The proskomedia, the Liturgy of the catechumens, the antiphon and the litany - what do all these words mean, says Archimandrite Nazariy (Omelianenko), a teacher at the Kiev Theological Academy.
– Father, the Liturgy of John Chrysostom is celebrated in the Orthodox Church throughout the year, except for Great Lent, when it is served on Saturdays, on the Annunciation Holy Mother of God and in the Week of Vayi. When did the Liturgy of John Chrysostom appear? And what does the word "liturgy" mean?
– The word “Liturgy” is translated from Greek as “common cause”. This is the most important divine service of the daily circle, during which the Eucharist is celebrated. After the Lord ascended to Heaven, the apostles began to celebrate the Sacrament of Communion every day, while reading prayers, psalms and Holy Bible. The first rite of the Liturgy was composed by the Apostle James, the brother of the Lord. In the Ancient Church, there were many rites of the Liturgy on the territory of the Roman Empire, which were unified during the 4th-7th centuries and are now used in the same form in the Orthodox Church. The Liturgy of John Chrysostom, which is performed more often than others, is an independent creation of the saint based on the text of the Anaphora of the Apostle James. The Liturgy of Basil the Great is served only 10 times a year (5 Sundays of Great Lent, Great Thursday, Holy Saturday, Christmas and Epiphany Christmas Eve, commemoration day of the saint) and presents an abridged version of the Liturgy of James. The Third Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the edition of which is attributed to St. Gregory the Dialogist, Bishop of Rome. This Liturgy is celebrated only in Great Lent: on Wednesday and Friday, on Thursday of the fifth week, on the first three days Holy Week.
- The liturgy consists of three parts. The first part is proskomedia. What happens during the proskomedia in the temple?
- "Proskomedia" is translated as "offering". This is the first part of the Liturgy, in which the preparation of bread and wine for the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist is carried out. Initially, proskomidia consisted of a selection procedure the best bread and dissolving wine with water. It should be noted that these substances were brought to perform the Sacrament by Christians themselves. Since the 4th century, there has been the circumcision of the Lamb - the Eucharistic bread. From the 7th-9th centuries, proskomidia gradually formed as a complex rite with the removal of many particles. Accordingly, the location of the proskomedia during the service in historical retrospect changed. At first, it was performed in front of the Great Entrance, later, with the development of the rite, it was brought to the beginning of the Liturgy for reverent celebration. Bread for proskomidia should be fresh, clean, wheaten, well mixed and prepared with sourdough. After the church reform of Patriarch Nikon, five prosphora began to be used for proskomidia (before the reform, the Liturgy was served on seven prosphora) in remembrance of the Gospel miracle of the feeding of five thousand people by Christ with five loaves. By appearance prosphora should be rounded and two-part in commemoration of the two natures of Jesus Christ. To remove the Lamb, a prosphora is used with a special seal on top in the form of a sign of a cross that separates the inscription: ΙС ХС NI КА - “Jesus Christ conquers”. Wine for proskomidia should be natural grape, without impurities, red.
During the removal of the Lamb and pouring the dissolved wine into the chalice, the priest pronounces the words of the prophecies and gospel quotations about the passions and death on the cross Savior. Next comes the removal of particles for the Mother of God, the saints, the living and the departed. All particles are placed on the diskos in such a way as to visibly indicate the fullness of the Church of Christ (earthly and heavenly), of which Christ is the head.
– The second part of the Liturgy is called the Liturgy of the catechumens. Where did such a name come from?
—The Liturgy of the catechumens is indeed the second part of the Liturgy. This part got such a name because at that moment they could pray in the temple together with the faithful and the catechumens - people who were preparing to receive Baptism and underwent catechesis. In ancient times, catechumens stood in the porch and gradually got used to Christian worship. This part is also called the Liturgy of the word, since the central point is the reading of the Holy Scriptures and the sermon. The reading of the Apostle and the Gospel conveys to believers the life and teachings of Christ about God, and incense between readings symbolizes the spread of grace on earth after the preaching of Christ and the apostles.
When are the antiphons sung? What it is?
– During the service of the Orthodox Church, prayers can be performed antiphonally, that is, alternately. The principle of singing psalms antiphonally in the Eastern Church was introduced by Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer, and in the Western Church by St. Ambrose of Milan. There are two types of antiphons, which are performed at Matins and at the Liturgy. Power antiphons at Matins are used only at All-night vigil, they are written based on the 18th kathisma in imitation of the Old Testament singing on the steps when ascending to the Jerusalem temple. At the Liturgy, antiphons are divided into everyday ones (91st, 92nd, 94th psalms), which got their name from their use during the daily service; pictorial (102nd, 145th psalms, blessed) are called so because they are taken from the Succession of the pictorial; and festive, which are used on the Lord's Twelve Feasts and Easter and consisting of verses from selected psalms. According to the Typicon, there is also the concept of the antiphons of the Psalter, i.e., the division of the kathisma into three "glories", which are called antiphons.
– What is a litany and what are they?
– Litany, translated from Greek, means “long-drawn prayer”, represents the petitions of the deacon with the singing of the choir alternately and the final exclamation of the priest. There are the following types of litanies: great (peaceful), special, small, petitionary, funeral, about catechumens, lithium, final (at the end of Compline and Midnight Office). There are also litanies at various prayer services, sacraments, trebs, monastic tonsures, and ordinations. In fact, they have the structure of the above litanies, only they have additional petitions.
– The third part of the Liturgy is the Liturgy of the Faithful. Is this the most important part?
—The Liturgy of the Faithful is so called because only the faithful can attend it. Another name is the Liturgy of the Sacrifice, since the central place is the offering of the Bloodless Sacrifice, the celebration of the Eucharist. This is the most important part of the Liturgy. At the beginning of this part, the singing of the Cherubic Hymn and the Great Entrance are performed, during which the Holy Gifts are transferred from the altar to the throne. Further, before the Anaphora (Eucharistic Prayer), all believers together pronounce the Creed, testifying to the unity of confession Orthodox faith. During the Anaphora, the priest recites sacramental prayers with the invocation of the Holy Spirit to sanctify those who pray and offer the Holy Gifts. The Liturgy of the Faithful ends with the communion of the clergy and the faithful, in which the catholicity and unity of Christ's Church is visibly testified.
Interviewed by Natalya Goroshkova
Translated from Greek, the word "liturgy" means "joint business"
("litos" - public, "ergon" - business, service).
Divine Liturgy - the main daily service Orthodox Church. During this service, believers come to the temple to praise God and partake of the Holy Gifts.
Origins of the liturgy
An example for believers, according to the Gospel, was set by the apostles themselves, led by Jesus Christ. As you know, on the eve of the betrayal and execution of Christ, the apostles and the Savior gathered for the Last Supper, where they took turns drinking from the cup and eating bread. Christ offered them bread and wine with the words: “This is my body”, “This is my blood”.
After the execution and ascension of the Savior, the apostles began to perform every day, eat bread and wine (take communion), sing psalms and prayers, and read the Holy Scriptures. The apostles taught the same to the presbyters and priests, and they taught their parishioners.
Liturgy is a divine service at which the Eucharist (Thanksgiving) is performed: it means that people thank the Almighty for the salvation of the human race and remember the sacrifice that the Son of God brought on the cross. It is believed that the first rite of the liturgy was composed by the Apostle James. 
In large churches, the liturgy is held every day, in smaller churches - on Sundays. The time of the liturgy is from early morning until noon, so it is often called Mass.
How is the liturgy served?
The liturgy consists of three parts, each of which has its own deep meaning. The first part is the Proskomedia, or the Bringing. The priest prepares the gifts for the sacrament - wine and bread. Wine is diluted with water, bread (prosphora) recalls the custom of the first Christians to bring with them everything that is needed for the service.
After the wine and bread are laid out, the priest puts an asterisk on the diskos, then covers the diskos and the cup with wine with two covers, and on top he throws one large cover, which is called "air". After that, the priest asks the Lord to bless the Gifts and remember those who brought them, as well as those for whom they were brought. 
The second part of the liturgy is called the Liturgy of the catechumens. The catechumens in the church are called unbaptized people who are preparing for baptism. The deacon receives a blessing from the priest, on the pulpit, and loudly proclaims: "Bless, Lord!" Thus, he asks for blessings for the beginning of the service and for the participation in it of all who gathered in the temple. The choir sings psalms at this time.
