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Meditations on the Divine Liturgy

Nikolai Gogol, tr. Alexeieff, 1913

2. On the First Part: The Office of Oblation

The priest who is to celebrate the Liturgy should from the evening before abstain in mind and body, should be at peace with all, should be careful to nourish no resentment against any one, and from the evening onward, having said the appointed prayers, should keep his mind fixed on the sacredness of that which awaits him on the morrow, so that his very thoughts may be duly sanctified and savoured.

Entering the church together with the deacon,¹ they bow before the royal gates, kiss the sacred pictures of the Saviour and of the Mother of God; bow to the right and to the left to all present, thereby asking forgiveness of all, and enter the sanctuary;² repeating to themselves the Psalm, “I will come into Thine house, and in Thy fear will I worship toward Thy holy temple”; and approaching the altar they make three prostrations before it, and kiss the altar itself and the book of the Gospels lying upon it, as though it were the Lord Himself sitting upon the throne, and begin to robe in the sacred vestments in order to be distinguished, not only from others, but even from themselves, nothing in their appearance recalling men occupied in the every-day affairs of life, but rather reminding the beholders of all the greatness of the approaching service.

From the time of the Apostles these special vestments have been used for the divine service. Although the persecuted Church could not provide them in their present richness, still it strictly prescribed that the presbyter should not appear for the service in his usual dress, and that none of the clergy should go out in the apparel worn during service time. While vesting themselves in this shining raiment, the ministers of the Church should be clothed upon with higher spiritual valour. Therefore each vestment is accompanied by words chosen from the Psalms and revealing the deep meaning, so that the thoughts of the sacred ministers, though occupied in such an ordinary task as clothing himself, should not stray, but should be attuned by this very act to the high service, and that he may stand like Aaron, splendidly attired in body and spirit before the awful throne of the Most High, “that he die not” spiritually.

The priest and the deacon, taking their vestments in their hands, each bow thrice towards the East and repeat to themselves, “O God, cleanse me a sinner and have mercy upon me.”

The deacon, holding his dalmatic and stole, asks the priest’s blessing upon them. Having received the blessing, he goes to one side and robes thus: he first puts on the dalmatic, which corresponds to the alb of the priest, and is almost the same as the chained ephod of the priests of the Old Testament. The alb is always light in colour, signifying the bright raiment of angels, and in remembrance of the unsullied purity of heart which should be inseparable from the priestly office. Both deacon and priest while vesting respectively in the dalmatic and alb, repeat, “My soul shall exult in the Lord. For He hath endued me with the robe of salvation, and with the garment of joy hath He clothed me. He hath set a crown upon my head like unto a bridegroom, and as a bride hath He adorned me with comeliness.” Then, having kissed the stole, a long, narrow band, the deacon hangs it over his left shoulder.

The orarion, or prayer-stole, is the special attribute of the diaconate; with it the deacon gives the sign for beginning each act of the service, calling on the people to pray, the choir to sing, the priest to perform the sacerdotal acts, and himself to angelic speed and readiness in service. For during the Liturgy the office of the deacon is the same as the calling of the angels in heaven; the placing of the band upon his shoulder giving him, as it were, the appearance of wings, and in his Movements about the church he represents, according to the words of Chrysostom, the flying of an angel. Then the deacon puts on the gauntlets, which fasten at the wrist in order to give his hands more freedom and ease in the performance of the appointed service. While putting them on he reflects on the all-creating and operating might of God. On fastening the right one he repeats, “Thy right hand, O Lord, is glorified in strength. Thy right hand, O Lord, hath shattered the enemy, and through the multitude of Thy glory hast Thou crushed the adversaries.” On fastening the left one he thinks of himself as the work of God’s hands, and prays to Him, his Creator, to direct him with His own guidance from on high, saying thus: “Thy hands have made me and fashioned me. Enlighten my mind and I shall learn Thy commandments.” The priest vests in the same manner. He first blesses and puts on the alb, accompanying this with the same words as those used by the deacon; and over the alb he puts on not a straight, simple stole, but a double one which, resting on both shoulders and going round the neck, has both ends joined together on the breast and falls down nearly to the feet; and, being called the epitrakhélion, signifies the pouring out of grace from on high upon the priest; and therefore this act is accompanied by the mighty words of Scripture, “Blessed be God, Who poureth out upon His priests His grace, like unto the precious ointment upon the head, which ran down upon the beard, even upon Aaron’s beard; and ran down to the skirts of his clothing.” Then he puts the gauntlets upon both hands, accompanying the act with the same words as those used by the deacon, and girds himself with the girdle over the alb and stole that the width of the vestments should not hinder the accomplishment of the sacerdotal acts, and by thus girding himself to express his readiness, even as a man girds himself when preparing for a journey, or before performing some task or feat, so the priest before setting out on the way, and beginning the work of the heavenly service; and trusting to the girdle as to the support of God’s might strengthening him, repeats, “Blessed be God Who girdeth me with strength and hath made my path blameless, and hath made my feet like unto harts’ feet, and hath set me on high.” If he belong to the rank of the higher clergy he hangs at his side the oblong epigonation, which signifies the spiritual sword, the all-conquering power of the Word of God, proclaiming the continual combat awaiting man in the world, that victory over death which Christ gained, that the immortal soul of man might fight bravely against his corruption. Therefore the epigonation has the appearance of a mighty weapon, and is hung upon the hip, the seat of man’s strength, and its putting on is accompanied by the invocation to the Lord Himself: “Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O Thou most mighty, in Thy vigour and in Thy beauty: and go forth and prosper, and reign, because of truth, and meekness, and righteousness; and Thy right hand shall guide Thee wondrously, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.”

