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During the liturgy. How to behave at the liturgy

Liturgy. Lutheran Church. LITURGY (Greek leitourgia public service), 1) in Orthodox Church Divine Liturgy is the main divine service of the daily cycle, performed before lunch (hence the other name for mass). Order... ... Illustrated encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Greek leiturgia, from leitos public, and ergon business, labor). A divine service in an Orthodox church in which the sacrament of St. Eucharist; mass, a service in remembrance of the entire earthly life of Jesus Christ. Dictionary of foreign words included in... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (Greek: public service). 1) In the Orthodox Church, the Divine Liturgy is the main divine service of the daily cycle, performed before lunch (hence the other name for mass). The order of service dates back to the 4th century. 2 Eucharistic celebrations are celebrated (see... ...

Cm … Synonym dictionary

- (from litoV general and ergon deed) the name of the most important of Christian services, existing, although not in the same form and meaning, among all Christian denominations and expressing the main ideas of the Christian worldview and the main goals... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

liturgy- LITURGY, mass... Dictionary-thesaurus of synonyms of Russian speech

- (Greek leiturgia) in ancient Greek city policies, state service, which was borne by wealthy citizens and metics (for example, the maintenance of participants in gymnastic competitions). The trierarchy of the equipment of the trireme was considered an extraordinary liturgy. Was… … Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

LITURGY, liturgy, women. (Greek liturgia) (church). Mass, the main Christian church service. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

LITURGY, and, women. 1. Morning or afternoon Christian worship, including prayers, chants, reading of holy books, sermons and other ritual actions. Serve, listen to the liturgy. Celebration of the liturgy. 2. A cycle of spiritual chants... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Women the sequence of the sacred service in which the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and mass are celebrated. Liturgical, related to the liturgy. Liturgiary male service book, description of the order of Vespers, Matins and Mass. Liturgize or poke, perform... ... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

Christian worship accompanied by singing and music; in the Orthodox Church - mass, all-night vigil; in Catholic - mass, requiem (funeral mass). Big Dictionary in cultural studies.. Kononenko B.I.. 2003 ... Encyclopedia of Cultural Studies

Books

Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Op. 31. For unaccompanied mixed choir, Rachmaninov S.V.. The monumental “Liturgy” created by the composer in 1910 is one of the outstanding examples of Russian sacred music. This composition is performed by both sacred and secular choirs...
Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, op. 37, M. Ippolitov-Ivanov. This book will be produced in accordance with your order using Print-on-Demand technology. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, op. 37, Score, For mixed choir Type…

Divine Liturgy - top and center Orthodox worship. During the liturgy it is performed Sacrament of the Eucharist - the union of the faithful with Christ through communion under the guise of bread and wine of the Holy and Life-Giving Body and Blood of the Savior. In this union is the basis and meaning of the life of all the faithful who make up the One Body of Christ - the Church.

The first part of the liturgy is proskomedia , or offering, - is usually performed during the reading of the third and sixth hours, secretly, in the altar - how mysterious and unknown to many were the great events remembered on it.

At the proskomedia, the priest prays to make him worthy of the great sacred rite and prepares bread and wine for the future Sacrament, and in the symbolic actions and words of the prayer two most important events— The Incarnation (Christmas) of God the Word and His sacrifice of Himself on the Cross for the salvation of people. The entire earthly and heavenly Church is also commemorated: from the Mother of God and the holy saints of God to all living and deceased Orthodox Christians, praying for whom the priest takes out particles from the prosphora - special liturgical bread. At the end of the liturgy, after communion, these particles will be immersed in the Chalice with the Holy Blood of the Lord as a petition for forgiveness and salvation of the people being remembered. This petition has great power and meaning for the living and the dead.

The second part of the liturgy is the liturgy of the catechumens (this is the name given to those preparing to receive Baptism, as well as penitents who, for special offenses, are not allowed to receive communion in order to more effectively repent) - begins with an exclamation glorification of the Kingdom of the Holy Trinity And great litany . Then follows singing two antiphons (on Sunday - Psalms 102 and 145 , depicting God’s blessings to people and teaching people to place their hopes first of all on God), performed by two choirs alternately, and songs "Only Begotten Son..." in which we confess the Incarnation of the Savior and the Atonement accomplished by Him. After the small litany the so-called "The Beatitudes" - the lofty commandments that the Savior left to His disciples, promising spiritual and earthly blessings for their sincere fulfillment in all the depths of their hearts. On great holidays, Sunday antiphons and Beatitudes are replaced by special, festive antiphons, and on weekdays - by psalms with special refrains.

While singing the Beatitudes The Small Entrance of the Clergy with the Gospel takes place , signifying the appearance of the Savior into the world to preach and accomplish the Redemption of the human race. The candle offered to the Gospel symbolizes both the light of Christ's teaching and the predecessor of Christ, the holy Prophet and Baptist John, who prepared people to receive the Messiah. During the Small Entrance, the priest prays that the holy Angels will be participants and co-celebrants of the divine service taking place.

After the Small Entrance follows singing troparions , dedicated to the holiday or events and saints to whom the temple is dedicated, and "Trisagion" (on some great holidays - and other chants: “As many as you have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. Alleluia").

Worship continues reading passages from the Apostolic Epistles or the Acts of the Holy Apostles, and then from the Gospel , which symbolizes the preaching of the apostles and Jesus Christ Himself. You need to listen to the Gospel with special attention, as if the Lord Himself instructing us. Readings from the Holy Scriptures can relate to a holiday or be “ordinary”, that is, following in the Holy Scriptures one after another and read in a row, one each day.

The Liturgy of the Catechumens ends with the litanies: , in which the Church’s prayer sounds for the numerous needs of the living (during it, the priest secretly reads a prayer of diligent supplication, in which he asks for the sending of God’s generous blessings to all the faithful); funeral , where forgiveness of sins and Eternal Life is asked for the departed; about the catechumens , which is a petition for enlightenment through Baptism for those preparing for this great Sacrament. In ancient times, after the last litany, the catechumens left the temple. Now, hearing the deacon's call: “Announcement, come out!”- we must think whether we worthily bear the title of faithful, whether we are worthy to attend the Last Supper of the Savior repeated for us, and we must pray for the forgiveness of our sins.

The third part of the liturgy is the liturgy of the faithful , which in ancient times could only be attended by those who were baptized and who retained the grace-filled gifts of Baptism with their lives - begins with two short litanies .