The third part of the service is the Liturgy of the faithful. It is no longer possible to attend the unbaptized, as well as those who have been forbidden by the presence of a priest or bishop. During this part of the service, the Gifts are transferred to the throne, then consecrated, the faithful prepare to receive the sacrament. After communion, a prayer of thanksgiving is performed for communion, after which the priest and deacon make the Great Entrance - they enter the altar through Royal Doors.
At the end of the service, the Gifts are placed on the throne and covered with a large veil, the Royal Doors are closed and the veil is drawn. The chanters complete the Cherubic Hymn. Believers at this time need to remember the voluntary suffering and death of the Savior on the cross, and pray for themselves and their loved ones.
After that, the deacon pronounces the Petitionary Litany, and the priest blesses everyone with the words: "Peace to all." Then he says: “Let us love one another, but confess with one mind,” accompanied by a choir. After that, all those present sing the Creed, which expresses everything, and is pronounced in joint love and unanimity. 
Liturgy is not just a church service. This is an opportunity to slowly remember the earthly path of the Savior, his suffering and ascension, and a chance to unite with him through the communion established by the Lord during the Last Supper.
To find out what the content of the liturgy is, you need to get a general idea about the church, understand the basics Orthodox Christianity to know the difference between the Church and the temple. These concepts are not entirely identical.
The temple is a building where believers gather for prayer, participation in worship and prayer services. Church is a broader concept. The main service of the Orthodox Church is the Divine Liturgy.
It is considered the main one, because on this church service the great Sacrament of the Eucharist, or Communion, takes place.
Through the prayer of the priest, bread and wine (Holy Gifts) become the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word translated from Greek means “joint work”.
For the first time, the sacrament of the Eucharist was performed by the Lord himself before He was betrayed by one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot.
Having gathered on the eve of suffering on the Cross with the apostles, Christ, having blessed and broken bread and wine, bequeathed to eat them in memory of him, thereby leaving the opportunity to unite with Him through the communion of the holy mysteries of Christ.
This remembrance is celebrated in the church by the priest. In one part of the service, a liturgy of health is performed. For sick Christians who are unable to attend the service, this is divine help in spiritual strengthening.
Important! Before Communion, the Sacrament of Confession is obligatory.
The sequence of the liturgy or its order was formed in tune with each historical period, changing depending on the locality, but exactly preserving the testament of Christ.
During the time of the apostles, the Eucharist was celebrated together with the meal: Christians prayed, talked about God, after the supper the Sacrament of the Eucharist was performed.
In the modern rite at the liturgy, the meal is separated from the sacrament. If the temple has the opportunity to feed the parishioners, then the meal is served after the end of the service.
The liturgical ceremony is to be held from dawn to noon.
The sequence of the liturgy in the modern church:
- preparation of items for the Sacrament;
- preparation of believers - prayer, confession;
- Sacrament and Communion itself.
The Divine Liturgy in the church takes place in three stages:
- proskomedia;
- liturgy of the catechumens;
- liturgy of the faithful.
What Happens at the Liturgy
Proskomidia means offering. Bread and wine are brought before the start of the service. The bread offered for the Sacrament of the Eucharist is called prosphora. It is prepared from yeast dough.
On the proskomedia, five prosphora are used as a memory of the miracle of Christ feeding five thousand people. On the prosphora is written Jesus Christ conquers.
For Communion, only one bread is broken, just as Jesus did. The Apostle Paul said: there is one bread, and we many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread (1 Corinthians 10:17). Red wine is mixed with water, symbolizing the outflow of blood and water from the body of the Lord at the crucifixion.
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The sequence in the liturgy of the proskomidia begins during the reading of the hours with the exclamation "Blessed is our God." Hours are divine services of three psalms, verses and prayers. They are dedicated to the circumstances of the suffering of Jesus Christ. What is happening on the altar, in the altar at this time?
From the lamb prosphora, for Communion, the priest special knife(copy) makes cuts in the center in the shape of a cube. This particle is called the Lamb, symbolizing Christ himself as an innocent victim. The lamb is cut crosswise from below, then it is pierced with a spear on the right side.
The priest reads the words from the Bible. Next, wine with water is poured into a special vessel (chalice).
The sequence of each movement of the priest has a symbolic meaning. When the Lamb is cooked, it is placed on the paten.
Particles are removed from the rest of the prosphora in honor of the Theotokos, John the Baptist, saints, martyrs, all those whom the Church commemorates on this day, as well as the parents of the Virgin Mary and the saint whose rank the priests serve. That is, the service can be of St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory the Dialogist.
The difference between the divine services of apostolic times and modern church practice is only in the texts of prayers. But the content of the liturgy has not changed since the coming of Jesus Christ.
Before the service, believers submit notes with names about health and repose Orthodox people. For them, particles are also taken out of the prosphora and placed on the diskos. The sequence occurs in a strictly defined order.
When there is a divine service, it is forbidden to arbitrarily make any changes, violate the order of the service. Among the objects of the Sacrament there is an asterisk - it is a symbol star of bethlehem and the cross. With it the priest covers the Lamb on the paten. The discos signifies the cave and Golgotha.
When these actions are performed, censing is performed by the priest. At the end of the proskomedia, the star is covered with two covers, they symbolize the Christmas shroud. And everything together is covered with a larger cover, which is called air.
Liturgy of the catechumens
This part is so called because it can be attended by both those who are baptized and those who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Baptism. They are called catechumens.
The sequence of the liturgy continues with a long prayer - a peaceful ektinya. It begins with the call: "Let us pray to the Lord in peace."
Everyone is praying for all aspects of our lives. About the world as a whole, about temples, about employees, donators, travelers, sick, captives, that is, about all living.
In this part of the service, everyone feels what it is - catholicity, when everyone is together "with one mouth and one heart." Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them (Mt 18:20).
After the peace litany, the church choir alternately sings psalms. They are called antiphons. The priest makes an entrance with the Gospel and the appeal "Wisdom, forgive me!".
At this time, maximum attention is required from believers, as if the Lord himself were addressing believers. After a short song (troparion) praising the Lord, the Virgin Mary or the saints, the reading of the books of the Apostles and the Gospel begins.
The sequence of the liturgy is continued by an intensified litany with the commemoration of the names in the submitted notes. The liturgy of health is served. It commemorates all the hierarchies, authorities and armies. Upon its completion, the commemoration of the dead Christians begins. In it, those praying to God ask for mercy for the sins of the dead, thereby helping the souls of loved ones to be closer to heavenly abodes.
The second part ends with the ektinya for the catechumens. The words are heard: "Catechumens, come out," those preparing for baptism leave the temple. This means that the final stage in the service begins - the liturgy of the faithful.
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Liturgy of the Faithful
The sequence of this part of the service is as follows:
- the Gifts are transferred from the altar to the throne;
- the faithful prepare for the consecration of the Gifts;
- the gifts are consecrated
- believers prepare for Communion and take communion;
- thanksgiving to God for Communion and dismissal (completion of the service).
How does this part of the worship take place? The moment when the heavenly forces are called and the angelic host begins with the singing of the Cherubic Hymn.
There is a union of the Church of heaven and earth. Those present in the temple leave all the fuss, resentment, enmity and pray for salvation.
The consecration of the Holy Gifts is prepared by a petitioning ektinya. After it, all believers sing the "Symbol of Faith", thereby showing the solemnity of the service. This prayer contains all the basic values and dogmas of the Orthodox Church.
Important! The Sacrament of the Eucharist cannot be approached without reverence and special attention.
The song "Grace of the World" continues the Eucharistic canon. During the hymn, the priest reads the Eucharistic or sacramental prayers over the Gifts. Assistant priest - priest reads a prayer of thanksgiving. Loudly aloud the priest pronounces: "The victorious song is singing, crying, crying and speaking."
Prayers remember how the Sacrament of the Eucharist passes. What blessings the Lord has given people – the opportunity to be with Him through the communion of the Holy Gifts, the sacrifice of Christ's own life for our sins, the future Resurrection and the salvation of our souls.
In these remembrances, the consecration or transformation into the Body and Blood of Christ - bread and wine - takes place. The priest reads three times a short troparion from the clock with a request for the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Holy Gifts, all those who pray. The consecration ends with three times: "Amen." The Holy Gifts are our bloodless sacrifice “for everyone and everything” offered.
