Mass - what is it, why and when is it ordered? How is the liturgy conducted, how is it different from proskomedia?

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It is almost impossible to know all the nuances and features of sacred rites in the Orthodox faith. It is very difficult to understand all the intricacies, which will take a lot of time, effort and patience. What is proskomedia in Orthodoxy - let's figure it out together in this article.

Is mass a church service or a type of prayer?

Every Orthodox Christian knows that the main central service of worship is the Liturgy. However, when submitting a note about health or repose in church, you can hear questions: “Are you submitting for Proskomedia? Maybe order Mass? No, it’s better for you to pray,” etc. Even a churchgoer can easily become confused. Mass - what is it? Is this a prayer or part of a worship service? Is it different from the Liturgy? We will answer these questions in this article.

Orthodox Liturgy

What is the difference between Vespers, Matins and Mass?

The evening service is dedicated to offering prayers of thanks to God for the day. During Vespers, parishioners thank the Lord for the past period of time, and also ask for help and blessings for the coming night.

During Vespers the following are held:

1. Ninth hour;
2. Vespers;
3. Compline.

In the morning, Christians in church in their prayers express gratitude for the sleep sent down to them for rest or for the past night period, asking for help in the coming day.

Matins consists of:

1. Midnight Offices;
2. Matins;
3. First hour.

During mass, prayers are offered to the Almighty for the living and the departed, that is, dead people. During the day's service, the Sacrament of Communion is performed.

Mass includes:

1. Third hour;
2. Sixth hour;
3. Liturgy.

According to the time calculation that was relevant at the time of the Gospel events, at the third hour of the day Jesus was led to trial before Pontius Pilate. And at six o’clock in the afternoon the crucifixion of Christ took place, which is what the next service reminds of.

And only after this does the liturgy begin, in which there are three “acts”:

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

Liturgy is the basis of Christian life

“This is the axis mundi!” - this is how righteous John of Kronstadt exclaimed about the Divine Liturgy. And this is truly the most important and ancient service. Around him, like wheels around an axle, the entire liturgical cycle of Orthodoxy is built.

The main Sacrament of the Orthodox Church is performed during the Divine Liturgy. This is the Sacrament of Communion or the Eucharist. Christians eat bread and wine, which are mystically transformed during the service into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

The Eucharist was instituted by the Lord Himself on the eve of His suffering on the cross. Christ gathered for the last time with his disciples in the Upper Room of Zion to celebrate the Old Testament Passover. The Savior broke the bread and distributed it to the apostles with the words:

“Take, eat, this is My Body” (Mark 14:22).

Then he handed over a cup of wine and said:

“This is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many” (Mark 14:24).

And now, for two millennia, according to the covenant of Christ, believers in the Eucharist have received the Lord Himself into their body, heart and soul.

“The Liturgy is a treasury, the source of true life, because the Lord Himself is in it” (Righteous John of Kronstadt).

The Liturgy can be divided into three parts. The first - Proskomedia - occurs invisible to those praying. Behind the closed Royal Doors, the priest prepares the Holy Gifts for the Sacrament of Communion, praying for the entire Church of Christ. The Third and Ninth Hours are read in the temple at this time.

Then the curtain of the Royal Doors opens and the Liturgy of the Catechumens begins. A catechumen is a person who is not yet a member of the Church and is only preparing to receive Baptism. In ancient times, such people could be present at the service during the reading of the Gospel and the Apostle. After the litany of the catechumens, before the start of the third part of the Liturgy, they had to leave the temple. Today this tradition is almost lost due to the absence of the catechumens themselves.

Then the Liturgy of the Faithful begins. In this part of the service, the oldest main prayer is read - the Anaphora or Eucharistic Canon. It is at this moment that the main Sacrament of Orthodoxy is performed - the transformation under the influence of the Holy Spirit of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.

A little history

Mass is the colloquial name for the Divine Liturgy. In Russia it has firmly come into use. The reason for this name is quite simple: the service is performed before lunch, in the morning. The Greek name "liturgy" means "common work." Believers gather in the temple to collectively glorify God and take part in the Sacrament of Communion.

It was established at the behest of Jesus Christ himself. Before his death, he gathered his disciples for Vespers, where he gave them bread, as a symbol of his body, and wine, a prototype of the blood of the Savior. His students supplemented the ritual with prayers and reading the Bible. For a long time, the order of the liturgy was transmitted orally in its original form. Only in the 4th century did Basil the Great write it down. Later, John Chrysostom slightly shortened the prayers, since not all parishioners could withstand the long service.

