The Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts . . .
. . . . will be served each Wednesday and Friday night, during Lent at 6:30PM., so a few words to encourage you to set aside the time to attend:
The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts may be characterized, without exaggeration, as the heart, the center of the services of Great Lent. In fact, it is the service which best typifies this sacred time of the year.
The essence of this service is revealed in its very name: it is the “Liturgy of Gifts Presanctified.” This distinguishes it from the liturgies of St. Basil the Great and of St. John Chrysostom, in which the Eucharist, the offering and sanctification of the Gifts, takes place. During the Liturgy we are offered the Holy Gifts “pre-sanctified,” i.e. already sanctified at a liturgy served on a Sunday. These Holy Gifts are offered to us that we might have the opportunity to commune of them and be sanctified by them through this special rite of Communion.
As St. Basil the Great states, the faithful of that time were used to receiving Communion not only on Saturdays and Sundays, but also at least twice during the week - on Wednesdays and Fridays. Therefore, the question arose: How could they commune outside the Liturgy? The answer had already been provided: they could commune of the Holy Gifts sanctified at one of the earlier Liturgies. In those days, fasting meant complete abstinence from food until sunset, and Communion of the Holy Gifts was the crown, the end, of the Lenten day. For this reason, on those weekdays, it took place after Vespers.
The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts consists of Vespers, at the conclusion of which the Holy, Presanctified Gifts are offered. Communion itself takes place, and is followed by prayers of thanksgiving. The service’s connection to Great Lent is reflected in its special “mournful” character. The priests vestments, as well as the covers for the Altar Table and sacred vessels containing the Holy Gifts are dark-colored. Prayers are read with a sense of humility and tenderness. Overall, the entire service has a sweet nature and is marked by a special sense of mystery.