Parishioners conciliarly (together) read main prayer"Our Father", bequeathed by God himself. The priest proclaims: “Holy to the saints!”, Recalling the reverent state, proceeding to the Sacrament of Communion. After that, the royal doors open, the Chalice is taken out.
The Royal Doors symbolize the opening of the Holy Sepulcher, the Holy Gifts symbolize the Resurrection of the Lord. A special prayer is read before Holy Communion. The parishioners pray, humbly realizing their unworthiness before the greatness of the shrine and the Sacrament being performed.
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When submitting notes on health for the main sacred action, remember that the liturgy on health helps grateful and God-fearing people.
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Summing up
Those who have prepared for the Sacrament of the Eucharist are allowed to Communion: they confessed, prayed according to the rule for Holy Communion (it is in the prayer book), and received the blessing of the priest.
Having communed the believers, the priest blesses the parishioners and transfers the Chalice to the altar. This is a symbol of the last appearance of the Savior to the apostles and His ascension to heaven.
The service ends with a dismissal. It commemorates the Mother of God, the saint in whose honor the service was performed, the saints of the temple and the day.
The most important service is the Divine Liturgy. On it, a great Sacrament is performed - the change of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord and the Communion of the faithful. Liturgy in Greek means joint work. Believers gather in the temple in order to glorify God together with “one mouth and one heart” and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Thus, they follow the example of the holy apostles and the Lord Himself, who, having gathered for the Last Supper on the eve of the Savior’s betrayal and suffering on the Cross, drank from the Chalice and ate the Bread that He gave them, reverently listening to His words: “This is My Body…” and “This is my blood…”
Divine Liturgy
Christ commanded His apostles to perform this Sacrament, and the apostles taught this to their successors - bishops and presbyters, priests. The original name of this Sacrament of Thanksgiving is the Eucharist (Greek). The public worship at which the Eucharist is celebrated is called the liturgy (from the Greek litos - public and ergon - service, business). Liturgy is sometimes called mass, since it is usually supposed to be performed from dawn to noon, that is, in the pre-dinner time.
The order of the liturgy is as follows: first, the objects for the Sacrament (Offered Gifts) are prepared, then the faithful prepare for the Sacrament, and finally, the Sacrament itself and the Communion of the faithful are performed. Thus, the liturgy is divided into three parts, which are called:
- Proskomedia
- Liturgy of the catechumens
- Liturgy of the faithful.
Proskomedia
The Greek word proskomidia means offering. This is the name of the first part of the liturgy in memory of the custom of the first Christians to bring bread, wine and everything necessary for the service. Therefore, the bread itself, used to celebrate the liturgy, is called prosphora, that is, an offering.
The prosphora should be round, and it consists of two parts, as an image of two natures in Christ - Divine and human. Prosphora is baked from leavened wheat bread without any additions except salt.
A cross is imprinted on the upper part of the prosphora, and at its corners the initial letters of the name of the Savior: "IC XC" and the Greek word "NI KA", which together means: Jesus Christ wins. To perform the Sacrament, red grape wine is used, pure, without any additives. Wine is mixed with water in remembrance of the fact that blood and water poured out from the wound of the Savior on the Cross. For proskomedia, five prosphora are used in remembrance that Christ fed five thousand people with five loaves, but the prosphora that is prepared for Communion is one of these five, because there is one Christ, Savior and God. After the priest and deacon perform the entrance prayers in front of the closed Royal Doors and put on sacred clothes in the altar, they approach the altar. The priest takes the first (lamb) prosphora and makes a copy of the image of the cross on it three times, saying: “In remembrance of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” From this prosphora, the priest cuts out the middle in the shape of a cube. This cubic part of the prosphora is called the Lamb. She is placed on the diskos. Then the priest makes a cross cut on the underside of the Lamb and pierces it right side copy.
After that, wine mixed with water is poured into the bowl.
The second prosphora is called the Mother of God, a particle is taken out of it in honor of the Mother of God. The third is called the nine-fold, because nine particles are taken out of it in honor of John the Baptist, prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, reverends, unmercenaries, Joachim and Anna - the parents of the Virgin and the saints of the temple, daytime saints, and also in honor of the saint whose name the liturgy is performed.
From the fourth and fifth prosphora, particles are taken out for the living and the dead.
At the proskomedia, particles are also removed from the prosphora, which are served by believers for the repose and health of relatives and friends.
All these particles are laid out in a special order on the diskos next to the Lamb. Having finished all the preparations for the celebration of the Liturgy, the priest places an asterisk on the paten, covering it and the chalice with two small covers, and then all together covers it with a large cover, which is called air, and censes the Offered Gifts, asking the Lord to bless them, remember those who brought these Gifts and those for whom they were offered. During the proskomidia in the temple, the 3rd and 6th hours are read.
Liturgy of the catechumens
The second part of the liturgy is called the liturgy of the “catechumens”, because during its celebration not only the baptized, but also those preparing to receive this sacrament, that is, the “catechumens” can be present.
The deacon, having received a blessing from the priest, comes out of the altar to the pulpit and loudly proclaims: “Bless, Master,” that is, bless the assembled faithful to begin the service and participate in the liturgy.
The priest in his first exclamation glorifies the Holy Trinity: "Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever." The chanters sing "Amen" and the deacon pronounces the Great Litany.
The choir sings antiphons, that is, psalms that are supposed to be sung alternately by the right and left choirs.
Blessed are you, Lord
Bless, O my soul, the Lord and all my inner being, His holy name. Bless, my soul, the Lord
And do not forget all His rewards: He who cleanses all your iniquities, He who heals all your diseases,
delivering your life from corruption, crowning you with mercy and bounty, fulfilling your desire in good things: your youth will be renewed like an eagle. Merciful and merciful, Lord. Long-suffering and merciful. Bless, O my soul, the Lord and all my inner name, His holy name. Blessed be the Lord
and "Praise, my soul, the Lord..."
Praise, my soul, the Lord. I will praise the Lord in my stomach; I will sing to my God while I am.
Do not rely on princes, on the sons of men, in them there is no salvation. His spirit will go out and return to his own land, and in that day all his thoughts will perish. Blessed is the God of Jacob his helper, his hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them; who keeps the truth forever, who executes judgment on the offended, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord will decide the fettered; The Lord makes the blind wise; The Lord raises up the downtrodden; The Lord loves the righteous;
The Lord guards the aliens, he will accept the orphan and the widow, and the path of sinners will be destroyed.
At the end of the second antiphon, the song "Only Begotten Son ..." is sung. This song contains the entire teaching of the Church about Jesus Christ.
The only-begotten Son and the Word of God, He is immortal, and deigning our salvation for the sake of becoming incarnate
from the Holy Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, immutably incarnated, crucified for us, Christ God, trampled down by death, the One of the Holy Trinity, glorified by the Father and the Holy Spirit,
save us.
In Russian, it sounds like this: “Save us, the Only-begotten Son and the Word of God, the Immortal, who deigned for our salvation to incarnate from the Holy Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, who became a man and did not change, crucified and corrected death by death, Christ God, one of the Holy Persons Trinity, glorified together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.” After a small litany, the choir sings the third antiphon - the gospel "beatitudes". The Royal Doors open for the Small Entrance.
Remember us in Your Kingdom, O Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for those are the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who weep, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the mercies, for they will have mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed exile for the sake of righteousness, for those are the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are you, when they reproach you, and spit you out, and speak every evil word against you, lying for My sake.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is many in heaven.
At the end of the singing, the priest with the deacon, who carries the gospel on the altar, goes to the pulpit. Having received a blessing from the priest, the deacon stops at the Royal Doors and, lifting up the Gospel, proclaims: “Wisdom, forgive,” that is, reminds the believers that they will soon hear the Gospel reading, therefore they must stand straight and with attention (forgive - means directly).
The entrance to the altar of the clergy with the Gospel is called the Small Entrance, in contrast to the Great Entrance, which takes place later at the liturgy of the faithful. The small entrance reminds believers of the first appearance at the preaching of Jesus Christ. The choir sings “Come, let us worship and fall down to Christ. Save us, Son of God, risen from the dead, singing to Ty: Alleluia. After that, the troparion (Sunday, holiday or saint) and other hymns are sung. Then the Trisagion is sung: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (thrice).
