Text of the Divine Liturgy with explanations of how long the service lasts and how it proceeds

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

Ancient Christians gathered, read and sang prayers and psalms, read Holy Scripture, performed sacred acts and received Holy Communion. At first, the Liturgy was performed in memory. Because of this, there were differences in the reading of prayers in different churches. In the fourth century, the Liturgy was set down in writing by St. Basil the Great, and then by St. John Chrysostom. This Liturgy was based on the Liturgy of St. Apostle James, the first Bishop of Jerusalem. The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated in the Orthodox Church throughout the year, except for 10 days a year, on which the Liturgy of Basil the Great is celebrated.

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

St. Righteous John of Kronstadt wrote a lot about the Liturgy. Here are his words: “When entering a church,... you enter, as it were, some kind of special world, unlike the visible one... In the world you see and hear everything earthly, transitory, fragile, perishable, sinful... In the temple you see and hear the heavenly, imperishable, eternal, holy." (“Heaven on earth, the teaching of St. John of Kronstadt on the Divine Liturgy, compiled from his works by Archbishop Benjamin, p. 70).

Description and history of the emergence of Christian liturgy

The word "liturgy" means "common work" and "eucharist" means thanksgiving. Liturgy is a church service that spiritually unites parishioners, ministers and God. The outline of the main church service consists of three parts:

1. Proskomedia.
2. Liturgy of the Catechumens.
3. Liturgy of the Faithful.

The meaning of the sacred rite is the general offering of a grateful prayer to the Savior. After the Ascension of Christ, the apostles walked the earth and preached the Word of God. They entered houses, told about the life and miracles of Jesus, about His great sacrifice.

They performed the following, communing people with bread and wine, as He fed 5 thousand people with 5 loaves and turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee.

In the 1st century from the Nativity of Christ, chanted prayers praising God were already sung, and in the 2nd century the Proskomedia appeared. The apostles distributed the “body” from the paten, and the “blood” was poured from the chalice. Modern priests administer communion in the same way. The paten and the cup were on the table during the Last Supper. In the 4th century there were more parishioners. Then they began to use a spoon and a copy.

Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

In your home prayer rule, you can use the chants of the choir, the prayers of the reader presented in the text of the Liturgy, but you cannot include the words of the priest in your personal prayer; upon ordination, clergy are given special boldness towards God, which the laity do not have. Therefore, for the sake of your own spiritual health, you should not violate this prohibition.

Bibliography

• Holy Scripture - the Bible.

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

• Since the Bible is the basis for our civilization, for better orientation it is divided into books (now these are departments) and these into chapters. Every few lines are called a “verse” and are designated by a number. This way you can easily and quickly find any place in the book. For example “Matt. 5:3-14" means: "Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, verse 13 and up to 14." The Holy Scriptures have been translated into all languages ​​of the world.

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

• Every Orthodox Christian should have the “Holy Scripture” and “Prayer Book”.

• Holy Bible. Bible Archpriest Seraphim of Slobodskaya. God's law for family and school. 2nd edition. 1967 Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, New York. Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, NY. Reprinted many times in Russia and translated into English. 723 pages, hard. lane, according to old orf.

• An excellent initial textbook for children and adults. Preliminary concepts, Prayer, Sacred History of the Old Testament and New Testament, The beginning of the Christian Church, About faith and Christian life, About Divine services. It would be good for every Orthodox Christian to purchase this textbook.

• Available on our site: The Law of God. O. S. Slobodskaya Priest N. R. Antonov. Temple of God and church services. 2nd edition expanded. Textbook of Worship for high school. 1912 St. Petersburg. Reprinted by Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York, and also in Russia. 236+64 pp., soft. interstitial

Stages of service in the Orthodox Church

Parts of the Divine Liturgy reflect periods of the earthly life of Jesus Christ. Communion is celebrated during the liturgy of the faithful, and not all parishioners can attend it.

Proskomedia

The service consists of reading prayers and preparing the holy gifts:

• The service begins when there are no parishioners in the church yet - the priest reads the entrance prayers at the closed Royal Doors. He asks God to send strength to perform divine services and cleanse him from sins. Then he puts on his vestments and blesses the reader in the choir;
• The Liturgy of the Hours begins - the consecration of the time of day, during which psalms and prayers selected for it are read. They mention events in the life of Jesus;
• people come and submit notes with requests;
• the priest prepares the sacred vessels: he bows and places his lips on the paten and the chalice. At the same time, he reads the troparion of Good Friday.

In the next part of the service the Lamb is prepared:

• the central seal - the Lamb - is cut out of the prosphora;
• they put it aside in a copy on Patos;
• they cut the prosphora with words about the prophecy of Christ’s crucifixion, then cut off the lower part, mentioning the Savior’s path to Golgotha;
• The Lamb is cut crosswise with the words that the sacrifice is being made for the sins of the world and for salvation;
• they pierce the name of Jesus on the prosphora with a copy;
• wine is poured into the cup;
• the “sacrifice” is installed in the center of the Paten;
• cut out a seal from the second prosphora in honor of the Mother of God;
• from the third “nine-day” prosphora of the saints, 9 particles are taken out;
• read a prayer for the earthly church;
• from the fourth prosphora for health, a particle is taken out, mentioning the patriarchs, bishops and parishioners;
• the fifth funeral prosphora is dedicated to the deceased patriarchs and believers;
• The priest reads the submitted notes and takes out pieces of prosphora for the names indicated in them.

The final part of the service:

• the priest walks around the temple with a censer;
• a star is placed on the paten - a cruciform symbol that combines the star of Bethlehem and the crucifix;
• the priest pours smoke from the censer over three canvases and also places them on a dish with particles of prosphora, as a symbol of the swaddling clothes of the newborn and the shroud of the deceased Savior;
• they douse the altar with censer smoke while reading the Easter troparion;
• The Royal Doors open.

Proskomedia means Saturday - a day of rest from work, preparation for the meeting with the risen Savior. The transition to the liturgy is the end of life’s journey and entry into the Kingdom of God. The opening of the Royal Doors symbolizes the coming of the Lord and universal salvation.

Liturgy of the Catechumens

Catechumens are people who are preparing for baptism, have repented, or have been excommunicated for sins. They can be present at this sacrament.

How the service goes:

• the priest and the deacon read prayers before the Throne;
• the priest prays over the antimension - a canvas depicting the Holy Sepulcher and the Evangelists, raises the Gospel over it, admits his weakness and asks for the Lord’s help;
• the deacon comes to the pulpit and proclaims that the people have given their offerings, and it is the Lord’s turn to bestow;
• while the deacon offers a prayer-litany, reporting on the needs of those praying, the priest secretly prays to the Lord to despise this temple and all its parishioners;
• proclaim “let us pray to the Lord in peace” - a call to be at peace with God and our neighbors.

The modern liturgy includes antiphonal singing - the right and left choir sing in turn. Three antiphons are performed. Then the priest baptizes the parishioners with the Gospel. Kodaks and troparia are sung about the saint revered on this day and his deeds. The Liturgy ends with the reading of the Trisagion Prayer, the Apostolic Epistles and a special litany.

The priest reads while sitting in the center of the church, like an apostle, and the deacon passes with a censer through the altar and the crowd of parishioners.

The Liturgy of the Catechumens is also called the Liturgy of the Word. Reading the Gospel gives it completeness. After all, according to tradition, after this the catechumens must leave the temple. They have not yet been born in Christ, but by listening to the word of God they are preparing for birth. The litany is a general petition, a prayer for the needs and sorrows of the world and a special one for travelers, prisoners, the sick and suffering, and, finally, for the catechumens. At the end, the priest unfolds the antimins on the Throne.

Liturgy of the Faithful

After the words “Depart, you catechumens,” faithful Christians remain in the temple, about whom the Cherubic Song is heard. It consists of a small litany and a prayer asking for communion without condemnation. This is how people are informed about their readiness to receive Communion.

Progress of service:

• the deacon continues to walk around the parishioners and the altar, reading to himself the 50th psalm of repentance. This prayer is also read by parishioners;
• the priest asks for forgiveness to the parishioners and other ministers, walks around the chalice and paten with a censer - makes the Great Entrance to the altar, signifying the ascension of Jesus to Calvary;
• The chalice and paten are placed on the altar, the covers are removed, covered with air, and the Good Friday troparion about the removal of Jesus from the cross is read again.

The Great Entrance ends with the closing of the Royal Doors with curtains. With a litany of petition, parishioners are prepared for communion. The priest says a secret prayer asking the Lord to accept the sacrifice. With a call to universal love and unanimity, the clergy kiss the chalice, the paten, the Throne and each other with the words “Christ is among us” and “Is and will be.”

The deacon calls to watch the entrance to the temple so that no catechumen enters. This call is a tribute to the tradition of the past, when gatekeepers stood at the doors. Thus ends the first part of the Liturgy of the Faithful - the Creed.

In the second part, the sacrament is celebrated. The deacon calls believers to anaphora - the transfer of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. The priest reads the Eucharistic prayers. They call on the Holy Spirit to descend upon the gifts and turn the bread into the Body and the wine into the Blood of Christ.

The deacon calls on the Lord to bless the paten and chalice.

The next stage is preparation for communion:

• the “Our Father” is read as a guide to life in peace with God;
• parishioners bow their heads;
• the priest calls on the Lord to help the lost and heal the sick. The next prayer is read for the breaking of bread - a request to the Lord that He would give His Body and Blood to everyone present in the temple;
• the deacon enters the altar, urging the parishioners to remain seated.
• The priest raises up the first prosphora-Lamb and says “Holy to the Holies.”
• the priest breaks the Lamb into four parts;
• the upper part, called the Pledge, is lowered into the chalice and warmth is poured there - holy water;
• the deacon and priest bow before the Throne, ask each other and the parishioners for forgiveness, then partake of the Body and Blood of the Savior;
• the lower part of the prosphora with the word “nika” is divided on a separate plate, and the particles are poured into a bowl;
• The chalice is covered with a shroud and taken out to the parishioners. the paten remains on the Throne.

Babies are given communion first and only with Blood. Believers kiss the edge of the cup, which in ancient times symbolized the rib of Christ. During communion, the altar symbolizes the Upper Room of Zion and the sacrament of communion of the apostles and the Teacher.

After the end of the sacrament, the cup is taken back to the Altar. All particles remaining on the Paten are dipped into the chalice as a sign of remembrance of the living and the dead. The bowl is covered with linen, and a star and a spoon are placed on the paten. The priest blesses the parishioners and burns the gifts.

By receiving communion, believers themselves turn into the body and blood of the Savior, accepting the grace of the Holy Spirit.

The final part of the liturgy is Thanksgiving. The deacon reads the litany of thanksgiving. The priest folds the antimension, crosses the Altar with the Gospel and praises the Lord, then goes behind the pulpit to read a prayer so that the parishioners leave the temple in peace. Then the priest blesses the parishioners to leave the church - he reads the dismissal. He baptizes believers and lets them kiss the cross. Accompanied by prayers of thanks, the priest makes the sign of the cross over everyone, walks to the altar, and closes the Royal Doors and the curtain.

