To find out what a liturgy is in terms of content, you need to get a general idea of the church, to understand the basics of Orthodox Christianity, to know how the Church differs from the temple. These concepts are not entirely identical.
A 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 at 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 business".
For the first time the sacrament of the Eucharist was performed by the Lord himself before being betrayed by one of the disciples - Judas Iscariot.
Gathering on the eve of the cross with the apostles, Christ, blessing and breaking bread and wine, commanded to eat them in memory of him, thereby leaving the opportunity to unite with Him through the communion of the holy mysteries of Christ.
In the church, this remembrance is made by the priest. In one of the parts of the service, a liturgy for health is celebrated. 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 mandatory.
The sequence of the liturgy or its rite was formed in tune with each historical period, changing depending on the area, but exactly preserving the testament of Christ.
In the days of the apostles, the Eucharist was celebrated together with a meal: Christians prayed, talked about God, after the supper the Sacrament of the Eucharist was celebrated.
In the modern rite at the liturgy, the meal is separated from the sacred service. If the temple has the opportunity to feed the parishioners, then the meal is served after the end of the service.
The liturgical service is supposed to be held from dawn to lunchtime.
The sequence of the liturgy in a modern church:
- preparation of items for the Sacrament;
- preparation of believers - prayer, confession;
- the sacrament itself and the Communion.
Divine Liturgy in the church takes place in three stages:
- proskomidia;
- liturgy of the catechumens;
- liturgy of the faithful.
What happens at the liturgy
Proskomidia means offering. Bread and wine are brought before the service. The bread brought to the sacrament of the Eucharist is called prosphora. It is prepared from yeast dough.
At the proskomedia, five prosphora are used as a memory of the miracle of the saturation of five thousand people with Christ. On the prosphora Jesus Christ conquers is written.
Only one bread is broken for the Sacrament, just as Jesus did. The Apostle Paul said: there is one bread, and we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread (1 Cor 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 at the liturgy of the proskomedia begins during the reading of the hours with the exclamation "Blessed be our God." Hours are services of three psalms, verses and prayers. They are dedicated to the circumstances of the suffering of Jesus Christ. What is happening on the altar, in the altar at this time?
From the lamb's prosphora, for Communion, the priest makes cuts in the center in the form of a cube with a special knife (spear). This particle is called the Lamb, symbolizing Christ himself as an innocent sacrifice. The lamb is cut crosswise from below, then it is pierced with a spear on the right side.
The priest reads words from the Bible. Further, wine and water are poured into a special vessel (chalice).
The sequence of each movement of the priest has a symbolic meaning. When the Lamb is cooked, it is placed on the diskos.
Particles are removed from the rest of the prosphora in honor of the Mother of God, John the Baptist, saints, martyrs, all those who are commemorated by the Church on that day, as well as the parents of the Virgin Mary and the saint, whose rite is served by priests. That is, the service can be of St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory the Divine.
The difference between the divine services of apostolic times from modern church practice is only in the texts of prayers. But the content of the liturgy has remained unchanged since the coming of Jesus Christ.
Before the service, believers submit notes with names about the health and repose of Orthodox people. For them, particles are also removed from the prosphora and placed on the diskos. The sequence occurs in a strictly defined order.
When a divine service is in progress, it is forbidden to arbitrarily make any changes or disrupt the order of the service. Among the objects of the Sacrament there is a star - it is a symbol of the Bethlehem star and cross. With it the priest covers the Lamb on the diskos. The diskos stands for the cave and Golgotha.
When these actions are performed, the 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 all 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 the baptized and those preparing to receive the Sacrament of Baptism. They are called catechumens.
The sequence of the liturgy continues with a long prayer - a peaceful ectinia. It begins with an appeal: "Let us pray in peace to the Lord."
Everyone prays for all aspects of our life. About the world in general, about temples, about servants, donators, traveling, sick, captives, that is, about all living.
In this part of the service, everyone feels what it is - conciliarity, when all are 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 peaceful litany, the church choir alternately sung psalms. They are called antiphons. The priest makes an entrance with the Gospel and the address "Wisdom, forgive me!"
At this time, the believers are required to pay maximum attention, as if the Lord Himself was addressing the 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 names in the submitted notes. A liturgy for health is served. It commemorates all the hierarchy, authorities and armies. Upon completion, the commemoration of dead Christians begins. In it, worshipers ask God for mercy for the sins of the dead, thereby helping the souls of loved ones to be closer to the heavenly abodes.
The second part of the ectinia about the catechumens ends. The words are heard: "Proclaimed, go out", those preparing for baptism leave the temple. This means that the final stage of the service begins - the liturgy of the faithful.
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Liturgy of the faithful
The sequence of this part of the service is as follows:
- the Gifts are transferred from the altar to the throne;
- believers are preparing for the consecration of the Gifts;
- the gifts are consecrated
- believers prepare for Communion and receive Communion;
- thanksgiving to God for the Sacrament and dismissal (completion of the service).
How does this part of the service take place? The moment when the powers of heaven are called and the angelic host begins with the singing of the Cherubim song.
The union of the heavenly and earthly Church takes place. Those present in the temple leave all vanity, resentment, enmity and pray for salvation.
The consecration of the Holy Gifts is prepared by a supplicatory ectinia. After it, all the 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 should not be approached without reverence and special attention.
The song "Mercy of the World" continues the Eucharistic canon. During the chanting, the priest reads the Eucharistic or secret prayers over the Gifts. Assistant priest - priest reads the prayer of thanksgiving. Out loud, the priest says: "The victory song is singing, blatant, crying and verbing."
Prayers remember how the Sacrament of the Eucharist takes place. What blessings the Lord gave 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 memories, sanctification or transformation into the Body and Blood of Christ - bread and wine - takes place. The priest reads three times a short troparion from the hours with a petition for the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Holy Gifts, all praying. Consecration ends with a threefold: "Amen." The Holy Gifts are our bloodless sacrifice “for everyone and for everything” offered.
Parishioners congregationally (together) read the main prayer "Our Father", bequeathed by God himself. The priest proclaims: "Holy to the saints!", Recalling the reverential state, approaching the Sacrament of the Sacrament. After that, the royal gates are opened, the Chalice is brought out.
The Royal Doors symbolize the opening of the Holy Sepulcher, the Holy Gifts - the Resurrection of the Lord. A special prayer is read before Holy Communion. Parishioners pray, humbly realizing their unworthiness in front of the greatness of the shrine and the Sacrament being performed.
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As you submit your health notes to the main sacrament, remember that the health liturgy helps grateful and God-fearing people.
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Let's summarize
Those who have prepared for the Sacrament of the Eucharist are admitted to Communion: they have confessed, prayed according to the rule for Holy Communion (it is in the prayer book), and received the blessing of a priest.
Having communed the faithful, the priest consecrates 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 dismissal. It commemorates the Mother of God, the saint in whose honor the service was performed, the saints of the temple and of the day.
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Consecration of the apartment
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Help the Temple
How to behave during the liturgy
The Liturgy is not an ordinary divine service, but a sacrament, that is, such a sacrament in which the grace of the Holy Spirit, which sanctifies them, is given to believers.
At this special service, prayers and chants are offered up to God, and the mysterious Bloodless Sacrifice is offered for the salvation of people. Under the guise of bread and wine, the Orthodox are taught the true Body and true Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is why the liturgy takes precedence over other services.
At the Divine Liturgy, or the Eucharist, the entire earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ is remembered.
Conventionally, the liturgy is divided into three parts: the proskomedia, the liturgy of the catechumens and the liturgy of the faithful.
Proskomidia
Proskomedia is usually performed during the reading of the 3rd and 6th hours or before them.
Living and deceased members of the Church are commemorated at the proskomedia. People who order proskomedia donate notes with names and prosphora purchased at the church shop to the altar. The priest pulls out particles from the prosphora and commemorates the health or repose of those served. Only the names of baptized communicating people can be submitted to the proskomedia.
Great joy comes to the souls of the departed from their commemoration at the proskomedia.
At the end of the proskomedia, the priest censes the entire church. At this time, the reader finishes reading the clock. The liturgy of the catechumens begins.
Liturgy of the catechumens
The proclaimed ones are people who have not received the sacrament of baptism, that is, they are not baptized or are under a priestly prohibition, penance.
1. The Liturgy of the catechumens begins with the words: "Blessed is the Kingdom, always, now and ever, and forever and ever." The choir sings: "Amen". We sign ourselves with the sign of the cross.
2. The great litany begins. Litany- these are special petitions pronounced by a priest, to which the choir responds by singing: "Lord have mercy" ... At every petition of the litany uttered, one must be baptized.
3. At the end of the litany, the choir begins to sing the so-called pictorial antiphons. There are only three of them, in honor of the Holy Trinity. They are sung in succession and are divided among themselves by small litanies.
4. After the second pictorial antiphon, the choir sings a song to the Lord Jesus Christ: "Only Begotten Son ..." , in which we hear about the incarnation of God in man in order to deliver people from sin.
5. Small litany - we are baptized at every petition.
6. And the third antiphon is sung, which begins with the words of the thief crucified with the Lord on the cross: "In Thy Kingdom, remember us, Lord ..." ... You need to listen carefully to this chant. It has a deep meaning. After all, we remember what Jesus Christ said to this robber: "Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise" ... The third antiphon is some commandments, obeying which a person will come to the Kingdom of Heaven.
7. During the singing of the third antiphon, a small entrance is made. The priests come out of the altar carrying a candle, censer and the Gospel. This action symbolizes the procession of the Lord with a host of angels.
8. After entering, troparia and kontakion are sung, which reflect the sacred events of the holiday. We are baptized at each song.
At this time, the priest in secret prayer asks the Heavenly Father to accept the Trisagion Song and forgive our sins, voluntary and involuntary.
10. This is followed by the reading of the Apostle. This is a book that contains the deeds and messages of the holy apostles to various nations. During the reading of the Apostle, the deacon censes, and one must respond to his incense by tilting his head.
11. After reading the Apostle, the choir sings Alleluia three times. We are baptized with bows three times.
12. The priest proclaims: “Wisdom, forgive me, let us hear the holy Gospel. Peace to all" - you need to bow your head while accepting the blessing.
