Divine Liturgy text with explanations. Consecration or Transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts. Abridged Great Litany

Divine Liturgy

The most important worship is Divine Liturgy. On it the great Sacrament is performed - the change of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord and the Communion of the faithful. Liturgy in Greek means joint work. Believers gather in the temple in order to glorify God together with “one mouth and one heart” and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Thus, they follow the example of the holy apostles and the Lord Himself, who, having gathered for the Last Supper on the eve of the Savior’s betrayal and suffering on the Cross, drank from the Chalice 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 the Eucharist (Greek). The public service at which the Eucharist is celebrated is called the liturgy (from the Greek litos - public and ergon - service, business). Liturgy is sometimes called mass, since it is usually supposed to be performed 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 faithful prepare for the Sacrament, and finally, the Sacrament itself and the Communion of the faithful 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 proskomidia means bringing. 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 to celebrate 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 two natures in Christ - Divine and human. Prosphora is baked from leavened wheat bread without any additions except salt.

A cross is imprinted on the upper part of the prosphora, and at its corners the initial letters of the name of the Savior: "IC XC" and the Greek word "NI KA", which together means: Jesus Christ wins. To perform the Sacrament, red grape wine is used, pure, without any additives. Wine is mixed with water in remembrance of the fact that blood and water poured out from the wound of the Savior on the Cross. For proskomidia, five prosphora 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 perform the entrance prayers in front of the closed Royal Doors and put on sacred clothes in the altar, they approach the altar. The priest takes the first (lamb) prosphora and makes a copy 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. She is placed on the diskos. Then the priest cross-cuts the Lamb from the underside and pierces its right side with a spear.

After that, 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 the nine-fold, because nine particles are taken out of it in honor of John the Baptist, prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, reverends, unmercenaries, Joachim and Anna - the parents of the Mother of God and the saints of the temple, daytime saints, and also in honor of the saint whose name the liturgy is performed.

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

At the proskomedia, particles are also removed from the prosphora, which are served by believers for the repose and health of relatives and friends.

All these particles are laid out in a special order on the diskos next to the Lamb. Having finished all the preparations for the celebration of the Liturgy, the priest puts an asterisk on the diskos, 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 offered. During the proskomidia in the temple, the 3rd and 6th hours are read.

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, but also those preparing to receive this sacrament, that is, the “catechumens” can be present.

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 of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever." The chanters sing "Amen" and the deacon pronounces the Great Litany.

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

Blessed are you, Lord
Bless, O my soul, the Lord and all my inner being, His holy name. Bless, my soul, the Lord
And do not forget all His rewards: He who cleanses all your iniquities, He who heals all your diseases,
who delivers your life from corruption, who crowns you with mercy and bounty, who fulfills your desire in good things: your youth will be renewed like an eagle. Merciful and merciful, Lord. Long-suffering and merciful. Bless, O my soul, the Lord and all my inner name, His holy name. Blessed be the Lord

and “Praise, my soul, the Lord…”.
Praise, my soul, the Lord. I will praise the Lord in my stomach; I will sing to my God while I am.
Do not rely on princes, on the sons of men, in them there is no salvation. His spirit will go out and return to his own land, and in that day all his thoughts will perish. Blessed is the God of Jacob his helper, his hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them; who keeps the truth forever, who executes judgment on the offended, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord will decide the fettered; The Lord makes the blind wise; The Lord raises up the downtrodden; The Lord loves the righteous;
The Lord guards the aliens, he will accept the orphan and the widow, and the path of sinners will be destroyed.

At the end of the second antiphon, the song "Only Begotten Son ..." is sung. This song contains the entire teaching of the Church about Jesus Christ.

The only-begotten Son and the Word of God, He is immortal, and deigning our salvation for the sake of becoming incarnate
from the Holy Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, immutably incarnated, crucified for us, Christ God, trampling death by death, the One of the Holy Trinity, glorified by the Father and the Holy Spirit,
save us.

In Russian, it sounds like this: “Save us, the Only-begotten Son and the Word of God, the Immortal, who deigned for our salvation to incarnate from the Holy Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, who became a man and did not change, crucified and corrected 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 for the Small Entrance.

Remember us in Your Kingdom, O Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for those are the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who weep, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the mercies, for they will have mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed exile for the sake of righteousness, for those are the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are you, when they reproach you, and spit you out, and speak every evil word against you, lying for My sake.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is many in heaven.

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

The entrance to the altar of the clergy 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 at the preaching of Jesus Christ. The choir sings “Come, let us worship and fall down to Christ. Save us, Son of God, risen from the dead, singing to Ty: Alleluia. After that, 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 (thrice). (Listen 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, the relatives and friends of those praying in the church of the faithful are commemorated of the dead by notes.

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

Liturgy of the Faithful. This is the name of the third part of the liturgy. It can be attended only by the faithful, that is, those who are baptized and who do not have 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 take communion;
5) then thanksgiving is done for Communion and dismissal.

After the pronunciation of two short litanies, the Cherubim Hymn is sung: “Even the Cherubim secretly form and sing the Trisagion Hymn to the Life-Giving Trinity, now let us lay aside all worldly care. As if we would raise the King of all, angelic invisibly gifted chinmi. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia." In Russian, it reads as follows: “We, mysteriously portraying the Cherubim and singing the thrice-sacred song to the Trinity, which gives life, will now leave the care of everything worldly in order to glorify the King of all, Whom the invisibly angelic ranks solemnly glorify. Alleluia."

Before the Cherubic Hymn, the Royal Doors open and the deacon performs incense. The priest at this time secretly prays that the Lord would cleanse his soul and heart and deign to perform the Sacrament. Then the priest, raising his hands, in an undertone utters the first part of the Cherubic Hymn three times, 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 Chalice in front of him. They leave the altar through the northern side doors, stop at the pulpit, and, facing the faithful, say a prayer for the Patriarch, the bishops, and for all Orthodox Christians.

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

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

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

The Gifts brought are placed on the throne and covered with air (a large cover), the Royal Doors are closed and the veil is drawn. The chanters complete the Cherubic Hymn. During the transfer of the Gifts from the altar to the throne, believers remember how the Lord voluntarily went to suffering and death on the cross. 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 exclaimed: “Let us love one another, that we confess with one mind” and the choir continues: “Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinity Consubstantial and Inseparable.”

Following this, usually the whole temple, the Creed is sung. On behalf of the Church, it briefly expresses the whole essence of our faith, and therefore must be pronounced in joint love and unanimity.

Symbol of faith
I believe in the One God, the Almighty Father, the 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 from the Father before all ages. Light from light, true God from true God, born uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, Whom all was. For us, man, and for our salvation, he descended from heaven, and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human. Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, And suffering, and buried. And resurrected on the third day according to the scriptures. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And the packs of the future with glory to judge the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord of Life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son is worshiped with the glorious, who spoke the prophets. Into one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come. Amen.

After singing the Creed, the time comes to bring the “Holy Exaltation” with the fear of God and without fail “in peace”, without having malice or enmity against anyone.

"Let's become good, let's stand with fear, let's pay attention, bring the holy exaltation in the world." In response to this, the choir sings: "The grace of the world, the sacrifice of praise."

The gifts of the world will be a thankful and laudatory sacrifice to God for all His good deeds. 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 to our hearts,” that is, we will have hearts aspiring upward, to God. To this, the singers on behalf of the believers answer: “Imams to the Lord”, that is, we already have hearts aspiring to the Lord.

With the words of the priest, “We thank the Lord” begins main part liturgy. We thank the Lord for all His mercies and make a prostration, and the singers sing: “It is worthy and righteous to worship the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity of the Consubstantial Inseparable.”

At this time, the priest in the prayer, which is called the Eucharistic (that is, thanksgiving), glorifies the Lord and His perfection, thanks Him for the creation and redemption of man, and for all His graces 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, crying, crying and speaking the song of victory.” The priest speaks these last words of the secret prayer aloud. The singers add to them the angelic song: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Hosts, fulfill (that is, filled) heaven and earth with Thy 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 goes) in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!"

The priest pronounces the exclamation: "Singing the victorious song, crying out, calling out 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 various images: one was in the form of an eagle (the word “singing” refers to it), the other in the form of a calf (“cryingly”) , the third in the form of a lion (“calling”) and, finally, the fourth in the form of a man (“verbal”). These four angels continually exclaimed: "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 infinite love for His creation, which was manifested 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 is broken for you for the remission of sins.” And also: “Drink from her all, 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 commandment of the Savior to take Communion, glorifies His life, suffering and death, resurrection, ascension to heaven and the second coming in glory, loudly pronounces: These words mean: "Your gifts from Your servants we bring to You, 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, even Thy Most Holy Spirit at the third hour sent down by Thy apostles, Him, good, do not take away from us, but renew us, praying.” The deacon pronounces the twelfth and thirteenth verse of the 50th psalm: “Create a pure heart in me, O God…” and “Do not cast me away from Your presence….”. Then the priest blesses the Holy Lamb lying on the paten and says: “And make this bread, the precious Body of Thy Christ.”

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

The priest with the deacon and the faithful make prostration before the Holy Gifts, as to the King and God himself. After the consecration of the Gifts, the priest in secret prayer asks the Lord that those who partake will be strengthened in every good thing, that their sins will be forgiven, that they will partake of the Holy Spirit and reach the Kingdom of Heaven, that the Lord will allow them to turn to Himself with their needs and not condemn them for unworthy communion. The priest remembers the saints and especially the Blessed Virgin Mary and loudly proclaims: “Fairly (that is, especially) about the Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary”, and the choir responds with a song of praise:
It is worthy to eat, as truly bless Thee, the Mother of God, the Blessed and Immaculate and Mother of our God. The most honest Cherubim and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, without the corruption of God the Word, who gave birth to the real Mother of God, we magnify You.

The priest continues to secretly pray for the dead and, moving on to praying for the living, loudly commemorates His Holiness the Patriarch, the ruling diocesan bishop, “in the first place”, 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 give us with one mouth and one heart (that is, with one accord) to glorify and sing of Your most honorable and magnificent name, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever and ever.”

