05/21/2018 1 887 0 Igor

Psychology and Society

In our age, full of vanity and doubt, people began to turn to the church more often. They run here from fatigue, from meaninglessness, from spinning in place, from vicious dead ends from which they cannot find a way out. When people come to worship, they try to find peace, happiness and meaning in life. One of the most important services of the Orthodox Church is the liturgy. What does it mean in simple words?

Content:

What is liturgy?

Liturgy (translated from Greek - service, common cause)- the most important Christian service in the Orthodox Church, during which a sacred rite is performed associated with the transmission to believers of the invisible grace of God under a visible image. This sacred rite is called the sacrament of the Eucharist. Liturgy is a communal and personal action at the same time. Its structure consists of: reading prayers and pages of the Holy Scriptures, festive rituals and choral singing, connected into a single whole. Without making spiritual and intellectual efforts, it is impossible to understand the meaning of this service. Therefore, in order to find a new, wonderful life in Christ, you need to know church rules, regulations and statutes.

History of the Divine Liturgy

The internal content of the liturgy reflects the process of man's dynamic movement towards God. On Maundy Thursday, Jesus Christ, before voluntarily accepting death for our sins, gathered all the apostles and, after reading the prayers, broke bread and distributed it to all of them. He commanded this sacrament of Communion to the apostles.

After the Ascension of the Lord into Heaven, the apostles celebrated the Eucharist, or the sacrament of Communion, daily. They spread the covenant throughout the world and taught the clergy to perform the liturgy, which is also called mass, since it begins at dawn and lasts until lunch. The Lord's brother, the Apostle James, compiled the first rite of the liturgy. In the Roman Empire Ancient Church During the 4th–7th centuries, many rites of the Liturgy appeared, which were unified, and in exactly the same form are now carried out in the Orthodox Church.

The rite of worship was formed gradually. From the beginning of the 2nd century, each service received its own special continuation. At first, the sacrament of Communion was performed according to the order that was established by the Lord. Then the apostles added to the liturgy meals of love, which included the reading of prayers, eating food and the presence of believers in fraternal communion. The breaking of bread took place after Communion. Already in our days, the liturgy has turned into a separate sacred rite, at the beginning of which joint ritual actions are performed, and at the end a meal is served.

What types of liturgies are there?

IN Ancient world various communities composed liturgical orders in their own image. All of them were the same in meaning and original content, and differed only in the prayers that the priests read during the service.

The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates three types of liturgy:

1. Liturgy of John Chrysostom- an independent creation of the saint based on the text of the Anaphora of the Apostle James, it is held more often than all other services.
2. Liturgy of Basil the Great- an abbreviated version of the Liturgy of James, celebrated 10 times a year: every Sunday of Great Lent, Maundy Thursday, Holy Saturday, Christmas and Epiphany Christmas Eve, day of memory of St. Basil the Great.
3. Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts- the creation of the Roman Bishop Gregory Dvoeslov, is carried out strictly on Lent: Wednesday and Friday, Thursday of the fifth week, in the first three days of Holy Week.

Anaphora

Anaphora (translated from Greek - exaltation, unity of command)- This is the central prayer of the Divine Liturgy, which is a repeated appeal to God with a request to create a miracle through the application of wine and bread - symbols of the Blood and Body of Jesus Christ, the Savior of Humanity. When the priest reads the Anaphora, he lifts up and returns the Eucharistic Gift to God the Father. Rules for reading Anaphora:

1. First, the first prayer is read, which glorifies and expresses gratitude to God.
2. The Sanctus is read second and the hymn “Holy...” is heard.
3. The third is the remembrance of the Last Supper with the fulfillment of the secret words of Christ.
4. Then the recumbent Gifts of the Holy Spirit are sung.
5. The last prayer is read for the intercession and intercession of God, prayers are heard for the living and the dead, memories of the Mother of God and the saints.

How long does it last and when is it carried out?

In large churches, services take place every day. They last for one and a half to two hours. IN holidays- up to three hours.

Liturgies are not held:

1. Before the beginning of Lent on Wednesdays and Fridays during Cheese Week.
2. During Lent on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
3. IN Good Friday(exception – if it coincides with the Feast of the Annunciation Holy Mother of God(April 7), then the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is held).
4. If the Nativity of Christ and the Epiphany fall on Monday or Sunday, then before them.

Celebration of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

Proskomedia

This service consists of several parts. The beginning of the sacrament is called Proskomedia - this is the offering of bread and wine. The bread that believers eat during the service is called prosphora. Nowadays, bread is prepared in the Orthodox Church from yeast dough kvass kneading. For proskomedia, five prosphoras are now used (before the reform of Patriarch Nikon, seven prosphoras were used in the liturgy) in memory of the miracle described in the Gospel, when Christ fed five thousand people with five loaves.

Communion is carried out with one “lamb” prosphora. At the beginning of the ritual, a proskomedia is held in the altar while reading the hours. The prayer “Blessed is our God” is read on the eve of the 3rd and 6th hours, symbolizing the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The initial cry of the proskomedia is heard in the third hour. Proskomedia is performed on the altar.

From the middle of the “lamb” prosphora, the priest cuts out a cubic shape - the Lamb, which is evidence that the Lord is the Lamb who died for our sins. Prosphora and wine - gifts - carry the following meaning: a cube cut from prosphora symbolizes the four stages life path Jesus Christ: birth, coming into the world, Calvary and burial. The Lamb and the other four prosphora embody the complete unity of the heavenly and earthly churches. The carved Lamb is placed on a golden plate - paten. The second prosphora is intended for the veneration of the Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A triangular particle is cut out of it and placed to the right of the “lamb” prosphora particle. The third prosphora symbolizes tribute to the memory of John the Baptist and those holy prophets, apostles, great martyrs, unmercenaries and Orthodox saints, blessed saints who are remembered when the liturgy is celebrated, Joachim and Anna, the righteous holy parents of the Mother of God. The two remaining prosphoras are intended for the health of the living and the repose of deceased Christians. During proskomedia, believers write notes with names and place them on the altar, and in return they take out particles of prosphora, which go to the people indicated in the note. Each prosphora takes its place on the paten. At the end of the liturgy, all the prosphora and their parts are poured into the Holy Chalice, which is followed by the priest’s request to God for the forgiveness of the sins of those people whose names were mentioned at the proskomedia.

Liturgy of the Catechumens

The second part of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is the Liturgy of the Catechumens. Catechumens used to be people who were preparing for Baptism. In ancient times, they had to undergo special training: study the basics of faith, go to church, and pray. The main purpose of the Liturgy of the Catechumens is reading Holy Scripture and sermon. With the help of the Gospel, the life and teaching of Christ about God and the spread of grace on earth after the preaching of Christ and the apostles are conveyed to believers.

This action is now called a peaceful litany (prolonged prayer), during which psalms are heard, which are called antiphons. There are different types of litanies (small, petitionary, catechumens, final - sung at the end of evening and night services, etc.).

There are also litanies for various prayer services, Sacraments, demands, monastic tonsures, and consecrations. Their structure is the same as the main types of litanies.

The priest, holding up the Gospel, depicts a cross in the air and says: “Wisdom, forgive me!”, a kind of reminder that one should be attentive to prayer. The reading of the Gospel ends with an intense or intensified litany. The priest says “Catechumens, come forth,” after which the unbaptized and repentant people leave the church, and the main sacrament of the Divine Liturgy begins - the third part, which is called the Liturgy of the Faithful.

Liturgy of the Faithful

Only the faithful can attend. This part is also called the liturgy of sacrifice, since it is in it that the bloodless sacrifice to Christ takes place - the Eucharist. At the beginning of the Liturgy of the faithful, the Cherubic Song and the Great Entrance are sung, at which time the Holy Gifts are transferred from the altar to the altar. Before the Anaphora, all believers together pronounce the Creed as evidence of the unity of the confession of the Orthodox faith. During the Anaphora, the priest reads secret prayers and calls on the Holy Spirit to sanctify those praying and offer the Holy Gifts. After this, the sacrament of Communion begins for the clergy and all believers who have prepared for it.

Sacrament of Communion

Communion is a testimony to the conciliarity and unity of the Church of Christ. Stages of the sacrament:

• the opening of the royal doors as a symbol of the opening of the Holy Sepulcher;
• the exit of the Deacon with the Holy Chalice in his hands as a symbol of the appearance of the risen God.