13. While reading the Gospel, as if listening to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, one should stand with bowed head.
14. After reading the Gospel, the litany follows: "Pray, for the announcement of the Lord ... Vernia, for the catechumens let us pray, may the Lord have mercy on them ... He will announce them with the word of truth ... He will reveal the Gospel of truth to them ..." - as we can see, petitions are associated with the catechumens, people who are not yet in the bosom of the church, that is, they are not baptized, or are prohibited, by penance.
15. At the second litany, the priest proclaims: "Elitsy, to the catechumens, go out, to the catechumens, come out, but no one from the catechumens of faithfulness, packs and packs, let us pray to the Lord in peace." ... From these words it is clear that the catechumens must leave the church before the end of the liturgy. This is explained by the fact that a person who is unrepentant of sins or does not belong to the faithful of the church (baptized) cannot attend the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the greatest sacrament of the church, when wine and bread are transformed into the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Sacrament of the Sacrament, all faithful children are united with Christ.
Liturgy of the faithful
Let us examine how to behave at the liturgy of the faithful.
Faithful Christians constitute the Church of Christ and only they can concelebrate the priest in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
1. At the end of the litanies, the Cherubic Hymn is sung.
If you translate it from Church Slavonic into Russian, it means the following: "We, mysteriously portraying cherubim and singing the trisagion song to the Trinity, which gives life, will now leave our concern for everything in life, so that we can glorify the King of all, Who is invisibly worn and glorified by angelic powers." .
This prayer reminds us of how angelic forces in heaven serve at the throne of God and is based on the visions of the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel.
Drawing a conclusion on the above, how to behave on the Cherubic song? The answer is simple! The way they would behave if they were before the throne of God.
2. The Great Entrance is when the priests leave the altar carrying the Cup of wine and the diskos (special liturgical utensils) with the Lamb. They stand on the ambo and commemorate the Patriarch, the diocesan bishop, all the benefactors who stand in the church and prayers, all Orthodox Christians. This is done in order to show that the Holy Gifts will be offered as a Sacrifice to God for the salvation of all those who are remembered.
The Great Entrance symbolizes the procession of the Lord Jesus Christ to free suffering for the salvation of the world.
4. The deacon proclaims: "Doors, doors, we will listen to wisdom" ... The words "Doors, doors" in ancient times referred to the gatekeepers, so that they would not let the catechumens or pagans into the temple during the celebration of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Words: Let us heed (we will heed) with Wisdom call the attention of believers to the saving teaching of the Orthodox Church, set forth in the Creed.
5. The choir sings the Creed. At the beginning of the Symbol of Faith, the sign of the cross should be performed.
The Creed was compiled by the will of the Holy Spirit by the holy fathers of the 1st and 2nd Ecumenical Councils. He is an unchanging guide for all Orthodox Christians in their spiritual life.
Symbol of faith Is a summary of our faith.
"I believe" is allowed to be sung with the choir.
6. The deacon or priest proclaims: "Let us become good, let us stand with fear, let us behold, bring the holy offering in the world" ... With these words, believers are called to be collected in spirit and mind before the upcoming sacred ceremony.
The Eucharistic Canon begins. The choir sings a song "Grace of the world ..." .
3. Why is it necessary to behave in a collected manner with this chant? Because when singing words "We sing to you, bless you, thank you ..." the greatest mystery is being accomplished - the priest asks God to send down the Holy Spirit on those praying and on the Gifts. The descent of the Holy Spirit on the Gifts transforms Them into the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. During the Holy Eucharist, praying should be done with special care. The importance of this minute is so great that not a single minute of our life can compare with it. This sacred moment contains all our salvation and God's love for the human race, for God appeared in the flesh.
4. While singing It is Worthy to Eat (or of another sacred song in honor of the Mother of God - the beneficent), the priest prays for the living and the dead, remembering them by name, especially those for whom the Divine Liturgy is celebrated. And those present in the temple should at this time remember by name their loved ones, living and dead.
5. After It is Worthy to Eat or a substitute for him - bowing down to the ground. With the words: And everyone, and everyone - a bow is performed.
6. At the beginning of the nationwide singing of the Lord's Prayer - Our Father - one should depict the sign of the cross on oneself and bow down to earth.
7. At the exclamation of the priest: "Holy to saints" bowing to the ground is due for the offering of the Holy Lamb before His shattering. At this time, one should remember the Last Supper and the last conversation of the Lord Jesus Christ with the disciples, His sufferings on the Cross, death and burial.
8. Upon the opening of the royal gates and the presentation of the Holy Gifts, meaning the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ after the Resurrection, with the proclamation: "Come with the fear of God and faith!" - bowing to the ground is supposed.
9. Starting to receive the Holy Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ after the priest reads the prayers before communion, one should bow down to the ground, fold his hands crosswise on his chest (in no case be baptized, so as not to accidentally push and spill the Holy Chalice, - hands folded in a cross at this time replace the sign of the cross) and slowly, reverently, with the fear of God, approach the Holy Chalice, calling your name, and upon accepting the Holy Mysteries, kiss the lower part of the Chalice, like the most pure rib of Christ itself, and then calmly step aside , without making the sign of the cross and bowing before receiving warmth. We must especially thank the Lord for His great mercy, for the gracious gift of Holy Communion: Glory to You, God! Glory to You, God! Glory to You, God! Bows of earth on this day are not performed by the sacraments until evening. Those who do not receive Communion at the Divine Liturgy, during the holy minutes of Communion, should stand in the church with reverent prayer, not thinking about the earthly, not leaving the church at this time, so as not to offend the Holy Place of the Lord and not violate the deanery of the church.
10.At the words of the priest: "Always, now and ever and forever and ever" , at the last appearance of the Holy Gifts, depicting the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ to Heaven, bowing to the ground with the sign of the cross is supposed for those who have not been honored with the Holy Mysteries, and for those who are partakers - bowing down with the sign of the cross. Those who have not yet managed to receive the warmth by this time should turn their face to the Holy Chalice, thereby expressing reverence for the great Shrine.
11. The Holy Antidor (from Greek - instead of a gift) is distributed to those present after the Divine Liturgy for the blessing and consecration of soul and body, so that those who did not partake of the Holy Mysteries can taste the consecrated bread. The Church Charter indicates that antidor can be taken only on an empty stomach - without eating or drinking anything.
Antidor must be received reverently, folding his palms crosswise, right to left, and kissing the priest's hand giving this gift.
12.At the end of the liturgy, the priest commemorates the names of the saints whose memory is celebrated on that day and the creator of the liturgy (for example, John Chrysostom, who wrote the liturgy called the Liturgy of John Chrysostom).
The choir sings for many years, where the patriarch, diocesan bishop, parishioners of the church and all Orthodox Christians are commemorated.
13.All who prayed come to the Cross, which the priest gives to kiss.
5. "Let's listen" - a call to be especially attentive and focused before reading the Holy Scriptures
Liturgical texts
In addition to texts taken directly from the Bible (paremias, psalms, hymns, etc.), we find in divine services two main types texts: prayers and chants. Prayers are usually recited or recited by a bishop or priest and are the center or pinnacle of every liturgical act. They express the meaning of the entire service (prayers at Vespers and Matins) or, when it comes to the sacraments, they perform and perform the secret service (the Great Eucharistic Divine Liturgy, the prayer of permission of the sacrament of repentance, etc.). Chants make up the musical part of the service. considers singing to be an important expression of our worship (“I sing to my God, I even am”) and prescribes a wide variety of songs for each service.
The main hymnographic types or forms are:
1. Troparion - a short song that expresses the main theme of the celebrated event (holiday, saint's day, etc.) and glorifies it. For example, the Easter troparion: "Christ is risen from the dead" or the troparion of the Exaltation of the Cross: "Save, Lord, Thy people."
2. Kontakion- the same as the troparion, the difference is only in their historical development. Kontakion was formerly a long liturgical poem of 24 ikos; it gradually fell out of liturgical use, surviving only in the form of a short song performed at Matins (after the 6th canon), during the liturgy and on the clock. Each holiday has its own troparion and kontakion.
3. Stanza - belongs to the category of chants that are sung at certain moments of the service, for example, stichera after the psalm "Lord, I have cried out" at Vespers, at Matins - stichera on "Praise", etc.
4. Canon - large hymnographic form; consists of 9 songs, each containing several troparia. There are canons for every day of the year that are sung at Matins, for example, the Easter canon: "Resurrection Day", Christmas: "Christ is born, praise."
In total, there are eight basic melodies, or voices for liturgical singing, so that each chant is performed in a specific voice (for example, "Heavenly King" - on the 6th voice, Christmas troparion: "Thy Christmas, Christ God" - on the 4th, Easter Canon - on the 1st, etc.). The voice indication always comes before the text. In addition, each week has its own voice, so that the eight weeks form a "hymnographic" cycle. In the structure of the liturgical year, the counting of cycles begins from the day of Pentecost.
Holy Temple
The place of worship is called temple. The double meaning of the word “Church”, meaning both the Christian community and the house in which it worships God, itself indicates the function and nature of the Orthodox church - to be a place of liturgy, a place where the community of believers reveals itself to be God, a spiritual Temple. Orthodox architecture therefore has a liturgical meaning, its own symbolism, which complements the symbolism of worship. It has had a long history of development, and it exists among different peoples in a wide variety of forms. But the general and central idea is that the temple is heaven on earth, a place where by our participation in the liturgy of the Church we enter into communion with coming century, with the Kingdom of God.
The temple is usually divided into three parts:
1. Porch, the front part, theoretically in the center of it there should be a baptismal font. The Sacrament of Baptism opens the door to the newly baptized, introduces him to the fullness of the Church. Therefore, Baptism first took place in the narthex, and then a new member of the Church was introduced into the Church in a solemn procession.