Finally, the priest blesses all those present: "And may the mercies of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ be with you all."
A petitionary litany begins: “All the saints who have remembered, again and again, let us pray to the Lord in peace.” That is, having remembered all the saints, let us again pray to the Lord. After the litany, the priest proclaims: “And vouchsafe us, Vladyka, with boldness (boldly, as children ask their father) to dare (to dare) to call upon you the Heavenly God the Father and speak.”

The prayer “Our Father…” is usually sung after this by the whole temple.

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

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

At the exclamation of the deacon: “Let us attend,” the veil of the Royal Doors twitch in remembrance of the stone that was nailed 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, to believers who have sanctified themselves through prayer, fasting, the Sacrament of Repentance. And, realizing their unworthiness, believers answer: "There is one holy, one Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father."

First, the clergy take communion in the altar. The priest breaks the Lamb into four parts as it was incised on the proskomedia. The part with the inscription “IC” is lowered into the bowl, and heat is poured into it, that is hot water, 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 “XC” 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 with a copy according to the number of those who take communion into small parts, which are lowered into the Chalice.

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

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

The priest reads a prayer before Holy Communion, and the faithful repeat it to themselves: “I believe, Lord, and I 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 Honorable Blood. I pray to Thee: have mercy on me and forgive my sins, voluntary and involuntary, even in word, even in deed, even in knowledge and ignorance, and make me worthy to partake without condemnation of Your Most Pure Mysteries, for the remission of sins and eternal life. Amen. Thy secret supper today, Son of God, accept me as a partaker, not for Thy enemy we will sing a secret, nor will I kiss Thee, like Judas, but, like a thief, I confess Thee: remember me, Lord, in Thy Kingdom. May the communion of Your Holy Mysteries, O Lord, not be for judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body.

The communicants make a prostration and, folding their hands crosswise on their chests (the right hand over the left), reverently approach the cup, calling the priest their Christian name given at baptism. There is no need to be baptized in front of the cup, because you can push it with a careless movement. The choir sings “Take the body of Christ, taste the source of the immortal”.

After communion, they kiss the lower edge of the Holy Chalice and go to the table, where they drink warmth (church wine mixed with hot water) and get a particle of prosphora. This is done so that not a single smallest particle of the Holy Gifts remains in the mouth and so as not to immediately proceed to the usual everyday food. After everyone takes communion, the priest brings the cup into the altar and lowers into it the particles taken out of the service and brought prosphora with a prayer that the Lord would wash away the sins of all those who were commemorated at the liturgy with His Blood.

Then he blesses the believers, who sing: “We have seen the true light, we have received the Spirit of heaven, we have gained the true faith, we worship the indivisible Trinity: She has saved us.”

The deacon transfers the diskos to the altar, and the priest, taking the Holy Chalice in his hands, blesses the worshipers with it. This last appearance of the Holy Gifts before being transferred to the altar reminds us of the Ascension of the Lord into heaven after His Resurrection. Bowing for the last time to the Holy Gifts, as to the Lord Himself, the faithful thank Him for Communion, and the choir sings a song of thanksgiving: “May our lips be filled with Your praise, Lord, as if we sing Your glory, as if You made us worthy to partake of Your Holy Divine, immortal and life-giving Mysteries; keep us about Your holiness, all day long learn from Your righteousness. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia."

The deacon pronounces a short litany in which he thanks the Lord for Communion. The priest, having risen to the Holy See, folds the antimension on which stood the chalice and diskos, and places the altar Gospel on it.

By proclaiming loudly “Let us go in peace,” he shows that the liturgy is ending, and soon the faithful can go home quietly and in peace.

Then the priest reads the prayer behind the ambo (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 inheritance, preserve the fulfillment of Thy Church, sanctify those who love the splendor of Thy house, You glorify those who are Divine Thy strength and do not leave us who trust in You. Grant peace to Thy world, to Thy Churches, to the priest and to all Thy people. As every gift is good and every gift is perfect from above, descend from Thee, the Father of lights. And we send glory to you, and thanksgiving, and worship, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever.

The choir sings: "Be the name of the Lord blessed from now on and forever."

The priest blesses the worshipers for the last time and pronounces dismissal with a cross in his hand facing the temple. Then everyone approaches the cross in order to kiss it to confirm their fidelity to Christ, in whose remembrance the Divine Liturgy was celebrated.

Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

This is a divine service, which is predominantly performed on the days of special abstinence and extreme fasting: Wednesday and Friday during all the days of the Holy Forty Day.

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

During Great Lent, following the church charter, on Wednesdays and Fridays, complete abstinence from food is required until sunset. These days of especially intense physical and spiritual feat are consecrated with 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, this understanding of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts as evening communion has practically been lost today, and therefore this service is celebrated everywhere, predominantly 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 forever and forever and ever!”, the same as at the Liturgy of John Chrysostom or Basil the Great; thus, the entire liturgy is directed towards the hope of the Kingdom, it is that spiritual expectation that determines the entire Great Lent.

Then, as usual, follows the reading of Psalm 103 "Bless, my soul, the Lord!" The priest reads the prayers of the lamp, in which he asks the Lord to "fill our lips with praise ... in order to magnify the holy name" of the Lord, "for the rest of this day, avoid various wiles of the evil one", "spend the rest of the day immaculately before the holy Glory" Lord.

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 we, in the peace of our souls, must begin our prayers. First, to reconcile 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 in the performance of divine services, calls the people to prayer. And all of us, answering “Lord, have mercy!”, Should take part in common prayer, because the very word "Liturgy" means a common service.

Everyone praying in the temple is not a passive spectator, but a participant in the Divine Service. The deacon calls us to prayer, the priest, on behalf of all those gathered in the church, makes a prayer, and all of us together are participants in the service.

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 Kathisma 18, which consists of psalms (119-133), called "songs of ascent." They were sung on the steps of the Jerusalem temple, climbing them; it was the song of people gathering to pray, preparing to meet God.

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

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

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

Then the second part of the reading of kathisma 18, during which the priest performs a triple incense of the throne with the Holy Gifts and prostration before the throne. The "small" litany is again pronounced, during which the priest reads a prayer:

“Lord our God, remember us, Thy sinful and indecent servants ... 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 ringing a bell, after which all those gathered, noting the importance and holiness of this moment, should kneel down. After the transfer of the Holy Gifts to the altar, the bell rings again, which means you can already rise from your knees.

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

The choir begins singing verses from Psalms 140 and 141: “Lord, I cry to Thee, hear me!” and the stichera laid down for that day.

Stichera- These are liturgical poetic texts that reflect the essence of the celebrated day. During this singing, the deacon burns the altar and the entire church incense. Burning is a symbol of our prayers to God. During the singing of the stichera for "And now," the clergy make a solemn entrance. The primate reads a prayer:

“In the evening, as in the morning and at noon, we praise, bless you and pray to you ... do not let our hearts deviate to words or evil thoughts ... deliver us from all those who trap our souls ... all glory, honor and worship befits you, the Father and the Son and Holy Spirit."

The clergy go out to the salt (elevation in front of the entrance to the altar), and the Primate blesses the Holy Entrance with the words: “Blessed is the entrance of Your saints, always now and ever and forever and ever!” The deacon, drawing the holy cross with a censer, says “Wisdom, forgive!” "Forgive" means "let's stand straight, reverently."

In the Ancient Church, when the service was much longer than today, those gathered in the temple sat, getting up in a special important points. The diaconal exclamation, calling to stand erect and reverent, reminds us of the importance and holiness of the Entrance being made. The choir sings the ancient liturgical hymn "Quiet Light".

The clergy enter the holy altar and ascend to the high place. At this point, we will make a special stop in order to explain the next steps. I wish all of us to meaningfully take part in the ongoing worship.

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

Now the time has come for the singing of a special prokeimenon. A prokimen is a verse from Holy Scripture, most often from the Psalter. For the prokimen, the verse is chosen especially 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 got its name from the fact that it precedes the reading from the Holy Scriptures.

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

During the reading of 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 the audience and, blessing them, says: “The Light of Christ enlightens everyone!” The candle is a symbol of Christ, the Light of the world. Lighting a candle while reading the Old Testament means that all the prophecies were fulfilled in Christ. The Old Testament leads to Christ just as Great Lent leads to the enlightenment of the catechumens. The light of baptism, which unites the catechumens with Christ, opens their minds to understand the teachings of Christ.

According to the established tradition, at this moment all those gathered kneel down, about which they are warned by the ringing of a bell. After the words are spoken by the priest, the ringing of the bell reminds you that you can get up from your knees.

The second passage from the Holy Scriptures from the book of Proverbs of Solomon follows, which will also be read in Russian translation. After the second reading from the Old Testament, according to the instructions of the charter, the singing of five verses from the evening 140 psalm is supposed, beginning with the verse: “May my prayer be corrected, like a censer before you”

In those days, when the Liturgy had not yet acquired today's solemnity and simply consisted of communion after vespers, these verses were sung during communion. Now they form an excellent penitential introduction to the second part of the service, i.e. to the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts itself. During the singing of “May it be corrected…”, all those gathered lie on their faces, and the priest, standing at the throne, censes it, and then the altar, on which the Holy Gifts are located.

At the end of the singing, the priest says a prayer that accompanies all Lenten services, the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian. This prayer, which is accompanied by bows to the ground, sets us up for a correct understanding of our fasting, which consists not only 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, or on other occasions indicated by the charter, readings of the apostolic epistle and a passage from the Gospel are required. Today, such a reading is not required by the charter, which means that it will not happen. Before the special litany, we will make one more stop in order to better understand the further course of the service. Help everyone Lord!

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 a special litany will be proclaimed by the deacon, when you and I must intensify our prayers. During the pronunciation of this litany, the priest prays that the Lord accepted our fervent prayers and sent down on His people, i.e. on us, all gathered in the temple, expecting from him inexhaustible mercy, His rich bounties.

There is no commemoration by name 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.

Great Lent- this is just the time of intensive preparation for Baptism, which was usually performed on Great Saturday or Easter. Those who were preparing to receive the Sacrament of Baptism attended special categorical classes, at which they were explained the basics of the Orthodox faith, so that their future life in the Church would be meaningful. The catechumens also attended divine services, in particular the Liturgy, at which they could attend until the litany for the catechumens. During its pronunciation, the deacon calls on all the faithful, i.e. permanent members of the Orthodox community, to pray for the catechumens, so that the Lord would have mercy on them, pronounce 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 that He deliver them (i.e., the catechumens) from the ancient seduction and wiles of the enemy ... and join them to the spiritual flock of Christ.

