What is the Litany of the Oblations and what prayers does it contain in the Divine Liturgy?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-11-06

Definition and Material Scope of the Oblations

Within the liturgical tradition, the concept of the oblation possesses both a particular sacramental focus and a comprehensive communal meaning. As noted in GUIDES TO THE EUCHARIST IN MEDIEVAL EGYPT THREE ARABIC COMMENTARIES, when the term oblation is employed in the singular, it commonly denotes the eucharistic bread offered in the liturgy, which is believed to be changed into the Holy Body of Christ. In the plural form, however, the term encompasses all material gifts and offerings donated by the faithful for the support and upkeep of the church, including bread, wine, oil, and candles. This expansive understanding is echoed in THE RITES OF THE HOLY LITURGY, which explains that the Litany of Oblations refers to offerings in general, covering everything that believers bring to meet the needs of the church and its congregation. Among these physical donations are the flour utilized to bake the eucharistic loaf and grape juice or wine designated to fill the chalice. According to HOW TO BENEFIT FROM THE HOLY LITURGY, the scope of these offerings further encompasses articles essential for church service, including candles, curtains, liturgical reading books, altar vessels, and utensils. Beyond physical paraphernalia, the litany accounts for financial contributions, including tithes, vows, and voluntary donations. The church also extends this prayer beyond tangible goods to embrace intangible sacrifices made for God, such as personal time, physical effort, and sacrificial love. The prayer asks God to accept all these gifts, whether given openly or kept hidden, whether offered in abundance or out of scarcity, for the benefit of the needy brethren of Christ, entreating the Lord to grant the givers a happy life in the present age and everlasting life in His heavenly kingdom.

Supplications for Donors, Intermediaries, and the Indigent

The prayers articulated within the Litany of the Oblations systematically intercede for every category of person connected to the sacred offerings. As set forth in HOW TO BENEFIT FROM THE HOLY LITURGY, the officiating priest asks for heavenly reward and divine grace upon those who have presented the oblations, those who carried them to the church, and those on whose behalf the offerings are made. These named beneficiaries include individuals undergoing specific trials, such as the sick, the oppressed, and the departed faithful. The prayer also petitions God on behalf of the clergy and altar servants—specifically the priests, deacons, and ministers—who contributed their labor by preparing the oblations and raising them upon the altar. A central and tender petition within the litany specifically remembers the indigent who lack the physical means to make material donations. As THE RITES OF THE HOLY LITURGY highlights, the Church perpetually intercedes for those who possess the desire to offer but cannot do so because of poverty, crying out: "And those who are desiring to offer but they have nothing, give them the incorruptible instead of the corruptible, the heavenly instead of the earthly, the everlasting instead of the transient. Fill their houses and stores with good things." In this manner, the liturgy ensures that genuine spiritual goodwill is granted divine recompense, lifting up the prayers and aspirations of all believers so that God may reward each person with heavenly and eternal blessings instead of earthly and temporal goods.

Ritual Gestures and the Sacrificial Standing of Offerings

During the recitation of the Litany of the Oblations, the liturgical rite prescribes specific physical actions performed by the celebrant to link the prayers to the altar. In HOW TO BENEFIT FROM THE HOLY LITURGY, it is explained that while reciting the litany, the priest motions towards the oblations placed directly before him on the altar. These sacramental gifts represent the greatest and most exalted among all the offerings made by the believers to the house of God. THE RITES OF THE HOLY LITURGY similarly notes that when praying this litany, the priest points toward the Sacraments, as they stand as the crown and symbol of everything the congregation brings forward. The theological petitions of the litany formally raise the communal offerings to the dignity of a sacred sacrifice. As recorded in THE RITES OF THE HOLY LITURGY, the church prays over these gifts: "Accept them on Your holy, heavenly altar as a fragrance of incense". This liturgical concept aligns directly with the biblical teaching of the Apostle Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrews, which instructs believers to do good and share because God is well pleased with such sacrifices. In response to inquiries regarding why the Eucharistic elements are still designated as oblations even after their consecration and transubstantiation into the Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, HOW TO BENEFIT FROM THE HOLY LITURGY points out that the Holy Communion carries multiple historical titles; for example, Bishop Gregorios, the Bishop of Scientific Research, titled one of his works "The spiritual values of the sacrament of Bread," demonstrating the continued appropriateness of these liturgical terms.

Liturgical Context and Historical Placement Across Rites

The Litany of the Oblations is assigned distinct positions within the structure of the Coptic liturgical services. In HOW TO BENEFIT FROM THE HOLY LITURGY, the litany is documented within the service of morning incense, where it is recited prior to the prayer of God have mercy upon us (designated phonetically as EVNOT-NAI-NAN), which is subsequently followed by the Litany of the Gospel, the five short litanies, the absolution, and the final blessing. Additionally, THE RITES OF THE HOLY LITURGY explains that on feast days or occasions when the faithful gather at the Liturgy rather than undertaking travel, the Litany of the Offerings is prayed in place of the Litany for the Travellers, as the people are actively assembled in church presenting their offerings and oblations. In the anaphoral structure described in THE RITES OF THE HOLY LITURGY, the Litany of the Oblations is positioned following the seasonal agricultural litanies—such as the prayer for crops, where the priest concludes by asking God to bring them to their measure according to His grace—and directly precedes the Commemoration of the Saints. Historical commentaries on the liturgy also record distinct variations in other anaphoras. According to GUIDES TO THE EUCHARIST IN MEDIEVAL EGYPT THREE ARABIC COMMENTARIES, the Liturgy of Saint Gregory includes supplementary litanies before the litany on behalf of the world that are not found in the Liturgy of Saint Basil; these comprise four distinct prayers offered for the ruler, the palaces and soldiers, the oblation, and those in captivity, which are followed by congregational prostrations and prayers for the fruits of the earth, the world, and the departed.

Sources

• HOW TO BENEFIT FROM THE HOLY LITURGY - HG Bishop Mettaous
• THE RITES OF THE HOLY LITURGY - HG Bishop Mettaous
• HOW TO BENEFIT FROM THE HOLY LITURGY - HG Bishop Mettaous
• HOW TO BENEFIT FROM THE HOLY LITURGY - HG Bishop Mettaous
• THE RITES OF THE HOLY LITURGY - HG Bishop Mettaous
• guides to the eucharist in medieval egypt three arabic commentaries
• guides to the eucharist in medieval egypt three arabic commentaries