Finally, over all the priest puts on the chasuble, signifying the over-covering truth of God, and repeats the words, “Thy priests, O Lord, shall clothe themselves with righteousness, and Thy holy ones shall rejoice with exultation, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.” Thus vested the priest appears another man. Whatever he be in himself, however unworthy, all standing in the church behold in him the instrument of God wielded by the Holy Spirit Himself. Both the priest and the deacon wash their hands, accompanying the ablution with the repetition of the Psalm, “I will wash my hands among the innocent, and so will I compass Thine altar, O Lord”; and having each made three lowly reverences with the prayer, “O God, cleanse Thou me, a sinner, and have mercy upon me!” they should stand, pure and bright, like their shining raiment, in nothing resembling other people, but more like a shining vision than men.

The deacon indicates the commencement of divine service by the words, “Bless, Master!” and the priest begins with the words, “Blessed be our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages”; and proceeds to the table of oblation. All this part of the service consists of the preparation of what is required for the celebration, i.e., of the separation from the offerings, or little loaves of altar bread, of those parts which at first represent the Body of Christ and later become It. The table of oblation, to the left of the altar, called the place of offering because on it are placed the small offered loaves of altar bread, represents the side space in the primitive churches, where was gathered all that was brought by the Christians for divine service and for the common refection.

As the whole office of oblation is nothing but the preparation for the Liturgy, the Church has united to it the commemoration of the beginning of the Life of Christ, as being the preparation for His Works, Sufferings, and Death. All is done within the sanctuary with closed doors and drawn curtains;³ unseen of the people, even as the whole of the early Life of Christ passed unnoticed by the multitude. For to the worshippers during this time are read the Hours, a collection of Psalms and Prayers which were used by the early Christians at the four chief times of the day. The first hour, when, according to the reckoning of the Church, the morning began; the third hour, when the Holy Spirit descended; the sixth hour, when the Saviour of the world was nailed to the Cross; and the ninth hour, when He gave up His Spirit.

As, for the Christians of to-day, owing to lack of time and constant distraction, it is impossible to use these devotions at the appointed hours, they are joined together and read one after the other.

Proceeding to the table of oblation, the priest takes one of the little loaves of altar bread, called prosphori, in order to separate the middle portion (of the upper part), on which is the seal (or stamp) bearing the name of Jesus Christ, as though representing by this action the separating of the flesh of Christ from that of the Holy Virgin. Remembering that He Who is born offered Himself in Sacrifice for the whole world, the priest sees, as it were, in the bread the Lamb brought for sacrifice, in the spear with which he divides it the sacrificial knife, which has the form of a spear in remembrance of that with which the Body of the Saviour was pierced upon the Cross.

His acts now are unaccompanied by the words either of the Saviour Himself or of the witnesses of what occurred at the time; neither are his thoughts directed to that time of the offering of the sacrifice—that is still to come in the latter part of the Liturgy, and towards that which is to come he turns his thoughts from afar.