From the middle of Lent, another litany about the “enlightened” is added, i.e. already "ready for enlightenment". The period of a long catechumen is coming to an end, which in the Ancient Church could have lasted for several years, and the catechumens are moving 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 would strengthen them in faith, confirm them in hope, perfect them in love ... and show them as worthy members of the Body of Christ.

Then the deacon says that all the catechumens, all who are preparing for enlightenment, should leave the church. Now only the faithful can pray in the temple; only baptized Orthodox Christians. After the removal of the catechumens, the reading of two prayers of the faithful follows.

In the first we ask for the purification of the soul, body and our senses, the second prayer prepares us for the transfer of the Presanctified Gifts. Then comes the solemn moment of the transfer of the Holy Gifts to the throne. Outwardly, this entrance is similar to the Great Entrance at the Liturgy, but in essence and spiritual significance, of course, it is 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 sanctified, is transferred.”

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

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

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

After that, the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian is pronounced with three bows. The transfer of the Holy Gifts has been completed, and very soon the moment of Holy Communion of the clergy and all those 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. Help everyone Lord!

After the Great Entrance
Beloved in the Lord, brothers and sisters! The solemn transfer of the Holy Gifts to the throne has taken place, and now we have come very close to the very moment of Holy Communion. Now the deacon will pronounce a pleading litany, and the priest at this time prays that the Lord will deliver us and His faithful people from all impurity, sanctify the souls and bodies of all of us, so that with a clear conscience, an unshamed face, an enlightened heart ... we will be united with Your Christ Himself our true God.

This is followed by the Lord's Prayer "Our Father", which always completes our preparation for Communion. 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 the world, the deacon calls on all of us to bow our heads before the Lord, and at this time the prayer of head bowing is read, where the priest, on behalf of all those gathered, asks the Lord to save His people and deign us all to partake of His life-giving Sacraments.

Then follows the exclamation of the deacon - "Let's go," i.e. let us be attentive, and the priest, touching the Holy Gifts with his hand, exclaims: “The Pre-Consecrated Saint - 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 who have 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 comes for the communion of the clergy.

After they take 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. Help everyone Lord!

Before communion parishioners
Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord! The ancient Church did not know any other reason for participating in the Liturgy, except for the communion of the Holy Gifts on it. Today, this Eucharistic feeling, unfortunately, has 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 now we know that Orthodox worship, and especially the Liturgy, is not just a prayer “about something”, it is our participation in the sacrifice of Christ, this is our joint prayer, common 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 temple. We often do not even suspect that this is our prayer, this is also our participation in the Sacrament.

Participation in worship should, of course, be conscious. It is always necessary to strive to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ during the service. 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 that Body, part of the Church. And in order not to 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.

We very often, embarking on the path of spiritual development, 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 taking communion, then nothing will ever work out for us.

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

Now the very moment has come when all who wish 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 carefully to them. Approaching the Chalice, you need to fold your arms crosswise on your chest and clearly pronounce your Christian name, and, after taking communion, kiss the edge of the Chalice and go to drink.

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

When Communion is over, 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 Christ's Mysteries, and the last prayer, the so-called. “beyond the ambo” is a prayer that sums up the meaning of this divine service. After it, the priest pronounces dismissal with a mention of the saints celebrated today, and these are, first of all, the Reverend Mother Mary of Egypt and St. Gregory the Dialogist, 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 all those present God's help and hope that today's service, which has been constantly commented on, will help all of us to better understand the meaning and purpose of Orthodox worship, so that we will have a desire to further comprehend our Orthodox heritage more and more, through meaningful participation in worship, through participation in the Sacraments of the Holy Church. Amen.

All-night Vigil

All-night vigil, or all-night service, is called such a service that takes place on the evening before especially revered public holidays. It consists of a combination of Vespers with Matins and the first hour, and both Vespers and Matins are celebrated more solemnly and with greater illumination of the church than on other days.

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

Then, out of indulgence for the infirmities of the believers, they began to start this service a little earlier and make shortenings in reading and singing, and therefore it does not end so late now. 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, the hope of people, according to the promise of God, 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 the deacon silently cense the altar and the whole altar, and clouds of censer smoke fill the depth of the altar. This silent incense 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 has not yet been heard.

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

In response to this invocation, 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, thou hast exalted zealously (i.e., very much) ... thou hast created all wisdom. Wonderful are thy works, Lord! Glory to Thee, Lord, who created everything!

During this singing, the priest leaves the altar, passes among the people and burns the whole temple and the worshipers, and the deacon precedes him with a candle in his hand.

Explanation of the All-Night Vigil
Incense
This sacred rite reminds those who pray not only of the creation of the world, but also of the original, blissful, paradise life of the first people, when God Himself walked among people in paradise. The open royal doors signify that at that time the doors of paradise were open to all people.

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

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

Let's pray to the Lord in peace
For heavenly peace and the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord... Let us pray to the Lord, reconciled with all our neighbors, having no anger or enmity against anyone.
Let us pray that the Lord sends down to us “above” - heavenly peace and saves 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 go to the counsel of the wicked.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked will perish... Blessed is the man who does not go to 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 a small litany: “Pack and pack (again and again) let us pray to the Lord in peace…

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

Lord, I call to You, hear me...
May my prayer be corrected, like a censer before You ...
Hear me Lord... Lord! I call to you: hear me ...
Let my prayer be directed like incense incense to Thee...
Hear me, Lord!
During the singing of these verses, the deacon burns the temple incense.

This moment of worship, starting from the closing of the royal doors, in the petitions of the great litany and in the singing of the psalms, depicts the plight that the human race underwent after the fall of the forefathers, when, along with sinfulness, all sorts of needs, illnesses and sufferings appeared. We cry out to God: “Lord, have mercy!” We ask for peace and the salvation of our souls. We lament that we have obeyed the ungodly counsel of the devil. We ask God for forgiveness of sins and deliverance from troubles, and we place all our hope on the mercy of God. Deacon burning at this time means 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: “Lord, I have called:” are joined by stichera, that is, New Testament hymns, in honor of the holiday.

The last stichera is called the theotokion or dogmatic, 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 Feasts, instead of the theotokos-dogmatics, a special stichera is sung in honor of the feast.

During the singing of the Theotokos (dogmatics), the royal doors open and an evening entrance is made: a priest-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 pulpit facing the royal doors, blesses the entrance crosswise, and, after the deacon utters the words: “forgive wisdom!” (meaning: listen to the wisdom of the Lord, stand upright, stay awake), enters, together with the deacon, through the royal doors into the altar and stands on a high place.

Evening entrance
The choir at this time 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 setting of the sun, having seen the evening light, let us sing of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, God. Thou art worthy at all times not to be the voices of the reverend. Son of God, give life, the same world praises You. (Quiet light of holy glory, the Immortal Father in heaven, Jesus Christ! Having reached sunset, seeing the evening light, we sing of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit of God. You, the Son of God, who gives life, are worthy to be sung at all times by the voices of the reverends. Therefore, the world glorifies You).

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

The evening entrance reminds believers of how the Old Testament righteous, according to the promise of God, the 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.

A censer with incense, at the evening entrance, means that our prayers, at the intercession of the Lord Savior, like incense, ascend to God, and also means 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 paradise are again opened to us.

After the song: “Quiet light…” a prokeimenon is sung, i.e. a short verse from the Holy Scriptures. At Sunday Vespers it is sung: “The Lord has reigned, clothed in splendor (i.e., beauty),” and on other days other verses are sung.

At the end of the singing of the prokimen, proverbs are read on major holidays. Paremias are called chosen places of Holy Scripture, which contain prophecies or indicate prototypes related to the events being celebrated, or instructions are given that come as if from the face of those saints whose memory we commemorate.

After the prokeimon and paroemia, the deacon pronounces a special (i.e., intensified) litany:

Then a prayer is read: “Vouchee, Lord, in this evening, without sin, be preserved for us ...”

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

On major feasts, after the special and petitionary litany, the litia and the blessing of the loaves are performed.

Lithia, a Greek word, means common prayer. Litiya is performed in the western part of the temple, near the entrance western doors. This prayer in the ancient church was performed in the vestibule, with the aim of giving the catechumens and penitents who stood here the opportunity to take part in the common prayer on the occasion of the great feast.

lithium
Litiya is followed by the blessing and consecration of five loaves of bread, 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 feeding the five thousand with five loaves. consecrated oil ( olive oil) the priest then, during Matins, after kissing the festive icon, anoints the worshipers.

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

Vespers ends with the reading of the prayer of St. Simeon the God-bearer: “Now release Thy servant, Master, according to Thy word in peace: as my eyes have seen Thy salvation, if Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, light for the revelation of tongues, and the glory of Thy people Israel”, then by reading the Trisagion and the Lord’s Prayer : “Our Father ...”, singing the Angelic greeting to the Theotokos: “Our Virgin Mary, rejoice ...” or the troparion of the holiday and, finally, by singing the prayer of the righteous Job three times: “Be the name of the Lord blessed from now on and forever”, the final blessing of the priest: “Blessing The Lord's grace and love of mankind is upon you - always, now and forever, and forever and ever.

End of Vespers - Prayer of St. Simeon the God-Receiver and the Angelic greeting to the Theotokos (Our Lady, Virgin, rejoice) - point to 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 the times of the New Testament: 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 the doxology of the angels who appeared to the Bethlehem shepherds: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men."

Then the Six Psalms are read, i.e. the six selected psalms of King David (3, 37, 62, 87, 102 and 142), in which the sinful state of people, full of troubles and misfortunes, is depicted, and the only hope expected by people in God's mercy is fervently expressed. The 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, is sung loudly and joyfully about the appearance of Jesus Christ into the world to people: “God the Lord and appear to us, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” i.e. God is the Lord, and he appeared to us, and he who goes to the glory of the Lord is worthy of glorification.