Before communion, the priest reads a prayer for communion. Everyone admitted to the sacrament folds their hands in front of them in a cross and approaches the Chalice in turn, calling their name received at Baptism, kissing its edge and tasting the church wine and prosphora. At the end, the Chalice is brought back to the altar and the parts taken from the prosphora are lowered into it. This is the last appearance of the Holy Gifts, which are transferred to the altar, reminiscent of the Ascension of the Lord into heaven after His Holy Resurrection. Communion in last time they worship the Gifts and thank the Lord God. The church choir sings a song of thanksgiving.

End of the Divine Liturgy

At the end of the liturgy, the clergyman reads the prayer behind the pulpit and blesses all the worshipers and parishioners of the church. At this time, he turns the cross to face the temple and places absolution (absolves sins).

Liturgy and the sacrament of Communion are the privilege of Orthodox Christians. Before receiving communion, every believer must clear his conscience and perform a liturgical fast. Communion requires special preparation:

• Presence on church services.
• Attendance at the evening service in the Temple is mandatory.
• Reading prayers: succession, three canons and akathist.
• Keep a fast: restrictions on food and drink and refusal of entertainment.
• On the eve of communion, complete abstinence from food.
• Confession is repentance and remorse for one’s sins, an affirmation of the desire to improve and take the right path.

Important! You must not leave the church immediately after communion; you must listen to the prayer of thanksgiving.

The essence of Communion is that what makes us Orthodox people is not just visiting church, wearing pectoral cross or acceptance of the rite of Baptism, namely life in Christ and participation in the life of the church, which begins with the sacrament of Communion. The Eucharist is not just some kind of remembrance of what once happened more than two thousand years ago. This is a real repetition of the Last Supper.

Those who do not partake of the holy mysteries cut themselves off from the source of life - Christ. Orthodox Christians who regularly receive communion with reverence and due preparation “abide in the Lord.”

Liturgy is a divine service during which the sacrament of Communion is celebrated. To fully understand and accept the need to turn to the Lord God, the first thing every believer must do is take part in church services and reading prayers.

To find out what the liturgy is in terms of content, you need to get general ideas about the church, understand the basics Orthodox Christianity, know the difference between a Church and a temple. These concepts are not entirely identical.

A temple is a building where believers gather to pray, participate in services and prayer services. Church is a broader concept. The main service of the Orthodox Church is the Divine Liturgy.

It is considered important because at this church service the great Sacrament of the Eucharist, or Communion, takes place.

Through the prayer of the priest, bread and wine (the Holy Gifts) become the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word translated from Greek means “joint business.”

For the first time, the Lord himself performed the sacrament of the Eucharist before He was betrayed by one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot.

Having gathered on the eve of the sufferings on the cross with the apostles, Christ, having blessed and broken bread and wine, bequeathed them to eat in memory of him, thereby leaving the opportunity to unite with Him through communion of the holy mysteries of Christ.

In church, the priest performs this remembrance. In one part of the service, a liturgy about health is celebrated. For sick Christians who are unable to attend services, this is divine help in spiritual strengthening.

Important! Before Communion, the Sacrament of Confession is required.

The sequence of the liturgy or its order was formed in accordance with each historical period, changing depending on the area, but exactly preserving the will of Christ.

In the time of the apostles, the Eucharist was celebrated together with a meal: Christians prayed, talked about God, and after the supper the Sacrament of the Eucharist was performed.

In the modern rite at the liturgy, the meal is separated from the sacred rite. If the church has the opportunity to feed parishioners, then the meal is served after the end of the service.

Liturgical ceremonies are supposed to take place from dawn to lunch.

The sequence of the liturgy in a modern church:

• preparing items for the Sacrament;
• preparation of believers - prayer, confession;
• the Sacrament and Communion itself.

The Divine Liturgy in the church takes place in three stages:

• proskomedia;
• Liturgy of the Catechumens;
• Liturgy of the Faithful.

What happens at the liturgy

Proskomedia means offering. Before the service begins, bread and wine are brought. The bread brought to the Sacrament of the Eucharist is called prosphora. It is prepared from yeast dough.

At the proskomedia, five prosphoras are used as a memory of the miracle of the feeding of five thousand people by Christ. On the prosphora it is written Jesus Christ conquers.

For Communion, only one bread is broken, just as Jesus did. The Apostle Paul said: there is one bread, and we, who are many, are one body; for we all partake of one bread (1 Cor 10:17). Red wine is mixed with water, symbolizing the flow of blood and water from the body of the Lord at the crucifixion.

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The sequence at the proskomedia liturgy begins during the reading of the hours with the exclamation “Blessed is our God.” The hours are services of three psalms, verses and prayers. They are dedicated to the circumstances of the suffering of Jesus Christ. What is happening on the altar, in the altar at this time?

From the lamb prosphora, for Communion, the priest uses a special knife (copy) to make cuts in the center in the shape of a cube. This particle is called the Lamb, symbolizing Christ himself as an innocent victim. The lamb is cut crosswise from below, then it is pierced with a spear with right side.

The priest reads words from the Bible. Next, wine and water are poured into a special vessel (chalice).

The sequence of each movement of the priest has a symbolic meaning. When the Lamb is cooked, it is placed on the paten.

Particles are taken out from the remaining prosphoras in honor of the Mother of God, John the Baptist, saints, martyrs, all those whom the Church commemorates on this day, as well as the parents of the Virgin Mary and the saint whose rank the priests serve. That is, the service can be of St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory the Dvoeslov.

The difference between the services of apostolic times and modern church practice is only in the texts of the prayers. But the content of the liturgy has remained unchanged since the coming of Jesus Christ.

Before the service, believers submit notes with names about health and repose Orthodox people. For them, particles are also taken out from the prosphoras and placed on the paten. The sequence occurs in a strictly defined order.

When a service is in progress, it is prohibited to make any unauthorized changes or violate the order of the service. Among the objects of the Sacrament there is a star - it is a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem and the cross. The priest covers the Lamb on the paten with it. The paten signifies the cave and Golgotha.

When these actions are performed, incense is performed by the priest. At the end of the proskomedia, the star is covered with two covers; they symbolize the Christmas shrouds. And everything together is covered with a larger cover, which is called air.

Liturgy of the Catechumens

This part is so called because both those who have been baptized and those preparing to receive the Sacrament of Baptism can attend it. They are called catechumens.

The sequence of the liturgy continues with a long prayer - a peaceful litany. It begins with the call: “Let us pray to the Lord in peace.”

Everyone prays for all aspects of our lives. About the world as a whole, about temples, about those serving, sacrificing, traveling, sick, captives, that is, about everyone living.

In this part of the service, everyone feels what it is like – conciliarity, when everyone is together “with one mouth and one heart.” Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20).

After the peaceful litany, the church choir alternately sings psalms. They are called antiphons. The priest enters with the Gospel and the address “Wisdom, forgive me!”

At this time, maximum attention is required from believers, as if the Lord himself was addressing the believers. After a short song (troparion) glorifying the Lord, the Virgin Mary or the saints, the reading of the books of the Apostles and the Gospel begins.

The sequence of the liturgy continues with an enhanced litany with the commemoration of names in the submitted notes. The liturgy for health is served. It commemorates all the clergy, powers and armies. Upon its completion, the commemoration of dead Christians begins. In it, worshipers ask God for mercy for the sins of the dead, thereby helping the souls of loved ones to be closer to the heavenly abodes.

The second part ends with the litany for the catechumens. The words are heard: “Catechumens, come forth,” and those preparing for baptism leave the church. This means that the final stage of the service begins - the Liturgy of the Faithful.

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Liturgy of the Faithful

The sequence of this part of the service is as follows:

• Gifts are transferred from the altar to the throne;
• believers prepare for the consecration of the Gifts;
• Gifts are consecrated
• believers prepare for Communion and receive communion;
• Thanks are offered to God for Communion and dismissal (completion of the service).

How does this part of the service take place? The moment when the heavenly forces are called upon and the angelic army begins with the singing of the Cherubic song.

There is a union between the heavenly and earthly Churches. Those present in the temple leave all vanity, resentment, enmity and pray for salvation.

The consecration of the Holy Gifts is prepared by a petitionary litany. After it, all believers sing the “Creed,” thereby showing the solemnity of the service. This prayer contains all the basic values ​​and dogmas of the Orthodox Church.

Important! The Sacrament of the Eucharist cannot be approached without reverence and special attention.

