Orthodox mass. How long does a church service last and what does its duration depend on? Where did the Processions of the Cross come from?

Liturgy at the Florovsky Monastery.

INTRODUCTION

The goal of all religious teaching in the Orthodox Church is the introduction of a child (or adult) into the Church, into her life - a life of grace of communion with God, love, unity and the spiritual path to eternal salvation, for these are the main goals of the Church.

The Church as life and grace is embodied in its worship. The Greek word for worship is leitourgia - liturgy means more than just prayer. It means a common action in which everyone takes an active part, is a participant, and not just “present.” This action is essentially both general and personal. It is common because, through the unity and faith of the participants, it realizes and fulfills the essence of the Church, that is, the presence of Christ among those who believe in Him. And the personal, since this reality is addressed to me every time, is given to me for my personal admonition, for my growth in grace. So, in worship I am an active “builder” of the Church - and it is my Christian duty to be one - and the Church benefits me, since all the treasures of the Church are offered to me as a Divine gift.

Consequently, liturgical teaching consists in explaining how everything in the liturgy concerns us as the Church of God, makes us the living Body of Christ and relates to me as a living member of this Body. The main task of liturgical education is to show how, by participating in the liturgy, the general and official service of the Church, we can become witnesses of Christ in our private and public life, responsible members of the Church, Christians in the full sense of the word. Understanding of worship should lead to the assimilation of Christian dogmas, to Christian life.

The liturgy of the Church consists of prayers, readings, rituals, and singing. In other words, there is an order in it, a structure in which various elements are related to each other, and only in this relationship is their true meaning. Each service can be compared to a building in which all parts are functional. To understand the action and meaning of each part, you must first understand the whole. Too often in our religious teaching, services are not explained, but only described as a series of rituals and prayers. The internal necessity that connects all these elements and puts them in order, into service, is not explained. There are people who know the services so well that they can serve and sing them without understanding their meaning. Liturgical service in this case becomes a blind fulfillment of meaningless instructions, which is incompatible with the definition of prayer given by Jesus Christ Himself: “to worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). Understanding the worship of the Church requires spiritual and intellectual effort. Studying the various elements of the service, general order and structure we comprehend the meaning of service. Rules, regulations, regulations must be understood as the gates that lead us into the wonderful reality of new life in Christ.

When describing Orthodox services, the expressions “solemn”, “beautiful”, etc. are often used, but we must remember that neither solemnity nor beauty in themselves is the purpose of the service. Both beauty and solemnity can be false; this happens when they become an end in themselves and lose touch with the meaning of worship. The service is essentially spiritual and should be so in practice. Too many of our churches seem to reflect human pride and self-righteousness more than they reflect the heavenly beauty of the Kingdom of God. We need to regain the true spirit of worship, which is humility, reverence, fear of God, consciousness of our unworthiness and standing before God Himself. This is what the words mean: “With faith, reverence and fear of God.”

The liturgy of the Church can be studied in the following order:

1. Liturgy of Initiation: the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, through which we enter the Church and become its members.

2. The Divine Liturgy, or Eucharist, is the very center of all church life, the sacrament of the presence of Christ among us and His communication with us. This is the main sacrament of the Church, since nothing in the Church can be achieved without communion with Christ in the Eucharist.

3. Liturgy of time, that is, those services in which the Church sanctifies the time in which we live and act, transforming it during the time of our salvation.

4. Sanctification of life, that is, the sacraments and services relating to all the details of our life, helping us to live a Christian life, participating in Christ, full of His Spirit and dedicated to His saving purpose. These are healing sacraments - Repentance and Blessing of Anointing, the Sacrament of Marriage, various rituals (prayers, blessings) and, finally, the service of Christian death.

The Church teaches us to distinguish between sacraments and non-sacramental services. A sacrament (musthrion) is a divine service during which the Holy Spirit makes a certain change or transformation that is significant for the entire Church and is recognized and accepted by the entire Church. There are seven sacraments, and although we will analyze each of them in the future, we will give a brief definition here:

1. The Sacrament of the Eucharist is the “Sacrament of the Sacraments”, in which the visible Church is transformed into the Church - the Body of Christ, the new people of God, the Temple of the Holy Spirit. This is accomplished by the sacrificial and eucharistic meal established by Christ Himself, at which the entire Church offers to God, in the name of Christ, the Sacrifice of Praise, remembering the Death and Resurrection of the Lord. And accepting the transformation of Bread and Wine, our offering and remembrance, into the Body and Blood of Christ, the Church partakes of them in perfect unity with Him.

2. The sacrament of Baptism: the liturgical action of three times immersion in water, which transforms a person into a “new creation”, resolves all his sins and unites him in new life with Christ.

3. The Sacrament of Confirmation, in which a person is initiated into a Christian. He receives the gift of the Holy Spirit, making him a member of the Church, which is “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Pet. 2:9). He is introduced into the life of the Holy Spirit and becomes a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.

4. The Sacrament of Ordination, in which the Holy Spirit changes the activity of a Christian in the Church, imparting to him the gifts of the Holy Spirit necessary for the enlightenment of the Church in pastoral service, the power to perform the sacraments, and the ability to teach.

5. The Sacrament of Marriage, in which two members of the Church become one body, a new “unit” in the Body of Christ, receiving the blessing to multiply and grow in a perfect unity of love.

6. The Sacrament of Repentance: in it the Christian, whose sins have led him away from life in Christ, is reconciled with the Church - after repentance - and is again accepted into full communion and participation in its life.

7. The Sacrament of Anointing (unction): in it, the power of healing, spiritual or physical, is given to a sick member of the Church.

In non-sacramental services, one must distinguish between liturgical and non-liturgical services. We call liturgical those services that are performed on behalf of the entire Church, which have the Church as their “subject,” even if only two or three people are present. They relate to the official cult of the Church, for example, Vespers, Matins, festive services, etc. They are “catholic” and “universal” in their scope and meaning - even if they concern one member of the Church (funeral, joining Orthodoxy, etc. .). As for non-liturgical services, their main difference is that their scope is limited, they do not apply to the entire Church (for example, monastic compline).

The order of services is indicated in the church service books. Although not everything in the liturgical tradition of the Church is equally important, individuals do not have the right to change the order of services or make changes to accepted forms of worship. It is the right and duty of the hierarchy to preserve the purity of liturgical life, to protect it from everything that could obscure it or that does not correspond to its eternal purpose.

Basic Elements of Liturgical Worship

All liturgical services, although their special content and purpose differ, have some elements common to them. A brief study of these general liturgical forms must necessarily precede the study of each service or cycle of services.

LANGUAGE OF WORSHIP: BIBLE LANGUAGE

The Orthodox Church uses many languages ​​in its worship (Greek, Church Slavonic, English, etc.) and yet has a primary liturgical language. This is the language Holy Scripture, Bible. To understand the liturgy, it is not enough to simply translate it into an “understandable” language; one must also study its biblical form and content, that is, images, comparisons, references, in general the entire system of expressions taken directly or indirectly from the Bible. This biblical character of Christian worship is explained, firstly, by the fact that the first Christians were Jews and, naturally, used the forms and expressions of the Jewish cult, of which Christian worship is a direct continuation. Secondly, the great Christian writers who wrote liturgical hymns and prayers were deeply rooted in the Bible, seeing it as the source of all Christian thought and teaching. Naturally, they wrote in the language to which they were accustomed. Thus, the Bible is the key to understanding worship, just as worship is the living interpretation of the Bible. Together they form the two main foundations of church life.

The use of the Bible as the liturgical language of the Church, that is, as the expression of its worship, prayer and worship, is possible in three ways:

1. Firstly, the biblical texts themselves form an important part of all services: proverbs (reading prophecies from Old Testament, from the New Testament, reading the Gospel and the Apostle), hymns (songs from the Old Testament: “My soul magnifies the Lord”, “Now you let go” and others), finally, psalmody. The Psalter is a liturgical book in its entirety. Individual verses, or several verses of the prokeimenon, or entire psalms are included in the fabric of all services and are the most important expression of church prayer. The Fathers of the Church and the creators of liturgical texts knew the Psalter by heart and considered it a divinely inspired expression of all worship.

2. In addition, biblical words and expressions in Hebrew or in translation are used in services. Here are the most important: Amen - “so be it” - the solemn recognition and acceptance by believers of the reality, truth and power of what God created and “does to this day.” To every prayer, every exclamation, every liturgical action, the people respond: “Amen,” as if putting their seal; and it would be fair to say that only a Christian has the right to say “Amen,” that is, to receive and make his own what God gives him in the Church.

“Alleluia” - loosely translated: “Here is the Lord, praise (glorify) Him” - a joyful exclamation of those who see and experience the presence of God, one of the key words of the service, because it reveals to us the very essence of prayer: to place us before God.

“Blessed be you” is the basic biblical formula of worship, which is used in all services as their beginning and opening. We proclaim that God and the triumph of His will and intentions are the ultimate goal of all our desires, the beginning of our worship.

Similar words include the expressions: “Holy, Holy, Holy,” “God is the Lord and appear to us,” and many others, which in the Old Testament expressed Israel’s expectation of redemption, and now express the faith of the Church that in Christ all hopes and prophecies were fulfilled.

3. Finally, all hymns and prayers in worship are full of images, symbols and expressions taken from the Bible, which for their understanding require knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. When, for example, the Mother of God is compared to the “Burning Bush” or to a censer, a temple, a mountain, etc., these comparisons require not only a factual knowledge of Scripture, but also a symbolic and theological understanding of their meanings. Words or concepts such as “light,” “darkness,” “morning,” “day of the Lord,” or symbols of faith, oil, wine, etc., must be taken in their biblical meaning if their liturgical use is to be understood.

Basic rituals

Liturgy is a sacred action, that is, a series of movements and rituals, not just readings and prayers. The community, like individual people, prays and worships God not only with words, but also with certain bodily movements: kneeling, raising hands, bowing, prostrating, touching icons, etc. - religious rites as old as humanity itself. They were accepted into Christian worship as direct and natural expressions of man's varied religious states. To this we must add a few more basic rituals that are found in all services:

1. Censing, that is, burning incense. At first, Christians protested against this ritual, which still existed in the Jerusalem temple, because of its connection with paganism. In the Roman Empire, Christians were persecuted for refusing to burn incense in front of an image of the emperor, thereby denying his divinity, but incense was later adopted by the Church. It is a natural symbol of religion, its transformative power (incense becomes incense) and worship (smoke rises upward). In Christian worship, incense is prescribed either as preparation and consecration (cense of the altar before the offering), or as an expression of reverence (cense of icons and worshipers, since each person bears the image of God and the high calling to holiness).

2. Processions and entrances. All liturgical services are structured in the image of a procession, that is, movement forward, thus pointing to the dynamic essence of Christian worship. The procession symbolizes and reveals the movement of man to God and God to man, the movement of the entire history of salvation, which ends in the Kingdom of Heaven. For example, in the liturgy: the priest entering the altar (movement of a person), his offering of gifts for the Eucharist (offering a sacrifice), then leaving with the Chalice (God approaches people, comes to us), etc.

3. Light and darkness. In addition to the custom of lighting a candle in front of icons, there are liturgical rituals associated with light. A candle is given to the newly baptized, newlyweds, clergy have candles in their hands at certain solemn moments of the service, as well as everyone gathered during the funeral service. Liturgical rules prescribe full illumination of the Church at some moments, and darkness at others. All this is an expression in rituals of the most important Christian opposition of light and darkness, holiness and sinfulness, joy and grief, death and resurrection. Light always personifies Christ (“I am the Light of the world”), the enlightenment that He brought to us: knowledge of the true God, the opportunity to reach Him, the gift of communication with Him.

4. Sign of the cross. This simple action is the main sign of Christian blessing, expressing the Church’s faith in the saving power of the Cross of the Lord.

5. Standing, sitting, kneeling, prostration. The whole person, that is, both soul and body, takes part in prayer, because the whole person was assumed by the Son of God in His Incarnation and must be redeemed for God and His Kingdom. Therefore, various positions of the body in prayer have liturgical significance, they are an expression of our worship. Standing is the main position during the service (“let us become good”), since in Christ we have been redeemed and returned to our true state, restored from sinful death and from submission to the animal, sinful part of our nature. Therefore, the Church prohibits all other positions (kneeling, bowing) on ​​the Lord’s Day, when we remember Christ’s Resurrection and contemplate the glory of the new creation. Kneeling and bowing belong to the penitential days of the liturgical year (Lent), but are also prescribed in some cases as rites of worship (before the Cross, at the altar, etc.). You are supposed to sit only during the instructive parts of the service (reading proverbs, prophecies, during the sermon), but the Gospel is always heard while standing.

LITURGICAL FORMULAS

There are several liturgical formulas that appear in all services and express several basic realities of Christian worship. The most important are the following:

1. “Peace to all: and to your spirit.” This short dialogue between the clergyman and the worshipers always precedes the main actions in each service (reading the Gospel, Eucharistic Canon, Communion, etc.). Everything we receive in the Church is made possible thanks to the peace between God and people that Christ established and fulfilled. In Him we are at peace with God, so this proclamation and bestowal of peace forms an important part of the Christian liturgy.

2. “Bow your heads to the Lord” - a call to submit to God, to accept Him as God and Lord.

3. Litany and petitions. A litany is a specific series of petitions or calls to prayer proclaimed by a deacon (or priest). Litany is one of the main forms of liturgical prayer, characteristic of almost all services. There are four types of litanies used in the Orthodox Church.

(1) The Great Litany, with which the service usually begins. Her petitions speak about all the needs of the Church, the world, the community and each individual person and thus constitute the Prayer of the Church. It begins with the words: “Let us pray to the Lord in peace.”

(2) Small Litany – shortened Great Litany.

(3) A special litany: those praying answer each petition three times: “Lord, have mercy!”; its petitions relate in more detail to the needs of the parish.

(4) Petitionary litany, in which we ask (“We ask the Lord” - “give, Lord”) to fulfill our basic needs. This litany usually occurs at the end of the service. To these litanies we must add those that are used in special services or at special moments of the service, for example, about catechumens, during the blessing of water, funerals, etc. The liturgical meaning and importance of the litanies lies in the fact that thanks to them the joint nature of prayers is maintained, and worship acquires a dialogical structure.

4. “Wisdom” - this exclamation usually emphasizes an important moment of the service, usually precedes the reading of the Holy Scriptures.

5. “Let us take note” - a call to be especially attentive and focused before reading the Holy Scriptures

Liturgical texts

In addition to texts taken directly from the Bible (proverbs, psalms, hymns, etc.), we find two main types of texts in worship services: prayers and hymns. Prayers are usually recited or spoken by a bishop or priest and are the center or pinnacle of every liturgical action. They express the meaning of the entire service (prayers at Vespers and Matins) or, when it comes to the sacraments, they perform and perform the sacramental action (the great Eucharistic prayer of the Divine Liturgy, the permissive prayer of the sacrament of repentance, etc.). Chants form the musical part of the service. The Church considers singing to be an important expression of our worship (“I sing to my God until I am”) and prescribes a wide variety of songs for each service.

The main hymnographic types or forms are:

1. Troparion - a short song expressing main topic the event being celebrated (holiday, saint's day, etc.) and glorifying it. For example, the Easter troparion: “Christ is risen from the dead” or the troparion of the Exaltation of the Cross: “Save, O Lord, Thy people.”

2. Kontakion is the same as the troparion, the only difference is in their historical development. Kontakion was formerly a long liturgical poem of 24 ikos; gradually it fell out of liturgical use, surviving only in the form of a short song performed at Matins (after the 6th song of the canon), during the liturgy and on the clock. Each holiday has its own troparion and kontakion.

3. Stichera - belongs to the category of chants that are sung at certain moments of the service, for example, stichera after the psalm “Lord, I have cried” at Vespers, at Matins – stichera at “Praise,” etc.

4. Canon – a large hymnographic form; consists of 9 songs, including several troparia. There are canons for every day of the year, which are sung at Matins, for example, the Easter canon: “Resurrection Day,” the Christmas canon: “Christ is born, glorify.”

In total, there are eight main melodies, or voices for liturgical singing, so that each hymn is performed in a certain voice (for example, “Heavenly King” - on the 6th tone, the Christmas troparion: “Thy Nativity, O Christ God” - on the 4th, Easter canon - on the 1st, etc.). The voice indication always comes before the text. In addition, each week has its own voice, so that eight weeks form a “hymnographic” cycle. In the structure of the liturgical year, the counting of cycles begins on the day of Pentecost.

HOLY TEMPLE

The place of worship is called a temple. Double meaning The words “Church”, meaning both the Christian community and the house in which it worships God, already indicates the function and nature of the Orthodox church - to be a place of liturgy, a place where the community of believers reveals itself to be the Church of God, a spiritual Temple. Orthodox architecture Therefore, it has a liturgical meaning, its own symbolism, which complements the symbolism of the divine service. It has had a long history of development and exists among different peoples in a wide variety of forms. But the general and central idea is that the church is heaven on earth, a place where through our participation in the liturgy of the Church we enter into communion with the coming age, with the Kingdom of God.

The temple is usually divided into three parts:

1. The narthex, the front part, theoretically there should be a baptismal font in the center of it. The Sacrament of Baptism opens the doors to the Church for the newly baptized, introducing him into the fullness of the Church. Therefore, Baptism first took place in the vestibule, and then the new member of the Church was introduced into the Church in a solemn procession.

2. The central part of the temple is the meeting place of all believers, the church itself. The Church here gathers in unity of faith, hope and love to glorify the Lord, listen to His teachings, accept His gifts, to be admonished, sanctified and renewed in the grace of the Holy Spirit. The icons of saints on the walls, candles and all other decorations have one meaning - the unity of the earthly Church with the Heavenly Church, or rather, their identity. Gathered in the temple, we - visible part, the visible expression of the entire Church, the head of which is Christ, and the Mother of God, prophets, apostles, martyrs and saints are members, like us. Together with them we form one Body, we are raised to a new height, to the height of the Church in glory - the Body of Christ. This is why the Church invites us to enter the temple “with faith, reverence and fear of God.” For the same reason, the ancient Church did not allow anyone to attend services except the faithful, that is, those who by faith and baptism were already included in the heavenly reality of the Church (cf. in the liturgy: “Catechumens, come forth”). Entering the Church, being together with the saints is the greatest gift and honor, therefore the temple is the place where we are truly accepted into the Kingdom of God.

3. The altar is the place of the throne. The throne is the mystical center of the church. He depicts (reveals, realizes, reveals to us - this is the real meaning of the liturgical image): a) the Throne of God, to which Christ raised us with His glorious Ascension, to which we stand with Him in eternal worship; b) the Divine table to which Christ called us and where He eternally distributes the food of immortality and eternal life; c) His Altar, where His complete offering is made to God and to us.

All three parts of the temple are decorated with icons (images of Christ and saints). The word “decoration” is not entirely appropriate, since icons are more than “decoration” or “art.” They have a sacred and liturgical purpose, they testify to our real communion, unity with “heaven” - the spiritual and glorified state of the Church. Therefore, icons are more than images. According to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, those whom they depict are truly spiritually present; they are a spiritual reality, and not just a symbol. Iconography is a sacramental art in which the visible reveals the invisible. This art has its own rules, or “canon,” a special method and technique of writing that have been developed over the centuries to express a transformed reality. Today people are once again striving to discover the true meaning of icons and to comprehend real iconographic art. But much more needs to be done to remove from our churches the saccharine and sentimental images that have nothing to do with Orthodox understanding icons.

An Orthodox church, in its form, structure and decoration, is intended for liturgy. The “material” temple should help in building spiritual temple- Church of God. But, like everything else, it can never become an end in itself.