Then follows Great Entrance , established by the Church for the transfer of the Honorable Gifts from the altar to the throne for their consecration. During singing the Cherubic song we are called to put aside all earthly concerns: "Cherubim secretly form...", that is, mysteriously portraying (oneself) the Cherubim, it is worthy to honor the King of all Christ with attentive prayer and worthy acceptance of the Holy Gifts. The clergy come out with the Honest Gifts from the side doors, preceded by a candle bearer with a lit candle. The Honest Gifts depict Christ Himself, the King of glory. All those present in the temple bow their heads and pray to themselves with the words of the thief crucified on the cross: “Remember me, Lord, when you come into Your kingdom”, thereby asking the clergy to remember them when offering the Gifts they offered in the Bloodless Sacrifice. After the commemoration of the ruling bishop, the entire priestly and monastic order, the clergy of the church and all Orthodox Christians and the blessing of the coming people clergy enter through the Royal Doors into the altar . Those praying at this time should offer their prayers for the employees and for themselves. The sacred rite reminds us of the Lord's entry into Jerusalem, as well as the way of the cross of Jesus Christ to the place of His crucifixion and His burial by the righteous saints Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.

After the litany of petition And singing of the Creed by all believers begins the most important part of the liturgy is Eucharistic canon , during which, in an incomprehensible way, the transformation (transformation by the grace of the Holy Spirit) of bread and wine into the Holy Body and Blood of the Savior occurs mysteriously. Secretly reading the Eucharistic prayer, glorifying the blessings and infinite love of God for man and remembering the Last Supper, the priest pronounces aloud the words of the Savior spoken by Him at the establishment of the Sacrament of Communion: “Take, eat, this is My Body, which was broken for you for the remission of sins.” And: “Drink of it, all of you: this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins.” (Cm. Mf. 26:26-28. OK. 22:19-20. 1 Cor. 11:24).

This serves as a reminder to us that we are actually present at the Last Supper repeated for us, that the Savior calls us, like the holy apostles two thousand years ago, to unity with Him.

The holiest moments of the Eucharistic canon - prayer invocation of the Holy Spirit and by blessing of the Holy Sacrament their transfiguration occurs after the exclamation of the priest: “Thine from Thine is offered to Thee for everyone and for everything”- and are accompanied by singing: “We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You, Lord; and we pray to You, our God.” At these moments in the altar, through the action of the Holy Spirit, the same transmutation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ takes place, which the Savior performed at the Last Supper, blessing the bread and wine.

The Eucharistic canon continues glorifying the Mother of God in the song “It is Worthy to Eat” , given to us, according to church tradition, by an Angel, and by the prayer of a priest for all members of the Church. After the canon follows litany of petition And singing of the Lord's Prayer by all believers "Our Father" - this example of prayer, which embraces all the main, spiritual and everyday, needs of a person. With this prayer we are once again called upon to love, which is necessary for participants in the one Table of the Heavenly Father, and to forgive our neighbors, so that our sins may also be forgiven.

The deacon proclaims: "Let's hear it" (i.e. let's be careful), and according exclamation of the priest: "Holy of Holies" , indicating the need for purity for those approaching the most pure Sacrament (and choir with fear humbly answers: “There is one holy, one Lord Jesus Christ to the glory of God the Father, amen” , A laymen bow to the ground ), And closing the altar curtain the sacrament verse is sung. After it, for those approaching the Sacrament, it is usually prayers for Holy Communion are read , so that in last minutes Before communion, the mind and heart were not distracted.

At that time clergy take communion at the altar , doing this in the image of the communion of the apostles at the Last Supper: the priest receives communion himself and teaches the Holy Mysteries to the deacon. After communion, the clergy, giving thanks, pray: “O great and most sacred Easter, Christ! About Wisdom and the Word of God and Power! Grant us the opportunity to partake of You in the eternal days of Your Kingdom.”

After the clergy receive communion, the Royal Doors open - how the Savior’s tomb was once opened - and The Holy Chalice is brought out for communion of the laity . This first appearance of the Holy Gifts reminds us of the first appearance of Jesus Christ after the Resurrection, which was to St. Mary Magdalene.

The deacon proclaims: “Draw with the fear of God and faith” , A the choir sings: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, God is the Lord and he appears to us.” , for the Holy Gifts are Christ Himself, appearing for unity with the faithful. Everyone present in the temple bows to the ground before the coming and omnipresent God. Repeating after the priest the words of the prayer before communion , we confess our faith in Christ and the divine power of the Holy Gifts: “I believe, Lord, and confess that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the Living God... I also believe that this is Your Most Pure Body and this is Your Most Honest Blood...”- and we pray for forgiveness of sins and non-judgmental communion of the Holy Mysteries.

Those receiving Communion fold their arms crosswise on their chests. as a sign of faith in the salvation of us by the Crucified Christ. With fear, a sense of one’s unworthiness and humility, with faith in the saving power of the Sacrament, Having said their name, they take the Most Pure Mysteries into their mouths and carefully kiss the edge of the Holy Chalice. The choir sings during communion: “Receive the Body of Christ, taste the immortal Source.” After communion, we must try to protect ourselves from all sinful things and remember the great and terrible Sacrament, mercy and love of God for us sinners.

Upon communion of the laity the priest lowers into the Holy Chalice all the particles that were taken out of the prosphora, asking the Lord to wash away with His Blood the sins of all those commemorated at the liturgy, then says quietly: "Blessed be our God"- and in last time brings out the Holy Cup and says: “Always, now and ever and unto ages of ages” blesses the faithful with the Holy Gifts, and we respond to this bow to the ground appearing to us in the Holy Gifts of the Lord. Participants make a bow . Blessing of believers with the Holy Chalice and its transfer from the throne to the altar marks the last appearance of the Lord to the disciples and His Ascension to Heaven. It also reminds us of the Savior’s promise to remain in His Church with believers always until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

The priest proclaims: “We will depart in peace” , and the choir answers on behalf of all those praying: "About the Name of the Lord", that is, with the name of God in the soul, with the peace of Christ in the thoughts and heart.

This is followed by litany of thanksgiving and the so-called "prayer behind the pulpit" (read by the priest in front of the pulpit), which asks for the blessing of believers and their sanctification, the preservation of the Church, and the giving of peace to the world. After that the choir sings three times: “Blessed be the name of the Lord from now on and forevermore”. Then the priest says the dismissal (closing prayer of the service) , A choir sings many years , And the faithful venerate the holy cross (and the communicants, having also listened to the prayers after Holy Communion), leave the church, thanking God and trying to preserve in their souls the grace-filled enlightenment received during the service.

From the book “All-Night Vigil. Divine Liturgy. Sacraments of the Church" publishing house of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra

Liturgy (translated as “service”, “common cause”) is the most important Christian service, during which the sacrament of the Eucharist (preparation) is performed. Liturgy translated from Greek means joint work. Believers gather in church in order to glorify God together “with one mouth and one heart” and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ (Please note that in order to take communion, it is necessary to prepare specially: read the canons, come to church completely on an empty stomach, i.e. e. do not eat or drink anything after 00-00 hours before the service).
Liturgy in simple words. Liturgy is the most important church service. This is a sacred rite (church service) during which you can receive communion in church.

