Reflections on the Divine Liturgy

Reflections on the Divine Liturgy—the writer’s last work published only after his death. It was repeatedly reissued in large print runs in pre-Revolutionary Russia and became a desk book for many Orthodox Christians. Though small in volume, it is a blend of sincere religious feeling and the author’s genius as a writer. The appearance of this essay was prompted by Gogol’s concern for the spiritual enlightenment of young people who had begun to be tempted by the individualism of liberal ideas. After working through and summarizing numerous theological works and filtering the collected material through his own long-term spiritual experience—gained from almost daily attendance at church—Gogol was able to convey to the reader, in an accessible form, the meaning and content of the Divine Liturgy.

The book will be interesting to believers and to those who are just embarking on the path of faith and want to understand the course of the Divine Liturgy and participate in the main church service with understanding.