After that, a troparion is sung, that is, a song in honor of a holiday or a saint being celebrated, and kathismas are read, that is, separate parts of the Psalter, consisting of several successive psalms. Reading kathisma, just like reading the Six Psalms, calls us to think about our disastrous sinful state and put all our hope in God's mercy and help. Kathisma means sitting, since one can sit while reading kathisma.

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

The Polyeleos is the most solemn part of the Vespers and expresses the glorification of the mercy of God revealed 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.

The Polyeleos begins with the solemn singing of laudatory verses:

Praise the name of the Lord, praise the servant of the Lord. Alleluia!

Blessed be the Lord from Zion, who lives in Jerusalem. Alleluia!

Confess to the Lord, for it is good, for His mercy is forever. Alleluia!

i.e. glorify the Lord, because He is good, because His mercy (to people) is forever.

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

Polyeleos
After singing these verses, special Sunday troparia are sung on Sundays; i.e. joyful songs in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, which say how angels appeared to the myrrh-bearing women 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 laudatory verse in honor of the holiday or saint. (We magnify you, Saint Father Nicholas, and honor your holy memory, for you pray for us Christ our God)

magnificence
After Sunday troparia, or after magnification, the deacon pronounces a 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 event being celebrated or to the glorification of the saint.

Gospel Reading
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 Thy Cross, O Christ, and we sing and glorify Thy holy Resurrection: Thou art our God; unless (except) you know no other, we call your name. Come, all faithful, let us worship the Holy Resurrection of Christ. Behold (here) for the joy of the whole world has come by the cross, always blessing the Lord, we sing of His resurrection: for having endured the crucifixion, destroy death with death.

The gospel is brought to the middle of the temple, and the faithful venerate it. On other holidays, believers venerate the festive 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 exclamation of the priest: “By mercy and bounty”… the singing of the canon begins.

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

Canon Reading
The canon is divided into nine parts (song). The first verse of each song that is sung is called irmos, which means connection. These irmos, as it were, 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 ode of the canon, as penitential, is performed only in Great Lent.

In compiling these songs, especially worked: St. John of Damascus, Cosmas of Mayum, Andrew of Crete (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 1st and 2nd irmos), the prophetess Anna, the mother of Samuel (for the 3rd irmos), the prophet Habakkuk (for the 4th irmos), the prophet Isaiah (for 5 irmos), the prophet Jonah (for the 6 irmos), three youths (for the 7th and 8th irmos) and the priest Zechariah, Father John the Baptist (for the 9th irmos).

Before the ninth irmos, the deacon proclaims: “Let us exalt the Theotokos and Mother of Light in songs!” and burns the temple incense.

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 honest cherub and the most glorious seraphim without comparison, without the corruption of God the Word, who gave birth to the real Mother of God, we magnify Thee.”

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

The following can be said about the general content of the canon. Irmos remind believers of the 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 troparions of the canon are dedicated to New Testament events and represent a series of verses or hymns to the glory of the Lord and the Mother of God, as well as in honor of the celebrated event, 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 laudatory psalms, a great doxology follows. The Royal Doors open with the singing of the last stichera (the Mother of God on Sunday) 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 towards men. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we bow down, we praise Thee, we give thanks to Thee, great for the sake of Thy glory…”

In the “great doxology” we thank God for daylight 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 feast.

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

Matins at the All-Night Vigil ends with a dismissal - the priest, turning to those who pray, says: “Christ our true God (and on Sunday service: Risen from the dead, Christ our true God ...), with the prayers of His most pure Mother, the saints glorious apostle... and all the saints, have mercy and save us, for he is good and philanthropist.”

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

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

The service of the first hour consists of the reading of psalms and prayers in which we ask God to “hear our voice in the morning” and correct the work of our hands in the course of the day. The service of the 1st hour ends with a victorious song in honor of the Mother of God: But as if you have an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call Thee: rejoice, Unbridened 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 concludes the all-night vigil.

Services in the Russian Orthodox Church are celebrated according to the Jerusalem Rule adopted one and a half thousand years ago. The charter specifies the order or succession liturgies, vespers, matins and small services of the daily circle. In general, this is a complex system, the deep knowledge of which is available only to professionals. But the Church recommends that every Christian study the main stages of worship in order to discover the spiritual wealth accumulated over the centuries.

Word "liturgy" means a common service, a gathering of believers for the sake of meeting with God. This is the most important Christian service, when the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ takes place. "We are involved in the supernatural”, - this is what St. John of Damascus says about this.

For the first time the Liturgy was served by Christ Himself on the eve of the sufferings. Having gathered in the upper room for a festive meal, His disciples prepared everything for the performance of the Passover rites, then accepted among the Jews. These rituals were symbolic, reminding the participants of the meal about the liberation from Egyptian slavery. But when the rite of the Easter meal was fulfilled by Christ, the symbols and prophecies turned into into fulfilled divine promises: man became free from sin and regained heavenly bliss.

Thus, originating from the ancient Jewish rite, the Christian liturgy in general terms resembles its following, and the entire daily circle of services, starting with Vespers, is a preparation for its celebration.

In modern church practice, the liturgy is a morning (by time of day) service. In the ancient church, it was performed at night, which still happens today on the days of the great holidays of Christmas and Easter.

Development of the liturgical rite

The order of the first Christian liturgies was simple and resembled a friendly meal, accompanied by prayer and remembrance of Christ. But it soon became necessary to distinguish the liturgy from ordinary dinner parties in order to inspire the faithful with reverence for the Sacrament being performed. Gradually, in addition to the psalms of David, it included hymns composed by Christian authors.

With the spread of Christianity to the east and west, worship services began to acquire national features of the people who adopted the new faith. The liturgies began to differ from each other so much that it took the decisions of the councils of bishops to establish a single succession.

Currently, there are 4 main liturgical rites compiled by the Holy Fathers and performed in the Orthodox Church:

• - is performed daily, excluding the statutory days of the Liturgy of Basil the Great, and during the Lenten Triodion - on Saturdays and Palm Sunday.
• Basil the Great- 10 times a year: on the day of the author's memory, both Christmas Eve, 5 times during Fortecost and 2 - on Holy Week.
• Gregory the Dialogist or the Presanctified Gifts- served during Great Lent on weekdays.
• Apostle James the Greek- takes place in some Russian parishes on the day of the memory of the Apostle.

In addition to the listed liturgies, there are special rites in the Ethiopian, Coptic (Egyptian), Armenian and Syrian churches. The rites of the Liturgies are found in the Catholic West, as well as among the Catholics of the Eastern Rite. In general terms, all liturgies are similar to each other.

The rite composed by St. John Chrysostom, has been used in the practice of the Church since the 5th century. In time, it is younger than the creation of Basil the Great. For the parishioner, the liturgies of both authors are similar and differ only in time. The Liturgy of Saint Basil is longer because of the length of the secret priestly prayers. Contemporaries of John Chrysostom argued that the shorter rank was composed by him out of love for the common people, who are weary of long services.

The abbreviated following of John Chrysostom quickly spread throughout Byzantium and eventually developed into the order of the most famous Divine Liturgy. The text with explanations given below will help the laity understand the meaning of the main points of the service, and the choir singers and readers - to avoid common mistakes.

Liturgy usually starts at 8-9 am, the hours three and six are read in front of her, reminiscent of the trial at Pilate and the crucifixion of Christ. When the hours are read on the kliros, a proskomedia is performed in the altar. The serving priest prepared from the evening, reading a long rule, in order to take over the throne the next day.

The divine service begins with the exclamation of the priest “Blessed is the Kingdom…”, and after the answer of the choir, the Great Litany immediately follows. Then antiphons begin - pictorial, festive or everyday.

Antiphons Figurative

Bless, my soul, the Lord.

Small Litany:

Praise, my soul, the Lord.

The first two hymns symbolize the prayer and hope of the Old Testament man, the third - the sermon of the appeared Christ. Before the Blessed Ones, the song “Only Begotten Son” sounds, the authorship of which is attributed to Emperor Justinian (VI century). This moment of the service is reminiscent of the Nativity of the Savior.

Antiphon III, 12 Beatitudes:

Remember us in Your Kingdom, O Lord...

The Rule suggests interspersing the verses of the beatitudes with the troparia of the canons read at Matins. For each category of service, its own number of troparia is required:

• sixfold - from "Blessed are the peacemakers" to 6;
• polyeleos or vigil to the saint - by 8, with "Blessed are the merciful";
• Sunday - by 10, with "Blessed are the meeks."

In churches with daily liturgy on weekdays, you can hear the Daily Antiphons. The texts of these hymns are verses from psalms, interspersed with a refrain dedicated to the Lord and the Mother of God. There are also three daily antiphons, they are of more ancient origin. Over time, they are increasingly replaced by Fine.

On the days of the Lord's feasts, the Festive antiphons sound, similar in structure to everyday ones. These texts can be found in the Menaion and Triodion, at the end of the feast service.

small entrance

From this moment begins the Liturgy itself. Priests under the singing of the entrance verse "Come, let's bow..." enter the altar with the Gospel, that is, with Christ Himself. The saints march invisibly behind them, so immediately after the opening verse the choir sings the troparia and kontakia to the saints, laid down according to the Rule.

Trisagion

The singing of the Trisagion was introduced in the 6th century. According to legend, this song was first heard by a young resident of Constantinople performed by an angelic choir. At this time, the city suffered from a strong earthquake. The assembled people began to repeat the words heard by the youth, and the elements subsided. If the previous input verse "Come let us worship" referred only to Christ, then the Trisagion is sung to the Holy Trinity.

Prokeimenon and reading of the Apostle

The order of reading the Apostle at the Liturgy is regulated by the Charter and depends on the category, connection of services and festive periods. When preparing readings, it is more convenient to use the church calendar or the "liturgical instructions" for the current year. And also prokeimnes with alliluaries are given in appendix to the Apostle in several sections:

With a careful study of the composition of the book of the Apostle, the preparation of the readings will take a little time. There can be no more than two prokimns, and no more than three readings.

The sequence of proclamations at the reading of the Apostle:

• Deacon: Let's go.
• Priest: Peace to all.
• Reader of the Apostle: And your spirit. Prokimen voice ... (voice and text of the prokimen)
• Chorus: prokimen.
• Reader: verse.
• Chorus: prokimen.
• Reader: the first half of the prokimen.
• Chorus: the prokeimenon sings.
• Deacon: Wisdom.