Like the people of whom it is said that while sitting in darkness they saw a great light, he looks towards the Light yet to appear; as Isaiah saw with the eagle-eye of prophetic vision beyond that which was around him, that which was to come; so from this oblation the priest looks prophetically to the sacrificial acts yet to be made; and, uniting himself to the prophet, he accompanies each act with the words of prophecy, out of the darkness of the ages foretelling the future miraculous Birth, Sacrifice, and Death. Thrusting the spear into the right side of the seal, he pronounces the words, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter”; and when into the left side, “and as a blameless lamb dumb before her shearers, so He opened not His mouth.” Then, when thrusting the spear into the top of the seal, he says, “In His humiliation His judgement was taken away.” And finally, when into the lower part, he pronounces the words of the prophet, pondering deeply on the wondrous origin of the Victim, “And who shall declare His generation?” Then raising with the spear the middle part of the bread which has been cut round, he repeats, “For His life is taken away from the earth”; and cutting it crosswise, he says, “The Lamb of God is sacrificed, which taketh away the sins of the world for the life and salvation of the world.” He then thrusts the spear into the right side, remembering, together with the slaying of the victim, the piercing of the Redeemer’s side with the spear of the soldier who stood near the Cross, and repeats, “One of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came thereout blood and water; and he that saw it bare record, and his record is true.” These words serve also as a sign to the deacon to pour wine and water into the holy chalice. The deacon, having gazed reverently on all the actions of the priest, while repeating to himself, “Let us make our supplications to the Lord,” now pours wine and water into the chalice, asking the blessing of the priest upon the union.

Thus are the bread and wine prepared for that which they are to become during the subsequent great Mystery. Then according to the ancient and holy custom of the Primitive Church, the priest proceeds to take portions from the other little loaves, in commemoration of the living and the dead in order to place them upon the same paten near the (portion of) holy Bread which represents the Lord Himself.

Taking in his hand the second prosphora, he takes from it a portion in honour and remembrance of our most Blessed Lady, the Mother of God and ever-Virgin Mary, and places it on the right side of the holy Bread, repeating the prophetic words of the Psalm, “Upon Thy right hand did stand the queen in a vesture of gold wrought about with divers colours.” Then he takes the third prosphora in commemoration of the saints, and with the same spear he separates from it nine portions in three rows of three in each. The first portion in honour and remembrance of S. John Baptist, the second of the prophets, the third of the Apostles; and thus forms the first row and rank of the holy ones. Then he separates a fourth portion in commemoration of the holy prelates, a fifth of the martyrs, a sixth of the venerable and God-bearing fathers and mothers; and thus forms the second row and rank of the holy ones. Then he separates a seventh portion in commemoration of the wonder-workers, and unmercenaries, an eighth of the progenitors of God, Joachim and Anna, and of the saint of the day, a ninth in the name of S. John Chrysostom, or of S. Basil, the Great, according to which Liturgy is celebrated on the day; and thus is formed the third row and rank of the holy ones; and all the nine portions are placed on the holy paten near the holy Bread, on the left side of it.

Thus Christ appears among His own, He Who inhabiteth the holy place becomes visible among His holy ones. Then taking the fourth prosphora for all the living, the priest takes from it portions for all the orthodox episcopate, for the most holy synod, and the patriarchs, for the reigning emperor and all the imperial family, and for all orthodox Christians, for those he wishes to pray for by name or whom he has been asked to remember. Then the priest takes the fifth and last prosphora and separates from it portions in commemoration of all the dead, asking for the forgiveness of their sins, beginning with the patriarchs, tsars, the founders of the Church in which he is officiating, for the bishop who ordained him, if already deceased, down to the least Christian, separating a portion for each one for whom he has been asked to pray or whom he wishes to commemorate. And last of all he asks for himself forgiveness for all, and likewise separates a portion for himself; and all these portions representing those who are to be remembered during the celebration, the priest places on the paten near the same holy Bread, but below it. Thus around this Bread that is the Lamb, representing Christ Himself, is gathered His whole Church, both triumphant in heaven and militant on earth. The Son of Man appears, as it were, among men, for whose sake He became incarnate, and was made Man. Taking the sponge, the priest with it carefully gathers the crumbs upon the paten. The portions taken from the prosphori in remembrance of those who have brought them, or of those for whom they have been brought, at the end of the Liturgy after the Communion, are put into the chalice with the prayer, “Take away, O Lord, the sins of those here remembered, by Thy precious Blood, with the prayers of Thy saints.”

Standing back from the table of oblation, the priest bows as though he were reverencing the very Christ Incarnate, and salutes, under the form of the Bread lying upon the paten, the appearing of the heavenly Bread upon earth, giving homage by censing it while repeating the prayer, “Unto Thee, O Christ our God, do we offer incense for an odour of spiritual fragrance; which do Thou accept upon Thy most heavenly altar, and pour forth upon us in return the grace of Thine all-holy Spirit.” Then transporting himself in thought to the time of the Nativity of Christ, and recalling the past, the priest sees, as it were, in the chapel of oblation, the mysterious cave wherein the Saviour of the world willed to be born and to lie. Censing the asterisk, or star-cover, and placing it upon the paten, he sees in it, as it were, the star which led the wise men to the manger where lay the Divine Infant, and therefore repeats the words, “And the star came and stood over where the young Child was.”