2. The central part of the temple - it is a meeting place for all believers, the church itself. here going to in the unity of faith, hope and love, in order to glorify the Lord, listen to His teachings, accept His gifts, in order to be taught, sanctified and renewed in the grace of the Holy Spirit. Icons of saints on the walls, candles and all other decorations have one meaning - the unity of the earthly church with the heavenly, or rather, their identity. Gathered in the temple, we are the visible part, the visible expression of the entire Church, the head of which is Christ, and the Mother of God, the prophets, apostles, martyrs and saints are members, just like we are. Together with them we form one Body, we are raised to a new height, to the height of the Church in glory - the Body of Christ. That is why the Church invites us to enter the temple "with faith, reverence and fear of God." For the same reason, the ancient did not allow anyone to be present at services except the faithful, that is, those who are already by faith and baptism included in the heavenly reality of the Church (cf. at the liturgy: "Announced, go out"). To enter into, to be with the saints is the greatest gift and honor, therefore the temple is the place where we truly are accepted into the Kingdom of God.
3. Altar - a place throne. The throne is the mystical center of the church. He depicts (reveals, realizes, reveals to us - this is the real meaning of the liturgical image): a) Throne of God to which Christ lifted us up by His glorious Ascension, to which we stand together with Him in eternal worship; b) Divine meal to which Christ has called us and where He eternally distributes the food of immortality and eternal life; v) His Altar, where His full offering is made to God and to us.
All three parts of the temple are decorated icons(images of Christ and saints). The word "decoration" does not quite fit, since icons are more than "decoration" or "art". They have a sacred and liturgical purpose, they testify to our real communion, unity with "heaven" - the spiritual and glorified state of the Church. Therefore, icons are more than images. According to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, those whom they represent are really spiritually present, they are spiritual reality, not just a symbol. Iconography - sacramental art, in which the visible reveals the invisible. This art has its own rules, or "canon", a special method and technique of writing, which have been developed over the centuries to express transformed reality. Today people are striving again to discover the true meaning of icons, to comprehend the real iconographic art. But a lot still needs to be done to remove from our churches the cloying and sentimental images that have nothing to do with the Orthodox understanding of the icon.
The Orthodox church in its form, structure and decoration is intended for the liturgy. A “material” temple should help in building a spiritual temple - the Church of God. But, like everything else, it can never become an end in itself.
Priest and parish
In the Orthodox teaching about the Church (and, consequently, worship, which is a sacred rite and expression of the Church), the clergy and laity cannot be opposed to each other, but they cannot mix. All are the laity, the people of God, everyone in her is primarily a member of the church body, an active participant in the common life. But within the church people there is order of services, Established by God for the correct life of the Church, for the preservation of unity, for faithfulness to her Divine purpose. The main ministry is the priesthood, which continues in the Church the priestly ministry of Christ Himself in three of its aspects: priesthood(Christ is the High Priest who sacrificed himself to the Father for the salvation of all), teaching(Christ is the Teacher teaching us the commandments of a new life) and shepherding(Christ is the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep and calls each one by name). The one-of-a-kind priesthood of Christ is continued in the Church by the sacred hierarchy, which exists and operates in three ministries - bishop, priest and deacon. The full priesthood belongs to the bishop, who is the head of the Church. He shares his priestly duties with the elders, whom he ordains to be his assistants in government and to lead individual parishes. The bishop and priests are assisted by deacons, who cannot perform the ordinances, but their purpose is to maintain a living connection between the hierarchy and the people. This hierarchical structure, or order in the Church, is expressed in her worship, each member participates in it according to his calling. The entire Church celebrates the Liturgy, and in this common cause each has his own purpose. It is fitting for a bishop (or priest) to lead the people, to bring the prayer of the Church to God and to teach the people the Divine grace, teaching and gifts of God. During the celebration of the liturgy, he reveals a visible icon of Jesus Christ - Who, as a Man, stands before God, uniting and representing us all, and Who, as God, gives us the Divine gifts of forgiveness, the grace of the Holy Spirit and the food of immortality. Therefore, there can be no liturgy and no service of the Church without a priest, since it is precisely his duty to change or transform the earthly and human assembly into the Church of God, continuing in her the mediating ministry of Christ. And there can be no liturgy without the people, the community, since the priest brings their prayers and offerings to God, and for this he received the grace of Christ's priesthood in order to transform the community into the Body of Christ.
“About sailors, traveling ... captives and about their salvation ...”Recalls all who are in difficulty, sick and prisoners. She must show and fulfill Christ's love and His commandment: “I was hungry, and you fed Me, I was sick and in prison, and you visited Me” (). Christ identifies Himself with everyone who suffers, and the “test” of the Christian community is whether or not it puts help to one's neighbor at the center of its life.
"Oh, rid us of all sorrow, anger and want ..." We pray for our own quiet life in this world and for Divine help in all our deeds.
"Step in, save, have mercy and save us, God, with Your grace." The last petition helps to realize that "without Me you can do nothing ..." (). Faith reveals to us how we are completely dependent on the grace of God, on His help and mercy.
"Most holy, most pure, most blessed Lady Our Lady and Ever-Virgin Mary, having remembered all the saints, we will give ourselves and each other and our whole life to Christ God." The wonderful conclusion of our prayer is the confirmation of our unity in the Church with Heaven, a wonderful opportunity to give ourselves, each other and our whole life to Christ.
With the help of the Great Litany, we learn to pray together with, to perceive her prayer as our own, to pray with her as a whole. It is necessary for every Christian to understand that he comes to the Church not for individual, private, separate prayer, but in order to be truly included in the prayer of Christ.
Antiphones and Entry
The Great Litany is followed by three antiphon and three prayers. Antiphones is a psalm or song that is sung in turn by two choirs, or two parts of the faithful. Special antiphons are performed on special days, seasons, holidays. Their general meaning is joyous praise. The first desire of the Church, gathered to meet the Lord, is joy, and joy is expressed in praise! After each antiphon, the priest reads a prayer. In the first prayer, he confesses the incomprehensible glory and power of God, who gave us the opportunity to know Him and serve Him. In the second prayer, he testifies that this gathering him of people and His property. In the third prayer, he asks God to grant us in this century, that is, in this life, the knowledge of Truth, and in the coming century - eternal life.
3 ... Reading Apostle.
4 ... Singing "Hallelujah" and burning incense.
5 ... Reading of the Gospel by a deacon.
6. Sermon priest.
Thus, all members of the Church take part in the liturgy of the Word (laity, deacons, priests). The text of Holy Scripture is given to the entire Church, but its interpretation - a special "gift of teaching" - belongs to the priest. The liturgical sermon, which the Church Fathers considered an important and integral part of the Eucharist, is most important teaching mission statement in the church. It cannot be neglected (because, we repeat, preaching is an organic part of preparation for the sacramental part of the Eucharist), one cannot deviate from its only goal: to convey to the people the Word of God by which the Church lives and grows. It is also wrong to preach a sermon after The Eucharist, it essentially belongs to the first instructive part of the service and complements the reading of the Holy Scriptures.
The Liturgy of the catechumens ends with augmented litany, the prayer of "diligent prayer", prayers for the catechumens and the exclamation: "Proclaimed ones, go out."
Augmented Litany
The Augmented Litany and its concluding prayer ("augmented petition") differ from the Great Litany; its purpose is to pray for the actual and immediate needs of the community. In the Great Litany, the praying person is called to pray with the Church, combining his own needs with the needs of the Church. Here, the Church prays with each one individually, mentioning the different needs of each and offering her maternal care. Any human need can be expressed here; at the end of the sermon, the priest may announce these special needs (sickness of a ward member, or “silver” wedding, or graduation ceremony at school, etc.) and asks to participate in prayers for them. This litany should express the unity, solidarity and mutual concern of all members of the parish.
Prayers for the catechumens
Prayers for the catechumens remind us of the golden age in the history of the Church, when the mission, that is, the conversion of unbelievers to Christ, was considered necessary task Churches. “So, go teach all the nations” (). These prayers are a rebuke to our parishes, immobile, closed and “egocentric” communities, indifferent not only to the general mission of the Church in the world, but even to the general interests of the Church, to everything that is not related to the direct interests of the parish. Orthodox Christians think too much about “deeds” (construction, investment of capital, etc.) and not enough about mission (about the participation of each community in the common cause of the Church).
The expulsion of the catechumens - the last act - is a solemn reminder of a high calling, a great privilege to be among the faithful, those who, by the grace of Baptism and Confirmation, are sealed as members of the Body of Christ and as such are allowed to participate in the great sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ.
Liturgy of the faithful
Liturgy of the faithful begins immediately after the removal of the catechumens (in ancient times this was followed by the removal of the excommunicated, who were temporarily not admitted to Holy Communion) with two prayers of the faithful, in which the priest asks God to make the community worthy to offer the Holy Sacrifice: "Created are worthy of being." At this time, he reveals A ntimins on the Throne, meaning preparation for the Last Supper, Antimension (“instead of a table”) is a sign of the unity of each community with its bishop. It bears the signature of the bishop, who gives it to the priest and parish as permission to perform the sacrament. The Church is not a network of freely "united" parishes, it is an organic community of life, faith and love. And the bishop is the basis and guardian of this unity. According to St. Ignatius of Antioch, nothing in the Church should be done without the bishop, without his permission and blessing. “Without a bishop, no one should do anything pertaining to the Church. Only that Eucharist should be considered true, which is celebrated by the bishop or by those to whom he himself gives it. Where there is a bishop, there must be a people, just as where Jesus Christ is, there is also the Catholic Church ”(Epistle to Smyrna, Ch. 8). Having the priesthood, the priest is also representative a bishop in the parish, and antimension a sign that both the priest and the parish are under the jurisdiction of the bishop and, through him, in the living apostolic succession and unity of the Church.
Offering
The Cherubic hymn, the censing of the throne and those praying, the transfer of the Eucharistic gifts to the throne (Great Entrance) constitute the first main movement of the Eucharist: Anaphor, which is the sacrificial act of the Church sacrificing our lives to God. We often talk about the sacrifice of Christ, but it is so easy to forget that the sacrifice of Christ requires and presupposes our own sacrifice, or rather, our participation in the sacrifice of Christ, since we are His Body and partakers of His Life. Sacrifice is a natural movement of love, which is the gift of giving oneself, renouncing oneself for the sake of another. When I love someone, my life v the one I love. I give my life to him - freely, joyfully - and this giving becomes the very meaning of my life.
