Б. Объяснение некоторых наиболее употребительных церковных молитвословий

1. Conversation on the words: “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” On other days, church teachings usually begin with this prayer; and today the very content of the teaching will consist of an explanation of this prayer. For in brief words: in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, lies the essence of our faith and the basis of all our duties. With this prayer, every time we say it, we testify to our faith in one God, glorified in three Persons. We confess the unity of God when we say: in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and do not say: in the names of the Father and the Son and the Spirit, for the words Father and Son and the Holy Spirit do not depict many gods, but three Persons of one, infinite, holy, all-perfect, all-blessed God. Father, Son and Holy Spirit - each word depicting a special Person of the Godhead should remind us of what we know about Him from divine revelation. We say: in the name of the Father - and we must reverently think that God the Father, the first Person of the Holy Trinity, from eternity predestined and in time created the visible and invisible world, man and angels, and by His will and power everything is contained in existence and everything is controlled. By His will and power we were created in the image of Him who created us. God the Father, as omniscient, all-good and wise, foresaw the fall of man, predestined to send His only begotten Son into the world for the salvation of the human race - and at a certain time sent His Son into the world, for the redemption and reconciliation of man with Himself. God the Father, after completing this reconciliation as a result of the intercession of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, sent from heaven the All-Holy Spirit of the Comforter, may He be in the Church of Christ until the end of the world, arranging the salvation of people. God the Father gave the Son all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18), so that at the end of the world He would bring judgment to the whole world (John 5:27–29). We say: in the name of the Father and the Son, and the name of the Son reminds us that this Son is the second Person of the Holy Trinity, the only begotten and consubstantial, of the same glory and co-throne with God the Father, i.e. equal to the Father in all divine perfections, as true God is in His essence one with God the Father. This only begotten Son of God was with God in the beginning, and according to the will of the Father, everything was created through Him, as the Theologian preaches: in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God; everything came into existence by Him, and without Him nothing came into being (John 1:1, 3). The Only Begotten Son of God, predestined from eternity to be the Savior of the world, at a certain time came into the world, taking on our human nature with all its infirmities, except sin, and accomplished the salvation of people - suffered and died on the cross for the sins of the whole world, and then rose again, ascended into heaven and sent down from the Father the All-Holy Spirit of the Comforter on the day of Pentecost and always intercedes for people before God the Father, appropriating His redemptive merits to all who truly believe in Him, to their sanctification and salvation. The Only Begotten Son of God Jesus Christ, according to His promise, always gracefully dwells in the church He built on earth and is its one supreme Head, with which all true Christians are closely and inextricably united, like branches with a vine, like members of a body with their head. The only begotten Son of God Jesus Christ, according to the authority given to Him by the Father, at the end of the world will come to judge the living and the dead; and then, having carried out righteous judgment over everyone, he will reward everyone according to the deeds he has done with the body, either good or evil (2 Cor. 5:10), and some, for good deeds, will receive eternal bliss, while others, for vices and iniquities, will be cast into eternal fire, into utter darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30). We say: in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and the words: “Holy Spirit” turn our thoughts to the third Person of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit - from the Father eternally proceeding and consubstantial with God the Father and the Son, the true God - in the beginning, together with the Father and the Son, created this world, as it is said in the book of Genesis: and the Spirit of God was carried on the top of the waters (Gen. 1:2), and in the psalmist: By the Word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the Spirit of His mouth is all their strength (Psalm 32:6). The Holy Spirit, who is everywhere and fills everything, according to the will of the Father, provides for the whole world and especially for man. The Holy Spirit of old, through the mouth of the prophets, predicted the salvation of the world through the promised Redeemer, as the apostle says: It was not by the will of man that prophecy came, but by the Holy Spirit the holy men of God were enlightened by the words (2 Peter 1:21). By the influx of the Holy Spirit, the blessed Virgin Mary conceived without seed and gave birth to the Infant Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus Christ during His baptism in the Jordan in the form of a dove. The Holy Spirit, upon the Lord’s ascension into heaven, at His intercession before God the Father, sent down from the Father on the day of Pentecost, descended on the apostles in the form of tongues of fire, that is, according to the merits of the Lord Savior, He began to abundantly reveal His gracious gifts or actions in the disciples of Christ. Since the day of Pentecost, on which He descended on the apostles, the Holy Spirit has acted to this day and until the end of the world will act in the Church of Christ through the word of God and the saving sacraments, giving believers in Christ many different grace-filled gifts necessary for their salvation, sharing power with everyone as he wishes (1 Cor. 12:11). The Holy Spirit dwells in every Christian, and therefore our very bodies, according to the teaching of the Apostle Paul, are the temple of the Holy Spirit living in us (1 Cor. 6:19). The Lord spoke about this Spirit: I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may be with you forever (John 14:16). This shortest prayer reminds us of so many lofty truths: in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This prayer also offers the basis for all our duties. Our whole life must be devoted to serving the one Trinitarian God. This meaning is the commandment of the Lord - to baptize in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, i.e. through baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity, we commit ourselves to live not for ourselves and not according to our own will, but for the glory of the one God, glorified in three Persons, and according to His holy will, revealed to us in the word of God. According to this sign of the words of the Lord, this prayer, said at the beginning of the day or before the beginning of a teaching, as you hear in the church, or before the beginning of a task, as pious Christians do, always reminds us of our first duty or the basis of all our duties, i.e. that we must do everything not according to our own will and not for any arbitrary reasons, but according to the will of God, for the glorification of His all-holy name, obeying His divine commandments in everything. Brethren! Repeat this prayer often. Do everything in the name of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Repeat this prayer both when getting up from sleep, and when starting work, and while continuing work, and at the end of each task - always thank and glorify the Holy Trinity. In the midst of work and in times of rest, in the midst of sorrowful and difficult circumstances and in times of well-being and prosperity, in sorrow and in joy, with our hearts and lips we will always glorify the one Trihypostatic God, repeating the song of praise of the church: glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. (Compiled from “Prop.” by Eusebius, Archbishop of Mogilev, vol. I, ed. 1870). 