Contents of the Liturgy

The liturgy consists of three parts:

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

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

Proskomedia

Liturgy of the Catechumens:

(201) Initial exclamations; (202) Great Litany; (203) Psalm 102; (204) Small Ektinya; (205) Psalm 145; (206) Singing the hymn “The Only Begotten Son and Word of God”; (207) Small Ektinya; (208) Singing the Gospel Beatitudes; (209) Small Entrance with the Gospel; (210) Singing “Come Let Us Worship”; (211) Singing of the Troparion and Kontakion; (212) The cry of the deacon: “Lord save the pious”; (213) Chanting the Trisagion; (214) Singing “Prokymna”; (215) Reading of the Apostle; (216) Reading the Holy Gospel; (217) Sublime Ektinya; (218) Prayer for the Salvation of Russia; (219) Litany for the departed; (220) Litany for the catechumens; (221) Litany with the command to the catechumens to leave the temple.

Liturgy of the Faithful:

(301) Abbreviated Great Litany; (302) Cherubic Song (1st part); (303) Great Entrance and Transfer of the Holy Gifts; (304) Cherubic Song (2nd part); (305) Petitionary Litany (1st); (306) The deacon’s instillation of peace, love and unanimity; (307) Chanting the Creed; (308) “Let’s become kind”; (309) Eucharistic prayer; (310) Consecration of the Holy Gifts; (311) “It is worthy to eat”; (312) Commemoration of the living and the dead; (313) The priest’s instillation of peace, love and unanimity; (314) Petitionary Litany (2nd); (315) Singing “Our Father”; (316) Ascension of the Holy Gifts; (317) Communion of the Clergy; (318) Communion of the laity; (319) The cry “Save, O God, Thy people” and “We have seen the true light”; (320) “Let our lips be filled”; (321) Lit of thanksgiving for communion; (322) Prayer behind the pulpit; (323) “Be the name of the Lord” and Psalm 33; (324) The last blessing of the priest.

Brief overview and explanation of the main points of Proskomedia:

(100) this is the first part of the Liturgy. During Proskomedia, the priest prepares bread and wine for the sacrament of Communion. At the same time, the reader reads two short services called “3rd hour” and “6th hour”. They consist mainly of reading psalms and prayers. There is no choir. This is the little-known first part of the Liturgy.

Start with choir:

(201) “The Liturgy of the Catechumens” (the second part of the Liturgy) begins when the deacon, standing in front of the royal doors, exclaims “Bless, Vladyka!” The priest, at the altar, replies, “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.” To which the choir responds “Amen.” This is how the Liturgy begins, or more precisely the second part of the Liturgy (Liturgy of the Catechumens).

Ektiny:

(202) A litany is a special, lengthy prayer to God about our needs, which consists of many short prayers. The deacon or priest says short prayers at the end of which the words “Let us pray to the Lord” or “We ask the Lord,” and the choir answers “Lord have mercy” or “Lord grant.” A distinctive part of not only the Liturgy, but also other church services, is a large number of prayers called Ektinya. Litanys are: great, small, intense, petitionary, Litany of catechumens, etc. In the Liturgy of the Catechumens there are 7 Litany (202, 204, 207, 217, 219, 220, 221), and in the Liturgy of the Faithful there are 4 (301, 305, 314, 321).

Immediately after the initial exclamations follows the Great (Peaceful) Litany, which begins with the deacon’s cry, “Let us pray to the Lord in peace,” and the response of the choir, “Lord, have mercy.”

Psalms 102 and 145:

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

Small entrance:

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

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

Troparion and Kontakion:

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

Reading the Apostle and the Holy Gospel:

(214, 215, 216) Before reading the Apostle and the Gospel, the deacon says “Prokeimenon.” The prokeimenon is a verse that is pronounced either by the reader or the deacon and which is repeated in chorus before the reading of the Apostle and the Gospel. Usually the prokeimenon is taken from Holy Scripture (the Bible) and it briefly expresses the meaning of the subsequent reading or service.

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

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

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

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

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

Prayer for the salvation of Russia:

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

“Izhe Cherubim” and the great entrance:

(302, 303, 304) The Liturgy of the Catechumens begins imperceptibly with the liturgy (301). Immediately after the litany, approximately in the middle of the service (at the beginning of the 3rd part), the choir sings “Like the Cherubim...” and the Great Entrance takes place. After the first part of the Cherubic Song, the priest and deacon leave the altar with the Holy Gifts through the northern doors and stand in front of the royal doors, facing the worshipers. Servants with candlesticks walk in front of them and stand behind the pulpit, facing the priest. The priest and deacon prayerfully commemorate: Church government, civil authority, the suffering Russian country, the clergy, all those persecuted for the Orthodox faith, the parish and all Orthodox Christians. After this, the priest and deacon return to the altar through the royal doors, and the acolytes through the southern doors, and the choir sings the second part of the Cherubic Song.

Symbol of faith:

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

Consecration of the Holy Gifts:

(309, 310) The most sacred part of the Liturgy, the consecration of the Holy Gifts, begins with the Eucharistic prayer, when the choir sings “It is worthy and righteous to worship the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit...”. At this time, the bell is rung 12 times to indicate the beginning of the consecration. Then the priest exclaims, “Thine from Thine is offered to Thee for all and for all.” The choir responds, “We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You, O Lord, and we pray to You, our God.” At the same time, the priest reads prayers to himself and then the consecration of the Holy Gifts occurs.

Our Father:

(315) In His “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7), Jesus Christ explained how to pray to God, saying the prayer “Our Father” for the first time (Matthew 6:9-13). This prayer is the most famous and most beloved by all Christians. From that time on, it was repeated by millions of believers throughout their lives, for almost 2000 years. In textbooks on the Law of God it is treated as a model of Christian prayer.

Communion:

(317, 318) One of the most basic points in the Orthodox faith is that you need to live kindly and not sin. In addition, you need to engage in spiritual self-education, drive out evil, sinful thoughts, words and deeds; that is, gradually correct yourself and become better, kinder, more honest, etc. Before major holidays, Orthodox Christians fast. During fasting, he tries to move away from everything sinful and get closer to everything good and good. This mood is maintained by bodily fasting; removal from meat and animal foods in general, as well as limiting oneself in food. Usually during Lent they confess and receive communion. Fasting, confession and communion are called the general word “fasting” and are spiritual cleansing. An Orthodox Christian fasts several times a year: before major holidays, before Angel's Day and on other significant days.

When the choir sings, “Praise the Lord from heaven, praise Him in the highest. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,” the priest takes communion. After the priest has given communion, the royal doors are opened for the laity to receive communion. The priest reads a prayer before communion and the communicants approach the Chalice and take communion, and the choir sings: “Receive the Body of Christ...”. After communion, relatives and friends congratulate the recipient of the sacrament with the words “Congratulations on your communion.”

Prayer behind the pulpit:

(322) The priest leaves the altar and, descending from the pulpit to where the worshipers stand, reads the “Beyond the Pulpit” prayer. It contains an abbreviation of all the liturgies that were read during the Divine Liturgy. The prayer begins with the words “Bless you who bless You, O Lord...”.

End:

(324) Just before the end of the Liturgy there is a sermon, usually on the topic of the read passage from the Gospel (216). Then the priest’s final exclamation follows: “Christ our true God has risen from the dead...” and the choir sings for many years, “Right Reverend Bishopric………Lord, save for many years.” The priest comes out with a cross in his hands. If there are announcements of a non-spiritual nature, then the priest speaks at this place. For example, if someone wants to get married, or there will be a special fundraiser for some charitable purpose, or maybe some church organization is hosting a dinner, etc. After this, the worshipers approach the cross, cross themselves, kiss the cross and the priest’s hand, and take or receive a prosphora from the priest.

Varieties of rank order

Throughout the year, churches serve several types of liturgies. Some are dedicated to certain days of fast weeks or days of remembrance of saints.

John Chrysostom

Services of St. John Chrysostom take place on most days. They differ in the sequence of anaphora: verbal expressions, commemoration of saints.

Presanctified Gifts

At the Liturgy, they partake of the Holy Gifts consecrated in advance.

At the dawn of the Christian faith, communion took place on weekdays. But a full solemn service was considered inappropriate on fast days. Therefore, for the communion of the Mysteries of Christ, the service of the Presanctified Gifts was introduced.

The service takes place during Lent:

• every Wednesday, Friday;
• on the seventh week of fasting on Thursday;
• during Holy Week, from Monday to Wednesday.

The liturgy according to this rite is celebrated on the day of memory of John the Baptist: March 8 in a leap year, March 9 in a non-leap year. The service also takes place on the day of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste - March 22. But provided that both days fall during Lent or do not fall on Sunday.

Church holidays that take place during this period, excluding the Annunciation, are also celebrated with divine services.

Brand

The rites were served in the 4th and 5th centuries. The short service is reminiscent of the style of the Evangelist Mark. The second name of the liturgy is St. Cyril, who finally edited the sequence. The popularity of the expressive service began to decline after the introduction of the rite of John Chrysostom around the 8th-9th century. Since the 11th century, the rite of Mark was banned by Constantinople.

The service consists of the Liturgy of the Catechumens and the Faithful, without Proskomedia. In the modern Orthodox Church, the liturgy has been restored with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and takes place on May 8, the day of memory of the Evangelist Mark.

Jacob

The Proskomedia is also omitted from the order. If it is performed, then the ninth piece of the lamb prosphora is taken out in honor of Saint James. Also, in the rite there is no release and incense. The service was revived by the Moscow Patriarchate and is held on the date of memory of St. James - November 5.

Basil the Great

Liturgy days:

• all Sundays of the pre-Easter fast, except Palm Sunday;
• Maundy Thursday;
• Holy Saturday;
• the date of commemoration of Basil the Great is January 14.

The ceremony takes place before the Christmas and Epiphany holidays.

Grigory Dvoeslov

The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts was finally edited in the 6th century by Pope Gregory Dvoeslov. Therefore, the worship service is also named after him.

Preliminary remarks.

Being the Sacrament of the sacraments and the central moment of Christian religious life, the Divine Eucharist is especially precisely and thoroughly developed from the point of view of its charter. For its implementation, it requires certain conditions, both in relation to the persons serving it, and the time, place, utensils, and books required for its implementation.

The celebrant of the Liturgy can only be a legally ordained priest or bishop, not prohibited from serving in the clergy and appointed to perform the Liturgy in a given church permanently (as a rector or his assistant) or for a given specific occasion. Celebrating the Liturgy in someone else's church and without the permission of its rector is prohibited. This priest:

a) must perform the Liturgy according to the specific charter and customs of the Orthodox Church, without making unauthorized additions and changes to it that distort its meaning or violate established customs. Therefore, any ad-libbing, unauthorized daring in the field of reform attempts, even if imbued with the most respectable motives, such as: to get closer to the spirit of early Christianity or to make the Liturgy more, so to speak, “closer” to believers (reading prayers aloud, serving with the royal doors open , unauthorized exclamations, etc.) are unacceptable. A sense of pastoral tact, on the one hand, and liturgical literacy in style and church culture, on the other, must always balance out any extreme in a priest, from stupid statutory literalism to tasteless innovation;

b) must prepare for the celebration of the Liturgy, both spiritually and physically. c) must partake of the Holy Mysteries during the Liturgy he celebrates.