The mystery of the Holy Trinity is the mystery of perfect and absolute sacrifice, because it is the mystery of Absolute Love. God is Trinity because God is. All the Essence of the Father is eternally communicated to the Son, and all the Life of the Son is in the possession of the Essence of the Father as His Own, as the Perfect Image of the Father. And, finally, this is a mutual sacrifice of perfect love, this is the eternal Gift of the Father to the Son, the true Spirit of God, the Spirit of Life, Love, Perfection, Beauty, all the inexhaustible depth of the Divine Essence. The mystery of the Holy Trinity is necessary for a correct understanding of the Eucharist, and above all of its sacrificial nature. God so loved the world that gave (sacrificed) His Son to us in order to bring us back to Himself. The Son of God loved His Father so much that He gave Himself to Him. His whole life was a perfect, absolute, sacrificial movement. He accomplished it as a God-Man, not only according to His Divinity, but also according to His Humanity, which He received according to His Divine love for us. In Himself, He restored human life to its perfection, as sacrifice of love for God, sacrifice not out of fear, not out of any "gain", but out of love. And finally, this perfect life as love, and therefore as a sacrifice, He gave to all who accept Him and believe in Him, restoring their original relationship with God. Therefore, the life of the Church, being His life in us and our life in Him, is always sacrificial, she is the eternal movement of love for God. Both the main state and the main action of the Church, which is the new humanity restored by Christ, is Eucharist - an act of love, gratitude and sacrifice.
We can now understand, in this first stage of the Eucharistic movement, that Bread and Wine in anaphora denote us, i.e. our whole life, our entire existence, the whole world created by God for us.
They are ours food, but the food that gives us life becomes our body. By offering him as a sacrifice to God, we indicate that our life is “given” to Him, that we follow Christ, our Head, along His path of absolute love and sacrifice. We emphasize once again - our sacrifice in the Eucharist is not different from the sacrifice of Christ, this is not a new sacrifice. Christ sacrificed Himself, and His sacrifice — complete and perfect — does not require a new sacrifice. But this is precisely the meaning of our Eucharistic offering, that in it we are given the invaluable opportunity of “entering” into the sacrifice of Christ, communion with His only Sacrifice of Himself to God. In other words: His only and perfect Sacrifice made it possible for us - the Church, His body - to be restored and accepted again into the fullness of true humanity: a sacrifice of praise and love. He who did not understand the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist, who came receive, but not to give, did not accept the very spirit of the Church, which is, above all, the acceptance of Christ's sacrifice and participation in it.
Thus, in the procession of offering, our very life is brought to the throne, offered to God in an act of love and worship. Truly, "The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords comes to slay and give food to the faithful" (Chant of Great Saturday). This is His Entry as Priest and Sacrifice; and in Him and with Him we are also on the diskos, as members of His Body, partakers of His Humanity. “Let us put aside every care of everyday life,” the choir sings, and indeed, are not all our cares and concerns taken in this one and only care, which transforms our whole life, in this path of love, which leads us to the Source, the Giver and Content of Life?
So far, the Eucharist movement has been directed from us to God. This was the movement of our sacrifice. In the matter of bread and wine we brought myself God by sacrificing your life to Him. But from the very beginning, this offering was the Eucharist of Christ, the Priest and the Head of the new humanity, thus Christ is our offering. Bread and wine - symbols of our life and, therefore, our spiritual sacrifice of ourselves to God - were also symbols of His Offering, His Eucharist to God. We were united with Christ in His only Ascension into Heaven, we were partakers of His Eucharist, being His, His Body and His people. Now thanks to Him and in Him our offering accepted. The One Whom we sacrificed - Christ, we now receive: Christ. We gave our life to Him and now we receive His life as a gift. We have united ourselves with Christ, and now He is connecting Himself with us. The Eucharist is now moving in a new direction: now the token of our love for God becomes the reality of His love for us. in Christ he gives himself to us, making us partakers of his kingdom.
Consecration
The sign of this acceptance and accomplishment is consecration. The path of the Eucharistic ascent ends ascension of the Holy Gifts priest: "Yours from Yours, bringing you ...", and the prayer of the Epiclesis (Invocation of the Holy Spirit), in which we pray to God to send down His Holy Spirit and create "This bread by the honest Body of Thy Christ" and the wine in the Chalice "By the honest Blood of Thy Christ," transubstantiating them: "Having transplanted with Thy Holy Spirit."
Holy Spirit performs God's action, or rather, He embodies this Action. He - Love, Life, Fullness. His descent at Pentecost signifies the fulfillment, the end, and the attainment of the entire history of Salvation, its completion. At His coming, the saving work of Christ is communicated to us as a Divine Gift. Pentecost is the beginning in this world of the Kingdom of God, a new age. lives by the Holy Spirit, in her life everything is achieved by the gift of the Holy Spirit, which comes from God, dwells in the Son, from whom we we receive revelation about the Son as our Savior and about the Father as our Father. His perfecting action in the Eucharist, in the transubstantiation of our Eucharist into the Gift of Christ to us (hence in Orthodoxy a special relation to the Epiclesis, to invocation Holy Spirit) means that the Eucharist is accepted in the Kingdom of God, in the new age of the Holy Spirit.
The transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ takes place on the heavenly throne in the Kingdom of God, which is the time and "laws" of this world. The transubstantiation itself is the fruit of the Ascension of Christ and the participation of the Church in His Ascension, in His new life. All attempts to “explain” what happens in the Eucharist, in terms of matter and “transformations” (the Western doctrine of transubstantiation-transubstantiation, unfortunately, is sometimes passed off as Orthodox) or in terms of time (“the exact moment of transubstantiation”) are not sufficient, they are futile precisely because that they apply the category of "this world" to the Eucharist, while the very essence of the Eucharist is outside these categories, but introduces us into dimensions and concepts new century. Transubstantiation occurs not by some miraculous power left by Christ to some people (priests), who therefore can perform a miracle, but because we are in Christ, i.e. in His Sacrifice of Love, Ascension on all His path to deification and transubstantiation of His Human by His Divine nature. In other words, because we are in His Eucharist and offer Him as our Eucharist to God. And when we So we do as He commanded us, we are accepted where He entered. And when we are accepted, "may you eat and drink at your meal in my kingdom" (). Since the Kingdom of Heaven is Himself, the Divine Life given to us at this heavenly meal, we accept His as new food for our new life. Therefore, the mystery of the Eucharistic transubstantiation is the mystery of the Church itself, belonging to a new life and a new age in the Holy Spirit. For this world, for which the Kingdom of God is yet to come, for its "objective categories" bread remains bread and wine - wine. But in a wonderful, transformed reality Kingdom - open and manifested in the Church - they truly and absolutely the true Body and the true Blood of Christ.
Intercessory Prayers
Now we stand before the Gifts in the perfect joy of God's presence and prepare for the last act of the Divine Liturgy - the acceptance of the Gifts in communion. Topics nevertheless, the last and necessary thing remains - petition. Christ eternally intercedes for the whole world. He Himself Intercession and Petition. As we partake of Him, we, therefore, are also filled with the same love, and as we receive His service - intercession. It embraces the entire creation. Standing before the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the whole world, we first of all remember the Mother of God, St. John the Baptist, apostles, martyrs and saints - countless witnesses new life in Christ. We intercede for them not because they need it, but because Christ, to whom we pray, is their Life, their Priest and their Glory. is not divided into earthly and heavenly, she is one Body, and everything that she does, she does on behalf of the whole Churches and for the whole Church. So prayer is not only an act of redemption, but also the glorification of God, "Wonderful in His Saints," and communion with the saints. We begin our prayer with the remembrance of the Mother of God and the saints, because the presence of Christ is also their presence, and the Eucharist is the highest revelation about communion with the saints, about the unity and mutual dependence of all members of the Body of Christ.
Then we pray for the departed members of the Church, "for every righteous soul who has died in the faith." How far from the true Orthodox spirit are those who consider it necessary to serve as often as possible "private funeral liturgies" for the repose of individuals, as if there could be something private in the all-embracing Eucharist! It is time for us to realize that the dead should be included in the Eucharist of the Church, and not vice versa: in the subordination of the Eucharist to the personal needs of individuals. We want our liturgy for our needs ... What a deep and tragic misunderstanding of the liturgy, as well as the real needs of those for whom we want to pray! To him or her in their the current the state of death, separation and sadness especially needs to be again and again accepted into that unique Eucharist of the Church, into the unity of love, which is the basis of their participation, their belonging to the true life of the Church. And this is attainable in the Eucharist, which manifests. in a new century, in a new life. The Eucharist crosses the hopeless line between the living and the dead, because it is above the line between the present age and the age to come. For all "have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (); on the other hand, we are all we live because the life of Christ is given to us in the Church. The departed members of the Church are not only the "objects" of our prayers, but by their belonging to the Church they live in the Eucharist, they pray, they participate in the liturgy. Finally, no one can "order" (or buy!) The Liturgy, since the One Who commands is Christ, and he ordered To the churches to offer the Eucharist as an offering of the whole body and always "For everyone and for everything." So, although we need a liturgy to commemorate “everyone and everything,” its only real purpose is to unite “everyone and everything” in the love of God.
"About the Saints, Synods and Apostles of the Church ... about our God-protected country, its power and army ...": for all people, for all needs and circumstances. Read in the liturgy of St. Basil the Great's prayer of prayer, and you will understand the meaning of intercession: the gift of Divine love, which makes us understand, even for a few minutes, the prayer of Christ, the love of Christ. We understand that the real sin and the root of all sin is in selfishness, and the liturgy, capturing us in its movement of sacrificial love, reveals to us that true religion, above all, gives this new amazing opportunity to intercede and pray for others, per everyone. In this sense, the Eucharist is truly a sacrifice offered for everyone and everything, and intercessions - her logical and necessary conclusion.
"First, pull, Lord, the great Lord ... the right of the ruling Word of Thy truth."