2. Conversation on prayer: “To the King of Heaven” As soon as we get up from sleep in the morning, the Holy Church already puts into our mouths a prayer to the All-Holy and Life-Giving Spirit: Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of Truth, who is everywhere and fulfills everything, treasure of good things, and giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O blessed One, our souls. This prayer begins the Midnight Office, the Hours, Compline, and prayer chants; it is read by the priest before the Divine Liturgy. Why is this prayer placed at the beginning of all other prayers? Because we cannot do anything truly good and saving without the help of the Holy Spirit, without His gracious assistance, and our very prayer is powerless: the Holy Spirit helps - helps - us in our weaknesses, says St. Apostle Paul, “For what let us pray, as we ought, we do not know, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered (Rom. 8:26). That is why the prayer to the Holy Spirit is placed at the beginning of all prayers. Why is the Holy Spirit called the King of Heaven? The Apostle Paul instructs believers: take care that sin does not reign in your mortal body (Rom. 6:12). This means that sin reigns in the hearts of sinful people. And in the hearts of righteous people, who reigns if not the Spirit of God? The Spirit of God lives in you, says the same saint. apostle (Rom. 8:9). He lives in the souls of those who love God and controls all the dispositions of their hearts; He helps them in good deeds and leads them away from sin; He reigns in them and leads them to the Kingdom of Heaven and therefore is called the King of Heaven. And our Lord Jesus Christ Himself called Him Comforter. It was sorrowful for the apostles to part with their Lord and Teacher, and at the Last Supper, on the eve of His saving suffering, Jesus Christ consoled them thus: Let not your heart be troubled... I go to Him who sent Me... it is better for you to eat, but I go: if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you; If I go, I will send Him to you... (John 14:28; John 16:5–7). Many, my friends, we have sorrows and sorrows: the sinner bears sorrow for his sins, for it is said: many are the wounds of the sinner (Ps. 31:10); The righteous also bear sorrow, for it is also said there: many are the sorrows of the righteous (Ps. 33:20), and through many sorrows it is fitting for us to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself in His earthly life walked the path of sorrows and suffering and also commanded us: you will be in a world of sorrow, He told His disciples (John 16:33). There is no other way, brethren, to the Kingdom of Heaven except the sorrowful path: no one will be allowed there without a cross! And we are so weak, so cowardly, that even a small sorrow already confuses our spirit. Where can we look for consolation, encouragement and strengthening in our sorrows, where - besides the heavenly Comforter? Let us resort to Him - the source of all joy, all consolation, let us cry out to Him: Comforter, Soul of truth, come and dwell in us, disperse the cloud of our sorrows and warm us with the rays of Your grace! The Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of truth. And we first learned this name from the lips of Christ the Savior Himself. When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, the Lord said to His disciples, He will guide you into all truth (John 16:13). “No one knows God’s message, but the Spirit of God,” says the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 2:11), for the Spirit tests all things and the depths of the unspeakable mysteries of God (ibid.). Therefore, true knowledge of God is communicated to people only by God Himself - the Spirit of God. Only by the Holy Spirit are the holy men of God - the prophets and apostles - enlightened by the words (2 Peter 1:21). All sacred scripture is inspired by God - everything is true, because it was written at the inspiration of the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit always abides in the holy church of Christ according to the true promise of Christ: and will abide with you forever (John 14:16). He appoints shepherds and teachers in it (Acts 20:28), and He instructs them in all truth (John 15:26). So: who is looking for truth? Look for her in the church: she is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ says: if your brother disobeys the church, be like a pagan and a tax collector (Matthew 18:17). Remember, brethren, this formidable word of Christ - remember that the Spirit of God, the Spirit of truth, always dwells in the Church of Christ, and run away from those vain-wise people who teach not to obey the Holy Church! Go everywhere and do everything! This means: the Spirit of God, like God, is omnipresent, and there is no place where He is not. Where shall I go from Thy Spirit, cried the prophet David, and where shall I flee from Thy presence? (Ps. 139:7). In heaven the saints of God are blessed by Him, in hell demons and sinful souls tremble at Him, the whole universe is filled with His gracious and saving presence. He is omnipresent: therefore He knows and sees all our weaknesses and, as the Almighty, is always ready to help us: how much consolation our grieving spirit finds in this thought! He, the Spirit of God, is omnipresent and omniscient; He sees all our heartfelt thoughts, all our secret thoughts: what strong urge is there to take care of ourselves, so as not to offend Him, the All-Holy One, with our sinful thoughts and desires? So the Apostle of Christ exhorts us: do not offend the Holy Spirit of God (Eph. 4:30). Treasure of the good. What is a treasure? Everything that is dear to us, that we love, in which we place our happiness, our joy. But what could be more valuable to us, what could be more desirable than the grace of God? Truly, the grace of the Spirit of God is that priceless pearl, for the sake of which a person should not spare anything. And the Spirit of God is the sovereign dispenser of all gifts of grace: He distributes with His power gifts to everyone as He wills (1 Cor. 12:7-11), distributes them to us sinners in the grace-filled sacraments of the Church of God. Remember, my brethren, that joyful peace of conscience that you experience after the sacrament of confession, that bright joy that you feel in yourself after communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, that sweet fluttering of the heart that happens at the first solemn singing: Christ is Risen, on Easter, or that quiet peace of soul that you feel after fervent prayer - all these, brethren, are gifts of the Spirit of God, a breath His grace, which comforts us sinners, not according to our dignity, but according to the ineffable goodness of God. Let us pray that these mercies of God will not be for our condemnation, but for our salvation. And life to the giver. Every soul is alive by the Holy Spirit. That is why He is called the Life-Giving One. That is why we cry to Him: come and dwell in us. And this is so necessary for our salvation that the Apostle decisively says: if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His, he is not Christ’s (Rom. 8:9). But how can He, the holiest and purest, come and dwell in us when we are so sinful, so evil? Let our hearts not be troubled: by His almighty power our washing, sanctification, and justification were accomplished in the sacrament of holy baptism (1 Cor. 6:11), - He, the all-good One, can cleanse us from all sinful impurity. Therefore, the Holy Church puts prayer words into our mouths: cleanse us from all defilement. Cleanse, for who is clean from filth even if he lives on earth for one day? (Job 14:4). Cleanse us, for on our own we cannot even stop sinning if You, Holy Soul, do not help us with this! Cleanse us from all sinful filth and save our souls through our destinies! (See “Trinity leaf.”, No. 323). Have such feelings and such thoughts, my brothers, when you read or listen to the prayer to the Holy Spirit in the church of God. The words of prayer alone, without thoughts and feelings appropriate to it, are not only useless, but even sinful. This must certainly be remembered, and therefore one must always pray not only with the lips, but with the mind and heart. (Compiled according to source). 3. Conversation on prayer: “Holy God, holy Mighty, holy Immortal, have mercy on us!” After the prayer “Lord, have mercy,” we have no other prayer that is repeated so often at every church service and prayer, like this short prayer to the Most Holy Trinity: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us! It is true that this prayer has special importance and meaning for us when our Holy Mother the Church finds it necessary to repeat it so often. What importance and meaning does this prayer, called the Trisagion in church language, have for us? In honor and glory of the Most Holy Trinity, let us explain this. The “trisagion” prayer has its own importance and meaning for us, firstly, due to its origin. These are the circumstances under which this prayer first appeared. In Greece, when Theodosius (the younger) reigned there and St. Proclus, there was once a terrible earthquake, from which not only many magnificent buildings fell and were crushed, but even some cities, villages and islands were devoured by the opening earth. Then the Tsar, the Patriarch and the people with a procession of the cross went out from Constantinople to the field in order to offer there their common tearful prayer to God for mercy on them from the disaster. Great and righteous in anger, but even greater in His mercy towards sinners, God looked upon their prayers: when the tearful sobs and groans of those praying merged into one with the roar of the raging elements of nature, then, in the sight of everyone, by the power of the gusty wind, one youth was caught up in the heights of heaven, who, having heard there the sweet angelic singing: “holy God, holy Mighty, holy Immortal,” upon returning from there to