The time of the Liturgy is determined by church regulations and customs. The liturgy can be celebrated on any day, except for some days of the year.

The place where the Liturgy is celebrated is the church, canonically consecrated by the bishop.

Holy vessels and sacred objects:

a) Antimension, consecrated and signed by the canonical bishop, with relics sewn into it.

b) The Holy Chalice, the holy paten, the star, the spear, the spoon and the lip - all this is in a pure, whole and undamaged form.

Material for the Liturgy. This is bread and wine, i.e. fruits established, consumed and blessed by the Lord Himself for His Easter Supper. The bread must be pure wheat, well baked, not moldy, not rancid, not too loose, but also not stale so that the Lamb can be easily cut out of it and particles removed. In Russian practice, almost throughout Serbia and in some places in the East, bread is used in the form of 5 (for the Old Believers 7) prosphoras made from sour dough. They must have a stamp on them.

Components of the Liturgy.

In its modern form, the liturgy of the Byzantine type can be divided into three parts. 1. Proskomedia 2. Liturgy of the Catechumens and 3. Liturgy of the Faithful. Before the start of the proskomedia, entrance prayers are read.

Entrance prayers...

Vestment.

The vestment of clergy before the Liturgy occurs more solemnly than before other services. Usually the priest blesses his liturgical clothes (most often: epitrachelion, phelonion and bridles) and places them on himself without reading special prayers. Before the Liturgy, the priest puts on all the clothes assigned to his rank, and over each he reads the corresponding prayer, compiled from the texts of the Holy Scriptures. It is worth noting that the priest also puts on all his clothes in the following cases: 1) at Easter Matins, as indicated, “in all his most illustrious rank;” 2) on Easter Vespers, 3) on Good Friday Vespers, before the removal of the Shroud and at three matins a year (August 1, September 14 and the Week of the Veneration of the Cross) before the removal of the Holy Cross. But prayers are still not read then, except before vesting for Matins, since this also happens with vesting for the Liturgy, which immediately follows Matins.

Before the Liturgy, the deacon, according to the instructions of the missal, takes a blessing from the priest with the words: “Bless, Vladyka, the surplice with the orare.” To the words of the priest: “Blessed is our God always, now and ever and unto ages of ages,” the deacon replies: “Amen,” and kisses the priest’s hand and the cross on his vestment. The altar servers should do the same every time they put on their surplices. In no case can one justify the practices of protodeacons and other honored deacons who vest themselves without a blessing or who do not consider it necessary to kiss the hand of the priest blessing them.

The priest blesses his surplice, or surplice, as it is more often called in common parlance, with the same words. The following prayers are read by the clergy.

Proskomedia.

At Proskomedia, the Lamb is removed from the prosphora in a special way. The Sacrifice of the Lord Himself and its meaning are especially emphasized.

Thus, the proskomedia begins with the words of sacrifice, for the Liturgy is not only a Sacrament, but also a Sacrifice offered for everyone and for everything.

Purpose of the remaining 4 prosphoras:

Mother of God;

Nine;

About health;

Oh peace.

Liturgy of the Catechumens.

The very name of this liturgy revives in us memories of the hoary antiquity of church history, when the institution of catechization was still in force, i.e. announcement, preparation for baptism. The catechumens were allowed to attend this part of the liturgy, since it does not contain the offering of the Eucharistic Sacrifice itself, but only preparatory actions, largely intended for the catechumens themselves.

Before the beginning of the Liturgy, the priest and deacon, having bowed three times before the throne, pray for the grace of the Holy Spirit to be sent down to them for the worthy performance of the terrible service. The priest, raising his hands high, while the deacon raises the orarion up, as during a litany, reads the prayer “To the Heavenly King” (once) - “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men” (twice) - “Lord You will open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise.” There are no instructions in the service book about raising hands, but this is a widespread practice, both Russian and Eastern. The priest kisses the Gospel, and the deacon kisses the holy throne. Then, holding the orarion in the same way and bowing his head, the deacon says:

“The Lord bless the time to create, O Lord.”

The priest blesses the deacon and says:

“Blessed be our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.”

Deacon: “Pray for me, holy master.”

Priest: “May the Lord correct your feet.”

Deacon: “Remember me, holy master.”

Priest: “May the Lord God remember you in His Kingdom, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.”

Deacon: "Amen."

The Liturgy itself begins with the exclamation of the priest: “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” This is the most solemn opening exclamation in Orthodox liturgical practice. The Liturgy begins with the most solemn exclamation, which indicates that the Eucharist opens the entrance to the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The Great Litany: “Let us pray to the Lord in peace” and the prayer and secret prayer of the priest. The researcher dates the beginning of such a practice, secretly performing prayer in the altar, to the time of Emperor Justinian, i.e. by the VI century, and by the VIII century. this is becoming a generally accepted tradition in the East

Exclamation: “For all glory, honor and worship is due to You, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages” (compare: 1 Tim. 1:17).

First antiphon. Actually, antiphons are an ancient rite of chants performed alternately by both choirs.

Small Litany: “Packs and packs (Ps. 140:5) let us pray to the Lord in peace”

Exclamation: “For Thine is the dominion, and Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory (Matthew 6:13), of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.”

Second antiphon.

Small Litany and Prayer:

“Who has granted us this common and concordant prayer, Who has also promised to grant us petitions to the two or three who agree in Your Name (Matthew 18:19-20), You yourself, even now, have fulfilled Your petitions for profit (Ps. 19:6) ), giving us in the present world the knowledge of Your truth (Heb. 10:26), and in the future giving us eternal life.”

Exclamation: “For You are a Good and Lover of Mankind, and we send up glory to You, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.”

Third antiphon.

Small entrance, or entrance with the Gospel.

Small entrance.

At the end of the third litany (small) the royal doors open for the small entrance, or entrance with the Gospel

To enter, the clergy perform three adorations before the altar, and the priest gives the deacon the Gospel. . The clergy walk around the holy table on the right, cross the high place, exit through the northern deacon doors and stand in front of the royal doors. A candle bearer walks ahead of them.

The priest blesses the entrance with the words: “Blessed is the entrance of Thy saints, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.” The deacon presents the Gospel to the priest for kissing and, at the end of the last troparion of the third antiphon, performs the “baptism,” i.e. the indicated cruciform overshadowing of the Gospel to the east with the words: “Wisdom, forgive.” The deacon enters first, followed by the priest, into the altar; the deacon places the Gospel on the throne. The singers sing “Come, let us worship.”

The small entrance has its own history. At present, the meaning of this liturgical act is almost unknown and its meaning is incomprehensible. In ancient times, the Gospel was kept not on the throne, but in one of the rooms of the church. The ancient temple had two special rooms, pastophoria (coenaculurn, atrium [refectory, hall (large room for receiving guests)]), of which one was intended for receiving offerings from the faithful. Our modern altar is a modified room for offerings in ancient temples, now not separated from the altar. Another room, or deacon sacristy, was intended for storing liturgical books, vestments, sacred vessels, etc. When in ancient times the moment came in the Liturgy for reading the Alostol Epistles and the Gospel, the deacons went to the sacristy, brought scriptures from there and read them, after which these books were again taken to the place designated for their storage, the sacristy. Now this remains only as a historical memory, for the Gospel, both before and after the entrance, always rests on the holy throne.

The meaning of the words “Wisdom, forgive” during the entrance is explained by the fact that it encourages the faithful to pay special attention at especially important moments.

"Input."

The beatitudes or third antiphon end with a special verse, the "entrance."

Troparion and kontakion.

At the entrance, the singers sing troparia and kontakia, chanting the deeds of the saints, while the priest reads a special prayer of the “Trisagion chant.”

Prayer of the Trisagion chant. (Performed by the priest)

This prayer ends with the exclamation: “For You are Holy, our God, and to You we send up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.”

The prayer is read by the priest while singing troparions.

It should be noted that the deacon’s exclamation: “Lord save the pious” has its origin from the ceremony of the Byzantine royal service, when the kings were also present, to whom this “save the pious” applied, i.e. pious kings. This carried over into our service books. Apparently, Muravyov’s testimony only confirms the ancient tradition of Byzantium,

In response to this exclamation, the singers begin singing the Trisagion, i.e. “Holy God, Holy Mighty...” This is sung three times, then “Glory and now is the Holy Immortal...” and again in full “Holy God, Holy Mighty...”, etc.

This hymn was introduced into the liturgy quite late; probably during the time of Patras. Proclus (434-447) and Emperor Theodosius II (408-450) and his sister Empress Pulcheria. It is not, however, the property of the Byzantine liturgy alone. Among Catholics, this hymn is sung at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, which, as is known, is celebrated with them only once a year, on Good Friday.

Climbing to a mountainous place.

After the clergy finishes the words of the Trisagion or the prayer verse replacing it, the deacon turns to the priest with the words “command, lord.” The priest, kissing the throne, and not the Gospel, moves away from the right side to the high place, pronouncing the words “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Reading the Holy Scriptures.

Ascension to a mountainous place occurs to listen to the Holy Scriptures, which is why this moment is the most important in the liturgy of the catechumens..

Priest, blessing the people from a high place: “Peace to all.”

Reader: “And to your spirit.”

Deacon: “Wisdom.”

The reader pronounces the corresponding prokeimenon, and the singers, in accordance with the instructions of the church charter, sing the prokeimenon. The prokeimenon is sung two and a half times, and even if there are two prokeimenons, they together should not exceed this number.

Prokeimenon, προκείμενον, presenting, i.e. The verse of the psalm preceding the Holy Scripture is usually selected according to the day of the week or the event being celebrated.

Reading of the Apostle

Reading the Gospel

The Apostolic and Gospel readings were established long ago and have their own long history. They are distributed sequentially according to the Evangelists and begin with the Liturgy of the first day of Easter. And since the church year begins on September 1, and the alternation of church voices begins with Pentecost, more precisely, with the Sunday of All Saints

Litany after the Gospel.

After reading the Gospel in the ancient Church there was a word of edification from a bishop or priest; this custom was observed everywhere and is now preserved in Greece. Without binding the preacher with an obligation to deliver a sermon at this particular time, one cannot, however, fail to admit that this moment is very suitable for interpreting the read word of God.

In our practice, the Gospel is followed by litanies with which the liturgy of the catechumens ends: the liturgy of the catechumens: the liturgy for the catechumens, sometimes the funeral liturgy and the liturgy for the catechumens.

A special litany.

Increased prayer. Special.

It is a prayer about persons, while the litany of petition is about the things and needs needed by these persons. This litany is also contained in the sequence of Vespers and Matins, but some differences between the content of this prayer during the Liturgy and at other services are easily noticeable.

At the time of the special litany, the antimins (plate with the relics of the saint) is also deployed.

The antimension, as well as the orithon that encloses it, must be closed like a Jewish or Arabic (Semitic) book.

Litany about the catechumens.

Which contains petitions for the enlightenment and salvation of people preparing to receive the sacrament of Baptism.

Liturgy of the Faithful.