What is mass

Liturgy is the main divine service of the Orthodox Church. But what is Mass and how is it related to the Liturgy? These names are synonymous words.

Historically, the word Mass dates back to the times of the first Christians. They brought bread and wine with them to celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist. At the end of the Liturgy, a joint dinner was organized from the remaining gifts. This served as the basis for the second name.

Over time, the tradition of sharing meals after worship ceased. And among the common people, the term “Lunch” was assigned to the Liturgy according to the time at which the service is usually performed. That is, in the first half of the day, before lunch.

Righteous John of Kronstadt associated the emergence of the popular name Mass with the fact that the Liturgy is a formal dinner at which Christians are honored to partake of the Divine meal: the Body and Blood of Christ.

“Our liturgy is also called mass. This is the Dinner and Feast to which the Lord calls through His servants; servants are shepherds” (Righteous John of Kronstadt).

In addition, people often hear the following phrases: “custom mass,” “mass for health,” or “mass for repose,” etc. This is what Orthodox people call the reading of church notes by clergy during the Divine Liturgy. Such prayers are performed during Proskomedia, at a special or funeral litany. And also at the end of the Liturgy during a prayer service or memorial service (depending on whether the church note was written about health or repose).

The power of mass

People go to the ancient church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the center of Samara all week from morning to evening. There is probably not a baptized Samara resident who has not visited this amazing church, which welcomes everyone cordially, has not lit a candle by the icon and has not prayed, sighing, for himself, his family and friends. And he would order mass “for health” and “for repose.”

Orthodox Christians stand patiently in a long line with two windows at the reception desk - a small wooden closet built from the inside against the western wall of the church - to order masses and magpies. And at the Liturgy, at the open Royal Doors, the priest and the deacon will read the written names, you will hear the dear list, and the whole church will pray with you for your loved ones. It is interesting that mass is called both the Liturgy - the most important Divine service, during which the Most Holy Sacrament of Communion is performed, since it is supposed to be performed at midday (lunch) time, and a note with one name that will be commemorated during the Liturgy. Mass is a manifestation of our love for each other. Maybe that's why her power is so great? When all earthly means of salvation have been exhausted, a desperate person resorts to the power of mass. And she saves both the living and those who have gone into eternity, because there is no repentance beyond the grave, and Christian prayer for them can implore God’s Justice and ease the torment of sinners and even lead them out of hell. The power of mass is well known to the mothers, whose service in the church is from morning to evening to write long lists “about the health” and “about the repose” of Orthodox names in the Peter and Paul registry.

Alevtina Timofeevna Kulikova, mother of the rector of the Peter and Paul Church, Archpriest Alexander Kulikov, and the clergyman of the same church, Priest Ilya Kulikov:

“Working at the reception desk is not easy—from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. You sit without moving, your legs swell, and your back hurts. But there is joy - you work in the church! It’s not interesting at home, but here your soul rejoices - you’re in church! And what you do is write down masses. Strength lies only in mass; in mass everything can be accomplished. There is nothing higher than mass. Blessed Pasha Dmitrievskaya told my mother: “Gather and feed two villages, and one mass above!” This is what mass is! I have long known that mass is the highest. And when my sons began to grow up, and I was at work all day, so that they would not get into trouble, I decided to save them with masses and magpies. And she started ordering masses for them all the time. Aunt Nyura Zhivagina told me: “It’s best to order from the monastery.” Then all the monasteries were closed, but the Trinity-Sergius Lavra was opened in Zagorsk. And I tried to go there as often as possible, on three-day trips to Moscow. Everyone was running around the shops, but I went straight from the station to Zagorsk and used my last penny to order masses and magpies for the children. I bought and lit the largest ruble candles for Nikolai Ugodnik - how many times he helped me out! This is how the children grew up at masses. All three sons became priests. It happens that a woman will come and order just one name. I then prompted her: “Order your dead mother a magpie for a year, don’t regret it. The Lord will send you money later. If she feels bad there, you will help her.” - “No, don’t!” - and she herself was wearing expensive furs. And it becomes so painful: oh, what we are! But basically they say: “Come on! Can dad do the same too?” - "Certainly! And if we’re alive, in a year you’ll order them magpie for a year, and you’ll keep ordering it like that until the end of your days.” When they ask: “Tell me what and how to order, we don’t know,” I always advise my mother and father to order a magpie for the year and mass. I myself constantly order magpies and masses for my friends and I always thank God for this opportunity. Matryona, who writes down magpies in our corner, told me that a woman recently came and ordered a magpie for her deceased husband. And two days later she dreamed of him. She asks: “How are you there?” - “And yesterday I received a piece of paper and they feed me on it.” And she came and ordered magpie for him for a year.

Tatiana Druzhinina:

“It’s both psychologically and physically difficult to work here.” 12 hours a day, on weekends and all holidays. The whole city is walking, you write and write - your back falls off. We write down the magpies, and then we rewrite them into synods and give them to the altar. All sorts of people come, and sometimes unbaptized, many do not know what mass is. A man came and demanded: “Record Musick.” - “How is she at baptism?” - “No, what I called her, write it down!” Some don't know the full name. They say: “About the repose of Feni” “How to write her down - Feon, Theoktista, Theodosius?” - “We don’t know, their name was Aunt Fenya.” Sometimes funny things happen. I ask: “A deceased person?” - “Deceased, deceased, completely deceased.” One woman came and said: “Make a note for the repose of my sick son” - “He died” - “Make a note, he was sick!” Then she came again: “Underline his name with a red pencil.” And for the priests, we highlight the leaflets about health in red, about peace in blue. We refused and went to complain to the priest. After this, she dreams of her son at night and says: “Are you torturing girls? How sick am I?!” And today one came and said: “Write down about the health of Russia!” Not everyone knows that only baptized people can be recorded, and unbaptized people cannot. And, of course, no animals either. One says: “Sign up Vaska.” I am writing down the repose of Vasily. She continues: “Let them pray for him, he was such a good cat, a member of the family.” One man tells me: “My father didn’t raise me, and I won’t write him down.” You convince me that you still need to write it down. Some write down Lenin, Stalin, or even Genghis Khan, or various literary heroes, write whole lists like this. Many Samara residents who constantly go to church always write down their repose, except for their relatives, our Samara residents, whom we honor as saints, although they have not yet been glorified. This is how I noticed who the Russian people especially venerate today in Samara: Metropolitan Manuel, Metropolitan John, Schema-Abbot Savva, Schema-monk Sampson, Schema-nun Maria (Matukasova), Schema-nun Sophia (Goryainov), Archpriest John Bukotkin, Blessed John, Blessed Vasily, Abbess Maria, schema-abbot Jerome, archpriest Nicholas. Also Patriarch Diodorus and Patriarch Pimen. We have already memorized these names. And here’s another thing: all the years, only women went to the registry to order masses and magpies. There were two or three men, and we knew them. And from the middle of this summer, men began to come, old and young, “new Russians”, intellectuals, all different, there were many more men in the church. I don’t know why, but it’s some kind of sign.

Vera Velmyaykina:

— They tell us a lot of interesting things. One man said: “I put food on the eve, and at night I had a dream: all my deceased relatives are sitting and eating my food, exactly the ones that I put, but for some reason they are sitting in the dark.” I woke up and remembered: “But I didn’t light the candle!” Another said: “I ordered magpie and in a dream I see the deceased, he holds this receipt and says: “Now they will feed me in the canteen, I have a certificate!” And I myself once dreamed that some voice was saying: “If you stand for mass, then stand for the memorial service!” Here's another interesting thing. One grandmother from Krasnaya Glinka told me that she always ordered magpies for her late mother, and one day she didn’t have the money, and she decided not to order another magpie. And this grandmother has a dream: her mother Anastasia is standing near our registry office and says: “I will be discharged soon!” And this grandmother ran and immediately ordered her magpie. The queue here is invisible and everyone is waiting for their appointment.

Tatiana Druzhinina:

- The afterlife exists! I had a dream: a huge waiting room, like at a train station, everyone’s heads are down, they’re holding cans and pots, and everyone is waiting to be “fed.”

Vera Velmyaykina:

“Some come and say: “Well, I kept ordering him a magpie for health and forgot to renew it, and he got sick. Write it down quickly." Father Maxim went to Moscow to study, and Zinaida the candlestick ordered masses for him, he did not know this. He comes and tells her: “I felt your masses.” Everyone feels that mass helps. It happened to me myself: when I had appendicitis surgery, everyone here in the church ordered masses for me. Everyone in the ward was still holding their sides, but I didn’t feel any pain, I ran, two months later I went to the village, carried water, milked cows and nothing hurt. Many come and write down the same names, I already know them by heart and write them myself. And whoever they let through, I remind them: “They let someone through.” And some people say: “Write mine!” You must remember them!

Tatyana Druzhinina picks up:

— We record all of our people all the time. We know the power of mass. If you constantly record masses, any stony heart can be melted and directed onto the right path, just so that you will be baptized.

Vera Velmyaykina:

“One woman came every day and ordered mass. Her sister had a sick boy, he was in intensive care in serious condition after a car accident, he had something wrong with his head. And then she came and said: “Only the church helped, he recovered.” And another woman’s son was a drug addict and was already taking a huge dose of drugs, and his mother ordered mass from us every day. And he stopped using drugs and began to live in purity, now he goes to church, prays, he baptized all the guys he knew, he goes to Tashla to see the miraculous icon and to the spring. Such is the power of mass. But here’s what we noticed: the money they give us for mass is not dirty. We eat here, don’t wash our hands—there’s no time to go wash them—and we don’t get sick. We know that this money is different. This, of course, is dirt; when you wash your hands after work, dirt flows from them, but this dirt does not burn or corrode like ordinary dirt. Everything, even money, is blessed at mass.

My interlocutors started talking about money by accident. But I took the opportunity and asked about the salary. It turned out that these modest church workers receive a very small salary, much lower than in the “world.” But they love their work and will not exchange it for another. Vera, the youngest of them, was given a blessing for this work by the elder. And how many such quiet workers write down names for Heaven in an endless succession in the white stone churches of Holy Rus'!..

Lyudmila Belkina.

In the photo: Peter and Paul Church in Samara
08.11.2002

Proskomedia - part of the mass

If you want to submit a church note, which prayer should you choose: Proskomedia or Mass? We need to figure out what Proskomedia is and how the prayers of Mass differ from it.

Proskomedia is the first preparatory part of the Liturgy. The priest takes five special prosphoras, from each of which he takes out particles for the Sacrament of Communion and places them together on a special dish called a paten.

From the first prosphora, a part is cut out in the form of a cube - the Lamb, which symbolizes Christ the Savior. It is this Lamb prosphora that believers will receive communion.

From the second “Theotokos” prosphora, a portion is taken in honor of the Blessed Virgin.

The third prosphora is called “nine-day”, since particles are taken from it in memory of the nine saints. These are John the Baptist, all the Old Testament prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, unmercenaries (saints who renounced their property), the parents of the Mother of God Joachim and Anna, as well as Saint John Chrysostom or Basil the Great (depending on whose Liturgy is being celebrated).

The fourth prosphora serves to commemorate all living Orthodox Christians. From the fifth, the priest takes out particles in honor of all the departed.

After this, the priest begins to commemorate each Orthodox Christian whose name is indicated in the church note. For each name, he takes out a particle with the words “Remember, Lord, (name)” and places it on the paten with the previously removed particles.

“It is a great honor to remember someone’s name at the hour when the remembrance of the Terrible Sacrifice, the Terrible Sacraments takes place and the Lord Christ Himself is present” (St. John Chrysostom).

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the priest dips the particles taken out for all the Christians indicated in the notes into the Blood of the Lord, saying the prayer:

“Wash away, Lord, the sins of those who were remembered here with Your honest Blood, with the prayers of Your saints.”

What is the daily liturgical cycle?

The church day follows a specific schedule, which includes three important services:

1. Vespers;
2. Matins;
3. Mass.

These are the colloquial names of the services, reflecting the time of execution of each of them. From the point of view of a person who does not know some traditions, this cycle begins in the morning, that is, with Matins. But for priests and other people working in the church, the countdown of the circle begins in the evening. As an argument for this order of events, they cite the fact that the creation of the world began in the evening.

Therefore, at the beginning of the circle there is Vespers, then comes Matins, after which comes Mass. Each of the services, in turn, is divided into three parts, resulting in nine services.

In this video, Father Afanasy explains how the daily cycle of services is conducted in the Orthodox Church:

Note for mass - when and how it is commemorated

In different churches you can find different names for the church service associated with the Mass: “custom mass,” “mass for health,” “full commemoration.” All this implies the commemoration of names several times during the Liturgy.

The first time was during the Proskomedia - the preparatory part of the Mass. At this moment, the priest reads each name of the church note, taking out particles from special prosphoras.

Then the health notes are read during a prayer called the “extreme litany.” The word “litany” is of Greek origin and literally means “protracted prayer.” During such a prayer, the choir responds to each request of the priest “Lord, have mercy” or “Give, Lord.”

“Augmented” means intensified, since the exclamation “Lord, have mercy” is repeated three times each time. At the moment of the special litany, the priest offers a petition:

“About mercy, peace, life, health, salvation of the servants of God (name) and all those present and praying here, and to multiply the life of their lives.”

At this moment, he publicly or secretly to himself (depending on the traditions of the parish) lists the Christians whose names are indicated in the health note.

If a mass of repose is ordered, then the names from the church note are remembered during the funeral litany. One of her petitions reads:

“For the ever-memorable servants of God (name of the rivers), peace, silence, blessed memory of them, let us pray to the Lord.”

Here the names of our deceased loved ones and relatives are listed.

At the end of the Liturgy, church notes submitted for Mass are read during a prayer service for health or a funeral service.

When choosing between Proskomedia and Obedenia, you should not think that one of the prayers is stronger and more effective. There is no need to attribute magical properties to a church note. The main thing is our virtuous life in the bosom of the Church according to the commandments of Christ and sincere prayer for our loved ones.

“Our trouble is that we often limit ourselves only to the external side of commemoration: memorial services, magpies, notes, etc. And at the same time, I won’t lift a finger so that for the sake of my loved one, at least a little bit, refrain from anger, slander, condemnation , gluttony, etc.” (Professor A.I. Osipov).

Liturgy of the Catechumens

The opening of the Royal Gate marks the beginning of the second part of the mass. The prayer service begins with the glorification of the Holy Trinity. The choir sings psalms, a litany is read, during which those present ask God to be merciful. The priest delivers a sermon and excerpts from the Bible are heard. All this prepares believers for the Sacrament of Communion.

Unbaptized people are allowed to attend the Liturgy of the Catechumens. After prayers and sermons, believers pray for their enlightenment. At the end of the Litany of the Catechumens, the unbaptized must leave the temple. The Great Sacrament is approaching, in which only Christians can take part.

Russian

Morphological and syntactic properties

oh my bad

Noun, inanimate, feminine, 1st declension (declension type 2*a according to the classification of A. A. Zaliznyak).

Root: -lunch-; suffix: -н; ending: -i.

Pronunciation

• MFA: units h., plural. h.

Semantic properties

Meaning

1. church, colloquial Russian folk name for liturgy; church service for Christians, performed in the first half of the day, that is, before lunch ◆ On a holiday, before the start of trading, in the settlement where mowers and rowers are hired, mass is usually served in the church, and everyone stands decorously and prays, listening to Father Prokop or Father Dorosha. G. P. Danilevsky, “Fugitives in Novorossiya”, 1862 (quote from the National Corpus of the Russian Language, see References) ◆ After mass, we drank tea under a canopy near the church. E. I. Chirikov, “Travel Journal”, 1849-1852 (quote from the National Corpus of the Russian Language, see References)

Synonyms

1. liturgy, part: mass

Antonyms

1. —

Hypernyms

1. worship

Hyponyms

Related words

Etymology

Phraseologisms and stable combinations

• ruin the whole mass

Translation

List of translations

• Ukrainianuk: obіdnya

Bibliography

To improve this article it is desirable:
• Add all semantic connections (absence can be indicated with a dash, and uncertainty can be indicated with a question symbol)

Eucharist - gratitude to God

To understand what mass is, you should take a closer look at the concept of “Eucharist”. Translated from Greek, it means “gratitude”, “appreciation”, and again comes from the Greek words “good” and “honor”.

The name “Eucharist” is used in the Orthodox tradition, in the Catholic and Anglican traditions the name “Holy Communion” is accepted, and in the Protestant tradition the name “Lord’s Supper” or “Breaking of Bread” is accepted. Just like the names, in these branches of Christianity both the understanding of the essence of this sacrament and the external side of the ritual differ.

Mass for the dead: what is it?

Mass for the dead is not some kind of separate service, different from the main one. During the Liturgy, there are moments when words of prayer are said for deceased baptized people.

Commemoration of the dead occurs at the following moments:

• During proskomedia, when extracting grain particles. This is the usual commemoration with a simple note of repose;
• After the presentation of the Holy Gifts. This is not a reading of specific names, but a general commemoration of everyone;
• During the funeral litany. In the Liturgy of the Catechumens there is a part devoted to the reading of a passage from the Gospel, then a litany begins, during which names are pronounced. To do this, you need to order a mass with a prayer service;
• After the service, during the memorial service for the repose. For such additional mention, an appropriate note must also be submitted at the memorial service.

It is believed that there is no need to write the name of an unbaptized person on the list to be read by a clergyman, but you can light a candle and pray for this person yourself.