The reader proclaims the name of the apostolic reading. It is important to pronounce the inscriptions correctly:

• Acts of the Saints Apostle reading.
• Cathedral Epistle of Petrov (Jacoblya) reading.
• To the Corinthians (Jews, Timothy, Titus) of the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul reading.

Deacon: listen (listen!)

It is recommended to read the text in a singsong voice, gradually increasing intonation in order to end the reading on a high note. If the charter prescribes two readings, then at the end of the first, the reader returns the last syllable to a low note. The text from the Acts begins with the words "In the days of Ona", the Epistles of the Council - "Brethren", messages to one person - "Child Tita" or "Child Timothy."

Priest: peace to the one who honors!

Reader: and your spirit.

Hallelujah and Gospel Reading

Despite the fact that after the Apostle the reader immediately pronounces Hallelujah, this exclamation does not complete the reading of the Apostle, but is a prokeimenon to the Gospel. Therefore, in the ancient liturgies, the Alleluia was said by the priest. Order:

• Deacon: Wisdom.
• Reader: Hallelujah (3 times).
• Chorus: hallelujah repeats.
• Reader: Alliluary verse.
• Choir: hallelujah (3 p.)

After the second verse of the Alliluary, he goes to the altar, holding the closed book of the Apostle over his head. At this time, the deacon, placing a lectern in front of the Royal Doors, sets up the liturgical Gospel vertically on it.

Statutory exclamations follow priest and deacon before reading the Gospel.

Deacon: Bless, master, the evangelizer of the holy apostle and evangelist Matthew (John, Luke, Mark).

The name of the Evangelist is pronounced in the genitive case, since the blessing is requested not for the author of the Gospel, but for the deacon.

The gospel is read like the Apostle, beginning with the words “At the time it is” or “The Lord spoke to His disciple,” depending on the plot. At the end of the reading, the priest blesses the deacon with the words " peace to you, who proclaims the gospel!"Unlike the words addressed to the reader of the Apostle -" reverent". After the final chant Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee” the priest’s sermon may follow, explaining what he heard.

The word "double" means "double". This name comes from the double appeal to the mercy of God at the beginning of the litany, as well as the fervent prayer of the faithful. Usually two special litanies are pronounced - congratulatory and requiem. At this moment, in modern practice, there is a reading of notes with names filed "for mass". Special petitions can be inserted for travelers, sick people, etc.

With the exception of the first two petitions of the healthy litany, the choir responds to each petition with three “Lord, have mercy.”

Litany for the catechumens and the faithful

A series of brief petitions - a prayer for those preparing for baptism. According to ancient tradition, they could not attend the main part of the liturgy - the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts. After listening to the introductory part - the Liturgy of the catechumens - all the unbaptized left the church.

In our time, announcement period is short or absent altogether. Therefore, the litany should be understood as a reminder of ancient piety and a serious attitude towards the Church Sacraments.

After the litany of the catechumens and their exodus, two more litanies follow, the first of which resembles the Great Litany in text. She begins the Liturgy of the faithful. In the wake of Ap. James, in this place, the solemn prokeimenon is pronounced “The Lord reigned in beauty, clothed”, in Chrysostom it was transferred to the proskomedia.

Cherubic Hymn, Great Entrance

The text of the Cherubim Hymn, which begins the Liturgy of the Faithful, is usually painted according to the notes. It is sung in a singsong voice because the priest and deacon should have enough time to burn incense, special prayer and the transfer of the prepared Holy Gifts (not yet connected Bread and Wine) from the altar to the throne. The path of the clergy passes through the pulpit, where they stop to pronounce commemorations.

Deacon: Let us love one another, but confess with unanimity.

Choir: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity Consubstantial and Indivisible.

In ancient times, with the exclamation of "Let us love ...", the parishioners kissed each other as a symbol of the unity of Christians in the image of the Holy Trinity. Men and women greeted each other separately, as they were in different parts of the temple to maintain decency. IN modern tradition kissing occurs only between the clergy at the altar.

Symbol of faith

The twelve verses of the Creed are sung by the entire congregation of Christians under the direction of a deacon. Thus, the faithful confirm their confession and agreement with the dogmas of the Church. At this time, the priest fans the Holy Gifts with a cover, which reminds of the imminent descent of the Holy Spirit and the coming miracle of their transformation into the Body and Blood of Christ.

Eucharistic canon

Deacon: Let's become good, let's become fearful...

Choir: The mercy of the world, The sacrifice of praise.

The texts of the Eucharistic canon for the choir are signed according to the notes for a drawn-out and touching singing. At this time, the main action of the liturgy takes place - the Transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts. Parishioners pray, standing motionless or on their knees. No walking or talking is allowed.

Worthy to eat and commemorate

The Eucharistic Canon is followed by a song dedicated to the Theotokos. In the order of John Chrysostom, this is “It is worthy to eat”, which on the days of the twelfth holidays is replaced by worthy. The texts of the meritors are given in the menaia on the day of the feast and represent the irmos of the ninth ode of the canon with a refrain.

During the performance of "It is worthy to eat" the priest commemorates the saints of the day and dead Christians.

Priest: First, Lord, remember...

Choir: And everyone and everything.

Preparing for Communion

After the Eucharistic Canon, a supplicatory litany is again heard, to which the nationwide singing of the Our Father joins. Christians pray with words commanded by the Lord Himself in order to soon begin Communion. The first to receive the Holy Gifts will be the clergy at the altar.

The exclamation “Holy to the Holy” follows, meaning that the Shrine is ready and is presented to the “saints”, in this case, to the parishioners preparing for communion. The choir responds on behalf of the people “One Holy Lord Jesus Christ…”, recognizing the unworthiness of even the most righteous person before God. This is followed by the chanting of the sacrament verse intended for the priests who receive the Gifts.

The texts of the communion verses are given in the menaia for each service, as well as in the appendix of the Apostle, after the prokeimons. There are only seven verses for each day of the week and special ones for the twelfth holidays.

In the modern tradition the pause during the communion of the priests is filled with a "concert" - the author's musical work on the theme of the day, which is performed by the choir. It is also appropriate to read the prayers for Communion in order to prepare the laity to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. Reading continues until the opening of the royal gates.

The deacon is the first to leave the holy gates, holding the Chalice with the Gifts in front of him. Laymen preparing for communion are allowed closer to the salt. They stand with their arms crossed over their chests, palms to their shoulders. After the deacon's exclamation, "Come with the fear of God and with faith!" the priest, who followed the deacon, reads one of the prayers for communion “I believe, Lord, and I confess…”, approaching the Chalice, the laity mentally read the troparion of the Great Thursday “Thy secret Supper…”.

Babies are brought in first, children are brought in. The men go next, the women last. Immediately after receiving the Holy Mysteries, the parishioners go to the table, on which a teapot with a drink is prepared. Zapivka - sweetish water, tinted with wine or juice, is used to swallow all the smallest particles of the Body and Blood of Christ.

At this moment, one must especially watch over small children so that they do not spit out the Holy Secrets. Dropping a Particle is a terrible sin of negligence. If this happens, it is necessary to inform the priest, who will take the measures prescribed in such cases by church rules.

During communion, the Easter communion verse is sung "Take the body of Christ, taste the source of the immortal." When the Chalice is taken to the altar, the choir repeats Hallelujah.

Here the priest leaves the altar and stands in front of the pulpit, from where he reads the “prayer beyond the pulpit”, praying on behalf of the people. This prayer was introduced into the liturgy after the time of St. John Chrysostom, when the custom of secret priestly prayers appeared.

It can be seen that all the prayers related to the Eucharistic canon are said secretly in the altar, the parishioners hear only the singing of the choir. Often this is a temptation for the curious, who want to hear and see everything that happens behind the iconostasis. The prayer behind the ambo is composed of fragments of secret prayers so that the laity have an idea of ​​what words are spoken by the priests.

The concealment of the most important part of the Liturgy - the Transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts - is symbolic. Neither the content of the prayers nor the actions of the clergy are in the Church "a secret for the uninitiated", but are performed behind the fence to emphasize the importance and incomprehensibility of the Eucharist.

Any Christian who seeks to study the faith has the opportunity to attend special liturgies, where pauses are made in the service to explain what is happening.

• Ep. Vissarion Nechaev "Explanation of the Divine Liturgy".
• John Chrysostom "Commentaries on the Divine Liturgy".
• A. I. Georgievsky. The service of the Divine Liturgy.

Psalm 33 and Let go

Under the song of the righteous Job, "Be blessed be the Name of the Lord from now on and forever," the priest again goes to the altar. In many churches, after this, they begin to sing the 33rd psalm, which teaches the believers guidance for the coming day. At this, the parishioners dismantle the antidoron taken out of the altar - a part of the service prosphora used to make the Lamb. All these actions remind believers of the ancient custom of the "meal of love" that was arranged by Christians after the Eucharist.

At the end of Psalm 33, the priest pronounces dismissal - a short prayer, where through the prayers of the Virgin and the saints of the day, divine mercy is requested for all the faithful. The choir responds with many years of "Our Great Lord and Father Cyril ...".

After the liturgy in many churches it is customary to serve a prayer service.

Texts for kliros

Literature on the observance and interpretation of the Liturgy, as well as hymn sheet music, can be purchased at specialized stores. It is convenient for the director of the choir and the readers to use the printed text containing the unchanging hymns of the evening and morning services, the liturgy and the all-night vigil. The texts for the kliros can be downloaded from the Azbuka.Ru portal.

It is noteworthy that many of those who attend divine services may not at all understand the meaning and deep meaning of the Divine Liturgy. The words spoken in the chant also remain misunderstood. A gap in this kind of knowledge deprives prayer of meaningfulness, therefore, when talking with God - our Heavenly Father - we must consciously approach this issue. Christians must understand the meaning of the words they hear and speak.

For many, going to church becomes almost a feat in the spiritual sense, because you have to wait a long time for your turn to confess, and then listen to the incomprehensible speeches of the churchman. In fact, when we come to the Church, we, in fact, find ourselves in the Upper Room of Zion, where we are waiting for our hour of spiritual purification.

