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 welfare 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 case 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 give thanks to 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 a Greek word, translated as “common cause”.
The Divine Liturgy is the most important Christian service, the focus of all other church services of the daily cycle, in relation to which they all serve as a kind of preparation. In this service, not only prayers and hymns are lifted up to God, but also a mysterious bloodless Sacrifice is offered for the salvation of people and, under the guise of bread and wine, the true Body and true Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is given to believers. Therefore, it is, above all other services, called the "Divine Service" or "Divine Liturgy".
As a thankful commemoration of the Lord's divine love for the fallen human race, expressed in particular in sacrificing Himself for the sins of people, the liturgy is also called the "Eucharist", which means "thanksgiving" in Greek. In ordinary spoken language the liturgy is often referred to as "mass" because it is usually performed in the pre-dinner time.
The Divine Liturgy, at which the Sacrament of Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ is celebrated, originates from the last Last Supper of the Lord Jesus Christ with His disciples, on the eve of His suffering on the Cross for the salvation of the world. The Sacrament of Communion was established by Jesus Christ Himself. The Lord commanded: "Do this in remembrance of me"(Luke 22:19). It can be seen from the book of the Acts of the Apostles that the Apostles, after the descent of the Holy Spirit upon them, gathered daily with the Jerusalem believers to perform the sacrament of St. The communion they called "breaking bread"(Acts 26:42-46).
The most ancient order of the liturgy that has come down to us dates back to the first bishop of Jerusalem, St. Apostle James, brother of the Lord. In the 4th century, when Christianity in the Roman Empire triumphed over paganism, the rite of the Apostolic Liturgy, which had hitherto been preserved in oral tradition, was put into writing. This was done in order to streamline the worship and for the uniformity of the celebration of the liturgy. This was done first by St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, who somewhat simplified and shortened the liturgy of the Apostle James, and then a little later reworked the rite of the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, when he was Archbishop of Constantinople.
Liturgy can be performed on all days of the year, except for Wednesday and Friday of cheese week (Shrovetide), weekdays of St. Lent (Lent) and Good Friday. During one day on one throne and one clergyman, the liturgy can be performed only once. Following the example of the Last Supper, in apostolic times, the liturgy usually began in the evening and sometimes continued past midnight (Acts 20:7), but from the time of the emperor Trajan's decree, which forbade night gatherings of any kind, Christians began to gather for the liturgy before dawn. From the 4th century it was established to celebrate the liturgy in the afternoon, and, with the exception of some days of the year, no later than noon.
The Liturgy must be performed without fail in a consecrated church, where a permanent throne has been built and where the antimension, consecrated by the bishop, is located. Only in the most extreme cases, when there is no consecrated church, and then only with the special permission of the bishop, can the liturgy be performed in some other room, but without fail on the antimension consecrated by the bishop. Without an antimension, the celebration of the liturgy is unacceptable.
Only a properly ordained clergyman (that is, has a canonical ordination, has a regular apostolic succession) - a bishop or presbyter - can only celebrate the liturgy. A deacon or other cleric, and even more so a lay person, has no right to celebrate the liturgy. To celebrate the liturgy, both the bishop and the presbyter must be dressed in full vestments corresponding to his rank.
Priests who intend to celebrate the liturgy must participate and pray on the eve of all divine services of the daily circle. In addition, the clergy who celebrate the liturgy must certainly take communion after it with St. the Mysteries of Christ, and therefore they must first fulfill the "Rule for Holy Communion." The clergyman must begin the Divine service in purity of soul and body, removing from himself all moral obstacles to the performance of such a great and terrible sacrament, such as reproaches of conscience, enmity, despondency and be reconciled with everyone; from the evening it is necessary to refrain from excessive consumption of food and drink, and from midnight absolutely nothing to eat or drink.
Liturgy of St. Basil the Great and St. John Chrysostom is divided into three parts:
1) Proskomedia(from Greek - offering), on which the substance for the Sacrament is prepared from the gifts of bread and wine brought by believers;
2) Liturgy of the catechumens, which consists of prayers, readings and chants that prepare for the celebration of the Sacrament, and which is so called because the presence of “catechumens” is allowed on it, that is, not yet baptized, but only preparing to receive Baptism;
3) Liturgy of the Faithful, at which the Sacrament of Communion itself is performed and only the “faithful”, that is, those who are already baptized and have the right to take Communion, are allowed to attend.
* * *
Word " proskomedia " means "bringing". This is the name of the first part of the Liturgy because at that time the ancient Christians brought to the temple everything needed to celebrate the Liturgy.
The proskomedia, symbolizing the Nativity of Jesus Christ, is performed in the altar, with the doors closed, with the curtain drawn, invisibly from the people, just as the birth of the Savior took place secretly, unknown to the world. On it, through special sacred rites, the substance for the Sacrament of Communion is prepared from the brought bread and wine, while the commemoration of both living and deceased members of the Church is performed.
For proskomidia, five special prosphora are used in remembrance miraculous satiety Jesus Christ with five loaves of five thousand people. From the first prosphora, after special prayers, the priest cuts out the middle in the form of a cube - this part of the prosphora is given the name Lamb . The lamb relies on a paten, a round dish on a stand, symbolizing the manger in which the Savior was born. From the second prosphora, "Mother of God", the priest takes out a particle in honor of the Mother of God. Nine particles are taken out of the third prosphora, “nine-fold”, in honor of the saints: John the Baptist, prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs and saints, unmercenaries, the parents of the Virgin, Joachim and Anna, and the saint, according to whose order the liturgy is celebrated. After that, the clergyman proceeds to the fourth prosphora, from which he takes out particles about the living - about the Patriarch, bishops, presbyters and deacons. From the fifth prosphora, particles are taken out about the deceased - the patriarchs, the creators of temples, bishops, priests. All these particles are stacked in a special order on the diskos.
Then the priest removes the particles from the prosphora given by the faithful. At this time, commemorations are read - notes that we submitted to the candle box for proskomedia. When reading each name indicated in the note, the priest takes out a piece of prosphora, saying: “Remember, Lord, (the name we wrote is indicated).” These particles are also placed on the diskos. Why are they brought? – At the end of the Liturgy, after all communicants have partake of the Holy Mysteries, the priest puts into the chalice (chalice) with the Blood of Christ the particles of the saints and of the living and the dead lying on the paten. This is done so that the saints, in the closest union with God, rejoice in heaven, and the living and the dead, whose names were indicated in the notes, receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal life, having been washed by the Most Pure Blood of the Son of God. This is also evidenced by the words that the priest will secretly pronounce at the same time: “Wash away, Lord, the sins of those who are remembered here, by Your Honorable Blood.” That is why it is so important to commemorate the living and the dead at the liturgy.
During the proskomedia for those who pray, they read watch - a collection of psalms and prayers that remind the most important hours of the day for a Christian: hour three, when the Holy Spirit descended hour six when the Savior of the world was crucified on the Cross.
At the end of the proskomedia, the deacon opens the veil of the royal doors and performs a full incense of the temple, i.e. first, the altar, the throne, the altar, the high place, the icons are incense, and then the iconostasis, the choir, the people and the whole temple. Incense is a symbol of prayer and at the same time a symbol of the grace-filled presence of God. In this way, the entire church is consecrated before the actual celebration of the Divine Liturgy.
The second part of the Liturgy is called Liturgy of the catechumens , because the catechumens are also allowed to hear it - those people who are preparing for holy Baptism through catechumens, that is, the verbal study of the Christian faith.
The liturgy of the catechumens begins with the exclamation: Blessed is the kingdom Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever". After this, the deacon or priest pronounces the great litany. This litany is followed by the singing of the 102nd psalm "Bless the Lord, my soul", a small litany and the singing of the 145th psalm "Praise, my soul, the Lord." These psalms are called pictorial , because they depict the blessings of God to the human race: the heart of a Christian should glorify the Lord, who cleanses and heals our spiritual and bodily infirmities, delivers our lives from decay, and not forget all His blessings. The Lord is generous, merciful and longsuffering; He keeps the truth forever, executes judgment on the offended, gives food to the hungry, frees the prisoners, loves the righteous, accepts orphans and widows, and punishes sinners...
At the end of the psalms, the song is sung: Only Begotten Son and the Word of God, immortal, willing for our salvation to be incarnated from the Holy Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, immutably incarnated, crucified, O Christ God, righting death by death, one of the Holy Trinity, glorified by the Father and the Holy Spirit, save us". In this song, remembering the incarnation of the Son of God, His crucifixion and death, we ask Him to save us.
After that, the second small litany is pronounced, and at the end of it, beatitudes . They teach what we must be like to be rewarded by God. During the singing of these commandments for the first time at the Liturgy, the royal doors are opened and the small entrance : the priest and the deacon with the Gospel in their hands exit the altar through the north door to the pulpit. This means the appearance of Jesus Christ to preach to the world after His Baptism on the Jordan River.
small entrance
After singing "Come, let's bow..." and the exclamation of the priest: "Thou art holy, our God...", the deacon, standing on the pulpit in front of the icon of the Savior, proclaims: "Lord, save the pious and hear us". Then the Trisagion is sung : "Holy God, holy Mighty, holy Immortal, have mercy on us".
The Apostle and the Gospel are read . The first contains the teaching of the Apostles, and the second contains the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself.