The song “Mercy of the World” continues the Eucharistic canon. During the hymn, the priest reads Eucharistic or secret prayers over the Gifts. The priest's assistant reads a prayer of thanksgiving. The priest says loudly: “Singing the song of victory, crying, calling and speaking.”

In prayers we remember how the Sacrament of the Eucharist takes place. What blessings did the Lord give to people - the opportunity to be with Him through the communion of the Holy Gifts, sacrifice own life Christ for our sins, the future Resurrection and salvation of our souls.

In these memories, the consecration or transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ takes place. The priest reads three times a short troparion from the hours with a request for the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Holy Gifts for all those praying. The consecration ends with a threefold “Amen.” The Holy Gifts are our bloodless sacrifice “for everyone and everything” offered.

The parishioners collectively (together) read the main prayer “Our Father,” bequeathed by God himself. The priest exclaims: “Holy to saints!”, recalling the reverent state, starting the Sacrament of Communion. After this, the royal doors are opened and the Chalice is taken out.

The Royal Doors symbolize the opening of the Holy Sepulcher, the Holy Gifts – the Resurrection of the Lord. A special prayer is read before Holy Communion. The parishioners pray, humbly realizing their unworthiness before the greatness of the shrine and the sacrament being performed.

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When submitting notes about health for the main sacred ceremony, remember that the liturgy about health helps grateful and God-fearing people.

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Let's sum it up

Those who have prepared for the Sacrament of the Eucharist are allowed to receive Communion: they have confessed, prayed according to the rule for Holy Communion (it is in the prayer book), and received the blessing of the priest.

Having given communion to the believers, the priest sanctifies the parishioners and transfers the Chalice to the altar. This is a symbol of the last appearance of the Savior to the apostles and His ascension into heaven.

The service ends with dismissal. It commemorates the Mother of God, the saint in whose honor the service was performed, and the saints of the temple and the day.

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

Divine Liturgy

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

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

• Proskomedia
• Liturgy of the Catechumens
• Liturgy of the Faithful.

Proskomedia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liturgy of the Catechumens

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liturgy of the Faithful

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Symbol of faith

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prayer “Our Father...”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The seven services of the daily liturgical circle - Vespers, Matins, Midnight Office and four services of the hours - precede the liturgy. Prayers, psalmody, reading holy books and all sacred rites prepare a Christian for the main service - the Divine Liturgy, colloquially called mass, since it is supposed to be performed in the pre-dinner time. Translated from Greek Liturgy means “common cause” or “common service.”

In other words, on Liturgy they come to all together, collectively, offer prayers to God for the whole world, for all creation, for their country, for loved ones, and for one thing and for themselves, to ask for strength to serve God and people.

Liturgy- this is the Savior’s gratitude for life in all its manifestations, for the obvious and implicit benefits that He provides to us through people or circumstances, for saving suffering and death on the cross The Son of God, Jesus Christ, for His resurrection and ascension, for Divine mercy and the opportunity to turn to the Creator.

Sacrament of Thanksgiving(in Greek Eucharist), performed on Liturgies- this is the Sacrament of Communion: prayers and sacred rites of thanksgiving bring down the grace of the Holy Spirit onto the prepared bread and wine and make them communion - the Body and Blood of Christ.This great Sacrament of God's love for man was established by Jesus Christ Himself at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:19-21; 1 Cor. 11:23-26). The Lord commanded that this Sacrament be performed in His remembrance (Luke 22:19).After the Ascension of the Lord, the apostles began to perform the sacrament of Communion daily, combining it with the reading of the Holy Scriptures, the singing of psalms and prayers.That's why Liturgy is the main service of the Church, and all others only prepare for it.

Compiler of the first rite of the Liturgy Considered a saint by the Christian Church apostle James, brother of the Lord. According to this rite, liturgies are still celebrated in Jerusalem Church on the day of remembrance of the Apostle.

In the 4th century St. Basil the Great set out in writing the rite of the Liturgy, which is an abbreviated Liturgy of the Apostle James.

St. John Chrysostom, due to the fact that the residents of Constantinople were burdened by the long prayers of the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, introduced another, more abbreviated rite of the Liturgy.

The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated in the Orthodox Church throughout the year, except for Great Lent, when it is celebrated on Saturdays, on the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos and on Vai Sunday.

The Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is celebrated ten times a year.

On Wednesdays and Fridays of Great Lent, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts of St. Gregory the Dvoeslov is celebrated, which has a special rite.

The Divine Liturgy consists of three parts: Proskomedia, Liturgy of the Catechumens and Liturgy of the Faithful, which follow one after another, like steps of a spiritual ladder.

The order of the Liturgy is as follows: first, objects are stocked up and the substance for the Sacrament (gifts) is prepared, then the believers prepare for the Sacrament by joint prayer, reading the Apostle and the Gospel. After the singing of the Creed, meaning the complete unity of those praying in faith and love, the Sacrament itself is performed - transubstantiation (translation), that is, the transformation of the very essence of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, and then the communion first of the priesthood in the altar, and then of the believers who have a blessing for communion after confession.

Proskomedia

That part of the Liturgy during which the substance for the Sacrament is prepared is called proskomedia. The word "proskomedia" means "bringing". The first part of the Liturgy received its name in accordance with the custom of ancient Christians to bring bread and wine to church for the celebration of the Sacrament. For the same reason this bread is called prosphora, which means offering.

Proskomedia as part of the Liturgy, it consists of the recollection of prophecies and foreshadowings, and partly of the events themselves relating to the Nativity and suffering of Jesus Christ. At the same time, the part necessary for performing the Sacrament is removed from the prosphora; likewise, the necessary portion of the wine, combined with water, is poured into the sacred vessel. At the same time, the celebrant remembers the entire Church: the glorified (canonized) saints, prays for the living and the dead, for the authorities and for those who, by faith and with zeal, brought prosphora or offerings.

Before the start of the proskomedia, the clergy at the royal doors perform entrance prayers, asking God to strengthen them during this service.

Proskomedia is performed in the altar on a special table - an altar. Five prosphoras are taken - five loaves (according to the number in the Gospel; Mark 6:38-44), baked from leavened, risen dough. Wine is taken - always grape, red - and combined with water (wine for the Sacrament is combined with water because this sacred act is performed in the image of the suffering of Christ, and during the suffering, blood and water flowed from the wound inflicted on His rib).

The prosphoras are two-part, as a sign that in Jesus Christ there are two natures, two natures - Divine and human; on top of one of the prosphoras - Lamb (bread prepared for communion is called lamb, because he represents the image of the suffering Jesus Christ, just as in Old Testament He was portrayed by the Passover lamb; Passover Lamb- this is a lamb that the Israelites, by command of God, slaughtered and ate in memory of deliverance from death in Egypt) - a cross is depicted with the letters “IS XC” “NI KA”, that is, “Jesus Christ conquers.” Three things are contained in bread, in accordance with the tripartite soul and in honor of the Trinity: flour with leaven, which serves as an image of the soul; water, signifying Baptism, and salt, signifying the mind and teaching of the Word.

The sacred rites of the proskomedia are performed in the altar o reading the third and sixth hours or while reading them.

The priest, reading a prayer, kisses the sacred vessels:“Thou hast redeemed us from the legal oath (kisses the paten) with Thy Honest Blood (the Chalice), having been nailed to the Cross (the star, which, when opened, represents a cross) and pierced with a copy (the copy), Thou hast exuded immortality as a man, Our Savior, glory to Thee (liar)" .

D and s k o s - a round consecrated dish - means Heaven, the Lamb, the Lord of Heaven, is placed on it.

Spear - a sharp knife with which the Lamb is cut out and particles are taken out of the prosphora, symbolizes the spear of the Roman soldier, the centurion Longinus, with which the Savior was pierced on the Cross (John 19:34).

Liar (from Greek - pincers) - a spoon for communion for the laity. It symbolizes the tongs with which Seraphim took a hot coal and touched the lips of the prophet Isaiah, which meant his cleansing (Is. 6:6); and also a cane with a sponge, which, after soaking in vinegar, the soldiers brought to the lips of the Savior hanging on the Cross (Matthew 27:48).

The star means star of bethlehem, which was at the birth of Christ, as well as the shroud. The altar itself at the proskomedia depicts the cave (nativity scene) where Christ was born, and a manger (Luke 2:7).