What is mass in the Orthodox Church?

The Liturgy is sometimes called mass, since it is usually supposed to be celebrated from dawn to noon, that is, in the pre-dinner time.

When, what time and on what days does the Liturgy take place in the church?

In large churches and monasteries, Liturgy can occur daily. In smaller churches, the Liturgy usually takes place on Sundays.
The beginning of the Liturgy is around 8-30, but it is different for each church. Service duration is 1.5–2 hours.

Why does Liturgy take place (need) in church? What does Liturgy mean?

This holy Sacrament was established by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper with the Apostles, before His suffering. He took bread into His Most Pure hands, blessed it, broke it and divided it to His disciples, saying: “Take, eat: this is My Body. “Then he took a cup of wine, blessed it and, giving it to the disciples, said: “Drink from it, all of you: this is My Blood of the New Testament, which has been poured out for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28). Then the Savior gave the apostles, and through them all believers, the commandment to perform this Sacrament until the end of the world, in remembrance of His suffering, death and resurrection, for the closest union of believers with Him. He said: “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19).

What is the meaning and symbolic actions of the Liturgy? What does the Liturgy consist of?

The Liturgy remembers the earthly life of Jesus Christ from birth to His ascension to Heaven, and the Eucharist itself expresses the earthly life of Christ.

Order of the Liturgy:

1. Proskomedia.

First, everything necessary for the Sacrament of Communion is prepared - Proskomidi (translation - offering). The first part of the Liturgy “Proskomedia” is the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. The bread consumed at Proskomedia is called prosphora, which means “offering.”
During Proskomedia, the priest prepares our gifts (prosphora). For Proskomedia, five service prosphoras are used (in memory of how Jesus Christ fed more than five thousand people with five loaves of bread) as well as prosphoras ordered by parishioners. For communion, one prosphora (Lamb) is used, which in size must correspond to the number of communicants. Proskomedia is performed by the priest in a low voice on the Altar with the Altar closed. At this time, the third and sixth hours according to the Book of Hours (the liturgical book) are read.

Proskomedia, during which wine and bread (prosphora) are prepared for the Eucharist (Communion) and the souls of living and deceased Christians are remembered, for which the priest removes particles from the prosphora.

At the end of the service, these particles are immersed in the Chalice of Blood with the prayer “Wash away, O Lord, the sins of all those here remembered through the prayers of your saints with Your Honest Blood.” The commemoration of the living and the dead at Proskomedia is the most effective prayer. Proskomedia is performed by the clergy in the altar; the Hours are usually read in the church at this time. (so that the priest during Proskomedia reads a prayer for your loved one, you need to submit a note to the candle shop before the Liturgy with the words “for proskomedia”)

2. The second part of the Liturgy is the Liturgy of the Catechumens.

During the Liturgy of the Catechumens (catechumens are people preparing to receive Holy Baptism), we learn how to live according to the Commandments of God. It begins with the Great Litany (jointly intensified prayer), in which the priest or deacon reads short prayers O peacetime, about health, about our country, about our loved ones, about the Church, about the Patriarch, about travelers, about those in prison or in trouble. After each petition, the choir sings: “Lord have mercy.”

After reading a series of prayers, the priest solemnly carries out the Gospel from the Altar through the northern gate and just as solemnly brings it into the Altar through the Royal Doors. (The procession of the clergyman with the Gospel is called the small entrance and reminds believers of the first appearance of Jesus Christ to preach).

At the end of the singing, the priest and the deacon, who carries the altar Gospel, go out to the pulpit (in front of the iconostasis). Having received a blessing from the priest, the deacon stops at the Royal Doors and, holding up the Gospel, proclaims: “Wisdom, forgive,” that is, he reminds the believers that they will soon hear the Gospel reading, therefore they must stand straight and with attention (forgive means straight).
The Apostle and the Gospel are read. When reading the Gospel, believers stand with their heads bowed, listening with reverence to the holy gospel.
Then, after reading the next series of prayers, the catechumens are asked to leave the temple (Catechumens, go out).

3. Third part - Liturgy of the Faithful.

Before the Cherubic Hymn, the Royal Doors open and the deacon censes. After fulfilling the words: “Now let us put aside every care of this life...” the priest solemnly carries out the Holy Gifts - bread and wine - from the northern gates of the Altar. Stopping at the Royal Doors, he prays for everyone whom we especially remember, and, returning through the Royal Doors to the Altar, he places the Honorable Gifts on the Throne. (The transfer of gifts from the Altar to the Throne is called the Great Entrance and marks the solemn procession of Jesus Christ to free suffering and death on the cross).
After the “Cherubic” litany, a petitionary litany is heard and one of the main prayers is sung—the “Creed,” which is sung by all parishioners together with the singers.

Then, after a series of prayers, the culmination of the Liturgy comes: Holy Sacrament The Eucharist is the transformation of bread and wine into the true Body and true Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then the “Song of Praise to the Mother of God” and the litany of petition sound. The most important one – the “Lord’s Prayer” (Our Father...) – is performed by all believers. After the Lord's Prayer, the sacramental verse is sung. The Royal Doors open. The priest brings out the Chalice with the Holy Gifts (in some churches it is customary to kneel when bringing out the Chalice with Communion) and says: “Proceed with the fear of God and faith!”

The communion of believers begins.
What to do during communion?

Participants fold their hands on their chests, right over left. Children receive communion first, then men, then women. Approach the priest with the cup, say his name, open your mouth. He put a piece of prosphora in wine in your mouth. You must kiss the cup in the hands of the priest. Then you need to eat communion, go to the table and take a piece of prosphora there, eat it and then wash it down. It is necessary to eat and drink so that all the communion gets inside the body and does not remain on the palate or in the teeth.

At the end of communion, the singers sing a song of thanksgiving: “Let our lips be filled...” and Psalm 33. Next, the priest pronounces the dismissal (i.e., the end of the Liturgy). “Multiple Years” sounds and the parishioners kiss the Cross.

Please note that after communion it is necessary to read “Prayers of Thanksgiving”.

Saint righteous John(Kronstadt): “...we have no true life without the source of life - Jesus Christ. The Liturgy is a treasury, a source of true life, because the Lord Himself is in it. The Lord of life gives Himself as food and drink to those who believe in Him and gives abundant life to His partakers... Our Divine Liturgy, and especially the Eucharist, is the greatest and constant revelation of God’s love to us.”

The picture shows a photograph in which the image of Jesus Christ appeared as well as the light from the icons during the Liturgy

What should you not do after Communion?

— After communion, you cannot kneel in front of the icon
“You can’t smoke or swear, but you have to behave like a Christian.”