Reading the Apostle
The deacon reads the gospel
When Christ was among the people, many turned to Him with requests and needs, therefore, after reading the Gospel, special (strengthened) litany : “Rzem all with all my heart, and from all our thoughts with our hearts ...”. Here we pray for the Patriarch and the local bishop, for our fatherland, for the living and for the departed relatives and friends, for the benefactors of the temple, the singers and workers in the temple. Then follows litany of the catechumens . In it, believers pray for the catechumens, so that the Lord would announce them with the word of truth, that is, instruct them in the truth, reveal the Gospel of truth to them and unite them to His holy Church, so that they, together with the believers, would be worthy to glorify holy name His…
Liturgy of the Faithful makes up the third part of the Liturgy and is called so because only the faithful are allowed to attend when it is celebrated, that is, those who are baptized and not excommunicated from the Church or from St. Communion. It symbolically depicts the Last Supper of the Lord, His suffering and death, the resurrection from the dead, the ascension to heaven and the second coming to earth.
The royal doors open and the choir sings Cherubic Hymn: “Even the Cherubim, secretly forming and the Life-Giving Trinity the thrice-sacred song humming, now let us lay aside all worldly care; as if we would raise the King of all, Invisibly dorinosima chinmi by angels, hallelujah ". In Russian: “We, mysteriously portraying the Cherubim and singing the thrice-holy song to the Life-Giving Trinity, will now lay aside all worldly cares so that we can receive the King of all, invisibly accompanied by angelic powers. Alleluia."
Priests pray at the altar during the Cherubic Hymn
In the middle of the Cherubic Hymn, grand entrance , during which St. The gifts are transferred from the altar to the altar: the deacon and the priest go through the northern doors of the altar to the pulpit. The Great Entrance symbolizes the procession of Jesus Christ to voluntary suffering, as well as His crucifixion and death on the cross. Remembering how the prudent robber, who realized that the Son of God was being crucified next to him, asked Him: “Remember me, Lord, in Your Kingdom,” so the clergy, holding vessels with gifts for the bloodless Sacrifice in their hands, ask the Lord to remember in the Kingdom of Heaven patriarch, priesthood and all Orthodox Christians. Closing the royal doors and closing them with a curtain means closing the Holy Sepulcher with a large stone, sealing and placing guards on the Sepulcher.
Great Entrance
After the great entrance, the preparation of the faithful for a worthy presence at the consecration of the prepared Gifts follows. For this purpose, first, a litany about the offered Gifts is pronounced, and then a pleading litany about those coming in the temple: so that the Lord cleanses their sins, helps them to spend the present day and their whole lives in peace and without sin, under the protection of the Guardian Angel, and vouchsafe them a Christian death and a good answer at the Last Judgment.
Then the deacon calls on all believers to unite in brotherly love: “Let us love one another, but confess with one mind”, i.e., so that we, being imbued with the same thoughts about God, could confess Him, or express our faith in Him. Those who sing complement who exactly we need to confess: "Father and Son and Holy Spirit, the Trinity consubstantial and indivisible". Symbol of faith is sung at this time by all those who pray, so that all together could testify before God and the Church of the purity and unity of their faith, since without true faith no one can either approach the Sacrament or be present at its celebration.
After singing the Creed, believers are called to a worthy stand in the temple during the Sacrament of Communion. To this end, the deacon proclaims: "Let's become good, let's stand with fear, let's pay attention, bring holy exaltation in the world"(i.e., we will stand decently, with fear, we will listen, in order to bring a holy offering in the world, that is, a holy sacrifice). Those who sing on behalf of all believers answer: "The grace of the world, the sacrifice of praise", i.e. we offer God a bloodless holy Sacrifice, in relation to our neighbors - mercy, as the fruit of peace or harmony with them.
The priest says: "Gore e we have hearts, that is, let us direct our hearts upward to God. Those who sing on behalf of the believers answer: "Imams to the Lord" i.e. we have hearts aspiring to the Lord.
The priest then says: "Thank the Lord!" . These words begin the most milestone Liturgies - eucharistic canon, or anaphora (“ascension”), during which the Sacrament of the Eucharist is directly performed. On the kliros they sing: “It is worthy and righteous to worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity consubstantial and inseparable”. At this time, we must thank the Lord for all His blessings, especially for the fact that He brought us out of insignificance into existence, and when we fell away from Him, He again instructed us and leads us to His Heavenly Kingdom.
The priest, secretly reciting the prayer and remembering in it the blessings of God, at the same time represents the continuous doxology of the Angels surrounding the Throne of God, and proclaims: “The victory song is singing, crying, calling and speaking”. On the kliros they sing the very song of the angels: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts(lord of forces, or heavenly armies), fulfill(performed) heaven and earth of thy glory! And to this they add the song of praise of the Jewish youths who greeted Jesus Christ at His solemn entry into Jerusalem: “Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!".
After the singing of this song, the most important action takes place at the Liturgy of the faithful - consecration of the Gifts . Remembering the Last Supper and the establishment of the Sacrament of St. Communion, the priest at this time pronounces the words of Jesus Christ Himself: “Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins”, and then - “Drink from her, all of you: this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins.”. At this time, all believers should also remember the Last Supper of Christ and mentally be imbued with faith in the most pure Body and precious Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The priest proclaims: (Your gifts, O Lord, given to us by You, we offer You in gratitude and propitiation for everything in fulfillment of Your commandment and because of Your saving sufferings for all of us). On the kliros they sing long: "You(i.e. you) we sing, we bless you, we thank you, O Lord, and we pray, our God!". During the singing of this sacred song, the invocation of the Holy Spirit takes place on the offered Gifts and their very consecration. By the power and action of the Holy Spirit, the bread becomes the true Body of Christ, and the wine the true Blood of Christ.
"Yours from Yours, offering to You about everyone and for everything"
After consecration Gifts are offered to God as a sacrifice with a prayer for the entire Church of Christ. Just as Jesus Christ Himself ended the Last Supper with a prayer to God the Father for all who believe in Him, so the Church, after the consecration of the Gifts, performs a prayerful remembrance of all its members, both living and dead. The priest says aloud: "Considerably(mostly thank the Lord) of the Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary". The Holy Church encourages the faithful to give special thanks to the Lord for the Most Holy Mother of God, because She has received special glorification from God, much higher than all other saints, and her intercession before God has greater power than the prayers of other saints. On the kliros, on behalf of all those who pray, they sing a song of praise in honor of the Mother of God: “It is worthy to eat, as if truly blessed by Thee, the Mother of God ...”. During this singing, the priest secretly prays both for the dead with faith in Christ and for the living Christians. The first he asks God for eternal rest, and the last - all the blessings for the Christian life. When remembering the Church, an earthly priest first of all prays for the highest spiritual authorities - for the Patriarch and the local bishop. The singers answer: "And everyone, and everything", that is, remember, Lord, and all believers - both men and women.
To prepare believers for St. Communion priest first calls on them "the grace of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ"; then the deacon pronounces the litany that the Lord send down to all believers Divine grace and the gift of the All-Holy Spirit, and joins this with a petitionary litany. Then everyone present sings Lord's Prayer "Our Father" .
The priest proclaims: "Holy to the holy!" , that is, the holy Gifts - the Body and Blood of Christ - can only be given to the saints and those who have cleansed themselves of sins through repentance. But since none of the people can recognize themselves as completely clean from sin, the singers answer the exclamation of the priest: “One is holy, one is the Lord Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen". Communion of the clergy is performed in the altar.
After this, the royal doors are opened, which until now have been closed, resembling a closed chamber at the Last Supper, and the deacon, having received from the priest a chalice with St. Gifts, calls to communion of the laity : "Come with the fear of God and faith". On the kliros they sing: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! God the Lord and appear to us". All this depicts the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The priest says prayers, which all communicants must repeat after him: “I believe, Lord, and I confess…”, "Your Secret Supper...". Then the faithful approach the Chalice for Communion. At this time, the choir sings: “Take the Body of Christ, Taste the Source of the Immortal”.
Prayer before communion
After the communion of the laity, the priest, turning to those present in the temple, asks them for God's blessing: “Save, O God, Thy people and bless Thy inheritance!”. Those who sing on behalf of the believers give thanks to the Lord, briefly counting the benefits received by them: “I have seen the true light, I have received(accepted) Spirit of Heaven, we have found the true faith, we worship the inseparable Trinity: She saved us there ”.
Finally, addressing St. With gifts for the last time to the faithful, the priest says: "Always, now and ever, and forever and ever", indicating by this the ascension of the Lord and His eternal presence with believers on earth. Meanwhile, those who sing on behalf of all Christians express their prayerful desire to always praise the Lord: “May our lips be filled with Thy praise, Lord, as if we sing Thy glory, as if Thou hast vouchsafed us to partake of Thy holy, Divine, immortal and life-giving Mysteries: keep us in Thy holiness, learn Thy truth all day long. Alleluia". After that, a short thanksgiving litany for the communion of the Holy Mysteries is said, and the priest says aloud the prayer: "Bless those who bless Thee, O Lord...". After reading it, believers commit themselves to the will of God with the prayer of the righteous Job: "Be the name of the Lord blessed from now on and forever".