The priest takes one from five prosphoras and says three times:"In remembrance of the Lord, and God, and Savior Jesus Christ" .

Then, with a copy, he cuts out a quadrangular part from the prosphora (this part of the prosphora is prepared for transfusion into the Body of Christ).“Like (as) a sheep was led to the slaughter (led to the slaughter); and because the Lamb is without blemish directly (against) his shearer, he is silent, so he does not open His mouth; In His humility His judgment will be taken (judgment upon Him); Whoever confesses (explains) His generation; As if His belly (life) would be lifted up from the earth.” , - the priest pronounces the prophetic words of Isaiah (53, 7-9).

The birth of Christ is mysteriously connected at the proskomedia with His crucifixion on Golgotha, and the priest, cutting the Lamb crosswise, says:“The Lamb of God, who takes away (takes away) the sin of the world, is eaten (sacrificed) for the life of the world (for the life of the world) and salvation” . Then I remember an episode from gospel history how the body of the Savior, hanging on the Cross, was pierced by a warrior’s spear. At this time, wine combined with water is poured into the Chalice (John 19:34).

A particle is taken out of the second prosphora in honor and memory of the Mother of God and placed on the paten, on the right side of the Sacred Bread: the Queen appears “at the right hand” of Her Son and King Christ.

Particles are taken out of the third prosphora in honor of the nine faces of saints: in honor and memory of the Forerunner and all the holy prophets and righteous people who heralded the incarnation of the Lord; then in honor of the apostles - the servants of Christ, and with them all those who were zealous for piety - the holy hierarchs, martyrs, saints and all saints, in memory of the saints celebrated on this day and the creator of the rite of the Liturgy - St. John Chrysostom or St. Basil the Great.

Saints for whom particles are taken out,“as those who have striven for Christ, in this great Sacrament they become partakers of greater glory and ascension, through the Communion of the Saving Sacrifice...” (Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica. Cited op. Ch. 62. P. 125) .

Remembering the saints, we“Through union and communication with them, we are sanctified. For they themselves directly receive sanctification from God; and by accepting offerings from us, they sanctify us through them.” . (Thoughts on the divine service of the Orthodox Church by Archpriest John Sergiev (Kronstadt). Cited ed. p. 81.)

From the fourth prosphora, particles are taken for the living members of the Church: for His Holiness the Patriarch, the bishop, then for the entire priestly and monastic rank, for those who work in churches (2 Tim. 2:6), for our country and for all Christ-loving people.

“Orthodox! - says the saint righteous John Kronstadt, -by allowing particles to be taken out for health and salvation and for peace, you communicate at the proskomedia and during the liturgy with the Lord, the Mother of God, the Forerunner, the prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints and all the saints.” .

The priest brings a particle only for Orthodox Christians. It is impossible to offer particles for those who live unrepentantly: because the offering serves them to condemnation, just as Communion serves as condemnation to those who approach the Holy Mysteries without repentance, as the Apostle Paul said (1 Cor. 11: 28-30).

Finally, from the fifth prosphora - particles for those who died in Christ: for the entire priestly and monastic rank, for the creators of this temple, and further - for all Orthodox Christians who died in the hope of the resurrection and Eternal Life. The priest also brings particles for those whom we want to remember and have submitted memorials and notes with their names to the Liturgy.

Before us on the altar during the proskomedia“In some way, Jesus Himself, we contemplate His entire One Church. In the center of everything we see Him, the True Light, Eternal Life, acquired by Him, sanctified and preserved: for He Himself is present here under the image of the Bread placed in the middle. The particle on the right side represents His Mother; on the left are the holy angels, and below is the pious assembly of all who believed in Him. There is a great mystery here: God is among people and God is among gods who received deification by grace from the True God, who became incarnate for their sake. Here is the future Kingdom and the revelation of Eternal Life." (Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica. Cited op. Ch. 62. P. 128-129).

Concluding the proskomedia, the priest asks for God's blessing on the sacred rite being performed.

Blessing the censer with a cross, he prays:“We offer the censer to You, Christ our God, into the stench (like incense) of spiritual fragrance, which we received (which we accepted) into Your Most Heavenly Altar, and bestow upon us the grace of Your Most Holy Spirit. And at the end of the proskomedia, the priest confesses Christ with the Heavenly Bread given as Food to the whole world, and intercedes before God for all who are coming to the Divine Liturgy and for whom they are praying in this offering... Bless this Offer (this), and accept it ( him) to Your Heavenly Altar. Remember, as the Good and the Lover of Humanity, who brought and for the sake of bringing them, and preserve us without condemnation in the sacred rite of Your Divine Mysteries...” .

Liturgy of the Catechumens

The ancients called that part of the liturgy during which believers prepare for the SacramentLiturgy of the Catechumens , because in addition to those who are baptized and allowed to receive communion, catechumens are also allowed to listen to it, that is, those preparing for baptism, as well as repentants who are not allowed to receive communion.

This part of the liturgy begins with the blessing or glorification of the Kingdom of the Holy Trinity and consists of prayers, chants, reading the books of the apostles and the Gospel. It ends with a command to the catechumens to leave the church.

The curtain of the royal gates opens, and with the words of confession of the mystery of the Resurrection of the Son of God -"Carnally in the grave" - the deacon censes the western side of the Holy Altar, with the words“In hell, with a soul like God” - southern, with words“In Paradise with the robber” - eastern, and with words“And you were on the Throne, O Christ, with the Father and the Spirit” censes the northern side of the throne;"All Fulfillment Undescribed" - altar.

The censing begins from the throne and returns to it, after censing the altar and the entire temple, as a sign that the beginning and end of all good things is God, who is on the Throne.

Each day is accompanied by a quiet reading of Psalm 50 and the troparion of the temple. Deacon“he censes everything in order, not just burning incense,” explains Blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica, “but sealing and sanctifying it and through prayer bringing and lifting it up to Christ with the prayer that the censer may be accepted and that the grace of the All-Holy Spirit may be bestowed upon us " (Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica. Cited op. Ch. 274. P. 413).

In this liturgical action, the prayers of those present are offered up, appearing before God as a aroma of Christ (2 Cor. 2:15).

The priest, having made three bows with the prayer “God, cleanse me, a sinner...”, raising his hands, prays, calling on the Holy Spirit:“Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, who is everywhere (omnipresent) and fills (everything), the Treasure of good things and the Giver of life, come and dwell in us (in us), and cleanse us from all filthiness (impurity) , and save, O Blessed One, our souls" . Says the angelic praise:“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14), expressing his good will to accept the peace of God, bestowed through the Incarnation and suffering of the Savior on the Cross. Praying for the sending of grace-filled prayer:“Lord, you have opened my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise.” . (Ps. 50:17).

The priest then makes the initial exclamation:"Blessed is the Kingdom..."

These words Divine LiturgyThey tell us that the place where we enter to offer the verbal service is the blessed Kingdom of the Holy Trinity. This is also evidenced by the trinity of many parts of the liturgy: exclamations, litanies, initial antiphons, the Trisagion hymn, Alleluia, singing of the Prokeemne, etc. - testify to our presence in the Kingdom of the Holy Trinity.

“Let us pray to the Lord in peace” - begins with these wordsgreat, or peaceful litany . Those praying are encouraged to pray in peace, silence and tranquility of spirit, with clear conscience, in like-mindedness and mutual love. We ask for such peace from the Lord, which the Apostle Paul calls"passing all understanding" (Phil. 4:7), we ask for help in our daily needs, we ask for spiritual perfection in order to follow the Lord Christ, who said:“Be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48).

The priest in secret prayer asks the Lord to grant mercies to those praying in the temple:“...You Yourself, Master, according to Your mercy, look mercifully on us and on this temple, and grant to us, and to those praying with us, Your rich mercies and Your bounties.” , - and ends the prayer with a glorification of the Most Holy Trinity, exclaiming:“For all glory, honor and worship is due to You, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.” .

Secret prayers read by the priest have a deep dogmatic content; in the ancient Christian Church they were read aloud, they were heard by all the people praying in the temple.

After the exclamation, the singing of liturgical antiphons begins, divided into three parts by small litanies - in honor of the Most Holy Trinity.

On holidays, figurative antiphons are sung (these antiphons have this name because they are included in the Sequence of figurative, or in common parlance, the liturgy) - verses from the 102nd and 145th psalms and the Gospel Blessed (Matthew 5: 3-12), with troparia of the canons. The Church fulfills the covenant of the Apostle Paul (Col. 3:16) - glorifies and thanks the Lord for his providential care for the world and man. With these psalms, those praying prepare to hear the sublime church teaching about the Incarnation of God the Word, which is set forth in the tropar “The Only Begotten Son and Word of God.”