You need to be ready for Orthodox worship, so that together with everyone, with one heart and mouth, we can sing the glory of the Lord. This article will reveal the meaning and give an explanation of this church service, tell about its origin, about what varieties there are, how they are performed, what is the order.

Divine Liturgy with explanations - download, listen online

There is also a wonderful lecture by Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev on the Divine Liturgy, in which a detailed explanation of the Orthodox rite is given in intelligible language and easy style (understandable even for dummies in this matter).

Lectures by Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev, replete with explanations, can be found in video and audio format, watched and listened to online, and also downloaded. Such materials are recommended for familiarization both to people starting their Orthodox path and to churchgoers.

The divine liturgy should not be confused with the funeral service, which is called requiem. This service differs in that it commemorates the dead, is served on the day of the death of the deceased, also on the 3rd, 9th, 40th day, and on every anniversary after death, on birthdays, name days.

A memorial service can be served both in church by a priest and at home by a layman. During this service, trusting in the mercy of God, the Lord asks for forgiveness of sins for the deceased and eternal life.

What is the liturgy in the church

This is the main Christian service, it is also called mass - the basis and center of the entire church world.

The purpose of this sacred tradition is to prepare for the sacrament of the Eucharist or Communion, which takes place at the close of the service.

The first Eucharist was celebrated by Jesus Christ on Maundy Thursday.

This is interesting: Maundy Thursday (otherwise Maundy Thursday, Holy Thursday) is the fourth day of Great Week. On this day, followers of the Christian faith remember the Last Supper. It was then that Jesus Christ performed the washing of the feet of the apostles and established the sacrament of Communion. Surrounded by his disciples, Christ blessed the bread, which is His Body, and the wine, which is His Blood, and said: “Take, eat: this is My Body” (Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19 ).

It is during this main church service that the dead are commemorated according to the notes “For the Repose” and about health according to the notes “On Health”, which are served by Christians. It is recommended to submit notes before the start of the service, and preferably in the evening - at the evening service.

Origin of the Orthodox Liturgy

As mentioned earlier, the Eucharist forms the basis of liturgical worship. In ancient Greece, there was such a thing as the Eucharist.

Translated from Greek into Russian, this word means "common cause." As history testifies, after the ascension of the Savior to heaven, the apostles, in remembrance of Him, broke bread.

In the future, the tradition was passed on to all followers of this religion. Christians, having accepted the teaching of the apostles, also began to perform this sacrament, and do so to this day.

The service itself has changed over time. If at first the liturgy was performed in the order that was established in the time of the Apostles (when communion was combined with meals, prayers and fellowship), then in modern realities the liturgy was separated from the meal and turned into an independent ritual. Sacred rites began to be held in churches and temples.

What are the liturgies

Liturgical rites vary depending on the venue. For example, in Israel, the rite of the Liturgy of the Apostle James was formed.

The essence and meaning of the various variants of the sacred rite are absolutely the same, and the difference lies in the prayer texts pronounced by the priests and priests.

I would like to note that in various churches two services are served at once - early and late. The first, as a rule, begins at about 7 o'clock in the morning, and the second - at 10 o'clock. Services are held in different aisles, different priests serve, confession takes place both at early and at late Mass.

This was done for the parishioners themselves - those who work can attend early services, as well as mothers and fathers of families can attend such services without children, and bring their household members to a late service. Thus, every believing Christian can enjoy prayerful communion with God.

Liturgy of the Apostle James

This rank refers to the Jerusalem type, compiled by the Apostle James. In the 1930s, the rank was also introduced in the Russian Orthodox Church, however, not in Russia, but abroad. After 40 years, this type of church service became widespread in the Moscow Patriarchate.

Today, divine services are performed in the Orthodox churches of our country several times a year.

The difference between this rite and others like it is the way the service is conducted for the laity. Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ takes place separately: first they partake of bread from the hands of a priest, and then from another minister they receive the Chalice of the Blood of Christ.

Such a service is performed on the day of remembrance of St. James - October 23, and is also served in the East and in some Russian churches.

Liturgy of the Apostle Mark

This rank belongs to the classical Alexandrian type. The features of worship in this case include conciseness, expressiveness, clarity.

Thanks to these qualities, the ceremony began to enjoy great popularity in several countries at once - at first it was performed in Alexandria, then in Egypt, and then in Italy, Armenia and Syria.

The conduct of the liturgy consists in the fact that first a procession of clergy is carried out (small entrance), then there are exclamatory prayers.

Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom

This is one of the three services performed in the Russian Orthodox Church, which include the liturgy of St. Basil the Great, on the basis of which the rite of John Chrysostom was compiled, and the liturgy of St. Gregory Dvoeslav.

Worship is carried out practically all year round, except for some special days.

Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great

Divine services are held 10 times a year, including Christmas and Epiphany.

The order of the service and the content of the service, with some exceptions, coincide with the previous rank.

Liturgy of Saint Gregory the Dialogist

This service is also called the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. This is explained by the fact that the Body and Blood are consecrated during this service, and then the parishioners and clergy take communion with them.

The Orthodox rite is performed on Wednesday and Friday of Great Lent.

The order of celebration of the full liturgy and its explanation

Before performing the main church service, the clergy must prepare themselves. Still not putting on any vestments, standing in the temple in front of the royal urats, the priests pray, reading the so-called "Entrance Prayers".

Then the ministers bow and kiss the icons of the Savior and the Mother of God and recite the troparia.

After that, the priests secretly pray in front of the gates so that the Lord would strengthen them for the upcoming service. Then they bow to each other, to the holy icons and to the people, and enter the altar.

The service lasts about two hours and takes place mainly in the morning. The duration, however, can be completely different, and in addition, services can be held even at night or in the evening.

As a rule, the ceremony is held on Sundays, as well as on holidays, on the days of the memory of the Saints and the celebration of icons. The whole ceremony of worship is a sequential series of actions, divided into several stages, having their own names and performed in accordance with certain rules.

The church service consists of three parts:

• proskomedia;
• the liturgy of the catechumens;
• liturgy of the faithful.

The Liturgy of St. Gregory the Dialogist does not belong to the full rites. The procedure and scheme for performing a full church service is as follows.

First, the clergy prepare the substance for the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist from bread and wine. Secondly, there is preparation for the Sacrament. And, thirdly, the Eucharist is celebrated, during which the Holy Gifts are consecrated, and Holy Communion of the participants in the service takes place.

Proskomedia

This is the first stage. The process consists in preparing and bringing the necessary attributes of worship - bread and wine. Proskomidia is performed on the altar during the reading of the hours (prayer blessings that sanctify a certain time of the day).

At the very beginning of the proskomedia, the ministers of the church put on a sacred robe and read the entrance prayers. Further, on the first prosphora, an image of a cross is made three times, a prayer is said. The middle is cut out of the prosphora in the form of a cube - the Lamb. It is placed on one of the liturgical vessels - paten.

Next, the priest pours wine into the chalice. Particles of five prosphora are placed on three sides. At the end, the clergyman covers the vessels with the Gifts with covers and "air" and asks God to bless the Gifts.

Liturgy of the catechumens

In ancient times, participation in church rites required serious long-term preparation. People had to study religious dogmas, attend church, but they had the right to read prayers during the church service only before bringing the Gifts from the altar to the throne.

First, prayer petitions are pronounced, psalms and troparia are sung. Further, the catechumens must leave the place of the Orthodox rite, since the main stage of the Divine Liturgy begins.

Liturgy of the Faithful

As soon as the call to the catechumens to leave the temple sounds, the third part of the service begins. Prayers are spoken, chants are sung. At the same time, the transfer of the Gifts to the throne takes place. This process was called the great move, which symbolizes the procession of the Savior to suffering and death.

Before the consecration of the Holy Gifts, a petitionary litany is pronounced. A litany is also pronounced, which prepares those present for communion, then the prayer "Our Father" is sung. Then comes the communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ to all those who prepared for this and received the blessing of the clergyman.

It is important to know: in order to become a participant in the great sacrament of Communion, believers must go through a liturgical fast and clear their conscience - do not eat or drink after 00 hours the day before and come to confession.

After the Chalice is brought to the altar, a short litany is said. At the end of the church service, the priest calls for a blessing on the worshipers, the parishioners kiss the cross, and prayers of thanksgiving are read.

Conclusion

Such is the essence and order of the Divine service. Everyone who considers himself a member of the Christian faith must know everything about the liturgy and understand the meaning of all actions in order to conduct a dialogue with God and make his faith truly meaningful.

The entire Liturgy consists of a mass of symbols. And how we understand them depends on our perception of worship.

Before you start interpreting the components of the Liturgy, you need to clearly understand for yourself the Orthodox understanding of the word "symbol". There are different interpretations of this term, but in this article we will proceed from the understanding of the symbol not only as a connection with the past, as a reminder of the events committed by Christ in His earthly life, but as a window into eternal life, giving the opportunity to touch the spiritual, non-material reality. Proceeding from this, the main function of the symbol is not to depict, which implies the absence of the depicted, but to reveal and attach to the manifested through the symbol, to attach believers to the symbolizing reality.

Why is the definition of this term so important? But because the entire Liturgy consists of a mass of symbols. And how we understand them depends on our perception of worship. For example, the Church is a symbol of the Kingdom of God, the earthly Eucharist is a symbol of the heavenly Eucharist celebrated in heaven, the Small Entrance to the Liturgy symbolizes the ascent to heaven. Such a perception of the symbol makes it possible for a person, being on earth, to touch the spiritual through material things, to see the heavenly in the earthly, the invisible in the visible. Otherwise, if a symbol is defined as a memory of past events, then, for example, the Small Entrance to the Liturgy will symbolize Christ's entrance to preach. But such an understanding is alien to Eastern Christianity and came to us "thanks" to the influence of Western theology in its time. Based on this understanding, a person will perceive the Liturgy as a “sacred drama”, where the whole story of salvation is played out from the Incarnation of Christ to His Ascension, will stand and only indifferently observe the actions of the priest at best. The Eastern understanding, on the other hand, presupposes the active, prayerful participation of every believer who is in the temple.

Let's move on to a direct interpretation of the Divine Liturgy, or rather, some of its parts.