Following the exclamation “Yes, and they glorify with us...” the deacon invites the catechumens to leave the prayer meeting: “The catechumens, come out, the catechumens, come out, the catechumens, come out, but no one from the catechumens, the faithful ones, again and again let us pray to the Lord in peace.” This begins the liturgy of the faithful, i.e. the main part of it. His Holiness the Patriarch reads prayers at the altar.

In addition to the request for the cleansing of soul and body and the strengthening of those praying with the power of the Holy Spirit, this prayer is also characterized by the fact that His Holiness speaks not only on his own behalf, but also on behalf of “those who pray with us” and “those who serve You with love.” This emphasizes the conciliar character of the Eucharistic prayer. The people will serve with the Patriarch, and only that Eucharistic offering fully reveals the entire depth of church prayer, which is an expression of conciliar fullness and which is not performed in secret from those praying, not deafly and dumbly, but “with one mouth and one heart.” The priest does not oppose himself to the people, but, on the contrary, insists on this unanimous celebration of the Eucharist with the people. The Church consists not only in the clergy, but in the entire society of the church people, the guardians of piety.

Cherubic song.

“Even though the Cherubim secretly form (that is, we who mysteriously represent the Cherubim) and the Life-Giving Trinity sings the Trisagion, let us now put aside all worldly cares.

Let us raise up the King of all (i.e., of all sorts), invisibly carried by angelic ranks. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. (Glory to you God...)"

Great entrance.

The solemn and popular transfer of the substance for the Eucharist from the Altar to the Altar.

Litany of petition.

Kissing.

The celebrant at this time worships three times before the holy meal, saying to himself three times the words (Ps. 17:2-3): “I will love You, O Lord, my Strength, the Lord my Strength and my Refuge.” During a cathedral service, as today, after the kissing of the vessels, the concelebrants kiss each other. The elder says: “Christ is in our midst,” to which the younger replies: “And there is, and there will be,” and they kiss each other on the shoulders (twice) and hand to hand

In ancient times, this kiss of peace took place not only among the clergy, but also among the laity: men with men, women with women. It should symbolically denote complete internal reconciliation between Christians intending to participate in the mysterious Sacrifice. The Savior’s commandment (Matthew 5:23-24) directly commands that one should first be reconciled with one’s brother, and then bring the sacrifice to the altar. But this reconciliation and unanimity is not only purely moral, it means not only the presence of love and reconciliation between those making the sacrifice, but there must also be unanimity, complete spiritual unity. That is why, immediately after the kiss of peace, the Creed is proclaimed as a measure of the dogmatic unanimity of all Christians. Church prayer, and in particular the Eucharistic Sacrifice, cannot be performed if there is no conciliar unity and complete agreement in faith among those praying. The Eucharist with dissenters is impossible. The Eucharistic offering can only be “of one mouth” and one heart, in one faith, in agreement of dogmas, in the same view on the fundamental issues of faith and salvation.

Symbol of faith.

Confession of one's faith, an obligatory event for those serving together, which allows priests and laity to reveal their faith to the entire congregation of worshipers. It consists of 12 members and parts.

Anaphora. Ascension.

The main part of the Eucharistic service, preserved in its plan and general content of prayers from ancient times, is called the Eucharistic canon, Eucharistic prayer in the narrow sense of the word, or anaphora, because at its central moment the ascension (from άναφέρω) of the Holy Gifts is performed.

Thanksgiving. Eucharist.

With the words “We thank the Lord,” the priest begins the Eucharistic itself, i.e. a prayer of thanksgiving. According to these words, the service itself is called the Eucharist, and this name is one of the most ancient names of the Liturgy. The Lord Himself at His farewell Supper, teaching the disciples the Body and Blood, first thanked the Father (Luke 22:17-19).

At the words “Victory Song...” the deacon or priest with his right hand lifts a star from the paten and draws an image of a cross over the paten, trying to touch the paten with the corresponding end of the star at each word of the priest: singing... crying... calling... speaking

Prayers of anamnesis are performed, i.e. memories of Christ's words at the Last Supper.

After the prayer of anamnesis, the exclamation “Thine from Thine is offered to Thee (or the ancient “we bring”) for everyone and for everything,” the priest makes the offering of the Holy Gifts.

After this offering, the priest reads the prayer of epiclesis, invoking the Holy Spirit on the Gifts,

The Translation of the Gifts into the Body and Blood of Christ takes place.

The singers sing “She rejoices in You, O Blessed One...”

Litany after the consecration of the Gifts.

This litany in its content is a litany of petition.

Ascension of the Holy Lamb.

Regarding the ascension of the Lamb, St. Nicholas Cabasilas writes: “The priest exclaims: “Holy One,” as if saying: “Behold the Bread of Life, which you see. Go, therefore, take communion, but not everyone, but the one who is holy. Only saints are allowed to the shrine.” By saints here we mean not only those who are perfect in virtue, but also those who gravitate towards perfection, but have not yet achieved it. And nothing prevents this from being sanctified by the sacrament of the Holy Mysteries, and from becoming saints with this part of the shrine... The answer of the singers is “One is Holy, One is Lord, Jesus Christ...”

Communion.

Communion is the highest moment of the Eucharist. This is the purpose of the Sacrament itself. The transposition of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Savior is performed not only for the sake of the transfiguration itself, but precisely for the sake of the communion of the clergy and the faithful present. The very word “communion” shows the special connection that is established between the faithful and Christ the Savior.

When is the service performed?

Divine services take place in churches around the clock. Liturgy is part of the daily or Sunday service.

Morning

The service consists of three parts:

• midnight office;
• matins;
• first hour.

The first part starts at 12 o'clock at night. The service reminds parishioners of the coming Last Judgment. The first hour starts at 7 am.

Daytime

Sequence of the day's service:

• third hour;
• sixth;
• liturgy.

9 o'clock in the morning is equal to the third hour, and noon is equal to the sixth.

The liturgy is the peak of the daily cycle, takes place from 9 am and is also called the mass service.

Evening

The service is held from 15.00 and includes:

• ninth hour;
• Vespers;
• Compline.

The ninth hour service is rarely performed.

Festive

On Christmas and Easter night, a continuous night service is held every week on the eve of Sunday. According to modern tradition, it takes 2-4 hours.

Daily allowance

The day, according to the canon of the Orthodox Church, begins at 18.00. Temple services are limited to a daily schedule.

Sunday

The service on Sunday is comparable to Easter, which crowns the church year. This is the beginning of the church week, its first day. It is also called Eucharistic. Starts at 7 am.

Sequence and symbolic meaning of the liturgy

The order of performing the full (that is, not presanctified) liturgy is as follows. First, the substance for celebrating the Eucharist is prepared. Then the believers prepare for the sacrament. And finally, the sacrament itself of the consecration of the holy gifts and the communion of believers is performed. The Divine Liturgy, therefore, consists of three parts: proskomedia, liturgy of the catechumens, and liturgy of the faithful.
Proskomedia
The word is Greek and translated means bringing. In ancient times, members of the early Christian community themselves brought before the liturgy everything necessary for the sacrament: bread and wine. The bread used during the liturgy is called prosphora, which means offering

, again as a sign that previously the loaves were brought by Christians for the liturgy. In the Orthodox Church, the Eucharist is celebrated on prosphora made from leavened (yeast) dough.

For proskomedia, five prosphoras are used in memory of the miraculous feeding of five thousand people by Christ.

For communion, one prosphora (lamb) is used. For the Lord also gave communion to the apostles, breaking and distributing one loaf. The Holy Apostle Paul writes: “There is one bread, and we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of one bread” (1 Cor. 10:17). The Lamb is crushed after the application of the holy gifts and the clergy and all those preparing for communion receive communion with it.

During the liturgy, red grape wine is used, as it resembles the color of blood. Wine is mixed with a small amount of water as a sign that blood and water flowed from the Savior’s pierced rib.

Proskomedia is performed at the very beginning of the liturgy, in the altar while the reader is reading the hours. The exclamation “Blessed is our God,” which precedes the reading of the third hour, is also the initial exclamation of the proskomedia.

Proskomedia is a very important part of the Divine Liturgy and the preparation of gifts for consecration has a deep symbolic meaning.

Proskomedia is performed on a quadrangular table, which stands to the left of the throne and is called the altar.

From lamb prosphora the priest uses a special knife called a copy

cuts out the middle in the shape of a cube, this part of the prosphora is called
lamb
, as a sign that the Lord, as the Immaculate Lamb, was slain for our sins.
From the lower part the lamb is cut crosswise, with the words: “The lamb of God is eaten (sacrificed)
to take away the sins of the world, for the worldly belly
(life)
and salvation.”
The priest pierces the right side of the lamb with a spear, uttering the words: “One of the warriors pierced His rib with a copy and abiye (immediately)
came out blood and water; and he who has seen bears witness, and truly is his testimony” (John 19:34). With these words, wine mixed with water is poured into the chalice (holy cup).

Preparing gifts at the proskomedia has several meanings. Here we remember the birth of the Savior, His coming into the world and, of course, the Calvary sacrifice on the Cross, as well as burial.

The cooked lamb and particles taken from four other prosphoras symbolize the entirety of the heavenly and earthly Church. After cooking the lamb, it is served on a special dish - paten.

The priest from the second prosphora, on which the Mother of God is depicted, takes out a triangular particle in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos and places it on the right side of the lamb.

From the third prosphora, particles are taken out in honor of John the Baptist, the prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, saints, unmercenaries, the parents of the Mother of God - the righteous Joachim and Anna, and the saint whose liturgy is being celebrated.

From the next two prosphoras, particles are taken out for living and deceased Orthodox Christians.

At the altar at the proskomedia, believers submit notes of health and repose. Particles are also taken out for the people whose names are contained in the notes.

All particles are placed in a certain order on the paten. The priest, having bowed, places a star

. These are two metal arcs connected in the form of a cross. The paten marks both the Bethlehem cave and Golgotha, the asterisk marks the star above the cave and the cross. The priest censes special covers and places them on top of the paten and chalice as a sign that Christ was laid in the tomb and His body was wrapped in shrouds, but these shrouds also symbolize the Christmas shrouds.

The meaning of commemoration at the Proskomedia

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, after the communion of the faithful, the priest pours particles taken from the prosphora at the proskomedia into the holy chalice with the words: “Wash away, O Lord, the sins of those remembered here with Thy honest blood, with the prayers of Thy saints.”

Commemoration at the proskomedia, the removal of particles about health and repose, and then immersing them in the chalice is the highest commemoration in the Church. A bloodless sacrifice is made for those remembered at the proskomedia; they also participate in the liturgy.

At the relics of St. Theodosius of Chernigov, Hieromonk Alexy (now glorified as a locally revered saint), the future elder of the Goloseevsky monastery of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, bore obedience. Somehow he got tired and dozed off at the shrine. Saint Theodosius appeared to him in a dream and thanked him for his efforts. He asked that his parents, priest Nikita and Maria, be remembered at the liturgy. When Hieromonk Alexy asked the saint how he could ask for the priest’s prayers when he himself stood before the throne of God, Saint Theodosius replied: “The offering at the liturgy is stronger than my prayers.”

Saint Gregory the Dvoeslov tells that after the death of a careless monk who suffered from the love of money, he ordered 30 funeral liturgies to be served for the deceased, and the brethren to perform a common prayer for him. And after the last liturgy, this monk appeared to his brother and said: “Until now, brother, I suffered cruelly and terribly, but now I feel good, and I am in the light.”[1]

Liturgy of the Catechumens

The second part of the liturgy is called the Liturgy of the Catechumens.

In ancient times, people underwent very lengthy preparation to receive holy baptism. They studied the basics of faith, went to church, but they could only pray at the liturgy until a certain point in the service. Before transferring the gifts from the altar to the throne, the catechumens, as well as penitents excommunicated from communion for serious sins, had to go into the vestibule of the temple.

After the priest exclaims: “Blessed is the kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages,” the choir sings: “Amen” (which means truly so). The peaceful, or great, litany is pronounced. It begins with the words: “Let us pray to the Lord in peace.” The word “in peace” does not mean a call to pray “with the whole world”, together (although prayer at the liturgy is always common, conciliar), but tells us that we must pray in peace, reconciling with our neighbors, only then will the Lord accept our prayers.

The peaceful litany covers, as it were, all spheres of our existence. We pray for the peace of the whole world, for the holy churches, for the temple where the service is celebrated, for bishops, presbyters, deacons, for our country, its authorities and soldiers, for the blessing of the air and the abundance of earthly fruits necessary for food. Here we also ask God to help all those traveling, sick and in captivity.

Liturgy is a common affair

, and prayer on it is performed collectively, that is, by all believing people “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), the Lord tells us. And according to the rules, a priest cannot perform the liturgy alone; at least one person must pray with him.

After the Great Litany, psalms called antiphons

, since they are supposed to be sung in two choirs alternately, that is, antiphonally. The psalms of the prophet David were part of the Old Testament worship and made up a significant part of the hymns in the early Christian service. After the second antiphon, the song is always sung: “Only Begotten Son...” about the coming of Christ the Savior into the world, His incarnation and atoning sacrifice.

During the singing of the Gospel beatitudes from Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, the royal doors are opened and the small entrance, or entrance with the Gospel, is made. The priest or deacon, exalting the Gospel, marks the cross with it at the royal doors and proclaims: “Wisdom! Sorry!" Translated from Greek I'm sorry

- means
straight.
This is said as a reminder to us that we need to be attentive in prayer and stand upright. It also speaks of the wisdom that the Divine Gospel and the preaching of the Lord brings to us, for the Gospel is carried out from the altar as a sign that Christ has come out to preach and bring good news to the world.

After singing the troparions dedicated to the holiday given to the day or to the saints of the day and temple, the Trisagion is sung: “Holy God...”. On the Nativity of Christ, the Epiphany of the Lord, Easter and Easter week, on the day of the Holy Trinity, as well as on Lazarus and Great Saturday, instead of the Trisagion, the following is sung: “Elits (who)

you were baptized into Christ
(baptized)
, put on Christ
(put on)
. Hallelujah." In ancient times, catechumens were baptized traditionally on these holidays.

On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord and the week of the Veneration of the Cross of Great Lent, instead of the Trisagion, the following is sung: “We bow to Thy Cross, O Master, and glorify Thy holy resurrection.”

This is followed by the readings prescribed for this day from the epistles of the holy apostles or the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel.

The Apostles of the Gospel prepare us for a careful reading of the Gospel with the exclamations “Let us hear” and “Forgive Wisdom, let us hear the Holy Gospel.”

After the Gospel reading there follows a special (intensified)

Litany, at which, in addition to various prayers for the hierarchy, authorities, the army and all believers, there is a name commemoration of those who submitted their notes to the liturgy. Their names are proclaimed by the clergy, and all the people pray with them for the health and salvation of the servants of God, “all of whom are now remembered here.”

During the special litany, the priest unfolds the holy antimension

. This is a rectangular board depicting the position of the Savior in the tomb. He is always on the throne and the Divine Liturgy is served on him. The relics of saints are sewn into the antimension. In the ancient Church, the first Christians served the liturgy on the tombs of martyrs, as was the case, for example, in the Roman catacombs, where Christians executed by torturers were buried.

After the pronounced litany there follows a litany for the dead. During it, we pray for all our departed fathers, brothers and sisters, asking God to forgive their voluntary and involuntary sins and to place them in heavenly abodes, where all the righteous rest in peace.

What follows is the litany for the catechumens. Some parishioners find this part of the service puzzling. Indeed, the practice of catechumen and preparation for baptism that existed in the ancient Church does not exist now. Today we typically baptize people after one or two conversations. But still, there are still catechumens preparing to accept the Orthodox faith. Many people who have not yet been baptized are drawn to the Church. We pray for them, that the Lord would strengthen their good intentions, reveal to them His “Gospel of Truth” and join them to the “holy catholic and apostolic Church.”

I recently baptized one of my relatives, who had been preparing to be baptized for many years, but somehow could not make up his mind. Moreover, he approached the issue of studying Orthodoxy very thoroughly: he read the entire Old and New Testament, a lot of spiritual literature, memorized the “Creed” and “Our Father.” And so, at the age of more than 70 years, he finally received holy baptism.

Nowadays there are many people who were baptized once in childhood by their parents or grandmothers, but are completely unenlightened. And that the Lord “announce them with the word of truth” and bring them into the church fence, we need to pray at this litany.

After the words “the catechumens, come forth,” those preparing for baptism and those repenting left the church, for the most important part of the Divine Liturgy began. With these words, we must look especially carefully into our soul, expel from it all resentment and enmity towards our neighbors, as well as all empty thoughts of life, in order to pray with full attention and reverence during the Liturgy of the Faithful.

Liturgy of the Faithful

This part of the service begins after the call to the catechumens to leave the temple. Two short litanies follow, and the choir begins to sing the Cherubic Hymn. If we translate it into Russian, it will read like this: “We, mysteriously depicting the cherubim and singing the Trisagion hymn to the Life-Giving Trinity, will now put aside care about everything worldly in order to perceive the King of all, Who is surrounded by angelic powers. Praise God!

This song mentions that the Lord is surrounded by angelic armies who continually glorify Him. And not only clergy and parishioners pray at the Divine Liturgy. Together with the earthly Church, the heavenly Church celebrates the liturgy.

“One day the Monk Seraphim (of Sarov - Fr. P.G.

), being a hierodeacon, served the Divine Liturgy on Maundy Thursday. After the small entrance, Seraphim proclaimed at the royal doors: “Lord, save the pious and hear us.” But as soon as he turned to the people, he pointed the orarem at those present and said: “And forever and ever,” when a ray brighter than sunlight illuminated him. Looking at this radiance, he saw the Lord Jesus Christ in the form of the Son of Man, shining in glory and with indescribable light, surrounded by heavenly forces: angels, archangels, cherubim and seraphim, as if by a swarm of bees, and from the western church gates walking through the air.”[ 2].

During the Cherubic Song, the gifts prepared for consecration are transferred from the altar to the throne. The transfer is called the Great Entrance

. The priest and deacon carry the gifts, leaving the altar by the northern (left) doors. Stopping at the pulpit in front of the royal doors, they, turning their faces to the believers, commemorate His Holiness the Patriarch, metropolitans, archbishops, bishops, priesthood, and all those who work and pray in this temple.

After this, the clergy enter the altar through the royal doors, place the cup and paten on the throne and cover the gifts with a special shroud - air

. Meanwhile, the choir finishes singing the Cherubic Song. The Great Entrance symbolizes the solemn procession of Christ to His free suffering and death.

The litany that follows after the transfer of gifts is called petitionary

and prepares the faithful for the most important part of the liturgy - the consecration of honest gifts.

Before all the people sing the Creed, the deacon proclaims: “Doors, doors! Let us sing of wisdom!” These words reminded the gatekeepers in ancient times that the most important and solemn part of the service was beginning, so they must watch the doors of the temple so that those entering would not disturb decorum. This is a reminder for us that we need to close the doors of our minds from extraneous thoughts.

As a rule, all those praying sing the Creed, confessing their faith in the most important dogmas of the Orthodox Church.

We often have to deal with the fact that godparents - the recipients of the sacrament of baptism - cannot read the Creed. This happens because people do not read morning prayers (they include the Creed) and rarely go to the liturgy. After all, in the church, every Divine Liturgy, all the people confess their faith with one mouth and know this chant by heart.

After the exclamation: “Let us become kind, let us become with fear, let us take in the holy offering in the world” (which means: the sacrament of the Eucharist - the holy offering - must be offered with the fear of God, with reverence and special attentiveness), the Eucharistic canon

. The chant “Mercy of Peace, Sacrifice of Praise” is a response to the call that has just been made.

The exclamations of the priest alternate with the singing of the choir. The priest reads the Eucharistic secret prayers while singing. Let us dwell on the basic, most important prayers of the Eucharistic canon.

In the words of the priest, “We thank the Lord!” preparation begins for sanctification, the implementation of honest gifts. The priest reads the Eucharistic prayer of thanksgiving. It glorifies the good deeds of God, especially the redemption of the human race, we thank the Lord for the fact that He accepts from us the Bloodless sacrifice in the sacrament of the Eucharist, although the ranks of angels stand before and serve Him, glorifying Him, “singing a victory song, crying, crying and speaking” . The priest pronounces these words of prayer in a full voice, like an exclamation.

Continuing the Eucharistic prayers, the priest pronounces aloud the words of the Savior at the Last Supper: “Take, eat, this is My body, broken for you for the remission of sins.” At the same time, he points to the paten with the lamb. Then, pointing to the holy cup: “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.”

After this, the priest utters an exclamation filled with deep theological meaning: “Thine from Thine is offered to Thee for everyone and for everything.” We dare to offer God these gifts from His creations (bread and wine), making a bloodless sacrifice for all the children of the Church and for all the benefits He has shown us.

While singing “We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You...” consecration occurs, the transformation of the prepared bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. The priest prays and prepares for this great moment, reading the troparion of the 3rd hour. Then the holy lamb signs with the words: “And make this bread, the venerable body of Thy Christ.” And he blesses the wine, saying: “And in this cup is the honorable blood of your Christ.” And he marks the paten with the lamb and the holy cup with the words: “Added by Thy Holy Spirit.” The clergy bow to the ground before the holy gifts. Holy gifts are offered as a bloodless sacrifice for everyone and everything without exception, for all the saints and for the Mother of God, as stated in the exclamation of the priest, which is the end of the priestly prayer: “A fair amount (especially) about the Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Lady Our Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary." In response to this exclamation, a chant is sung dedicated to the Mother of God - “It is worthy to eat.” (On Easter and on the twelve feasts, before the dedication, another Theotokos hymn is sung, called the hymn

).

Next comes the litany, which prepares the faithful for communion and also contains the usual petitions of the litany of petition. After the litany and exclamation of the priest, the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father,” is sung (most often by all the people).

When the apostles asked Christ to teach them how to pray, He gave them this prayer. And in it we ask for everything necessary for life: that everything be God’s will, for our daily bread (and, of course, that the Lord grants us to accept the heavenly bread - His body), for the forgiveness of our sins, and that the Lord will help us overcome all temptations and deliver us from the wiles of the devil.

The priest’s exclamation “Holy to Holies” tells us that we must approach the holy mysteries in purity, having sanctified ourselves with prayer, fasting and cleansing ourselves in the sacrament of repentance.

Preparation for the sacrament of communion is discussed in detail in the chapter “How to prepare for communion.”

At the altar, the clergy crush the holy lamb, receive communion themselves, and prepare gifts for the faithful to receive communion. After this, the royal doors open, and the deacon brings out the holy cup with the words: “Approach with the fear of God and faith.” The opening of the royal doors marks the opening of the Holy Sepulcher, and the removal of the holy gifts marks the appearance of the Lord after His resurrection.

The priest reads the prayer of St. John Chrysostom before holy communion: “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, of whom I am the first...”. And people pray, heeding the humble prayer of St. John, realizing their unworthiness and bowing before the greatness of the shrine taught. The prayer ends with the words: “...I will not kiss You, like Judas, but like a thief I will confess to You: remember me, Lord, in Your 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. Amen".

He who receives communion unworthily, without faith, with contrition of heart, having in his heart malice and resentment towards his neighbor, is likened to Judas the traitor, who was one of the twelve disciples, was present at the Last Supper, and then went and betrayed the Teacher.

Everyone who was preparing for communion and received permission from the priest receives communion of the holy mysteries of Christ. After this, the priest takes the holy cup to the altar.

Then the priest overshadows the worshipers with the holy cup with the words “Always, now and ever and unto ages of ages” and transfers it to the altar. Holy gifts are presented to those praying for the last time, which marks the last appearance of the Savior to the disciples and His ascension into heaven.

The deacon recites a short litany of thanksgiving.

At the end of the liturgy, the priest says dismissal

. On vacation, the Mother of God, the saint whose liturgy was celebrated, and the saints of the temple and the day are usually remembered.

All worshipers kiss the holy cross, which the priest gives them.

After the liturgy, prayers of thanksgiving for Holy Communion are usually read. If they are not read in church, all those who receive communion read them after returning home.

Priest Pavel Gumerov

[1] Guryev Victor, archpriest. Prologue in teachings. M., 1912. P. 431. [2] Ibid. P. 688.

Based on materials from the site: www.pravoslavie.ru

Church items for communion

All the attributes of the liturgy have meaning. The main sacred vessels are the chalice or cup and the paten.

Paten

A flat dish on a leg symbolizes both the beginning and the end of the life of Jesus - the cave in Bethlehem and the Holy Sepulcher. The images on the paten illustrate the New Testament. More often the dish is covered with icons of the Nativity of Christ.

Chalice

The cup symbolizes the holy grail, the carpenter's cup from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper.

The paten and chalice are covered with a cloth called air. It symbolizes the swaddling clothes of the newborn baby Jesus and at the same time His posthumous Shroud.

Liar

The long spoon for communion symbolizes the pincers from the Old Testament legend. According to Scripture, an angel came down to the prophet Isaiah, took a coal from the altar with tongs and passed it across the prophet’s lips. And then the holy messenger announced that the prophet was cleansed from sin.

The liar is a way of transmitting divine grace from God to man.

Wine

During the liturgy, red wine is poured, diluted with warmth - consecrated water. Jesus drank diluted wine at the Last Supper. The drink symbolizes the blood and water that poured out from the wound of the crucified Savior from the blow of a spear.

Prosphora

In modern worship, large round breads called prosphora or prosvir are used. They are divided into two halves, which symbolize the divine and human nature of Jesus. In the upper half, a cross is minted on the provira, on the sides the name of the Savior - “IS HS”. At the bottom they print the word “nika”, which means “victory”, for Jesus is the man who conquered death.

On the prosphora you can also see an embossed image of the Mother of God.

Conversations with the priest. The meaning of the Divine Liturgy

In the Moscow studio of our TV channel, the cleric of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Unexpected Joy” in Maryina Roshcha, priest Maxim Yudakov, answers questions from viewers.
– What is the significance of the Divine Liturgy in the spiritual life of a Christian?

– The very concept of “liturgy” means “common cause.” This is a divine service at which since ancient times the entire church community has gathered, and the common task here is a common prayer in remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ and uniting with Him through the communion of His Body and Blood, as we all know very well.

We gather for liturgy because Jesus Christ willed us to do so. At the Last Supper, the last meal on the eve of His suffering, He turns to His disciples, gives bread and wine and says: “This bread is My body, which is broken for you. And this cup is the cup of My blood, which is poured out for you and for many. Do this in memory of Me." And for more than two thousand years now, every Sunday - on the Lord's Day, and sometimes more often, we gather to remember our Teacher, our Redeemer, God and unite with Him through communication. And with each other.

– How did the Divine Liturgy appear, how did it originate, what is its history?

– Of course, the order of the Divine Liturgy in the form that we all know today (with many chants, readings, various rituals during the service) did not appear immediately and was transmitted to us by the Lord through the apostles. Of course, worship has developed throughout history and, in the form in which it exists now, appeared in a rather late era.

It is important to understand that there are main points in the Divine Liturgy. It is clear that not every lay person who comes to church can immediately plunge fully into the world of the liturgy, understand all its elements, and immediately understand the meaning of every reading, singing, and every ritual. However, the main points are accessible to every person, and it is these that are worth paying attention to.

The Divine Liturgy consists of three main parts, as has happened historically. The most important part of the Divine Liturgy (that for which we, in fact, gather for it and from which it originated) is, of course, the prayer of the entire Church, which is conventionally called the Eucharist. This is what the followers of Jesus Christ, the disciples of the apostles and the first Christians called it. “Eucharist” translated into Russian means “thanksgiving.” We thank God for the blessings He has done for us. This is His incarnation in this world, preaching, His moral teaching to man; this, of course, is His suffering, atoning death on the cross for the sins of all people. This is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and His promise that whoever believes in Him will not die, but will live forever; this is also His ascension into heaven. Also in this prayer we give thanks for what has not yet happened, but we believe that it will happen: this is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

– So the liturgy is an expression of our gratitude to God?

– Yes, first of all, this is an expression of our gratitude to God and, of course, remembrance of all those events that have occurred in the world and are directly related to every person participating in the liturgy. Each person can say that this prayer, in which he participates here and now, is important, first of all, for him personally.

– What was the liturgy of the first Christians, that is, the basis that was later enriched with details?

– It must be said that Christian worship was not invented from scratch. The issue of tradition and understanding of tradition has always been very important for the Church. And despite the fact that the faith of the apostles - and initially it was the Jewish faith - was filled with new content and was continued in Christianity, the culture that surrounded them was understandable and familiar to them. Therefore, the worship that the apostles first began to practice in the Christian era also grew out of the Jewish environment. In general, the first Eucharist that we read about in the Gospel, the Last Supper, is also an image of Jewish culture - the Passover Jewish meal, for which His disciples, led by the Lord, gather. It is a Jewish tradition to gather for the Passover meal and eat Passover food: the Passover lamb, prepared in a special way. Preparing unleavened bread in a special way and drinking a cup of wine are all elements of Jewish tradition.

But what did Jesus Christ bring to it? He brought new meaning. Therefore, about the bread that came out of Egypt for the Jews, the Lord says that this is His Body. It seems to change the meaning of what happens during this Passover meal. The Lord also fills that cup, which dates the Jews to the times of the Old Testament, the exodus from Egypt, with a new meaning. He says this is the cup of the New Testament. This came out of the culture in which the apostles were raised, and then their closest disciples, who also came from a Judeo-Christian environment. It can be said that Christian worship took a lot from the Jews.

However, subsequently this image of the near-Easter meal, when the leader of the community is with its other members at a common table and already says the words of Christ: “Here is My Body and here is My Blood” (and the whole community partakes of this common Cup and common Bread) - of course, becomes more complicated. It becomes more complicated not because people wanted something complex or new, but simply due to some historical reasons or practical considerations. Some additional rituals appear, which leads to the very rich, developed order that we see today.

The original Eucharist looks exactly like this: a leader at prayer on behalf of the church community - with its members around the same meal.

– So the liturgy is a meal? And the prototype of the liturgy is the meal?

- Yes. And it is no coincidence that the Apostle Paul mentions in his Epistle to the Corinthians: you Christians, you gather around the Lord’s table. And, probably, in addition to Eucharistic communion, i.e. communication in prayer addressed to the Lord Jesus Christ, and partaking of His Body and Blood under the guise of bread and wine, an ordinary meal, ordinary communication took place at this table, during which people exchanged news, impressions of their lives, shared with each other not only spiritual experiences, but also material food. And the Apostle Paul draws the attention of the Corinthian Christians: let the rich man not try to eat at this meal what he himself brought, he must definitely pay attention to the poor person. Initially, the Eucharist was accompanied by genuine Christian communion, during which all people appeared before God in equal dignity. He who has had to bring from the abundance; the one who does not have had to be nourished by the gifts that the rich man brought.

– Why should a layman delve into all the details of the liturgy, why know its composition, symbols? What is the spiritual benefit of this for a person?

– It must be said that the meaning of worship in general is that the Church is trying to give something to a person. When coming to a service, I would even say that we do not have the right to stand simply as spectators of what is happening, we must definitely take something away from the service. At least, not only some spiritual benefit, but also mental benefit. The Apostle Paul says: if I pray, but do not understand what is happening around me, then probably my spirit is praying, I soar with my soul to God, but my mind does not receive any benefit. In worship, the Church places the treasures of Church Tradition, the treasures of its experience. In worship we learn about the theology of the Church, i.e. about how the Church believes.

For example, the most typical example is the holiday of Pentecost, the day of the Holy Trinity, when the liturgical hymns set out the teaching about God and how we believe. It is said that we believe in the Holy Trinity, about who God the Father is, who God the Son is and who God the Holy Spirit is, i.e. The Church creates these texts for a reason, but in order to teach through them the correct faith of those who come to the Church and listen to them. In worship we receive edification. For example, the entire service of Great Lent is filled with motives of edification and repentance, but this is not just a spiritual appeal to God “Lord, have mercy!”, but also some kind of information. A person who comes to church and listens to the service must necessarily acquire some very important meaning that the church tradition tried to convey to him.

Of course, the Divine Liturgy cannot be beyond the boundaries of human understanding. And despite the fact that today all divine services are performed in Church Slavonic (and perhaps not everything that we hear in singing or through reading, we can immediately understand), nevertheless, the liturgy is as simple as possible to understand, and the Eucharist more. As I said, the text of the Eucharist prayer is that we thank God for what He has done for us. But a person who comes to church should naturally ask the question: why do I thank God, what has He done for me? And this is already food for thought. Yes, I take part in the sacrament, I take communion, but what is this for? What does this give me? Why have we been doing this for two thousand years? Why did God suffer? Why was He resurrected? This gives rise to a lot of questions in a person’s mind, the answers to which he, of course, should strive to seek.

The Eucharist, on the one hand, asks these questions and, on the other hand, answers them. What is important is a person’s desire to learn and discover something new. This discovery occurs both through preaching and through one’s own reflection and work. Still, Christianity presupposes some kind of work: not only spiritual, emotional, but also mental. To learn something, I have to work hard, find some information; it's not as difficult as it seems at first glance. And the Church opens this new interesting world to man.

– That is, the liturgy, as you said, is thanksgiving, a meal, and work. How should a person work, what does this work consist of?

– Of course, liturgy is work; “urgia” means “deed”, and it consists, as it were, of several points. On the one hand, this is literally a matter - a matter for the sake of another person. We gather for the Eucharist to feel like the Church. Church is not just a word that names the room where we gather. This is not just an empty phrase. Behind this word is a gathering of the community, and not only at worship, not only to thank God, but to be together, to communicate.

It’s bad when people come to services only to pray for some of their needs. Although this can also be important and necessary. And this in itself is not bad, because each of us wants him and his loved ones to be healthy and happy. But the meaning and task of the liturgy is a little different: not so that everyone prays for themselves, but so that everyone prays for each other. That is, liturgy presupposes prayerful work - work for each other.

We do not need the Liturgy so that everyone can take something from it for themselves. This is also a very important point when the Church emphasizes through worship: no, man, you must give something in the liturgy. After all, this is precisely what Jesus Christ calls us to, Who says that there is no greater love than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. And the Lord Himself shows man this example of sacrificial love and wants (of course, does not demand anything, but wants) so that we, inspired by the example of His sacrificial love, ourselves can sacrifice something. The liturgy provides an opportunity to bring this example of sacrificial love to life.

We don't just pray for ourselves, we pray for each other, this prayer for others is very important; This is what church prayer is all about. Why is it so important that the Church pray for our relatives, acquaintances, or for ourselves, why do we always submit notes for the liturgy, why is it so important to order the magpie, a commemoration for the year? Not so that these names are kept in the Church as some kind of dead weight, but so that other people can pray for us and our loved ones. Of course, prayer work is very important, and responsibility for this prayer work rests with every person who comes to the Liturgy, and not just with the priests. We should not think that only the priest should pray for us, and we will stand, piously look at the iconostasis and be touched by the beautiful singing. No, this is not what liturgy is for; it involves all people in common prayer.

In addition, since in the liturgy we communicate with each other not only prayerfully, but also in reality (because in prayer we partake of the same Chalice), then, of course, such communication necessarily involves people in real, everyday communication. As a rule, church parishioners know each other, and this acquaintance is not an empty phrase: we know each other, but we also know about each other, who has what needs, sorrows or, perhaps, joys. And community members are happy to share their joys, are happy to help each other and participate in each other’s affairs. This is the second meaning of the concept of liturgy as a common cause.

The first meaning is prayer, and the second is participation in very real affairs. Through the liturgy, participating in the Eucharist, receiving the Blood and Body of Jesus Christ, we continue to live with the thought that God is directly present in our lives. And, of course, we are ready to move on: we are ready to help another person, to participate in his life.

– Question from a TV viewer: “At the Last Supper, Christ said to the disciples: Do this in remembrance of Me. The first Christians did just that, it was called breaking bread. And then it turned into spoon-feeding people (as is happening now), as if they were some kind of infants. Even children under one year old in kindergarten eat on their own. When did this start?

– Thank you for a very interesting question. Indeed, we know that the Lord Himself broke bread and gave it to His disciples. And the first Christians also gathered together, made offerings of bread and wine, which were taught to them at a common meal. Exactly the same ritual of communion existed during the Byzantine Empire. This ritual existed for a very long time, until the 9th or 10th century, when each person brought his own bread to the church for the liturgy, which relied on special dishes - paten. The bread and wine brought were consecrated, made Body and Blood, broken at the liturgy and distributed to the faithful. That is, it was not a small piece, but a full-fledged piece of Eucharistic bread - the Body of Christ.

But at the same time, there were various kinds of abuse of this ritual. So, for example, they did not eat the Eucharistic bread during the liturgy, but took it home. The fathers of various Local and Ecumenical Councils repeatedly spoke out against this and indicated that the faithful should not take the Eucharistic bread with them, since this does not correspond to the spirit of the liturgy: we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ during the liturgy.

Subsequently, some rich people brought special silver spoons with them to the temple. And although they still took the consecrated Eucharistic bread into their hands, they did not want to drink from the common Eucharistic cup, but drew the Holy Blood from it; then they took these spoons home. But later the tradition changed a little. First of all, in small parish churches the need to bring so much bread to the liturgy has disappeared. It was considered sufficient to celebrate the Eucharist on one piece of bread. This was later given a symbolic meaning - just as the One Lord was crucified for us and His body is one, so we partake of one bread - we receive a portion from one Lord.

The Liturgy began to be celebrated on one bread, and since there was only one bread, and there were many people, the parts into which the bread was broken were small - and the tradition arose of uniting the Body with the Blood and teaching it from a spoon to the faithful. The tradition of communion from the spoon of one person was transformed into communion from the spoon of all the laity. This phenomenon arose from some practical considerations, but no clear evidence has reached us as to why such a transition occurred. However, the main thing is not the method of communion. Today the clergy receives communion in the ancient way, when we first take into our hands and eat the Body of the Lord, and then drink from the Chalice.

For the laity, a different form has been chosen, which today is recognized as optimal, since many people receive communion in parishes. And of course, it is much more convenient to give Communion to everyone who wants it with Body and Blood at once, rather than creating some unnecessary fuss in the church. This is a matter of following traditions and some practical considerations.

– There is probably a special reverence when there is only one Bread, the pieces are small.

– Of course, there is a feeling of some special unity: we receive communion from the same Chalice, we are participants in the Eucharist - and we are united by the fact that Jesus Christ offers us one Chalice. We all receive communion from her: the poor and the rich, the healthy and the sick. We can all be sanctified from one Chalice - one Lord Jesus Christ.

– What parts does the liturgy consist of?

– The first part of the liturgy is preparatory, it is called proskomedia. Sometimes in church shops or behind boxes you can see small notices where

it is written what kind of notes the temple accepts; in particular, you can see: “note for proskomedia.” This is exactly the same note that is read when the priest, before the start of the liturgy, prepares bread and wine in order to then pray over them - and they will become the Blood and Body of Jesus Christ. Today, the ritual of proskomedia - the preparation of bread and wine - is accompanied by special prayers, which recall how Jesus Christ freely sacrificed Himself for the sins of the whole world.

The central piece is taken out of the prosphora, as if its best part, which is sacrificed to God. Particles are placed around it in memory of the saints and all the living and dead; They are placed on the paten next to a piece of bread that will be blessed, and we believe that these particles symbolize those people for whom we are praying. That is, not only the people of a specific living community that has gathered here and now participate in the liturgy, but the entire Church participates: the Mother of God, the saints, the living and the dead. And when we partake of the one Bread and the one Cup, we become a part in Christ with the whole Church.

– What other parts of the liturgy are there?

- In addition to the proskomedia, there are two more main parts - the liturgy of the catechumens and the liturgy of the faithful. Without going into details, it must be said that the main point at the Liturgy of the Catechumens is the reading of the Holy Scriptures: reading from the Book of Acts or the Apostolic Epistles and reading from the Gospels.

Why is this part of the liturgy called the Liturgy of the Catechumens? Because in ancient times, people who were preparing to receive the sacrament of Baptism and were announced in the community were called catechumens. The community knew that in addition to baptized Christians, there were also converts who were preparing to accept the name of Christ. These people were allowed to attend the liturgy, but up to a certain point. The most important and edifying thing for them was that they listen to the Holy Scriptures together with the faithful. If the faithful were again and again saturated with the experience of Christ's faith, receiving the word of God directly from the Gospel and the Apostle, then for the catechumens this was still a chance to hear a new teaching about Jesus Christ, which was offered by the apostolic epistles. This is the main part of the liturgy of the catechumens.

The cry of the deacon (or priest) “Catechumens, come forth!” was pronounced so that the catechumens could understand that the service was over for them today and they could go. Then only the faithful remained, who were called to prayer - the Liturgy of the Faithful began.

At the Liturgy of the Faithful, as I have already said, the main thing is the Eucharistic prayer and participation in it, and its crown is communion. For ancient Christians it was strange to be at the Eucharist and leave without receiving communion. These two points were directly related to each other.

– That is, the ancient Christians received the Holy Gifts every Sunday?

- Yes. True, it is necessary to make a reservation that, apparently, the ancient Christians gathered for common prayer only on Sundays and on some days when there were some very important holidays. Only after many years and perhaps even centuries do Christians even gather for daily prayer. In this regard, today it cannot be said that you

You must receive communion every time you participate in the liturgy. This will probably not be entirely correct, because initially Christians did not do this every day.

However, the idea of ​​being at the Eucharist and not receiving communion is not entirely correct. It is no coincidence that the canons say that an inquiry should be held with someone who was at the meeting, but for some reason did not receive communion, to find out why this happened. If this is a disrespectful reason, then such a person should have been excommunicated from the community, because then what is the point of gathering for?

– Now is it acceptable for a person to come to the liturgy but not receive communion?

– Now it is permissible, but in each specific case this is a pastoral question. We need to understand why this happens. Sometimes it happens that people come to the liturgy every Sunday, but do not receive communion for years, without having any objectively serious sins, but somehow understanding the liturgy in their own way. That is, each specific case requires some kind of detailed consideration and some kind of pastoral approach. Of course, it is desirable that every Christian have a confessor, or at least a priest with whom he regularly confesses, and a practice could be built for this particular person so that he can receive communion.

In any case, communion must be, one way or another, regular; it cannot be once a year, especially by chance or whenever you want. The Eucharist is the way of being of the Church. This is the only way a Christian can say: “I am a Christian.” Only if he is in communication with other Christians at least with some frequency.

Again, we can say that the Venerable Mary of Egypt received communion twice in her life, but this is rather an exception to the rule, and this is her specific case. For each person, some kind of measure must be determined in accordance with church tradition and with the help of a priest.

– What was the preparation for communion among the first Christians?

- Hard to say. Of course, this preparation did not consist of reading some special sequence and, perhaps, a three-day fast, as is customary today. In general, it must be said that the Divine Liturgy as a rite is self-sufficient. There is both a prayer before communion and a prayer after communion, i.e., apparently, for the ancient Christian there was no need to read any additional prayers before communion, everything was in the liturgy.

But you need to understand that the ancient Christian lived a different life, not the same as today’s Christian. Public worship, it seems, was important to the ancient Christian; often his life seemed to fit into the worship of the entire Church, i.e. a Christian prays constantly. It is no coincidence that the Apostle Paul calls: “pray without ceasing,” “give thanks in everything.”

For a Christian, the liturgy was like the crown of a weekly spiritual cycle. Of course, this does not mean that Christians did not work at the same time. Of course, they lived some kind of ordinary life, but at the same time it was associated with church tradition.

Today, unfortunately, we must admit that for many people, visiting church on Sunday is the only thing that connects a person with the Church during the week. Most often, during the week, we rarely remember God, only if some misfortunes and troubles happen. Therefore, the Church says: then let us pray morning and evening with special sequences, which were compiled from the experience of the Church. We will say the prayers that our holy fathers, predecessors, and saints prayed.

- So as not to interrupt the connection?

– Yes, so that this connection with the Church is not interrupted, so that it exists not only sometimes. In history, we know that there has been a decline in communion - for various reasons. These are also reasons related to the moral way of life of Christians, which, unfortunately, did not always correspond to Gospel values. Therefore, it was recommended for Christians to abstain from accepting shrines until they cleanse their souls through repentance and prayer.

Therefore, today, in each specific case for each person, we can build our own preparation for communion. For someone who lives an active Christian life, is a member of the community, has no serious sins, regularly confesses and receives communion, and has a confessor, there may be no need to fast for a week before communion and read three canons with an akathist. It is enough to make do with some brief preparation, as, in fact, the document approved at the Council of Bishops tells us “On the Participation of the Faithful in the Eucharist.” He gives greater freedom to the pastoral approach in this matter. If, of course, a person receives communion once a year or irregularly, with long breaks, then for the benefit of such a person it is recommended to fast longer, pray, prepare - read the necessary sequence. This will benefit his soul, he will be better for it, he will receive edification from it.

– Question from a TV viewer: “Explain the meaning of the fact that in the liturgy many prayers are read at the altar; they cannot be heard by the parishioners.”

– Today, indeed, there is a discussion among the people of God regarding how these prayers should be read: out loud or secretly, as the Service Book prescribes. If we open the liturgical book for clergy, which is called the Missal, we will see that many prayers of the liturgy are supposed to be read secretly, but not in the sense of making some kind of mystery out of them, but simply silently or in a whisper.

Historical liturgics comes to the conclusion that this, of course, was not always the case. Secret prayers, apparently, became in an era when people began to receive communion very rarely. And since people do not fully participate in the Eucharist, the clergy considered it inappropriate for these people to hear these prayers; perhaps, so that even some kind of blasphemy does not arise in relation to these especially important prayers. At the same time, if we look into ancient times, we will see that there was a culture of reading when any texts and books were read aloud, including prayers.

However, already in the time of Emperor Justinian, it apparently became fashionable to read books to oneself, and the clergy, following this fashion, also began to read the prayers of the liturgy to themselves. Emperor Justinian issues a decree according to which clergy should not read the prayers of the Eucharist to themselves, but should read them aloud, and reprimands such careless priests. But this is again due to the fact that Emperor Justinian opposes following fashion. Thus, he seems to indicate that in the Church there is no place for fashion, but it is necessary to be in tradition. If tradition prescribes reading these prayers aloud, then they must be read aloud.

But times are changing. And, as I already said, the era of the decline of communion has come, people have stopped receiving communion, and, probably, there is no point in reading the prayers of the Eucharist deliberately out loud. For example, I’ll say about myself: I read all the prayers of the liturgy out loud, but not so loudly that it can be heard throughout the entire church, but in an undertone; if there is a microphone, then into the microphone. And if the choir finished singing the chant, so that there was no pause, so that the prayer continued. But it seems to me that if all the people in the church received communion, then, of course, it would be useful for everyone to hear the prayers of the Eucharist. But on weekdays it often happens like this: when you start the liturgy, some people are standing behind you, and when you finish, completely different ones, i.e. I understand that during the liturgy there is some movement, some leave, others come. And only I and one or two people from the people receive communion. Then it would be profanation to read such important and secret prayers out loud when people do not need it.

It seems to me that every community has its own specific practice that the community follows. I know that in Moscow there are communities where the prayers of the Eucharist are read aloud, but I also know that the majority of parishioners receive communion there. I know parishes where these prayers are still read silently, but both have their own reasons for this. There cannot be complete unification here - what is needed is one way and no other.

– Please say a few more words about the Divine Liturgy as a result of our program.

– Since I am a teacher at an Orthodox university, I always tell students about the three components of the Eucharist, which are very important for every person. First, salvation is impossible without the Eucharist, because Jesus Christ said: “In him who eats My flesh and drinks My blood, I will abide, and he in Me; and he will live forever.” That is, we participate in the liturgy and partake of the Holy Gifts in order to live forever, as Jesus Christ promised us.

The second is that moment without which we cannot be called a Church. It is only thanks to the Eucharist that we are the Church, because by eating from the Lord Jesus Christ, each of us becomes part of Jesus Christ.

And the third very important point is the miracle of the Eucharist. On the one hand, we are waiting for the Coming of Jesus Christ for the second time, as He Himself promised, but in the Eucharist we already anticipate it, because here is His true Body and His true Blood, here is Christ Himself here and now, He has already entered my soul , has already appeared to me in the flesh. This is perhaps the most important thing that can be said about the Divine Liturgy.

Presenter Denis Beresnev

Recorded by Ksenia Sosnovskaya

Rules of conduct during service

How to behave at a worship service:

• Find out in advance the exact start and duration of the service and arrive 15 minutes earlier;
• Conversations are prohibited;
• stand calmly, without shifting from foot to foot;
• do not look at others and the decoration of the temple, do not stare from side to side;
• turn off your mobile phone;
• if an all-night vigil is being served for more than 2-3 hours, you can sit on a bench;
• to greet the opening of the Royal Doors standing;
• during the service do not turn your back to the altar;
• if you need to leave before the end of the service, you should cross yourself and leave without attracting attention;
• light candles and pass notes before the start of the service, so as not to disturb those praying;
• Women are forbidden to venerate the cross with painted lips.

If you know in advance that it will not be possible to fully defend the service, it is better to take a seat closer to the exit.

Explanatory text

The text, similar to the libretto for an opera, outlines the plan of prayers that are read during the Liturgy of the Catechumens and the Faithful, as well as an explanation of the main points. Brief descriptions of parts of the service cover:

• what actions does the priest perform;
• what are litanies, troparia and kontakia;
• brief contents of the psalms;
• when the choir enters and when the deacon enters.

The text and interpretation of the liturgy are distributed to the faithful so that they can follow the service and sing. If a Christian is away from the temple, he can follow the plan and read the prayers on his own.

Liturgy of John Chrysostom and Basil the Great - what is the difference?

On the Sundays of Great Lent, the Liturgy of St., which is not familiar to us, is celebrated. John Chrysostom (fasting is served on Saturdays), and the liturgy of St. Basil the Great. What are the differences between the two liturgies - says priest Theodore LYUDOGOVSKY. Nowadays (and this has been a centuries-old practice), one of three liturgies can be served: St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great and St. Grigory Dvoeslov. There are days when there should be no liturgy at all. Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is served, so to speak, by default, without special conditions. Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is celebrated 10 times a year: on Christmas and Epiphany Eves, on the day of remembrance of the saint himself, on Sundays of Great Lent (from the 1st to the 5th), as well as on Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday. Liturgy of St. Gregory Dvoeslov (Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts) is not quite a liturgy: the consecration of the Gifts does not take place at it. In fact, this is Vespers at which communion is celebrated. It is served on Wednesdays and Fridays of Great Lent (in the 5th week - also on Thursday), as well as on the first three days of Holy Week. In addition, it is also celebrated in those cases when the feast of the 1st and 2nd finding of the head of John the Baptist (February 24 according to the church calendar) and the memory of the 40 martyrs of Sebaste (March 9) fall on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday (with the exception of 1 th week of fasting); it would be logical to extend this rule to the memory of St. Grigory Dvoeslov (March 12), but usually this does not happen. Finally, the liturgy is not celebrated on Wednesday and Friday of Cheese Week, on Good Friday, as well as on the Friday preceding the holidays of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany if these holidays fall on Sunday or Monday (and their Christmas Eves, respectively, on Saturday or Sunday). Regarding the eves of those greatest holidays (Easter, Epiphany and the Nativity of Christ), it should be noted that the liturgy that is celebrated on these days is combined with Vespers: first Vespers is served, which then goes into the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great (and according to the charter, in all three cases this service should take place in the afternoon, and not in the morning, as is usually the case with us). Since the liturgical day begins with Vespers, we can say that the liturgy of St. Basil the Great, performed on the eve of Easter, Epiphany and Christmas, already refers to the holiday itself. More precisely, this is the first festive liturgy - and the second is served in the morning, and this is the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Yes, it is well known that there cannot be two liturgies on one day, but this is precisely how these three holidays are distinguished among other days of the church year. So, we have two “full” liturgies, that is, those liturgies at which the consecration of the Gifts is performed. First of all, it must be said that these two services are very close to each other. I mean that in the ancient Church there were many orders of the liturgy - and they differed from each other quite significantly. Against the background of these differences, the successions of Chrysostom and the Cappadocian saint are almost twins. From the point of view of today's laity, standing outside the altar, but at the same time (which in fact does not happen often) listening and thinking about the service, the main difference between the rare liturgy of St. Basil the Great from the more “ordinary” Chrysostom in that on the latter it is sung “It is worthy to eat...”, and on the first – “He rejoices in You...”. Well, other chants are performed in different manners: at the Liturgy of St. Basil they sound more drawn out. But is this really what all the differences boil down to? Is it really because of this that the church calendar notes every time that the Liturgy of Basil the Great is celebrated on such and such a day? Of course not. Liturgy is not only general prayer, and most certainly not just beautiful chants. Liturgy is a service in which Christ sacrifices Himself again and again; This is a thanksgiving service (Eucharist) - our thanksgiving for the salvation given to us by Christ. And the focus of the liturgy is the Eucharistic prayers, which the priest reads after singing the Creed. To our greatest regret and, without exaggeration, to our misfortune, these prayers have been read by the priest “secretly” for the last fifteen hundred years (that is, silently, to himself, or quietly, in an undertone). Meanwhile, it is in these prayers that the entire theology of the liturgy is contained. In fact, the laity are forced to be content with fragments of these prayers - participle phrases and subordinate clauses. If we return to the question we asked at the beginning - how does one liturgy differ from another? – then the answer should be this: they differ in their Eucharistic prayers. In the liturgy of St. Basil the Great, these prayers are much more extensive (which is why the chants of this liturgy are more drawn out - the choir must “fill the pause” that occurs during the silent reading of the prayers). As a matter of fact, the Chrysostom liturgy, as is commonly believed, is a reduction of the Vasilyeva liturgy. Let us take as an example at least the first of the Eucharistic prayers (in textbooks it is called prefatio - introduction) and the directly related chant “Holy, Holy, Holy...” (Sanctus) in the Russian translation by Hierom. Ambrose (Timroth).

I repeat: the laity do not hear these and other Eucharistic prayers - however, as can be seen from the text of the prayers themselves, they are pronounced not on behalf of the priest alone, but on behalf of all Christians, the entire community - therefore our participation in the liturgy remains incomplete if we do not We hear the most important thing.
Whether we will see the public reading of the Eucharistic prayers in the foreseeable future is an open question. But nothing prevents a layman from finding the full text of both liturgies on the Internet, reading all the prayers, thinking about them, and reading the comments. It seems that if all our parishioners were familiar with the prayers of the liturgy - and St. John Chrysostom, and St. Basil the Great - then there would be much less in our heads of any superstitions, prejudices and other ideas about faith and salvation that are far from the Gospel. Priest Theodore LYUDOGOVSKY

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Divine service Liturgy Language of worship Lent