earth, he conveyed what he had heard to the king, the patriarch and the people. After which they themselves, with one mouth and one heart (Rom. 15:6), sang this wonderful song of the angels, adding to it the words: have mercy on us! After such unanimous singing, the sky suddenly cleared up, the menacingly raging whirlwind immediately subsided, the terrible shaking of the earth immediately ceased, and a life-giving silence reigned throughout all of nature in a few minutes. Since then, Christians have come into use of the church and home song: “Holy God”! The history of this prayer inspires us with the following truths: a) the righteous God in His anger does not leave man - a sinner as a victim of eternal destruction, when the sinner turns to Him in his troubles with a prayerful cry and tears of repentance, but, as infinitely good, soon has mercy and saves the needy with His omnipotent providence; b) the holy inhabitants of heaven, out of their great love for people, are not indifferent to us when we are in misery on earth, but then they themselves intercede for us to God and at the same time instill in us how best to quench His righteously driven anger against us. The “trisagion” prayer, secondly, has an important and deeply edifying meaning for us in a dogmatic sense. The first word of the prayer “holy”, repeated three times in it and thus giving rise to the very name of the prayer “trisagion”, inspires us with the most important teaching in the Christian church about the Holy One. The Trinity in general and in particular that all three Persons of the Most Holy. The Trinity - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit - are equally holy, that is, just as God the Father is infinitely holy, so God the Son is infinitely holy, so is God the Holy Spirit infinitely holy. The initial words of the prayer: “holy God” refer to the first Person of the Most Holy Trinity - the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in Divinity and essence and our Father by grace and adoption (John 20:17; Gal. 4:5-7), and Whom we confess in the Creed: “I believe in one God the Father, the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible.” The following words of the “trisagion” - “the mighty saint” - refer to the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, which we, Orthodox Christians, confess in this way in the symbol of faith: “(I believe) in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who was born of the Father before all ages, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not created, consubstantial with the Father, in whom all things were.” The Son of God is called mighty here a) in the sense that He is the right hand and arm of the Father, omnipotent, like God the Father Himself, the Hypostatic strength, God's power and God's Wisdom (1 Cor. 1:24), by whom all things were created, even in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether Thrones, whether Dominions, whether principalities, or powers (Col. 1:16, 17; John 1:3), and Who, sitting at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, holds with His omnipotent word all things visible and invisible (Heb. 1:3). Also b) The Son of God is called strong in the sense that He, having conquered sin, death and the devil and crushed the faiths and gates of hell, not only created His church so firmly and unshakably that the strongest and fiercest forces of hell will not overcome it (Matthew 16:18), but also provided the members of His church with such strength and power that they can harmlessly step on the serpent, on scorpion and all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19) and conquer all the forces and elements of nature. That is why many of the Christians, while still in the flesh, were more like the disembodied in their strength and patience, and while still in their mortal nature, they performed supernatural deeds; such, for example, were the apostles, martyrs, wonderworkers and all the saints and righteous. Further, the words of the Trisagion prayer: “holy Immortal” - refer to the third Person of the Most Holy Trinity - the Holy Spirit, Whom in the symbol of our faith we confess as follows: “(I believe) and in the Holy Spirit of the life-giving Lord, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets.” – The Holy Spirit is called immortal here in the same sense in which God the Father and God the Son are called eternal – ever-present. The penultimate word of the Trisagion: “have mercy,” refers to all the Persons of the Most Holy Trinity, as if the prayer appeal was made to one Person. Why? Because the three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity have one deity, one being, one power. Due to such inseparability and consubstantiality of the three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity, we can ask for and receive benefits and gifts from all of Them together, and from each Person separately; but even in the sending down of gifts to us from any one Person of the Most Holy Trinity, all three Persons participate, again because all three Persons have one holy will, one holy desire. There never is and cannot be any difference or disagreement in the desires of the three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity. Our holy mother church confesses this very thing when, during the liturgy, she fills the ears and hearts of her children with such a sweet song: “It is worthy and righteous to worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, consubstantial and indivisible.” Thirdly, the prayer “Holy God” has its own importance and meaning for us because in its dogmatic teaching it instills in us the following moral instructions: Holy is the Lord our God! Let us also be holy, as the creatures and servants of our Lord: be holy, for I am holy, the Lord your God (Lev. 19:2), He says. May His name be hallowed in us and in our lives so that we, calling upon Him in our minds and hearts, try to live in accordance with the demands of the greatness and holiness of the true God, and, glorifying Him in this way ourselves, and dispose others to the same life and glorification of the Creator (Matthew 5:16). Otherwise, as sinners and ungodly, we will not be worthy of grateful communication with God, our Almighty here on earth (2 Cor. 6:14) and there - in the future life we ​​will not see His face forever (Heb. 12:14). Not only God the Father is holy, but the Son of God and the Holy Spirit are equally and equally holy, or, better to say, infinitely holy; therefore, we must give equally equal honor, glory and worship to all three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in essence and divinity, is also our Father by grace and adoption: let us therefore honor and love Him, as children of our divine Father, and obey His will in all things, imitating the example of the only begotten Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who always loves and honors Him (John 8:49) and always does His will (John 8:28, 29), and also for us God the Father will love this, as He loves His only begotten Son (John 5:20, 3:35). Our Lord God, although threefold in persons, is one and indivisible in His divinity: the Father abides eternally in the Son, and the Son in the Father (John 10:30; 14:11); The Holy Spirit proceeds eternally from the Father (John 15:26) and rests in the Son. They have one will, one strength, one divine properties. Thus, all three Persons are one God, worshiped and glorified in the Holy Trinity. Brothers of God the Savior, rich and poor, noble and noble of this world, all together! Do you know what this trinitarian but indivisible unity teaches us? Unity, unity with God and our neighbors! How can we achieve this blessed unity? But here’s how: if we, with our faith, hope and love, with our thoughts and feelings, desires and deeds, constantly strive to live and act always according to the will of God, then all of us, animated by this one desire, will form, so to speak, one whole, one herd, one body with one soul, one will, one thoughts, feelings and desires; then between us there would be neither divisions, nor disagreements, nor these quarrels, which so tear apart societies and families and so terribly offend the holy will of God; then truly the prayerful word of the Son of God to God the Father would come true for us: I pray not for these (i.e., the apostles) only, but also for those who believe their word in Me: that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us (John 17:20, 21); then we would be happier than Abraham himself, the father of the believers, for he was honored to receive the Holy Trinity only under the oak of Mamre (Gen. 18), and we would then accept the triune God in our souls. Then we would be happier than the Apostle Peter, who exclaimed with delight at Tabor to the transfigured Lord: it is good for us (thy disciples) to be here (Luke 9:33): for with the apostles, besides the Lord Jesus Christ, there were then only Moses and Elijah, and in us then there would be our heavenly Father Himself, His beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, our Comforter. (See Words of Archimandrite Anthony). The Trinitarian Creator and our God is the God of mercy and