Liturgy (translated as “service”, “common cause”) is the most important Christian service, during which the sacrament of the Eucharist (preparation of Communion) is performed. Liturgy translated from Greek means joint work. Believers gather in church in order to glorify God together “with one mouth and one heart” and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ (Please note that in order to take communion, it is necessary to prepare specially: fast, read the canons, come to church on an empty stomach, etc. i.e. do not eat or drink anything after 00-00 hours before the service).
Liturgy in simple words. Liturgy is the most important church service. This is a sacred rite (church service) during which you can receive communion in church.

What is mass in the Orthodox Church?
The Liturgy is sometimes called mass, since it is usually supposed to be celebrated from dawn to noon, that is, in the pre-dinner time.

When, what time and on what days does the Liturgy take place in the church?
In large churches and monasteries, Liturgy can occur daily. In smaller churches, the Liturgy usually takes place on Sundays.
The beginning of the Liturgy is around 8-30, but it is different for each church. Service duration is 1.5–2 hours.

Why does Liturgy take place (need) in church? What does Liturgy mean?
This holy Sacrament was established by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper with the Apostles, before His suffering. He took bread into His Most Pure hands, blessed it, broke it and divided it to His disciples, saying: “Take, eat: this is My Body. “Then he took a cup of wine, blessed it and, giving it to the disciples, said: “Drink from it, all of you: this is My Blood of the New Testament, which has been poured out for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28). Then the Savior gave the apostles, and through them all believers, the commandment to perform this Sacrament until the end of the world, in remembrance of His suffering, death and resurrection, for the closest union of believers with Him. He said: “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19).

What is the meaning and symbolic actions of the Liturgy? What does the Liturgy consist of?
The Liturgy remembers the earthly life of Jesus Christ from birth to His ascension to Heaven, and the Eucharist itself expresses the earthly life of Christ.
Order of the Liturgy:
1. Proskomedia. First, everything necessary for the Sacrament of Communion is prepared - Proskomidi (translation - offering). The first part of the Liturgy “Proskomedia” is the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. The bread consumed at Proskomedia is called prosphora, which means “offering.”
During Proskomedia, the priest prepares our gifts (prosphora). For Proskomedia, five service prosphoras are used (in memory of how Jesus Christ fed more than five thousand people with five loaves of bread) as well as prosphoras ordered by parishioners. For communion, one prosphora (Lamb) is used, which in size must correspond to the number of communicants. Proskomedia is performed by the priest in a low voice on the Altar with the Altar closed. At this time, the third and sixth hours according to the Book of Hours (the liturgical book) are read.
Proskomedia, during which wine and bread (prosphora) are prepared for the Eucharist (Communion) and the souls of living and deceased Christians are remembered, for which the priest removes particles from the prosphora. At the end of the service, these particles are immersed in the Chalice of Blood with the prayer “Wash away, O Lord, the sins of all those here remembered through the prayers of your saints with Your Honest Blood.” Commemoration of the living and the dead at Proskomedia is the most effective prayer. Proskomedia is performed by the clergy in the altar; the Hours are usually read in the church at this time. (in order for the priest to read a prayer for your loved one during Proskomedia, you need to submit a note to the candle shop before the Liturgy with the words “for Proskomedia”)

2. The second part of the Liturgy is the Liturgy of the Catechumens.
During the Liturgy of the Catechumens (catechumens are people preparing to receive Holy Baptism), we learn how to live according to the Commandments of God. It begins with the Great Litany (a jointly intensified prayer), in which the priest or deacon reads short prayers for times of peace, for health, for our country, for our loved ones, for the Church, for the Patriarch, for those traveling, for those in prison or in trouble. . After each petition, the choir sings: “Lord have mercy.”
After reading a series of prayers, the priest solemnly carries out the Gospel from the Altar through the northern gate and just as solemnly brings it into the Altar through the Royal Doors. (The procession of the clergyman with the Gospel is called the small entrance and reminds believers of the first appearance of Jesus Christ to preach).
At the end of the singing, the priest and the deacon, who carries the altar Gospel, go out to the pulpit (in front of the iconostasis). Having received a blessing from the priest, the deacon stops at the Royal Doors and, holding up the Gospel, proclaims: “Wisdom, forgive,” that is, he reminds the believers that they will soon hear the Gospel reading, therefore they must stand straight and with attention (forgive means straight).
The Apostle and the Gospel are read. When reading the Gospel, believers stand with their heads bowed, listening with reverence to the holy gospel.
Then, after reading the next series of prayers, the catechumens are asked to leave the temple (Catechumens, go out).

3. Third part - Liturgy of the Faithful.
Before the Cherubic Hymn, the Royal Doors open and the deacon censes. After fulfilling the words: “Now let us put aside every care of this life...” the priest solemnly carries out the Holy Gifts - bread and wine - from the northern gates of the Altar. Stopping at the Royal Doors, he prays for everyone whom we especially remember, and, returning through the Royal Doors to the Altar, he places the Honorable Gifts on the Throne. (The transfer of gifts from the Altar to the Throne is called the Great Entrance and marks the solemn procession of Jesus Christ to free suffering and death on the cross).
After the “Cherubimskaya” the litany of petition is heard and one of the main prayers is sung - “The Creed” - which is performed by all parishioners together with the singers.
Then, after a series of prayers, the culmination of the Liturgy comes: The Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated - the transformation of bread and wine into the true Body and true Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then the “Song of Praise to the Mother of God” and the litany of petition sound. The most important one – the “Lord’s Prayer” (Our Father...) – is performed by all believers. After the Lord's Prayer, the sacramental verse is sung. The Royal Doors open. The priest brings out the Chalice with the Holy Gifts (in some churches it is customary to kneel when bringing out the Chalice with Communion) and says: “Proceed with the fear of God and faith!” The communion of believers begins.

What to do during communion? Participants fold their hands on their chests, right over left. Children receive communion first, then men, then women. Approach the priest with the cup, say his name, open your mouth. He put a piece of prosphora in wine in your mouth. You must kiss the cup in the hands of the priest. Then you need to eat communion, go to the table and take a piece of prosphora there, eat it and then wash it down. It is necessary to eat and drink so that all the communion gets inside the body and does not remain on the palate or in the teeth.

Holy Righteous John (Kronstadt): “...there is no true life in us without the source of life - Jesus Christ. The Liturgy is a treasury, a source of true life, because the Lord Himself is in it. The Lord of life gives Himself as food and drink to those who believe in Him and gives life in abundance to His partakers... Our Divine Liturgy, and especially the Eucharist, is the greatest and constant revelation to us of the love of God.”

The picture shows a photograph in which the image of Jesus Christ appeared as well as the light from the icons during the Liturgy

What should you not do after Communion?
- After communion you cannot kneel in front of the icon
- You can’t smoke or swear, but you have to behave like a Christian.