PRIEST AND PARISH

IN Orthodox teaching Regarding the Church (and, consequently, worship, which is the sacred act and expression of the Church), the clergy and the laity cannot be opposed to each other, but they cannot be mixed either. The entire Church is the laity, the people of God, everyone in it is, first of all, a member of the church body, an active participant in common life. But within the church people there is an order of ministries established by God for the correct life of the Church, for the preservation of unity, for fidelity to its Divine purpose. The main ministry is the priesthood, which continues in the Church the priestly ministry of Christ Himself in its three aspects: priesthood (Christ is the High Priest, Who sacrificed Himself to the Father for the salvation of all), teaching (Christ is the Teacher who teaches us the commandments of the new life) and shepherding ( Christ is the Good Shepherd, knowing His sheep and calling each by name). The unique priesthood of Christ is continued in the Church by the sacred hierarchy, which exists and operates in three ministries - bishop, priest and deacon. The fullness of the priesthood belongs to the bishop, who is the head of the Church. He shares his priestly duties with elders, whom he ordains to be his assistants in the administration of the Church and to lead individual parishes. The bishop and priests are assisted by deacons who cannot perform the sacraments, but their purpose is to maintain a living connection between the hierarchy and the people. This hierarchical structure or order in the Church is expressed in its worship, each member participating in it according to his calling. The whole Church celebrates the liturgy, and in this common task everyone has his own purpose. It is fitting for a bishop (or priest) to lead the people, bring the prayer of the Church to God and teach the people Divine grace, teaching and gifts of God. When performing the liturgy, he reveals a visible icon of Jesus Christ - Who, as a Man, stands before God, uniting and representing us all, and Who, as God, gives us the Divine gifts of forgiveness, the grace of the Holy Spirit and the food of immortality. Therefore, there can be no liturgy and no service of the Church without a priest, since it is precisely his duty to change or transform the earthly and human assembly into the Church of God, continuing the mediatorial ministry of Christ in it. And there cannot be a liturgy without the people, the community, since it is their prayers and offerings that the priest brings to God, and for this he received the grace of Christ’s priesthood in order to transform the community into the Body of Christ.

Thus, the praying Church truly represents (reveals, actualizes) Christ: Head and Body, Divinity and Humanity, Gift and Reception. The Orthodox Church is not clerical in its worship, that is, the clergy is not the only active element in it. a passive people, and not egalitarian, which would mean a confusion of the priesthood and the people, with their equal rights. According to the teaching of the Church, the harmony of all ministries with their unity and difference, their active assistance under the guidance and support of the hierarchy - in the image of worship - are necessary for the well-being of the Church, for its “fullness in Christ.”

This order, that is, the function of the priest in relation to the church people, is expressed in his church vestments. When performing the main divine service - the Divine Liturgy, the priest puts on.

1. The surplice is a white robe, which makes it a representative of each believer, since at baptism everyone was clothed in the white robe of the new creation and new life: “As many as were baptized into Christ, put on Christ.”

2. Epitrachelion - an orarion that covers the neck and shoulders as a sign of his priestly and pastoral service. Christ, the Good Shepherd, took upon Himself our human nature, took care of each individual sheep, and offered Himself for the sins of the whole world.

3. Epimanikia, or warrants, is a sign that the hands of the priest do not belong to him, but to Christ. He will bless, and we will accept the blessing of Christ, he will bring our bread and wine, but it will be Christ, the only Bringer; he will distribute Gifts, but it is Christ who will feed us with His Body and His Blood.

4. The belt is a sign of obedience, readiness, submission. He did not choose Christ, but Christ chose him and entrusted him with His Own ministry. The priest has no authority of his own, no power of his own; he does everything in the name of Christ.

5. Felonion is a vestment that covers the whole person, like a stream of grace, joy, peace and beauty, a new cosmos, the Kingdom of God given to us by Christ, with which He clothed us - naked in our sins and illnesses.

To these vestments the bishop adds an “omophorion” - a wide orarion - a symbol of his supreme authority in the Church. The deacon has the same vestments: a surplice, a brim and a narrow orarion, which he raises when pronouncing the litanies, inviting everyone to look up to pray to God in the highest.

DIVINE LITURGY

The Holy Fathers called the Divine Eucharist “the Sacrament of all Sacraments” and “the Sacrament of the Church.” She is truly the core of the entire life of the Church, the means and expression of her essence as the Body of Christ. Christ Himself instituted it at the Last Supper, saying: “Do this in remembrance of Me.” So the Eucharist is the Memory of Christ. But only by studying individual parts of the Eucharist service can we understand the inexhaustible depth and meaning of this “memory.” In the Orthodox Church there are two rites of liturgy: the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom and the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great. The latter is performed only ten times a year: on Christmas Eves of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany, on five Sundays of Great Lent, on Thursday and Saturday of Holy Week and on the day of remembrance of St. Basil the Great on January 1 (14). In ancient times, there were many rites of the liturgy (St. James of Jerusalem, St. Mark of Alexandria, etc.). All have basically the same order, the same form, which goes back to the times of the apostles and to the Last Supper itself. The difference, in essence, is only in the text of the prayers. The Divine Liturgy consists of three main parts: Proskomedia (preparation), Liturgy of the Catechumens and Liturgy of the Faithful.

Proskomedia

The rite of proskomedia in its modern form is not part of the liturgy itself, since it is performed before the service and by the clergy alone. In the ancient Church, however, this rite was performed immediately before the Great Entrance, which was preserved during the bishop's service. Proskomedia consists of placing the Eucharistic bread in a symbolic order on the paten, pouring wine into the Chalice and commemorating all the orders of saints along with living and deceased members of the Church. The meaning of the rite is to show that the entire Church is represented with Christ on the paten, in the center of which is the Lamb of God.

Liturgy of the Catechumens

The Divine Liturgy begins with the so-called Liturgy of the Catechumens, because in ancient times the catechumens, that is, those preparing for Holy Baptism, were allowed to attend it. It can also be called the liturgy of the Gospel or the liturgy of the Word, since it mainly consists of the reading of the Holy Scriptures: the epistles, the Gospel and their explanation in the sermon. According to the word of the Holy Fathers, communion with the Word of God precedes the communion of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ, and both are our communion with Christ.

Early Christians usually called the first part of the Liturgy the assembly. It is important to realize that this gathering, the gathering of believers who form one body, is indeed the beginning or even a necessary condition for the liturgy, the common service of the Church. The very word “Church” means “assembly” leitourgia, and the Orthodox Church has always emphasized in its canons and liturgical rules this conciliar and general character of the liturgy as a sacred act of the entire Body, requiring the presence and active participation of all members. The so-called “private” liturgies are alien to the spirit of Orthodoxy, because the Liturgy is always leitourgia, the general service of the Church. “Private” liturgies were introduced into practice under Western and Uniate influence and have no justification in our tradition. When the canons prohibit the celebration of more than one liturgy by one priest on one altar, they emphasize precisely the purpose of the Eucharist as the Sacrament of unity, the true expression and structure of the Church. “For just as the body is one, but has many members, and all the members of one body, although many, are one body, so is Christ” (1 Cor. 12:12). Thus, the coming of Christians to church is the first and necessary liturgical action, the beginning of a movement that will lead us to the Lord's Table, to the Holy of Holies. Gathered together, we are more than a group of weak, sinful Christians, for this is the first miracle of the liturgy, that to this group is given the power to be the Church, to fully represent her in this place and at this time, to manifest her true life as the life of Christ.

Blessed is the Kingdom

When the Church has assembled, the priest begins the service with a solemn cry: “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” The Kingdom of God is the true “theme” of the Eucharist, because it contains the reality of this Kingdom, which will be revealed and communicated to us in the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist. And the blessing indicates and proclaims the direction and final goal of the movement that is now beginning, of that mystical procession that is already on its way. We have already left the world with all its earthly worries and are rising, following Christ in His eternal movement from this world to His Father. “Amen,” the congregation responds, expressing their acceptance of this goal, their participation in this procession.

Great Litany

The Great Litany begins, which, as was said above, is the beginning of the general prayer of the Church. In her petitions we find an order of prayer, a truly Christian “hierarchy of values”:

“Let us pray to the Lord in peace...” The prayer of the Church is a new prayer made possible thanks to the peace that Christ achieved in His contemplation. He is our peace (Eph. 2:14), and we pray in Him in the wonderful confidence that our prayer, thanks to Him, is accepted by God.

“About the peace from above and the salvation of our souls...” This world cannot give that peace; he is a gift from above. To obtain peace is the first and most significant goal, together with the salvation of our souls. Before we pray for anything else, we must pray for the most important thing for every Christian - eternal salvation.

“About the peace of the whole world, the welfare of the holy Churches of God and the unity of all...” We ask that the peace of Christ be everywhere, that the Churches be faithful to their mission - to preach Christ and realize His presence in the world, and that the fruit of this mission would be the unity of all in Truth and Love.

“For this holy temple, and for those who enter it with faith, reverence and fear of God...” We pray for this community, which here, in this place, should reveal Christ and His grace, be a witness of His Kingdom, and that its members the right spirit of prayer was given.

“...and about our Lord, His Eminence... the honorable presbytery, the diaconate and people in Christ...” We pray for those whom God has appointed to lead and instruct the Church, and for the harmony of the whole body.

“About our God-protected country, its authorities and its army...” Christians are both citizens of heaven and responsible members of human society. They are law-abiding in relation to authorities, but only insofar as this loyalty is compatible with their primary obedience to Christ. They must witness in any society and pray that Christ, the One Lord of heaven and earth, will guide them.

“About the city…” “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13), Christ said to His disciples. Christianity places responsibility on the individual. Living in this city, we are spiritually responsible for it.

“For the goodness of the air and the abundance of the fruits of the earth...” The prayer of the Church embraces the whole world, including all of nature: “The earth is the Lord’s and the universe is its fulfillment” (Ps. 23:1).

“About those sailing, traveling... captives and about their salvation...” The Church remembers everyone who is in difficulty, sick and captive. She must demonstrate and fulfill Christ’s love and His commandment: “I was hungry and you fed Me, I was sick and in prison, and you visited Me” (Matthew 23:35-36). Christ identifies Himself with everyone who suffers, and the “test” of a Christian community is whether or not it places helping others at the center of its life.

“May we be delivered from all sorrow, anger and need...” We pray for our own peaceful life in this world and for Divine help in all our affairs.

“Intercede, save, have mercy and preserve us, O God, by Your grace.” The last petition helps to realize that “without Me you can do nothing...” (John 15:5). Faith reveals to us how completely we depend on the grace of God, on His help and mercy.

“Having remembered our most holy, most pure, most blessed Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary with all the saints, we will give ourselves and each other and our whole life to Christ our God.” The wonderful conclusion of our prayer is a confirmation of our unity in the Church with the Heavenly Church, a wonderful opportunity to give ourselves, each other and our whole lives to Christ.

With the help of the Great Litany, we learn to pray together with the Church, to perceive her prayer as our own, to pray with her as one whole. It is necessary for every Christian to understand that he comes to Church not for individual, private, separate prayer, but to be truly included in the prayer of Christ.

Antiphons and Entrance

The Great Litany is followed by three antiphons and three prayers. An antiphon is a psalm or song that is sung alternately by two choirs, or two parts of believers. Special antiphons are performed on special days, seasons, and holidays. Their general meaning is joyful praise. The first desire of the Church, gathered to meet the Lord, is joy, and joy is expressed in praise! After each antiphon, the priest reads a prayer. In the first prayer he confesses the incomprehensible glory and power of God, who has given us the opportunity to know Him and serve Him. In the second prayer he testifies that this is a meeting of His people and His property. In the third prayer, he asks God to grant us in this century, that is, in this life, the knowledge of the Truth, and in the coming century - eternal life.

After prayer and praise - Login. In the general movement of the service, we are now taking a decisive step forward: gathered on earth as a human community, we are now approaching the Throne of God, into His incomprehensible presence. In modern worship, the mystical meaning of the Entrance is obscured, since the clergyman already stood before the throne, and the Entrance is only a circular procession from the altar and back to the altar. Only during the bishop's service does the Entrance retain its original meaning, since the bishop, who until now stood among the worshippers, now approaches the throne for the first time. This was the original ritual, because it means movement forward and upward. The entire liturgy is the procession of the Church following the Ascension of Christ (cf. Heb. 9). Christ lifts us up in His glorious Ascension to His Father; He enters into the Heavenly Sanctuary, and we enter with Him and stand before the glory of the Throne of God. The clergy alone make the entrance, but since the priest leads the congregation of worshipers, spiritually the entire congregation enters with him and stands before the throne.

We have entered the sanctuary, we stand before God, we prepare to hear His Word (the Gospel is carried in procession), to offer our lives and receive the food of the new Being. And confirming the ascent of the Church to God, the choir sings the hymn: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal. ..”, which the angels sing forever at the Throne of Heaven. The clergyman, having read the Trisagion, goes to the High Place and from there turns his face to the people, indicating that now God is looking at us, and we are in front of us - in His “high and holy” place.

Liturgy of the Word

Now the pinnacle of service has been reached. God will speak to us, His eternal Word will be given to us again, and we will receive It. The "Liturgy of the Word", which begins after entry, includes:

1. Exclamation: “Peace to all.”

2. Singing the prokeimenon - verses from a psalm containing general theme readings from the Holy Scriptures.

3. Reading the Apostle.

4. Singing “Hallelujah” and censing.

5. Reading of the Gospel by a deacon.

6. Sermon by the priest.

Thus, all members of the Church take part in the liturgy of the Word (laity, deacons, priests). The text of Holy Scripture is given to the whole Church, but its interpretation - the special “gift of teaching” - belongs to the priest. Liturgical preaching, which the Church Fathers considered an important and integral part of the Eucharist, is the main expression of the teaching mission in the Church. It cannot be neglected (because, we repeat, preaching is an organic part of preparation for the sacramental part of the Eucharist), one cannot deviate from its only goal: to convey to the people the Word of God, by which the Church lives and grows. It is also a mistake to speak of a sermon after the Eucharist; it essentially belongs to the first instructive part of the service and complements the reading of Holy Scripture.

The Liturgy of the Catechumens ends with a special litany, a prayer of “diligent supplication,” prayers for the catechumens, and the exclamation: “Catechumens, come forth.”

Sublime Litany

The Great Litany and its concluding prayer (“great petition”) differ from the Great Litany; its purpose is to pray for the actual and immediate needs of the community. In the Great Litany, the person praying is called to pray with the Church, combining his needs with the needs of the Church. Here the Church prays with each individual, mentioning the various needs of each and offering her motherly care. Any human need can be expressed here; at the end of the sermon, the priest can announce these special needs (illness of a parish member, or a “silver” wedding, or a school graduation, etc.) and asks to participate in prayers for them. This Litany should express the unity, solidarity and mutual care of all members of the parish.

Prayers for the Catechumens

Prayers for the catechumens remind us of a golden time in the history of the Church, when mission, that is, turning non-believers to Christ, was considered a necessary task of the Church. “Go therefore and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). These prayers are a reproach to our parishes, immobile, closed and “self-centered” communities, indifferent not only to the general mission of the Church in the world, but even to the general interests of the Church, to everything that does not relate to the direct interests of the parish. Orthodox Christians think too much about “business” (building, investing, etc.) and not enough about mission (about the participation of each community in the common cause of the Church).

The expulsion of the catechumens - the last act - is a solemn reminder of the high calling, the great privilege of being among the faithful, those who, by the grace of Baptism and Confirmation, are sealed as members of the Body of Christ and as such admitted to participate in the great sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ.

Liturgy of the Faithful

The Liturgy of the Faithful begins immediately after the removal of the catechumens (in ancient times this was followed by the removal of the excommunicated, who were temporarily not admitted to Holy Communion) with two prayers of the faithful, in which the priest asks God to make the community worthy to offer the Holy Sacrifice: “Make us worthy to be.” . At this time, he reveals the Antimins on the Throne, meaning preparation for the Last Supper, the Antimins (“instead of the table”) is a sign of the unity of each community with its bishop. It bears the signature of the bishop, who gives it to the priest and parish as permission to perform the sacrament. The Church is not a network of freely “united” parishes, it is an organic community of life, faith and love. And the bishop is the basis and guardian of this unity. According to St. Ignatius of Antioch, nothing in the Church should be done without the bishop, without his permission and blessing. “No one should do anything related to the Church without the bishop. Only that Eucharist should be considered true, which is celebrated by the bishop or by those to whom he himself grants it. Where there is a bishop, there must be a people, just as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church” (Epistle to Smyrna, ch. 8). Having holy orders, the priest is also the representative of the bishop in the parish, and the antimension is a sign that both the priest and the parish are under the jurisdiction of the bishop and, through him, in the living apostolic succession and unity of the Church.

Offering

The Cherubic hymn, the incense of the throne and those praying, the transfer of the Eucharistic gifts to the throne (Great Entrance) constitute the first main movement of the Eucharist: Anaphora, which is the sacrificial act of the Church, sacrificing our life to God. We often talk about the sacrifice of Christ, but we so easily forget that the sacrifice of Christ requires and presupposes our own sacrifice, or rather, our participation in the sacrifice of Christ, since we are His Body and partakers of His Life. Sacrifice is a natural movement of love, which is the gift of giving oneself, renouncing oneself for the sake of another. When I love someone, my life is in the one I love. I give my life to him - freely, joyfully - and this giving becomes the very meaning of my life.

The mystery of the Holy Trinity is the mystery of the perfect and absolute sacrifice, because it is the mystery of Absolute Love. God is Trinity because God is Love. The entire Essence of the Father is eternally communicated to the Son, and the entire Life of the Son is in the possession of the Essence of the Father as His own, as the Perfect Image of the Father. And, finally, this is the mutual sacrifice of perfect love, this is the eternal Gift of the Father to the Son, the true Spirit of God, the Spirit of Life, Love, Perfection, Beauty, all the inexhaustible depth of the Divine Essence. The mystery of the Holy Trinity is necessary for a correct understanding of the Eucharist, and first of all its sacrificial property. God loved the world so much that He gave (sacrificed) His Son to us to bring us back to Himself. The Son of God loved His Father so much that He gave Himself to Him. His whole life was a perfect, absolute, sacrificial movement. He accomplished it as the God-Man, not only according to His Divinity, but also according to His Humanity, which He assumed according to His Divine love for us. In Himself, He restored human life to its perfection, as a sacrifice of love for God, a sacrifice not out of fear, not out of any “benefit,” but out of love. And finally, this perfect life as love, and therefore as a sacrifice, He gave to all who accept Him and believe in Him, restoring in them the original relationship with God. Therefore, the life of the Church, being His life in us and our life in Him, is always sacrificial, it is an eternal movement of love for God. Both the main state and the main action of the Church, which is the new humanity restored by Christ, is the Eucharist - an act of love, gratitude and sacrifice.

Now we can understand at this first stage of the Eucharistic movement that the Bread and Wine in the anaphora stand for us, that is, our whole life, our whole existence, the whole world created by God for us.

They are our food, but the food that gives us life becomes our body. By sacrificing it to God, we indicate that our lives are “given” to Him, that we follow Christ, our Head, in His path of absolute love and sacrifice. We emphasize once again that our sacrifice in the Eucharist is not different from Christ’s sacrifice, this is not a new sacrifice. Christ sacrificed Himself, and His sacrifice - complete and perfect - does not require a new sacrifice. But this is precisely the meaning of our Eucharistic offering, that in it we are given the invaluable opportunity to “enter” Christ’s sacrifice, to partake of His only Sacrifice to God. In other words: His one and only perfect Sacrifice made it possible for us - the Church, His body - to be restored and re-accepted into the fullness of true humanity: a sacrifice of praise and love. Those who did not understand the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist, who came to receive and not to give, did not accept the very spirit of the Church, which is, first of all, the acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice and participation in it.

Thus, in the procession of offering, our very life is brought to the throne, offered to God in an act of love and worship. Truly, “The King of kings and Lord of lords comes to sacrifice and give food to the faithful” (Song of Great Saturday). This is His Entrance as Priest and Sacrifice; and in Him and with Him we are also on the paten, as members of His Body, partakers of His Humanity. “Let us now put aside every care of this life,” the choir sings, and, indeed, aren’t all our cares and worries taken up in this single and ultimate care, which transforms our entire life, in this path of love, which leads us to the Source, Giver and Content of Life?

“May the Lord God draw you all into His Kingdom...” says the priest, approaching the Throne with the Gifts. The love that Christ poured out “into our hearts” (Rom. 5:5) naturally expresses itself in mutual love between Christians. The Kingdom of God is in perfect unity, “so that they may be one, just as we are” (John 17:11). So, there is no other way to approach God than love. He remembers us if we remember each other. It doesn’t matter how many believers bring this Eucharist, it is always the whole Church - the unity of faith and love that brings and is offered, and this organic unity of the Church is expressed in commemoration at the Great Entrance.

