This liturgy is so named because for the communion of believers, the Lamb, presanctified and drunk with the blood of Christ, is used. This Lamb is usually consecrated at the previous liturgy of St. Basil the Great or St. John Chrysostom.
This liturgy is celebrated on Wednesdays and Fridays of Great Lent and on the first three days of Holy Week.
The establishment of this liturgy dates back to the first centuries of Christianity, but in the form in which it has reached our time, it was set out in writing by St. Gregory the Great, Pope of Rome, called the Double-Speaker, who lived in the 6th century after the Nativity of Christ, before the Western Church fell away from the Eastern.
The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is divided into three parts: 1) the hours, 2) Vespers and 3) the Liturgy of the Faithful.
Watch.
Troparion of the 3rd hour. - Lord, Who sent down Your Most Holy Spirit at the third hour by Your Apostle, Do not take Him away from us, O Good One, but renew us who pray to You.
- 6 o'clock. “And on the sixth day and hour, the daring sin of Adam was nailed to the cross on the cross, and the handwriting of our sins was torn apart, O Christ God, and save us.”
- 9 o'clock. “Who at the ninth hour tasted death for our flesh, put to death our wisdom in the flesh, O Christ our God, and save us.”
Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian
Lord and Master of my life, do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk (bow).
Grant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to me, Thy servant (bow).
To her, Lord, King, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother, for blessed are you forever and ever. Amen (bow).
Vespers.
Vespers at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts - before the Small Entrance - is performed according to the usual rite.
After singing the hymn: “Quiet Light...”, the reader in the middle of the church reads two proverbs: one from the book of Genesis, telling about the creation of the world, the fall of Adam and Eve and its unfortunate consequences, the other from the Proverbs of Solomon.
After the first paremia, the priest, standing before the throne, appears at the royal doors, holding a censer in his hands and a candle standing in front of the Holy Gifts, makes the sign of the cross over the people and proclaims:
Wisdom! Sorry!
The light of Christ enlightens everyone!
With these words, the priest points to that Divine Light that in the Old Testament, before the coming of Jesus Christ to earth, enlightened the Old Testament forefathers and prophets, amid the pagan darkness of ignorance of God.
At this blessing, those present bow to the ground, thereby expressing their reverence for the Eternal Light, “enlightening all the ends of the earth.”
After the second paremia, three singers separate from the choir and, standing in front of the royal doors, sing the following verses from Psalm 140 of David:
May my prayer be corrected as incense before You: the lifting of my hand is an evening sacrifice.
Lord, I have called to You, hear me: listen to the voice of my prayer, sometimes I will cry to You.
Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth and a door of protection over my mouth.
Do not turn my heart into words of wickedness, and do not bear the guilt of sins. Let my prayer be directed like incense before Thy face, and the lifting of my hands like the evening sacrifice.
Lord, I appeal to You: hurry to me; listen to the voice of my prayer when I cry to You.
Set, O Lord, a guard over my lips and guard the doors of my mouth.
Do not let my heart turn aside to evil words to excuse sinful deeds.
The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts itself begins with the litanies of the catechumens... After the litanies, the royal doors open and, instead of the Cherubic song, the choir sings:
Now the powers of heaven serve with us invisibly: behold, the King of glory enters, behold, the secret sacrifice is completed. Let us approach by faith and love, so that we may be partakers of eternal life. Alleluia.
While singing this song, St. The gifts are transferred from the altar to the throne, and all those present bow to the ground, thereby paying due veneration to the Body and Blood of Christ. During this transfer of St. There are no gifts of remembrance for members of the Church, since it was done at the liturgy when the saints were consecrated. Gifts.
Following the Great Entrance follows the preparation of the faithful for communion, communion itself, thanksgiving for communion and the end of the liturgy, in the order of the liturgy of St. Chrysostom, with the only difference that at the first appearance of St. Gifts, instead of “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord...” they sing:
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise is in my mouth. Taste the bread of heaven and the cup of life and see that the Lord is good. Alleluia.
Prayer behind the pulpit
Master Almighty, Who has made all creation with wisdom, and by Thy ineffable providence and much goodness has led us into these most honorable days, to purification of souls and bodies, to abstinence of passions, to the hope of resurrection: Who, for forty days, handed over the tablets, God-written writing, to Thy saint Moses, Grant us, O Blessed One, to fight a good fight, to complete the course of fasting, to maintain undivided faith, to crush the heads of invisible serpents, to appear conqueror of sin, and to reach without condemnation and worship the holy resurrection. For Your most honorable and magnificent name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, is blessed and glorified, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.