ACCORDING TO THE ORTHODOX PRESS

Commentaries on the Divine Liturgy of St. John,Archbishop of Constantinople, Chrysostom

From the editor: The clergy of the Belgorod diocese have been performing missionary services for several years. At such a service, the priest comes out to the people several times during the service, explaining what is happening in the temple in this moment. We published the text of the commentary on the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.

We hope that the commentary on the Divine Liturgy will be useful both to the laity, who will be able to better understand the service, and to the priests in conducting missionary services.

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit!

Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, you and I have all gathered in this holy church in order to perform our common prayer, because the word “liturgy” translated from Greek means “common cause,” i.e. the work is not only of the clergy alone, but of all the faithful who gather in the church for worship. This means that every action, every prayer is relevant to each of us. All prayers that are read by the clergy in the altar have the character of a common, joint prayer of the entire community, and the head of the service (bishop or priest) performs them on behalf of everyone. And the meaning of our presence at the divine service is not only to pray for our own joys and sorrows, but so that, through the prayer of the entire community, the great sacrament of the Eucharist is accomplished, i.e. thanksgiving, when the offered bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ and everyone who approaches the sacrament of Holy Communion is united with Christ Himself.

But the main problem is that our worship is largely incomprehensible. In order to partially resolve this problem today, the Divine Liturgy as it is celebrated will be accompanied by commentaries explaining the meaning of the sacred rites and prayers being performed. The hours, which are part of the daily cycle of worship, have just been read, and the priest performed proskomedia in the altar (in translation from Greek. offering), during which part of the bread was taken from the offered prosphoras (symbolizing the Lamb of God, i.e. Christ), particles in honor and memory Holy Mother of God, saints, as well as living and deceased Orthodox Christians for whom commemorations were given. All this rests on the paten and symbolizes the Church of Christ - heavenly and earthly. Wine combined with water is poured into the Chalice in memory of the fact that blood and water flowed from the side of the Lord, after it was pierced by a spear on the Cross. After this, the proposed gifts are covered with special payments (covers and air at hom) and the priest reads the prayer of offering, in which he asks to bless and accept the offering on the Most Heavenly Altar, to remember “ those who brought and for their sake brought"(i.e. those who offered commemoration and for whom) and we will remain uncondemned during the sacred rite.

Thus, the proskomedia ends and the time comes for the Liturgy of the Catechumens, which will begin literally now. In the initial prayers before the liturgy, the priest reads a prayer for the calling of the Holy Spirit “ Heavenly King", and when the service is performed with the deacon, he, asking for the blessing of the primate, says: " Time to create the Lord, O Lord, bless" Those. the time of the liturgy is coming, the time when the Lord Himself will act, and we will only be His co-workers.

The Divine Liturgy begins with a solemn exclamation “ Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages", to which the choir replies " Amen", What means May it be so. Any responsibility of the choir expressed in the utterance of the words “ Amen“are expressions of consent and acceptance by the people of God, i.e. by all faithful Christians, everything that happens in the Church.

This is followed by the great or “peaceful” litany, which begins with the words “ Let us pray to the Lord in peace", "peace", means "in the world", i.e. a peaceful state of mind and reconciliation with others. You cannot make a sacrifice to God while in an embittered state. Petitions are pronounced, and we, together with the choir, answer them “ Lord have mercy" After the great litany, a prayer is read in which the priest asks the Lord to “ looked at this holy temple and gave us and those praying with us inexhaustible mercies" This is followed by the singing of antiphons. Antiphons are entire psalms or verses from them, which are sung alternately by the right and left choir. Not everywhere, of course, it is possible to follow this tradition. The main content of the antiphons is the glorification of God and His eternal Kingdom. Initially, they were not part of the liturgy, but were sung by the people on the way to the temple. While singing the antiphons, the priest reads a prayer in which he asks God to “ save Your people and bless Your inheritance, preserve Your Church in its entirety... and do not forsake us who trust in You».

Pronounced so-called "small" litany " packs and packs, let us pray to the Lord in peace", i.e. " again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord». « Lord have mercy“responses the choir, and with it all of us.

This is followed by the singing of the second antiphon “ Praise the Lord my soul" and song " Only Begotten Son", which expresses Orthodox teaching about Christ: in Him two natures are united - divine and human, and both of them are present in Him in all their fullness: God, having become incarnate, did not cease to be God, and man, united with God, remained man. At this time, the priest reads a prayer where he prays “… Fulfill the request of Your children for the benefit: grant us in the present age the knowledge of Your Truth, and in the future grant us Eternal Life».

And again the “small” litany follows, after which the singing of the third antiphon, the so-called. “blessed”, i.e. the beatitudes given by the Lord, during which the small entrance takes place. Priests carry the Holy Gospel from the altar while reading a prayer “...make at our entrance the entrance of holy angels, serving with us and glorifying Your goodness" The priest blesses the holy entrance with the words " Blessed is the entrance of your saints", followed by the exclamation " Wisdom, forgive me!». "Sorry"- that means, let’s stand upright, reverently. The Small Entrance symbolizes the appearance of the Church, which, together with the angelic forces, gives unceasing praise to God. But earlier, the bringing of the Gospel also had a purely practical nature, because it was not kept on the throne, but in a separate place, and at that moment it was brought to the temple in order to be read.

The choir sings " Come, let us worship and fall before Christ!", followed by the singing of troparions and kontakions for this day. During the singing, the priest reads the prayer of the Trisagion, which is in direct logical connection with the idea of entry and the prayer of entry, and it speaks of concelebration with the priest and the Heavenly Forces themselves. Holy God, who rests among the saints, Whom the seraphim sing with the Trisagion hymn and the cherubim glorify...You Yourself, Master, accept from the lips of us sinners the Trisagion hymn and visit us in Your goodness, forgive us all voluntary and involuntary sins...».

This is followed by the exclamation “ Lord, save the pious...", which survives from the ceremonial of the Byzantine service, which was attended by the kings. And immediately follows the singing of the Trisagion " Holy God, holy Mighty, holy Immortal, have mercy on us" During the singing of the Trisagion, the clergy ascend to the high place in the altar, a place on which only the bishop can sit, symbolizing Christ. Ascending to a mountainous place takes place to hear the Holy Scriptures, therefore it is from there that the primate teaches peace to all those gathered, so that we can hear the word of God. The reading of the Holy Scriptures is preceded by the singing of the prokemena (translated from Greek. presenting). A prokeimenon is a verse from Holy Scripture, most often from the Psalter. For the prokemna, the verse chosen is particularly strong, expressive and suitable for the occasion. The Prokeimenon consists of a verse, properly called a prokeimenon, and one or three “verses” that precede the repetition of the prokeimenon.