Finally, the priest, blessing the faithful for the last time, says: “The blessing of the Lord is upon you, by His grace and love of mankind, always, now and forever, and forever and ever” and give thanks to God: "Glory to Thee, Christ God, our hope, glory to Thee". Turning to the people and holding in his hands the altarpiece of St. The cross, the priest pronounces vacation and gives the Holy Cross to the faithful for kissing. Each one praying, slowly and without embarrassing others, kisses the Holy Cross in a well-known order, in order to thereby testify to his fidelity to the Savior, in whose remembrance the Divine Liturgy was celebrated. The singers at this time sing a prayer for the preservation for many years of His Holiness the Patriarch, the ruling bishop, the God-protected country of Russia, the rector and brethren of the temple and all Orthodox Christians.
___________________
Literature:
- Bishop Averky (Taushev). Liturgy.
- Bishop Alexander (Mileant). Explanation of the Divine Liturgy.
Photo by V. Knyazev and St. Andrew's Church in Ufa
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 Kronstadtsky 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”(Mat.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, festive 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 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 which 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 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 on 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 almost 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 most basic points in the Orthodox faith is that one must live well 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 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 kind of charitable purpose, or there may be some kind of church organization hosting a 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 you cannot include the words of the priest in your 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, The Beginning of the Christian Church, On the Christian Faith and Life, On 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
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.
Don't be confused divine liturgy with a memorial service called a memorial service. 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.
It is interesting: Maundy Thursday(otherwise Maundy Thursday, Good Thursday) is the fourth day 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 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.
Divine services are held almost all year round, with the exception of 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. 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 is to prepare and bring required attributes 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's 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 Divine Liturgy is an eternal repetition of the great feat of love that has been accomplished for us. The word “Liturgy”, literally translated, means “common (or public) work”. It appeared among the ancient Christians to designate worship, which was really "general", i.e. every member of the Christian community took part in it - from infants to the shepherd (priest).
The liturgy is, as it were, the pinnacle of the daily circle of services, the ninth of the services performed by St. Orthodox Church services throughout the day. Since the church day begins in the evening at sunset, these nine services are celebrated in the monasteries in this order:
Evening.
1. Ninth hour - (3 p.m.).
2. Vespers - (before sunset).
3. Compline - (after dark).
Morning.
1. Midnight Office - (after midnight).
2. Matins - (before dawn).
3. The first hour - (at sunrise).
Day.
1. The third hour - (9 o'clock in the morning).
2. The sixth hour - (12 noon).
3. Liturgy.
In Great Lent, it happens when the Liturgy is served together with Vespers. In our time, in parish churches, daily services most often consist of an all-night vigil or an all-night vigil, celebrated in the evening on the eve of especially revered feast days, and a Liturgy, usually celebrated in the morning. Vespers consists of the conjunction of Vespers with Matins and the first hour. Liturgy is preceded by the 3rd and 6th hours.
The daily cycle of worship symbolizes the history of the world from creation to the coming, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thus, Vespers is dedicated to 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.
Matins is dedicated to the times of the New Testament: the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ into the world, for our salvation, His preaching (reading the Gospel) and His glorious Resurrection.
Hours - a collection of psalms and prayers that were read by Christians at four important times of the day for Christians: the first hour, when morning began for Christians; the third hour, when the descent of the Holy Spirit took place; the sixth hour, when the Savior of the world was nailed to the cross; the ninth hour, when he gave up his spirit. Since the current Christian, due to lack of time and incessant entertainment and other activities, does not find it possible to perform these prayers at the indicated hours, the 3rd and 6th hours are connected and read together.
The Liturgy is the most important service during which Holy Sacrament Communion. The liturgy is also a symbolic description of the life and great feat of Jesus Christ, from birth to crucifixion, death, resurrection and ascension. During each Liturgy, everyone participating in the Liturgy (and precisely those who participate, and not just “present”) again and again confirms their adherence to Orthodoxy, i.e. confirms his loyalty to Christ.
The entire service known as the "Liturgy" is celebrated on Sunday mornings and holidays, and in large cathedrals, monasteries and some parishes - daily. The liturgy lasts for about two hours and consists of the following three main parts:
1. Proskomedia.
2. Liturgies of the catechumens.
3. Liturgy of the faithful.
Proskomedia
The word “Proskomidia” means “bringing”, in memory of the fact that in ancient times Christians brought everything necessary for the celebration of the liturgy - bread, wine, etc. Since all this is preparation for the liturgy, its spiritual meaning is a remembrance of the initial period of life Christ, from Christmas until His coming out to preach, former cooking to His exploits in the world. Therefore, the entire proskomidia is performed with the altar closed, with the veil drawn, invisibly from the people, just as the whole original life of Christ passed invisibly from the people. The priest (in Greek, “priest”) who is to celebrate the Liturgy must be sober in body and spirit since the evening, must be reconciled with everyone, must be afraid of harboring any displeasure with anyone. When the time comes, he goes to church; together with the deacon, they both bow before the royal doors, saying a series of prayers, kiss the image of the Savior, kiss the image of the Mother of God, bow to the faces of the saints of all, bow to all those who come to the right and left, asking for forgiveness from everyone with this bow, and enter the altar, saying about Psalm 5, from the middle of verse 8 to the end:
“I will enter into Your house, I will worship Your temple in Your fear”,
etc. And, having approached the throne (facing to the east), they bow before it three ground bows and kiss the gospel lying on it, as if the Lord Himself sitting on the throne; then they kiss the throne itself and proceed to dress themselves in sacred clothes in order to separate themselves not only from other people, but also from themselves, not to remind others in themselves of anything similar to a person engaged in ordinary everyday affairs. And saying:
"God! Cleanse me a sinner and have mercy on me!”
the priest and the deacon take the garments in their hands, cf. rice. one.
First, the deacon dresses: after asking for a blessing from the priest, he puts on a surplice of brilliant color, as a sign of the luminous angelic clothes and as a reminder of the immaculate purity of the heart, which should be inseparable from the dignity of the priesthood, saying when putting it on:
“My soul will rejoice in the Lord, clothe me with a robe of salvation, and clothe me with a garment of joy, like a bridegroom, put a crown on me, and like a bride, adorn me with beauty.” (i.e., “My soul will rejoice in the Lord, for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation, and clothed me with a robe of joy, as he put a crown on me as a bridegroom, and adorned me with ornaments as a bride”).
Then, having kissed, he takes the “orarion” - a narrow long ribbon, belonging to the diaconal title, by which he gives a sign to initiate any church action, elevating the people to prayer, singers to singing, the priest to the sacrament, himself to angelic speed and readiness in service. For the title of a deacon is like the title of an angel in heaven, and by this very thin ribbon raised up on him, fluttering like an air wing, and with his quick walking around the church, he depicts, according to the word of Chrysostom, angelic flying. Having kissed Lentie, he throws it over his shoulder.
After that, the deacon puts on the “handguards” (or armlets), thinking at that moment about the all-creating, contributing power of God; putting on the right one, he says:
“Thy right hand, O Lord, be glorified in the fortress: Thy right hand, Lord, crush the enemies, and with the multitude of Thy glory thou hast erased the adversaries.” (i.e., “Thy right hand, O Lord, was glorified in strength: Thy right hand, O Lord, crushed the enemies, and with the multitude of Thy glory destroyed the adversaries”).
Putting on the left, he thinks of himself as a creation of the hands of God and prays to Him, who created him, that he guides him with His supreme guidance, saying this:
"Thy hands make me and make me: give me understanding, and I will learn thy commandment." (i.e., “Thy hands created me and created me: give me understanding and I will learn Your commandments”).
The priest dresses in the same way. At the beginning, he blesses and puts on the surplice (undercoat), accompanying this with the words that the deacon also accompanied; but, following the surplice, he no longer puts on a simple one-shoulder orarion, but a two-shoulder one, which, covering both shoulders and embracing his neck, is connected by both ends on his chest together and comes down in a connected form to the very bottom of his clothes, marking this connection in his position of two positions - priestly and diaconal. And it is no longer called the orarion, but the “epitracilius”, see fig. 2. Putting on the stole marks the outpouring of grace on the priest and is therefore accompanied by the majestic words of Scripture:
“Blessed be God, pouring out His grace on the priests, His like myrrh on the head, descending on the beard, the beard of Aaron, descending on the tassels of his clothes.” (i.e., “Blessed is God, who pours out his grace on his priests, like myrrh on his head, dripping on his beard, Aaron’s beard, dripping on the edges of his clothes”).
Then he puts on the cuffs with the same words that the deacon spoke, and girds himself with a belt over the vestry and stole, so that the width of the clothes does not interfere with the performance of the sacred rites and in order to express his readiness by this, for the person girds himself, preparing for the journey, starting work and feat : the priest also girds himself, going on the road of heavenly service, and looks at his belt, as at the fortress of the power of God, strengthening him, for which he says:
“Blessed be God, gird me with strength, and lay my path undefiled, make my feet like a deer, and set me on high.” (I.e., “Blessed is God, who gives me strength, made my path blameless and made my feet faster than deer and lifted me to the top. /Ie, to the Throne of God/”).
Finally, the priest puts on the “robe” or “phelonion”, the upper all-covering garment, signifying the all-covering truth of the Lord with the words:
“Your priests, O Lord, will be clothed in righteousness, and Your saints will always rejoice with joy, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen". (i.e., "Thy priests, O Lord, shall be clothed in righteousness, and Thy saints shall rejoice with joy always, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Truly so.")
And dressed in this way in the instruments of God, the priest is already a different person: whatever he is in himself, no matter how little he is worthy of his title, but everyone standing in the temple looks at him as an instrument of God, which is controlled by the Holy Spirit. The priest and the deacon both wash their hands, accompanying this with the reading of Psalm 25, verses 6 to 12:
“I will wash in my innocent hands, and I will dwell on your altar” etc.
