We will now talk a little (explain the whole Liturgy, all prayers, the rite and its formation, various inserts, which are often completely inappropriate, distortions and contradictions in the rites that have historically formed, the inaccuracy of translations from the original into Ukrainian, etc. – I did not set such a task in front of myself, at least in the near parts! I have my own goal (not ideology!), which I set for myself, so I consider and focus your attention on those aspects of reality that I myself highlighted, according to the plan with which I approached the “Introduction…”), first of all remembering, for what these additions are – to write out verbal forms from Scripture, which even formally indicate realized eschatology (all Scripture of the Church indicates realized eschatology, but let’s try to write something, although the easiest is to rewrite all Scripture!) and along the way, we will draw your attention to what we have already talked about and what is absolutely necessary (as the editor thinks) to say now. And I will also say in the flesh for the sake of human weakness: do not forget, since I write out these quotes, then I saw in them an indication of the realized eschatology, and you know – who knows what I may seem to see, seem to appear (hallucinate), when I look at something in my glasses (egoism, calculation, prejudice…) and through a certain prism (paganism, which I loudly call Orthodoxy)! I will say something that I see, and you think! or even do not pay attention to my comments, and immediately take up the facts and think!, reason!, think critically, responsibly!..
Therefore, before writing out the rite of the Liturgy of the faithful, we make a remark. In the Church, there is no depictive symbolism (symbols in the sense of conventional signs). For example, H2O – a symbol of water (sign, formula by which they indicate water), with which people (scientists) agreed to indicate water, but in reality this symbol has no organic relationship to water; there could be another sign (formula), for example, V2K (V – hydrogen, K – oxygen) or VODA, or some other symbol, with which scientists would record their formulas! In the Church, everything is real, not symbolic (in the sense of depictive), everything is iconic – through nature it indicates hypostasis. Therefore, when the Church talks about symbols, it talks about Hypostasis, which manifests itself in nature, which hypostasizes, that is, nature is a symbol of hypostasis! Jesus Christ – Man, not a symbol of Man (not an indication of man), Jesus Christ – God, not a symbol of God, an indication of God. Therefore, for the Church, there is no dogmatic “depictive symbolism” (the whole reality is already the Body of Christ – all nature already exists as God-man). And the Church uses the word “symbol” (as well as all words, rites, religious pagan (folk) forms, cults, practices) by analogy with religious use, in which through some entities others are indicated, for example, through visible on invisible. And in the Church, there is no opposition of essences (soul – body, spirit – soul, etc.), but there is one dialectic: hypostasis – nature (and in nature (in even thinner theological constructions): essence – energy). Nature – “symbol” of hypostasis (nature does not exist without hypostasis, nor hypostasis without nature; we distinguish them, but in no case do we separate, do not divide!), through which (nature, in the II phase of existence) we indicate it. Therefore, for example, the Body and Blood
(Bread and Wine) – this is an indication of the Hypostasis of the Logos Jesus Christ, which hypostasizes them and which we “consume” (eat at the Eucharist not the Body and Blood, but the Hypostasis!). We eat Christ, Hypostasis, not the nature of Christ (which is simultaneously ours!). (While we still need Sacraments (auxiliary means of exit to the “orbit” of hypostatic life, we need a runway – nature!), that is, we still rely on an intermediary – nature (through which we reach the hypostasis of the Other), relying on which, we enter into communication with another hypostasis, for which nature is an indication of its presence, that is,
“symbol”! This will continue until we actualize the Resurrection given to us in Christ, become full participants in the life of the Most Holy Trinity, that is, one of the Trinity!). Why do I say this? In order to emphasize that the Liturgy-Eucharist (as the Sacrament of the Church itself, God-manhood) – it is the reality of the Kingdom of God (from the gathering of the faithful in the Church to the exit into the world for the deeds of God, to the liturgy after the Liturgy), and not a symbol or image of it. In the Liturgy, there are no symbols that symbolize something and do not manifest. The entire Liturgy – it is the manifestation of the God-man reality of the Kingdom of God, which every time the people of God, gathered around the Table in the Kingdom of God, experience, actualize for themselves “here and now”. When a catastrophe occurred in the church, that is, when undeclared pagans began to become leaders in the church (bishops, presbyters, who later began to be called hierarchs, priests in the manner of pagan priests, high priests) and began to lead such the same pastured (the blind will lead the blind!), whom they began to call laypeople in contrast to priests!? Then the Eucharist began to turn into a concert, an instructive theatrical performance with various processions, actions, scenes, in which (which symbolize) certain historical events from the life of Jesus Christ are depicted. Begin to appear (appear in print) symbolic interpretations of the Liturgy, in which each action symbolizes (unfortunately, I cannot find what the action of the presbyter symbolizes when he blows his nose in a handkerchief, or picks it because of a cold?!): for example, “the small entrance with the Gospel” symbolizes, as pagans interpret, the exit of Christ to preach (although it is not an “exit” at all, but an “entrance”, as evidenced by the “entrance prayer”, which the presbyter reads in front of the doors in the temple (in the current practice – in the altar) before entering it – into the Eucharistic chamber), or “The Great Entrance” – this is, as the blind teach, a symbolic depiction of Christ’s procession to Golgotha!? With such and similar baseless fantasies, pagans explain the whole Liturgy, so there appeared spectators (not participants of the Eucharistic Table) and those who show an instructive-ethical play (play the roles of Christ), that is, priests, who call themselves priests!? Discuss the Liturgy more with Father Alexander Schmeman, he thoroughly analyzes these painful issues in his works. Therefore, the liturgy – it is the reality “here and now” of the Kingdom of God, I insist on this, otherwise there is no need to cite the rite of the liturgy, which you will symbolically, pictorially interpret, as it will be convenient for you (that is, if this is pictorial, figurative pedagogy, then under such conditions there is no unambiguity, and everyone interprets as they want)!?