Afterwards the reader reads the corresponding passage from their apostolic epistles. Today there will be two such passages from the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Colossians and the first letter to the Corinthians. During the reading of the Apostolic Epistle, incense is performed on the altar, the iconostasis, the reader of the apostle, the choir and all those gathered in the church. Previously, incense was used during singing alleluaria with verses of psalms, i.e. after the reading of the Apostle, but since this singing is usually done very hastily, the incense was transferred to the reading of the passage of the Apostolic Epistle itself. Hallelujah is a Hebrew word and literally means “praise Yahweh” (Yahweh, or Jehovah, is the name of God revealed in the Old Testament).

This is followed by the reading of the Gospel. Before reading it, the priest reads a prayer “ Shine into our hearts, O humane-loving Master... Place in us the fear of Your good commandments, so that we, having conquered all carnal lusts, may lead a spiritual life..." Today there will also be two Gospel readings, and we will stop separately to talk about the meaning of the passages read.

And now the Divine Liturgy will begin, so I call on everyone gathered in the church to responsibly and prayerfully stand before the service, because our common prayer and is the prayer of the whole Church. God help everyone!

Next Stop After Reading Scripture

Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, immediately after reading the Gospel the so-called “extreme” litany, during which we pray for the Primate of our Church, His Holiness the Patriarch, the Ruling Bishop, the God-protected country, the people and the army, for all those who stand and pray, who do good for this holy temple, those who sing and those who stand expect great mercy from the Lord. The choir responds to each request three times “ Lord have mercy“, and each of us must repeat this prayer in our hearts. During the litany, the priest prays that the Lord “ accepted this fervent prayer... and had mercy on us according to the multitude of mercy" His. Also, the serving clergy reveals the holy antimension (literally - instead of the throne), a plate with a sewn-in particle of holy relics, on which the Bloodless Sacrifice will be offered.

On weekdays, after the “special” litany, there is a funeral litany, but on Sundays and other holidays it is not established, which means it will not exist today. But let us not forget that the commemoration of the dead is always performed at the proskomedia, and after the consecration of the Holy Gifts, in a place that will be discussed later.

After this, the litany of the catechumens is pronounced, which reminds us that in the Ancient Church Baptism was performed only after a long teaching (catechumen) and those preparing for this great sacrament were called catechumens. They were allowed to attend the service up to a certain point. After the recitation of this litany, all those preparing for Baptism had to leave the service. Today there are practically no catechumens, but the litany has been preserved, and it is possible that it will become a guarantee that the ancient catechumen practice will be revived in our Church. During this litany, the priest prays that the Lord " honored them ( those. catechumens ) during a favorable bath of renewal ( those. Baptism )… united them with His holy, catholic and Apostolic Church and included them among His chosen flock...».

At the end of the litany, “ Elitsa(i.e. all those who) announcement, come out...", which means it ends Liturgy of the Catechumens and it begins Liturgy of the Faithful, which can only be attended by members of the Church, i.e. Orthodox Christians.

During the recitation of the litanies in the altar, two prayers of the faithful are read, in which the priest, on behalf of all those gathered, asks the Lord to accept “ ...our prayer, to make us worthy to offer Him prayers, supplications, and bloodless sacrifices for all His people...", grant " To all who pray with us, prosperity in life and faith and spiritual understanding" And " innocent and uncondemned to partake of His holy Sacraments and His heavenly Kingdom will be worthy" At the end of the reading of the second prayer, the exclamation follows: “ For according to Thy power(so that we are under Your authority) always preserved, they sent glory to You, Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages" After double " Amen"The choir begins singing the Cherubic Song. At the beginning of the singing cherubic the priest silently reads a prayer in which he asks God “ ...honor that through me, a sinful and unworthy servant of Yours, these gifts be brought to You. You Yourself are the one who brings and is offered, the one who receives and who is distributed, O Christ our God..." This prayer is a preparation for the moment of the great entrance, i.e. transferring the Gifts from the altar to the throne. After reading the prayer, the priest (if the deacon is absent) performs censing, during which he silently reads the penitential 50th psalm.

Having completed the censing, the primate raises his hands up with the words “ We, depicting the cherubim in the sacrament and singing the Trisagion hymn to the life-giving Trinity, will now put aside all worldly cares in order to receive the King of the world, accompanied invisibly by the ranks of angels. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah».

The transfer of the Gifts and their placement on the throne is expressed in terms of sacrifice, but again, our sacrifices, sacrifices of praise that we ask you to accept “ from the hands of us sinners…”. In the event that the liturgy is celebrated without a deacon, the primate takes the paten and the Chalice and, on the solea, commemorates the First Hierarch of our Church, the Ruling Bishop, the Right Reverend Metropolitans, Archbishops and Bishops, as well as all those present in the church with the words “ May the Lord God remember in His Kingdom, always now and ever and unto ages of ages" Placing the holy vessels on the altar, the priest covers them with air and recites troparions Good Friday. After transferring the Gifts from the altar to the throne, we will make one more stop with you to explain the further course of the service. God help everyone!

Next stop after the Great Entrance

Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, the Great Entrance has taken place, and you and I have almost come close to the culminating moment of the service - the Eucharistic canon. Immediately after the transfer of the Gifts from the altar to the throne, the litany of petition begins. The petition sounds " Let's do it(i.e. we will replenish) our prayer to the Lord“, and we, together with the choir, answer “Lord, have mercy.” After the request " We ask the Lord to spend the entire day holy, peacefully and sinlessly", we answer with the words " Give it, Lord", and that is why the litany is called petitionary. This litany develops petitions regarding what people need: the Guardian Angel, forgiveness of sins, peaceful death, etc. During its recitation, the prayer of offering is read. This last prayer before the anaphora itself (i.e., the Eucharistic canon) attracts attention by invoking the Holy Spirit on the Gifts and on the people: “... Make us worthy to find favor in Your sight, so that our sacrifice may be acceptable to You and that the good Spirit of Your grace may rest upon us, and on these gifts set before us, and on all Your people...».

After the exclamation " Through the bounty of Your Only Begotten Son, with Him you are blessed..."priest teaching" peace to all" Then follows the exclamation “ Let us love one another, so that we may confess with one mind" and the choir continues " Father and Son and Holy Spirit - Trinity Consubstantial and Indivisible" In ancient times, at this moment the so-called kissing the world, when the faithful taught one another the kiss of peace in Christ: men to men, women to women. It can be assumed that the disappearance of this action was associated with the growth of the Church, with the appearance of crowded meetings in churches, where no one knew each other and where these actions would be a mere formality. Today this custom has been preserved only among clergy, when one greets the other with the words “ Christ is in our midst" to which the answer follows " and there is and there will be».

