy is not celebrated. At this Liturgy, the bread and wine do not become the Body and Blood of Christ, but the Holy Gifts that were prepared in advance in a special way and reserved are offered to the faithful as Holy Communion.
—Is the origin of this service related to the practice of the early Christians who took Communion at home?
—Yes, these are related things, but coming from different traditions. Indeed, we know that the early Christians kept the Holy Gifts at home and partook of the Body of Christ on weekdays. But in order to be able to do it at a public service in church, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts was composed. The purpose is essentially the same: to have the opportunity to receive Communion when there is no full Liturgy.
—What are the differences between the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts and the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom?
—The main difference is that the Holy Gifts have already been consecrated, so the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts does not have the most important, fundamental part of any Liturgy, which is called the Anaphora (and popularly known as the Eucharistic Canon). There is no such portion in the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, since the Holy Gifts are not consecrated during it. This is the principal difference.
The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is part of a service of the daily cycle called Vespers. That is, it begins as Vespers. There is the introductory psalm in it, the kathisma is read, and “Lord, I Have Cried” and “O Gentle Light” are sung. The main parts of Vespers are present in the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, and it ends as the Liturgy—that is, there is a combination of these services here.
—Is it known who composed this service?
—At the dismissal of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts we commemorate St. Gregory the Dialogist, the Pope of Rome († 604; feast: March 12/25). Historical research now strongly suggests that he was not its original author, because this Liturgy was in use in the Orthodox Church before him. Thus, in Church tradition this service is still attributed to him, although, apparently, the saint had no direct role in composing this service.
—Has this service changed over the centuries?
—Our worship does not stand still, and its components are constantly changing—sometimes in more important things, sometimes in minor ones. This is absolutely normal and natural. But the very essence of this service—that is, communing of the Holy Gifts prepared in advance, and its connection with Vespers—come from the earliest times.
—Father Athanasius, why is the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts not the Eucharist?
—This service is not a Liturgy in the literal sense of the word. But it’s more a matter of terms. If we say that the Eucharist is the moment of the transformation of the Holy Gifts—when the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ—then there is no such thing in the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. But at the same time, Holy Communion, the Holy Gifts are exactly the same as in the ordinary Liturgy, and in this sense we take Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ in the same way.
—Why is this service celebrated during Lent and on Wednesdays and Fridays?
—Lent is a special time when we abstain from something particularly solemn and related to the commemoration of the Resurrection of Christ on weekdays; that is why such a service is celebrated. According to the Church Typicon that we use, indeed, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated on Wednesdays and Fridays. But not only then. On some special days as well, for example, on Thursday of the Great Canon, when the full reading of the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete takes place the day before; on some feasts; plus in Holy Week. According to more ancient Typicons, this service was performed daily from Monday to Friday. Wednesday and Friday are special days in the life of the Church, and throughout the year (with a few exceptions) a strict fast is prescribed for these days; and during Lent—this type of Liturgy and Communion.
—Is it true that in ancient times the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts was celebrated only in the evening?
—In the original sense of the word, fasting means the total abstinence from all food. Then, over time, the regulations were relaxed to the point that the days when food was eaten once a day in the evening were referred to as fasting days. Ramadan, which is observed by Muslims, comes from an ancient tradition that was typical to Christians. It is the keeping of a strict fast. Accordingly, Christians could receive Communion on such days only in the evening, because they did not eat anything all day; so they received Communion in the evening and after that consumed some food. This logic is understandable. The Liturgy was celebrated in the evening, because it was a day when the faithful would eat nothing until the evening and received Communion in the evening; that is why this Liturgy is connected with Vespers. Indeed, such a practice existed and still exists somewhere.
—How and when is the Holy Lamb1 prepared for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts?
—At the previous full Liturgy (usually on Sunday). And not just one Lamb is reserved, but the required number of Lambs that will be enough for all the Liturgies of the Presanctified Gifts during the upcoming week. There are usually two of them, but sometimes more. And they are soaked with the Precious Blood of Christ and kept in the altar until the next Presanctified Liturgy.
—Where is the Lamb when the Liturgy commences?
—The Lamb is kept in a special repository on the altar table or in another container used for this purpose. During the Liturgy, the Lamb is first solemnly transferred from the altar table to the table of oblation, and then returns to the altar table during the Great Entrance.
—At what moments of this service does the bell ring, and why?
—We don’t have such a tradition at our monastery, but in many places there is a tradition to ring the bell at the moments when worshippers are expected to kneel. It is done at the third “Glory”2 of the kathisma, because at this moment the Lamb is transferred from the altar table to the table of oblation; during the Great Entrance, when the Lamb is transferred from the table of oblation back to the altar table. Since it is already the Body and Blood of Christ, through prostrations we offer them the same adoration and reverence as Christ Himself.
—Why are paremias (Old Testament extracts) read during this service?
—There are several reasons why this happens. First and foremost, it is not customary to read the New Testament in church on weekdays of Lent. This is because Lent is a special time of sorrow. Secondly, the readings that we hear at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, at Vespers, and at the Hours are readings associated with the ancient tradition of catechumens and preparations for Baptism. There were not so many books in ancient times, and there was certainly no opportunity to listen to and watch lectures. And those who were preparing for Baptism learned the basic things in church. In addition to being the time of preparation for Pascha, for catechumens Lent was also a period of preparation for Baptism. Therefore, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts contains texts from the three most important books of the Old Testament that were part of the program of preparation for Baptism in ancient times.
At the Hours, we read paremias from the Book of Isaiah, which is especially important. This prophet is often called the “Old Testament Evangelist,” because he left the most vivid prophecies of the coming of Christ and related events. And at Vespers and at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts we hear paremias from Genesis and Proverbs. Because the Book of Genesis tells us about the creation of this world and the principles our earthly existence is based on. And the Book of Proverbs contains a huge number of moral lessons—that is, it gives guidance, including in the proper Christian life. Therefore, reading these books was part of the preparation for Baptism. So we still have this in our tradition, dating back to the days when people prepared for Baptism during Lent.
—What does it symbolize when the priest comes out with a candle and a cross with the words “The Light of Christ enlightens all” at a certain point of the service?
—The meaning of this action is clear from the words themselves. By the light of this candle, the priest reminds us of the Light of Christ, of the teachings of Christ, of Christianity—of all that we have in the Church, which enlightens every person. This is also a point associated with the preparation for Baptism, because in this way people preparing for the sacrament were reminded that they would soon be illuminated by this Light of Christ, be baptized, and become members of the Church.
To be continued…
