March 1, 2025
Every time the regular, eucharistic Divine Liturgy is celebrated, we are actually entering into a paschal
celebration, communing with our risen Lord and participating in His Resurrectional victory. Since Great Lent
is a time of preparation for that Resurrection, a time characterized by remembrance of our sinfulness and our
separation from God, we do not perform the regular Divine Liturgy during the weekdays of Lent.
But even still, we acknowledge our existential need for Eucharist, for communion with God. And so, the Church
instituted a manner by which the Faithful could still receive communion during the weekdays of Lent, without
actually performing the consecration of Eucharist during the week. This is the Presanctified Liturgy.
The Lamb (the blessed bread, transformed by the Holy Spirit into the very Body of Christ) used at Presanctified
Liturgy is just that: Pre-sanctified. On the Sunday before a Presanctified Liturgy, the priest will consecrate two
lambs, and he will then reserve the extra lamb, storing it safely on the Holy Altar. This is why, at Presanctified
Liturgy, there is no Anaphora prayers, no consecration of Gifts, as the Gifts have already been consecrated! The
Body of Christ is already present at the start of the service.
This is why the Presanctified Liturgy has a different structure to a regular Liturgy. Served in the evening, this
Liturgy has components that are very similar to Vespers, for it is indeed largely a solemn Lenten Vespers with
the distribution of communion added onto it. As a participant, it is important to know a few key actions within
the service:
1: During the singing of the Antiphons, at the beginning of the service, the clergy are busy preparing to
transfer the Holy Gifts from the Altar over to the Table of Oblation. At the start of the third Antiphon, the
priest will raise the Holy Gifts and transport them to the Proskomedia room. When this is happening,
everyone is to fully prostrate, with their face down, in respect for and reverence to the Holy Gifts. Once
this action has been performed, the priest returns to the altar table and everyone rises.
2: During the recitation of the Prayer of St. Ephraim (Which happens twice in the service), we all
prostrate together thrice, imitating the priest.
3: At the conclusion of the first Old Testament Reading, the priest will lift up a candle and censer and
proclaim “The Light of Christ illumines all”. It is traditional to prostrate at this point. Then, after the
readings, all will prostrate for the singing of Let My Prayer Arise, rising to a kneeling position during the
refrains.
4: During the Great Entrance, as the Gifts are processed back into the altar, everyone prostrates again.
The Great Entrance is performed silently, and upon re-entering the altar, the whole congregation stands.
As a final note: it is always proper and expected for one to abstain from food and water in preparation to
partake in Holy Communion. Since this is an evening service, and many have work and responsibilities
throughout the day, a common dispensation is that one fully fasts from at least 1:00pm onward, and thus for
~6 hours before receiving Communion. Please speak to your priest about dispensation before attempting to fast
the entire day, especially if you are concerned of risks to your health.