“The Church in the Bishop and the Bishop in the Church,” in the words of St. Cyprian of Carthage, and when we pray for the bishop for the real welfare of the Church, for her standing in divine truth, that the Church would be the Church of the presence of God, His healing Power, His Love, His Truth. And it would not be, as is often the case, an egoistic, egocentric community defending its human interests instead of the divine purpose for which it exists. The Church so easily becomes an institution, a bureaucracy, a fund for collecting money, a nationality, a public association, and these are all temptations, deviations, perversions of the Truth, which alone should be a criterion, measure, authority for the Church. How often people who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” do not see Christ in the Church, but see in her only human pride, arrogance, pride and “the spirit of this world”. All this is the Eucharist judges and condemns. We cannot be partakers of the Lord's meal, we cannot stand before the Throne of His presence, sacrifice our life, praise and worship to God, we cannot be if we have not condemned the spirit of “the prince of this world” in ourselves. Otherwise, what we accept will serve not to our salvation, but to condemnation. There is no magic in Christianity, and it is not belonging to the Church that saves, but the acceptance of the Spirit of Christ, and this Spirit will condemn not only individuals, but congregations, parishes, dioceses. A parish as a human institution can easily replace Christ with something else — a spirit of worldly success, human pride, and the "achievements" of the human mind. Temptation is always there; it tempts. And then the one whose sacred duty always to preach the Word of Truth is obliged to remind the parish of temptations, must condemn in the name of Christ everything that is incompatible with the Spirit of Christ. It is for the gift of courage, wisdom, love and faithfulness to the clergy that we pray in this prayer.
"And grant us with one mouth and one heart to glorify and chant Thy most honorable and glorious Name ..." One mouth, one heart, one redeemed humanity restored in love and knowledge of God - this is the ultimate goal of the liturgy, fetus Eucharist: "And may the mercies of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all ..." This ends the "second movement" when it gives Himself to us in Its incomprehensible mercy. The Eucharist is over, and we come now to execution all that the Eucharist has revealed to us, to Communion, that is, to our communion in the reality.
Communion
In fact, communion includes (1) a preparatory, secret prayer, (2) the Lord's prayer, (3) the offering of the Holy Gifts, (4) the crushing of the Holy Bread, (5) the infusion of "warmth" (that is, hot water) into Chalice, (6) communion of the clergy, (7) communion of the laity.
(1) Preparatory secret prayer: "We offer you our whole belly and hope." In both liturgies, St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great - this prayer emphasizes that the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ is the goal of our life and hope; on the other hand, it expresses the fear that we may partake unworthily, the communion will be for us "for condemnation." We pray that by the sacrament "Imams of Christ dwells in our hearts and we will be the Temple of Your Holy Spirit." This expresses the main idea of the entire liturgy, again confronts us with the meaning of this Sacrament, this time paying special attention to private the nature of the perception of the Mystery, on a responsibility, which she imposes on those who partake of her.
As the Church of God, we were given and commanded to “do” all this, to perform the sacrament of Christ's Presence and the Kingdom of God. Although, as people who form the Church, as individuals and as a human community, we are sinful, earthly, limited, unworthy people. We knew this before the Eucharist (see the prayers of the synaxis and the prayers of the faithful), and we remember this now, when we stand before the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. More than ever, we recognize the need for our redemption, healing, cleansing, being in the glory of Christ's presence.
The Church has always emphasized the importance of personal preparation for the sacrament (see prayers before the sacrament), since each participant needs to see and evaluate himself, his whole life, approaching the Sacrament. This preparation should not be neglected; we are reminded of this by the prayer before communion: "May the communion of Your Holy Mysteries be for me not in judgment or in condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body."
(2) the Lord's Our Father is a preparation for Communion in the deepest sense of the word. Whatever human efforts we make, whatever the degree of our personal preparation and purification, nothing, absolutely nothing can make us worthy Communion, that is, really ready to receive the Holy Gifts. Anyone who approaches Communion with the awareness of his righteousness does not understand the spirit of the liturgy and the whole church life. No one can eliminate the abyss between the Creator and the creation, between the absolute perfection of God and the created life of man, nothing and no one, except for the One who, being God, became Man and united two natures in Himself. The prayer He gave to His disciples is both the expression and the fruit of this one and only saving action of Christ. it His prayer, for He is the Only Begotten Son of the Father. And He gave it to us because He gave Himself to us. And in No His Father became sewn by the Father, and we can speak to Him with the words of His Son. Therefore, we pray: "And vouch for us, Vladyka, with the boldness of not condemned, dare to call upon Thee, the Heavenly God, the Father, and the glory ...". The Lord's Prayer - to the Church and the people of God, redeemed by Him. In the early Church it was never communicated to the unbaptized, and even its text was kept secret. This prayer is a gift to the new prayers in Christ, an expression of our own relationship with God. This gift is our only door to Communion, the only basis for our participation in the holy and therefore our main preparation for Communion. To the extent that we accepted this prayer, we made it his, we are ready for Communion. This is the measure of our union with Christ, our being in Him.
"Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done ..." To comprehend everything that is affirmed in these solemn words, to realize the absolute concentration of our whole life in God, expressed in them, to accept the will of Christ as my - this is the purpose of our life in Christ and the life of Christ in us, the condition of our participation in His Chalice. Personal preparation leads us to an understanding of this final preparation, and the Lord is the conclusion of the Eucharistic prayer, transforming us into partakers Daily bread.
(3) "Peace to all", - says the priest and then: "Bow down your heads to the Lord." The Sacrament, like the whole life of the Church, is a fruit the world, achieved by Christ. The adoration of the head is the simplest, albeit significant, act of worship, an expression of the very obedience. We partake in obedience and obedience. We are not eligible for the Sacrament. It exceeds all our desires and capabilities. It is a free gift from God and we must receive command Accept him. False piety is very common, due to which people refuse to take the Sacrament because of their unworthiness. There are priests who openly teach that the laity should not receive communion "too often", at least "once a year." It is even sometimes considered an Orthodox tradition. But this is false godliness and false humility. In reality it is - human pride. For when a person decides how often he should partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, he sets himself up as a measure of both Divine Gifts and his own dignity. This is a crafty interpretation of the words of the Apostle Paul: "Let man test himself" (). The Apostle Paul did not say: "Let him test himself, and if he is dissatisfied with himself, let him abstain from the Sacrament." He meant just the opposite: the Sacrament became our food, and we must live worthy of it, so that it does not become our condemnation. But we are not free from this condemnation, therefore the only correct, traditional and truly Orthodox approach to Communion is obedience, and this is so well and simply expressed in our preparatory prayers: "I am not worthy, O Lord, but come under the roof of my soul, but you still want to, as a Humanitarian of life in me, daring, I proceed: You command ...". Here obedience to God in the Church, and commands the celebration of the Eucharist, will be a great step forward in our understanding of the Church when we understand that “Eucharistic individualism”, which turned ninety percent of our liturgies into the Eucharist without communion, is the result of perverted piety and false humility.
When we stand with our heads bowed, the priest reads a prayer in which he asks God to grant fruit Communion to everyone according to his need (in the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom). "Bless you your own heads, sanctify, observe, confirm"(liturgy of St. Basil the Great). Each communion is both the end of our movement to God, and the beginning of our renewed life, the beginning of a new path in time, in which we need Christ's presence to guide and sanctify this path. In another prayer, he asks Christ: “Look, Lord Jesus Christ. .. stay here invisibly for us. And grant us Thy sovereign hand to give us Thy Most Pure Body and honest Blood, and by us - to all people ... ”. The priest takes the Divine bread into his hands and, lifting It, says: "Holy of Holies". This ancient rite is the original form of the call to Communion, it accurately and succinctly expresses the antinomy, the supernatural nature of the Communion. It forbids anyone who is not holy to partake of Divine Holiness. But nobody is holy except for the Saint, and the choir replies: "One is Holy, One is Lord," And yet come and receive because He He sanctified us by His holiness, made us His holy people. Again and again the mystery of the Eucharist is revealed as the mystery of the Church - the mystery of the Body of Christ, in which we forever become what we are called to be.
(4) In the first centuries, she called the entire Eucharistic service "the breaking of bread," because this rite was central to the liturgical service. The meaning is clear: the same bread, which is given to many, is the One Christ, who became the life of many, uniting them in Himself. "But us all, from the one Bread and Chalice of those who partake, unite to each other in the one Holy Spirit of the Holy Communion."(liturgy of St. Basil the Great, prayer for the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts). Then the priest, breaking bread, says: "The Lamb of God is shattered and divided, shattered and undivided, always eaten and never dependent, but sanctify those who partake." This is the only source of life that brings everyone to life and proclaims the unity of all people with one Head - Christ.
(5) Taking one particle of the Holy Bread, the priest lowers It into the Holy Chalice, which means our communion of the Body and Blood of the Risen Christ, and pours "warmth" into the Chalice, that is, hot water. This rite of the Byzantine liturgy is the same symbol life.
(6) Now everything is ready for the last act of the Eucharist - Communion. Let us emphasize again that in the early Church this act was truly the fulfillment of the entire service, the sealing of the Eucharist, our offering, sacrifice and thanksgiving through the participation of the community in it. Therefore, only the excommunicated did not receive communion and had to leave the Eucharistic assembly together with the catechumens. All received the Holy Gifts, They transformed her into the Body of Christ. Here we cannot enter into an explanation of why and when the church-wide liturgical understanding of the Sacrament was replaced by an individualistic understanding, how and when a community of believers became a “non-communion” community, and why the idea participation, central in the teaching of the Church Fathers, was replaced by the idea presence. This would require a separate study. But one thing is clear: wherever and whenever spiritual rebirth occurred, it was always born and led to "thirst and hunger" for real participation in the Mystery of Christ's Presence. We can only pray that in the current crisis, which has deeply struck both the world and the Orthodox Christians, they will see in this the true center of all Christian life, the source and condition for the revival of the Church.
"For the remission of sins and into eternal life ..." - says the priest, teaching the Gifts to himself and to the believers. Here we find two main aspects, two actions of this Communion: forgiveness, acceptance again into communion with God, admission of a fallen person into Divine love - and then the gift of eternal life, kingdom, the fullness of the "new age." These two basic human needs are met without measure, satisfied by God. Christ brings my life into His and His life into mine, filling me with His love for the Father and for all His brothers.