This church hymn expresses the fullness of God’s care for the salvation of the human race through the coming into the world of the Son of God, foreshadowed by the Old Testament prophets, about His Incarnation from the Most Holy Theotokos, and the mystery of God’s Economy of human salvation is revealed: the preaching of Divine teaching, free suffering and the Savior’s death on the Cross, by which He conquered sin and death. The hymn “The Only Begotten Son and Word of God” is considered the troparion of the Constantinople Church of Hagia Sophia, the Wisdom of God, built by the Byzantine emperor Saint Justinian (†565). He is also the author of this troparion.

During small litany , after singing the first antiphon, the priest reads a secret prayer for the preservation of the Holy Church and her children, for the sanctification of those who love the beauty of the house of God - the temple.

During second small litany he reads: “Those who are in common with each other have given us prayers...” , remembering the Savior’s promise to dwell where even only two or three Christians gather together to pray (Matthew 18, 19, 20).

Only in the Name of Christ, gathering in love and unanimity in church, can Christians worthily glorify God by sacrificing the Holy Gifts to Him.

Third antiphon - "Blessed are..."- begins with the words of a prudent robber: “In Your Kingdom, remember us, O Lord, whenever (when) You come in Your Kingdom”. Let us remember what the Lord answered him: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”(Luke 23, 42, 43). And we, singing this prudent confession, hope to be with the Lord. The nine main gospel commandments taught by the Savior in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:2-12) lead to this bliss, the fulfillment of which leads a person to the perfection of spiritual life in Christ. A true disciple of the Lord, asking Him for mercy for himself, must be humble in spirit, meek, righteous, merciful, patient in trials, faithful to the Lord to the point of self-sacrifice.

During the singing of the third antiphon, the small entrance takes place.

The symbolism of the small entrance, when a candle bearer with a candle, a deacon with the Gospel and a priest emerge from the northern gate of the altar, is revealed in the secret prayer that the priest says at this time: “Master Lord, our God, who established in Heaven the ranks and armies of Angels and Archangels... make our entrance the entrance of holy Angels who would serve with us and glorify Your goodness.” .

The creator of the Liturgy, Saint John Chrysostom, writes:“Now the angels rejoice, now the archangels rejoice, now the cherubim and seraphim celebrate with us a real holiday... Although we received this grace from the Master, they have a common pleasure with us” ( Saint John Chrysostom. The Word against the Death Eaters, 3 // Creations in Russian translation. T. 2. Book. 1. St. Petersburg, 1899 [reprint: M., 1993]. P. 485).

"Blessed is the entrance of Your saints...", - says the priest, overshadowing the entrance to the royal gates sign of the cross. The carrying out of the Gospel is Christ's coming out to preach; the candle is John the Baptist preceding Him (John 1:27). The deacon proclaims: “Wisdom, forgive me! (from Greek - wisdom, stand up straight)". This is a call to believers in simplicity of heart, standing reverently, to heed the wisdom of God revealed to the world by the preaching of the Savior. “Come, let us worship and fall before Christ,”- the people sing. Venerable Seraphim During the Liturgy at this moment, Sarovsky saw the procession of the Savior with a host of angels and saints.

After the entrance, the singing of troparions and kontakions follows, reflecting the sacred events of the holiday. This group, through song, tries to embrace all the memories connected to the day of the liturgy, showing that the Bloodless Sacrifice is offered for everyone and for everything.

The priest at the throne in secret prayer asks the Heavenly Father, sung by the Cherubim and Seraphim, to mercifully accept the Trisagion hymn, to forgive our sins, voluntary and involuntary, to sanctify us and give us strength to serve Him until the end of our lives, and proclaims: “For Holy is God ours, and we send glory to You, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever...” And the deacon points the orar, like an angelic wing, from the icon of the Savior to the upcoming believers, saying:"And forever and ever" . The Holy Church prays for all those who live piously, for the granting of salvation to them - everyone, not only those standing in this moment in the temple, but also about future generations of people.

The choir sings the Trisagion hymn:“Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us” . At the beginning of the 5th century in Constantinople, during a terrible earthquake, a divine service was held and procession. In a vision, angels appeared to one youth singing this song. The Christians, hearing about this, joined angelic singing words:"Have mercy on us!" , and the earthquake stopped.

The Holy Prophet Isaiah saw the Throne of God surrounded by armies of holy angels singing:"Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts" , and exclaimed: “My lips are unclean, and I live among people with unclean lips!” (Isa. 6:1-5). Then an Angel touched his lips with a burning coal and removed his iniquity and cleansed his sins (Isa. 6, 6, 7). By singing the Trisagion hymn together with the Ethereal Powers, we bring repentance to the Lord for our sins and ask for God’s help and mercy.

The priest ascends to a high place - the dais behind the throne. The high place marks the Heavenly Throne of God and “means the exalted presence of Jesus,” says Blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica. Ascending to a high place, like Christ to Heaven, into the bosom of the Father, the priest reads the prayer:“Blessed art thou on the Throne of the glory of Thy Kingdom, thou sittest upon the Cherubim...” .

The reader at the high place takes the blessing from the priest to read the Apostle and goes among the people, as if to the peoples of the whole world, to sow the Word of Christ into the hearts of people.

"Peace to all!" - exclaims the priest. This is how the Lord, after His glorious Resurrection, greeted His disciples (Luke 24:36). With this Divine greeting He sent them to preach the Gospel throughout the world. “Peace,” according to the words of St. John Chrysostom, “is the mother of all blessings and the foundation of joy.” In the word “peace,” the Lord taught His disciples, and through them all the shepherds of Christ’s Church, the power of the spiritual world (John 14:27). Before the coming of the Lord, the peace between man and God was broken by sin. Sin, having taken possession of man, disrupted relationships between people. After His Resurrection, the Savior bestows Divine peace on humanity through the Holy Church, reuniting people with God, with each other and with all creation (John 16:33).

To the priest's greeting"Peace to all!" - the reader on behalf of all those praying says:"And to your spirit" , - a response wish to the clergyman who teaches the blessed world, the same peace from the Lord.

Reading followsApostle . During the reading of the Apostle, incense is performed. It was established as a sign of reverence for the upcoming reading of the Gospel and indicates that through the preaching of the Gospel the grace of the Holy Spirit, spilling out to all ends of the world, sweetened the hearts of people and turned them to Eternal Life (2 Cor. 2:14). At the end of the reading, the singers sing "Alleluia", and the reader recites verses from the psalms - alleluia - hymns of praise, announcing the manifestation of God's saving grace to all people. This singing is preparatory to the reading of the Gospel and emphasizes its solemnity.

While singing the alleluia, the priest reads a secret prayer in which he asks God to grant him and those praying the understanding of the Gospel reading and the fear of the blessed commandments in order to trample upon carnal lusts and acquire spiritual life.

In front of the lectern on which the deacon places the Gospel, a lighted candle is placed on the pulpit as a sign of reverence for the word of God and in commemoration of the light of God's understanding given by the Gospel, enlightening those who listen with the knowledge of saving mysteries.

After reading the Gospel in the Ancient Church, the bishop (or priest) was supposed to pronounce a word of edification. Thus, the word of God, which had just been heard in the reading of the Gospel, continued alive and effectively, giving spiritual shoots in the episcopal word - the embodied Tradition of the Church. Nowadays this ancient custom is being revived in some parishes. And according to the most common practice, the Gospel is immediately followed bylitany of extremes , Sometimes funeral And about the catechumens . The Holy Church, having introduced those praying to Divine wisdom through reading the word of God, encourages them to make a special prayer request, which in liturgical language is called diligent prayer.

The litany begins with a petition:“Rtsem all...” . The Church calls on both clergy and worshipers to turn with all the strength and ability of their souls with reciprocal love, deepest gratitude and devotion to God and to seek help and intercession in Him alone.

At this time, the priest secretly reads a prayer of diligent supplication, in which he asks the Lord God to mercifully accept the intense heartfelt prayer of His servants for the forgiveness of sins and to send down His generous benefits to all His people.

In the funeral litany we pray for our deceased relatives, neighbors and all those who have died in the faith.