generosity (2 Cor. 1:3). The Greeks, when there was a terrible and devastating earthquake in their capital and in their country, prayerfully cried out to God, and immediately received mercy and salvation from Him. Often we also experience disasters in real life, from earthquakes and shipwrecks, from floods and fires, from air storms and crop failures, from deadly pestilences and other evils. What should we, my brothers, do in such a sorrowful life and our situation? Let us, like the prudent Greeks, cry out more often with all our souls to our Trinitarian God: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us! Amen. (Compiled according to source) 4. Conversation on the words: “peace to all.” And to your spirit" Peace to all - this saying is one of the most common greetings with which a clergyman addresses the people during a service. The greeting of peace, before it became part of Christian worship, was originally a worldly greeting that corresponded to our welcoming wishes for well-being or congratulations on well-being; so, for example, one of David’s well-wishers, expressing his devotion to him, greeted him, saying: peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers (1 Chronicles 12:18). A similar greeting is still used among the inhabitants of the East in everyday relations. Jesus Christ Himself sanctified it when, appearing among the congregation of disciples after His resurrection, He said to them: Peace be with you (John 20:19–21). The apostles of Christ, according to the instructions of the Savior, should have, when entering someone’s house to preach, say: peace to this house (Matthew 10:12). They usually began their messages like this: Grace and peace be multiplied to you (1 Peter 1:2), or: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:3). The New Testament greeting with peace is much more significant than the Old Testament; the latter more often referred to temporary well-being, while the former primarily contains the thought of reconciliation with God, spiritual communication with Him and the spiritual benefits that flow from this. With precisely this meaning, the greeting with peace became part of Christian worship, and therefore it was so highly valued in the first centuries of the Church of Christ that it was addressed only to the faithful, to those alone who, being in full communion with the church, use all the means of reconciliation with God; on the contrary, the catechumens and penitents were not honored with this greeting, as they had not yet received, through communication with the church, the right to peace with God. That is why one of the ancient Christian teachers (Tertullian) reproached heretics for, among other things, the fact that they “serve peace to everyone, indiscriminately.” Currently, the Church acts much more leniently, at least in relation to the catechumens and penitents, teaching peace to everyone without exception at the Liturgy of the Catechumens. But can we still think that the peace taught to everyone descends on everyone? Can we think that it is enough to listen to the greeting of peace from the lips of the altar server and answer him: and to your spirit, in order to be a partaker of peace? No, brethren, the greeting of peace pronounced by us, weak servants of the God of peace and love, can be valid only in relation to those who thirst for peace with God with all the strength of the soul, who open not only their ears, but also their hearts to receive this good, which surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:7). At all times, the word of the Savior about peace is true, with which, according to His instructions, the apostles were to greet the inhabitants of the house where they entered: if there be that son of peace, your peace will rest on him; otherwise, he will return to you (Luke 10:6). Whoever wants to acquire the desired benefit of peace with God must desire and try in every possible way to abolish his heart from all unpeaceful movements of pride, arrogance, anger, enmity and all other passions that war on the soul, and then the peace with which we greet will rest upon him. Whoever does not try to do this, his ears will be filled with this greeting in vain: the world taught to him will return, according to the word of the Lord, to the one who teaches it: our peace will return to us. To a greeting with peace, they usually respond: and to your spirit, expressing the desire for the same good for the greeter. A desire worthy of Christian love! Peace, which is necessary for everyone, is even more necessary for those who give peace. In order to make the good of the world desirable for others, the priest must not only proclaim it with his lips, but with his whole life, adorned with the fruits of peace with God, he must raise the price of this good in the eyes of others. Otherwise, some in a spirit of condemnation, others with sincere regret may say to him: “A messenger of peace! try in advance to have peace yourself. To the doctor, heal yourself.” But so that condemnation does not fall on the head of those who condemn, and regret does not turn out to be fruitless, let each of you, pronouncing or listening to what is being said: and to your spirit, turn to the Giver of peace with a prayer, that He, the All-Good, will keep the clergy in peace with Him, and thus make them worthy instruments in the distribution of peace. This prayer, undoubtedly saving for them, will not remain without fruit for those who pray, as a matter of love, more than anything pleasing to God. (See “Collection for lovers of spiritual reading” by Archpriest V. Nechaev, now Vissarion, Bishop of Kostroma) So, Christian brothers, hearing the wishes of peace from the lips of the clergy, let us ourselves actively strive to acquire this precious spiritual treasure, and for this we will drive out from our hearts all unclean wishes and thoughts, such as: envy, anger, dissatisfaction with our condition, enmity and other sinful states of our spirit. And may the God of peace and love dwell in our souls. (Compiled from the indicated source) 5. Conversation on the words: “Bow your heads to the Lord” Since ancient times, it has been considered a duty to bow one’s head before one’s superiors as a sign of spiritual respect for them. And before the highest being - God - people always showed their reverence by bowing their heads. So, for example, Abraham's servant, sent to betroth Isaac to a wife, when he learned that the Lord God was appointing Isaac as his wife Rebekah, thanked God by bowing his head. Thus, the Jews in Egypt, when they listened to Moses’ command to slaughter the Passover lamb, bowed their heads and worshiped God as a sign of obedience (Ex. 12:27). In the Christian Orthodox Church, from its very beginning, bowing and raising the head has been accepted as a necessary external expression of internal prayer. Not a nod or a simple movement, as can be seen everywhere, but a correct, not hasty, bowing of the head, completely in accordance with the flow of prayer, and then bowing in exactly the same way. In addition, it should also be noted that in the Orthodox Church such an action should be performed by the male gender - with an open head, and by the female gender with a covered head. This is what the Apostle Paul commanded: “a man should not cover his head during prayer,” because there is “the image and glory of God,” and the glory of God has nothing higher than itself and its radiance is open to everyone everywhere. On the contrary, a woman should have a veil on her head during prayer “as a sign of authority over her, and even more as a sign of modesty and chastity, which nature itself indicates to her” (1 Cor. 11:7-14). Here you are, upcoming brothers and sisters in Christ, recently heard these words: “bow your heads to the Lord.” And often, standing in church in prayer, you hear them. Oh, if only this were always with us, if only our heads were always bowed to the Lord! How good life would be for us then, how saving it would be for us! With chapters we think, we think. And if our heads were bowed to the Lord, then we would always think and think about the Lord, about the Lord, about what is pleasing to Him, and what is righteous before Him; That means we would do His will, fulfill His commandments, for which we ourselves would be loved by our heavenly Father, who then, together with the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, would come to us (into our hearts with His grace) and would create an abode in us. Then we would be heirs of all the good things that the Lord promises to all who love Him (Deut. 28:1–15). But the head of a prudent person does not act apart from the heart. The head thinks good and the heart agrees with it; head and heart are their own, relatives with each other. If our mind were subordinate to the Lord, then our heart would be submissive to Him even sooner, since the heart is softer, warmer, more inclined to goodness than a cold, calculating mind; then, with mutual agreement of mind and heart, we would love the Lord with all our soul and with all our heart; then we would live wisely and wisely, and would not sin; then we would think about the best, about the kingdom of heaven. Then we would be truly blessed. We often complain that our life is bad. How can we feel good when we act badly, contrary to our conscience, contrary to the will of God? Let us be virtuous and pure in life, then we will receive a good reward from God - according to our deserts. If we always loved God and fulfilled His commandments, what bliss there would be on earth! After all, the kingdom of God is within us, according to the word of the Lord, in the purity, righteousness, integrity and holiness of our souls. And our neighbors, seeing our pious life, would glorify our heavenly Father and imitate our good deeds, thereby increasing the kingdom of heaven on earth, the kingdom of glory and grace of God. (See Sunday Reading 1891). Christian brothers! By bowing our heads before the Lord, we will thereby express not only our outward respect before the Lord, as inferiors to the Highest, servants to the Lord, but at the same time we will subordinate our hearts and wills to Him and with all our lives we will try to walk in the paths of His commandments. (Compiled with additions based on the indicated sources by Priest G. Dyachenko). 