This action symbolically signifies complete internal reconciliation between Christians intending to participate in the sacrament of the Eucharist. The Savior’s commandment (Matthew 5:23-24) directly commands that one should first be reconciled with one’s brother, and then bring the sacrifice to the altar. But this reconciliation must also mean complete like-mindedness, complete spiritual unity. Therefore, immediately immediately after the kiss of peace, the Creed (adopted at I Ecumenical Council in Nicaea and supplemented at the Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople), as a measure of the dogmatic truth of Christians. The Eucharistic offering can only be with one mouth and one heart, in a single faith, in agreement of dogmas, in the same view on the basic issues of faith and salvation.

After the exclamation " Doors, doors, let us smell wisdom(i.e., let us listen)” the Creed is sung by all the people of God as an expression of the dogmatic unity of the Church. Exclamation " doors, doors"in ancient times was a sign for deacons who stood at the doors so that during the Eucharistic prayers no one would leave or enter the assembly of the faithful.

At the end of the singing of the Creed, the Eucharistic canon or anaphora prayers begin (from the Greek. exaltation), which are the culminating part of the liturgy. We hear the cry " Let's become kinder(i.e. slim), let's stand with fear, let's scream(i.e. we will pay attention) to bring holy offerings in the world -" and the choir continues " mercy, peace and sacrifice of praise" The priest, turning his face to the people, exclaims: “ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the Father, and the sacrament(communication) May the Holy Spirit be with you all!" The choir, and with it all of us, answer: “ And with your spirit" Primate: " Gore e we have(i.e. let's lift up) hearts", the chorus answers: " Imams(i.e. we exalt) to the Lord", priest: " We thank the Lord!" And the choir begins to sing " It is worthy and righteous to worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity Consubstantial and Indivisible" At this time, the primate performs a prayer of thanksgiving, in which he praises God for all His blessings, revealed and unseen to us, for the fact that He brought us from non-existence into existence and restored us again after the fall, for the service that is performed, despite the fact that He thousands of archangels and multitudes of angels are coming, cherubim and seraphim, six-winged, many-eyed, soaring on wings, which (the priest exclaims) “ singing the song of victory, shouting, shouting and speaking" (chorus continues) " Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Hosts; Heaven and earth are full of Your Glory! Hosanna(i.e. salvation) in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" And the priest continues " with these blessed Powers we, the philanthropic Lord, exclaim..."After which the primate in prayer remembers the event when our Lord Jesus Christ established the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist" taking the bread into His holy and immaculate and sinless hands, giving thanks and blessing, sanctifying" and saying to his disciples and apostles " Take, eat, this is My Body, broken for you for the remission of sins", the choir and we together with him " Amen!" The priest prays In the same way I drink the cup after supper, saying: (out loud) Drink from it, all of you, this is My Blood of the New Testament, shed for you and for many for the remission of sins" The chorus continues to answer " Amen!", priest " So, remembering this saving commandment of His and everything He did for us: the cross, the tomb, the three-day resurrection, the ascension to Heaven, right hand (from Father) sitting, and also His second and glorious coming,(raising the Gifts) “Thine from Thine, offering unto Thee for all and for all" And further " We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You, Lord, and we pray to You, our God!"(chorus echoes this). And the priest begins to read a prayer about the calling of the Holy Spirit to the Gifts " and we ask, and we pray, and we work hard(i.e. seizure A eat): send down Your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts that are set before us,».

According to the Russian tradition, at this time the troparion of the third hour “Lord, like Thy Most Holy Spirit” is supposed to be read; many mistakenly believe that this troparion is precisely the prayer of invoking the Holy Spirit for the Gifts. In order not to break the integrity of this prayer, it will be read immediately after the words “ and we pray to You, our God!».

The prayer of epiclesis (i.e. the prayer for the invocation of the Holy Spirit) continues inextricably with the words “ And make this bread with the honest Body of Thy Christ"(the priest blesses the paten with his hand), " and in this Chalice is the precious Blood of Thy Christ"(the priest blesses the Chalice), " changed by Your Holy Spirit"(the priest blesses the paten and the chalice together). After this, a prostration is made before the consecrated Holy Gifts.

Having risen, the primate makes intercessory prayers so that we all receive communion for the sobriety of the soul and the forgiveness of sins. Next, he prayerfully offers a verbal service “ about every righteous soul who has died in faith" And he exclaims, censing the throne, “ Considerably(i.e. especially) about our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary" The choir sings a chant glorifying the Mother of God, who is the most honest cherub and the most glorious without comparison seraphim, and the priest continues to commemorate the holy saints of God, John the Baptist, saints glorious apostles and saints whose memory is celebrated today. Then, please pay attention, the primate commemorates the deceased Orthodox Christians, therefore each of us at this time can and should prayerfully remember all those whom we usually remember for their repose. Then the priest prays for every Orthodox bishopric, priesthood, deaconry and every priestly order, for the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Afterwards, the primate loudly commemorates the First Hierarch of the Russian Church and the Ruling Bishop, after which he reads a prayer for our city, for our country and the salvation of all those Orthodox Christians who are not currently present at the service. Then, again, please pay attention, it is possible to remember the health of Orthodox Christians, but there is very little time for this, so we can only have time to prayerfully remember the people closest to us. This is followed by an exclamation: “ And give it(i.e. give) with one mouth and one heart we glorify and sing Your all-honorable and magnificent name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.", the choir, together with the people, answers, " Amen!" and the priest, turning his face to all the faithful, proclaims: " And may the mercies of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all", the chorus replies " and with your spirit" This is where the Eucharistic canon ends and there is little time left until the moment of communion for the clergy and laity. At this point, we will stop again to continue explaining the subsequent course of the service. I wish us all a meaningful standing before the Lord!

Next stop after the Eucharistic canon

Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ took place, in order to then be offered to the faithful for communion and union with God. Now a litany of petition will be pronounced after the consecration of the Gifts. Having remembered all the saints, let us pray to the Lord again and again in peace" By saints here we mean not only the holy saints of God glorified by the Church, but also all faithful Orthodox Christians, deceased and living, remembered during the service. In the early Church, saints meant all Christians in general, and the apostolic writings refer to Christians in this way. Next is the petition “ Let us pray to the Lord for the offered and consecrated honest Gifts“, this is a petition for the sanctification of us by the communion of these Gifts, which follows from the following petition “ So that our humane God, having received them onto His holy and heavenly and mental altar, like a spiritual fragrance, would send down to us divine grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit as reward - let us pray!”, then the usual petitions for the litany of petition follow, and the priest prays that each of us will receive communion without condemnation and be cleansed from the defilements of the flesh and spirit. St. writes about the meaning of this prayer and litany. Nicholas Kavasila, one of the best interpreters of the Liturgy: “Grace acts in honest Gifts in two ways: firstly, by the fact that the Gifts are sanctified; secondly, by the fact that grace sanctifies us through them. Therefore, no human evil can hinder the action of grace in the Holy Gifts, because their sanctification is not an act of human virtue. The second action is a matter of our efforts, and therefore our negligence can interfere with it. Grace sanctifies us through the Gifts if it finds us worthy of sanctification; if she finds us unprepared, then she does not bring us any benefit, but causes even more more harm" The litany ends with the petition “ Having asked for the unity of faith and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves and each other, and our whole life, to Christ God", followed by the exclamation " And grant us, O Master, with boldness and without condemnation to dare to call You, the Heavenly God, Father and to speak»:

And all the people, together with the choir, sing the Lord’s Prayer: “ Our Father…" The petition in the Lord's Prayer for daily bread acquires a special Eucharistic character during the liturgy. The prayer ends with the exclamation “ For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory...", after which the priest gives peace to everyone, and after an exclamation of adoration, reads the corresponding prayer, in which he thanks God and asks for our immediate needs " Float to those who swim, travel to those who travel, heal the sick, Physician of our souls and bodies" After the chorus responds " Amen", the priest reads a prayer before the crushing of the Holy Lamb, in which he asks God " to give us His pure Body and honest Blood, and through us - to all His people».

Followed by the exclamation “ Let's see!(i.e. let us be attentive)" and the primate, lifting up the Holy Lamb, proclaims " Holy to saints!" Here, as we have already said, saints mean all Orthodox Christians, in this case, those gathered in this holy temple, i.e. understood by each of us. The choir sings: " There is one Holy One, one Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen" The Primate performs the crushing of the Holy Lamb, with the words “ Filling of the Holy Spirit“puts a particle with the inscription “Jesus” into the Chalice, a particle with the inscription “Christ” will be used by the clergy, and the remaining two with the inscriptions “NI” and “KA” (i.e. victory) will be crushed for teaching to everyone who gathers today take communion. A ladle of hot water, so-called "warmth", which in its theological interpretation goes back to death on the cross Savior, because The blood that flowed from the Lord was hot. After the clergy have received communion, we will again make a short stop and explain the rest of the service, after which the Body and Blood of Christ will be given to everyone who prepared for it today.

Next stop after clergy communion

Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, the moment has come when the Chalice with the Body and Blood of Christ will be taken from the altar for the communion of the faithful. As we said at the beginning, the Divine Liturgy has as its meaning the transmutation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, for the communion of all those gathered at the liturgy. The last part of the liturgy is therefore called the liturgy of the faithful, because all those present at it were not outside spectators, but active participants in the service, aware of their responsible presence before God in the joint Eucharistic prayer. Communion at every liturgy was the norm for Christians ancient Church, but over time this norm began to be forgotten, and today we can see that in a temple in which there is a sufficient number of people, there are only a few communicants. We often talk about our unworthiness, and this is absolutely true, each of us is unworthy to be able to unite with Christ Himself and woe to those who suddenly realize their dignity in front of the Holy Chalice. It is precisely because we are weak and unworthy that we are called to heal our ailments in the Sacraments of the Holy Church - repentance and communion, first of all. The universality of the communion of all the faithful during the liturgy reveals the nature of the Church, which Itself is the Body of Christ, which means that each member of Her is a part of Him.

Striving for constant unity with God in joint prayer and in communion in the sacraments, we will step by step make our spiritual ascent to which every Christian is called. The Liturgy is not celebrated so that we can light candles and order mass; more precisely, we also have every right to do all this, but the main meaning of its celebration is our union with God Himself. The purpose of life Orthodox Christian is to achieve O marriage, because, according to the words of St. Athanasius the Great, “God became man in order for man to become God.” And our deification is unthinkable without participation in church sacraments, to which we must resort not occasionally, from time to time, but constantly, remembering that this is precisely what our church life consists of. Naturally, all this is unthinkable without painstaking and thorough work on oneself, without struggling with one’s sins, because as the Holy Scripture says: “ The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it away"(Matthew 11:12). God saves us, but not without us; if each of us does not thirst for salvation, then it will be impossible to achieve it.

And in addition to our constant mysterious life, we must make efforts to better know our faith, because everyone who looks at us already has an idea of the Church of Christ, and what this idea will be like if we cannot give answers to elementary questions. You need to constantly force yourself to study, read Holy Bible, the Fathers of the Church, the works of Orthodox theologians and, undoubtedly, improve in prayer. Each of us has a huge responsibility before God, the Church and people, because having become Christians we have become, in the words of the Apostle Peter, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people taken for his own possession, that we might proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light” (1 Pet. 2:9). Keeping this responsibility in mind, we must perform our church service.

Now the Holy Chalice will be taken out and everyone who was going to take communion today will unite with Christ Himself. After communion, the Chalice is brought into the altar and the holy particles that were taken out for the saints, living and dead, are immersed in the Chalice with the words “ Wash away, Lord, the sins of all those remembered here by the prayers of Your saints" Thus, everyone for whom the offering was made is also made the Body of Christ, and this is the highest meaning of the Eucharist - the unity of the heavenly and earthly Church.

Let's dive the particles, the priest proclaims " Save, O God, Your people and bless Your inheritance!" Then the Holy Chalice is transferred to the altar, with the words “ Blessed be our God" (quiet) " Always now and ever and unto ages of ages!"(exclamation). The priest saying " Ascend into heaven, O God, and throughout all the earth Your glory» places the Cup on the altar. The choir, on behalf of all those who received the Holy Mysteries, sings “ May our lips be filled with Your praise, O Lord, so that we may sing Your Glory, for You have honored us with communion of Your holy, divine, immortal and life-giving Mysteries" This is followed by the litany “ Let's be reverent! Having partaken of the divine, holy, immaculate, immortal, heavenly and life-giving, terrible Mysteries of Christ, we worthily thank the Lord!", after which it is proclaimed " Let's go out in peace!"and the junior clergyman reads the so-called. "behind the pulpit" prayer, in which he asks " Lord... save Your people and bless Your inheritance... Grant Peace to Your world, Your churches, the priesthood, our rulers and all Your people..." The choir and the people respond, “ Amen!", after which the blessing is given to all the faithful with the words " The blessing of the Lord is upon you..." After which the primate makes a dismissal, i.e. the final prayer of the liturgy, which remembers Mother of God, the holy apostles, the saints of the temple and the day (today this is, first of all, Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina, the enlightener of Georgia) and St. John Chrysostom, whose liturgy is celebrated today. After which the choir sings many years to the Primate of the Russian Church To His Holiness the Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' and our Ruling Bishop, His Eminence John, Archbishop of Belgorod and Stary Oskol. Thus the service ends.

We hope that today’s service, which was constantly commented on during its celebration, has given us the opportunity to better know our liturgical heritage, and we will continue to make efforts so that we have a desire to comprehend our Orthodox heritage more and more, through meaningful participation in worship, through participation in the Sacraments of the Holy Church. Amen.

The end and glory to our God!

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