In this short essay, it is impossible even to summarize what the Church Fathers and the saints said about their the experience of the Sacrament, even to mention all the wonderful fruits of this communion with Christ. At the very least, let's point out the most important areas of thinking about the sacrament and efforts to follow the teachings of the Church. The sacrament is given first, for the remission of sins, and therefore it the sacrament of reconciliation, realized by Christ by His Sacrifice and forever given to those who believe in Him. Thus, the Sacrament is main food Christian, strengthening his spiritual life, healing his illness, affirming faith, making him able to lead a true Christian life in this world. Finally, the Sacrament is "a sign of eternal life", the expectation of joy, peace and the fullness of the Kingdom, anticipation his Light. Sacrament is both a participation in the sufferings of Christ, an expression of our readiness to accept His “way of life,” and participation in His victory and triumph. It is a sacrificial meal and a joyful feast. His Body is broken, and the Blood is shed, and partaking of Them, we receive His Cross. But “through the Cross, joy entered the world,” and this joy is ours when we are at His meal. The sacrament is given to me personally in order to make me a "member of Christ", to unite me with all who receive Him, to reveal to me the Church as a union of love. It unites me with Christ, and through Him I am in communion with all. This is the sacrament of forgiveness, unity and love, the sacrament of the Kingdom.
First, the clergy receive communion, then the laity. In modern practice, the clergy-bishops, priests and deacons - receive communion in the altar separately of the Body and Blood. The laity receive the Holy Gifts from the liar at the royal doors after the priest has placed the Pieces of the Lamb in the Chalice. The priest calls the believers, saying: "Come with the fear of God and faith," and the partakers approach the Divine meal one by one with their arms crossed over their chests. And again procession - response to divine command and invitation.
After Communion, the last part of the liturgy begins, the meaning of which can be defined as return Churches from heaven to earth, from the Kingdom of God in time, space and history. But we are returning completely different from what we were when we began the path to the Eucharist. We have changed: "Videhom the true Light, the reception of the Heavenly Spirit, gained the true faith ...". We sing this hymn after the priest places the Chalice on the Throne and blesses us: "Save Thy people and bless Thy heritage." We came in as his people, but we were wounded, tired, earthly, sinful. Over the past week, we have experienced the hardships of temptation, we have learned how weak we are, how hopelessly attached to the life of "this world." But we came with love and hope and faith in the mercy of God. We came thirsty and hungry, poor and unhappy, and Christ accepted us, accepted the offering of our unhappy life and brought us into His Divine Glory and made us partakers of His Divine Life. "Videhom True Light ..." We postponed for a while "All everyday care" and allowed Christ to lead us into His Ascension to His Kingdom in His Eucharist. Nothing was required of us other than the desire to join Him in His Ascension and humble acceptance of His redeeming love. And He encouraged and comforted us, He made us witnesses of what He had in store for us, He changed our sight so that we saw heaven and earth full of His Glory. He fed us the food of immortality, we were at the eternal feast of His Kingdom, we tasted joy and peace in the Holy Spirit: "We received the Heavenly Spirit ...". And now the time is back. The time of this world has not yet ended. The hour of our transition to the Father of all life has not yet arrived. And Christ sends us back as witnesses of what we have seen to proclaim His Kingdom and continue His work. We must not be afraid: we are His people and His inheritance; He is in us and we are in Him. We will return to the world knowing that He is near.
The priest lifts the Chalice and proclaims: "Blessed is ours always, now and ever, and forever and ever." He blesses us with the Chalice, signifying and assuring us that the risen Lord is with us now, always and forever.
"Let our mouth be filled with Thy praise, O Lord" - answers, - "Observe us in Thy Holy Place." Preserve us in the days to come in this wonderful state of holiness and sanctification. Now that we return to daily life, grant us the power to change it.
A short litany follows and thanks for the Gifts received: "Correct our path, establish everything in Your fear, observe our belly, establish our feet ...". The return is accomplished when the priest comes out of the altar with the words: "Let's leave in peace!" joins the worshipers and reads the prayer outside the ambon. As at the beginning of the liturgy entrance the priest to the altar and the ascent to the Holy See (mountainous place) expressed the Eucharistic movement up, so now the return to believers expresses care, the return of the Church to the world. It also means that the priest's Eucharistic movement is over. Fulfilling the Priesthood of Christ, the priest led us to the heavenly throne, and from that throne he made us partakers of the Kingdom. He was to fulfill and fulfill the eternal mediation of Christ.
Thanks to His humanity, we ascend to heaven, and according to His Divinity, God comes to us. It's all done now. Having accepted the Body and Blood of Christ, having seen the Light of Truth and becoming partakers of the Holy Spirit, we are truly His people and His property. The priest at the Throne has nothing more to do, because she herself has become the Throne of God and the Ark of His Glory. Therefore, the priest joins the people and leads them as shepherd and teacher back into the world for the fulfillment of the Christian mission.
When we are ready withdraw in peace, that is, in Christ and with Christ, we ask in the last prayer that the fullness of the Church, so that the Eucharist, which we brought and which we partook, and which again revealed the fullness of Christ's presence and life in the Church, be observed and preserved intact until we come together again, as in obedience to the Lord of the Church, we again begin our ascent into His Kingdom, which will reach Its fulfillment at the Coming of Christ in Glory.
There is no better conclusion for this brief study of the Divine Liturgy than the prayer of St. Basil the Great, read by the priest when consuming the Holy Gifts: “Be fulfilled and perfected, much according to our strength, Christ, our God, the mystery of your beholding; Thy memory has more death, with the sight of Thy Resurrection, the image of Thy endless food will be filled, even in the future to be honored with grace, the grace of Thy primordial Father, and Holy, and Blessed, and Thy Life-giving Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen".
And when we leave the church and re-enter our daily life, the Eucharist remains with us as our secret joy and confidence, a source of inspiration and growth, a victory that overcomes evil, Presence, which makes our whole life life in Christ.
Liturgy and Sacrament of the Sacrament
Sacraments are special actions of God performed in the Orthodox Church, through which God imparts to people the Grace of the Holy Spirit. The ceremonial outer side of the Sacrament is performed by the priest in unity with the people through the consecration of wine, bread, oil, peace, water, and other natural substances necessary for one of the seven Sacraments of the Church.
Time and place of the sacrament
Liturgy in our church is performed from Monday to Saturday at 8.00. On Sundays, twelve and great feasts, the early Liturgy is held from 7.00. and late Liturgy from 9.30.
It is necessary to come to the church 15-20 minutes before the start of the Liturgy in order to calmly, without unnecessary worldly fuss, purchase candles, set memorial notes and internally prepare for this great Sacrament of the sacraments.
With infants and children from 1 to 5-6 years old, it is more acceptable for the Communion to come 40-45 minutes after the start of the service. The Liturgy takes one and a half to two hours.
To participate in the Sacrament of Communion in the church shop, you do not need to write down. But in your home prayer, you must definitely read the prescribed prayer rule (see below).
Other puzzling questions can be resolved in a conversation with a priest.
Definition of the Liturgy
Liturgy is the main Christian service. At the Liturgy, the Church thanks God for the creation of the world, for the salvation of every person through Jesus Christ, recalls His Life, Death and Resurrection in prayers, offers Bread and Wine for sanctification by the Holy Spirit. Bread and Wine - natural substances - are the symbols of our food. Without food, a person dies, therefore, at the Liturgy, the Church offers God the life of each of its members, freely and gratefully giving it to the Father. God accepts this "bloodless sacrifice", thanks to the saving deed of the Son of God, and transforms earthly food - Bread and Wine - into Divine Food, our human life into His Divine Life.
Partaking of the Body and Blood, the members of the Church, incomprehensible to the human mind, unite with Christ. It is all contained in every Part of the Sacrament. The communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ is necessary in order to enter into eternal life. The Savior Himself speaks of this: “Truly, truly, I say to you: if you do not eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will not have life in you. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day ... ”(John Ch. 6, verses 53 - 54).
The entire Divine Liturgy according to St. To Maxim the Confessor is "Secret Leading to the Salvation of Man." In the words spoken at the Liturgy, in the symbolic movements of the priesthood around the altar and church, in spiritually representative object-related actions, the history of our salvation from the creation of the world through the First Coming of Christ to the joyful entry into the Kingdom of Heaven after His Second Coming is dynamically revealed. The symbolism of the Liturgy is not theatrical. It is a genuine movement towards the grace-filled natural union with Christ, which takes place in the Sacrament of Communion at the end of the Liturgy.
Liturgy and Communion are not identical to each other. It is depressing when a person resorts to the end of the Liturgy, hastily confesses and, depicting the highest reverence on his face, proceeds to the Chalice of Life. Definitely - the Liturgy ends with Communion, the acceptance of the Gifts of Christ. But these Gifts are a dynamic completion of the fullness of the prayer-Eucharistic communion between God and His people. Therefore, it is necessary for a Christian to take part in the Liturgy in the fullness of the Divine Service, from the first to the last exclamation.
At the Liturgy we remember the whole earthly life of Christ, we are crucified with Him, we suffer and are raised in His Gifts. Coming to the end of the service, we seem to say: the Lord is the cross for you, and glory for us, for you suffering and death - for us the resurrection and the joy of the Sacrament. What is the Liturgy? Its beginning goes back to Eternity. Its prototype is the life of God the Holy Trinity in Himself, in Unity and Love. That is why the Liturgy is called Divine and begins with the exclamation "Blessed is the kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." Our temple Liturgy is the Liturgy of the Holy Trinity itself, given within the earthly limits in heavenly symbols and images. This is the life of God, given to us in the Sacrament, through the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Catechetical Definition of the Sacrament of the Sacrament
Communion is a sacrament, in which the believing Christian, under the guise of bread and wine, truly accepts the very Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The history of the establishment of the Sacrament of Communion
The Holy Sacrament of Communion was established by the Lord Jesus Christ at the Last Supper with the apostles on the eve of His suffering. He took the bread into His most pure hands, blessed it, broke and divided it to His disciples, saying: “Take, eat: this is my body” (Matthew 26:26). Then he took a cup of wine, blessed it and, giving it to the disciples, said: "Drink all of it, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:27, 28). At the same time, the Apostles, and in their person and all believers, the Savior gave the commandment to perform this Sacrament until the end of the world in remembrance of His sufferings, death and Resurrection for the closest union of believers with Him. He said: "Do this in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19).