Having censed the first veil, he covers with it the holy Bread with the paten, repeating the Psalm, “The Lord is King, and hath put on glorious apparel . . .”; the Psalm which sings of the marvellous goodness of the Lord. Having censed the second veil, he covers with it the holy chalice, repeating, “Thy glory, O Christ, hath filled the heavens, and the earth is full of Thy praise.” Then taking the larger veil, called the holy aer, he covers with it both the paten and the chalice together, calling upon God to cover us under the shelter of His wings, and standing back from the oblation, he bows as the shepherds and kings bowed before the Divine Infant, and censes the chapel-cave, thus representing the sweet-smelling incense and myrrh which were brought together with the gold by the wise men.

The deacon, as before, attentively accompanies the priest, repeating at each act, “Let us make our supplication to the Lord!” and reminding him of each successive act, finally taking from his hand the censer and reminding him of the prayer that should be made to the Lord for the gifts prepared for Him, with the words, “At the oblation of the holy gifts let us make our supplications to the Lord,” and the priest begins the prayer. Although these gifts are, so far, only prepared for the offering up, still, as they can now no longer be put to any other use, the priest repeats the prayer in anticipation of the acceptance of these gifts, prepared for the coming offering, in these words: “O God, our God, Who didst send forth the heavenly Bread, the nourishment of the whole world, our Lord and God Jesus Christ, as a Saviour and Redeemer and Benefactor, blessing and hallowing us; Thyself bless this oblation, and receive it to Thy heavenly altar; remember of Thy goodness and love to men them that offered it, and them for whom they offered it; and keep us without condemnation in the Celebration of Thy holy mysteries. For blessed and hallowed is Thy holy and glorious Name, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen.” And after the prayer he pronounces the dismissal at the end of the office of oblation.

The deacon censes the offerings and then the holy table round about in the form of a cross, and meditating on the birth into the world of Him Who was begotten of the Father before all worlds, repeats to himself, “In the tomb bodily, in Hades spiritually, in Paradise with the thief, while Thou wast, O Christ, with the Father and the Holy Ghost on the throne, as God filling all things and incircumscript”; and goes out of the sanctuary holding the censer, to salute all who are gathered together for the holy feast of love, and to fill the church with the sweet savour. This censing is always performed at the beginning of the service; as in the domestic life of all the ancient peoples of the East every guest on entering was offered ablution and perfume. This custom was continued in the heavenly feast, the Sacramental Supper, which bears the name of the Liturgy.

Censing and bowing to all alike, rich and poor, the deacon, as the servant of God, salutes them all as the guests of the most gracious heavenly Host, he censes and bows also before the icóni, or representations of the saints, for they also are guests come to the Sacramental Feast, as in Christ all live and are not separated. Having filled the church with the sweet savour, he returns to the sanctuary, and after again censing it, puts the censer aside and goes up to the priest. Both standing together before the holy altar, the priest and the deacon bow three times, and, preparing to begin the actual divine service of the Liturgy, call upon the Holy Spirit, the Teacher and Leader of prayer. “For we know not how to pray as we ought,” says S. Paul, “but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Praying the Holy Spirit to fill them, and filling to purify them for their service, the priest and deacon recite the hymn with which the angels greeted the Nativity of Jesus Christ: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men.”

Before this time (at the beginning of the reading of the Hours), the curtain within the royal gates is withdrawn, signifying in thought the heavenly gates which open then when the mind is raised to high and heavenly things. Here the opening of the high gates after the angels’ hymn declares that not to all was revealed the birth of Christ, that it was known only to the angels in heaven, to Mary and Joseph, to the wise men who came to worship, and was discerned from afar by the prophets. The priest and the deacon repeat to themselves, “O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise.” The priest kisses the book of the Gospels, the deacon kisses the holy table, and by bowing his head indicates the beginning of the Liturgy; and, holding his stole with three fingers, he says, “It is time to sacrifice unto the Lord. Bless, master.” And the priest blesses him with the words, “Blessed be our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.” The deacon, meditating on the service which is before him, in which he should be like an angel flying from the altar to the people, and from the people to the altar, and gathering all into one spirit—be, as it were, a holy inspiring power for the time of the service, but feeling his unworthiness, and the insufficiency in himself of spiritual purity, humbly asks of the priest: “Pray for me, holy master!” “May the Lord God remember thee in His Kingdom, now and ever, and unto ages of ages!” With raised head the deacon says in a low voice, “Amen,” and goes out of the sanctuary by the north door of the sacred picture-screen, or iconostasis, to the people, and standing upon the ambon opposite the royal gates, repeats again to himself: “O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise!” and turning towards the sanctuary, cries in the hearing of all to the priest: “Bless, master!” From within the holy place the priest answers, “Blessed be the kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”; and the Liturgy is continued.

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