Having made three bows before the altar (see Fig. 3), accompanied by the words:
"God! Cleanse me a sinner and have mercy on me” etc., the priest and deacon rise washed, enlightened, like their shining clothes, not resembling anything similar to other people in themselves, but becoming more like shining visions than people. The deacon proclaims softly about the beginning of the sacrament:
“Bless, master!” And the priest begins with the words: "Blessed be our God, always, now and forever and forever and ever." The deacon ends with the words: "Amen."
This whole part of proskomidia consists in preparing what is necessary for service, i.e. in the separation from the prosphora loaves (or “offerings”) of that bread, which at the beginning should be an image of the body of Christ, and then be transubstantiated into it. All this is done in the altar with the doors closed, with the veil drawn. For those who pray, the 3rd and 6th “hours” are read at this time.
Having approached the altar, or “offer”, located to the left of the throne, which marks the ancient side room of the temple, the priest takes one of the five prosphora in order to cut out the part that will become the “lamb” (the body of Christ) - the middle with a seal, marked with the name Christ (see fig. 4). This marks the removal of the flesh of Christ from the flesh of the Virgin - the birth of the Incorporeal in the flesh. And, thinking that He who offered Himself as a sacrifice for the whole world is born, inevitably combines the thought of the sacrifice itself and the offering and looks: at the bread, as at the lamb that is sacrificed; on the knife with which he must withdraw, as on the sacrificial one, which has the appearance of a spear, in remembrance of the spear with which the body of the Savior was pierced on the cross. He now accompanies his action neither with the words of the Savior, nor with the words of witnesses contemporary to what happened, he does not transfer himself to the past, at the time when this sacrifice took place - that is yet to come, in the last part of the liturgy - and he turns to this upcoming one. from afar with a penetrating thought, for which he accompanies all the sacred rites with the words of the prophet Isaiah, from afar, from the darkness of centuries, who saw the future miraculous birth, sacrifice and death and announced it with incomprehensible clarity.
Raising a spear to the right side of the seal, the priest pronounces the words of the prophet Isaiah:
“Like a sheep to be slaughtered”; (i.e., “like a lamb is led to the slaughter”);
hoisting the spear then to the left side, he says:
“And as a lamb is blameless, its straight shearer is dumb, so it does not open its mouth”; (i.e., “like an immaculate lamb, silent before its shearer, it is silent”);
after setting the spear on the upper side of the seal, he says:
“in humility his judgment will be taken”; (i.e., “with humility endures His judgment”);
hoisting the spear then into the lower part, pronounces the words of the prophet, who thought about the origin of the condemned Lamb:
“And who is his generation to confess?”; (i.e., “who knows His origin?”).
And he lifts the cut out middle of the bread with a spear, saying:
“as if his belly is taken up from the earth; (i.e., “how shall His life be taken from the earth”);
and then putting the bread with the seal down, and with the part taken out up (in the likeness of a lamb sacrificed), the priest cuts it crosswise, as a sign of His death on the cross, on it is a sign of sacrifice, according to which the bread will then be divided, saying:
“The Lamb of God is being eaten, take away the sin of the world, for the life of the world and salvation.” (i.e., “The Lamb of God is offered as a sacrifice, having taken upon Himself the sin of the world, for the life and salvation of the world”).
And, turning the seal upwards, he puts it on the paten and sets the spear in his right side, recalling, along with the slaughter of the victim, the perforation of the Savior's rib, performed by the spear of the warrior standing at the cross, and says:
“One of the warriors with a copy of His rib was perforated, and abie came out blood and water: and he who saw the testimony, and truly is his testimony.” (Ie, “One of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and blood and water immediately came out of it; and the one who saw it testified about this, and truly there is his testimony”).
And these words also serve as a sign for the deacon to pour wine and water into the holy cup. The deacon, until then, had looked reverently at everything done by the priest, now reminding him of the commencement of the sacred service, now saying within himself: “Let us pray to the Lord!” at his every action, asking the priest for blessings, he pours a ladle of wine and a little water into the cup, connecting them together.
And in fulfillment of the rite of the leading church and the saints of the first Christians, who always remembered, when thinking about Christ, about all those who were closer to His heart by the fulfillment of His commandments and the holiness of their lives, the priest proceeds to other prosphora, so that, taking out particles from them in their remembrance, put on the same diskos near the same holy bread, which forms the Lord Himself, since they themselves were on fire with the desire to be everywhere with their Lord.
Picking up the second prosphora, he takes out a particle from it in remembrance Holy Mother of God and puts it on the right side of the holy bread (on the left, as viewed from the priest), saying from the Psalm of David:
“The Queen appears at Your right hand, in robes gilded attire, beautifully decorated.” (I.e., “The Queen has become to your right, adorned and dressed in gilded clothes”).
Then he takes the third prosphora, in remembrance of the saints, and with the same spear takes out nine particles from it in three rows and puts them in the same order on the paten, to the left of the lamb, three in each: the first particle in the name of John the Baptist, the second in the name prophets, the third - in the name of the apostles, and this completes the first row and rank of saints.
Then he takes out the fourth particle in the name of the holy fathers, the fifth - in the name of the martyrs, the sixth - in the name of the venerable and God-bearing fathers and mothers, and this completes the second row and the rank of saints.
Then he takes out the seventh particle in the name of the unmercenary wonderworkers, the eighth in the name of the Godfathers Joachim and Anna and the saint glorified on this day, the ninth in the name of John Chrysostom or Basil the Great, depending on which of them celebrates the liturgy that day, and completes with this the third row and the rank of saints. And Christ appears among his closest ones, in the saints He who dwells is seen visibly among His saints - God among the gods, Man among men.
And, taking the fourth prosphora in his hands in commemoration of all the living, the priest takes out of it and puts particles on the holy diskos in the name of the synod and the patriarchs, in the name of the rulers, in the name of all Orthodox living everywhere, and, finally, in the name of each of them by name, whom wants to remember, or about whom they asked him to remember.
Then the priest takes the fifth prosphora, takes out particles from it in commemoration of all the dead, asking at the same time for the remission of their sins, starting from the patriarchs, kings, founders of the temple, the bishop who ordained him, if he is already among the deceased, and all Orthodox Christians, taking out in the name of everyone that he was asked about, or whom he himself wants to remember. In conclusion, he also asks for forgiveness for himself in everything and also takes out a particle for himself, and puts them all on a paten near the same holy bread at the bottom of it.
Thus, around this bread, this Lamb, representing Christ Himself, His whole church is gathered, both triumphant in heaven and militant here. The Son of Man appears among the people for whose sake He was incarnated and became a Man.
And, stepping back a little from the altar, the priest worships, as if he were worshiping the very incarnation of Christ, and welcomes the appearance of Heavenly Bread on earth in the form of bread lying on the paten, and greets him with incense, having first blessed the censer and reciting a prayer over it:
“We bring the censer to You, Christ our God, in the stench of the fragrance of the spiritual, hedgehog reception in Your most heavenly altar, grant us the grace of Your Most Holy Spirit.” (I.e., “We bring a censer to You, Christ our God, surrounded by spiritual fragrance, which you accept on Your heavenly altar and send down to us the grace of Your Most Holy Spirit.”)
The deacon says: “Let us pray to the Lord.”
And the whole thought of the priest is transferred at the time when the Nativity of Christ took place, returning the past to the present, and looks at this altar as at a mysterious den (i.e. cave), into which at that time the sky was transferred to earth: the sky became a den , and the nativity scene - the sky. Having circled an asterisk (two golden arcs with a star at the top), accompanying with the words:
“And when a star came, a hundred above, where there was a Child”; (i.e., “And having come, there was a star above, where the Servant was”), puts it on the paten, looking at it, as at a star that shone over the Infant; on holy bread, separated for sacrifice - as on a newborn Baby; on diskos - as on a manger where the Baby lay; on the covers - as on the linen that covered the Infant.
And, having circled the first veil, he covers the holy bread with diskos with it, pronouncing a psalm:
“The Lord reigns, clothed in splendor (beauty)”... and so on: Psalm 92, 1-6, in which the marvelous height of the Lord is sung.
And, having circled the second veil, he covers the holy cup with it, saying:
“The heavens are covered by Thy virtue, O Christ, and the earth is full of Thy praise”.
And then, taking a large cover (clothes), called holy air, he covers with it both the diskos and the cup together, crying out to God, let him cover us with the shelter of His wings.
And, stepping back a little from the altar, both, the priest and the deacon, worship the offered holy bread, as the shepherds and kings worshiped the newborn Infant, and the priest incense, as it were, in front of the den, symbolizing, or depicting by this incense, the fragrance of incense and myrrh, which were brought along with the gold by the wise men.
The deacon, as before, attentively co-presents with the priest, now pronouncing at every action, “Let us pray to the Lord,” now reminding him of the beginning of the action itself. Finally, he takes the censer from his hands and reminds him of the prayer that should be offered to the Lord about these gifts prepared for Him:
“For the offered honest (i.e., venerable, revered) gifts to the Lord, let us pray!”
And the priest begins to pray.