Sacrament of the Kingdom of the Holy Trinity
According to the apostolic and patristic tradition, the Church reveals, lives and incarnates herself in the event of Pentecost, mysteriously and incomprehensibly renewed every time in perfection during each Liturgy for almost two thousand years. The Liturgy, celebrated daily in churches around the world, is not a repetition or addition of Pentecost with new gifts of the Holy Spirit, but its Eucharistic Ascension, which continues by grace within the earthly limits. The first apostolic and the last liturgical Pentecost on earth are linked according to the formula of the Chalcedonian dogma: "not merged, inseparable, invariable, inseparable."
The Gifts of the Eucharist are Divine, unique, dissimilar, exclusive, distinctive, and ontologically irreplaceable for their absolute essential counterpart. Just as there can not be two Christs in nature, so the existence of two Eucharist is inconceivable. The Body and Blood of the Lord, like the Liturgy itself, is truly, existentially, one in nature the same as those which the apostles received during the Last Supper. This miracle is beyond the control of a fallen deductive mind. His philosophical analysis is impossible. It is similar to the miracle of feeding five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fishes (Mark 6: 3o-44) only not in space “on the green grass”, but in time, counted in tens of centuries.
Each of the five thousand who miraculously ate self-replenishing bread and fish ate the same bread and the same fish that the apostles were fed with. Likewise, we Christians partake of the same Mysteries of the Lord that Christ taught His disciples. And then and now we accept the "Bread of Life" from the hands of the very founder of the Church - Jesus Christ. This mystery is confirmed by the prayer read before Communion: "Thy Supper, Mysterious this day, Son of God, take my partaker".
In the Flesh and Blood of Christ, the barrier between God and man, between the Creator and creation, between Eternity and time is destroyed. The flesh and blood of Christ belongs to our earthly world, but a transformed one, which has nothing in common with pride of human autonomy, with rebellion against divine love. The earthly body of Christ was tied in the womb of the Mother of God. By its birth, it belonged to the created world, but it was inextricably linked with God, as an offering, as a meek expression of the endless gratitude of the life-giving Love of the Fathers.
Bread and wine - earthly natural substances - the Church brings to God at the Liturgy according to the way of life of the flesh of Christ. By bread and wine, the Church understands the entire universe, from earth to the most distant stars, and returns it to God. At the Liturgy, she entrusts the life of the whole world to the loving will of the Father and brings him thanks for this blessed opportunity, realized by Christ. The Bread and Wine of the Eucharist are not given to us to quench our thirst and hunger, not for autonomous survival within the earthly limits, thanks to Them we enter into a grace-filled life relationship with God.
Each member of the Church unites with the life of the Father through the Body and Blood of the Son through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. At the Last Supper, Christ granted the disciples the right to donate Bread and Wine into His Body and Blood, did not establish the Sacrament of the Eucharist, as a remembrance of His sacrificial feat, He embodied the Church as abiding in His Love. Christ "established" the Sacrament of the Sacrament at the Last Supper, but not in isolation from the Church, but in unity with her. The Church is the Last Supper. The Sacrament is not an anatomical miracle, not a material shrine, but the fulfillment of the grace-filled natural unity of the Church - Christ and Christians. At the Liturgy, the Church realizes herself in its entirety, as the Sacrament of the Kingdom, bestowed through the Sacrament.
Puzzled questions
How to Prepare for Communion?
Who wants to receive the Holy Communion with dignity must have heartfelt repentance, humility, a firm intention to reform and begin a godly life. It is necessary to prepare for the Sacrament of Communion for several days: to pray more and more diligently at home, to be at the evening service on the eve of Communion day. Prayer is usually combined with fasting (from one to three days) - abstaining from meager food: meat, milk, butter, eggs (during strict fasting and from fish) and, in general, moderation in food and drink. You should be imbued with the awareness of your sinfulness and protect yourself from anger, condemnation and obscene thoughts and conversations, refuse to visit entertaining places. Before Communion, it is necessary to confess, reconciled with everyone.
What prayers should one prepare for Communion?
There is a special rule for prayer preparation for Communion, which is found in Orthodox prayer books. It usually consists of reading the four canons the night before:
- the canon of the penitent to the Lord Jesus Christ,
- canon of prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos,
- Canon to the Guardian Angel,
- canon from the Succession to Holy Communion.
How to Approach Communion?
After singing "Our Father", one must approach the steps of the altar and wait for the removal of the Holy Chalice. Approaching the Chalice, one has to cross-fold the arms on the chest.
How often should you take Communion?
The frequency of Communion must be coordinated with the spiritual father. All priests bless in different ways. Some modern shepherds recommend that people seeking to church their lives to receive communion from one to two times a month. Other priests also bless more frequent Communion. Usually they confess and receive communion during all four multi-day fasting of the church year, on the twelve, great and temple holidays, on their name days and birthdays, spouses - on their wedding day. It is impossible to take communion for a "tick", for the sake of certain quantitative norms. The Sacrament of Communion should become a need of the heart for an Orthodox Christian.
Can a pregnant woman take communion?
It is necessary, and as often as possible, to partake of the Mysteries of Christ, preparing for the Holy Communion with confession and feasible prayer. The Church frees pregnant women from fasting.
Can an Orthodox Christian take communion in any other heterodox church?
No, only in the Orthodox Church.
Is it possible to receive the Holy Communion on any day?
Communion of believers takes place in the Church every day, with the exception of Great Lent, during which communion can only be made on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
When can you take communion during the week of Great Lent?
During Great Lent, adults can receive communion on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; small children on Saturdays and Sundays.
Is it possible to receive the Holy Communion several times on the same day?
No one, and in any case, should receive Communion twice on the same day. If the Holy Gifts are taught from several Cups, they can only be received from one.
Is it possible to receive the Holy Communion after the Unction without Confession?
Unction does not cancel Confession. At the Unction, not all sins are forgiven, but only forgotten and unconscious ones.
How can a sick person take communion at home?
The patient's relatives must first agree with the priest about the time of Communion and about measures to prepare the sick person for this Sacrament.
How to give communion to a one-year-old child?
If a child is not able to calmly stay in church for the entire service, then he can be brought to the end of the Liturgy - to the beginning of the singing of the prayer "Our Father" and then to receive the Holy Communion.
Can a child under 7 eat before Communion? Is it possible for the sick not to take communion on an empty stomach?
Only in exceptional cases is it allowed to receive communion on an empty stomach. This issue is decided individually on the advice of a priest. Infants under 7 years of age are allowed to receive communion on an empty stomach. Children should be taught to abstain from food and drink before Communion from an early age.
Is it possible to receive the Holy Communion if you have not attended the All-night Vigil? Is it possible to receive the Holy Communion if I fasted, but did not read or did not finish reading the rule?
Such and similar issues are resolved with the priest individually. If the reasons for not attending the all-night vigil or for not fulfilling the prayer rule are valid, then the priest may allow communion. What matters is not the number of prayers read, but the disposition of the heart, living faith, repentance for sins, the intention to correct your life.
Are we sinners worthy of frequent communion?
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (Luke 5:31). There is not a single person on earth who is worthy of Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and if people do take Communion, then only by the special mercy of God. It is the sinful, unworthy, weak, who more than anyone else need this saving source - as the sick in treatment. With sincere repentance, God forgives a person's sins, and Communion gradually corrects his shortcomings. At the heart of the decision of the question of how often one should receive communion is the degree of the soul's preparedness, its love for the Lord, the strength of its repentance. Therefore, the Church leaves this issue to the priests and confessors.
If coldness is felt after the sacrament, does this mean that the sacrament was unworthy?
Coldness occurs in those who seek psycho-emotional consolation from the Communion, and who considers themselves unworthy, they still have grace. However, when after Communion there is no peace and joy in the soul, one must see this as an occasion for deep humility and contrition for sins. There is no need to despair and grieve: there should be no selfish attitude towards the Sacrament. In addition, the Sacraments do not always reflect on feelings, but act intimately, so that a person can manifest a free feat of love.
Can you kiss the cross after Communion?
After the Liturgy, all those praying apply to the cross: both those who received Communion and those who did not.
Is it possible to kiss icons and the hand of a priest after Communion, to bow down to earth?
After Communion, before drinking, one should refrain from kissing the icons and the priest's hand, but there is no rule that those who received the Communion should not kiss the icons or the priest's hand on this day and should not bow down to earth. It is important to keep your tongue, thoughts and heart from all evil.
Is it possible to replace the Communion by eating Epiphany water with artos (or antidor)?
This erroneous opinion about the possibility of replacing the Communion with baptismal water with artos (or antidor) arose, possibly due to the fact that people who have canonical or other obstacles to Communion of the Holy Mysteries are allowed to consume baptismal water with antidor for consolation. However, this should not be understood as an equivalent substitution. There is no substitute for the sacrament.
Can children under 14 years of age receive Holy Communion without Confession?
Only children under 7 years of age can receive Holy Communion without Confession. From the age of 7, children receive communion only after Confession.
Is Communion paid?
No, in all churches the Sacrament of Communion is always performed free of charge.
Everyone is given communion from one spoon, is it possible to get sick?
Natural disgust can only be fought by faith. There has never been a single case of someone getting infected through the Chalice: even when people receive communion in hospital churches, no one ever gets sick. After the believers take Communion, the remaining Holy Gifts are consumed by a priest or deacon from the same cup and spoon, but even during epidemics they do not fall ill. This is the greatest Sacrament of the Church, given also for the healing of soul and body, and the Lord does not shame the faith of Christians.
Divine Liturgy - the peak and center of Orthodox worship. During the liturgy, The sacrament of the Eucharist - the union of the faithful with Christ through communion under the guise of bread and wine of the Saints and Life-giving Body and Blood of the Savior. This union is the basis and meaning of the life of all the faithful who make up the One Body of Christ - the Church.
The first part of the liturgy - proskomedia , or an offering, - usually performed when the third and sixth hours are read, secretly, in the altar - how mysterious and unknown to many were the great events remembered on it.