6. Conversation on the words: “Let us remember, wisdom, forgive!” These proclamations call on those present in the church to reverence and special attention to those acts of worship that they precede. Let's pay attention means: let's be careful. The proclamation: wisdom indicates the deep significance of certain acts of worship preceded by this proclamation, and reminds those present to behave as is characteristic of the wise, who understand the importance of what they have to see, hear, remember. Sorry, literally translated from Greek, means: stand straight. And with this proclamation, like the previous ones, those present are invited to a reverent stand, so that their body is kept in an upright position, alien to any negligence, and the soul preserves itself from all absent-mindedness and vain thoughts, is filled with sobriety and chastity, and is all directed towards God. When the Holy Church, with these proclamations, calls us to attentive and reverent presence during divine services, she means not only to warn us against inattention and lack of reverence, but also to reprove many of us for not observing proper attentiveness and reverence. Let those of us understand this reproof and be ashamed who, although they observe outward decency in the church, nevertheless harbor vain and unclean thoughts in their souls, and, occupied with them, either do not pay attention at all, or pay cold, lazy and bored attention to the sacred rites, to reading, singing and prayers. Let those who, by idle talk, laughter, scattered and wandering glances and careless movements, not only distract themselves from reverent participation in the church service, but also prevent others present in the church from calmly, without embarrassment, indulging in the thought of God and prayer, understand this reproof. Let those who, to no small temptation and violation of decorum in the church, come late to church, be ashamed, as well as those who allow themselves to leave the church prematurely without any need, acting in this case like foolish children, while the Holy Church, wanting to teach Christians how to deepen into the heart with reverent and constant attention everything seen and heard during the divine service, just before the dismissal of the church service through the mouth of the deacon proclaims: wisdom. (See “Collection for lovers of spiritual reading” by Archpriest V. Nechaev, now Vissarion, Bishop of Kostroma). 7. Conversation on the word: “Amen” Now, beloved brethren, I will explain to you what the word amen means, pronounced at the conclusion of many church prayers, teachings, and blessings. The word amen is Hebrew; it means truly or may it be, and is used as an expression of our participation in worship and our faith in everything that is contained in this or that prayer, teaching, sacred word, etc. Since when did the saying amen come into use in worship? Since the times of the Old Testament. Thus, according to the testament of Moses, the Jews, upon entering the Promised Land, were to testify to their fidelity to the law with a solemn curse on those who violated it and a blessing on those who did it. The words of the curse had to be pronounced by the Levites, and the people had to respond to each curse - amen. (Deut. 27:11–26). In exactly the same way, of course, it was necessary to respond to words of blessing. Once, after the Babylonian captivity, the priest Ezra, starting to read the law, uttered a solemn praise to the Lord before the assembled people, and the people answered: Amen, Amen (Neh. 8:6). From the Old Testament church, the liturgical use of the word amen passed into the New Testament. The Lord's Prayer, etc., which the Lord Himself taught to the apostles and all believers, He concluded with the word - Amen. We see the use of this saying during worship in apostolic times from the letter of the holy Apostle Paul to the Corinthian Christians. Many of the members of the Corinthian church possessed the gift of tongues and had the custom of pronouncing praises and glorifications to God in front of everyone in a language incomprehensible to others. The Holy Apostle instructs such that they try to be understandable to everyone, and explain their prayers in speech understandable to everyone; otherwise, says the apostle, “he who stands in the place of a commoner will say Amen at your thanksgiving, for he does not know what you are saying (1 Cor. 14:16). The inhabitants of heaven themselves, as can be seen from the revelation of St. John the Theologian, conclude their praises to God with the exclamation: Amen (Apoc. 5:14; 7:11, 12). Thus, the custom of saying amen on certain occasions has come down to us, fellow Christians, from ancient times, sanctified by the use of the Old Testament Church, Jesus Christ Himself and the first Christians. The very sound with which it has been customary since ancient times to conclude prayers and praises has remained in use until now. It remains to wish that this sound is not the sound of a cymbal, that we not only know what it means in Russian, but also that, in accordance with its meaning, we take an active part in everything that we confirm with the word amen. Otherwise, this word in our mouths will have no power. Blessed Theodoret says: “a commoner, after vocal prayers answering: Amen, is a participant in the reward of prayers, no less than the one who pronounces them in the assembly” (Interpretation on 2 Cor. 1:20). But this reward does not go to everyone: the one who listens to this or that prayer without proper attention and reverence deprives himself of it. Therefore, the custom of using amen in certain cases obliges us to attentive and reverent participation in everything that we confirm with the word amen. (Compiled from “Collection for lovers of spiritual reading” by Archpriest V. Nechaev, now Vissarion, Bishop of Kostroma) 8. Conversation on the word: “Alleluia” The word: alleluia is Hebrew. Translated into Russian it means: praise the Lord. This word appears repeatedly in the Psalter, sometimes at the beginning and together at the end of the same psalms (112, 113), sometimes either only at the beginning of the psalms (111), or only at the end of them (103, 104). Six psalms in a row (112–118), from 112 to 117, with the inscription alleluia, are known among the Jews under the name of the great alleluia. They were sung by Jews on holidays, especially on the holidays of Passover and Tabernacles. Of these, the first two were sung before the start of the Easter supper, and the rest at the end of it. Jesus Christ and the apostles, after celebrating the Jewish Passover and the Last Supper, sang and went out into the Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:30). What did they sing? Probably the same psalms with alleluia that the Jews were in the habit of singing after the Passover supper. Saint John the Theologian heard alleluia being sung in the heavenly church itself (Apoc. 19:1–6). Thus, the Hebrew word alleluia became part of the worship of the Christian church, already sanctified by the use of the Old Testament church, by the example of Jesus Christ Himself and His apostles and the inhabitants of heaven themselves, who resounded with the singing of alleluia to the ears of St. John the Theologian. In those cases when Alleluia is proclaimed three times, each of the persons of the Holy Trinity is glorified. The first alleluia is proclaimed to the glory of God the Father, the second to the glory of God the Son, and the third to the glory of the Holy Spirit. If the threefold alleluia is accompanied by the proclamation: glory to Thee, O God, then by this proclamation, which applies inseparably to all the persons of the Holy Trinity, their coexistence and the same Divine honor and glory due to all of them are confessed. How comforting it is for believers that, while singing Alleluia to God, they glorify Him with the same words with which the Old Testament believers, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and His Apostles glorified Him, and which Saint John the Theologian