The priest places the Gifts on the throne, reads the prayer of offering, asking God to accept this sacrifice, and covers the paten and chalice with air. Just as the meaning of the life and sacrifice of Christ were hidden from the powers and authorities of this world, so our true life - that which we received from Christ - remains hidden, visible only to the faithful, until the coming of Christ in His glory. Since the prayer of offering, like all other prayers of the clergy, is now read “secretly” (in the past they were read loudly), the Great Entrance is followed by a litany of petition.

Confession of Faith and Love

Since the sacrifice of the Church is a sacrifice of love, the path of anaphora is completed and “sealed” with the kiss of the World: “they will love one another, so that with one mind we confess: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity of One Essence and Indivisible.” In ancient times, the kiss of Peace was passed from the primate to each member of the congregation, who passed it on to the next. Now only the priests, when they concelebrate, kiss with the greeting: “Christ is in our midst, and is, and will be!”

Having expressed our unity in love, we proclaim our unity in faith in the Creed.

The unity of the Church is not a partial, limited, human unity (national, social, emotional, etc.). This is the unity of Truth, revealed from above, complete, absolute Truth. Anyone who does not recognize it does not belong to the Church, because he preferred something else to the truth. He blinded himself and remains a slave" old life"with its mistakes, darkness and sins. The Creed is the confession of this truth and its criterion.

Thanksgiving

Now the movement that began with the initial “Blessed is the Kingdom” has led us to the highest point, to the Eucharist itself, in which the earthly will be received by the Divine, transformed into the Divine and returned to us for our participation in the Divine, for participation in the Kingdom of God. “It will become good, it will become fearful...”

First, a dialogue takes place between the priest and the people: “The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit will be with you all. “And with Your Spirit.” The entire path of salvation is the grace of Christ, connecting us with the love of the Father, this is the love of the Father, pouring out the Holy Spirit on us - new, abundant, eternal life.

“We have woe in our hearts. “Imams to the Lord.” We have continuously followed the path of Ascension. And now we are here: out of time, out of the world, in the glory of a new “zone” in the incomprehensible presence of God. We can now perform only one, the only and final action: “Thanks the Lord - Eucharist!”

When a person stands before God, when he is accepted by Him, when his sins are forgiven and his original beauty has returned to him, the Eucharist - thanksgiving, adoration, prayer - is truly the ultimate and complete expression of his entire being. Man was created for the Eucharist - for the pure love of God, for the sake of God, for the recognition of God as the content of all his life, as the Goal of his goals, as the Answer to all questions, the Meaning of all his desires, the Object of all his knowledge, the Fulfillment of his power and his thirst for love. The Eucharist is a manifestation of heaven, the image of God in us. But in sin, man lost this pure Eucharist. He directed his life, his love, his concerns to another, he became incapable of the Eucharist, that is, thanksgiving, for such is the state of man in heaven.

But the Eucharist was restored by Christ. His whole life was eucharistic, consisting of love and worship, completely dedicated to God. He offered Himself to the Father - the full, perfect and pure Eucharist, the only one worthy of God. There is no other Eucharist than Christ, and there is no other Eucharist than Christ. It is given to us, we are united with it, it has become our Eucharist, because we are His Body, we are “of His bones and flesh.” He took on our human nature and offered His Eucharist for everyone and for everyone, making us – sinners and unworthy – partakers of it.

Therefore, when the whole Church answers: “It is worthy and righteous to eat...”, when the priest begins the great Eucharistic prayer with the words of general and all-encompassing thanksgiving: “It is worthy and righteous to sing to You. Bless Thee, praise Thee, thank Thee, worship Thee in every test of Thy dominion,” this is the Eucharist of Christ, and this is Christ the Eucharist that we offer to God, because only in Him this action of purity and communion with God becomes ours. And we can unite with Him in His Eucharist, bring Him as our Eucharist, because in His love for us He identified Himself with us, with the Church. “You are ecu God is ineffable, unknowable.” God is an absolute being, and “religion” begins with unconditionally surrendering to Him, that is, accepting, perceiving Him as Existent, the One, from Whom everything comes and Who, however, remains incomprehensible, beyond rational understanding, completely Other. We can rationally deduce the necessity of the existence of God, we can create a philosophical idea of ​​God, but all this is not “religion”. Only when we mysteriously perceive in the depths of our consciousness with an incomprehensible but real feeling a certain Reality that fills us with fear, joy and awe, and we immediately understand this as Sacred and having Power (i.e. perfect, beautiful and good), do not understanding and not defining what it is, only then does our “religious consciousness” begin. This is the main thing in religious experience, this is the source and foundation of the faith that we profess at the beginning of the Eucharistic prayer - “For Thou art God.”

“You brought us from non-existence into being”... The next direct religious experience: we are created, we feel and experience our complete dependence on God! Creation is not only a Divine act in the past, but a dogma that we must believe. Our constant connection with God is also a state. To be created means that we receive our being from God every moment of our entire life. God exists, but we were created “out of nothing”; we have no other right to exist except the free will of God and His Love. Therefore, creation is the second reason for our thanksgiving. We thank Him for His love, which created us, gave us life, made us able to enjoy it. In one phrase we cover the whole life, with all its endless possibilities, we look at the world through the eyes of Adam - created from the earth and placed in Paradise by the King of Creation. In one phrase, all creation thanks the One, Who willed it to exist.

“And those who fell away raised ecu packs!”... The tragedy of a person who said “no” to his Creator, the sorrow of sin, rejected love, darkness, suffering and hatred that fill the amazing creation of God, the insult to the Life of the Giver - this is all contained in the word fallen away... We have fallen away from God and therefore - from true life, from joy and communication - into the hell of death, perversion, separation, into the war of all against all. But God raised us up again and restored us. And this single word covers the entire history of salvation, the slow, patient work of Divine Love preparing the return of the prodigal son to his father. The election of Abraham, the promise of salvation, Egyptian slavery, the exodus, the covenant, the law, the prophets, the painful and endless enlightenment of consciousness and its education prepare for the last Event - the invasion into the history of the Kingdom of God in the Person of Christ, the Son of God, Who “for our sake and for our salvation "becomes the Son of Man, the restoration of man to his original beauty and freedom, victory over sin and death and forgiveness.

“And ecu did not retreat, having created everything, until ecu raised us to Heaven and granted Thy Kingdom to ecu the future”... This restoration is more than forgiveness. Christ, the New Adam, not only restored the first Adam in us, but united our human nature with His Divine nature and, having transformed and glorified it, ascended it to Heaven. And on the day of Pentecost He gave people new life in the Kingdom of God, that is, knowledge of God, communication with God, participation in the new eon. What for this world is only the future, the coming Kingdom, is given to the Church as the very essence of her life: parousia, the presence of God.

“We thank Thee for all of these... for all the known and unknown blessings that have been upon us. He also thanks Thee for this service, which he deigned to receive from our hands..." In other words, we thank God for everything, for all of life, which we now understand as mercy: the gift of love, the gift of Salvation. We especially thank you for this liturgy, thanks to which all this - the Kingdom, the Ascension, the Communion - is realized and given to us again and again.

“Although thousands of Archangels and ten thousand Angels stand before You... the song of victory is singing, crying out, crying out and saying: Holy, Holy, Holy...” This is the hymn that the angels sing forever before the throne of God (Isa. 6:3). This singing during the Eucharistic Prayer signifies the heavenly character of the Eucharist and that the Church has ascended with Christ and brings His Eucharist in the eternity of His Kingdom. We sing the angels' song because we stand with the angels, and the angels signify heaven, the presence of God and His ineffable glory. Now the service has reached its highest point: the general Ascension, the complete acceptance of the Church into the heavenly Sanctuary. The path of offering and worship is complete.

Christ's Eucharist brought us to heaven as we followed Him in His perfect love, in His walk to His Father. But now, as we stand in the joyful presence of God, we can offer Him nothing—only Christ, the Offering of all offerings, and the Eucharist of all thanksgivings. He gave us the opportunity to once again receive the Eucharist as the most important thing in our relationship with God and filled it with perfect content - Himself, the Perfect God-Man, the Perfect and Absolute Sacrifice. The Eucharist of Christ is thus fulfilled in Christ as the Eucharist. He is the One who brings and Whom they bring... The Eucharistic prayer after the solemn chanting of “Holy, Holy, Holy” now becomes a remembrance of Christ, of His coming (Who came...) and the fulfillment in Him of the whole purpose of Salvation (... and everything about us having fulfilled the look...). His Life, His Death, His Resurrection is one sacrificial path of love, dedication of Himself to the Father and people, and this is the inexhaustible content of our memories. All this is our Eucharist, which we present to God and remember before Him.

Next we come to the last night, the last supper of Christ “with those whom He loved to the end.” On that night when He was betrayed, or rather gave Himself up for the life of the world. He established the act, the rite, the sign in which His one and all-inclusive Eucharist - His Own perfect life, His perfect victory - will be eternally given to us, will become ours, as our life in Him. At the solemn Easter supper, which, according to the Old Testament tradition, was already a commemoration of the Divine Lamb, a symbol of a pure, innocent sacrifice, He took bread and gave it to His disciples with the words: “This is My Body,” and the cup: “Drink from it, this is My Blood...”, and finally: “Do this in My remembrance.” And this means: “What I alone accomplished, I now give to you - the perfect Eucharist of My life, My human nature, deified to the end. Let the food that we now eat together in the unity of love become your part in My Body and in My Blood, in My Sacrifice, in My Victory”... Food is always a gift, because it is a gift of life, and any life is from God. Food is always especially sacramental, since through our communion with it it turns into our body and blood, into life. Now that this Sacrament has been fulfilled, it takes on a new, higher meaning. It becomes the gift of New Life, that life that Christ personally achieved and which, in His love for us, He gives to us. There cannot be life without food, and there cannot be new life without new food, and this new life - the life of Christ - is Christ Himself, Who becomes a Gift - the gift of food. “Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have Life in you” (John 6:53).

Until now, the movement of the Eucharist has been directed from us to God. This was the movement of our sacrifice. In the matter of bread and wine we offered ourselves to God, sacrificing our lives to Him. But from the very beginning this offering was the Eucharist of Christ, the Priest and Head of the new humanity, so Christ is our offering. Bread and wine - symbols of our life and therefore our spiritual sacrifice of ourselves to God - were also symbols of His Offering, His Eucharist to God. We were united with Christ in His only Ascension into Heaven, we were partakers of His Eucharist, being His Church, His Body and His people. Now, thanks to Him and in Him, our offering is accepted. The One Whom we sacrificed – Christ, we now receive: Christ. We have given our lives to Him and now we receive His life as a gift. We united ourselves with Christ, and now He unites Himself with us. The Eucharist now moves in a new direction: now the sign of our love for God becomes the reality of His love for us. God in Christ gives Himself to us, making us participants in His Kingdom.

Consecration

The sign of this acceptance and completion is sanctification. The path of the Eucharistic ascent ends with the offering of the Holy Gifts by the priest: “Thine is offered to Thee...”, and the prayer of epiclesis (Invocation of the Holy Spirit), in which we pray to God to send down His Holy Spirit and create “this bread in the honorable Body of Thy Christ” and wine in More often than not, “by the precious Blood of Thy Christ,” offering them: “By Thy Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit fulfills the action of God, or rather, He embodies this Action. He is Love, Life, Completeness. His descent at Pentecost means the fulfillment, completion and achievement of the entire history of Salvation, its completion. At His coming, the saving work of Christ is communicated to us as a Divine Gift. Pentecost is the beginning of the Kingdom of God, the new age, in this world. The Church lives by the Holy Spirit, in her life everything is achieved by the gift of the Holy Spirit, which comes from God, abides in the Son, from whom we receive revelation about the Son as our Savior and about the Father as our Father. His fulfilling action in the Eucharist, in the transposition of our Eucharist into the Gift of Christ to us (hence in Orthodoxy the special attitude to epiclesis, to the invocation of the Holy Spirit) means that the Eucharist is accepted in the Kingdom of God, in the new age of the Holy Spirit.

The transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ takes place on the heavenly Throne in the Kingdom of God, which is beyond the time and “laws” of this world. The transformation itself is the fruit of the Ascension of Christ and the participation of the Church in His Ascension, in His new life. All attempts to “explain” what happens in the Eucharist in terms of matter and “transformations” (the Western doctrine of transsubstance-transubstantiation, unfortunately, sometimes passed off as Orthodox) or in terms of time (“the exact moment of transubstantiation”) are insufficient and futile precisely because that they apply the categories of “this world” to the Eucharist, while the very essence of the Eucharist is outside these categories, but introduces us to the dimensions and concepts of the new century. The transfiguration occurs not because of some miraculous power left by Christ to some people (priests), who can therefore perform a miracle, but because we, the Church, are in Christ, that is, in His Sacrifice of Love, Ascension on His entire path to deification and transmutation of His Humanity by His Divine nature. In other words, because we are in His Eucharist and offer Him as our Eucharist to God. And when we do as He commanded us, we, the Church, are accepted where He has entered. And when we are accepted, “may you eat and drink at the table in My kingdom” (Luke 22:30). Since the Kingdom of Heaven is He Himself, the Divine Life given to us at this heavenly meal, we accept Him as the new food of our new life. Therefore, the mystery of the Eucharistic Translation is the mystery of the Church itself, which belongs to the new life and new age in the Holy Spirit. For this world, for which the Kingdom of God is yet to come, for its “objective categories” bread remains bread, and wine remains wine. But in the wonderful, transfigured reality of the Kingdom - revealed and revealed in the Church - they are truly and absolutely true Body and true Blood of Christ.

Intercessory Prayers

Now we stand before the Gifts in the perfect joy of God's presence and prepare for last action Divine Liturgy - receiving the Gifts in the sacrament. However, there remains the last and necessary thing - petition. Christ eternally intercedes for the whole world. He Himself is Intercession and Intercession. By communing with Him, we, therefore, are also filled with the same love and, as His Church, we accept His ministry - intercession. It embraces all creation. Standing before the Lamb of God, Who takes upon Himself the sins of the whole world, we first of all remember the Mother of God, St. John the Baptist, the apostles, martyrs and saints - countless witnesses of new life in Christ. We intercede for them, not because they are in need, but because Christ, to whom we pray, is their Life, their Priest, and their Glory. The Church is not divided into earthly and heavenly, it is one Body, and everything it does, it does in the name of the whole Church and for the whole Church. So prayer is not only an act of atonement, but also of glorifying God, “Wonderful in His Saints,” and of communion with the saints. We begin our prayer by remembering the Mother of God and the saints, because the presence of Christ is also their presence, and the Eucharist is the highest revelation of communion with the saints, of the unity and mutual dependence of all members of the Body of Christ.

Then we pray for the departed members of the Church, “for every righteous soul who has died in the faith.” How far from the true Orthodox spirit are those who consider it necessary to serve “private funeral liturgies” for the repose of individuals as often as possible, as if there could be anything private in the all-embracing Eucharist! It is time for us to realize that prayer for the dead should be included in the Eucharist of the Church, and not vice versa: in subordinating the Eucharist to the personal needs of individuals. We want our own liturgy for our own needs... What a deep and tragic misunderstanding of the liturgy, as well as the real needs of those for whom we want to pray! He or she, in their present state of death, separation and sadness, especially needs to be received again and again into that only Eucharist of the Church, into the unity of love, which is the basis of their participation, their belonging to the true life of the Church. And this is achievable in the Eucharist, which reveals. The Church in the new century, in the new life. The Eucharist crosses the hopeless line between the living and the dead, because it is higher than the line between the present age and the age to come. For all “have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3); on the other hand, we all live because the life of Christ has been given to us in the Church. Deceased members of the Church are not only the “objects” of our prayers, but by virtue of their membership in the Church they live in the Eucharist, they pray, they participate in the liturgy. Finally, no one can “order” (or buy!) the Liturgy, since the One Who commands is Christ, and he ordered the Church to bring the Eucharist as an offering of the Whole Body and always “for all and for all.” So, although we need liturgy to remember “everyone and everything,” its only real purpose is to unite “everyone and everything” in the love of God.

“About the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church... about our God-protected country, its authorities and army...”: for all people, about all needs and circumstances. Read in the liturgy of St. Basil the Great prayer of petition, and you will understand the meaning of intercession: the gift of Divine love, which makes us understand, at least for a few minutes, the prayer of Christ, the love of Christ. We understand that real sin and the root of all sin is selfishness, and the liturgy, capturing us in its movement of sacrificial love, reveals to us that true religion, in addition to everything else, gives this new amazing opportunity to intercede and pray for others, for everyone. In this sense, the Eucharist is truly a sacrifice offered for everyone and everything, and the prayer of intercession is its logical and necessary conclusion.

“First, draw forth, O Lord, the great Master... the right of those who rule, the Word of Thy truth.”

“The Church is in the bishop and the bishop is in the Church,” according to the words of St. Cyprian of Carthage, and when we pray for the bishop for the real welfare of the Church, for its standing in divine truth, for the Church to be the Church of the presence of God, His healing Power, His Love, His Truth. And it would not, as often happens, be a selfish, self-centered community, protecting its human interests instead of the divine purpose for which it exists. The Church so easily becomes an institution, a bureaucracy, a fund for collecting money, a nationality, a public association, and these are all temptations, deviations, perversions of that Truth, which alone should be the criterion, measure, authority for the Church. How often do people, “hungry and thirsty for righteousness,” do not see Christ in the Church, but see in it only human pride, arrogance, self-love and the “spirit of this world.” The Eucharist judges and condemns all this. We cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, we cannot stand before the Throne of His presence, sacrifice our lives, praise and worship to God, we cannot be the Church if we have not condemned the spirit of the “prince of this world” in ourselves. Otherwise, what we accept will not lead to our salvation, but to our condemnation. There is no magic in Christianity, and what saves is not belonging to the Church, but the acceptance of the Spirit of Christ, and this Spirit will condemn not only individuals, but congregations, parishes, dioceses. A parish as a human institution can easily replace Christ with something else - the spirit of worldly success, human pride and the "achievements" of the human mind. Temptation is always there; it tempts. And then the one whose sacred duty is always to preach the Word of Truth is obliged to remind the parish of temptations, must condemn in the name of Christ everything that is incompatible with the Spirit of Christ. It is for the clergy to be given courage, wisdom, love and faithfulness that we pray in this prayer.

“And grant us with one mouth and one heart to glorify and glorify Your most honorable and magnificent Name...” One mouth, one heart, one redeemed humanity, restored to the love and knowledge of God - this is the final goal of the liturgy, the fruit of the Eucharist: “And let there be mercies Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ is with you all...” This ends the “second movement,” when God gives Himself to us in His incomprehensible mercy. The Eucharistic prayer is over, and we now approach the fulfillment of everything that the Eucharist has revealed to us, to Communion, that is, to our communion in reality.

Communion

Actually, communion includes (1) a preparatory, secret prayer, (2) the Lord’s Prayer, (3) the offering of the Holy Gifts, (4) the crushing of the Holy Bread, (5) the infusion of “warmth” (i.e. hot water) into Cup, (6) communion of the clergy, (7) communion of the laity.

(1) Preparatory secret prayer: “We offer you our entire life and hope.” In both liturgies – St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great - this prayer emphasizes that the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ is the goal of our life and hope; on the other hand, it expresses the fear that we may receive communion unworthily; communion will be “to condemnation” for us. We pray that through the sacrament “the Imams of Christ will live in our hearts and we will be the Temple of Your Holy Spirit.” This prayer expresses the main idea of ​​the entire liturgy, again confronting us with the meaning of this Sacrament, this time paying special attention to the personal nature of the perception of the Mystery, to the responsibility that it imposes on those who partake of it.

We, as the Church of God, were given and commanded to “do” all this, to accomplish the sacrament of Christ’s Presence and the Kingdom of God. Although, as people who form the Church, as individuals and as a human community, we are sinful, earthly, limited, unworthy people. We knew this before the Eucharist (see prayers of the synaxis and prayers of the faithful), and we remember this now when we stand before the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. More than ever we recognize the need for our redemption, healing, cleansing, by being in the glory of Christ's presence.

The Church has always emphasized the importance of personal preparation for communion (see prayers before communion), since each communicant needs to see and evaluate himself, his entire life, when approaching the Sacrament. This preparation should not be neglected; The prayer before communion reminds us of this: “may the communion of Your Holy Mysteries not be for judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body.”

