—“Let my prayer be set forth.” What is this chant like? Why is it sung in the center of the church?
—These are lines from Psalm 140. Since ancient times, almost since the first century, it has been a part of the evening prayer of Christians. There are the following words: Let my prayer be set forth before Thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice (Ps. 140:2), which is why it is always heard at evening services. At Vespers, it is sung as part of the chant “Lord, I Have Cried”. During the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, it stands out especially vividly in the form of this hymn. This is the oldest Christian evening prayer. By singing in the middle of the church, special emphasis is placed on this hymn, on our sad prayer to God, and our request that our prayer may rise up to Him like fragrant incense.
—What does the Great Entrance during the singing of “Now the Powers of Heaven” symbolize?
—On the one hand, the Great Entrance is a practical action. This is transferring the Holy Gifts to the altar table. On the other hand, here the Gifts have already been consecrated—they are the true Body and Blood of Christ. We adore them, and so we hear at the service: “Lo, the King of Glory enters; lo, the mystical sacrifice is upborne, fulfilled”; that is, this sacrifice is being offered to God accompanied by angels. This chant is quite ancient. In those times, there were several hymns that were sung at this moment of the service: the Cherubic Hymn, “Now the Powers of Heaven”, and what we will hear on Holy Saturday— “Let all mortal flesh keep silence”. As the Holy Gifts are brought out, the faithful prostrate, because in them we see Christ Himself. Of course, if Christ were to appear before us, we would prostrate as humbly as possible, with the utmost reverence. The priest brings out the true Body and Blood of Christ, and we adore them by making a prostration.
—What should believers pray for, while “Now the Powers of Heaven” is sung?
—All these hymns—“Now the Powers of Heaven”, the Cherubic Hymn, and “Let all mortal flesh keep silence”—remind us that the Heavenly Powers participate in worship with us. And at this moment it is a good reason to reflect prayerfully on what is happening in church, because, unfortunately, we often get used to many things. We can get used to it in a good way, and it will become a part of our lives; but we can also get used in a bad way—that is, forget what it means (and it often happens that way). We forget that everything that takes place at church services is amazing, wonderful, and a great mystery. And these chants are about the fact that the Heavenly Powers are serving invisibly with us; that not only we are standing in church, but also the angels are around us and very important to us. In general, at this time the service calls on us and on the whole Church to pray in the words that are being sung now. And, of course, we must try to adjust our personal prayer with what is being sung and read in church, which is always the right thing to do.
—Father Athanasius, in some churches the curtain of the iconostasis is drawn half-way after the singing of this chant. Why is this done?
—Yes, there is such a tradition. We don’t have that, because we have the right to serve the entire Liturgy with open Royal Doors. In other places, it is customary to symbolize that the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is not a full Divine Liturgy and lacks the main component.
—Why is there no Litany of Supplication for the health of the members of the Church during the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts?
—At the full Liturgy, in addition to the fact that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ, commemorations are performed that are directly connected with the offering of the sacrifice; with the removal of particles from the prosphora, which are immersed into the Blood of Christ; and with the fact that during the Eucharistic Canon, the Anaphora, the priest prays for the dead and the living. Thus, this service is not only associated with our Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, but also with Eucharistic prayer for others. We pray that the people we remember, both the living and the departed, will be partakers of this sacrifice of Christ too. In this sense, Christ’s sacrifice is not performed at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, so there is no special commemoration of the living and the departed.
—Who can receive Communion at this Liturgy, and who can’t?
—Now, thank God, our Church is returning to the ancient practice of frequent Communion, which is very good. So, of course, it is important for every member of the Church to attend the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts and take Communion during Lent. Infants are not given communion at the Presanctified Liturgy because the Holy Gifts are prepared only in the form of the Body that was dipped in Christ’s Blood before being reserved. And those babies who are unable to consume a particle cannot receive Communion. But in general, this Liturgy is very important for all adult, conscious members of the Church. And participating in it is a moment when you can fully experience Lent.
—How should laypeople prepare for this service?
—The preparation for Communion here is exactly the same as on other days. If the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated in the evening, then it is necessary to consult with your father-confessor, because, according to the original meaning of this evening service, it should be preceded by a strict day-long fast. Not everybody, I mean especially those who are busy at work and infirm, will be able to endure such abstinence without harm to their health. There are Church rules close to our time that allow abstaining from food for only six hours before taking Communion. If you have the strength to observe it thoroughly—that is, refrain from eating anything all day, that’s fine. If it’s hard for you, this needs to be discussed privately with your father-confessor. Otherwise the preparation for Communion is exactly the same.
—Would you like to add something to what has been said?
—In addition to the regularly repeated hymns that we know well, there are also stichera—hymns associated with a specific day, at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. These are texts dedicated to a saint, whose memory is being celebrated on this day, and texts dedicated specifically to the Lenten season. They are taken from The Lenten Triodion and help us walk through the time of Lent. For example, during the first week, these texts reminded us of how we should spend Lent. We heard such words: “While fasting physically, brethren, let us also fast spiritually.” And we were instructed how to fast spiritually. Then we heard various examples and calls related to our Lenten journey. We should take these texts with attention. They are rather difficult to perceive, because in some cases the singing may not be completely audible, and it is not always easy to make out what we hear. But now you can easily find all the liturgical books online, read them in advance or follow them at the service. And this is very important.
During Lent, the Church (this applies not only to the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, but also to our entire liturgical cycle) guides us with the texts that it offers us. And if we pay attention to them, we will never grow weary of it. We will see that each time the Church offers something new and something very important for us, helping us walk through the forty days of Lent. This also concerns the paremias—the readings from the Old Testament during the service. If we listen to them carefully (we can, for instance, look at home in advance what will be read on this day in church), we will learn the lessons that the Church offers us. Then Lent will be more productive and meaningful for us. This concerns the Lenten services in general and the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in particular.
—Thank you, Father Athanasius!