Although these gifts are no more than prepared only for the offering itself, but since from now on they can no longer be used for anything else, the priest reads for himself alone a prayer that precedes the acceptance of these gifts offered for the upcoming offering (given in Russian ):
“God, our God, who sent heavenly bread as food for the whole world, our Lord and God Jesus Christ, Savior, Redeemer and Benefactor, who blesses and sanctifies us, bless this offer yourself, and accept it on your most heavenly altar, remember how kind and philanthropic, those who offered, and for whom they offered, and keep us uncondemned in the sacred performance of Your divine mysteries. And loudly finishes: “As holy and glorified is your honorable and magnificent name, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever, amen.” (I.e., “Because Your all-honorable and majestic name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, abides in holiness and glory, now and always and forever and ever. Truly so.”)
And he creates, following the prayer, release (i.e., the end) of the proskomidia. The deacon censes the offer and then, cross-shaped, the holy meal (throne) and, thinking about the earthly birth of Him Who was born before all ages, being always present everywhere and everywhere, says in himself (given in Russian):
“You, Christ, filling everything, limitless, / were / in the tomb of the body, and in hell, like God, with the soul, and in paradise with the thief, and on the throne reigned with the Father and the Spirit”.
After that, the deacon leaves the altar with a censer to fill the whole church with fragrance and greet everyone who has gathered for the holy meal of love. This incense is always performed at the beginning of the service, as in the home life of all the ancient Eastern peoples, ablution and incense were offered to every guest at the entrance. This custom passed entirely to this heavenly feast - to the Last Supper, which bears the name of the Liturgy, in which the service of God was so miraculously combined with a friendly treat for all, to which the Savior Himself showed an example, serving everyone and washing his feet.
Increasing and bowing to everyone equally, both to the rich and the poor, the deacon, as a servant of God, greets them all, as the most gracious guests of the Heavenly Host, incenses and worships at the same time the images of the saints, for they, too, are guests who have come to the Last Supper: in Christ all are alive and inseparable. Having prepared, filling the temple with fragrance, and then returning to the altar and dipping it again, the deacon gives the censer to the servant, approaches the priest, and both stand together before the holy throne.
Standing before the altar, the priest and deacon bow three times and, preparing to begin the liturgy, invoke the Holy Spirit, for all their service must be spiritual. The Spirit is the teacher and mentor of prayer: “We do not know what to pray for,” says the Apostle Paul, “but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be expressed” (Romans 8:26). Praying the Holy Spirit to dwell in them and, having settled in, cleanse them for service, the priest twice utters the song with which the angels greeted the birth of Jesus Christ:
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men”.
Following this song, the church veil is pulled back, which opens only when it is necessary to raise the thoughts of those praying to higher, “higher” objects. Here, the opening of the heavenly doors signifies, following the song of the angels, that the Nativity of Christ was not revealed to everyone, that only the angels in heaven, Mary and Joseph, the wise men who came to worship, knew about it, and the prophets saw it from afar.
Priest and deacon say to themselves:
“Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will proclaim your praise”(i.e., “Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will praise You”), after which the priest kisses the gospel, the deacon kisses the holy altar and, bowing his head, recalls the beginning of the liturgy in this way: he raises the orarion with three fingers and pronounces :
“Time to create the Lord, lord bless ,
in response to which the priest blesses him with the words:
“Blessed be our God, always, now and forever, and forever and ever”.
The deacon, thinking about the ministry ahead of him, in which he should become like an angelic flight - from the throne to the people and from the people to the throne, gathering everyone into one soul, and being, so to speak, a holy stimulating force, and feeling his unworthiness for such a service - humbly prays to the priest:
“Pray for me, Vladyka!”
To which the priest replies:
“May the Lord correct your steps!”(i.e., “May the Lord guide your steps”).
The deacon asks again:
“Remember me, holy lord!”
And the priest answers:
“May the Lord God remember you in His kingdom, always, now and forever, and forever and ever”.
“Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will proclaim your praise,” after which, he loudly calls out to the priest:
“Bless, master!”
The priest proclaims from the depths of the altar:
“Blessed be the kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever”
(blessed - worthy of praise).
The face (i.e. the choir) sings: “Amen” (i.e., truly so). This is the beginning of the second part of the liturgy, liturgy of the catechumens.
Having performed the proskomedia, the priest with outstretched hands prays to the Lord for the sending down of the Holy Spirit upon the clergy; that the Holy Spirit “descend and dwell in him,” and that the Lord would open their mouths to proclaim his praise.
Shouts of Priest and Deacon
The deacon, having received a blessing from the priest, leaves the altar, stands on the ambo and loudly says: “Bless the Master.” In response to the exclamation of the deacon, the priest proclaims: "Blessed be the kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever."
Then the deacon pronounces the great litany.
Pictorial and festive antiphons
After the great litany, the “pictorial psalms of David” are sung - the 102nd “Bless the Lord, my soul ...”, the small litany is pronounced and then the 145th “Praise the Lord, my soul” is sung. They are called pictorial because they depict the blessings of God to mankind in the Old Testament .
On the Twelfth Feasts, pictorial antiphons are not sung, but instead of them, special “New Testament verses” are sung, in which blessings to the human race are depicted not in the Old, but in the New Testament. A refrain is added to each verse of the festive antiphons, depending on the nature of the holiday: on the day of the Nativity of Christ, the refrain: “Save us, Son of God, be born of the Virgin, sing to Ty: Alleluia (praise God. On the holidays of the Theotokos, the refrain is sung: “Save us, Son of God singing T. Alleluia with the prayers of the Theotokos.
Hymn "Only Begotten Son"
Whatever the Liturgy, that is, with the singing of “pictorial antiphons” or “festive ones,” they are always joined by the singing of the following solemn hymn, which recalls the main beneficence of the Lord to people: the sending down to earth of His Only Begotten Son (John III, 16 ), who was incarnated from the Most Holy Theotokos and defeated death with His Death.
The only-begotten Son and Word of God, immortal / and willing of our salvation for the sake of / be incarnated from the Holy Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, / immutably * / incarnated, / crucified, Christ God, righting death by death, / One Holy Trinity, / glorified by the Father and Holy Spirit save us.
*/ “Irrevocably” means that in the person of Jesus Christ, no deity was added (and changed) into humanity; neither humanity has passed into divinity.
Only Begotten Son and Word of God! You, being immortal, and deigning for our salvation to be incarnated from the Holy Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, having become a real person, without ceasing to be God, - You, Christ God, being crucified and correcting (crushing) death (that is, the devil) with Your Death, - You, as one of the Persons of the Holy Trinity, glorified along with the Father and the Holy Spirit - save us.
THE GOSPEL "BLESSES AND THE TROPARI ARE BLESSED"
But the true Christian life consists not only in feelings and indefinite impulses, but must be expressed in good deeds and deeds (Matt. VIII, 21). Therefore, the Holy Church offers to the attention of those who pray the Gospel beatitudes.
Small entrance with the Gospel
During the reading or singing of the Gospel beatitudes, the royal doors open, the priest takes from St. Throne Gospel, hands his deacon and leaves the altar with the deacon. This exit of the clergy with the Gospel is called the “little entrance” and signifies the appearance of the Savior to preach.
At present, this exit has only a symbolic meaning, but in the early days of Christianity it was necessary. In the primordial church, the Gospel was kept not on the altar on the throne, as it is now, but near the altar, in a side room, which was called either the “deaconess” or the “vessel-keeper”. When the time came to read the Gospel, the clergy carried it solemnly to the altar.
When approaching the northern doors, the deacon, with the words “Let us pray to the Lord,” invites everyone to pray to the Lord who is coming to us. The priest secretly reads a prayer, with a request that the Lord make their entrance - the entrance of the Saints, would deign to send Angels for a worthy service to Him, and thus would arrange here, as it were, a heavenly service. That is why further, blessing the entrance, the priest says: "Blessed is the entrance of Thy Saints," and the deacon, holding up the Gospel, proclaims, "Wisdom forgive."
Believers, looking at the Gospel as at Jesus Christ Himself going to preach, exclaim: “Come, let us worship and fall down to Christ, Save us. Son of God, resurrected from the dead, (or by the prayers of the Mother of God, or in the Saints wondrous), sing to Ty: alleluia.
Troparion and kontakion singing
To the singing: “Come, let us worship…” the singing of the daily troparion and kontakion for. images of memories for this day and those saints who, fulfilling the commandments of Christ, themselves receive blessedness in heaven and serve as an example for others.
Entering the altar, the priest in secret prayer asks the “Heavenly Father”, sung by the Cherubim and Seraphim, to accept from us, the humble and unworthy, the thrice-sacred song, to forgive sins, voluntary and involuntary, to sanctify us and give us the strength to serve Him flawlessly and righteously until the end of our lives” .
The end of this prayer: “For Thou art holy, our God, and to Thee we send glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever,” the priest pronounces loudly. The deacon, standing in front of the icon of the Savior, proclaims: "Lord, save the pious and hear us." Then, standing in the middle of the Royal Doors, facing the people, he proclaims: “Forever and ever,” that is, he ends the exclamation of the priest and at the same time points to the people with an orarion.
The believers then sing "The Trisagion" - "Holy God". On some holidays, the Trisagion Hymn is replaced by others. For example, on Easter, Trinity Day, on the Nativity of Christ, Epiphany, on Saturday Lazarus and Great, it is sung:
“You who are baptized into Christ, put on Christ, hallelujah.”
Those who were baptized in the name of Christ are in Christ and clothed with the grace of Christ. Alleluia.
The prayer "Holy God" should now arouse feelings of repentance for one's sins and turning to God for mercy.