The first exclamation at the Liturgy, "Blessed is the kingdom..." from the very beginning loudly proclaims to those present: the Kingdom of Heaven is already present to some extent among the faithful and that it is already being proclaimed after the coming of Christ (Mark 1:14-15). A realm that we have the opportunity to touch through prayer and service in the church, since this presence is manifested to the greatest extent precisely in the church during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. The position that the Kingdom of Heaven will come only at the end of the world and that it cannot be achieved by us now in any way contradicts the faith of the first Christians, who were convinced that the Kingdom of Heaven is already operating in the world.

What does it mean to "bless the kingdom"? This is the recognition of the highest and final value for Him, the proclamation of the beginning of the path of each of those present at the Liturgy to wandering, ascent to "other worlds." From this exclamation begins our path throughout the entire Liturgy to the heavenly Jerusalem, to the spiritual reality.

Great Litany:

“For peace from above and the salvation of our souls…” With this petition, we ask in the person of the deacon for peace from above, that is, for the Kingdom of God – “joy, peace and righteousness in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17);

“On the peace of the whole world…” – so that peace would be extended to all, so that all people would become partners in the Kingdom of God;

“For the well-being of all God’s Churches…” – we pray for the fidelity and firmness of all Christians in their positions, so that they do not betray the truth and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, each in his own place;

“On the union of all ...” - about the fact that all were one in one body of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 17:23);

About bishops, clergy, people, about the country, city, regions, about all people, about the abundance of earthly fruits and peaceful times - prayer embraces the whole world, all nature.
And the litany ends with a statement of the fact that we will give ourselves and each other to Christ God - we give our life to Christ, because He is our life, our salvation.

The small entrance with the Gospel symbolizes the ascent of the Church to heaven, where the Eucharist is celebrated.

It is necessary to realize that after the Small Entrance we are mysteriously present in front of the Holy One, in front of the very Heavenly Altar.

The exclamation “Peace to all”, pronounced several times during the Liturgy: before reading the Gospel, before kissing the world (before the Creed), before the Eucharist itself - reminds us every time that Christ himself (Peace is the name of Christ) leads our Eucharist because He Himself "brings and is offered, receives and is given", and that Christ is present with us during the Liturgy.

I would also like to draw your attention to the exclamation with which the third part of the Liturgy begins: “Bring back the trees, packs and packs, let us pray to the Lord in peace.” This exclamation reminds us that not only the priest serves for the laity, but the laity are in a passive state, but everyone present prays and actively participates in the service, constituting the One Body of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Holy Scripture, all Christians are called “the royal priesthood, the holy people…” (Peter 2:3) to be fellow-prayers to the ordained priesthood and to preach Christ in the world. By these titles every believer is called to the apostolate.

With the Great Entrance, during the singing of “The Cherubim,” the Eucharistic Offering begins, during which the Gifts are transferred from the altar to the throne.

In ancient times, the early Christian offering consisted in the fact that people, each one, if possible, brought either candles, or oil, or alms for the maintenance of the clergy, to help orphans, widows. In this way, the unity of the Church was formed, cemented by love and compassion for others, and the sacrifice of love was made. Performing a common service, everyone united in one thing, which made it easier, by common efforts, to achieve the set goal - entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. In our time, such a service is also possible and depends on the desire of believers to be united and serve together with the priesthood.

Eucharistic canon

The Eucharistic canon is the main part of the Liturgy, but in no way does it reject or level the previous hymns and prayers.

“Woe to our hearts” is the call of the Church to shake off all the gloom of the world, forget about all worries and turn the heart to heaven, but not to the visible heaven, but to that which is within us and in the midst of us, the heavenly, restored by our Savior. In this context, the words of John Chrysostom become clear: "What is the sky to me when I contemplate the Lord of the sky, when I myself become the sky."

“We thank the Lord…” – thanksgiving that God has already accomplished the salvation of the human race. Our expression of gratitude primarily consists in bringing that quality that is rightfully ours and depends only on our own efforts. This is an offering to God of Sacrificial Love, because, according to Maximus the Confessor, the Lord can transform all things, but the only thing he cannot do is make a person love, because Love is the highest manifestation of human freedom.

After the pronouncement of the sacramental formula and the blessing of the bread and wine by the priest, they are transmuted into the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, which he gave for slaughter during his earthly life in order to return to us the paradise lost by our forefathers. It is difficult to rationally explain how the transformation takes place, but Christians firmly believe that they do not partake of bread and wine during Communion, but the Body and Blood of the Lord Himself.

Thus, the fruits that we wish to receive in the service depend on the perception and understanding of the Liturgy. The service is not only a meeting of grandmothers, but an opportunity on earth to touch the heavenly realities, to connect with the sky. With a worthy communion of the very Body and Blood of Christ, we get a chance to become gods by grace, to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, which will become fully tangible only after the Second Coming of Christ for those who coordinate their life on earth with the commandments.

Priest Maxim Boychura

Liturgy is the main divine service of the Orthodox Church. It is served in the morning, on the day of the holiday: on Sunday or on some other holiday. Liturgy is always preceded by a service in the evening called the Vespers.

Ancient Christians gathered, read and sang prayers and psalms, read the Holy Scriptures, performed sacred actions and took Holy Communion. At first, the Liturgy was served as a keepsake. Because of this, there was a difference in the reading of prayers in different churches. In the fourth century the Liturgy was set down in writing by St. Basil the Great, and later by St. John Chrysostom. This Liturgy was based on the Liturgy of the Holy Apostle James, the first Bishop of Jerusalem. The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated in the Orthodox Church throughout the year, except for 10 days a year when the Liturgy of Basil the Great is celebrated.

1000 years ago, when the envoys of Prince Vladimir were in the Orthodox Church in Byzantium, they later said that they did not know where they were, in heaven or on earth. So these pagans were struck by the beauty and splendor of worship. Indeed, Orthodox worship is distinguished by its beauty, richness and depth. There is an opinion that a Russian person studied the Law of God and Christian life, not from the textbooks of the catechism, but from prayers and divine services - since they contain all theological sciences, as well as by reading the lives of the saints.

St. Righteous John of Kronstadt wrote a lot about the Liturgy. Here are his words: “Entering the church, ... you enter, as it were, into some kind of special world, unlike the visible ... In the world you see and hear everything earthly, transient, fragile, perishable, sinful ... In the temple you see and hear what is heavenly, imperishable, eternal, holy.” (“Heaven on earth, the teaching of St. Right. John of Kronstadt on the Divine Liturgy, compiled according to his creations by Archbishop Benjamin, p. 70).

The liturgy consists of three parts:

• Proskomedia
• Liturgy of the catechumens
• Liturgy of the Faithful.

The catechumens are those who are preparing to be baptized, and the faithful are already baptized Christians. Below is the table of contents of the Liturgy, followed by an overview and explanation of the main points.

Proskomedia

Liturgy of the catechumens:(201) Introductory exclamations; (202) Great Ektinya; (203) Psalm 102; (204) Little Ektinya; (205) Psalm 145; (206) Singing the hymn "Only Begotten Son and Word of God"; (207) Little Ektinya; (208) Singing of the Gospel Beatitudes; (209) Small Entrance with the Gospel; (210) Singing "Come let's worship"; (211) Troparion and Kontakion singing; (212) The exclamation of the deacon: "Lord, save the pious"; (213) Singing of the Trisagion; (214) Singing "Prokimen"; (215) Reading of the Apostle; (216) Reading of the Holy Gospel; (217) Deep Ektinya; (218) Prayer for the Salvation of Russia; (219) Ektinya for the dead; (220) Ektinya for the catechumens; (221) Ektinya with a command to the catechumens to leave the temple.

Liturgy of the Faithful:(301) Abridged Great Litany; (302) Cherubic Hymn (1st part); (303) Great entrance and transfer of the Holy Gifts; (304) Cherubic Hymn (2nd part); (305) Pleading Litany (1st); (306) Instillation by the deacon of peace, love and like-mindedness; (307) Singing the Creed; (308) "Let's become good"; (309) Eucharistic prayer; (310) Consecration of the Holy Gifts; (311) "It is worthy to eat"; (312) Commemoration of the living and the dead; (313) Suggestion by the priest of peace, love and unanimity; (314) Pleading Ektinya (2nd); (315) Singing "Our Father"; (316) Offering of the Holy Gifts; (317) Communion of the Priests; (318) Communion of the laity; (319) The exclamation "Save, O God, Thy people" and "We have seen the true light"; (320) "Let our lips be fulfilled"; (321) Thanksgiving Ektinya for communion; (322) Prayer beyond the ambo; (323) "Be the name of the Lord" and the 33rd Psalm; (324) The last blessing of the priest.

Short review and an explanation of the main points of Proskomedia:(100) this is the first part of the Liturgy. During the Proskomedia, the priest prepares bread and wine for the Sacrament of Communion. At the same time, the reader reads two short services called "3rd hour" and "6th hour". They consist mainly of reading psalms and prayers. There is no choir. This is the little known first part of the Liturgy.

Start with chorus:(201) The "Liturgy of the Catechumens" (the second part of the Liturgy) begins when the deacon, standing in front of the royal doors, exclaims Bless, master! The priest, at the altar, answers "Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever." To which the choir replies "Amen." Thus begins the Liturgy, or more precisely the second part of the Liturgy (the Liturgy of the catechumens).

Ektiny:(202) The litany is a special long prayer to God for our needs, which consists of many short prayers. The deacon or priest says short prayers at the end of which the words “let us pray to the Lord” or “we ask the Lord”, and the choir answers “Lord have mercy” or “give, Lord.” A distinctive part of not only the Liturgy, but also other church services, is a large number of prayers called Ektinyas. There are litanies: great, small, severe, petitionary, litanies of the catechumens, etc. In the Liturgy of the catechumens there are 7 litanies (202, 204, 207, 217, 219, 220, 221), and in the Liturgy of the Faithful there are 4 (301, 305, 314, 321).

Immediately after the initial exclamations follows, the Great (Peaceful) Ektinya, which begins with the exclamation of the deacon "Let us pray to the Lord in peace", and the answer of the choir "Lord, have mercy."