“It was not in vain that the apostles established,” says St. John Chrysostom, “that during the performance of terrible Mysteries they should remember the departed. They knew that this would bring them much benefit and much benefit, when all the people and the sacred face stood with their hands raised and when it was presented terrible Victim, then how not to beg God by asking for them.”

During the next litany, the priest prays for the catechumens, "those who bowed their necks" that is, in humility and meekness, awaiting the gifts of God's grace, rejecting the stiff-necked - heartless and pride of the pagan world. " God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."- says the apostle (1 Pet. 5:5). And the prophet proclaims the words of the Lord: “Whom will I look upon: the humble and contrite in spirit, and the one who trembles at My word” (Isa. 66:2).
«... Look upon Thy servants, the catechumens... and grant me (them) during a prosperous bath of restoration.”, – the priest prays. Bathhouse of rebirth - rebirth, new life with Christ through Baptism (Tit. 3, 5~7) . But the holy fathers also called repentance the “bath of rebirth”—a tearful bath that washes a bad conscience.

“Catechumens, come out(go out),” – proclaims the deacon. Humility, meekness and the publican's prayer can give us the courage to be with the faithful at the Lord's Last Supper - the Eucharist. He who does not repent of his sins will not penetrate into the essence of this Mystery; his heart will be excommunicated from the meeting of faithful Christians.

Liturgy of the Faithful

That part of the Liturgy during which the sacrament of communion is performed is calledLiturgy of the Faithful , because only the faithful, that is, the baptized, can attend it. It can be divided into the following parts:

1) transferring the honorable Gifts from the altar to the throne;

2) preparing believers for the consecration of the Gifts;

3) consecration (transubstantiation) of the Gifts;

4) preparing believers for communion;

5) communion;

6) thanksgiving for communion and dismissal.

Transferring the Honorable Gifts from the Altar to the Throne

After inviting the catechumens to leave the temple, two short litanies are pronounced and Cherubic Song: “Even as the Cherubim secretly form, and the Life-giving Trinity sings the thrice-holy hymn, let us now put aside all worldly cares. As if we will raise up the King of all, the angels invisibly bring us to the chinmi. Alleluia (three times)."

In Russian, this song reads like this: “We, mysteriously depicting the Cherubim and singing the thrice-holy hymn to the Trinity, which gives life, will now leave concern for everything everyday, so that we can glorify the King of all, Whom the invisibly angelic ranks solemnly glorify. Praise be to God!

Individual words of the Cherubic Song mean: secretly educational- mysteriously portraying or mysteriously presenting oneself; life-giving- giving life; hummingly- chanting; let's put it aside- let's leave; worldly care- taking care of everyday things; like yes- to; let's raise- we will raise, glorify; Dorinoshima- solemnly worn, glorified (“dori” is a Greek word and means a spear, so “dorinoshima” means carried a spear; in ancient times, wanting to solemnly glorify chests or military leaders, they put them on shields and, raising them up, carried them on these shields in front of the troops , and the shields were supported by spears, so that from a distance it seemed that the glorified persons were being carried on spears); angelic chinmi - angelic ranks; Alleluia - praise to God.

The Cherubic Song reminds believers to now abandon all thoughts about everyday things, imagining that they, like the Cherubim, are near God, in heaven, and as if together with them they sing to Him the thrice-holy song - praise to God. Before the Cherubic Hymn, the royal gates open and the deacon makes incense, and the priest in secret prayer asks the Lord to cleanse his soul and heart from the evil conscience and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to deign him to bring the prepared Gifts to God; then the priest and deacon in an undertone recite the Cherubic hymn three times, and both go to the altar to transfer the venerable Gifts from the altar to the throne. The deacon, having “air” (a large covering) on ​​his left shoulder, carries a paten on his head, and the priest holds a holy cup in his hands.

Coming out of the altar by the northern doors (the singing of the Cherubic song at this time is interrupted by the words “let us put aside care”), they stop at the pulpit and, turning their faces to the believers, pray for His Holiness the Patriarch, for the ruling bishop, metropolitans, archbishops, bishops, for the priesthood, monasticism, for the creators of the temple, for the Orthodox Christians present, and return through the royal doors to the altar; honest Gifts are delivered to the throne on an unfolded antimension and covered with “air”, after which the royal doors are closed and covered with a curtain; Meanwhile, the singers finish the Cherubic Hymn.

The transfer of Gifts from the altar to the throne is called great entrance and marks the solemn procession of Jesus Christ to free suffering and death on the cross. Believers at this time should stand with their heads bowed and pray to the Lord to remember them and all those close to them in His Kingdom; at the words of the priest “May the Lord God remember you and all Orthodox Christians...” you need to say in a low voice: “And may the Lord God remember your priesthood in His Kingdom always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.”

Preparing believers for the consecration of honorable gifts

After the great entrance comes the preparation of the faithful for a worthy presence at the consecration of the prepared Gifts. It begins with the petitionary litany “Let us fulfill our prayer to the Lord” for the “honest gifts offered” so that they would be pleasing to the Lord, for which at the same time the priest secretly prays, and so that the Lord would sanctify them with His grace. Next, we ask the Lord for help to get through the whole day ( "all day") in perfection, that is, holy, peaceful and without sin; send us a Guardian Angel, faithfully guiding us on the path of truth and goodness and protecting our souls and bodies from all evil; please forgive me ( "forgiveness") and forget ( "abandonment") our random sins and frequently repeated sins; to give us everything that is good and useful for the soul (and not what pleases our destructive passions and what we often desire); and so that people live and work in peace among themselves (and not in hostility and mutually destructive struggle); and that we may spend the rest of our lives ( "the rest of our life") in peace with your neighbors and with your conscience and, in contrition for the sins you have committed; were honored with Christian death, that is, by confessing and partaking of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. We ask for a painless, shameless death, a peaceful death, that is, in mental world and reconciliation with neighbors. And so that the Lord deigns to give us a kind, fearless answer to Last Judgment His. For a worthy presence during the celebration of the sacrament, the following are necessary: ​​peace of mind, mutual love and the true (Orthodox) faith that unites everyone. Therefore, after the litany of petition, the priest, blessing the people, says: “Peace to all!” Those praying immediately express the same wish to his soul (“and to your spirit”).

Then it is proclaimed: “Let us love one another, that we may be of one mind”, to which the singers sing: "Father and Son and Holy Spirit, Trinity Consubstantial and indivisible". This shows who should be so unanimously confessed (recognized). Behind the next exclamation “Doors, doors! Let us sing of wisdom!” sung (or read) Symbol of faith, which briefly, but exhaustively accurately, sets out our faith in the Holy Trinity and other main truths of the Orthodox Church. At the same time, the curtain on the royal doors is pulled back and the “air” is removed from the honest Gifts.

Words "Doors, doors!" in ancient times they reminded the doorkeepers to better watch the doors of the temple and not allow catechumens and nonbelievers into it; now with these words the believers are reminded to close the doors of their souls to extraneous thoughts, and with the words “Let us sing of wisdom” It is indicated that we should be attentive to the wise truths of the Orthodox faith set forth in the Creed.

From this moment on, believers should not leave the church until the end of the Liturgy. How reprehensible it is to violate this requirement can be seen from the 9th Apostolic Canon: “All the faithful who enter the church... and do not remain in prayer to the end, as causing disorder in the church, should be excommunicated from church communion.” After the Creed with a cry “Let us stand (we will stand) kindly, let us stand with fear, let us take in the holy offering in the world” the attention of believers is drawn to the fact that the time has come to make a “holy offering” or sacrifice, that is, to make holy sacrament Eucharist, and from this moment on one must stand with special reverence.

In response to this exclamation it is sung: "Mercy of peace, sacrifice of praise", that is, we will offer with gratitude for the mercy of the heavenly world given to us from above the only sacrifice of praise available to us. The priest blesses the faithful with the words: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love (love) of God and the Father and the communion (communion) of the Holy Spirit be with you all”, and, calling for reverent standing, proclaims: "We have sorrow in our hearts", that is, we will have our hearts directed upward - towards God. To this the singers reverently answer on behalf of the worshipers: "Imams to the Lord", that is, we already have our hearts directed towards the Lord.

Consecration (transubstantiation) of the Gifts

The celebration of the holy sacrament of Communion constitutes the most important part of the Liturgy. It begins with the words of the priest “We thank the Lord!”.