At the end of the Trisagion Hymn, there is a reading of the apostle; "Prokeimenon" which is read by the psalmist and sung 2 and a half times by the choristers.
During the reading of the Apostle, the deacon performs incense, which means the grace of the Holy Spirit.
After reading the Apostle, “Alleluia” is sung (three times) and the gospel is read. Before the Gospel and after it, “Glory to Thee, Lord, Glory to Thee” is sung as a sign of thanksgiving to the Lord, who gave us the Gospel teaching. Both the Epistles of the Apostles and the Gospel are read to clarify the Christian faith and morality.
After the gospel profane litany. Then follows triple litany for the dead, litany for the catechumens and, finally, a litany with a command to the catechumens to leave the temple.
In the litanies for the catechumens, the deacon prays on behalf of all people that the Lord would enlighten the catechumens with the word of the Gospel truth, honor them with Holy Baptism and join them to the Holy Church.
Simultaneously with the deacon, the priest reads a prayer in which he asks that the Lord “on the high living” and paying attention to the humble, would look down on His servants who were catechumens, would vouchsafe them the “baths of resurrection”, that is, Holy Baptism, clothes of incorruption and would connect Holy Church. Then, as if continuing the thoughts of this prayer, the priest says an exclamation:
“Yes, and these with us glorify Thy most honorable and magnificent Name, the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever.”
So that those (that is, the catechumens) together with us glorify, Lord, Your Most Pure and Majestic Name - the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever.
Undoubtedly, prayers for the catechumens also apply to those who were baptized, because we who were baptized very often sin without repentance, we do not clearly know our Orthodox faith and by being present in the church without proper reverence. At present, there may also be truly catechumens, that is, those who are preparing for Holy Baptism from among foreigners.
Litany for the Departure of the Catechumens
At the end of the prayer for the catechumens, the deacon pronounces the litany: exit the announcement; Celebrations of the catechumens, come out, but no one from the catechumens, angels of faith, more and more, let us pray to the Lord in peace. With these words the Liturgy of the catechumens ends.
Scheme or order of the Liturgy of the catechumens
The liturgy of the catechumens contains the following parts:
1. The initial exclamations of the deacon and the priest.
2. Great litany.
3. Psalm 1st pictorial “Bless the Lord, my soul” (102) or the first antiphon.
4. Small litany.
5. The second pictorial psalm (145) - “Praise the Lord, my soul” or the second antiphon.
6. Singing the hymn “Only Begotten Son and Word of God”.
7. Small litany.
8. The singing of the Gospel beatitudes and the troparia are “blessed” (third antiphon).
9. Small entrance with the Gospel.
10. Singing "Come let's worship."
11. Singing the troparion and kontakion.
12. The exclamation of the deacon: "Lord, save the pious."
13. Singing of the Trisagion.
14. Singing "prokimen".
15. Reading the Apostle.
16. Reading the Gospel.
17. A special litany.
18. Litany for the dead.
19. Litany for the catechumens.
20. Litany with the command to the catechumens to leave the temple.
The third part of the Liturgy is called the Liturgy of the Faithful, because in ancient times only the faithful, that is, those who had converted to Christ and were baptized, could be present during its celebration.
At the Liturgy of the Faithful, the most important sacred actions are performed, the preparation for which is not only the first two parts of the Liturgy, but also all other church services. Firstly, the mysteriously gracious, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Transfiguration or Transubstantiation of bread and wine into the true Body and Blood of the Savior, and secondly, the communion of believers in the Body and Blood of the Lord, leading into union with the Savior, according to His words: flesh and drink My Blood abides in Me and I in him.” (John VI, 56).
Gradually and consistently, in a series of significant actions and deeply meaningful prayers, the meaning and significance of these two liturgical moments is revealed.
Abridged Great Litany.
When the Liturgy of the catechumens ends, the deacon pronounces an abbreviated great litany. The priest secretly reads a prayer, with a request to the Lord to cleanse those praying from spiritual impurity, so that, having received the success of a good life and spiritual understanding, they stand before the Throne with dignity, without guilt and condemnation, and in order to partake of the Holy Mysteries without condemnation in order to receive the Kingdom of Heaven. At the end of his prayer, the priest speaks loudly.
As if we always keep under Your power, we send glory to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever,
So that, always preserved by Your, Lord, guidance (power), we send glory to You to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit at all times, now and forever, and forever and ever.
With this exclamation, the priest expresses that only under the guidance, under the control of the Sovereign Lord, can we save our spiritual being from evil and sin.
Then the Royal Doors are opened in order to bring the prepared substance for the Holy Eucharist through them from the altar to the Throne. The transfer of the substance prepared for the performance of the Sacrament from the altar to the throne is called the “GREAT ENTRY” in contrast to the “Little Entrance”.
The historical origin of the Great Entrance corresponds to the origin of the Small Entrance. As has been said repeatedly, in ancient times two side compartments (apses) were arranged near the altar. In one section (called the Deaconnik or the Vessel) the sacred vessels, clothes and books, including the Gospel, were kept. The other section (called the Offering) was intended to receive offerings (bread, wine, oil and incense), from which the necessary part was separated for the Eucharist.
When the reading of the Gospel was approaching, the deacons went to the Reservoir or Diakonnik and brought the Gospel to be read in the midst of the Church. In the same way, before the consecration of the Holy Gifts, the deacons from the Offering brought the Gifts to the Throne to the performer of the Liturgy. Thus, in ancient times, the transfer of bread and wine was practically necessary, because the altar was not in the altar, as it is now, but in an independent part of the temple.
Now the Great Entrance has a more allegorical meaning, depicting the procession of Jesus Christ to free Suffering.
Cherubic Hymn
The deep mysterious significance of the Great Entrance, all those thoughts and feelings that it should arouse in the hearts of those who pray, are depicted by the following prayer, called the “Cherubic Hymn”.
Even the cherubim secretly forming, and to the life-giving Trinity sing the thrice-holy song, now let us lay aside all worldly care. As if we would raise the King of all, chinmi is invisibly dorinosima angelic. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
We, who mysteriously depict cherubim and sing the life-giving Trinity the thrice-holy song, now put aside all worldly cares in order to raise the King of all, Who is invisibly and solemnly accompanied by angelic ranks with the singing of "Alleluia".
Although the Cherubic Hymn is usually divided into two parts by the Great Entrance, in fact it represents one harmonious connected prayer, so integral that not a single dot can be placed along its entire length.
With this song, the Holy Church makes, as it were, such an appeal: “We, who at the moment of transferring the Holy Gifts mysteriously resemble cherubim and together with them sing the “Thrisagion Hymn” to the Holy Trinity, in these moments will leave all earthly worries, everything worldly, sinful care, - let us be renewed, cleansed of the soul, so that we raise The King of glory, Whom the Angelic armies raise invisibly at the present moment - (just as in ancient times the warriors raised their king on the shields) and sing hymns, and then reverently to accept, take communion."
During the singing of the first part of the Cherubic Hymn by the singers, the priest secretly reads a prayer in which he asks the Lord to grant him worthy to celebrate the Holy Eucharist. This prayer expresses the idea that Jesus Christ is at the same time both the offered Being, like the Holy Lamb, and the offering Maker of the sacrifice, like the Heavenly High Priest.
After reading then three times with outstretched hands crosswise (as a sign of intensified prayer), the prayer “Like Cherubim”, the priest, together with the deacon, goes to the altar. Here, having shaken the Holy Gifts, the priest puts on the left shoulder of the deacon the “air” that covered the diskos and the chalice, and on the head - the diskos; he himself takes the Holy Chalice, and both go out together through the northern doors, bringing a candlestick.
Great Entrance(transferring the prepared Gifts).
Stopping on the salt, facing the people, they prayerfully commemorate the local Bishop and all Orthodox Christians, “may the Lord God remember them in His Kingdom.” Then the priest and deacon return to the altar through the Royal Doors.
The singers begin to sing the second part Cherubic Song:"Like a King."
Upon entering the altar, the priest places the Holy chalice and diskos on the Throne, removing the covers from the diskos and bowl, but covering them with one “air”, which is first burnt with incense. Then the Royal Doors are closed and the veil is drawn.
During the Great Entrance, Christians stand with bowed heads, expressing respect for the Gifts they endure and asking that the Lord remember them in His Kingdom. The setting of the diskos and the Holy Chalice on the throne and covering them with air signifies the transfer of the body of Jesus Christ for burial, which is why those prayers are read at the same time that are sung when the shroud is taken out on Good Friday (“Noble Joseph”, etc.)
First Litany of Prayer
(preparation of those praying for the consecration of the Gifts)
After the transfer of the Holy Gifts, the preparation of the clergy for the worthy consecration of the Holy Gifts by the power of the Holy Spirit begins, and the faithful for a worthy presence at this consecration. First, a petitionary litany is read, in which, in addition to ordinary prayers, a petition is added.
For the offered Honest Gifts, let us pray to the Lord.
For the Holy Gifts set on the Throne and offered, let us pray to the Lord.
During the 1st litany of supplication, the priest secretly reads a prayer in which he asks the Lord to make him worthy to bring the Holy Gifts, a spiritual sacrifice for our sins of ignorance, and to instill the Spirit of grace in us and in these present Gifts. The prayer ends with the exclamation:
By the bounties of Thy Only Begotten Son, blessed be Thou with Him, with Thy most holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever.