The Apostle and the Gospel are read. When reading the Gospel, believers stand with their heads bowed, listening with reverence to the holy gospel.
After the reading of the Gospel, the relatives and friends of those praying in the church of the faithful are commemorated of the dead by notes.
They are followed by the litany of the catechumens. The liturgy of the catechumens ends with the words “Announcement, come out.”
Liturgy of the Faithful
This is the name of the third part of the liturgy. It can be attended only by the faithful, that is, those who are baptized and who do not have prohibitions from a priest or bishop. At the Liturgy of the Faithful:
1) the Gifts are transferred from the altar to the throne;
2) believers prepare for the consecration of the Gifts;
3) the Gifts are consecrated;
4) believers prepare for Communion and take communion;
5) then thanksgiving is done for Communion and dismissal.
After the pronunciation of two short litanies, the Cherubic Hymn is sung “Although the cherubim secretly form and sing the Trisagion Hymn to the Life-Giving Trinity, now let us lay aside all worldly care. As if we would raise the King of all, angelic invisibly gifted chinmi. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia". In Russian, it reads as follows: “We, mysteriously depicting the Cherubim and singing the trisagion hymn to the Trinity that gives life, will now leave the care of all worldly things in order to glorify the King of all, Who is invisible angelic ranks solemnly glorify. Alleluia."
Before the Cherubic Hymn, the Royal Doors open and the deacon performs incense. The priest at this time secretly prays that the Lord would cleanse his soul and heart and deign to perform the Sacrament. Then the priest, raising his hands, in an undertone utters the first part of the Cherubic Hymn three times, and the deacon also finishes it in an undertone. Both of them go to the altar to transfer the prepared Gifts to the throne. The deacon has air on his left shoulder, he carries the paten with both hands, placing it on his head. The priest carries the Holy Chalice in front of him. They leave the altar through the northern side doors, stop at the pulpit, and, facing the faithful, say a prayer for the Patriarch, the bishops, and for all Orthodox Christians.
Deacon: Our Great Lord and Father Alexy, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, and Our Lord Most Reverend (the name of the rivers of the diocesan bishop) metropolitan (or: archbishop, or: bishop) (title of the diocesan bishop), may the Lord God always remember in His Kingdom , now and forever, and forever and ever.
Priest: May the Lord God remember all of you Orthodox Christians in His Kingdom always, now and forever, and forever and ever.
Then the priest and deacon enter the altar through the Royal Doors. This is how the Great Entrance is made.
The Gifts brought are placed on the throne and covered with air (a large cover), the Royal Doors are closed and the veil is drawn. The chanters complete the Cherubic Hymn. During the transfer of the Gifts from the altar to the throne, believers remember how the Lord voluntarily went to suffering and death on the cross. They stand with their heads bowed and pray to the Savior for themselves and their loved ones.
After the Great Entrance, the deacon pronounces the Litany of Petition, the priest blesses those present with the words: "Peace to all." Then it is exclaimed: “Let us love one another, that we confess with one mind” and the choir continues: “Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinity Consubstantial and Inseparable.”
Following this, usually the whole temple, the Creed is sung. On behalf of the Church, it briefly expresses the whole essence of our faith, and therefore must be pronounced in joint love and unanimity.
Symbol of faith
I believe in the One God, the Almighty Father, the Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. And in the One Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten, Who was born from the Father before all ages. Light from light, true God from true God, born uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, Whom all was. For us, man, and for our salvation, he descended from heaven, and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human. Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, And suffering, and buried. And resurrected on the third day according to the scriptures. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And the packs of the future with glory to judge the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord of Life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son is worshiped with the glorious, who spoke the prophets. Into one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. tea resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen.
After singing the Creed, the time comes to bring the “Holy Exaltation” with the fear of God and without fail “in peace”, without having malice or enmity against anyone.
"Let's become good, let's stand with fear, let's pay attention, bring the holy exaltation in the world." In response to this, the choir sings: "The grace of the world, the sacrifice of praise."
The gifts of the world will be a thankful and laudatory sacrifice to God for all His good deeds. The priest blesses the believers with the words: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love (love) of God and the Father, and the communion (communion) of the Holy Spirit be with you all." And then he calls: “Woe to our hearts,” that is, we will have hearts aspiring upward, to God. To this, the chanters on behalf of the believers answer: “Imams to the Lord”, that is, we already have hearts aspiring to the Lord.
The main part of the liturgy begins with the words of the priest “We thank the Lord”. We thank the Lord for all His mercies and make a prostration, and the singers sing: “It is worthy and righteous to worship the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity of the Consubstantial Inseparable.”
At this time, the priest in the prayer, which is called the Eucharistic (that is, thanksgiving), glorifies the Lord and His perfection, thanks Him for the creation and redemption of man, and for all His graces known to us and even unknown. He thanks the Lord for accepting this bloodless sacrifice, although He is surrounded by higher spiritual beings - archangels, angels, cherubim, seraphim, "singing a victorious song, crying out, calling out and speaking." The priest speaks these last words of the secret prayer aloud. The singers add to them the angelic song: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Hosts, fulfill (that is, filled) heaven and earth with Thy glory." This song, which is called “Seraphim,” is supplemented by the words with which the people greeted the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem: “Hosanna in the highest (that is, he who lives in heaven) Blessed is he who comes (that is, he who goes) in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!"
The priest pronounces the exclamation: "Singing the victorious song, crying out, calling out and speaking." These words are taken from the visions of the prophet Ezekiel and the Apostle John the Theologian, who saw in the revelation the Throne of God, surrounded by angels having various images: one was in the form of an eagle (the word “singing” refers to it), the other in the form of a calf (“cryingly”) , the third in the form of a lion (“calling”) and, finally, the fourth in the form of a man (“verbal”). These four angels continually exclaimed: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Hosts." While singing these words, the priest secretly continues the prayer of thanksgiving, he glorifies the good that God sends to people, His infinite love for His creation, which was manifested in the coming to earth of the Son of God.
Remembering the Last Supper at which the Lord instituted the Sacrament of Holy Communion, the priest loudly pronounces the words spoken by the Savior at it: “Take, eat, this is My Body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins.” And also: “Drink all of her, this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins.” Finally, the priest, remembering in secret prayer the commandment of the Savior to take Communion, glorifies His life, suffering and death, resurrection, ascension to heaven and second coming in glory, loudly pronounces: These words mean: "Your gifts from Your servants we bring to You, Lord, because of everything we have said."
The singers sing: “We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You, Lord. And we pray, our God."
The priest in secret prayer asks the Lord to send His Holy Spirit on the people standing in the church and on the Offered Gifts, so that He sanctifies them. Then the priest reads the troparion three times in an undertone: “Lord, even Thy Most Holy Spirit at the third hour sent down by Thy apostles, Him, good, do not take away from us, but renew us, praying.” The deacon pronounces the twelfth and thirteenth verse of the 50th psalm: “Create a pure heart in me, O God…” and “Do not cast me away from Your presence….”. Then the priest blesses the Holy Lamb lying on the paten and says: “And make this bread, the precious Body of Thy Christ.”
Then he blesses the cup, saying: "And the hedgehog in this cup is the precious Blood of Thy Christ." And, finally, he blesses the gifts along with the words: "Changing by Your Holy Spirit." In these great and holy moments, the Gifts become the true Body and Blood of the Savior, although they remain in appearance the same as before.
The priest with the deacon and the faithful make prostration before the Holy Gifts, as to the King and God himself. After the consecration of the Gifts, the priest in secret prayer asks the Lord that those who partake will be strengthened in every good thing, that their sins will be forgiven, that they will partake of the Holy Spirit and reach the Kingdom of Heaven, that the Lord will allow them to turn to Himself with their needs and not condemn them for unworthy communion. The priest remembers the saints and especially Blessed Virgin Mary and loudly proclaims: “Fairly (that is, especially) about the Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary”, and the choir responds with a song of praise:
It is worthy to eat, as truly bless Thee, the Mother of God, the Blessed and Immaculate and Mother of our God. The most honest Cherubim and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, without the corruption of God the Word, who gave birth to the real Mother of God, we magnify Thee.