heard from the lips of the celestials themselves! But the point is not in the sounds alone, but in how we use them. Sounds beating the air without understanding are no better than the sounds of a bird accustomed to pronounce any words. Sing alleluia to God, but sing wisely. Those who sing must combine feeling with understanding, chanting and singing alleluia in the hearts of the Lord (Eph. 5:19). The hearts of those who sing or hear alleluia should be filled with the same feelings of reverence for the majesty of God and gratitude to the Lord for His immeasurable mercies, with which the psalms containing alleluia are imbued. The Savior showed majestic calm and devotion to God the Father before the onset of His suffering. After the Last Supper, He goes to Gethsemane; He knows that He is coming here to meet His enemies, and yet He comes singing alleluia and paschal psalms of praise. The martyrs did the same: not with complaints and grumbling, but with a song of praise to God, they met a painful and blasphemous death. Shouldn't we also bless and glorify the Lord with a song - alleluia, not only when He blesses us with happiness, but also when He visits us with sorrows and hardships and thereby tests our love for Him? The singing of alleluia, which the holy seer John heard from the lips of the celestial beings, was ecstatic; Because of our weakness, while we are surrounded by flesh, we cannot sing alleluia with the same pure thoughts and dispositions with which they sing; but we, too, must, secretly forming cherubim, put aside, as far as possible, all worldly cares in order to sing to God the thrice-holy hymn: alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Only with such a detachment of our hearts from everything earthly can we worthily glorify the Lord with the song: Alleluia, and with this praise please Him. (See “Collection for lovers of spiritual reading” by Archpriest V. Nechaev, now Vissarion, Bishop of Kostroma) In conclusion, we must note that the zealots of antiquity, unfamiliar with the Hebrew language and ignorant of the true antiquity of church services, deviated from the Orthodox in the singing of alleluia. Namely: instead of three, they sing Alleluia twice and add: Glory to Thee, O God. According to their interpretation, both alleluia and glory to Thee, O God, mean the same thing. And what’s more, they deviated - they stubbornly adhere to their delusion, agreeing to believe better in some inveterate ignoramus than in someone who is completely familiar with both the words and actions of liturgy. Such is the unfortunate property of us sinners: once we get confused, especially in the matter of belief, it’s over: pride, stubbornness, and especially the spirit of darkness will not be released into God’s light. Well, judge for yourself, brothers, with simple common sense. If you come across a Hebrew or Greek word, it makes no difference. Others have not studied either Hebrew or Greek and do not understand the words. Who should we turn to for an explanation? Is it not someone who knows the language and is able to give us the necessary explanation? Of course it is. And they ask for explanations not only from those who have never heard of Hebrew or Greek, but also from those who have poor understanding of their literacy. Whether this is reasonable, there is nothing to say. In general, brethren, take for yourself the following as an unchangeable rule: if you encounter any confusion when reading - in words, in thoughts, etc. Directly contact your spiritual father or the nearest priest for clarification. They know this matter better than some book-reader. Be quite sure that no one will refuse you the advice you need. Treat yourself with complete frankness - no one will tell you a word of lies. If he himself is perplexed, he will indicate where to read it. Be afraid to imitate the foolish zealots of old, brothers! It is human nature to make mistakes: no one can live without mistakes and without falling. To become rigid in error and evil is the property of the spirit of darkness and evil. (See On Church Services, Archpriest Bellustin, Part I, ed. p. 114). (Compiled according to source). The seer John writes: I heard a great voice of many people in heaven saying: Alleluia, salvation and glory and honor to our Lord... And the second decision: Alleluia... And the twenty and four elders and four living creatures fell, worshiping God who stood on the throne, saying: Amen, alleluia (Apoc. 19:1-4). The prophet Ezekiel saw a similar vision, and the four animals are called cherubim (Ezekiel 10:20). For this reason, the song: Alleluia, which means: praise the Lord, is called the song of the Cherubim and has always been revered as a solemn, majestic and one of the most sacred songs. Cherubim constitute, according to revelation, the second order between the orders of angels. They, as the highest spirits, closest to God after the seraphim, according to the seer, confirm and justify the praise of the other hosts of angels: amen, alleluia. Psalms of praise (104–106; 110–117; 134, 135; 145–150), which begin with praise and end with an exclamation of praise: hallelujah, were sung by the Jewish church on solemn occasions; for example, Psalms 113–117 were sung by the Jews while eating the Passover lamb; the final exclamation of psalms of praise - alleluia - was proclaimed by the entire crowd of people in chorus (Ps. 105:48). The Christian Church, in which the Lord has deigned to reveal so much of His glory and love, has been repeating the cherubic song of praise since the very times of the apostles, as can be seen from its placement in the Apocalypse. St. Gregory the Dvoeslov, speaking about its Christian use, writes (Lib. 7. Ep. 64) that it was originally introduced in the Jerusalem church, i.e. where for the first time they began to establish praises for the new church. Tertullian at the end of the 2nd century. I noticed about all believers that they combine praise with prayers - alleluia (De orat. p. 27). (See Historical overview of the hymns and hymns of the Greek Church, Philaret, Archbishop of Chernigov and Nizhyn, pp. 23–24). 9. Conversation on the words: “Lord, have mercy!” These are the words that we often hear in church, we repeat ourselves during morning and evening prayer, and we pronounce on many other occasions. This is the first prayer of each of us, for it is most easily imprinted on the weak memory of an infant. It is also the last prayer that a dying person says on his deathbed, leaving for another life. No matter what sad state a person is in: whether sin burdens the soul, whether sorrow tears apart the heart, or illness exhausts his body - in all these cases he calls out to his Creator: Lord, have mercy! What does it mean? This is the most natural cry of our soul wounded by sin, the truest expression of our spiritual weakness. If we had remained in our primitive state, in a state of innocence and bliss, we would have known neither dangers, nor misfortunes, nor illnesses, nor sorrows, then this appeal would not exist. A pure and immaculate soul would cry out to its Creator: Lord, glory to You! or together with the angels she sang one song to Him: Holy, Holy, Holy! And now?.. Can we, in our current state, be content with the angelic praise alone? In our current, sinful state, when we are surrounded on all sides by dangers both to our body and to our soul, it is impossible to better express the feelings of all humanity, which requires higher help, than with the words: Lord, have mercy! In vain, even on joyful occasions, we forget to say the same prayer. The Holy Church teaches us even when someone rejoices and gives thanks for the gift of God received, to cry out to God: Lord, have mercy! This is because she knows how easily we can lose and use the gifts of God for evil if the Lord does not have mercy on us. So the prayer: Lord, have mercy, reminds us of our sinful state: this is the cry of a sinful soul, repentant. But isn’t there consolation for us in that mournful cry? So! it contains faith in the existence of grace-filled pardon. For now we can say: Lord, have mercy! – we still have hope of salvation. Soul! Say this short prayer more often with faith and tenderness, never leave it, until your death: leave it only when you unite with the angels and sing with them to God: Alleluia. (Extracted in abbreviation from the book On Church Divine Services, Archpriest Bellustin). On repeating the same prayers Why are the same prayers repeated so often in church? Why do we repeat and speed up our breathing? – It is necessary: ​​it excites and supports our life. For the same reason, frequent prayers are needed, such as, for example, “Lord, have mercy”; it strikes at our sinfulness and evokes the consciousness of our constant guilt before God; hits our pride and evokes in the reflector a feeling of humility, which is the basis of Christian virtues. This short prayer is the most necessary for every sinner, as his food and drink, as his healing, as an antidote to pride and insensibility, as a lesson in humility! That is why prayers are often read in church: Holy God, Most Holy Trinity... They, however, also teach us to worship the Trinitarian Deity, from