By the grace of Your Only Begotten Son, with whom You are glorified, with the most holy, good, life-giving Holy Spirit, at all times.
With the words of this exclamation, the Holy Church expresses the idea that it is possible to hope to receive the grace of the Holy Spirit for the sanctification of the clergy who pray and the honest Gifts presented by virtue of “generosity”, that is, the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Deacon's Instillation of Peace and Love
After a petitionary litany and an exclamation, the priest points out the necessary condition for receiving grace with the words: “peace to all”; those present answer: “and to your spirit”, and the deacon continues: “let us love one another, but with one mind of confession ...” This means that the necessary conditions for communion with the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ and for receiving the Holy Spirit are: peace and love for each other.
Then the singers sing: "Father and Son and Holy Spirit, the Trinity Consubstantial and Indivisible." These words are a continuation of the exclamation of the deacon and are closely connected with it. After the words “Unanimity in confession,” the question involuntarily arises of whom we will unanimously confess. Answer: "The Trinity, consubstantial and indivisible."
Symbol of faith
Before the next moment - the confession of the Creed, the deacon proclaims: "Doors, doors, let us be attentive with wisdom." Shout: "Doors, doors" Christian Church in ancient times, it belonged to the vestibules of the temple, so that they carefully watched the doors, so that at that time one of the catechumens or penitents, or in general from persons who did not have the right to be present at the performance of the Sacrament of Communion, would not enter.
And the words “behold wisdom” referred to those standing in the temple, so that they would block the doors of their souls from worldly sinful thoughts. The Creed is sung to testify before God and the Church that all who stand in the temple are the faithful, who have the right to attend the Liturgy and proceed to Communion of the Holy Mysteries.
During the singing of the Creed, the veil of the Royal Doors opens as a sign that only under the condition of faith can the Throne of Grace be opened for us, from where we receive the Holy Sacraments. During the singing of the Creed, the priest takes the “air” cover, and shakes the air with it over the Holy Gifts, that is, lowers and raises the cover over them. This breath of air signifies the overshadowing of the Holy Gifts by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. Then the Church leads the worshipers to prayerful contemplation of the Sacrament itself. The most important moment of the Liturgy begins - the consecration of the Holy Gifts.
A New Invitation for Deacons to Worthy Standing
Once again urging the faithful to stand in the church with complete reverence, the deacon says: “Let us become kind, stand with fear, pay attention, bring the holy offering in the world,” that is, we will stand well, decorously, with reverence and attention, so that in peace of mind we offer the holy ascension.
The believers answer: “The mercy of the world, the sacrifice of praise,” that is, we will bring that holy offering, that bloodless sacrifice, which is mercy on the part of the Lord, is a gift of His mercy, given to us, people, as a sign of the reconciliation of the Lord with us, and from the side us (people) is a laudatory sacrifice to the Lord God for all His good deeds.
Having listened to the readiness of the faithful to turn to the Lord, the priest blesses them with the name of the Most Holy Trinity: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love (love) of God and the Father, and the communion (i.e., communion) of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” The chanters, expressing the same feelings to the priest, answer: “And with your spirit.”
The priest continues: “Woe is our hearts” (Let us direct our hearts upward, to heaven, to the Lord).
The chanters, on behalf of the worshipers, answer: “Imams to the Lord,” that is, we really lifted up our hearts to the Lord and prepared for the Great Sacrament.
Having prepared himself and the faithful for a worthy stand during the celebration of the Holy Sacrament, the priest proceeds to perform it itself. Following the example of Jesus Christ, who gave thanks to God the Father before breaking bread at the Last Supper, the priest invites all believers to give thanks to the Lord with the exclamation: “We give thanks to the Lord.”
The chanters begin to sing “worthily” and eat righteously to bow to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity Consubstantial and Indivisible.
To announce to persons not present in the Temple about the approach crucial moment Liturgies - there is the Blagovest, called the ringing to “Worthy”.
Eucharistic Prayer
At this time, the priest secretly reads a thanksgiving (Eucharistic) prayer, which is one inseparable whole, right up to the singing of a laudatory prayer in honor of the Mother of God (“It is worthy to eat, as truly”) and is divided into three parts.
In the first part of the Eucharistic Prayer, all the blessings of God revealed to people from their creation are remembered, for example: a) the creation of the world and people, and b) their restoration through Jesus Christ and other blessings.
As a special beneficence, the service of the Liturgy in general and the celebration of the service in particular, which the Lord deigned to accept, are indicated, despite the fact that at that moment archangels and thousands of angels are coming to Him in heaven, singing and crying out, calling out and saying the song of victory: “Holy, Holy Holy, Lord of Hosts, heaven and earth are full of Thy glory.”
Thus, the exclamation of the priest /"singing the song of victory, crying out, crying out and speaking"/, which is heard before singing "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of hosts ..." directly adjoins the First Part of the Eucharistic Prayer.
The last words of the prayer, preceding the exclamation of the priest, are read as follows:
We thank Thee and for this service, even from the hands of our acceptance, thou hast deigned, thousands of Archangels, and thousands of Angels, Cherubim and Seraphim, six-winged, many-eyed, towering feathers, singing a victorious song, crying out, crying out and saying: Holy, Holy ; Holy, Lord of Hosts, heaven and earth are filled with Thy glory: Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest.
We thank You for this service, which You have made me worthy to accept from our hands, although You will have thousands of Archangels and a host of Angels, Cherubim and Seraphim, six-winged and many-eyed, exalted, winged, singing a victorious song, exclaiming, calling out, and saying: “Holy is the Lord of Hosts ( God of hosts), heaven and earth are full of thy glory”, “Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, hosanna in the highest.”
While the kliros is singing “Holy, Holy…”, the priest starts reading second part The Eucharistic Prayer, in which, after praising all the persons of the Holy Trinity, and separately the Son of God the Redeemer, it is remembered how the Lord Jesus Christ established the Sacrament of Communion.
The establishment of the Sacrament of Communion in the Eucharistic prayer is conveyed in the following words: into His holy and pure and immaculate hands, giving thanks and blessing, sanctifying, breaking, giving to His Disciple and Apostle, the rivers: “Take, eat, this is My Body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins”;
likeness and cup at supper, verb; “Drink of it all, this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins.” Remembering, therefore, this saving commandment, and all that was about us: the cross, the tomb, the three-day resurrection, ascent to heaven, sitting on the right hand, the second and like the coming, - Yours from Yours brings You * /, about all and for everything. We sing to you, we bless you, we thank you, O Lord, and we pray to you, our God…”
* / In Greek words: “Your from Yours, bringing you about all and for all” - they mean: “Your gifts: bread and wine - we bring you, Lord, due to all the motives set forth in the prayer; according to to all the order indicated (by Jesus Christ) (Luke XXII / 19) and in gratitude for all beneficence.
Consecration or Transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts
While the last words of the Eucharistic Prayer (We sing to You...) are sung by choristers on the kliros, the priest reads third part this prayer:
“We also offer this verbal * / this and bloodless service, and we ask, and we pray, and have mercy on us ** /, send down Your Holy Spirit on us, and on this Gift that is presented.”
*/ The “verbal service” is called the Eucharist, in contrast to the “active” service (through prayer and good deeds), because the change of the Holy Gifts is beyond human strength, but is performed by the grace of the Holy Spirit and the priest prays, uttering perfect words.
**/ We make ourselves “nice”, pleasing to God; we pray fervently.
Then the priest says three times a prayer to the Most Holy Spirit (Lord, who is Your Most Holy Spirit) and then the words: “And make this bread, O Honorable Body of Your Christ.” "Amen". "And hedgehog in this cup, the Precious Blood of Thy Christ." "Amen". “Changing by Your Holy Spirit. Amen, Amen
So, the Eucharistic prayer is divided into three parts: thanksgiving, historical and petitionary.
HERE IS THE MAIN AND HOLY MOMENT OF THE LITURGY. AT THIS TIME BREAD AND WINE ARE OFFERED INTO THE TRUE BODY AND TRUE BLOOD OF THE SAVIOR. THE PRIESTS AND ALL PRESENT IN THE TEMPLE, IN REPENTIVE REPRESENTATION, BOW TO THE EARTH BEFORE THE HOLY GIFTS.
The Eucharist is a thankful sacrifice to God for the living and the dead, and after the consecration of the Holy Gifts, the priest commemorates those for whom this sacrifice was made, and above all the saints, because in the person of the saints and through the saints, the Holy Church fulfills her cherished desire - the Kingdom of Heaven.
Glorification of the Mother of God
But from a host or a number (pretty much) all saints - the Mother of God stands out; and therefore the exclamation is heard: “Fairly about the Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.”
This is answered with a laudatory song in honor of the Mother of God: “It is worthy to eat ...” On the twelfth holidays, instead of “Worthy”, Irmos 9 of the song of the Canon is sung. The irmos also speaks of the Most Holy Theotokos, and it is called the “Worthy”.
Commemoration of the living and the dead (“and everyone and everything”)
The clergyman continues to secretly pray: 1) for all the dead and 2) for the living - bishops, presbyters, deacons and for all Orthodox Christians "in purity and honest living"; for the established authorities, and the army, for the local Bishop, to which the believers answer: "And everyone and everything."
Instillation by the priest of peace and unanimity
Then the priest prays for our city and those who live in it. Remembering the heavenly Church, which unanimously glorified God, he inspires unanimity and peace also in the earthly Church, declaring: forever and ever."