Believers express their gratitude to the Lord for all His mercies by worshiping Him, and the singers 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 priest, in a secret prayer called Eucharistic (thanksgiving), glorifies the endless perfections of God, thanks the Lord for the creation and redemption of man and for all His mercies, known and unknown to us, and for the fact that He deigns to accept this bloodless Sacrifice from us , although higher beings stand before Him - Archangels, Angels, Cherubim and Seraphim, “singing a song of victory, crying, crying and speaking”. Last words the priest pronounces aloud, and the singers fill in, singing the song that the Angels call: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts (Lord of the hosts of heaven), the heavens and the earth are filled with Your glory".

To this song, called the Seraphim, the singers add exclamations with which the people greeted the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem: “Hosanna (Jewish goodwill: save, help God!) in the highest! (in heaven) blessed is he who comes (to the glory) of the Lord, hosanna in the highest!” Words "singing a victory song..." taken from the visions of the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:4-24) and the Apostle John the Theologian (Rev. 4:6-8); in revelation they saw the throne of God, surrounded by Angels in the form of an eagle (singing), a calf (crying), a lion (crying) and a man (speaking), who continually exclaimed: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God.”

The priest secretly continues the Eucharistic prayer, glorifying the blessings of God, the infinite love of God revealed in the coming to earth of the Son of God, and, remembering the Last Supper, when the Lord established the sacrament of communion, he pronounces aloud the words of the Savior: “Take, eat, this (this) is My Body, which is broken for you for the remission (forgiveness) of sins.” And “Drink of it, all of you, this (this) is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins.”.

After this, the priest, in secret prayer, briefly recalls the Savior’s commandment to perform communion, glorifies His suffering, death, resurrection, ascension and His second coming, and says aloud: “Thine from Thine is offered to Thee for all and for all” (about all members of the Church and all blessings of God).

The singers sing drawn outly: “We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You, Lord; and pray, our God,” and the priest in secret prayer asks the Lord to send the Holy Spirit on the people ahead and on the offered Gifts, so that He would sanctify them. Then in a low voice he reads the troparion for 3 hours: “Lord, Who sent down Thy Most Holy Spirit in the third hour by Thy Apostle, do not take Him away from us, O Good One, but renew us who pray.”

The deacon recites the twelfth verse of Psalm 50: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb.”. The priest again reads the troparion for 3 hours, the deacon recites the thirteenth verse of Psalm 50: “Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.”. The priest reads the troparion for the third time for 3 hours. Blessing the Holy Lamb (on the paten), he says: “And thou shalt make this bread, the venerable Body of Thy Christ.”.

Blessing the wine (in the Holy Chalice), he says: “And in this cup is the precious Blood of Thy Christ”. The deacon says at each exclamation: "Amen". Finally, blessing the bread and wine together, the priest says: "Transformed by Your Holy Spirit". The deacon says three times: "Amen, amen, amen."

In these great and holy moments, bread and wine are transformed into the true Body and true Blood of Christ.

The priest makes a prostration before the Holy Gifts as to the King and God Himself. This is the most important moment of the Liturgy.

After the consecration of the Holy Gifts, the priest in secret prayer asks the Lord that those receiving the Holy Gifts may be given “for the sobriety of the soul (i.e., strengthening in every good deed), for the remission of sins, for the communion of the Holy Spirit, for the fulfillment (reception) of the Kingdom of Heaven , in boldness to You (i.e., to be given the right to turn to the Lord with all needs), not to judgment or condemnation,” and remembers those for whom this Sacrifice was made: Holy Gifts are offered to the Lord God as a thanksgiving Sacrifice for all the saints. In particular, the priest remembers the Blessed Virgin Mary, and therefore loudly says: “A lot about the Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Most Glorious Our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary”, to which the believers respond with a song of praise in honor Mother of God: “It’s worthy to eat...”(On Holy Easter and on all the twelve feasts (before they are given away), instead of "Worthy to eat" the zadostoynik is sung in honor of the Mother of God, i.e. the 9th irmos of the festive canon with the corresponding chorus). The priest, meanwhile, secretly prays for the dead and, moving on to pray for the living, aloud: “First remember, Lord, the Great Master...”, remembering the highest church hierarchy. Believers answer: "And everyone and everything", that is, remember, Lord, all believers. The prayer for the living ends with the exclamation of the priest “And grant us with one mouth and one heart (with one accord) to glorify and glorify Thy most honorable (glorious) and magnificent (majestic) name, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.” and his blessing taught to all present in the temple: “And may the mercies of the Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ be with you all.”

Preparation of believers for communion

It begins with a petitionary litany: “Having remembered all the saints, let us pray again and again in peace to the Lord”, that is, having remembered all the saints, let us again and again pray to the Lord “for the holy gifts offered and consecrated,” so that (yes) our Lover of Mankind, accepting them (reception) into His holy, heavenly and spiritual (mental) altar as a spiritual fragrance , as a sacrifice pleasing to Him (in the stench of the spiritual fragrance), He sent down to us Divine grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

This is followed by the usual petitions of the litanies of supplication, which ends with the exclamation of the priest “And grant us, O Master, with boldness (boldly, as children ask their father), without condemnation dare (dare) to call upon You, Heavenly God the Father, and speak.”.

The Lord's Prayer “Our Father” is sung. All present are invited to sing this prayer.

This is followed by the teaching of peace and the veneration of the heads, during which the priest prays to the Lord to sanctify the believers and grant them the opportunity to partake of the Holy Mysteries without condemnation. At this time, the deacon, standing on the pulpit, girds himself with an orarion in a cross shape in order, firstly, to freely serve the priest during communion, and secondly, to express his reverence for the Holy Gifts in imitation of the Seraphim, who, surrounding the throne of God, covered their faces with wings (Isa. 6:2-3).

At the cry of the deacon “Let’s get loud!” the curtain is drawn, and the priest, raising the Holy Lamb over the paten, loudly proclaims: "Holy to Saints". This means: The Holy Gifts can be given only to “saints,” that is, believers who have sanctified themselves through prayer, fasting, and the sacrament of repentance (confession). Realizing their unworthiness, the singers on behalf of the believers proclaim: “There is One Holy, One Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen".

Communion

The clergy are the first to receive communion at the altar. The priest breaks the Holy Lamb into four parts, receives communion himself and teaches the Holy Mysteries to the deacon. The portions for the communion of the laity after the communion of the clergy are lowered into the chalice. During the communion of the clergy, a verse called “sacramental” is sung, and then some chant is sung or prayers are read before communion.

The royal doors open for the communion of the lay faithful, and the deacon, holding the holy cup in his hands, says: “Come with the fear of God and faith.” The opening of the royal doors at this time resembles the opening of the Savior’s tomb, and the removal of the Holy Gifts resembles the appearance of Jesus Christ after the resurrection.

Bowing before the holy chalice, as before the risen Savior Himself, the singers sing on behalf of the believers: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; God is the Lord and appeared (appeared) to us".

The communicant laity, “with the fear of God and faith,” approaching the holy chalice with a preliminary bow, repeat in a low voice the prayer pronounced by the priest before communion “I believe, Lord, and I confess...”, in which they confess their faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Savior of sinners, faith in the Sacrament of Communion, in which, under the guise of bread and wine, they accept the true Body and true Blood of Christ as a pledge eternal life and mysterious communication with Him; and they ask Him to deign them to uncondemnably partake of the Holy Mysteries for the remission of sins, promising not only not to betray Christ, not to be a traitor Judas, but also in the midst of life’s suffering, like a prudent thief, to firmly and boldly confess their faith.

Having bowed to the ground, believers rise to the pulpit to receive the Holy Mysteries. Before this time, for the sake of order and reverence for the shrine, you should not leave your place; and it is completely unacceptable to embarrass others and desire to be among the first to receive communion; everyone must remember that he first is only a sinner. With their hands folded crosswise on their chests, those receiving communion approach the royal doors, without making the sign of the cross in front of the holy cup, which they kiss after communion, also without crossing themselves, so as not to push the holy cup.

According to the faith of parents and educators and according to the words of the Savior "Do not hinder the children from coming to Me" And “drink everything from her” at the same time, children also receive communion (without confession until the age of seven).

After communion, believers take lukewarm wine, that is, church wine mixed with water, so that not even the slightest particle of the Holy Gifts remains in the mouth. After the communion of the laity, the priest lowers into the holy chalice all the particles that were taken out of the service and brought prosphoras, with a prayer that the Lord, with His Blood and the prayers of the saints, will cleanse the sins of all for whom the particles were taken out. Then he blesses the believers with the words “Save, O God, Thy people (those who believe in You) and bless Thy inheritance” (Thy property, the Church of Christ).