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At the proskomedia, the priest prays for making it worthy of a great sacrament and prepares bread and wine for the future Sacrament, and in the symbolic actions and words of the prayer two important events are remembered - the Incarnation (Christmas) of God the Word and His offering of Himself as a Sacrifice on the Cross for the salvation of people. The entire earthly and heavenly Church is also commemorated: from the Mother of God and the saints of God to all living and deceased Orthodox Christians, praying for whom the priest takes out particles from prosphora - special liturgical bread. At the end of the liturgy, after communion, these particles will be immersed in the Chalice with the Holy Blood of the Lord as a petition for forgiveness and salvation of the people remembered. This intercession is of great power and significance for the living and the dead.
The second part of the liturgy is the liturgy of the catechumens (this is the name of those preparing to receive Baptism, as well as those who repent, for special offenses not allowed to receive communion in order to more effective repentance) - begins with an exclamation glorification of the Kingdom of the Holy Trinity and great litany ... Then follows singing two antiphons (on Sunday - psalms 102 and 145 depicting the good deeds of God to people and teaching them to pin their hopes first of all on God), performed by two choirs alternately, and songs "Only Begotten Son ...", in which we confess the Savior's Incarnation and His Atonement. After the small litany sung the so-called "Bliss" - the high commandments that the Savior left to His disciples, promising spiritual and earthly blessings for their sincere, in all the depth of the heart. On great holidays, Sunday antiphons and "Beatitudes" are replaced by special, festive, antiphons, and on weekdays - psalms with special refrains.
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While singing "The Beatitudes" the Small Entry of the Clergy is performed with the Gospel , which marks the appearance of the Savior into the world for the preaching and fulfillment of the Atonement for the human race. The candle presented to the Gospel symbolizes both the light of Christ's teaching and the predecessor of Christ, the Holy Prophet and Baptist John, who prepared people to receive the Messiah. During the Little Entrance, the priest prays that the holy angels will be participants and co-ministers of the divine service being performed.
After the Small Entrance follows chanting of the troparia dedicated to the holiday or events and the saints to whom the temple is dedicated, and "Trisagion" (on some great holidays - and other chants: “The elites were baptized into Christ, put on Christ. Alleluia ").
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The service continues reading passages from the Apostolic Epistles or Acts of the Holy Apostles, and then from the Gospel , which symbolizes the preaching of the apostles and Jesus Christ Himself. We need to listen to the Gospel with special attention, as if the Lord Himself instructing us. Readings from the Holy Scriptures can relate to a holiday or be "ordinary", that is, following in the Holy Scriptures one after another and read in a row, one every day.
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The liturgy of the catechumens ends with litanies: , in which the Church's prayer for the many needs of the living sounds (during which the priest secretly reads a prayer of diligent prayer, in which he asks for the transmission of God's generous blessings to all the faithful); funeral where the forgiveness of sins and Eternal Life to the departed are sought; about the announced , which is a petition for the enlightenment by Baptism of those preparing for this great Sacrament. In ancient times, after the last litany, the catechumens left the temple. Now, hearing the call of the deacon: "Publications, go out!"- we must think whether we are worthy to bear the title of the faithful, whether we are worthy to be present at the Last Supper of the Savior repeated for us, and must pray for the forgiveness of our sins.
The third part of the liturgy is the liturgy of the faithful , which in ancient times could have been attended only by those who were baptized and who retained their lives the blessed gifts of Baptism, - begins with two short litanies .
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Then follows Great entrance , established by the Church to transfer the Honest Gifts from the altar to the throne for their consecration. During singing the cherubic song we are urged to put off all earthly concerns: "Cherubim are secretly forming ...", that is, by mysteriously portraying (by himself) the Cherubim, it is worthy to honor the King of all Christ with attentive prayer and worthy acceptance of the Holy Gifts. The clergymen come out with the Honest Gifts from the side doors, preceded by the candle-bearer with a lighted candle. At the same time, the Honest Gifts depict Christ Himself, the King of glory. All those present in the temple bow their heads and pray silently with the words of the thief crucified on the cross: "Remember me, Lord, when you come in your kingdom", thereby asking the clergy to remember them during the offering of the Gifts that they bring to the Bloodless Sacrifice. After the commemoration of the ruling bishop, the entire priestly and monastic order, the clergy of the church and all Orthodox Christians and the blessing of the coming people the clergy enter through the Royal Doors into the altar ... Those praying at this time should raise their prayers for the servants and for themselves. The sacred service reminds us of the Lord's entry into Jerusalem, as well as the way of the cross of Jesus Christ to the place of His crucifixion and His burial by the righteous saints Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.
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After the supplicatory litany and singing of the Creed by all believers begins the most important part of the liturgy is Eucharistic Canon during which, in an incomprehensible way, mysteriously occurs the transposition (transformation by the grace of the Holy Spirit) of bread and wine into the Holy Body and Blood of the Savior. Reading the Eucharistic prayer in secret, glorifying the good deeds and endless love of God for man and remembering the Last Supper, the priest pronounces aloud the words of the Savior, spoken by Him during the establishment of the Sacrament of Communion: "Take, eat, this is My Body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins" and: "Drink all from her: this is My Blood of the New Testament, even for you and for many, which is shed for the remission of sins." (Cm. Mt. 26: 26-28. OK. 22: 19-20. 1 Cor. 11:24).
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This serves as a reminder to us that we are really present at the Last Supper repeated for us, that the Savior calls us, like the holy apostles two thousand years ago, to union with Him.
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The holiest moments of the Eucharistic Canon - prayer invocation of the Holy Spirit and by blessing of the Holy Gifts their transposition - comes after the exclamation of the priest: "Yours from Yours, offering You for all and for everything"- and accompanied by singing: “We sing to you, bless you, thank you, Lord; and we pray Tis, our God. " At these minutes in the altar, by the action of the Holy Spirit, the same transposition of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is performed, which the Savior performed at the Last Supper, blessing bread and wine.
The Eucharistic Canon continues glorification of the Mother of God in the song "It is worthy to eat" , given to us, according to church tradition, by an Angel, and by a priest's prayer for all members of the Church. The canon is followed by supplicatory litany and singing of the Lord's Prayer by all believers "Our Father" - this model of prayer, embracing all the main, spiritual and everyday needs of a person. With this prayer, we are once again calling for the love necessary for the participants in the one Heavenly Father's meal, and for the forgiveness of our neighbors, so that our sins may also be forgiven.
The deacon proclaims: "Let us listen" (i.e., we will be careful), and by exclamation of the priest: "Holy to the holy" , indicating the need for cleanliness for those who approach the Most Pure Sacrament (moreover chorus with fear humbly answers: "One is holy, one is the Lord Jesus Christ for the glory of God the Father, amen." , a lay people bow to the ground ), and closing the altar curtain the sacrament verse is sung. After him, for those approaching the Sacrament, usually prayers are read to Holy Communion so that in the last minutes before communion, the mind and heart are not scattered.
At that time clergymen receive communion at the altar doing this in the form of the communion of the apostles at the Last Supper: the priest takes communion himself and teaches the Holy Mysteries to the deacon. After communion, the clergy, thanks, pray: “O Great and most sacred Easter, Christ! About Wisdom and the Word of God and Power! Give us the truth of Thy communion in the non-evening days of Thy Kingdom. "
After the communion of the clergy, the Royal Doors open - how the Savior's tomb was once opened - and the Holy Chalice is brought out for communion of the laity ... This first appearance of the Holy Gifts reminds us of the first appearance of Jesus Christ after the Resurrection, which was to Saint Mary Magdalene.
The deacon proclaims: "Come with the fear of God and faith" , a the choir sings: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, God is the Lord and appear to us" , for the Holy Gifts are Christ Himself, who appears for union with the faithful. Everyone present in the temple bows to the ground before the coming and omnipresent God. Repeating the words of the prayer before communion after the priest , we confess our faith in Christ and the divine power of the Holy Gifts: "I believe, Lord, and I confess that Thou art truly Christ, the Son of the Living God ... I still believe that this is Thy Most Pure Body and this is Thy Most Honest Blood ..."- and we pray for the forgiveness of sins and the uncondemned communion of the Holy Mysteries.
Those who come to the Sacrament fold their arms crosswise on their chests. as a sign of faith in the salvation of us by the Crucified Christ. With fear, a feeling of unworthiness and humility, with faith in the salvation of the Sacrament, naming their name, they take the Most Pure Secrets into their mouths and gently kiss the edge of the Holy Chalice. The choir sings during communion: "Receive the Body of Christ, taste the Immortal Source." After communion, one should try to keep oneself from all sinfulness and remember the great and terrible Sacrament, mercy and God's love for us sinners.
By communion of the laity the priest lowers into the Holy Chalice all the particles that were taken out of the prosphora, asking the Lord to wash away the sins of all those who were remembered at the liturgy with His Blood then quietly says: "Blessed be our God"- and in for the last time brings out the Holy Chalice and with the words: "Always, now and ever and forever and ever" blesses believers with the Holy Gifts, and we respond to this with an earthly bow who appears to us in the Holy Gifts to the Lord. Communion bows . Blessing believers with the Holy Chalice and its transfer from the throne to the altar marks the last appearance of the Lord to the disciples and His Ascension into Heaven. It also reminds us of the Savior's promise to remain in His Church with believers all the days until the end of the age (Matt. 28:20).
The priest proclaims: "We will leave in peace" , and the choir answers on behalf of all the worshipers: "On the name of the Lord", that is, with the name of God in the soul, with the peace of Christ in the mind and heart.
This is followed by thanksgiving litany and the so-called "Behind the ambo prayer" (read by the priest in front of the pulpit), in which the blessing of the believers and their consecration, the preservation of the Church, the granting of peace to the world is requested. After that the choir sings three times: "May the name of the Lord be blessed from now and forever". Then the priest says dismissal (closing prayer of the service) , a chorus sings perennial , and faithful, venerating the holy cross (and the participants also listened to the prayers after Holy Communion), leave the church, thanking God and trying to preserve in their souls the grace-filled enlightenment received during the service.
From the book All-Night Vigil. Divine Liturgy. Sacraments of the Church "by the publishing house of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra