From Michael Ruse:
We will conclude Chapter 3 with the section pp.196-214. Then, we will begin Part III, The Weekly Cycle of Divine Services. The section will cover the Conclusion of the Liturgy and the origins, development and content of the Liturgy of Pre-Sanctified Gifts. After or before the liturgy, so-called “private” services like akathists, weddings, baptisms and panikhidas may be offered. Metropolitan Hilarion’s concern for the practical and theological order of worship and the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church is highlighted by his reference to Bishop Afanasy Sakharov on services after liturgy.
The liturgy of the pre-sanctified gifts is not performed as a part of the eucharistic liturgy that we’ve already discussed, but the content of the prayers is connected, especially in the litany of the priest. That prayer clearly proclaims that Christ is in the mysteries as He is described in the English language as “unseen, unutterable, hidden treasures, invisible King.” We can be prepared for all of these realities by participating in the earlier prayers of the faithful that concern our senses that, “by the life-giving death of Thy Christ has translated us from corruption to incorruption, do Thou free all our senses from deadly passions.”
The tone of the liturgy of the pre-sanctified gifts may have certain features of veneration that may look similar to the Roman Catholic “adoration,” but Metropolitan Hilarion argues that the liturgy of the pre-sanctified gifts wasn’t a transplant from the West.
There are also important prayers for catechumens awaiting baptism or needing more instruction through Old Testament readings. Join us this Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and learn how to extend the liturgy’s conclusion to the rest of our day and week into our homes and jobs.