The mysterious meaning of church rites

Symbolic Actions Used in Everyday Worship and Their Meaning

Lights

It is important for a Christian not only to participate in the divine services, but also to understand them, to assimilate them consciously. All Christians are called upon to teach and admonish one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing in grace to the Lord in their hearts (Col. 3:16). It would be unworthy not only of a Christian, but also of a simple human being as a rational being, if, being present at his true and incomparable divine services, he did not understand the language of the Church, did not clarify to himself the meaning of her statutory readings and hymns, and did not understand those symbolic sacred actions that are constantly performed before his eyes. In this case, there would be no attention, no interest, no warmth of feeling, no reverence, no faith, which is absolutely necessary for the reception of the grace of God, which is given here in the sacraments and prayers.

In this brochure we will try to explain the sacred actions (symbolic) used in the celebration of divine services in our Orthodox Church, as well as in the celebration of the Holy Sacraments and the most important requirements.

Let us say, first of all, about the significance of the use of lamps during divine services.

The use of lamps in divine services was primarily caused by necessity, since in the first days of Christianity, Christians, for fear of being attacked by persecutors, performed their divine services for the most part at night. But there is no doubt that the use of lamps was no longer considered only a matter of necessity, but also had a symbolic meaning. An indication of this can be found in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles (20:8), where it is said that in the upper room, which contained those gathered for the celebration of divine services on Sunday, many lamps were lit - a remark indicating that these latter were more than enough for one light. In particular, the symbolic significance of the use of lamps in divine services is revealed in the fact that from the very first times of Christianity they were used not only in evening and night, but even in daytime services, as is evident from the testimony of Paulinus, Bishop of Nolan (fourth and early fifth centuries). According to him, the bright altars at both the evening and afternoon services were set with lamps standing close to each other. In response to the reproach of the heretic Vigilantius to Christians for burning a whole mass of candles during the day in churches, Blessed Jerome said that Christians in this case do not act senselessly: lamps are used by them during divine services, especially when reading the Gospel, as a symbol of joy. Candles were used at baptism, when the person being baptized, and sometimes the godparents and those present at the baptism, held burning candles in their hands, were lit at burial, placed at coffins and before the images or remains of martyrs. The so-called inextinguishable lamps were also in use. Such a diverse and very widespread use of lamps in divine services forces us to look more closely at the meaning of their use and to find the most appropriate meaning for them.

Light, on the one hand, presents us with the world with all its innumerable virtues, on the other hand, it protects us from the danger of bumping into something, getting lost, damaging our body. Such a significance of light for the physical world can be likened to the meaning of Jesus Christ for the spiritual and moral world.