Whom our belly and breath and everything. A brief doxology: “glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” is used as our due tribute to God in the Trinity, whose glory is an inalienable attribute and property, for He is the God of glory, and all His works, all His creations preach His glory; How much more should man, created in the image and likeness of God, glorify Him for his own bliss! Many short doxologies are often used, in which the mercies, generosity and love of God, the power, the kingdom and the power of God that brings Him to life are glorified. These doxologies remind us that the kingdom of God to which we belong is the eternal kingdom of God, that, glorifying God in time, we will glorify Him in eternity, beginning here, and eternally continuing there to our own bliss. (From the Diary of Father John Sergiev of Kronstadt. Book “The Helmsman” for 1892, No. 36, p. 432). On the repetition of “Lord, have mercy” “Lord, have mercy” three times. To the prayer: To the Most Holy Trinity, for the expression of the greater honor of the Trinity and the most fervent prayer from us, is added: Lord, have mercy, three times. With these words we proclaim the Most Holy Trinity twice: when we say, Lord, have mercy, then we proclaim the Trinity, because the Trinity is one Lord, and when we pronounce the same words: Lord, have mercy, three times, then again we proclaim and beg for mercy on the Trinity. Then the prayer to the Most Holy Trinity and the words: Lord, have mercy, are concluded with the same doxology that was at the first prayer, i.e. reads: glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. “Lord, have mercy” twelve times. Previously, Lord, have mercy, was read in honor of the Trinity three times. But just as according to church rite, during the night, from evening to morning, twelve hours are counted, and during the day, from morning to evening, also twelve hours, now Lord, have mercy in the night, that is, at Compline and at the Midnight Office, is read twelve times - for twelve hours of the night, and also during the day, that is, at all daytime hours, it is also read twelve times - for twelve hours of the day. “Lord, have mercy,” repeated forty times. As at Compline, at the Midnight Office and at every hour, so at other prayers we often say: Lord, have mercy, forty times. Simeon of Thessalonica asks: “Why do we say forty times at every hour and in other successions, Lord, have mercy?” Then he himself answers: “Lord, have mercy is read forty times to sanctify the entire time of our life. For the tithe of a year, that is, three hundred and sixty-five days, is, as some say, forty, as Lent expresses it. And at other times in our prayers we read, Lord, have mercy forty times for the cleansing, every day and hour, of our unspoken sins.” In chapter 308, he explains why Lord, have mercy, and not something else, is read forty times: by reading Lord, have mercy forty times, we sacrifice to God the tithe of our days and hours and do this in all services, calling upon all people the mercy of God. For He alone can save us, who demand mercy for our sins; and we cannot be saved by anything other than the grace of God; and we ourselves are not able to appease Him, but we only glorify Him with our deeds, words and thoughts. Therefore, we are unworthy neither to thank, nor to glorify, nor to ask Him, but only to say one thing: Lord, have mercy, and to hope for the mercy of God. (See New Tablet). 10. Conversation on the words: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us” They rightly compare human life to a stormy sea. Just as there are often storms and bad weather at sea, so it is in human life. Swimming in the sea of ​​life, we are very often exposed to violent disturbances. There is not a single person who would be content and would not be burdened with any everyday adversities. One complains about illnesses and infirmities, the other complains about poverty and failures in everyday life, one bears a heavy cross of sorrows from his family, and this one from strangers; It’s hard for father and mother to tolerate the rudeness of headstrong children; It’s hard for a husband from the whims of a wayward wife, and how much grief another wife suffers from a cruel husband - there’s nothing to talk about. In a word, troubles and misfortunes haunt us everywhere. When we are born into the world, it is as if we are born just to endure grief and troubles. Troubles, according to the expression of the Apostle Paul, are ahead of us in rivers, troubles in cities, troubles in the desert, troubles in the sea, troubles in false brethren (2 Cor. 11:26). What should we do? Do we really despair of our everyday failures and lose heart? God forbid! We have a Defender from troubles and sorrows - our Lord Jesus Christ. “The sea of ​​life, as is sung in one church song, raised up in vain by the adversity of the storm, flowed to Thy quiet refuge, crying out to Thee: lift up my belly from aphids, O Omni-merciful One.” Therefore, we have nothing to fear from everyday worries: we have a strong Pilot - we just have to cry out to Him from the depths of our souls: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. This prayer is prescribed by the holy ascetic fathers for the constant, so to speak, every minute use of a Christian. It is short, but there is so much feeling and strength in it! Expressing the completely deep repentant feeling of the person praying, it, at the same time, testifies to his living faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as the Savior of sinners; it shows both the sinner’s grief over the loss of the inner peace of his soul, and the hope to again find peace and joy in God our Savior. There is no sin that God’s mercy cannot forgive; there is no misfortune from which the infinite goodness of the Lord cannot deliver; there is no sorrow that cannot be alleviated by the divine power of the Redeemer. Just cry out to everyone who is toiling and burdened: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, and you will soon feel relief from your sinful burden. a) One day, as the Gospel tells us (Luke 18:35–43), a blind man sits by the road and asks for alms, i.e. daily piece of bread, because the unfortunate man himself would have been glad, but he could not earn food for himself with his labors. He hears someone tell him that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. The inhabitants of Nazareth, an insignificant town in Galilee, were despised by the Jews; therefore the name "Nazarene" meant a despicable, low, outcast person. But the blind man does not share this opinion about Jesus, but, on the contrary, confesses Him as the Son of David, which means the same thing that the true Messiah is the Son of God, and cries out: have mercy on me. Apparently, the unfortunate man understood that his blindness was the will of God, apparently, he recognized some kind of guilt in himself that deserved such an illness - apparently, he realized that healing of blindness, impossible with people, is possible with God - so he cried out: have mercy on me. The loud request for help was not liked by those who accompanied Jesus Christ, and those walking in front forced the blind man to remain silent, but the blind man did not listen to anyone, because he was completely, with all his soul, with all his heart, with all his thoughts, occupied with the Savior, expecting mercy from Him, and began to cry out even louder: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. Such firm and living faith of the blind man sought mercy from the Savior. Behold: your faith has saved you, Jesus Christ told him. Such is the power of prayerful invocation of the sweetest name of Jesus Christ! Let us give a few more examples of the power and effectiveness of the sweetest name of Jesus Christ from the lives of the saints. b) This is what St. John the Long-Suffering tells about himself: “All my life I painfully struggled with carnal thoughts, and my life was cruel. Not knowing what to do, unable to endure the struggle with the flesh, I decided to live naked and put heavy chains on myself. Finally, I resorted to what I found useful. I dug a deep hole, and when the days of Great Lent came, I entered it and covered myself with earth with my own hands, so that only my hands and head were free. But even here the human enemy, the devil, did not leave me alone. One day I saw a terrible and fierce serpent who wanted to devour me, breathing fire, showering me with sparks. And he did this to me for many days to drive me away. When the night of the bright resurrection of Christ approached, that fierce serpent suddenly attacked me, so that my head and hands were already in its mouth, the hair on my head and beard was singed. From the throat of that serpent I cried out from the depths of my heart: “Lord God, my Savior! Why did you leave me? Have pity on me, Master! You are the only Lover of Mankind, save and have mercy on me, a sinner!..” And suddenly lightning flashed, and that fierce serpent disappeared from me, and after that and to this day I have not seen him. Then the Divine light, like the sun, shone on me, and I heard a voice saying to me: “John, here is