Psalms 102 and 145:(2.3,5) Psalms 102 and 145 are sung in chorus. They are called "pictorial" because they depict and describe the Lord God. Psalm 102 says that the Lord cleanses our sins, heals our diseases, and that He is generous, merciful and patient. It begins with the words: "Bless, O my soul, the Lord...". The 145th psalm says that the Lord created the sky, the earth, the sea and everything that is in them and keeps all the laws forever, that He protects the offended, feeds the hungry, frees the imprisoned, loves the righteous, protects travelers, protects orphans and widows, and sinners corrects. This psalm begins with the words: "Praise, my soul, the Lord: I will praise the Lord in my life; I will sing to my God as long as I am...".

Small entrance:(208, 209) The choir sings the Beatitudes ("Blessed are the poor in spirit,..."). The Christian doctrine of life is found in the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. The first, the Lord God gave Moses for the Jews, about 3250 years ago (1250 BC). Second, Jesus Christ gave in His famous "Sermon on the Mount" (Matthew 5-7), almost 2000 years ago. The Ten Commandments were given in Old Testament times to keep wild and rude people from evil. The Beatitudes were given to Christians who were already on a higher spiritual development. They show what spiritual dispositions one must have in order to draw closer, in one's own qualities, to God and acquire holiness, which is the highest happiness.

During the singing of the Beatitudes, the royal doors open, the priest takes the Holy Gospel from the throne, hands it to the deacon, and together with him leaves the altar through the northern doors and stands in front of the royal doors, facing the worshipers. Acolytes with candles walk in front of them and stand behind the pulpit, facing the priest. A candle in front of the Holy Gospel means that the Gospel teaching is a blessed light for people. This exit is called the "Small Entrance" and reminds those who pray of the sermon of Jesus Christ.

Troparion and kontakion:(211) Troparion and kontakion are short prayer songs dedicated to a holiday or a saint. Troparias and kontakia are Sunday, holidays or in honor of the saint. They are performed by the choir.

Reading of the Apostle and the Holy Gospel:(214, 215, 216) Before reading the Apostle and the Gospel, the deacon says "Prokimen". A prokeimenon is a verse which is said by either the reader or the deacon and which is repeated by the choir before the reading of the Apostle and the Gospel. Usually, the prokeimenon is taken from the Holy Scriptures (Bible) and it briefly expresses the meaning of the subsequent reading or service.

Holy Scripture is divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament describes events before the birth of Jesus Christ, and the New Testament after His birth. The New Testament is divided into "Gospel" and "Apostle". The "Gospel" describes the events from the birth of Jesus Christ to the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. These events were described by four evangelists; the same events, but each in its own way. Thus, there is the Gospel of the Holy Apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The events after the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles are described by different apostles in the "Apostle".

For every day of the year it is supposed to read a small passage from the "Apostle" and from the "Gospel". There are special tables on which these readings should be performed. When there are two holidays on the same day, say Sunday and some other holiday, then there are two readings; one for Sunday and the other for the holiday.

So, from the "Apostle" a passage is read that is set for this day - it is read in the middle of the church. Usually a reader reads, but any other God-loving Christian can read; man or woman. There is censing while reading. It depicts the joyful, fragrance-like spread of Christian preaching.

After reading the "Apostle", the "Gospel" is read, that is, an excerpt from the "Gospel". The deacon reads, and if he is not there, then the priest.

Which passage from the "Apostle" and "Gospel" is supposed to be read on what day can usually be found in Orthodox calendars. It is good to find out what the readings at the Liturgy will be and read them in advance from the Holy Scriptures.

Prayer for the salvation of Russia:(218) In all churches of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, this prayer has been read by the priest in the altar since 1921, for over 70 years. This prayer is a perfect example of Christian love. We are taught not only to love our family and relatives, but also all people, including our enemies. It contains the following touching words: “remember all our enemies who hate and offend us ...”, “The suffering Russian land from the fierce atheists and the power of their freedom ...” and “Give peace and silence, love and affirmation and soon reconciliation among your people...

"Jeh Cherubim" and the great entrance:(302, 303, 304) The Liturgy of the catechumens begins imperceptibly with the ektina (301). Right after the ektinyah, approximately in the middle of the service (at the beginning of the 3rd part), the choir sings “Who the Cherubim...” and the Great Entrance is performed. After the first part of the Cherubic Hymn, the priest and deacon leave the altar with the Holy Gifts through the northern doors and stand in front of the royal gates, facing the worshipers. In front of them go servants with candlesticks and stand behind the pulpit, facing the priest. The priest and the deacon prayerfully commemorate: Church government, civil authorities, the suffering Russian country, the clergy, all those persecuted for the Orthodox faith, the parish and all Orthodox Christians. After that, the priest and deacon return to the altar through the royal doors, and the servants through the southern doors, and the choir sings the second part of the Cherubic Hymn.

Symbol of faith:(307) The creed is the shortest definition of the Orthodox Christian faith. It consists of 12 parts (members). The Creed was approved at the 1st and 2nd Ecumenical Councils (325 and 381). Only the Orthodox Christians remained unchanged the Creed - Western Christians changed the 8th member. The creed is sung by the choir and each member is celebrated by striking the bell. In some churches, all worshipers sing it along with the choir. Before singing the Symbol, the deacon exclaims "Doors, doors, let us attend to wisdom." In our time, this means that we must close our “doors of the heart” from everything else and prepare to hear the “word of wisdom”. The creed begins with the words: "I believe in one God, Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible ...".

Consecration of the Holy Gifts:(309, 310) The most sacred part of the Liturgy, the consecration of the Holy Gifts, begins with the Eucharistic Prayer, when the choir sings "It is worthy and righteous to worship the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit ...". At this time, the bell is rung 12 times to mark the beginning of the consecration. Then the priest exclaims, "Yours from Yours offering to You about everyone and for everything." The choir answers, “We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You, Lord, and we pray to You, our God.” At the same time, the priest reads prayers to himself and then the consecration of the Holy Gifts takes place.

Our Father:(315) In His "Sermon on the Mount" (Matt. 5-7) Jesus Christ explained how to pray to God, saying the prayer "Our Father" for the first time (Matt. 6:9-13). This prayer is the most famous and most loved by all Christians. Since that time, it has been repeated by millions of believers throughout their lives, for nearly 2,000 years. In the textbooks of the Law of God, she is understood as a model of Christian prayer.

Communion:(317, 318) One of the highlights in Orthodox faith, this is what you need to live for good and not sin. In addition, you need to engage in spiritual self-education, expel evil, sinful thoughts, words and deeds from yourself; that is, gradually correct yourself and become better, kinder, more honest, etc. Orthodox Christians fast before major holidays. During fasting, he tries to move away from everything sinful and approach everything that is good and good. This mood is maintained by bodily fasting; removal from meat and animal food in general, as well as limiting oneself in food. Usually during Lent they confess and take communion. Fasting, confession and communion are called by the common word "fasting" and are spiritual cleansing. An Orthodox Christian fasts several times a year: before major holidays, before Angel Day, and on other significant days.

As the choir sings “Praise the Lord from heaven, praise Him in the highest. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia" the priest takes communion. After the communion of the priest, the royal doors are opened for the communion of the laity. The priest reads a prayer before communion and the communicants approach the Chalice and take the sacrament, and the choir sings: "Receive the Body of Christ ...". After communion, relatives and friends congratulate the person who received the sacrament with the words "Congratulations on communion."

Ammon Prayer:(322) The priest comes out of the altar and, descending from the pulpit to where the worshipers stand, reads the “Beyond the ambon” prayer. It contains an abbreviation of all the ektinyas that were read during the Divine Liturgy. The prayer begins with the words "Bless those who bless Thee, O Lord...".

End:(324) Before the very end of the Liturgy there is a sermon, usually on the theme of a read passage from the Gospel (216). Then follow the last exclamation of the priest “Risen from the dead, Christ our true God...” and the choir sings for many years “Your Grace Bishopric......... Lord, save for many years”. The priest comes out with a cross in his hands. If there are announcements of a non-spiritual nature, then the priest speaks at this place. For example, if someone wants to get married, or there will be a special fundraiser for some charitable purpose, or there may be some church organization arranges dinner, etc. After that, the worshipers approach the cross, cross themselves, kiss the cross and the priest's hand, and take or receive the prosphora from the priest.

Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

You can use in your home prayer rule the chants of the choir, the prayers of the reader, presented in the text of the Liturgy, but it is impossible to include the words of the priest in a personal prayer - during ordination, the clergy are given special boldness to God, which the laity do not have. Therefore, for the sake of your own spiritual health, you should not violate this prohibition.

Bibliography

Holy Scripture - the Bible.

Contains "Old Testament" and "New Testament". The "Old Testament" was written then the birth of Jesus Christ, and the "New Testament" after. There are many books (now departments) in the "Old Testament", and the most famous in the Orthodox Church is the Psalter. The "New Testament" consists of the "Gospel" and the "Apostle". There are four gospels in the "Gospel": Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They describe incidents during the life of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth. In the "Apostle" are the epistles and other writings of the apostles. They describe events after the ascension of Jesus Christ and the beginning of Christ's Church.

Since the Bible is the basis for our civilization, for better orientation, it is divided into books (now these are departments) and they are into chapters. Every few lines are called a "verse" and it is marked with a number. Thus, you can easily and quickly find any places in the book. For example "Mat. 5:3-14" means: "The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, verse 13 and up to 14." Holy Scripture has been translated into all languages ​​of the world.

There is Holy Scripture in "Church Slavonic" and in "Russian". The first is considered more accurate than the second. The Russian translation is considered worse, as it was made under the influence of Western theological thought.

Every Orthodox Christian should have a "Holy Scripture" and a "Prayer Book".

Holy Bible. Bible Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy. God's law for family and school. 2nd edition. 1967 Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, New York. Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, NY. Republished many times in Russia and translated into English. 723 pp., tver. per., old. orff.

A great starter book for kids and adults. Preliminaries, Prayer, sacred history Old Testament and New Testament, Beginning Christian Church, About the Christian faith and life, About Divine services. It would be good for every Orthodox Christian to purchase this textbook.

There is on our node: the Law of God. O. S. Sloboda Priest N. R. Antonov. Temple of God and church services. 2nd edition revised. Worship textbook for high school. 1912 St. Petersburg. Reprinted by Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York, and also in Russia. 236+64 pages, soft hardcover