The priest continues to secretly pray for the dead and, moving on to praying for the living, loudly commemorates His Holiness the Patriarch, the ruling diocesan bishop, “in the first place”, the choir answers: “And everyone and everything”, that is, asks the Lord to remember all believers. The prayer for the living ends with the exclamation of the priest: “And give us with one mouth and one heart (that is, with one accord) to glorify and sing of Your most honorable and magnificent name, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever and ever.”
Finally, the priest blesses all those present: "And may the mercies of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ be with you all."
A petitionary litany begins: “All the saints who have remembered, again and again, let us pray to the Lord in peace.” That is, having remembered all the saints, let us again pray to the Lord. After the litany, the priest proclaims: “And vouchsafe us, Vladyka, with boldness (boldly, as children ask their father) to dare (to dare) to call upon you the Heavenly God the Father and speak.”
Prayer "Our Father..."
The prayer “Our Father ...” is usually sung after this by the whole temple
With the words “Peace to all,” the priest once again blesses the faithful.
The deacon, standing at this time on the pulpit, girds himself crosswise with an orarion, so that, firstly, it would be more convenient for him to serve the priest during Communion, and secondly, in order to express his reverence for the Holy Gifts, in imitation of the seraphim.
At the exclamation of the deacon: “Let us attend,” the veil of the Royal Doors twitch in remembrance of the stone that was nailed to the Holy Sepulcher. The priest, raising the Holy Lamb over the diskos, loudly proclaims: “The Holy One to the Holy Ones.” In other words, the Holy Gifts can only be given to saints, that is, to believers who have sanctified themselves through prayer, fasting, the Sacrament of Repentance. And, realizing their unworthiness, believers answer: "There is one holy, one Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father."
First, the clergy take communion in the altar. The priest breaks the Lamb into four parts as it was incised on the proskomedia. The part with the inscription “IC” is lowered into the bowl, and heat is poured into it, that is hot water, as a reminder that believers, under the guise of wine, accept the true Blood of Christ.
The other part of the Lamb with the inscription “XC” is intended for the communion of the clergy, and the parts with the inscriptions “NI” and “KA” are for the communion of the laity. These two parts are cut with a copy according to the number of those who take communion into small parts, which are lowered into the Chalice.
While the clergy take communion, the choir sings a special verse, which is called "communion", as well as some chant suitable for the occasion. Russian church composers wrote many spiritual works that are not included in the canon of worship, but are performed by the choir at this particular time. Usually a sermon is delivered at the same time.
Finally, the Royal Doors are opened for the communion of the laity, and the deacon, with the Holy Cup in his hands, says: “Come with the fear of God and faith.”
The priest reads a prayer before Holy Communion, and the faithful repeat it to themselves: “I believe, Lord, and I confess that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who came into the world to save sinners, from whom I am the first. I also believe that This is Your Most Pure Body and This is Your Most Honorable Blood. I pray to Thee: have mercy on me and forgive my transgressions, voluntary and involuntary, even in word, even in deed, even in knowledge and ignorance, and make me worthy to partake without condemnation of Your Most Pure Mysteries, for the remission of sins and eternal life. Amen. Thy secret supper today, Son of God, accept me as a partaker, not for Thy enemy we will sing a secret, nor will I give kisses to Thee, like Judas, but, like a robber, I confess Thee: remember me, Lord, in Thy Kingdom. May the communion of Your Holy Mysteries, O Lord, not be for judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body.
The communicants make a prostration and, folding their arms crosswise on their chests ( right hand on top of the left), reverently approach the cup, calling the priest their Christian name given at baptism. There is no need to be baptized in front of the cup, because you can push it with a careless movement. The choir sings “Take the body of Christ, taste the source of the immortal”.
After communion, they kiss the lower edge of the Holy Chalice and go to the table, where they drink warmth (church wine mixed with hot water) and get a particle of prosphora. This is done so that not a single smallest particle of the Holy Gifts remains in the mouth and so as not to immediately proceed to the usual everyday food. After everyone takes communion, the priest brings the cup into the altar and lowers into it the particles taken out of the service and brought prosphora with a prayer that the Lord would wash away the sins of all those who were commemorated at the liturgy with His Blood.
Then he blesses the believers, who sing: “We have seen the true light, we have received the Spirit of heaven, we have gained the true faith, we worship the inseparable Trinity: She has saved us.”
The deacon transfers the diskos to the altar, and the priest, taking the Holy Chalice in his hands, blesses the worshipers with it. This last appearance of the Holy Gifts before being transferred to the altar reminds us of the Ascension of the Lord into heaven after His Resurrection. Bowing for the last time to the Holy Gifts, as to the Lord Himself, the faithful thank Him for Communion, and the choir sings a song of thanksgiving: “May our lips be filled with Your praise, Lord, as if we sing Your glory, as if You made us worthy to partake of Your Holy Divine, immortal and life-giving Mysteries; keep us about Your holiness, all day long learn from Your righteousness. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia."
The deacon pronounces a short litany in which he thanks the Lord for Communion. The priest, having risen to the Holy See, folds the antimension on which stood the chalice and diskos, and places the altar Gospel on it.
By proclaiming loudly “Let us go in peace,” he shows that the liturgy is ending, and soon the faithful can go home quietly and in peace.
Then the priest reads the prayer behind the ambo (because it is read behind the pulpit) “Bless those who bless Thee, O Lord, and sanctify those who trust in Thee, save Thy people and bless Thy inheritance, preserve the fulfillment of Thy Church, sanctify those who love the splendor of Thy house, You glorify those who are Divine Thy strength and do not leave us who trust in You. Grant peace to Thy world, to Thy Churches, to the priest and to all Thy people. As every gift is good and every gift is perfect from above, descend from Thee, the Father of lights. And we send glory to you, and thanksgiving, and worship, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever.
The choir sings: "Be the name of the Lord blessed from now on and forever."
The priest blesses the worshipers for the last time and pronounces dismissal with a cross in his hand facing the temple. Then everyone approaches the cross in order to kiss it to confirm their fidelity to Christ, in whose remembrance the Divine Liturgy was performed.
Commentaries on the Divine Liturgy of Saint John,Archbishop of Constantinople, Chrysostom
From the Editor: The clergy of the Belgorod diocese have been performing missionary services for several years. At such a service, the priest several times goes out to the people during the service, explaining what is happening in the church at the moment. We published the text of the commentary on the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.
We hope that the commentary on the Divine Liturgy will be useful both to the laity, who will be able to better understand the service, and to the priests in conducting missionary services.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, all of us have gathered in this holy temple in order to make our common prayer, because the word “liturgy” in Greek means “common cause”, i.e. the work is not only of the clergy, but of all the faithful who gather in the temple for worship. And this means that every action, every prayer is related to each of us. All prayers that are read by the clergy in the altar have the character of a common, joint prayer of the entire community, and the primate of the service (bishop or priest) performs them on behalf of everyone. And the meaning of our presence with you at divine services is not only to pray for our own joys and sorrows, but that, through the prayer of the entire community, the great sacrament of the Eucharist be accomplished, i.e. Thanksgiving, when the offered bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, and everyone who approaches the sacrament of Holy Communion is united with Christ Himself.
But the main problem lies in the fact that our worship is largely incomprehensible. In order to partially solve this problem today Divine Liturgy in the course of its performance will be accompanied by comments explaining the meaning of the performed sacred rites and prayers. The hours, which are part of the daily circle of worship, have just been read, the priest performed a proskomidia in the altar offering), during which a piece of bread (symbolizing the Lamb of God, i.e. Christ) was removed from the offered prosphora, particles in honor and memory of the Most Holy Theotokos, saints, as well as living and dead Orthodox Christians, for whom commemorations were given. All this relies on the paten and symbolizes the Church of Christ - heavenly and earthly. Wine, combined with water, is poured into the Chalice, in memory of the fact that blood and water flowed from the rib of the Lord, after it was pierced by a spear on the Cross. After that, the offered gifts are covered by special fees (protectors and at hom) and the priest reads the prayer of the offer, in which he asks to bless and accept the offer to the Most Heavenly Altar, to remember " who brought and for their own sake brought”(i.e., those who filed a commemoration and for whom) and remain uncondemned for us during the sacrament.