(2) The Lord's Prayer "Our Father" is a preparation for Communion in the deepest sense of the word. No matter what human efforts we make, no matter what the degree of our personal preparedness and purification, nothing, absolutely nothing can make us worthy of Communion, that is, truly ready to receive the Holy Gifts. Anyone who approaches Communion with the consciousness of being right does not understand the spirit of the liturgy and the entire church life. No one can destroy the gap between the Creator and creation, between the absolute perfection of God and the created life of man, nothing and no one except the One who, being God, became Man and united two natures in Himself. The prayer that He gave to His disciples is both the expression and the fruit of this unique and saving action of Christ. This is His prayer, for He is the Only Begotten Son of the Father. And He gave it to us because He gave Himself to us. And in No, His Father became sewn by the Father, and we can address Him with the words of His Son. Therefore, we pray: “And grant us, O Master, with boldness and without condemnation to dare to call upon You, the Heavenly God of the Father, and say the words…”. The Lord's Prayer is the prayer of the Church and people of God, redeemed by Him. In the early Church it was never communicated to the unbaptized, and even its text was kept secret. This prayer is the gift of new prayer in Christ, an expression of our own relationship with God. This gift is our only door to Communion, the only basis for our participation in the holy, and therefore our main preparation for Communion. To the extent that we have accepted this prayer and made it ours, we are ready for Communion. This is the measure of our unity with Christ, our being in Him.

“Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done...” To comprehend everything that is affirmed in these solemn words, to realize the absolute concentration of our entire life in God expressed in them, to accept the will of Christ as our own - this is the goal of our life in Christ and the life of Christ in us, the condition of our participation in His Cup. Personal preparation leads us to understand this final preparation, and the Lord's Prayer is the conclusion of the Eucharistic Prayer, transforming us into partakers of our Daily Bread.

(3) “Peace to all,” says the priest, and then: “Bow your heads to the Lord.” Communion, like the whole life of the Church, is the fruit of peace achieved by Christ. Bowing the head is the simplest, yet significant act of worship, an expression of obedience itself. We receive communion in obedience and by obedience. We have no right to Communion. It exceeds all our desires and possibilities. It is a free gift from God and we must be commanded to accept it. False piety is very common, because of which people refuse Communion due to their unworthiness. There are priests who openly teach that the laity should not receive communion “too often,” at least “once a year.” This is even sometimes considered an Orthodox tradition. But this is false piety and false humility. In reality, this is human pride. For when a person decides how often he should partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, he sets himself as a measure of both the Divine Gifts and his dignity. This is a crafty interpretation of the words of the Apostle Paul: “Let a man examine himself” (1 Cor. 11:28). The Apostle Paul did not say: “Let him examine himself, and if he is dissatisfied with himself, let him abstain from Communion.” He meant just the opposite: Communion has become our food, and we must live worthy of it so that it does not become a condemnation for us. But we are not free from this condemnation, therefore the only correct, traditional and truly Orthodox approach to Communion is obedience, and this is so well and simply expressed in our preparatory prayers: “I am not worthy, Master Lord, that you may come under the roof of my soul, but Since You, as a Lover of Mankind, want to live in me, I boldly begin: You command...” Here is obedience to God in the Church, and the Church commands the celebration of the Eucharist, and it will be a great step forward in our understanding of the Church when we understand that the “Eucharistic individualism” that has turned ninety percent of our liturgies into Eucharist without communicants is the result of perverted piety and false humility .

As we stand with our heads bowed, the priest reads a prayer in which he asks God to grant the fruits of Communion to everyone according to his need (in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom). “Bless, sanctify, keep, establish your head that bows to You” (Liturgy of St. Basil the Great). Each communion is both the end of our movement towards God and the beginning of our renewed life, the beginning of a new path in time, in which we need Christ’s presence for guidance and sanctification of this path. In another prayer he asks Christ: “Look, Lord Jesus Christ. .. stay here invisibly for us. And grant us, by Your sovereign hand, Your Most Pure Body and Honest Blood, and by us, to all people...” The priest takes the Divine bread into his hands and, lifting it, says: “Holy to the Saints.” This ancient rite is the original form of the call to Communion; it accurately and concisely expresses the antinomy, the supernatural nature of Communion. It forbids anyone who is not holy to partake of Divine Holiness. But no one is holy except the Holy One, and the choir answers: “One is Holy, One is Lord, Jesus Christ.” And yet come and receive, because He has sanctified us with His holiness, made us His holy people. Time and time again, the mystery of the Eucharist is revealed as the mystery of the Church - the mystery of the Body of Christ, in which we eternally become what we are called to be.

(4) In the first centuries, the Church called the entire Eucharistic service the “breaking of bread” because this rite was central to the liturgical service. The meaning is clear: the same bread, which is given to many, is the One Christ, who became the life of many, uniting them in Himself. “But unite us all, from the one Bread and Chalice who partake of communion, to one another into one communion of the Holy Spirit” (Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, prayer for the Translation of the Holy Gifts). Then the priest, breaking the bread, says: “The Lamb of God is broken and divided, broken and undivided, always eaten and never consumed, but sanctifying those who partake.” This is the only source of life that leads everyone to it and proclaims the unity of all people with one Head - Christ.

(5) Having taken one particle of the Holy Bread, the priest lowers it into the Holy Chalice, which means our communion of the Body and Blood of the Risen Christ, and pours “warmth” into the Chalice, i.e. hot water. This rite of the Byzantine liturgy is the same symbol of life.

(6) Now everything is ready for the last act of the Eucharist - Communion. Let us emphasize again that in the early Church this act was truly the performance of the entire service, the sealing of the Eucharist, our offering, sacrifice and thanksgiving through the participation of the community in it. Therefore, only those who were excommunicated did not receive communion and had to leave the Eucharistic Assembly with the catechumens. The entire Church received the Holy Gifts. They transformed it into the Body of Christ. We cannot here enter into an explanation of why and when the Church-wide liturgical understanding of Communion was replaced by an individualistic understanding, how and when the community of believers became a “non-communicant” community, and why the idea of ​​participation, central to the teaching of the Church Fathers, was replaced by the idea of ​​presence. This would require a separate study. But one thing is clear: wherever and whenever spiritual revival arose, it was always born and led to a “thirst and hunger” for real participation in the Mystery of Christ’s Presence. We can only pray that in the current crisis, which has deeply affected both the Church and the world, Orthodox Christians will see in this the true center of all Christian life, the source and condition for the revival of the Church.

“For the remission of sins and eternal life...” says the priest, teaching the Gifts to himself and the believers. Here we find two main aspects, two actions of this Communion: forgiveness, acceptance again into communion with God, admission of fallen man into Divine love - and then the gift of eternal life, the kingdom, the fullness of the “new age”. These two basic needs of man are fulfilled without measure, satisfied by God. Christ brings my life into His and His life into mine, filling me with His love for the Father and for all His brothers.

In this short essay it is impossible to even summarize what the Church Fathers and saints said about their experience of Communion, or even to mention all the wonderful fruits of this communion with Christ. At the very least, we will point out the most important areas of reflection about the sacrament and efforts to follow the teachings of the Church. Communion is given, firstly, for the remission of sins, and therefore it is a sacrament of reconciliation, accomplished by Christ through His Sacrifice and forever given to those who believe in Him. Thus, Communion is the main food of a Christian, strengthening his spiritual life, healing his illnesses, confirming his faith, making him able to lead the true Christian life in this world. Finally, Communion is a “sign of eternal life,” an expectation of joy, peace and the fullness of the Kingdom, a foretaste of its Light. Communion is at the same time participation in the suffering of Christ, an expression of our readiness to accept His “way of life,” and participation in His victory and triumph. It is a sacrificial meal and a joyful feast. His Body is broken and Blood is shed, and by communing with Them, we accept His Cross. But “through the Cross joy came into the world,” and this joy is ours when we eat at His table. Communion is given to me personally in order to make me a “member of Christ,” to unite me with all who receive Him, to reveal to me the Church as a unity of love. It unites me with Christ, and through Him I am in communion with the whole Church. This is the sacrament of forgiveness, unity and love, the sacrament of the Kingdom.

The clergy receive communion first, then the laity. In modern practice, the clergy - bishops, priests and deacons - receive Holy Communion separately from the Body and Blood at the altar. The laity receive the Holy Gifts at the royal doors from a spoon after the priest has put the Particles of the Lamb into the Chalice. The priest calls on the faithful, saying: “Come with the fear of God and faith,” and the communicants approach the Divine meal one after another, crossing their arms over their chests. And again the procession is a response to the Divine command and invitation.

After Communion, the last part of the liturgy begins, the meaning of which can be defined as the return of the Church from heaven to earth, from the Kingdom of God into time, space and history. But we return completely different than we were when we began the path to the Eucharist. We have changed: “We have seen the true Light, we have received the Heavenly Spirit, we have acquired the true faith...”. We sing this chant after the priest places the Chalice on the Throne and blesses us: “Save Thy people and bless Thy inheritance.” We came to the Church as his people, but we were wounded, tired, earthly, sinful. Over the past week we have experienced the hardships of temptation, we have learned how weak we are, how hopelessly tied to the life of “this world.” But we came with love, and hope, and faith in the mercy of God. We came thirsty and hungry, poor and miserable, and Christ received us, accepted the offering of our miserable life and introduced us into His Divine Glory and made us participants in His Divine Life. “We have seen the true Light...” For a while we put aside “all worldly cares” and allowed Christ to introduce us in His Ascension to His Kingdom in His Eucharist. Nothing was required of us except the desire to join Him in His Ascension and the humble acceptance of His redeeming love. And He encouraged and comforted us, He made us witnesses of what He had in store for us, He changed our vision so that we saw heaven and earth full of His Glory. He filled us with the food of immortality, we were at the eternal feast of His Kingdom, we tasted joy and peace in the Holy Spirit: “We received the Heavenly Spirit...”. And now time is returning. The time of this world has not yet ended. The hour of our transition to the Father of all life has not yet come. And Christ sends us back as witnesses of what we have seen, to proclaim His Kingdom and continue His work. We must not fear: we are His people and His inheritance; He is in us and we are in Him. We will return to the world knowing that He is near.

The Priest raises the Cup and proclaims: “Blessed is our God always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.” He blesses us with the Cup, signifying and assuring us that the risen Lord is with us now, always and forever.

“Let our lips be filled with Thy praise, O Lord,” the Church answers, “keep us in Thy Holiness.” Preserve us in the days to come in this wonderful state of holiness and sanctification. Now as we return to daily life, grant us the power to change it.

There follows a short litany and a prayer of gratitude for the Gifts received: “Correct our path, establish everything in Thy fear, guard our belly, establish our feet...”. The return takes place when the priest leaves the altar with the words: “We will depart in peace!”, joins the worshipers and reads the prayer behind the pulpit. Just as at the beginning of the liturgy, the priest’s entrance into the altar and ascent to the Holy See (high place) expressed the Eucharistic upward movement, so now the return to the believers expresses the departure, the return of the Church to the world. This also means that the priest's eucharistic movement is over. Fulfilling the Priesthood of Christ, the priest led us to the heavenly Throne, and from this Throne he made us partakers of the Kingdom. He was to fulfill and realize the eternal mediation of Christ.

Through His humanity we rise to heaven, and through His Divinity God comes to us. Now all this is accomplished. Having accepted the Body and Blood of Christ, seeing the Light of Truth and becoming partakers of the Holy Spirit, we are truly His people and His property. The priest at the Throne has nothing more to do, because the Church itself has become the Throne of God and the Ark of His Glory. Therefore, the priest joins the people and leads them as shepherd and teacher back into the world to fulfill the Christian mission.

When we are ready to depart in peace, that is, in Christ and with Christ, we ask in our last prayer that the fullness of the Church may be preserved, that the Eucharist, brought by us and of which we have partaken and which again reveals the fullness of Christ’s presence and life in the Church, will be observed and preserved intact until we come together again as the Church and, in obedience to the Lord of the Church, begin again to ascend into His Kingdom, which will reach its fulfillment at the Coming of Christ in Glory.

There is no better conclusion to this brief study of the Divine Liturgy than the prayer of St. Basil the Great, read by the priest during the consumption of the Holy Gifts: “The sacrament of Thy vision has been fulfilled and perfected, great according to our strength, O Christ our God; For I have the memory of Your death, having seen the image of Your Resurrection, I am filled with Your endless food, so that in the future I will be honored with the grace of Your beginningless Father, and Your Holy, and Good, and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen".

And when we leave the church and re-enter our daily life, the Eucharist remains with us as our secret joy and confidence, the source of inspiration and growth, the victory that overcomes evil, the Presence that makes our whole life a life in Christ.

Chapter of the book of the same name: Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann. Liturgy and life
M.: “Pilgrim”, 2002

What is a service called?

A church service is the combination, according to a special plan, into one composition of prayers, sections from the Holy Scriptures, chants and sacred actions to clarify a specific idea or thought.

Due to the fact that in each service of Orthodox worship a certain thought is consistently developed, each church service represents a harmonious, complete, artistic sacred work, designed to, through verbal, song (vocal) and contemplative impressions, create a pious mood in the souls of those praying, strengthen living faith in God and prepare the Orthodox Christian to receive Divine grace.

Finding the guiding thought (idea) of each service and establishing a connection with its component parts is one of the moments in studying the service.The order in which this or that service is presented is called in liturgical books the “order” or “addition” of the service.

Origin of daily services.

The names of the daily services indicate at what hour of the day each of them should be performed. For example, Vespers indicates the evening hour, Compline indicates the hour following the “supper” (that is, the evening meal), sex at night office - for midnight, matins - for the morning hour, mass - for lunch, that is, midday, the first hour - in our opinion it means the 7th hour of the morning, the third hour is our 9th hour of the morning, the sixth hour is our 12th hour , the ninth is our third hour in the afternoon.

The custom of prayerful consecration of these particular hours in the Christian Church is of very ancient origin and was established under the influence of the Old Testament rule of praying in the temple three times during the day to make sacrifices - morning, afternoon and evening, as well as the words of the Psalmist about glorifying God “in the evening, morning and noon "

The discrepancy in the count (the difference is about 6 hours) is explained by the fact that the eastern count is adopted, and in the East, sunrise and sunset differ by 6 hours compared to our countries. Therefore, the 1st o'clock in the morning of the East corresponds to our 7 o'clock and so on.

SACRED EVENTS GLORIFIED
IN EVERYDAY SERVICES

Vespers Therefore, it is provided first among the daily services, because according to the image of the Church, the day begins in the evening, since the first day of the world and the beginning of human existence was preceded by darkness, evening, twilight.

At “vespers,” both in Jewish and Christian worship, the image of the creation of the world and man stands out clearly. In addition, in the Orthodox Church, Vespers is given remembrance of the fall of people and the expected salvation through Jesus Christ...

“Compendian” the hour coincides with the time of going to bed, and sleep reminds of death, followed by resurrection. Therefore, in the Orthodox service at Compline, those praying are reminded of their awakening from eternal sleep, that is, of the resurrection.

“Midnight” the hour has long been sanctified by prayer: for Christians it is memorable because at this hour the prayer of Jesus Christ was completed in the Garden of Gethsemane, and also because “to the floor at“at the hour of the night” in the parable of the ten virgins, the Lord timed His second coming. Therefore, for the floor at the nightstand recalls the prayer of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, His second coming and His Last Judgment.

Morning hour bringing with him light, vigor and life, always arouses a feeling of gratitude towards God, the Giver of life. Therefore, this hour was sanctified by prayer among the Jews. In the Orthodox morning service, the coming of the Savior into the world is glorified, bringing with Him new life to people.

The “clock” recalls the following exclusively Christian events: at 1 o’clock - the trial of Jesus Christ by the high priests, which actually took place around this time, that is, at about 7 o’clock in the morning; at the 3rd hour - the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, which took place at approximately 9 o'clock in the morning; on the 6th - the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, coinciding with 12-2 hours. day; finally, at the 9th hour there is a memory of the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross, which occurred at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

These are the sacred events that gave rise to the establishment of the first eight daily services. As for mass, then it contains a memory of the entire earthly life of Jesus Christ and His establishment of the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

Mass or Liturgy in the proper sense is a Christian service that appeared earlier than others and from the very beginning acquired the character of a service that united the Christian community through the sacrament of Holy Communion.

At first, all these services were performed separately from each other, especially in monasteries. Over time, they began to be grouped into more rare periods of performance, until the modern order was developed - to perform three services in three periods, namely: In the evening the ninth hour, vespers and compline are celebrated, in the morning- floor at Night Office, Matins and 1st hour, in the afternoon - hours: third, sixth and Liturgy.

Other Sacred Memories of Church Services

Wanting to make my children as pure, pious and focused as possible. The Holy Church gradually attached prayerful remembrance not only to every hour of the day, but also to every day of the week. Thus, from the very beginning of the existence of the Church of Christ, the “first day of the week” was dedicated to the memory of resurrection Jesus Christ and became a solemn joyful day, i.e. a holiday. (1 Cor. XVI. 1, 2; Acts XX, 7-8).

Friday reminded of the day of the Savior’s suffering and His death; Wednesday became a reminder of the betrayal of Jesus Christ to death, which took place on this day.

Little by little, the remaining days of the week were dedicated to the prayerful remembrance of the following persons closer in time to others who stand close to Christ: St. John the Baptist (constantly remembered during divine services Tuesdays), St. Apostles (according to Thursdays). In addition, on Thursdays St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is also remembered. By Saturdays - the Mother of God, and Mondays dedicated to the memories of honest heavenly ethereal Angelic forces who welcomed the birth of the Savior, resurrection, and also His ascension.

As the faith of Christ spread, the number of Holy Persons increased: martyrs and saints. The greatness of their exploits provided an inexhaustible source for pious Christian songwriters and artists to compose various prayers and hymns, as well as artistic images, in memory of them.

The Holy Church included these emerging spiritual works in the church service, timing the reading and singing of the latter to the days of remembrance of the saints designated in them. The range of these prayers and chants is extensive and varied;

it unfolds for the whole year, and every day there is not one, but several glorified saints.

The manifestation of God's mercy to a well-known people, locality or city, for example, deliverance from a flood, an earthquake, from an attack by enemies, etc., provided an indelible reason to prayerfully commemorate these incidents.

Since every day is a day of the week and at the same time a day of the year, then for every day there are three types of memories: 1) “day” memories or sentinel memories, connected to a known hour of the day; 2) “weekly” or weekly memories, connected to individual days of the week; 3) “annual” or numerical memories, connected to certain numbers of the year.

The concept of circles of worship

Thanks to the above circumstance, every day there are three kinds of memories: daily, weekly and annual Every person praying can clarify for himself the question of why church services speak not only about those events that took place at certain hours and days, but also about other events and even about many sacred persons.

Thanks to the same knowledge of the threefold kind of sacred memories that occur every day, the worshiper can explain to himself the following other observation.

If you attend every church service for several weeks, at least two, and carefully monitor the content of the prayers sung and read, you will notice that some prayers, for example, “Our Father,” the prayer to the Holy Trinity, litanies, are read at every service. : Other prayers, and these are the majority, are heard only during one service, and are not used during another.

Consequently, it turns out that some prayers are used without fail at every service and do not change, while others change and alternate with each other. The change and alternation of church prayers occurs in the following order: some prayers performed during one service are not performed during another. For example, the prayer “The Lord has cried...” is performed only at Vespers, and the prayers “The Only Begotten Son...” or “We have seen the true light...” are sung only at Mass. These prayers are then not repeated in church until the next day.

The next day we hear these prayers during the same service in which we heard the day before, for example, “The Lord cried...” at Vespers and “The Only Begotten Son...” at Mass; therefore, these prayers, although repeated every day, are always confined to one specific service.

There are prayers that are repeated every week on a certain day. For example, “Having seen the Resurrection of Christ...” we hear only on Sunday after the all-night vigil; Prayer of the Heavenly Hosts. Archistratizi...” - only on Mondays. Consequently, the “turn” of these prayers comes after a week.

Finally, there is a third series of prayers that are performed only on certain dates of the year. For example, “Your Nativity, Christ our God” is heard on December 25, in “Your Nativity, Virgin Mary” - on September 8 (or in the days immediately after these dates) on December 25. Art. Art. - Jan 7 n. art., 8 sect. Art. Art. - 21 sects. n. Art.

If we compare the threefold change and alternation of church prayers, it turns out that every day prayers relating to sacred memories and “hourly” prayers are repeated, after a week - relating to sacred “weekly” memories, and after a year - relating to sacred “annual” memories "

Since all our prayers alternate with each other, repeat themselves (as if they are “circling”), some with the speed of the day, others - of the week, and others - of the year, then these prayers are given the name of the divine service “everyday circle”, “weekly circle” and “annual circle”.

Every day in church the prayers of all three “circles” are heard, and not just one, and, moreover,the main “circle” is the “everyday circle”, and the other two are additional.

Composition of church services

The alternating prayer books of the daily, weekly and annual circles are called “changing” prayer books. Occurring prayers behind every service are called “unchanging”. Each church service consists of a combination of unchanging and changing prayers.

Unchanging Prayers

In order to understand the order and meaning of our church services, it is more convenient to first understand the meaning of “unchanging” prayers. The unchanging prayers that are read and sung at each service are the following: 1) opening prayers, that is, prayers with which all services begin and which are therefore called the “Ordinary Beginning” in liturgical practice; 2) Litany; 3) Shouts and 4) Leaves or vacations.

Normal start

Each service begins with the priest's call to glorify and give praise to God. There are three such inviting invitations or exclamations:

1) “Blessed is our God always, now and ever and unto ages of ages” (before the start of most services);

2) “Glory to the Holy, Consubstantial, Life-Giving, and Indivisible Trinity always, now and ever and unto ages of ages” (before the beginning of the All-Night Vigil);

3) “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages” (before the beginning of the Liturgy).

After the exclamation, the Reader, on behalf of all those present, expresses with the word “Amen” (truly) consent to this praise and immediately begins to glorify God: “Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.”

Then, to prepare ourselves for worthy prayer, we, following the reader, turn with prayer to the Holy Spirit (“Heavenly King”), Who alone can give us the gift of true prayer, so that He may dwell in us, cleanse us from all filth and save us. (Rom. VIII, 26).

With a prayer for cleansing we turn to all three Persons of the Holy Trinity, reading: a) “Holy God”, b) “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”, c) “Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us” and d) “Lord have mercy ”, e) “Glory... even now.” Finally, we read the Lord’s Prayer, i.e. “Our Father” as a sign that this best example our prayers. In conclusion, we read three times: “Come, let us worship and fall before Christ,” and move on to reading other prayers that are part of the service. The normal starting order is:

1) The exclamation of the priest.

2) Reading “Glory to Thee, our God.”

3) “King of Heaven.”

4) “Holy God” (three times).

5) “Glory to the Father and the Son” (small doxology).

6) “Holy Trinity.”

7) “Lord have mercy” (Three times) Glory even now.

8) Our Father.

9) Come, let’s worship.

Litany

Litany comes from the Greek adverb Ektenos - “diligently.”

At each service, a prayer is heard, which, being lengthy in itself, is divided into several smaller parts or passages, each of which ends with the words of response from the persons singing or reading; “Lord have mercy”, “Lord grant”.

Litanys are divided into several types: 1) Great Litany, 2) Sublime Litany, 3) Petitionary Litany, 4) Small Litany and 5) Litany for the Dead or Funeral Litany.

Great Litany

The Great Litany consists of 10 petitions or sections.

1)Let us pray to the Lord in peace.

This means; Let us call upon our prayer meeting the peace of God, or the blessing of God, and under the shadow of the face of God, addressed to us with peace and love, let us begin to pray for our needs. In the same way, let us pray in peace, having forgiven mutual offenses (Matthew V, 23-24).

2)About heavenly peace and the salvation of our souls. Let's pray to the Lord.

“Peace from above” is the peace of earth with heaven, the reconciliation of man with God, or receiving forgiveness of sins from God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The fruit of forgiveness of sins or reconciliation with God is salvation of our souls, which we also pray for in the second petition of the Great Litany.

3)About the peace of the whole world, the welfare of God's holy churches and the unity of all. Let's pray to the Lord.

In the third petition, we pray not only for a harmonious and friendly life between people on earth, not only for peace in the entire universe, but also for a wider and deeper peace, this is: peace and harmony (harmony) in all over the world, in the fullness of all God's creations(heaven and earth, seas and everything in them,” angels and people, living and dead).

Second subject of the petition; well-being, that is, the peace and well-being of God's holy churches or individual Orthodox societies.

The fruit and consequence of the prosperity and well-being of Orthodox societies on earth will be extensive moral unity: agreement, a friendly proclamation of the glory of God from everyone elements of the world, from all animate beings, there will be such a penetration of “everything” with the highest religious content, when God will be “perfectly in everything” (1 Cor. XV, 28).

4)About this holy temple, and those who enter it with faith, reverence and fear of God. Let's pray to the Lord.

(Reverence and fear of God are expressed in a prayerful mood, in putting aside worldly cares, in cleansing the heart from enmity and envy. - On the outside, reverence is expressed in bodily cleanliness, in decent clothing and in abstaining from talking and looking around).

To pray for the Holy Temple means to ask God so that He never departs from the temple with His grace; but he preserved it from desecration by enemies of the faith, from fires, earthquakes, and robbers, so that the temple did not lack funds to maintain it in a flourishing state.

The temple is called holy by the holiness of the sacred actions performed in it and by the gracious presence of God in it, from the time of consecration. But the grace that abides in the temple is not available to everyone, but only to those who enter it with faith, reverence and fear of God.

5)About this city, (or about this village) every city, country, and those who live in them by faith. Let's pray to the Lord.

We pray not only for our city, but for every other city and country, and for their inhabitants (because according to Christian brotherly love, we must pray not only for ourselves, but also for all people).

6) About the goodness of the air, about the abundance of earthly fruits and peaceful times. Let's pray to the Lord.

In this petition, we ask the Lord to give us our daily bread, that is, everything necessary for our earthly life. We ask for favorable weather for the growth of grain, as well as peacetime.

7)About those floating, traveling, the sick, the suffering, the captives, and about their salvation. Let's pray to the Lord.

In this petition, the Holy Church invites us to pray not only for those present, but also for those absent: 1) those on the road (swimming, traveling), 2) the sick, the ailing (that is, the sick and weak in body in general) and the suffering (that is chained to the bed dangerous disease) and 3) about those in captivity.

8)May we be delivered from all sorrow, anger and need. Let's pray to the Lord.

In this petition we ask the Lord to deliver us from all sorrow, anger and need, that is, from grief, disaster and unbearable oppression.

9)Intercede, save, have mercy, and preserve us, O God, with Your grace.

In this petition, we pray to the Lord to protect us, preserve us and have mercy through His mercy and grace.

10) Let us commemorate ourselves, and each other, and our entire life to Christ our God.

We constantly call upon the Mother of God in litanies because She serves as our Intercessor and Intercessor before the Lord. After turning to the Mother of God for help, the Holy Church advises us to entrust ourselves, each other and our whole life to the Lord.

The Great Litany is otherwise called “peaceful” (because in it peace is often asked for people).

In ancient times, litanies were continuous prayers in form and general prayers everyone those present in the church, evidence of which is, by the way, the words “Lord have mercy,” following the deacon’s exclamations.

The Great Litany

The second litany is called “augmented,” that is, intensified, because to each petition pronounced by the deacon, the singers respond with the triple “Lord have mercy.” The special litany consists of the following petitions:

1)We say everything with all our hearts, and we say everything with all our thoughts.

Let us say to the Lord with all our souls and with all our thoughts: (then it will be explained exactly what we will say).

2) Lord Almighty, God of our fathers, we pray to You, hear and have mercy.

Lord Almighty, God of our fathers, we pray to You, hear and have mercy.

3) Have mercy on us. God, according to Your great mercy, we pray to You, hear and have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord, according to Your great goodness. We pray to You, hear and have mercy.

4)We also pray for all the Christ-loving army.

We also pray for all the soldiers, as defenders of the Faith and the Fatherland.

5)We also pray for our brothers, priests, priests, and all our brotherhood in Christ.

We also pray for our brothers in service and in Christ.

6) We also pray for the blessed and ever-memorable saints of the Orthodox Patriarchs, and the pious kings, and the pious queens, and the creators of this holy temple, and for all the Orthodox fathers and brothers who have reposed before them, lying here and everywhere.

We also pray for St. Orthodox Patriarchs, about the faithful Orthodox kings and queens; - about the always memorable creators of the Holy Temple; about all our deceased parents and brothers buried here and in other places.

7) We also pray for mercy, life, peace, health, salvation, visitation, forgiveness and forgiveness of sins of the servants of God of the brethren of this Holy Temple.

In this petition, we ask the Lord for bodily and spiritual benefits to the parishioners of the church where the service is being performed.

8) We also pray for those who are fruitful and virtuous in this holy and all-honorable temple, those who work, sing and stand before us, expecting great and rich mercy from You.

We also pray for people: “fruit-bearing” (i.e., those who bring material and monetary donations for the liturgical needs in the temple: wine, oil, incense, candles) and “virtuous” (i.e., those who make decorations in the temple or donate to maintain the splendor in the temple), as well as about those doing some work in the temple, for example, reading, singing, and about all the people who are in the temple in anticipation of great and rich mercy.

Litany of Petition

The litany of petition consists of a series of petitions ending with the words “we ask the Lord,” to which the singers respond with the words: “Lord grant.” The litany of petition is read as follows:

1)Let us fulfill our (evening or morning) prayer to the Lord.

Let us complete (or supplement) our prayer to the Lord.

Save us, have mercy and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

3)Day (or evening) perfection of everything, holy, peaceful and sinless, we ask the Lord.

Let us ask the Lord to help us spend this day (or evening) expediently, holy, peacefully and sinlessly.

4) Angela is a peaceful, faithful mentor, guardian of our souls and bodies, we ask the Lord.

Let us ask the Lord for the Holy Angel, who is the faithful mentor and guardian of our soul and body.

5)We ask the Lord for forgiveness and forgiveness of our sins and transgressions.

Let us ask the Lord for forgiveness and forgiveness of our sins (heavy) and sins (light).

6)We ask the Lord for kindness and benefit to our souls and for peace.

Let us ask the Lord for everything that is useful and good for our souls, for peace for all people and the whole world.

7)End the rest of your life in peace and repentance, we ask the Lord.

Let us ask the Lord that we may live the remaining time of our lives in peace and a calm conscience.

8) Christian death of our belly, painless, shameless, peaceful, and a good answer at the terrible judgment of Christ, we ask.

Let us ask the Lord that our death be Christian, that is, with confession and Communion of the Holy Mysteries, painless, shameless and peaceful, that is, that before our death we make peace with our loved ones. Let us ask for a kind and fearless answer at the Last Judgment.

9) Our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, having remembered with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and each other and our entire life to Christ our God.

Small Litany

The Small Litany is a shortening of the Great Litany and contains only the following petitions:

1.Again and again (again and again) let us pray to the Lord in peace.

2. Intercede, save, have mercy and preserve us. God, by Your grace.

3. Having remembered our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and each other, and our whole life to Christ our God.

Sometimes these petitions of great, special, small and petitionary litanies are joined by others, compiled for a special occasion, for example, on the occasion of burial or commemoration of the dead, on the occasion of the consecration of water, the beginning of teaching, the onset of the New Year.

These litanies with additional “changing petitions” are contained in a special book for prayer singing.

Funeral Litany

a) Great:

1. Let us pray to the Lord in peace.

2. Let us pray to the Lord for peace from above and for the salvation of our souls.

3. Let us pray to the Lord for the remission of sins, in the blessed memory of those who have died.

4. For the ever-memorable servants of God (name of the rivers), peace, silence, blessed memory of them, let us pray to the Lord.

5. To forgive them every sin, voluntary or involuntary. Let's pray to the Lord.

6. Let us pray to the Lord for those uncondemned to appear at the terrible throne of the Lord of glory.

7. For those who cry and are sick, looking forward to Christ’s consolation, let us pray to the Lord.

8. Let them be freed from all illness and sorrow and sighing, and let them dwell where the light of the face of God shines. Let's pray to the Lord.

9. Oh, that the Lord our God will restore their souls to a place of light, to a place of greenness, to a place of peace, where all the righteous abide, let us pray to the Lord.

10. Let us pray to the Lord for their reckoning in the bosoms of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.

11.0 Let us pray to the Lord that we may be delivered from all sorrow, anger and need.

12. Intercede, save, have mercy and preserve us, O God, by Your grace.

13. Having asked for the mercy of God, the kingdom of heaven, and the remission of sins for ourselves, we will hand over each other and our entire life to Christ our God.

b) Small and

c) The triple funeral litany consists of three petitions, in which the thoughts of the great litany are repeated.

Exclamations

While the deacon on the solea recites the litany, the priest in the altar reads prayers to himself (secretly) (there are especially many secret prayers in the liturgy), and the end pronounces them loudly. These ends of the prayers, spoken by the priest, are called “exclamations.” They usually express base, why we, praying to the Lord, can hope for the fulfillment of our prayers, and why we have the boldness to turn to the Lord with petitions and thanksgivings.

According to immediate impression, all exclamations of the priest are divided into initial, liturgical and litany. In order to clearly distinguish between the two, you need to carefully understand the exclamations of the litanies. The most common exclamations are:

1.After the Great Litany: Yako(i.e. because) All glory, honor and worship is due to You, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

2. After the special litany: For God is merciful and lover of mankind, and we send up glory to You, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

3. After the litanies of petition: For God is good and a lover of mankind, and to You we send up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

4.After the small litany:

a] For Thine is the dominion, and Thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

b] For You are the God of mercy and generosity and love for mankind, and to You we send glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

c] For Thy Name be blessed, and Thy kingdom be glorified, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

G] For You are our God, and we send up glory to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

e] For You are the King of the world and the Savior of our souls, and we send up glory to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

However, in addition to the above, there are several more exclamations that contain the same thoughts as the eight exclamations noted. For example, during the all-night vigil and prayer service the following exclamations are also uttered:

a] Hear us, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and those who are in the sea far away: and be merciful, merciful, O Master, for our sins and have mercy on us. For You are merciful and lover of mankind, and we send up glory to You, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Hear us. God our Savior, You, in Whom they hope in all the ends of the earth and in the distant sea, and being merciful, be merciful to our sins and have mercy on us, because You are a merciful God who loves mankind and we send up Glory to You...

b] By the mercy, and bounty, and love for mankind of Thy Only Begotten Son, with whom art Thou blessed, with Thy most holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

By the mercy, generosity and love for mankind of Your Only Begotten Son, with whom You are blessed (God the Father) with Your Most Holy, Good and Life-giving Spirit.

c] For you are holy, our God, and you rest among the saints, and we send up glory to you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Because You are Holy, our God, and you dwell in the saints (by Your grace) and we send up glory to You.

Funeral cry:

For You are the resurrection and the life and rest of your fallen servants (name of the rivers), Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, with Your beginningless Father, and Your all-holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.

Vacations

Each church service ends with special prayer chants, which together constitute the “dismissal” or “vacation.” The order of dismissal is this: the Priest says: “Wisdom,” that is, let us be attentive. Then, turning to the Mother of God, he says: “Most Holy Theotokos, save us.”

The singers respond with the words: “The most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison, the Seraphim”... Further thanking the Lord for the perfect service, the priest says out loud: “Glory to Thee, Christ God, our Hope, Glory to Thee,” after which the singers sing: “Glory to Thee even now.” ”, “Lord have mercy” (three times), “Bless”.

The priest, turning his face to the people, lists all the Saints, through whose prayers we turned to God for help, namely - 1) the Mother of God, 2) the Saint of the Week, 3) the Saint of the Day, 4) the Holy Temple, 5) the Saint of the local region, and finally, 6) Godfather of Joachim and Anna. Then the priest says that through the prayers of these saints the Lord will have mercy and save us.

Upon release, believers receive permission to leave the temple.

Changing Prayers

As already mentioned, in the Church selected passages from the Holy Scriptures and prayers written by pious Christian poets are read and sung. Both are included in church services to depict and glorify the sacred event of the three circles of worship: daily, weekly and annual.

Readings and chants from St. books are named after the book from which they are borrowed. For example, psalms from the book of Psalms, prophecies from books written by prophets, the Gospel from the Gospel. The changing prayers that make up sacred Christian poetry are found in church liturgical books and bear different names.

The most important of them are the following:

1)Troparion- a song that briefly depicts the life of a Saint or the history of the holiday, for example, the well-known troparia: “Thy Nativity, O Christ our God,” “Thou art transfigured on the mountain, O Christ our God...”, “The rule of faith and the image of meekness.”

The origin and meaning of the name “troparion” is explained differently: 1) some derive this word from the Greek “tropos” - character, image, because the troparion depicts the lifestyle of a saint or contains a description of a holiday; 2) others from “trepeon” - a trophy or a sign of victory, which indicates that the troparion is a song proclaiming the victory of a saint or the triumph of a holiday; 3) others derive from the word “tropos” - trope, that is, the use of a word not in its own meaning, but in the meaning of another object due to the similarity between them; this kind of word use is indeed often found in troparia; saints, for example, are likened to the sun, moon, stars, etc.; 4) finally, the word troparion is also derived from “tropome” - they changed, since the troparia are sung alternately in one or the other choir, and “trepo” - I turn it, since “they turn to other prayers and relate to them.”

2)Kontakion(from the word “kontos” - short) - a short song depicting some individual feature of the celebrated event or Saint. All kontakia differ from troparia not so much in content as in the time at which they are sung during the service. An example of a kontakion would be “Virgin today...”, “To the elected Voivode...”

Kontakion - derived from the Greek word “kontos” - small, short, which means a short prayer in which the life of a saint is briefly glorified or a memory of some event in brief main features. Others - the name kontakion is derived from the word that names the material on which they were previously written. Indeed, originally “kontakia” was the name given to rolls of parchment written on both sides.

3)Greatness- a song containing the glorification of a Saint or a holiday. The Greatness is sung during the all-night vigil before the holiday icon, first by the clergy in the middle of the temple, and then repeated several times in the choir by the singers.

4)Stichera(from the Greek “stichera” - multi-verse) - a chant consisting of many verses written in the same meter of versification, having for the most part verses of Holy Scripture before you. Each stichera contains the main idea, which is revealed in various ways in all stichera. For example, the glorification of the Resurrection of Christ, the Entry into the Temple Holy Mother of God, St. Apostle Peter and Paul, John the Evangelist, etc.

There are many stichera, but they all have different names, depending on the time of their performance during the service. If the stichera is sung after the prayer “I cried to the Lord,” then it is called “the stichera to the Lord I cried”; if the stichera is sung after verses that contain the glorification of the Lord (for example, “Let every breath praise the Lord”), then the stichera is called the stichera “on praising.”

There are also stichera “on the verse”, and the stichera of the Theotokos are stichera in honor of the Mother of God. The number of stichera of each category and the verses preceding them varies - depending on the solemnity of the holiday - then 10, 8, 6 and 4. Therefore, the liturgical books say - “stichera for 10, for 8, for 6, etc. These numbers indicate the number of verses of the psalm that should be sung with stichera. Moreover, the stichera themselves, if they are missing, can be repeated several times.

5)Dogmatist. Dogmatists are special stichera that contain the teaching (dogma) about the incarnation of Jesus Christ from the Mother of God. And prayers that primarily speak about the Most Holy Theotokos are called by the general name “Theotokos.”

6)Akathist- “nesedalen”, prayer service, especially singing of praise in honor of the Lord, the Mother of God or the Saint.

7)Antiphons- (alternate singing, countervoice) prayers that are supposed to be sung alternately on two choirs.

8)Prokeimenon- (lying in front) - there is a verse that precedes the reading of the Apostle, Gospel and proverbs. The prokeimenon serves as a preface to the reading and expresses the essence of the person being remembered. There are many prokeimenes: they are daytime, holiday, etc.

9)Involved a verse sung during clergy communion.

10)Canon- this is a series of sacred chants in honor of a Saint or a holiday, which are read or sung during the All-Night Vigil at the time when those praying kiss (attach) the Holy Gospel or the icon of the holiday. The word “canon” is Greek, in Russian it means rule. The canon consists of nine, and sometimes fewer parts called “songs”.

Each song in turn is divided into several sections, (or stanzas), of which the first is called “irmos”. Irmosy are sung and serve as a connection for all the following sections, which are read and called the troparia of the canon.