In response to this they sing: “By seeing the true light, by receiving the Heavenly Spirit, I have acquired true faith; We worship the Inseparable Trinity: She saved us.” The content of this song: we have seen the true light, because, having washed away our sins in the sacrament of baptism, we are now called sons of God by grace (mercy), sons of light, we have received the Holy Spirit through holy confirmation, we profess the true (Orthodox) faith, we worship the Indivisible Trinity, because She saved us (“She saved us”). The deacon, taking the paten from the hands of the priest, transfers it to the altar, and the priest, taking the holy cup and blessing those praying with it, proclaims “Always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages”, and takes it to the altar. This last manifestation of the Holy Gifts to believers, their transfer to the altar and the exclamation of the priest remind us of the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ into heaven and His promise to abide in the Church "all the days until the end of the age"(Matt. 28:20).

Thanksgiving for Communion and Dismissal

Worshiping the Holy Gifts for the last time as the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, believers thank the Lord for receiving the Holy Mysteries. The singers sing a song of thanksgiving: “May our lips be filled with Thy praise, O Lord, for we sing Thy glory, for Thou hast made us worthy to partake of Thy Holy, Divine, Immortal and Life-giving Mysteries; keep us in Thy sanctuary all day long, so that we may learn Thy righteousness. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia". That is, praising the Lord for the fact that He deigns us to partake of the Divine, Immortal and Life-giving Mysteries, we ask Him to preserve us in the holiness received in the sacrament of communion, to learn the truth of God all day long.

After this, the deacon recites a short litany “Forgive me, accept the Divine... Christ’s Mysteries...”(having received communion with reverence), calling “It is fitting to thank the Lord”. Having asked for His help to spend this day holy, peacefully, sinlessly, he invites you to surrender yourself and your life to Christ God. The priest, having folded the antimension and placing the Gospel on it, proclaims: “For You are our sanctification, and to You we ascribe glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.” and adds: “We will depart in peace”, thereby showing that the Liturgy is ending and that one must leave the church peacefully, in peace with everyone.

The singers sing on behalf of everyone: "In the Name of the Lord" that is, we will leave with the blessing of the Lord. The priest comes out to the worshipers behind the pulpit and reads the prayer behind the pulpit, in which he once again asks the Lord to save His people and bless His property, to sanctify those who love the splendor (beauty) of the temple, not to abandon His graces to all who trust in Him, to give peace to the world (universe), to the priests , faithful rulers and all people. This prayer is an abbreviation of all the litanies pronounced during the Divine Liturgy. At the end of the prayer behind the pulpit, believers surrender themselves to their will by God's prayer righteous Job: “Blessed be the name of the Lord from now on and forevermore”.

Most often, it is at this time that a pastoral sermon is preached for spiritual enlightenment and edification, based on the Word of God. Then the priest, blessing the believers for the last time, says: “The blessing of the Lord be upon you, through His grace and love for mankind, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.” and gives thanks to God: “Glory to Thee, Christ God, our hope, glory to Thee!”

Turning to the people and having the altar cross in his hand, having made the sign of the cross, which all those present must do, the priest pronounces the dismissal: "Christ, true God our...". On vacation, the priest, remembering the prayers for us of the Mother of God, the apostles, the temple saint, the saints whose memory we celebrate on this day, the righteous Godfather Joachim and Anna (parents of the Mother of God) and all the saints, expresses the hope that Christ, our true God, will have mercy and He will save us, as He is Good and Lover of Mankind; He immediately gives the cross to the believers to kiss.

Every Christian believer, without haste and without embarrassing others, in a certain order, must kiss the cross in order to testify with the kiss of the cross his fidelity to the Savior, in whose memory the Divine Liturgy was performed. At this time, the choir sings a prayer for the preservation of His Holiness the Patriarch, the ruling bishop, the parishioners of the temple and all Orthodox Christians for many years.

At the end of the service, those receiving communion listen to a prayer of thanksgiving and a sermon from the priest., after which they quietly go home in peace.

The article uses materials from the sites pravoslavie.ru and bogoslovi.ru.

Divine Liturgy(from Greek λειτουργία (liturgy) - common cause) - the main Christian thing, during which the Eucharist is celebrated (from the Greek εὐχαριστία (eucharist) - thanksgiving, gratitude).

The first Liturgy was celebrated by our Lord Jesus Christ in the Upper Room of Zion, and each Liturgy is a mysterious continuation of this event.

• on Wednesdays and Fridays,
• on Thursday of the 5th week of Lent,
• on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday on ,
• on the days of memory of St. John the Baptist (March 9 in non-leap years, March 8 in leap years) and the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (March 22), if these holidays fall during the period of Great Lent and do not fall on a Sunday,
• on a temple holiday and on the feast of a revered saint (except for the Feast of the Annunciation) that occurred during the specified period.

This liturgy is called so because at it they commune, consecrated earlier in the liturgy or.
The widespread celebration of the Presanctified Liturgy on the days of the Holy Pentecost has been approved, and is intended not to deprive believers of mysterious communion with the Lord and, at the same time, not to violate fasting and repentance by performing the solemn full liturgy.

Three parts of the Liturgy

2. Liturgy of the Catechumens, which begins with the words of the priest: “Blessed is the kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.” and ends with the words: "announcement, come out".
This part could be attended by catechumens who listened to readings from the Gospel and the Apostle.

3. Liturgy of the Faithful, which begins with the words: “Let us pray again and again and again in peace to the Lord...” and ends in emptiness.
“Currently, the requirement for the presence of the faithful at the Liturgy is only for churchgoers ( faithful) is not fulfilled in practice; however, at a deeper level it is still realized, because everything that will happen next at the Liturgy is completely closed from the uninitiated, non-church consciousness. The liturgy is perceived and understood only after entering into the tradition of church life and becoming familiar with the teachings of the Church.”
At the Liturgy of the Faithful, the most important moment in the Liturgy is celebrated - ). It begins with the words of the priest “The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ will be with you all” and ends with the words “And may the mercies of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ be with you all”.

Anaphora - the core of the Liturgy

The central part of the Christian Liturgy, during which the Transfiguration of the Holy Gifts occurs, is the Anaphora (Eucharistic Prayer, Eucharistic Canon). The most ancient in origin, it is the most important point Total Orthodox worship generally.

In all Anaphoras, several main parts can be distinguished:
1. Praefatio ( lat. introduction) - an initial prayer containing praise and thanksgiving to God.
2. Sanctus ( lat. Saint) - the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy...”.
3. Anamnesis ( lat. remembrance) - the recollection of the Last Supper with the pronunciation of the sacramental words of Jesus Christ.
4. Epiclesis ( lat. invocation) - invocation of the Holy Spirit to the “present” Gifts.
5. Intercessio ( lat. intercession, intercession) - prayers for the living and the dead, components, with the remembrance of the Mother of God and all the saints.

Time and days of the Liturgy

The Liturgy is celebrated in large churches every day (except for days when it cannot be celebrated), in most others - every Sunday. The Liturgy usually begins at 9-10 a.m.; in churches where there is more than one church, an early liturgy can also be celebrated (at 6-7 a.m.). Duration of the service (depending on whether it is performed by a priest or a bishop): 1.5–2 hours.
As for the Typikon (), it gives the time of the beginning of the Liturgy and the time of setting meals on various days (Sat., Sun., holidays). The difference between both is 1 hour.

There is no liturgy in the following days.
1. On Wednesday and Friday of Cheese Week (the week before Lent).
2. On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of the weeks of Great Lent.
3. On Good Friday, if this day does not coincide with the Feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos (April 7), when the Liturgy of the saint is scheduled.
4. On the Friday preceding the holidays of the Nativity of Christ and the Epiphany, if the holiday days themselves fall on Sunday or Monday.

Liturgy and Sacrament of Holy Communion

Anyone who wishes to receive communion during the Liturgy of the Holy Mysteries of Christ must first clear his conscience in. Also placed before Communion. The meaning of the Sacrament is revealed in prayers to St. Communion, which can be found in. You need to prepare for Communion, but no one can be completely ready for it.

Note. In modern parish practice, on holidays and the liturgy is served after midnight (in this case it is 6 hours).