Thus, the proskomedia ends and the time comes for the liturgy of the catechumens, which will begin literally now. In the preparatory prayers before the liturgy, the priest reads a prayer for the calling of the Holy Spirit " King of Heaven”, and when the service is performed with the deacon, then he, asking for blessings from the primate, says:“ Time to create the Lord, Master, bless". Those. the time of the liturgy is coming, the time when the Lord Himself will act, and we will be only His co-workers.
The Divine Liturgy begins with the solemn exclamation " Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit now and forever and forever and ever", to which the chorus replies " Amen", What means May it be so. Any response of the kliros expressed in the pronunciation of the word " Amen» are expressions of consent and acceptance by the people of God, i.e. by all faithful Christians, everything that happens in the Church.
This is followed by a great or "peaceful" litany, which begins with the words " Let's pray to the Lord in peace”, “world”, means “in the world”, i.e. peaceful state of mind and reconciliation with others. It is impossible to offer a sacrifice to God, being in an embittered state. Petitions are made, and together with the kliros we answer them. Lord have mercy". After the great litany, a prayer is read in which the priest asks the Lord to " looked at this holy temple and gave us and those who pray with us inexhaustible mercy". This is followed by the singing of antiphons. Antiphons are whole psalms or verses from them, which are sung alternately by the right and left choirs. Not everywhere, of course, it is possible to follow this tradition. The main content of the antiphons is the glorification of God and His eternal Kingdom. Initially, they were not part of the liturgy, but were sung by the people on their way to the temple. During the singing of antiphons, the priest reads a prayer in which he asks God " save your people and bless your inheritance, preserve your church in fullness ... and do not leave us who trust in you».
Pronounced so-called. "small" litany " packs and packs, let's pray to the Lord in peace”, i.e. " again and again in the world let us pray to the Lord». « Lord have mercy' replies the choir, and with it all of us.
This is followed by the singing of the second antiphon " Praise the Lord my soul"and song" Only Begotten Son”, which expresses the Orthodox teaching about Christ: two natures are combined in Him - divine and human, and both of them are present in Him in their entirety: God, having become incarnate, did not cease to be God, and man, having united with God, remained a man. At this time, a prayer is read by the priest, where he prays “... Himself and now fulfill the petition of Your children for the benefit: give us in the present age the knowledge of Your Truth, and in the future - grant Eternal Life».
And again follows the "small" litany, after which the singing of the third antiphon, the so-called. "blessed", i.e. the beatitudes given by the Lord, during which a small entrance is made. The clergy wear the Holy Gospel from the altar with the reading of a prayer “... make with our entrance the entrance of the holy angels, serving with us and glorifying Your goodness". The priest blesses the holy entrance with the words " Blessed is the entrance of thy saints", followed by the exclamation " Wisdom, sorry!». "Sorry"- so, we will stand straight, reverently. The small entrance symbolizes the appearance of the Church, which, together with the angelic forces, gives unceasing praise to God. But earlier the bringing of the Gospel had a purely practical character, because it was not kept on the throne, but in a separate place, and at that moment it was brought to the temple in order to be read.
The choir sings Come, let us worship and fall down to Christ!”, followed by the singing of troparia and kontakions relying on this day. During the singing, the priest reads the prayer of the Trisagion, which is in direct logical connection with the idea of entrance and the entrance prayer, and it speaks of co-service with the priest and the Heavenly Forces themselves " Holy God, resting in the saints, Whom the seraphim sing with the Trisagion and the cherubim glorify... Himself, Vladyka, accept from the lips of us sinners the Trisagion hymn and visit us according to Thy goodness, forgive us all voluntary and involuntary sins...».
This is followed by the exclamation Lord, save the pious...”, which has been preserved from the ceremonial of the Byzantine service, which was attended by the kings. And immediately follows the singing of the Trisagion " Holy God, holy Mighty, holy Immortal, have mercy on us". During the singing of the Trisagion, the clergy ascend to a high place in the altar, a place where only a bishop can sit, symbolizing Christ. Climbing to a high place takes place to listen to the Holy Scriptures, therefore it is from there that the primate teaches peace to all those gathered, for our hearing the word of God. The reading of the Holy Scriptures is preceded by the singing of the prokimen (translated from Greek. presenting). A prokeimenon is a verse from the Holy Scriptures, most often from the Psalter. For the prokimen, the verse is chosen especially strong, expressive and suitable for the occasion. The prokeimenon consists of a verse, properly called a prokeimenon, and one or three "verses" that precede the repetition of the prokeimenon.
After that, the reader proclaims the appropriate passage from their apostolic epistles. Today there will be two such passages from the letter of the apostle Paul to the Colossians and the first letter to the Corinthians. During the reading of the apostolic epistle, the altar, the iconostasis, the reader of the apostle, the kliros, and all those gathered in the church are incense. Previously, censing was supposed to be done while singing. alliluary with psalm verses, i.e. after the reading of the Apostle, but since this singing is usually performed very hastily, the incense was transferred to the reading of the passage of the apostolic epistle itself. Hallelujah is a Hebrew word and literally means “praise Yahweh” (Yahweh or Jehovah is the name of God revealed in the Old Testament).
Then follows the reading of the Gospel. Before reading it, the priest reads a prayer " Shine into our hearts, philanthropic Lord... Put in us the fear of Your good commandments, so that we, having conquered all the lusts of the flesh, lead a spiritual life...". There will also be two gospel readings today, and we will stop separately to talk about the meaning of the passages we read.
And now the Divine Liturgy will begin, so I call on all those gathered in the church to a responsible and prayerful presence at the service, because our common prayer is the prayer of the entire Church. God help everyone!
Next stop after reading the Scriptures
Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, immediately after reading the Gospel, the so-called. a “deep” litany, during which we pray for the Primate of our Church, His Holiness the Patriarch, the Ruling Bishop, a God-protected country, people and army, for all those who are present and praying, doing good for this holy temple, singing and forthcoming people expecting great mercy from the Lord. For each request, the choir answers three times " Lord have mercy and each of us must repeat this prayer in our hearts. During the litany, the priest prays that the Lord " accepted this fervent prayer ... and had mercy on us according to the multitude of mercy" His. Also, the serving clergy uncover the holy antimension (literally - instead of the throne), a board with a sewn-in particle of holy relics, on which the Bloodless Sacrifice will be brought.
V weekdays after the "extra" litany, a litany for the dead is supposed, but on Sundays and other holidays it is not supposed, so it will not be today. But let's not forget that the commemoration of the dead is always performed at the proskomidia, and after the consecration of the Holy Gifts, in the place about which more will be said.
After this, the litany of the catechumens is pronounced, which reminds us that in the Ancient Church Baptism was performed only after a long teaching (catechumen) and those preparing for this great sacrament were called catechumens. They were allowed to attend the worship service up to a certain point. After the pronunciation of this litany, all those preparing for Baptism were to leave the service. Today there are practically no catechumens, but the litany has been preserved, it is possible that it will become a guarantee that the ancient practice of catechumens in our Church will be revived. During this litany, the priest prays that the Lord " honored them those. catechumens ) during the auspicious bath of resurrection ( those. christening ) ... connected them with His holy, catholic and apostolic church and numbered them among his chosen flock...».
At the end of the litany, one proclaims: Yelitsy(i.e. all those who) announcement, get out...", which means that the end liturgy of the catechumens and starts liturgy of the faithful, which can only be attended by members of the Church, i.e. Orthodox Christians.
During the pronunciation of the litanies, two prayers of the faithful are read in the altar, in which the priest, on behalf of all those gathered, asks the Lord to accept " ... our prayer, to make us worthy to offer Him prayers, and prayers, and bloodless sacrifices for all His people ...", grant " to all who pray with us, prosperity in life and faith and spiritual understanding" and " innocently and uncondemned to partake of His holy Mysteries and His heavenly Kingdom will be rewarded". At the end of the reading of the second prayer follows the exclamation " Like yes, according to Your power(so that we are under Your dominion) always kept, they sent glory to you, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever". After a double Amen The choir begins to sing the Cherubic Hymn. At the start of the chant cherubic the priest silently reads a prayer in which he asks God " ... deign me that through me, a sinful and unworthy servant of Yours, these gifts were brought to You. Thou Thyself is the bringer and the one who is offered, the receiver and the one who is given away, Christ our God…". This prayer is a preparation for the moment of the great entrance, i.e. transfer of the Gifts from the altar to the throne. After reading the prayer, the priest (if there is no deacon) performs incense, during which the penitent 50 psalm reads to himself.
After incense, the primate raises his hands with the words " We, depicting the cherubim in the sacrament and singing the Trisagion Hymn to the life-giving Trinity, will now set aside all worldly cares in order to receive the King of the world, accompanied invisibly by the orders of angels. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah».
The transfer of the Gifts and their setting on the throne is expressed in terms of sacrifice, but again, our sacrifices, sacrifices of praise that we ask you to accept" from the hands of us sinners…”. In the event that the liturgy is celebrated without a deacon, the primate takes the paten and the Chalice and, on the solea, commemorates the First Hierarch of our Church, the Ruling Bishop, His Grace metropolitans, archbishops and bishops, as well as all those present in the church with the words “ May the Lord God remember in His Kingdom, always now and forever and forever and ever". Putting the holy vessels on the altar, the priest covers them with air while reciting the troparia of Great Friday. After the transfer of the Gifts from the altar to the throne, we will make one more stop with you to explain the further course of the service. God help everyone!
Next stop after the Great Entrance
Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, the Great Entrance has taken place, and you and I have almost come close to the climax of the service - the Eucharistic canon. Immediately after the transfer of the Gifts from the altar to the throne, the petitionary litany begins. Sounds like a petition Execute(i.e. replenish) our prayer to the Lord”, and together with the choir we answer “Lord, have mercy.” After asking " spend the whole day holy, peacefully and sinlessly from the Lord, we ask", we answer with the words" Give me Lord”, and that is why the litany is called petitionary. This litany develops petitions for what people need: a Guardian Angel, the forgiveness of sins, a peaceful death, and so on. During its pronunciation, the prayer of the offering is read. This last prayer before the Anaphora itself (i.e., the Eucharistic canon) draws attention to itself by invoking the Holy Spirit on the Gifts and on the people: “... make us worthy to find favor in Your sight, so that our sacrifice may be acceptable to You and that the good Spirit of Your grace may rest on us, and on these gifts set before us, and on all Your people ...».
After the exclamation By the bounties of Thy Only Begotten Son, blessed be Thou with Him...» the priest teaches « peace to all". Then comes the exclamation " Let us love one another, so that in one mind we may confess and the chorus continues Father and Son and Holy Spirit - Trinity consubstantial and inseparable". In ancient times, at this moment, the so-called. kissing the world when the faithful taught one another the kiss of peace in Christ: men to men, women to women. It can be assumed that the disappearance of this action was associated with the growth of the Church, with the appearance of large gatherings in temples, where no one knows each other and where these actions would be a mere formality. Today, this custom has been preserved only among the clergy, when one greets the other with the words " Christ in our midst» to which the answer follows « and is and will be».
This action symbolically signifies a complete internal reconciliation between Christians who intend to participate in the sacrament of the Eucharist. The commandment of the Savior (Matt. 5:23-24) directly prescribes to be reconciled first with a brother, and then to bring a sacrifice to the altar. But this reconciliation should also mean complete unanimity, complete spiritual unity. Therefore, immediately after the kiss of the world, the Creed is proclaimed (adopted on I Ecumenical Council in Nicaea and supplemented at the II Ecumenical Council in Constantinople), as a measure of the dogmatic truth of Christians. The Eucharistic offering can only be with one mouth and one heart, in a single faith, in the agreement of dogmas, in the same view on the basic questions of faith and salvation.
After the exclamation Doors, doors, let us listen to wisdom(i.e. let us listen)” the Creed is sung by all the people of God as an expression of the dogmatic unity of the Church. Exclamation " doors, doors” in ancient times was a sign for the deacons who stood at the door so that during the celebration of the Eucharistic prayers no one would go out and enter the assembly of the faithful.
At the end of the singing of the Creed, the Eucharistic canon or prayers of the anaphora (from the Greek. exaltation), which are the culminating part of the liturgy. We hear the exclamation Let's become kind(i.e. slim), let's stand with fear(i.e. we will be with attention) to bring holy exaltation in the world - and the chorus continues mercy, peace and sacrifice of praise". The priest, facing the people, proclaims: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the Father, and communion(communication) Holy Spirit be with you all!". The chorus, and with it all of us, answer: And with your spirit". Primate: " Gore e we have(i.e. lift up) hearts', the chorus replies: ' Imams(i.e. we lift up) to the Lord", a priest: " Thank the Lord!". And the choir starts to sing It is worthy and righteous to worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity Consubstantial and Indivisible". At this time, the primate performs a prayer of thanksgiving, in which he praises God for all His beneficences revealed and unmanifested to us, for the fact that He brought us from non-existence into existence and restored us again after the fall, for the service that is performed, despite the fact that He thousands of archangels and multitudes of angels are coming, six-winged cherubim and seraphim, many-eyed, soaring on wings, which (proclaims the priest) " singing a song of victory, shouting, shouting and speaking"(continues chorus)" Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Hosts; Heaven and earth are full of Your glory! Hosanna(i.e. salvation) in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!". And the priest continues with these blissful Powers, we, the philanthropic Lord, exclaim..."after which the primate in prayer recalls the event when our Lord Jesus Christ established the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist" taking bread in His holy and blameless and sinless hands, giving thanks and blessing, sanctifying and saying to his disciples and apostles, Take, eat, this is My Body, broken for you in the forgiveness of sins", the choir and we are with him" Amen!". The priest prays Likewise the cup after supper, saying: (out loud) Drink all of it, this is My Blood of the New Testament, shed for you and for many for the remission of sins.". The choir keeps answering " Amen!", a priest " So, remembering this His saving commandment and everything He did for us: the cross, the tomb, the three-day resurrection, the ascent to Heaven, on the right hand(from Father) sitting, and also His second and glorious coming,(offering the gifts) “Yours from Yours, bringing to You about everyone and for everything". And further " We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You, O Lord, and we pray to You, our God!(the chorus echoes this). And the priest begins to read the prayer for the calling of the Holy Spirit to the Gifts " and we ask, and we pray, and let us deem(i.e. seizure a eat): send Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts set before us,».
According to Russian tradition, at this time, the reading of the troparion of the third hour “Lord, even Thy Most Holy Spirit” is supposed to be read, many mistakenly believe that this troparion is just the prayer of invoking the Holy Spirit on the Gifts. In order not to break the integrity of this prayer, it will be read immediately after the words " and we pray to you, our God!».
The epiclesis prayer (i.e. the prayer for the invocation of the Holy Spirit) continues inextricably with the words " And make this bread - the honest body of your Christ"(the priest blesses the paten with his hand)," and the hedgehog in this Cup is the precious Blood of Thy Christ"(the priest blesses the Chalice)," changing by Your Holy Spirit(The priest blesses the diskos and the cup together). After that, a prostration is made before the consecrated Holy Gifts.
Having risen, the primate makes intercessory prayers that we all take communion for the soberness of the soul and the forgiveness of sins. He then prayerfully brings the verbal service " about every righteous soul in the faith who has died". And he proclaims, incense of the throne, Considerably(i.e. especially) about the Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed Lady of Our Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary". The choir sings a hymn glorifying the Mother of God, who is the most honest cherubim and the most glorious without comparison seraphim, and the priest continues to commemorate the saints of God, John the Baptist, the holy glorious apostles and saints, whose memory is being celebrated today. Then, please pay attention, the primate commemorates the departed Orthodox Christians, therefore, each of us at this time can and should prayerfully remember all those whom we usually commemorate for their repose. Then the priest prays for every Orthodox bishopric, priesthood, diaconate and every priestly rank, for the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
After that, the primate exclaims commemorates the First Hierarch of the Russian Church and the Ruling Bishop, after which he reads a prayer for our city, for our country and the salvation of all those Orthodox Christians who are not currently present at the service. Then, again, I ask you to pay attention, it is possible to commemorate the health of Orthodox Christians, but there is very little time for this, so you can have time to prayerfully remember only the people closest to us. This is followed by the exclamation: And give(i.e. give) us with one mouth and one heart to glorify and sing of Your all-honorable and magnificent name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever”, the choir, together with the people, answers“ Amen!” and the priest, turning his face to all the faithful, proclaims “ And may the mercies of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all', the chorus replies ' and with your spirit". With this, the Eucharistic canon ends and remains with everything for a little time until the moment of communion of the clergy and laity. At this point, we will stop again to continue explaining the subsequent course of the service. I wish all of us meaningful standing before the Lord!
Next stop after the Eucharistic Canon
Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, the change of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ took place, in order to later be offered to the faithful for communion and union with God. Now the litany of supplication will be pronounced after the consecration of the Gifts. Having remembered all the saints, let us pray to the Lord again and again in the world". By saints here is meant not only the saints of God, glorified by the Church, but also all faithful Orthodox Christians, deceased and living, commemorated during the service. In the early Church, saints meant all Christians in general, and the apostolic writings refer to Christians in this way. Further the petition Let us pray to the Lord for the precious gifts brought and consecrated”, this is a petition for sanctification of us by the communion of these Gifts, which follows from the following petition “ So that our philanthropic God, having accepted them on His holy and Most Heavenly and mental altar, as a spiritual fragrance, may send us divine grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit as a recompense - let us pray!”, then the usual petitions for a pleading litany follow, and the priest prays that each of us will commune without condemnation and be cleansed of the filth of the flesh and spirit. On the meaning of this prayer and litany, St. Nicholas Cabasilas, one of the best interpreters of the Liturgy: “Grace acts in the honorable Gifts in two ways: firstly, by the fact that the Gifts are sanctified; secondly, by the fact that grace sanctifies us through them. Therefore, no human evil can prevent the action of grace in the Holy Gifts, since. their sanctification is not an act of human virtue. The second action is the work of our efforts, and therefore our negligence can interfere with it. Grace sanctifies us through the Gifts if it finds us worthy of sanctification; if it finds them unprepared, then it does not bring us any benefit, but causes even greater harm. The litany ends with the petition Having asked for the unity of faith and the communion of the Holy Spirit, let us commit ourselves and each other, and let us commit our whole life to Christ our God." followed by the exclamation " And vouchsafe us, O Lord, with boldness to uncondemned dare to call You, Heavenly God, Father and speak»:
And all the people, together with the choir, sing the Lord's Prayer: Our Father…". The petition in the Lord's Prayer for daily bread acquires a special Eucharistic character during the Liturgy. The prayer ends with the exclamation For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory ...”, after which the priest teaches peace to everyone, and after the exclamation of head bowing, he reads the corresponding prayer in which he thanks God and asks for our immediate needs“ floating floating, traveling travel, heal the sick Physician of our souls and bodies". After the chorus replies " Amen”, the priest reads a prayer before the crushing of the Holy Lamb, in which he asks God“ to give us His clean Body and His precious Blood, and through us to all His people».
Followed by the exclamation " Let's go!(i.e., let's be careful) "and the primate, lifting up the Holy Lamb, proclaims" Holy to the holy!". Here, as we have already said, the saints are understood to mean all Orthodox Christians, in this case, gathered in this holy temple, i.e. understood by each of us. The choir sings: There is one Holy, one Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen". The Primate performs the fragmentation of the Holy Lamb, with the words " Fulfillment of the Holy Spirit”puts a particle with the inscription “Jesus” into the Chalice, the particle with the inscription “Christ” will receive communion from the clergy, and the remaining two with the inscriptions “NI” and “KA” (i.e. victory) will be crushed for teaching to everyone who gathers today take communion. A ladle with hot water is poured into the Holy Chalice, the so-called. "warmth", which, by its theological interpretation, goes back to the death of the Savior on the cross, since The blood that flowed from the Lord was hot. After the clergy take communion, we will again make a short stop and explain the rest of the service, after which the Body and Blood of Christ will be given to all who prepared for this today.
Next stop after communion of the clergy
Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, the very moment has come when the Chalice with the Body and Blood of Christ will be taken from the altar for the communion of the faithful. As we said at the beginning, the Divine Liturgy has its meaning in the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, for the communion of all those gathered at the liturgy. That is why the last part of the liturgy is called the liturgy of the faithful, because all those present at it were not outside spectators, but active participants in the service, aware of their responsible standing before God in common Eucharistic prayer. Communion at every liturgy was the norm for the Christians of the ancient Church, but over time this norm began to be forgotten, and today we can see how in the temple, in which there are a sufficient number of people, only a few communicants. Often we talk about our unworthiness, and this is absolutely true, each of us is not worthy to be able to unite with Christ Himself, and woe to those who suddenly realize their dignity in front of the Holy Chalice. Precisely because we are weak and unworthy, we are called to heal our ailments in the Sacraments of the Holy Church - repentance and communion above all. The universality of the communion of all the faithful at the liturgy reveals the nature of the Church, which itself is the Body of Christ, which means that each member of Her is His particle.
Striving for constant unity with God in joint prayer and communion in the sacraments, we will step by step make our spiritual ascent, to which every Christian is called. The liturgy is celebrated not so that we can light candles and order Mass, or rather, we also have all this full right to do, but the main meaning of its accomplishment is our union with God Himself. The purpose of life Orthodox Christian in order to achieve O because, according to the words of St. Athanasius the Great, "God became man so that man might become God." And our deification is unthinkable without participation in the sacraments of the Church, to which we must resort not occasionally, from time to time, but constantly, remembering that this is precisely what our church life consists of. Naturally, all this is unthinkable without painstaking and careful work on oneself, without fighting one's sins, because as it is said in the Holy Scripture: Kingdom Heavenly power is taken, and those who use force admire it» (Matthew 11:12). God saves us, but not without us, if each of us does not yearn for salvation, then it will be impossible to achieve it.
And in addition to our constant mysterious life, we must make efforts to better know our faith, because everyone who looks at us already forms an idea about the Church of Christ, and what will this idea be if we cannot give answers to elementary questions. One must constantly force oneself to study, to read the Holy Scriptures, the Fathers of the Church, the works of Orthodox theologians, and, undoubtedly, to improve in prayer work. Each of us has a huge responsibility before God, the Church and people, because having become Christians, we became, according to the words of the Apostle Peter, “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy people, people taken as inheritance in order to proclaim the perfections of Him who called US out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9). With this responsibility in mind, we should carry out our church ministry.
Now the Holy Chalice will be taken out and everyone who was going to take communion today will be united with Christ Himself. After communion, the Chalice is brought into the altar and the holy particles that were taken out for the saints, the living and the dead, are immersed in the Chalice with the words “ wash away, Lord, the sins of all those who are remembered here by the prayers of your saints". Thus, everyone for whom the offering was made is also made the Body of Christ, and this is the highest meaning of the Eucharist - the unity of the heavenly and earthly Churches.
Let's make the particles immerse the priest proclaims " Save, O God, your people and bless your inheritance!". Then the Holy Chalice is transferred to the altar, with the words " Blessed is our God" (quiet) " Always now and forever and forever and ever!"(exclamation). Priest saying " Ascend to heaven, O God, and throughout the earth Your glory”delivers the Chalice to the altar. The choir, on behalf of all those who have communed the Holy Mysteries, sings “ May our lips be filled with Your praise, O Lord, that we may sing of Your glory, for You have honored us with communion with Your holy, divine, immortal and life-giving Sacraments.". This is followed by a litany Let's be reverent! Having partake of the divine, holy, immaculate, immortal, heavenly and life-giving, terrible Mysteries of Christ, we worthily thank the Lord!”, followed by the proclaiming “ Let's leave in peace!”and the junior clergyman reads the so-called. "beyond the ambo" prayer, in which he asks " Lord… save Your people and bless Your inheritance… Grant Peace to Your world, Your churches, priesthood, our rulers and all Your people…". The choir with the people answers " Amen!”, after which the blessing is taught with all the right words“ God bless you...". After that, the primate makes a vacation, i.e. the final prayer of the liturgy, in which we remember Mother of God, holy apostles, saints of the temple and the day (today it is, first of all, Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina, enlightener of Georgia) and St. John Chrysostom, whose liturgy is celebrated today. After which the choir sings many years to the Primate of the Russian Church, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II and our Ruling Bishop, His Eminence John, Archbishop of Belgorod and Stary Oskol. Thus, the service ends.
We hope that today's service, which was constantly commented on during its celebration, has given us the opportunity to get to know our liturgical heritage better, and we will continue to make efforts so that we have a desire to more and more comprehend our Orthodox heritage, through meaningful participation in worship, through participation in the Sacraments of the Holy Church. Amen.
The end and glory to our God!
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