2nd supplicatory litany
(Preparing those praying for communion)
Then, after blessing the believers with the words: “And may the mercies of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ be with you all,” the preparation of the faithful for Communion begins: the second petitionary litany is read, to which petitions are added: For the Holy Gifts brought and consecrated, let us pray to the Lord...
As if our God, philanthropist, I accept (them) in the holy, and my heavenly mental altar, in the stench of spiritual fragrance, will send us Divine grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit, let us pray.
Let us pray that our God, loving mankind, having received them (the Holy Gifts) on His holy heavenly, spiritually presented His altar, as a spiritual fragrance, as a sacrifice pleasing to Him from us, would give us Divine grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
During the second petitionary litany, the priest in secret prayer asks the Lord to deign us to partake of the Holy Mysteries, this sacred and spiritual meal for the forgiveness of sins and for the heritage of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Lord's Prayer
After the litanies, after the exclamation of the priest: “And vouchsafe us, Vladyka, with boldness, without condemnation, dare to call on Thee, the heavenly God the Father, and speak,” the singing of the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father,” follows.
At this time, the deacon, standing in front of the Royal Doors, girds himself crosswise with an orarion in order to: 1) serve the priest during Communion freely, without fear of the fall of the orari, and 2) To express his reverence for the Holy Gifts by imitating the Seraphim, who, surrounding the Throne of God covered their faces with their wings (Isaiah 6:2-3).
Then the priest gives peace to the faithful, and when they, at the call of the deacon, bow their heads, secretly prays to the Lord to sanctify them and make them worthy to partake of the Holy Mysteries without condemnation.
Ascension of the Holy Gifts
After this, the priest, reverently raised the Holy Lamb over the paten, proclaims: "Holy to the Holy." The meaning is that the Holy Gifts can only be given to saints. Believers, realizing their sinfulness and unworthiness before God, respond with humility: “One is Holy, One is Lord, Jesus Christ to the glory (to the glory) of God the Father. Amen".
Communion of the clergy and the "communion verse"
Then the Communion of the clergy takes place, who partake of the Body and Blood separately, imitating the Holy Apostles and leading Christians. During the Communion of the clergy, for the spiritual edification of the faithful, prayers are sung, called "communion verses."
penultimate phenomenon Holy Gifts and communion of the laity
Upon the Communion of the clergy, the Royal Doors are opened for Communion of the laity. The opening of the Royal Doors marks the opening of the tomb of the Savior, and the removal of the Holy Gifts marks the appearance of Jesus Christ after the resurrection.
After the exclamation of the deacon: “Come with the fear of God and faith”, and the singing of the verse “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”, “God the Lord has appeared to us”, the priest reads prayer before communion and joins the laity with the Body and Blood of the Savior.
Prayer before Communion
St. John Chrysostom
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 precious BLOOD.
I pray to Thee: have mercy on me and forgive my transgressions, free and involuntary, even in word, even in deed, even in knowledge and ignorance, and make me unjudgmentally partake of Your most pure Mysteries, for the remission of sins and eternal life. Amen.
Thy secret supper this day, Son of God, accept me as a partaker: we will not sing a secret to Thy enemy, nor will I kiss Thee, like Judas, but like a thief I will confess Thee: remember me, Lord, in Thy kingdom. - May the communion of Your holy Mysteries, Lord, not be for judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body. Amen.
The exclamation "Save, O God, Thy people" and
“We have seen the true light”
During communion, a well-known verse is sung: “Receive the body of Christ, taste the immortal Source.” After Communion, the priest puts the particles taken out (from the prosphora) into the Holy Chalice, makes them drunk with the Holy Blood, which means cleansing them from sins through the sufferings of Jesus Christ, and then blesses everyone, saying: “Save God, Thy people and bless Thy inheritance” .
The singers are responsible for the people:
We saw the true light, / by receiving the Spirit of heaven / we gained the true faith, / we worship the indivisible Trinity, / She saved us there /.
We, having seen the true light and received the Spirit of heaven, have found the true faith, we worship the Indivisible Trinity, because She saved us.
The last appearance of the Holy Gifts and the song “Let our lips be fulfilled”
During this, the priest secretly reads the verse “Ascend into heaven, O God, and throughout all the earth is Your glory”, indicating that the transfer of the Holy Gifts to the altar marks the Ascension of the Lord.
The deacon transfers the Diskos on the head to the altar, while the priest, confessing secretly: “Blessed is our God”, blesses those who pray with the Holy Chalice and says aloud: “Always, now and ever and forever and ever.”
Seeing the Savior ascending, the Apostles bowed to Him and praised the Lord. Christians do the same, singing the following song during the transfer of the Gifts:
May our lips be filled / Your praise, O Lord, / as if we sing Your glory, / as if Thou hast vouchsafed us to partake / of Your Holy, Divine, Immortal and Life-Giving Mysteries: / Keep us in Your Holiness, / learn Your truth all day. / Hallelujah , Alleluia, Alleluia /.
Lord, let our lips be full of praise to You, so that we may sing of Your glory for the fact that You have made us worthy to partake of Your Holy, Divine, immortal and life-giving Mysteries. Keep us worthy of Your holiness / help us to keep the holiness received in Communion / so that we can learn Your righteousness all day long / live righteously, according to Your commandments /, alleluia.
Thanksgiving for Communion
When the Holy Gifts are transferred to the altar, the deacon censes, marking with incense the bright cloud that hid the ascending Christ from the gaze of the disciples (Acts 1, 9).
The same grateful thoughts and feelings are proclaimed in the subsequent litany, which reads as follows: “Forgive me for receiving (i.e., direct - having accepted with reverence) the Divine, Holy, Most Pure, Immortal, Heavenly and Life-Giving Terrible Mysteries of Christ, worthy of thanks to the Lord”, “ Intercede, save, have mercy and save us, O God, by Your Grace.”
The last petition of the litany: “The whole day is perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless, having asked, to ourselves, and to each other, and our whole life, let us commit to Christ our God.”
During this litany, the priest rolls up the antimension and, depicting the cross over the antimension with the Holy Gospel, says: “For Thou art our sanctification, and to Thee we send glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever.”
The Divine Liturgy ends with the transfer of the Holy Gifts to the altar and the litany. Then the priest, addressing the believers, says: “We will go out in peace,” that is, we will leave the temple peacefully, in peace with everyone. Believers answer: “On the name of the Lord”, (ie, remembering the name of the Lord) “Lord have mercy”.
Prayer beyond the ambo
After that, the priest leaves the altar and, descending from the pulpit to where the people are standing, reads a prayer called “Zambonnaya”. In the prayer beyond the ambo, the priest once again asks the Creator to save His people and bless His property, to sanctify those who love the splendor (beauty) of the temple, to grant peace to the world, churches, priests, troops and all people.
The content of the Prayer beyond the ambo is an abbreviation of all the litanies that were read by the faithful during the Divine Liturgy.
“Be the Name of the Lord” and Psalm 33
At the end of the prayer beyond the ambo, believers commit themselves to the will of God with the words: “Be the Name of the Lord blessed from now on and forever,” and a thanksgiving psalm (33 psalm) is also read: “I will bless the Lord at all times.”
(At the same time, “antidor” or the remnants of the prosphora from which the Lamb was taken out are sometimes distributed to those present, so that those who did not proceed to Communion would taste from the grains left over from the Mystical meal).
Priest's Last Blessing
After Psalm 33, the priest blesses the people for the last time, saying: “The blessing of the Lord is upon you, by His grace and love of mankind, always now and forever and forever and ever.”
Finally, facing the people, the priest makes a dismissal, in which he asks the Lord that He, as good and philanthropic, at the intercession of His Most Pure Mother and all the Saints, save and have mercy on us. Prayers venerate the cross.
Scheme or Order of the Liturgy of the Faithful
The Liturgy of the Faithful consists of the following parts:
1. Abridged Great Litany.
2. Singing the 1st part of the “Cherubic Hymn” and reading the Great Entrance Prayer by the priest.”
3. Great entrance and transfer of the Holy Gifts.
4. Singing of the 2nd part of the “Cherubic Hymn” and placing the Holy Vessels on the Throne.
5. The first petitionary litany (about the “honest gifts offered”): the preparation of those praying for the consecration of the Gifts.
6. Suggestion deacon peace, love and unity.
7. Singing the Creed. (“Doors, doors, let us pay attention in wisdom”).
8. A new invitation to those praying to worthy standing, (“let us become good ...”)
9. Eucharistic prayer (Three parts).
10. Consecration of the Holy Gifts (during singing; “We will sing to you…”)
11. Glorification of the Mother of God (“It is worthy to eat ...”)
12. Commemoration of the living and the dead (and “everyone and everything…”)
13. Suggestion priest peace, love and unity.
14. The second petitionary litany (on the consecrated honest Darechs): preparation of those praying for communion.
15. Singing the "Lord's Prayer".
16. Offering of the Holy Gifts (“Holy to the Holy…”)
17. Communion of the clergy and the "communion" verse.
18. Penultimate apparition of the Holy Gifts and Communion of the laity.
19. The exclamation “God save Thy people” and “We have seen the True Light”.
20. The last appearance of the Holy Gifts and "Let our mouth be filled."
21. Thanksgiving Litany for Communion.
22. Prayer behind the ambo.
23. "Be the Name of the Lord" and the 33rd psalm.
24. The last blessing of the priest.