Every canon has a specific subject. For example, in one canon the Resurrection of Christ is glorified, and in another - the Cross of the Lord, the Mother of God or some Saint. Therefore, the canons have special names, for example, “Resurrection Canon”, canon “To the Life-Giving Cross”, canon “To the Mother of God”, canon “to the Saint”.

In accordance with the main subject of the canon, special refrains are read before each verse. For example, during the Sunday canon the chorus is: “Glory to Thee, Our God, glory to Thee...”, during the canon of the Theotokos the chorus is: “Most Holy Theotokos, save us.”

The concept of liturgical books

Books necessary for worship are divided into sacred liturgical and church liturgical. The first contains readings from the Bible (Holy Scripture): these are the Gospel, the Apostle, the Prophetic books and the Psalter; secondly, it contains changing prayers for the daily, weekly and annual circle.

Circle Prayers daytime, that is, the order and text of daily church services: midnight office, matins, vespers, etc. are contained in a book called the Book of Hours.

Circle Prayers weekday contents:

a) in a book called “Octoichus” or Osmoglasnik, which is divided into 8 parts, corresponding to eight church chants, and is used at all times, except for the period of Lent and ending with the feast of the Holy Trinity;

b) in the book - “Triodion”, (of two types: “Lenten Triodion” and “Colored”), used during Great Lent and up to and including the Feast of the Holy Trinity.

Finally, the prayer circle yearly contained in the “Menaia” or “Month”, divided into 12 parts according to the number of 12 months. All prayers and hymns in honor of the Saints in the Menaion are arranged by number, and those in the “Octoechos” by day.

In addition, both departments are divided into services: evenings, mornings and liturgy. For convenience, prayers and hymns for the great holidays are contained in a special book called the Holiday Menaion.

However, familiarization with liturgical books would be insufficient if we did not mention the next book, called the “Charter” or Typikon.

This voluminous book contains a detailed procedure for performing services at various times and days of the year, and also indicates the state and behavior of worshipers in the temple, during services and outside the temple, during the day.

The “Charter” is the main guide for worship.

Divine Liturgy

The most important worship service is Divine Liturgy. The great Sacrament is performed on it - the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord and the Communion of the faithful. Liturgy translated from Greek means joint work. Believers gather in church in order to glorify God together “with one mouth and one heart” and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. So they follow the example of the holy apostles and the Lord Himself, who, having gathered for the Last Supper on the eve of the betrayal and suffering of the Savior on the Cross, drank from the Cup and ate the Bread that He gave them, reverently listening to His words: “This is My Body...” and “This is My blood...”

Christ commanded His Apostles to perform this Sacrament, and the Apostles taught this to their successors - bishops and presbyters, priests. The original name of this Sacrament of Thanksgiving is Eucharist (Greek). The public service at which the Eucharist is celebrated is called liturgy (from the Greek litos - public and ergon - service, work). The Liturgy is sometimes called mass, since it is usually supposed to be celebrated from dawn to noon, that is, in the pre-dinner time.

The order of the liturgy is as follows: first, the objects for the Sacrament (Offered Gifts) are prepared, then the believers prepare for the Sacrament, and finally, the Sacrament itself and the Communion of the believers are performed. Thus, the liturgy is divided into three parts, which are called:

Proskomedia
Liturgy of the Catechumens
Liturgy of the Faithful.

Proskomedia. The Greek word proskomedia means offering. This is the name of the first part of the liturgy in memory of the custom of the first Christians to bring bread, wine and everything necessary for the service. Therefore, the bread itself, used for the liturgy, is called prosphora, that is, an offering.

Divine Liturgy
The prosphora should be round, and it consists of two parts, as an image of the two natures in Christ - Divine and human. Prosphora is baked from wheat leavened bread without any additions other than salt.

A cross is imprinted on the top of the prosphora, and in its corners are the initial letters of the Savior’s name: “IC XC” and the Greek word “NI KA”, which together means: Jesus Christ conquers. To perform the Sacrament, red grape wine is used, pure, without any additives. Wine is mixed with water in memory of the fact that blood and water poured out from the Savior’s wound on the Cross. For proskomedia, five prosphoras are used in remembrance that Christ fed five thousand people with five loaves, but the prosphora that is prepared for Communion is one of these five, because there is one Christ, Savior and God. After the priest and deacon have performed the entrance prayers in front of the closed Royal Doors and put on sacred vestments in the altar, they approach the altar. The priest takes the first (lamb) prosphora and makes a copy of the image of the cross on it three times, saying: “In remembrance of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” From this prosphora the priest cuts out the middle in the shape of a cube. This cubic part of the prosphora is called the Lamb. It is placed on the paten. Then the priest makes a cross incision with bottom side Lamb and pierces his right side with a spear.

After this, wine mixed with water is poured into the bowl.

The second prosphora is called the Mother of God; a particle is taken out of it in honor of the Mother of God. The third is called nine-order, because nine particles are taken out of it in honor of John the Baptist, the prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, saints, unmercenaries, Joachim and Anna - the parents of the Mother of God and the saints of the temple, the day saints, and also in honor of the saint whose name Liturgy is celebrated.

From the fourth and fifth prosphoras, particles are taken out for the living and the dead.

At the proskomedia, particles are also taken out from the prosphoras, which are served by believers for the repose and health of their relatives and friends.

All these particles are laid out in a special order on the paten next to the Lamb. Having completed all the preparations for the celebration of the liturgy, the priest places a star on the paten, covering it and the chalice with two small covers, and then covers everything together with a large cover, which is called air, and censes the Offered Gifts, asking the Lord to bless them, remember those who brought these Gifts and those for whom they were brought. During the proskomedia, the 3rd and 6th hours are read in the church.

Liturgy of the Catechumens. The second part of the liturgy is called the liturgy of the “catechumens,” because during its celebration not only the baptized can be present, but also those preparing to receive this sacrament, that is, the “catechumens.”

The deacon, having received a blessing from the priest, comes out of the altar to the pulpit and loudly proclaims: “Bless, Master,” that is, bless the assembled believers to begin the service and participate in the liturgy.

The priest in his first exclamation glorifies the Holy Trinity: “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.” The choristers sing “Amen” and the deacon pronounces the Great Litany.

The choir sings antiphons, that is, psalms, which are supposed to be sung alternately by the right and left choirs.

Blessed are you, Lord
Bless, my soul, the Lord and all that is within me, His Holy Name. Bless the Lord, my soul
and do not forget all His rewards: He who cleanses all your iniquities, He who heals all your illnesses,
who delivers your belly from decay, who crowns you with mercy and bounty, who fulfills your good desires: your youth will be renewed like an eagle. Generous and merciful, Lord. Long-suffering and abundantly merciful. Bless, my soul, the Lord and all my inner being, His Holy Name. Blessed be you Lord

and “Praise, my soul, the Lord...”.
Praise the Lord, my soul. I will praise the Lord in my belly, I will sing to my God as long as I am.
Do not trust in princes, in the sons of men, for there is no salvation in them. His spirit shall depart and return to his land: and on that day all his thoughts shall perish. Blessed is he who has the God of Jacob as his helper; his trust is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and everything that is in them; keeping the truth forever, bringing justice to the offended, giving food to the hungry. The Lord will decide the chained; The Lord makes the blind wise; The Lord raises up the downtrodden; The Lord loves the righteous;
The Lord protects strangers, accepts the orphan and the widow, and destroys the path of sinners.

At the end of the second antiphon, the song “Only Begotten Son...” is sung. This song sets forth the entire teaching of the Church about Jesus Christ.

The only begotten Son and Word of God, He is immortal, and He willed our salvation to be incarnate
from the holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, immutably made man, crucified for us, Christ our God, trampling down death by death, the One of the Holy Trinity, glorified to the Father and the Holy Spirit,
save us.

In Russian it sounds like this: “Save us, Only Begotten Son and Word of God, Immortal One, who deigned to be incarnated for the sake of our salvation from the Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, who became man and did not change, crucified and trampled death by death, Christ God, one of the Holy Persons Trinity, glorified together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.” After the small litany, the choir sings the third antiphon - the Gospel “beatitudes”. The Royal Doors open to the Small Entrance.

In Your Kingdom, remember us, O Lord, when You come to Your Kingdom.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for to them is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who cry, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blesseds of mercy, for there will be mercy.
Blessed are those who are pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for these shall be called sons of God.
Blessed is the expulsion of truth for the sake of them, for those are the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile you, and mistreat you, and say all sorts of evil things against you, who lie to Me for my sake.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is abundant in heaven.

At the end of the singing, the priest and the deacon, who carries the altar Gospel, go out to the pulpit. Having received a blessing from the priest, the deacon stops at the Royal Doors and, holding up the Gospel, proclaims: “Wisdom, forgive,” that is, he reminds the believers that they will soon hear the Gospel reading, therefore they must stand straight and with attention (forgive means straight).

The entrance of the clergy into the altar with the Gospel is called the Small Entrance, in contrast to the Great Entrance, which takes place later at the Liturgy of the Faithful. The Small Entrance reminds believers of the first appearance of the preaching of Jesus Christ. The choir sings “Come, let us worship and fall before Christ.” Save us, Son of God, risen from the dead, singing to Ti: Alleluia.” After this, the troparion (Sunday, holiday or saint) and other hymns are sung. Then the Trisagion is sung: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times). (Listen to 2.55 mb)

The Apostle and the Gospel are read. When reading the Gospel, believers stand with their heads bowed, listening with reverence to the holy gospel.

After the reading of the Gospel, at the special litany and the litany for the dead, the relatives and friends of the believers praying in the church are remembered through notes.

They are followed by the litany of the catechumens. The liturgy of the catechumens ends with the words “Catechumen, come forth.”

Liturgy of the Faithful. This is the name of the third part of the liturgy. Only the faithful can attend, that is, those who have been baptized and have no prohibitions from a priest or bishop. At the Liturgy of the Faithful:

1) the Gifts are transferred from the altar to the throne;
2) believers prepare for the consecration of the Gifts;
3) the Gifts are consecrated;
4) believers prepare for Communion and receive communion;
5) then thanksgiving is performed for Communion and dismissal.

After the recitation of two short litanies, the Cherubic hymn is sung: “Even as the cherubim secretly form the Trisagion hymn to the Life-Giving Trinity, let us now put aside all worldly cares. As if we will raise up the King of all, the angels invisibly bestow ranks. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.” In Russian it reads like this: “We, mysteriously depicting the Cherubim and singing the trisagion of the Trinity, which gives life, will now leave concern for all everyday things, so that we can glorify the King of all, Whom the invisibly angelic ranks solemnly glorify. Hallelujah.”

Before the Cherubic Hymn, the Royal Doors open and the deacon censes. At this time, the priest secretly prays that the Lord will cleanse his soul and heart and deign to perform the Sacrament. Then the priest, raising his hands up, pronounces the first part of the Cherubic Song three times in an undertone, and the deacon also finishes it in an undertone. Both of them go to the altar to transfer the prepared Gifts to the throne. The deacon has air on his left shoulder, he carries the paten with both hands, placing it on his head. The priest carries the Holy Cup in front of him. They leave the altar through the northern side doors, stop at the pulpit and, turning their faces to the believers, say a prayer for the Patriarch, bishops, and all Orthodox Christians.

Deacon: Our Great Lord and Father Alexy, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', and Our Most Reverend Lord (the name of the diocesan bishop) metropolitan (or: archbishop, or: bishop) (title of diocesan bishop), may the Lord God always remember in His Kingdom , now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Priest: May the Lord God remember all of you, Orthodox Christians, in His Kingdom always, now and ever, and forever and ever.

Then the priest and deacon enter the altar through the Royal Doors. This is how the Great Entrance takes place.

The brought Gifts are placed on the throne and covered with air (a large cover), the Royal Doors are closed and the curtain is drawn. The singers finish the Cherubic Hymn. During the transfer of the Gifts from the altar to the throne, believers remember how the Lord voluntarily went to suffer on the cross and die. They stand with their heads bowed and pray to the Savior for themselves and their loved ones.

After the Great Entrance, the deacon pronounces the Litany of Petition, the priest blesses those present with the words: “Peace to all.” Then it is proclaimed: “Let us love one another, that we may confess with one mind” and the choir continues: “Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, Trinity, Consubstantial and Indivisible.”

Following this, usually by the entire temple, the Creed is sung. On behalf of the Church, it briefly expresses the whole essence of our faith, and therefore should be pronounced in joint love and like-mindedness.

Symbol of faith
I believe in One God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. And in the One Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten, Who was born of the Father before all ages. Light from light, true God from true God, born uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to Whom all things were. For our sake, man, and for our salvation, who came down from heaven, and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human. Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. And he rose again on the third day according to the scriptures. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Life-Giving Lord, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is glorified, who spoke the prophets. Into one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen.

After singing the Creed, the time comes to offer the “Holy Offering” with the fear of God and certainly “in peace,” without having any malice or enmity towards anyone.

“Let us become kind, let us become fearful, let us bring holy offerings to the world.” In response to this, the choir sings: “Mercy of peace, sacrifice of praise.”

The gifts of peace will be a thanksgiving and praise offering to God for all His benefits. The priest blesses the believers with the words: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love (love) of God and the Father, and the communion (communion) of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” And then he calls: “Woe is the heart we have,” that is, we will have hearts directed upward to God. To this the singers on behalf of the believers respond: “Imams to the Lord,” that is, we already have hearts directed toward the Lord.

The most important part of the liturgy begins with the words of the priest “We thank the Lord.” We thank the Lord for all His mercies and bow to the ground, and the singers sing: “It is worthy and righteous to worship the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity.”

At this time, the priest, in a prayer called Eucharistic (that is, thanksgiving), glorifies the Lord and His perfection, thanks Him for the creation and redemption of man, and for all His mercies, known to us and even unknown. He thanks the Lord for accepting this bloodless Sacrifice, although He is surrounded by higher spiritual beings - archangels, angels, cherubim, seraphim, “singing a victory song, crying out, calling out and speaking.” The priest speaks these last words of the secret prayer loudly out loud. The singers add to them the angelic song: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord of hosts, the heavens and the earth are filled with Your glory.” This song, which is called “Seraphim,” is supplemented by the words with which the people greeted the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem: “Hosanna in the highest (that is, he who lives in heaven) Blessed is he who comes (that is, he who walks) in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!”

The priest pronounces the exclamation: “Singing the song of victory, crying, crying and speaking.” These words are taken from the visions of the prophet Ezekiel and the apostle John the Theologian, who saw in revelation the Throne of God, surrounded by angels having different images: one was in the form of an eagle (the word “singing” refers to it), the other in the form of a calf (“crying”) , the third in the form of a lion (“calling”) and, finally, the fourth in the form of a man (“verbally”). These four angels continually cried out, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord of hosts.” While singing these words, the priest secretly continues the prayer of thanksgiving; he glorifies the good that God sends to people, His endless love for His creation, which manifested itself in the coming to earth of the Son of God.

Remembering the Last Supper, at which the Lord established the Sacrament of Holy Communion, the priest loudly pronounces the words spoken by the Savior at it: “Take, eat, this is My Body, which was broken for you for the remission of sins.” And also: “Drink of it, all of you, this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins.” Finally, the priest, remembering in secret prayer the Savior’s commandment to perform Communion, glorifying His life, suffering and death, resurrection, ascension into heaven and second coming in glory, loudly pronounces: “Thine from Thine, what is offered to Thee for all and for all.” These words mean: “We bring Your gifts from Your servants to You, O Lord, because of everything we have said.”

The singers sing: “We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You, Lord. And we pray, our God.”

The priest, in secret prayer, asks the Lord to send His Holy Spirit on the people standing in the church and on the Offered Gifts, so that He would sanctify them. Then the priest reads the troparion three times in an undertone: “Lord, who sent down Thy Most Holy Spirit at the third hour by Thy Apostle, do not take Him away from us, who is good, but renew us who pray.” The deacon pronounces the twelfth and thirteenth verses of the 50th Psalm: “Create in me a pure heart, O God...” and “Do not cast me away from Thy presence...”. Then the priest blesses the Holy Lamb lying on the paten and says: “And make this bread the honorable Body of Thy Christ.”

Then he blesses the cup, saying: “And in this cup is the precious Blood of Thy Christ.” And finally, he blesses the gifts along with the words: “Translating by Your Holy Spirit.” In these great and holy moments, the Gifts become the true Body and Blood of the Savior, although they remain the same in appearance as before.

The priest with the deacon and the believers bow to the ground before the Holy Gifts, as if they were bowing to the King and God himself. After the consecration of the Gifts, the priest in secret prayer asks the Lord that those receiving communion be strengthened in every good thing, that their sins are forgiven, that they partake of the Holy Spirit and reach the Kingdom of Heaven, that the Lord allows them to turn to Himself with their needs and does not condemn them for unworthy communion. The priest remembers the saints and especially the Blessed Virgin Mary and loudly proclaims: “Extremely (that is, especially) about the most holy, most pure, most blessed, most glorious Our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary,” and the choir responds with a song of praise:
It is worthy to eat, as you are truly blessed, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and the Mother of our God. We magnify You, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption.

The priest continues to secretly pray for the dead and, moving on to prayer for the living, loudly remembers “in the first” His Holiness Patriarch, the ruling diocesan bishop, the choir answers: “And everyone and everything,” that is, asks the Lord to remember all believers. The prayer for the living ends with the exclamation of the priest: “And grant us with one mouth and one heart (that is, with one accord) to glorify and glorify Your most honorable and magnificent name, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.”

Finally, the priest blesses everyone present: “And may the mercies of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ be with you all.”
The litany of petition begins: “Having remembered all the saints, let us pray again and again in peace to the Lord.” That is, having remembered all the saints, let us again pray to the Lord. After the litany, the priest proclaims: “And grant us, O Master, with boldness (boldly, as children ask their father) to dare (dare) to call upon Thee Heavenly God the Father and speak.”

The prayer “Our Father...” is usually sung after this by the entire church.

With the words “Peace to all,” the priest once again blesses the believers.

The deacon, standing at this time on the pulpit, is girdled crosswise with an orarion, so that, firstly, it would be more convenient for him to serve the priest during Communion, and secondly, to express his reverence for the Holy Gifts, in imitation of the seraphim.

When the deacon exclaims: “Let us attend,” the curtain of the Royal Doors closes as a reminder of the stone that was rolled to the Holy Sepulcher. The priest, raising the Holy Lamb over the paten, loudly proclaims: “Holy to the holy.” In other words, the Holy Gifts can only be given to saints, that is, believers who have sanctified themselves through prayer, fasting, and the Sacrament of Repentance. And, realizing their unworthiness, believers answer: “There is only one holy, one Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father.”

First, the clergy receive communion at the altar. The priest breaks the Lamb into four parts just as it was cut at the proskomedia. The part with the inscription “IC” is lowered into the bowl, and warmth, that is, hot water, is also poured into it, as a reminder that believers, under the guise of wine, accept the true Blood of Christ.

The other part of the Lamb with the inscription “ХС” is intended for the communion of the clergy, and the parts with the inscriptions “NI” and “KA” are for the communion of the laity. These two parts are cut by a copy according to the number of those receiving communion into small pieces, which are lowered into the Chalice.

While the clergy are receiving communion, the choir sings a special verse, which is called “sacramental,” as well as some chant suitable for the occasion. Russian church composers wrote many sacred works that are not included in the canon of worship, but are performed by the choir at this particular time. Usually the sermon is preached at this time.

Finally, the Royal Doors open for the communion of the laity, and the deacon with the Holy Cup in his hands says: “Approach with the fear of God and faith.”

The priest reads a prayer before Holy Communion, and the believers repeat it to themselves: “I believe, Lord, and confess that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who came into the world to save sinners, from whom I am the first.” I also believe that This is Your Most Pure Body and This is Your Most Honest Blood. I pray to You: have mercy on me and forgive me my sins, voluntary and involuntary, in word, in deed, in knowledge and ignorance, and grant me to partake without condemnation of Your Most Pure Mysteries, for the remission of sins and eternal life. Amen. Thy secret supper this day, Son of God, receive me as a partaker, for I will not tell the secret to Thy enemies, neither will I give Thee a kiss like Judas, but like a thief I will confess Thee: remember me, O Lord, in Thy Kingdom. May the communion of Your Holy Mysteries be not for judgment or condemnation for me, Lord, but for the healing of soul and body.”

The participants bow to the ground and, folding their hands crosswise on their chests (right hand on top of the left), reverently approach the chalice, telling the priest their Christian name given at baptism. There is no need to cross yourself in front of the cup, because you can push it with a careless movement. The choir sings “Receive the Body of Christ, taste the immortal fountain.”

After communion they kiss bottom edge Holy cups and go to the table, where they wash it down with warmth (church wine mixed with hot water) and receive a piece of prosphora. This is done so that not a single smallest particle of the Holy Gifts remains in the mouth and so that one does not immediately begin to eat ordinary everyday food. After everyone has received communion, the priest brings the chalice to the altar and lowers into it particles taken from the service and brought prosphoras with a prayer that the Lord, with His Blood, would wash away the sins of all who were commemorated at the liturgy.

Then he blesses the believers who sing: “We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit, we have found the true faith, we worship the indivisible Trinity: for she who saved us is.”

The deacon carries the paten to the altar, and the priest, taking the Holy Cup in his hands, blesses those praying with it. This last appearance of the Holy Gifts before being transferred to the altar reminds us of the Ascension of the Lord to heaven after His Resurrection. Having bowed to the Holy Gifts for the last time, as to the Lord Himself, the believers thank Him for Communion, and the choir sings a song of gratitude: “May our lips be filled with Thy praise, O Lord, for we sing Thy glory, for Thou hast made us worthy to partake of Thy Divine, immortal and life-giving Mysteries; keep us in Thy holiness, and teach us Thy righteousness all day long. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.”

The deacon pronounces a short litany in which he thanks the Lord for Communion. The priest, standing at the Holy See, folds the antimension on which the cup and paten stood, and places the altar Gospel on it.

By loudly proclaiming “We will go out in peace,” he shows that the liturgy is ending, and soon the believers can go home quietly and in peace.

Then the priest reads the prayer behind the pulpit (because it is read behind the pulpit) “Bless those who bless Thee, O Lord, and sanctify those who trust in Thee, save Thy people and bless Thy heritage, preserve the fulfillment of Thy Church, sanctify those who love the splendor of Thy house, Thou glorify them with Thy Divine by strength and do not forsake us who trust in Thee. Grant Thy peace, to Thy Churches, to the priests and to all Thy people. For every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming from You, the Father of lights. And to You we send glory, and thanksgiving, and worship, to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.”

The choir sings: “Blessed be the name of the Lord from now on and forever.”

The priest blesses the worshipers for the last time and says dismissal with a cross in his hand, facing the temple. Then everyone approaches the cross to, by kissing it, confirm their fidelity to Christ, in whose memory the Divine Liturgy was performed.

Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

This is a service that is primarily performed on days of special abstinence and deep fasting: Wednesday and Friday during all days of the Holy Pentecost.

Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts By its nature, first of all, it is an evening service, to be more precise, it is communion after Vespers.

During Great Lent, following the church charter, on Wednesdays and Fridays there is complete abstinence from food until sunset. These days of especially intense physical and spiritual feat are sanctified by the expectation of communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, and this expectation supports us in our feat, both spiritual and physical; the goal of this feat is the joy of waiting for evening communion.

Unfortunately, today this understanding of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts as evening communion has been practically lost, and therefore this service is celebrated everywhere, mainly in the morning, as it is now.

The service begins with Great Vespers, but the first exclamation of the priest: “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages!”, the same as at the Liturgy of John Chrysostom or St. Basil the Great; Thus, all divine services are addressed to the hope of the Kingdom; it is that spiritual expectation that defines the entire Great Lent.

Then, as usual, follows the reading of Psalm 103, “Bless the Lord, my soul!” The priest reads prayers of light, in which he asks the Lord to “fill our lips with praise... so that we may magnify the holy name” of the Lord, “during the rest of this day, avoid the various snares of the evil one,” “spend the rest of the day blamelessly before the holy Glory.” Gentlemen.

At the end of the reading of Psalm 103, the deacon pronounces the Great Litany, with which the full Liturgy begins.

“Let us pray to the Lord in peace” are the first words of the litany, which mean that in spiritual peace we must begin our prayers. First, reconciliation with everyone against whom we hold our grievances, whom we ourselves have offended, is an indispensable condition for our participation in worship. The deacon himself does not say any prayers, he only helps during the service and calls the people to prayer. And all of us, answering “Lord, have mercy!”, must take part in common prayer, because the very word “Liturgy” means common service.

Every person praying in church is not a passive spectator, but a participant in the divine service. The deacon calls us to prayer, the priest prays on behalf of everyone gathered in the church, and we all participate in the service together.

During the litany, the priest reads a prayer where he asks the Lord to “hear our prayer and heed the voice of our prayer.”

At the end of the litany and the exclamation of the priest, the reader begins to read the 18th kathisma, which consists of psalms (119-133), called “songs of ascension.” They were sung on the steps of the Jerusalem Temple, climbing them; it was the song of people gathering for prayer, preparing to meet God.

While reading the first part of the kathisma, the priest puts the Gospel aside, unfolds the holy antimension, after which the Lamb, consecrated at the Liturgy on Sunday, with the help of a copy and a spoon, transfers it to the paten and places a lighted candle in front of it.

After this, the deacon pronounces the so-called. "small" litany. “Let us pray again and again in peace to the Lord,” i.e. “Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.” “Lord, have mercy,” answers the choir, and with it all those gathered. At this time the priest prays:

“Lord, do not rebuke us in Your wrath, and do not punish us in Your anger... Enlighten the eyes of our hearts to know Your Truth... for Yours is the dominion, and Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory.”

Then the second part of the reading of the 18th kathisma, during which the priest censes the throne with the Holy Gifts three times and bows to the ground before the throne. The “small” litany is pronounced again, during which the priest reads the prayer:

“Lord our God, remember us, sinful and indecent servants of Yours... grant us, Lord, everything we ask for salvation and help us to love and fear You with all our hearts... for You are a good and philanthropic God...”

The last, third part of the kathisma is read, during which the Holy Gifts are transferred from the throne to the altar. This will be marked by the ringing of a bell, after which all those gathered, noting the importance and sacredness of this moment, should kneel. After transferring the Holy Gifts to the altar, the bell rings again, which means you can already rise from your knees.

The priest pours wine into the cup, covers the holy vessels, but does not say anything. The reading of the third part of the kathisma is completed, the “small” litany and exclamation of the priest are pronounced again.

The choir begins singing verses from Psalms 140 and 141: “Lord, I have called to You, hear me!” and the stichera laid out for this day.

Stichera- These are liturgical poetic texts that reflect the essence of the day being celebrated. During this singing, the deacon censes the altar and the entire church. Clenching is a symbol of the prayers we offer to God. While singing the stichera on “And Now,” the clergy make a ceremonial entrance. The primate reads the prayer:

“In the evening, as in the morning and at noon, we praise, bless You and pray to You... do not let our hearts turn aside to evil words or thoughts... deliver us from all those who ensnare our souls... All glory, honor and worship is due to You, to the Father and the Son and Holy Spirit."

The priests go out onto the solea (the raised platform in front of the entrance to the altar), and the Primate blesses the Holy Entrance with the words: “Blessed is the entrance of Thy saints, always now and ever and unto ages of ages!” The deacon, drawing the holy cross with a censer, says “Wisdom, forgive me!” “Forgive” means “let’s stand upright, reverently.”

In the Ancient Church, when the service was much longer than today, those gathered in the temple sat, standing up at especially important moments. The deacon's exclamation, calling to stand upright and reverently, reminds us of the importance and holiness of the Entry being performed. The choir sings the ancient liturgical hymn “Quiet Light.”

The priests enter the holy altar and ascend to the mountainous place. At this point we will make a special stop to explain the next steps. I wish all of us to meaningfully take part in the worship service being performed.

After "Quiet Light"
Beloved in the Lord, brothers and sisters! The entrance was completed, the clergy ascended to the mountainous place. On those days when Vespers is celebrated separately, the entrance and ascent to the high place is the climax of the service.

Now is the time to sing a special prokeemna. The prokeimenon is a verse from Holy Scripture, most often from the Psalter. For the prokemna, the verse chosen is particularly strong, expressive and suitable for the occasion. The prokeimenon consists of a verse, properly called a prokeimenon, and one or three “verses” that precede the repetition of the prokeimenon. The prokeimenon received its name because it precedes the reading from the Holy Scriptures.

Today we will hear two passages from the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament, taken from the books of Genesis and Proverbs of Solomon. For better understanding, these passages will be read in Russian translation. Between these readings, which are called paremias, a ritual is performed, mainly reminding us of those times when Great Lent was mainly the preparation of the catechumens for Holy Baptism.

While reading the first proverb, the priest takes a lighted candle and a censer. At the end of the reading, the priest, drawing the holy cross with a censer, says: “Wisdom, forgive!”, thereby calling for special attention and reverence, pointing to the special wisdom contained in the present moment.

Then the priest turns to those gathered and, blessing them, says: “The Light of Christ enlightens everyone!” A candle is a symbol of Christ, the Light of the world. Lighting a candle while reading the Old Testament means that all prophecies have been fulfilled in Christ. The Old Testament leads to Christ just as Lent leads to the enlightenment of the catechumens. The light of baptism, connecting the catechumens with Christ, opens their minds to understand the teachings of Christ.

According to established tradition, at this moment all those gathered kneel down, as warned by the ringing of a bell. After the words are spoken by the priest, the bell rings as a reminder that one can rise from one's knees.

What follows is a second passage of Scripture from the book of Proverbs of Solomon, which will also be read in Russian translation. After the second reading from the Old Testament, according to the instructions of the charter, five verses from the vespers psalm 140 are sung, beginning with the verse: “Let my prayer be corrected, like incense before you.”

In those days when the Liturgy had not yet acquired the solemnity of today and consisted simply of communion at Vespers, these verses were sung during communion. Now they form a wonderful penitential introduction to the second part of the service, i.e. to the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts itself. While singing “Let it be corrected...” all those gathered lie prostrate, and the priest, standing at the altar, censes it, and then the altar on which the Holy Gifts are located.

At the end of the singing, the priest pronounces a prayer that accompanies all Lenten services - the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian. This prayer, which is accompanied by prostrations to the ground, sets us up for a correct understanding of our fasting work, which consists not simply in limiting ourselves in food, but in the ability to see and fight our own sins.

On those days when the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts coincides with a patronal feast day, or in other cases specified by the charter, readings of the Apostolic Epistle and a passage from the Gospel are prescribed. Today, such a reading is not required by the charter, which means it will not happen. Before the full litany, we will make one more stop in order to better understand the further course of the service. Lord help everyone!

After “Let it be fixed...”
Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord! Vespers has ended, and now the entire next course of the service is the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts itself. Now the deacon will proclaim a special litany, when you and I must intensify our prayers. During the recitation of this litany, the priest prays that the Lord has accepted our fervent prayers and sent them down to His people, i.e. on us, all those gathered in the temple, expecting from him inexhaustible mercy, His rich bounties.

There is no named commemoration for the living and the dead at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. Then follows the litany for the catechumens. In the Ancient Church, the sacrament of Baptism was preceded by a long period of announcement of those wishing to become Christians.

Lent- this is precisely the time of intensive preparation for Baptism, which usually took place in Holy Saturday or on Easter. Those who were preparing to receive the Sacrament of Baptism attended special catechetical classes, at which the basics of Orthodox doctrine were explained to them, so that their future life in the Church would be meaningful. The catechumens also attended divine services, in particular the Liturgy, which they could attend before the litany of the catechumens. During its pronouncement, the deacon calls on all the faithful, i.e. permanent members of the Orthodox community, pray for the catechumens, so that the Lord would have mercy on them, announce them with the Word of Truth, and reveal to them the Gospel of truth. And the priest at this time prays to the Lord and asks Him to deliver them (i.e., the catechumens) from the ancient deception and intrigues of the enemy... and to associate them with the spiritual flock of Christ.

From halfway through Lent, another litany about the “enlightened” is added, i.e. already “ready for enlightenment.” The period of a long catechumen ends, which in the Ancient Church could last for several years, and the catechumens pass into the category of “enlightened” and soon the Sacrament of Holy Baptism will be performed on them. The priest at this time prays that the Lord will strengthen them in faith, confirm them in hope, perfect them in love... and show them worthy members of the Body of Christ.

Then the deacon says that all the catechumens, all those preparing for enlightenment, should leave the church. Now only the faithful can pray in the temple, i.e. only baptized Orthodox Christians. After the removal of the catechumens, two prayers of the faithful are read.

In the first we ask for the cleansing of our soul, body and feelings, the second prayer prepares us for the transfer of the Presanctified Gifts. Then comes the solemn moment of transferring the Holy Gifts to the throne. Outwardly, this entrance is similar to the Great Entrance behind the Liturgy, but in essence and spiritual significance it is, of course, completely different.

The choir begins to sing a special song: “Now the powers of heaven serve with us invisibly, for behold, the King of Glory enters, behold, the Sacrifice, mysteriously consecrated, is transferred.”

The priest in the altar, with his hands raised up, pronounces these words three times, to which the deacon replies: “Let us approach with faith and love and be partakers of Eternal Life. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia."

During the transfer of the Holy Gifts, everyone must reverently kneel down.

The priest at the Royal Doors, according to established tradition, says in a quiet voice: “Let us approach with faith and love” and places the Holy Gifts on the throne, covers them, but does not say anything.

After this, the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian is said with three bows. The transfer of the Holy Gifts has been completed, and very soon the moment of Holy Communion of the clergy and everyone who prepared for this will come. To do this, we will make one more stop to explain the last part of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. Lord help everyone!

After the Great Entry
Beloved in the Lord, brothers and sisters! The solemn transfer of the Holy Gifts to the throne took place, and now we are very close to the very moment of holy communion. Now the deacon will pronounce a litany of petition, and the priest at this time prays that the Lord will deliver us and His faithful people from all uncleanness, sanctify the souls and bodies of all of us, so that with a clear conscience, an unashamed face, an enlightened heart... we may unite with Thy Christ Himself , our true God.

This is followed by the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father,” which always completes our preparation for Communion. By saying it, the prayer of Christ Himself, we thereby accept the spirit of Christ as our own, His prayer to the Father as ours, His will, His desire, His life as our own.

The prayer ends, the priest teaches us peace, the deacon calls on us all to bow our heads before the Lord, and at this time the prayer of adoration is read, where the priest, on behalf of all those gathered, asks the Lord to preserve His people and deign us all to partake of His life-giving Mysteries.

Then follows the exclamation of the deacon - “Let us hear”, i.e. Let us be attentive, and the priest, touching the Holy Gifts with his hand, exclaims: “The Presanctified Holy One - to the Saints!” This means that the Presanctified Holy Gifts are offered to the saints, i.e. to all the faithful children of God, to all those gathered at this moment in the temple. The choir sings: “One is Holy, One is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen". The Royal Doors are closed, and the moment of communion of the clergy comes.

After they have received Holy Communion, the Holy Gifts will be prepared for all today's communicants and immersed in the Chalice. Everyone who is going to receive communion today needs to be especially attentive and focused. The moment of our union with Christ will soon come. Lord help everyone!

Before parishioners receive communion
Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord! The Ancient Church knew no other reason for participating in the Liturgy than to receive the Holy Gifts there. Today this Eucharistic feeling has unfortunately weakened. And sometimes we don’t even suspect why we come to the temple of God. Usually everyone just wants to pray “about something of their own,” but we now know that Orthodox worship, and especially the Liturgy, is not just a prayer “about something,” it is our participation in Christ’s sacrifice, it is our joint prayer, joint standing before God, common service to Christ. All the priest’s prayers are not just his personal appeal to God, but a prayer on behalf of all those gathered, on behalf of everyone in the church. We often don’t even suspect this, that this is our prayer, this is our participation in the Sacrament.

Participation in worship should, of course, be conscious. One should always strive to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ during worship. After all, every baptized person is a part of the Body of Christ, and through the universality of our communion, the Church of Christ appears to this world, which “lies in evil.”

The Church is the Body of Christ, and we are part of this Body, part of the Church. And so that we do not get lost in our spiritual life, we must constantly strive for union with Christ, which is given to us in the sacrament of Holy Communion.

Very often, when we set out on the path of spiritual improvement, we do not know what we need to do, how to act correctly. The Church gives us everything we need for our revival. All this is given to us in the Sacraments of the Church. And the Sacrament of the Sacraments, or, more precisely, the Sacrament of the Church - the Sacrament that reveals the very nature of the Church - is the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Therefore, if we try to know Christ without receiving communion, then we will never succeed.

You can know Christ only by being with Him, and the sacrament of Communion is our door to Christ, which we must open and accept Him into our hearts.

Now the moment has come when everyone who wants to receive communion will unite with Christ. The priest with the Holy Chalice will say prayers before Holy Communion, and everyone preparing for Communion should listen to them carefully. Approaching the Chalice, you need to fold your hands crosswise on your chest and clearly pronounce your Christian name, and, having received communion, kiss the edge of the Chalice and go away to drink.

According to established tradition, only those children who are already able to receive a particle of the Holy Bread can receive communion. At this time, the choir sings a special sacramental verse: “Taste the bread of heaven and the Cup of life - and you will see how good the Lord is.”

When Communion is completed, the priest enters the altar and blesses the people at the conclusion of the service. The last litany follows, in which we thank God for the communion of the immortal, heavenly and life-giving terrible Mysteries of Christ, and the last prayer, the so-called. “behind the pulpit” is a prayer that sums up the meaning of this service. After it, the priest pronounces the dismissal with a mention of the saints celebrated today, and this is, first of all, the Venerable Mother Mary of Egypt and St. Gregory the Dvoeslov, Pope of Rome, a saint of the still undivided Ancient Church, to whom the tradition of celebrating the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts goes back.

This will complete the service. I wish God’s help to all those gathered and I hope that today’s service, which has been constantly commented on, will help us all better understand the meaning and purpose of Orthodox worship, so that we have a desire in the future to more and more comprehend our Orthodox heritage, through meaningful participation in the service, through participation in the Sacraments of the Holy Church. Amen.

All-Night Vigil

All-night vigil, or all-night vigil, is a service that is performed in the evening on the eve of especially revered holidays. It consists of combining Vespers with Matins and the first hour, and both Vespers and Matins are performed more solemnly and with more lighting temple than on other days.

This service is called all-night vigil because in ancient times it began late in the evening and continued all night until dawn.

Then, out of condescension for the infirmities of the believers, they began to begin this service a little earlier and make cuts in reading and singing, and therefore it now ends not so late. The former name of its all-night vigil has been preserved.

Vespers

Vespers in its composition recalls and depicts the times of the Old Testament: the creation of the world, the fall of the first people, their expulsion from paradise, their repentance and prayer for salvation, then, people’s hope, according to God’s promise, in the Savior and, finally, the fulfillment of this promise.

Vespers, during the all-night vigil, begins with the opening of the royal doors. The priest and deacon silently incense the altar and the entire altar, and clouds of incense smoke fill the depths of the altar. This silent censing marks the beginning of the creation of the world. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth". The earth was formless and empty. And the Spirit of God hovered over the primeval matter of the earth, breathing life-giving power into it. But the creative word of God had not yet been heard.

But now, the priest, standing before the throne, glorifies the Creator and Maker of the world with his first exclamation - Holy Trinity: “Glory to the Holy and Consubstantial, and Life-Giving, and Indivisible Trinity, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.” Then he calls on the believers three times: “Come, let us worship our King God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Him.” For “all things came into being through Him (that is, to exist, to live), and without Him nothing came into being that was made” (John 1:3).

In response to this call, the choir solemnly sings the 103rd Psalm about the creation of the world, glorifying the wisdom of God: “Bless my soul the Lord! Blessed are you, Lord! Lord, my God, you have greatly exalted yourself (i.e., greatly) ... you have created all things with wisdom. Wonderful are Your works, O Lord! Glory to You, Lord, who created everything!

During this singing, the priest leaves the altar, walks among the people and censes the entire church and those praying, and the deacon precedes him with a candle in his hand.

Explanation of the All-Night Vigil
Everyday
This sacred rite reminds those praying not only of the creation of the world, but also of the initial, blissful, paradise life of the first people, when God Himself walked among people in paradise. The open royal doors signify that the doors of heaven were then open to all people.

But people, seduced by the devil, violated the will of God and sinned. By their fall, people lost their blissful heavenly life. They were expelled from paradise - and the doors of heaven were closed to them. As a sign of this, after censing is performed in the temple and at the end of the singing of the psalm, the royal doors are closed.

The deacon leaves the altar and stands in front of the closed royal doors, as Adam once did before the closed gates of heaven, and proclaims the great litany:

Let us pray to the Lord in peace
Let us pray to the Lord for peace from above and the salvation of our souls... Let us pray to the Lord, reconciling with all our neighbors, not having anger or enmity towards anyone.
Let us pray that the Lord will send us “from above” - heavenly peace and save our souls...
After the great litany and the exclamation of the priest, selected verses from the first three psalms are sung:

Blessed is the man who does not follow the counsel of the wicked.
For the Lord declares that the way of the righteous will perish, and the way of the wicked... Blessed is the man who does not take counsel with the wicked.
For the Lord knows the life of the righteous, and the life of the wicked will perish...
Then the deacon proclaims the small litany: “Let us pray again and again (again and again) in peace to the Lord...

After the small litany, the choir cries out in verses from psalms:

Lord, I called to You, hear me...
May my prayer be corrected like incense before You...
Hear me Lord... Lord! I appeal to You: hear me...
Let my prayer be directed like incense towards You...
Hear me, Lord!..
While singing these verses, the deacon censes the church.

This moment of worship, starting from the closing of the royal doors, in the petitions of the great litany and in the singing of psalms, depicts the plight that the human race was subjected to after the fall of the first parents, when along with sinfulness all kinds of needs, illnesses and suffering appeared. We cry to God: “Lord, have mercy!” We ask for peace and salvation of our souls. We lament that we listened to the wicked advice of the devil. We ask God for forgiveness of sins and deliverance from troubles, and we place all our hope in the mercy of God. The deacon's censing at this time signifies those sacrifices that were offered in the Old Testament, as well as our prayers offered to God.

To the singing of the Old Testament verses: “The Lord cried,” stichera are added, that is, New Testament hymns, in honor of the holiday.

The last stichera is called the Theotokos or dogmatist, since this stichera is sung in honor of the Mother of God and it sets out the dogma (the main teaching of the faith) about the incarnation of the Son of God from the Virgin Mary. On the twelfth holidays, instead of the Mother of God dogmatics, a special stichera is sung in honor of the holiday.

When singing the Mother of God (dogmatics), the royal doors open and the evening entrance takes place: the candle-bearer comes out of the altar through the northern doors, followed by a deacon with a censer, and then a priest. The priest stands on the ambo facing the royal doors, blesses the entrance in a cross shape, and, after the deacon pronounces the words: “Forgive wisdom!” (means: listen to the wisdom of the Lord, stand straight, stay awake), he enters, together with the deacon, through the royal doors into the altar and stands in the high place.

Evening entrance
At this time, the choir sings a song to the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ: “Quiet light, holy glory of the Immortal Father, Heavenly, Holy, Blessed, Jesus Christ! Having come to the west of the sun, having seen the evening light, we sing of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, God. You are worthy at all times to be a holy voice. Son of God, give life, so the world glorifies You. (The quiet light of the holy glory, the Immortal Father in heaven, Jesus Christ! Having reached the sunset of the sun, having seen the evening light, we glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit of God. You, the Son of God, the giver of life, are worthy to be sung at all times by the voices of the saints. Therefore the world glorifies You).

In this song-hymn, the Son of God is called a quiet light from the Heavenly Father, for He came to earth not in full Divine glory, but as a quiet light of this glory. This hymn says that only through the voices of the saints (and not our sinful lips) can a song worthy of Him be offered to Him and due glorification be performed.

The evening entrance reminds believers of how the Old Testament righteous, according to the promises of God, types and prophecies, expected the coming of the Savior of the world and how He appeared in the world for the salvation of the human race.

The censer with incense at the evening entrance means that our prayers, at the intercession of the Lord Savior, ascend like incense to God, and also signifies the presence of the Holy Spirit in the temple.

The cruciform blessing of the entrance means that through the cross of the Lord the doors of heaven are again opened to us.

After the song: “Quiet Light...” the prokeimenon is sung, that is, a short verse from the Holy Scriptures. At Sunday Vespers it is sung: “The Lord reigned, having clothed himself with beauty”, and on other days other verses are sung.

At the end of the singing of the prokeimna, on major holidays the paremias are read. Proverbs are selected passages of Holy Scripture that contain prophecies or indicate prototypes related to celebrated events, or teach instructions that seem to come from the person of those holy saints whose memory we commemorate.

After the prokemna and paremia, the deacon pronounces a special (i.e., intensified) litany: “With a recitation (let’s say, let’s say, let’s begin to pray) everything, with all our soul and with all our thoughts, with a recitation...”

Then the prayer is read: “Grant, Lord, that this evening we may be preserved without sin...”

After this prayer, the deacon pronounces a petitionary litany: “Let us fulfill (let us bring to fullness, offer in its entirety) our evening prayer to the Lord (Lord)…”

On major holidays, after a special and petitionary litany, a litany and blessing of the loaves are performed.

Litia, a Greek word, means communal prayer. Litiya is performed in the western part of the temple, near the western entrance doors. This prayer in the ancient church was performed in the narthex, with the purpose of giving the catechumens and penitents standing here the opportunity to take part in the general prayer on the occasion of the great holiday.

Lithium
Following the litia, there is a blessing and consecration of five loaves, wheat, wine and oil, also in memory of the ancient custom of distributing food to those praying, who sometimes came from afar, so that they could refresh themselves during a long service. The five loaves are blessed in remembrance of the Savior's feeding of the five thousand with five loaves. The priest then, during Matins, after kissing the festive icon, anoints the worshipers with consecrated oil (olive oil).

After the litia, and if it is not performed, then after the litany of petition, “stichera on verse” are sung. This is the name given to special poems written in memory of a remembered event.

Vespers ends with the reading of the prayer of St. Simeon the God-Receiver: “Now you are releasing Your servant, O Master, according to Your word in peace: for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people, light for the revelation of tongues, and the glory of Your people Israel,” then reading the Trisagion and the Lord’s Prayer : “Our Father...”, singing the Angelic greeting to the Theotokos: “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...” or the troparion of the holiday and, finally, singing the prayer of righteous Job three times: “Blessed be the name of the Lord from now on and forever,” the final blessing of the priest: “Blessing The Lord’s grace and love for mankind be upon you always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.”

End of Vespers - prayer of St. Simeon the God-Receiver and the Angelic greeting to the Theotokos (Theotokos, Virgin, Rejoice) - indicate the fulfillment of God's promise about the Savior.

Immediately after the end of Vespers, during the All-Night Vigil, Matins begins with the reading of the Six Psalms.

Matins

The second part of the all-night vigil - Matins reminds us of New Testament times: the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ into the world for our salvation, and His glorious Resurrection.

The beginning of Matins directly points us to the Nativity of Christ. It begins with a doxology of the angels who appeared to the Bethlehem shepherds: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Then the sixth psalm is read, that is, six selected psalms of King David (3, 37, 62, 87, 102 and 142), which depict the sinful state of people, filled with troubles and misfortunes, and fervently express the only hope people expect for God’s mercy. Worshipers listen to the Six Psalms with special concentrated reverence.

After the Six Psalms, the deacon pronounces the Great Litany.

Then a short song with verses about the appearance of Jesus Christ in the world to people is sung loudly and joyfully: “God is the Lord and has appeared to us, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” i.e. God is Lord, and has appeared to us, and is worthy of glorification, going to the glory of the Lord.

After this, a troparion is sung, i.e., a song in honor of a holiday or a celebrated saint, and kathismas are read, i.e., individual parts of the Psalter, consisting of several consecutive psalms. The reading of kathismas, as well as the reading of the Six Psalms, calls us to think about our disastrous sinful state and place all hope in the mercy and help of God. Kathisma means sitting, since one can sit while reading kathisma.

At the end of the kathisma, the deacon pronounces the small litany, and then the polyeleos is performed. Polyeleos is a Greek word and means “much mercy” or “much illumination.”

The polyeleos is the most solemn part of the all-night vigil and expresses the glorification of God’s mercy shown to us in the coming of the Son of God to earth and His accomplishment of the work of our salvation from the power of the devil and death.

Polyeleos begins with the solemn singing of verses of praise:

Praise the name of the Lord, praise the servants of the Lord. Hallelujah!

Blessed be the Lord of Zion, who dwelleth in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

Confess to the Lord that He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Hallelujah!

that is, glorify the Lord, because He is good, because His mercy (towards people) endures forever.

When these verses are chanted, all the lamps in the temple are lit, the royal doors are opened, and the priest, preceded by a deacon with a candle, leaves the altar and burns incense throughout the entire temple, as a sign of reverence for God and His saints.

Polyeleos
After singing these verses, special Sunday troparia are sung on Sundays; that is, joyful songs in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, which tell how angels appeared to the myrrh-bearers who came to the tomb of the Savior and announced to them about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

On other great holidays, instead of Sunday troparions, a magnification is sung before the icon of the holiday, that is, a short verse of praise in honor of a holiday or saint. (We magnify you, Father Nicholas, and honor your holy memory, for you pray for us, Christ our God)

Greatness
After the Sunday troparions, or after the magnification, the deacon recites the small litany, then the prokeimenon, and the priest reads the Gospel.

At the Sunday service, the Gospel is read about the Resurrection of Christ and about the appearances of the risen Christ to His disciples, and on other holidays the Gospel is read, relating to the celebrated event or to the glorification of the saint.

Reading the Gospel
After reading the Gospel, in the Sunday service a solemn song is sung in honor of the risen Lord: “Having seen the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless one. We worship Your Cross, O Christ, and we sing and glorify Your holy resurrection: for You are our God; Do we know (except) You otherwise; we call Your name. Come, all the faithful, let us worship the Holy Resurrection of Christ. Behold, for joy has come to the whole world through the cross, always blessing the Lord, we sing His resurrection: having endured crucifixion, destroy death by death.”

The Gospel is brought to the middle of the temple, and the believers venerate it. On other holidays, believers venerate the holiday icon. The priest anoints them with blessed oil and distributes consecrated bread.

After singing: “The Resurrection of Christ: a few more short prayers are sung. Then the deacon reads the prayer: “Save, O God, Thy people”... and after the priest’s exclamation: “By mercy and bounty”... the canon begins to be sung.

A canon at Matins is a collection of songs compiled according to a certain rule. “Canon” is a Greek word that means “rule.”

Reading the canon
The canon is divided into nine parts (songs). The first verse of each song that is sung is called irmos, which means connection. These irmos seem to bind the entire composition of the canon into one whole. The remaining verses of each part (song) are mostly read and called troparia. The second hymn of the canon, as a penitential hymn, is performed only during Lent.

Particular efforts were made in composing these songs: St. John of Damascus, Cosmas of Mayum, Andrew of Crete (the great canon of repentance) and many others. At the same time, they were invariably guided by certain chants and prayers of sacred persons, namely: the prophet Moses (for 1 and 2 irmos), the prophetess Anna, the mother of Samuel (for the 3rd irmos), the prophet Habakkuk (for 4 irmos), the prophet Isaiah (for 5 Irmos), the prophet Jonah (for the 6th Irmos), the three youths (for the 7th and 8th Irmos) and the priest Zechariah, father of John the Baptist (for the 9th Irmos).

Before the ninth Irmos, the deacon exclaims: “Let us exalt the Mother of God and the Mother of Light in song!” and burns incense at the temple.

At this time, the choir sings the song of the Theotokos: “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior... Each verse is joined by a refrain: “The most honorable cherub and the most glorious without comparison seraphim, who without corruption gave birth to God the Word, the real Mother of God, we magnify Thee.”

At the end of the song of the Mother of God, the choir continues singing the canon (9th song).

The following can be said about the general content of the canon. Irmoses remind believers of Old Testament times and events from the history of our salvation and gradually bring our thoughts closer to the event of the Nativity of Christ. The troparia of the canon are dedicated to New Testament events and represent a series of poems or chants in honor of the Lord and the Mother of God, as well as in honor of the event being celebrated, or the saint glorified on this day.

After the canon, psalms of praise are sung - stichera on praises - in which all God's creations are called to glorify the Lord: “Let every breath praise the Lord...”

After the singing of psalms of praise there follows a great doxology. The royal doors open during the singing of the last stichera (on the Resurrection of the Theotokos) and the priest proclaims: “Glory to Thee, who showed us the light!” (In ancient times, this exclamation preceded the appearance of the solar dawn).

The choir sings a great doxology, which begins with the words: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we bow down, we praise Thee, we thank Thee, great for the sake of Thy glory...”

In the “great doxology” we thank God for the light of day and for the gift of spiritual Light, that is, Christ the Savior, who enlightened people with His teaching - the light of truth.

The “Great Doxology” ends with the singing of the Trisagion: “Holy God...” and the troparion of the holiday.

After this, the deacon pronounces two litanies in a row: a strict one and a petitionary one.

Matins at the all-night vigil ends with dismissal - the priest, addressing the worshipers, says: “Christ our true God (and in the Sunday service: Risen from the dead, Christ our true God...), with the prayers of His Most Pure Mother, the glorious saints, the Apostle... and all the saints, He will have mercy and save us, for he is good and a lover of mankind.”

In conclusion, the choir sings a prayer that the Lord will preserve for many years the Orthodox Bishopric, the ruling bishop and all Orthodox Christians.

Immediately after this, the last part of the all-night vigil begins - the first hour.

The service of the first hour consists of reading psalms and prayers, in which we ask God to “hear our voice in the morning” and correct the works of our hands throughout the day. The service of the 1st hour ends with a victorious song in honor of the Mother of God: “To the chosen Voivode, victorious, for having been delivered from the evil, let us sing thanksgiving to Thy servants, the Mother of God. But as you have an invincible power, free us from all troubles, so we call You: Rejoice, unbridelike Bride.” In this song we call the Mother of God “the victorious leader against evil.” Then the priest pronounces the dismissal of the 1st hour. This ends the all-night vigil.

Divine services are an integral part of church life. Orthodox churches are erected for their sake.

The services that take place in the Church are not just a religious act and ritual, but spiritual life itself: especially the Sacrament of the Liturgy. The services are varied, but despite all the diversity they are subject to a fairly clear system.

What services are held in the Church? We tell you the most important things you need to know.

Divine service in the Church of the Three Saints in Paris. Photo: patriarchia.ru

Services in the Church

The liturgical life of the Church consists of three cycles:

• Year circle: where the central holiday is Easter.
• Weekly circle: where the main day is Sunday
• And the daily cycle: in which the central service is the Liturgy.

Actually, the most important thing you need to know about the services is that with all their diversity, the main thing is the Liturgy. It is for her sake that the entire daily cycle exists, and all the services that take place in the temple are “preparatory” for it. (“Preparatory” does not mean secondary, but means that they prepare a Christian for the main thing that can be in his spiritual life - Communion.)

Externally, the services differ from each other in a more or less solemn appearance. For example, the entire priestly rank that is in the temple or monastery, as well as the choir, takes part in the Liturgy. And in the service of the “hours” (essentially, the reading of prayers and certain psalms) there is only a reader and a priest, who at this moment is hidden in the altar.

What services are held in the Church?

The daily cycle of services in the Orthodox Church consists of nine services. Now they are conventionally divided into evening and morning (they take place in churches in the morning or evening, uniting as if into a single evening or morning service), but initially, once upon a time, they were evenly distributed throughout the whole day and night.

At the same time, at the beginning of the day Church tradition It is considered 6 o'clock in the evening. That is why those who are preparing for Communion need to be present at evening services the day before - so that the entire church day will be illuminated by the upcoming Sacrament.

The sacrament of the Liturgy and communion are the center of the entire liturgical circle in the Church. Photo: patriarchia.ru

Today, the liturgical cycle has acquired the following form. (In its full form, it takes place, as a rule, only in monastery churches.)

Evening services:

• 9th hour
• Vespers
• Compline
• Matins
  • (on the eve of High Holidays or on Saturday evening evening services unite in All-Night Vigil)
• 1st hour

Morning services:

• Midnight Office
• 3rd and 6th hours
• Liturgy

In “parish” churches the circle is usually reduced to the following services:

In the evening: Vespers, Matins
In the morning: Hours and Divine Liturgy

Ideally, Liturgy in any church should take place every day - since worship is not a ritual, but the Breath of the temple. However, in parishes where there is only one priest or not many parishioners, services are held less frequently. At a minimum: on Sundays and...

What are the requirements in the Church?

Requirements are an integral part of church life. These are services that do not have a clear schedule and are served according to need. In particular:

• Prayer service. Congregational prayers on a variety of occasions at various times (and not only in church). For example, a prayer service before important event, or about warriors, or about peace, or about rain in case of a merciless drought. In some churches, prayer services are held regularly on certain days.
• Baptism.
• Funeral service for the deceased.
• Memorial service: prayer for the ever departed.

Read this and other posts in our group at

Public worship, or, as people say, church services, is the main thing for which our churches are intended. Every day the Orthodox Church holds evening, morning and afternoon services in churches. Each of these services consists in turn of three types of services, collectively combined into a daily cycle of services:

vespers - from the 9th hour, vespers and compline;

morning - from midnight office, matins and 1st hour;

daytime - from the 3rd hour, 6th hour and Divine Liturgy.

Thus, the entire daily circle consists of nine services.

In Orthodox worship, much is borrowed from the worship of Old Testament times. For example, the beginning of a new day is considered not midnight, but six o’clock in the evening. That is why the first service of the daily cycle is Vespers.

At Vespers, the Church remembers the main events of the sacred history of the Old Testament: the creation of the world by God, the fall of the first parents, the Mosaic legislation and the ministry of the prophets. Christians give thanks to the Lord for the day they have lived.

After Vespers, according to the Church Rules, Compline is supposed to be served. In a certain sense, these are public prayers for the sleep of the future, in which the descent of Christ into hell and the liberation of the righteous from the power of the devil are remembered.

At midnight, the third service of the daily cycle is supposed to be performed - the Midnight Office. This service was established to remind Christians of the Second Coming of the Savior and the Last Judgment.

Before sunrise, Matins is served - one of the longest services. It is dedicated to the events of the earthly life of the Savior and contains many prayers of both repentance and gratitude.

At about seven o'clock in the morning they perform the 1st hour. This is the name of the short service at which the Orthodox Church remembers the presence of Jesus Christ at the trial of the high priest Caiaphas.

The 3rd hour (nine o’clock in the morning) is served in remembrance of the events that took place in the Upper Room of Zion, where the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles, and in Pilate’s Praetorium, where the Savior was sentenced to death.

The 6th hour (noon) is the time of the Lord’s crucifixion, and the 9th hour (three o’clock in the afternoon) is the time of His death on the cross. The above-mentioned services are dedicated to these events.

The main divine service of the Orthodox Church, a kind of center of the daily circle, is the Divine Liturgy. Unlike other services, the liturgy provides an opportunity not only to remember God and the entire earthly life of the Savior, but also to actually unite with Him in the sacrament of Communion, established by the Lord Himself during the Last Supper. According to the time, the liturgy should be performed between the 6th and 9th hour, before noon, in the pre-dinner time, which is why it is also called mass.

Modern liturgical practice has brought its own changes to the regulations of the Charter. Thus, in parish churches, Compline is celebrated only during Lent, and the Midnight Office is celebrated once a year, on the eve of Easter. The 9th hour is extremely rarely served. The remaining six services of the daily circle are combined into two groups of three services.

In the evening, Vespers, Matins and the 1st hour are performed in succession. On the eve of Sundays and holidays, these services are combined into one service called the all-night vigil. In ancient times, Christians actually often prayed until dawn, that is, they stayed awake throughout the night. Modern all-night vigils last two to four hours in parishes and three to six hours in monasteries.

In the morning, the 3rd hour, the 6th hour and the Divine Liturgy are served successively. In churches with large congregations, there are two liturgies on Sundays and holidays - early and late. Both are preceded by reading the hours.

On those days when there is no liturgy (for example, on Friday of Holy Week), a short sequence of pictorial ones is performed. This service consists of some chants of the liturgy and, as it were, “depicts” it. But visual arts do not have the status of an independent service.

Divine services also include the performance of all sacraments, rituals, reading of akathists in church, community readings of morning and evening prayers, rules for Holy Communion.