help for you! The rest depends on you: watch yourself so that nothing worse happens to you, and you do not suffer in the next century.” I bowed and said: “Lord, why did you leave me in such evil torment?” And the answer was: “According to the strength of your patience, I brought temptation upon you, so that you would be purified through it, like gold in fire. The Lord does not allow adversity beyond the power of a person, so that he does not become exhausted, but, just as, lord, he entrusts heavy and great deeds to the strong and mighty slaves, while he plans small and easy ones for the weak and weak.” (Paterikon of Pechersk). c) Saint Palladius tells the following about himself and his companions: “when we walked through one place into the Nitrian mountain, we approached one large hole in which many crocodiles remained after the water left the fields; when we approached this hole, we saw that three crocodiles were lying on its edge; we thought they were dead, but they suddenly rushed at us. We cried out loudly: “Jesus Christ, help us!” - and immediately it was as if an angel stopped the crocodiles, and they rushed into the water” (Lavsaik). You see, Christians, what a powerful power calling on the sweetest name of Jesus Christ has! Call Me in the day of your sorrow, says the Lord to man through the mouth of the prophet David, and destroy you, and glorify Me (Ps. 49:15). No matter how strong the temptation, no matter how grave the disaster, do not forget that you are not alone: ​​the Lord is with you. And with the Lord God no disaster is scary. You are weak, it is true; but He is strong, and His power is made perfect in weakness. I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13), cried the Apostle Paul. Therefore, in every calamity or misfortune, lift your eyes to Christ and pray: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. But for this prayer to have power and meaning, it must be said from the depths of the heart, with living and firm faith in the Redeemer of the world and with the consciousness of one’s sinfulness and spiritual poverty. But we pray more only outwardly, we pray with our lips, and not with our hearts; therefore, there is nothing surprising if the Lord does not heed our requests, and in this case we need not to despair, but rather strengthen our prayer with undoubted faith that in due time the Lord will give good things to those who ask Him (Matthew 7:11). So, Christian, whether you want to alleviate sorrow or receive healing from mental and physical illnesses, in short, in all your activities, in all circumstances of life, cry out to the Savior: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. And since this prayer is very simple to learn, teach it to your little children - let them also say in their innocent childish babble: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me! (Compiled according to source). 11. Conversation about the Great Litany Today we will talk, brethren, about the great litany that you hear during all church services. What does the deacon invite us to pray about when he pronounces the great litany? “Let us pray to the Lord in peace” - these are the first words of this litany; what do these words mean? They mean that we should pray to the Lord in peace. With whom in the world? Firstly, at peace with ourselves. Then there is peace in ourselves, when our heart is not disturbed by any passions, by any unclean desires, when our mind is not distracted by any extraneous thoughts and worries, when we approach prayer with all attention. Secondly, the words: let us pray to the Lord in peace mean that we must also pray in peace with our neighbors. Peace with our neighbors is one of the necessary conditions for our prayer to be pleasing to God. The Lord told us: “When you stand in prayer, forgive if you have anything against anyone” (Mark 11:25). And in another place the Lord said: “If you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go first, make peace with your brother and then come and offer your gift.” This means, brothers, if someone goes to church to pray and makes any offering with anger and malice towards his neighbor, then he hopes in vain to receive any benefit from his prayer and his offering. This man is only deceiving himself and angering God. So the words: let us pray to the Lord in peace mean that we must pray to God in peace with ourselves, attentively, not distractedly, in peace with our neighbors. “Let us pray to the Lord for peace from above and for the salvation of our souls,” the deacon further says. “The world from above,” that is, the world descending from above, peace with God. This, according to St. Isidore Pelusiota, “inseparable union with God, so that we, being pacified by the Holy Spirit, may eternally and inseparably abide in the love of God.” This heavenly peace belongs to those who constantly remember God and constantly try to live according to God. This is such a blessed state of soul when a person treats everything around him with childlike simplicity, meekness, kindness and all-forgiving and all-encompassing love. Whoever will be involved in this heavenly world, according to St. Cyril of Alexandria, “demand no good,” i.e. he doesn’t need anything, he has everything, my brothers! Is it not because our prayer, both in church and at home, is boring and unsuccessful for us, because there is no peace in ourselves, not to say, peace from above - this is the lot of only God’s chosen saints, to which each of us should strive, and there is not even peace in the soul and peace with our neighbors, i.e. are there not yet the firstfruits of the world? “Let us pray to the Lord for the salvation of our souls.” The salvation of our soul is placed among our very first needs. That's how it should be. That is why we were born into this world, that is why we were baptized in the holy font, that is why we pray to God, fast, repent, receive communion, in a word - we sanctify ourselves with all grace-filled means in order to achieve the salvation of our souls. The salvation of our soul is so important that without it, even if we owned the whole world, we would have nothing. “What does it profit a man,” said the Lord, “if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). Everything in the world is temporary, but one soul is eternal. (See Kostroma Diocesan Gazette, 1888, No. 21). “Let us pray to the Lord for the peace of the whole world, the welfare of God’s holy churches and the unity of all.” The whole world, i.e. all humanity, all peoples (Mark 16:15. Matt. 28:19). So, we must pray for everyone in the world, not only our compatriots and tribesmen, but also those who are alien to us in our homeland and nationality, not only those of the same faith with us, but also those of different faiths and even infidels. We must remember that all people, despite these and other differences, come from one blood (Acts 17:26), therefore, all are children of one heavenly Father and are brothers among themselves, that the Lord provides for all nations, “without ceasing (even to those who do not lead Him) to testify of Himself with good deeds, giving them from heaven rains and fruitful times” (Acts 14:17), - which is the very redemption accomplished for all people, for the whole world, although not everyone has yet believed in the Redeemer: “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Accordingly, we must love all people, no matter what nation they belong to and no matter what faith they profess, and this love must be expressed in prayer for everyone without distinction, as St. ap. Paul: “I beg you, first of all, to make prayers, supplications, petitions, and thanksgivings for all people” (1 Tim. 2:1). What, according to the guidance of the litany, should we pray to God for, praying for all people, for the whole world? About the peace of the whole world. By peace here we mean, in contrast to the world above (which is spoken of in the previous proclamation), an external, earthly peaceful or prosperous state. It requires, and that nowhere should there be enmity, civil and international strife, pestilence, famine, earthquakes, fires, floods and other physical and social disasters that destroy peace or the calm enjoyment of earthly goods. But if we are commanded to pray for the whole world, for all humanity, then shouldn’t we pray with greater zeal for the holy Orthodox Church? If the well-being of all tribes and peoples is close to our hearts, then shouldn’t the good of our fellow Christians, who belong to the same true Church of Christ with us, be dearer to us? Thus, according to the instructions of the Apostle, we must do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the family of faith (Gal. 6:10). Therefore, the prayer for the peace of the whole world is followed by a petition for the welfare of God’s holy churches, i.e. private churches, separated by location, but part of the single universal Orthodox Church, such as the Greek, Russian, Georgian, Bulgarian, Serbian and others. What is needed for well-being, i.e. a calm and flourishing state, the holy churches of God? This or that church is in a calm, flourishing state, when its boundaries are not only not reduced, but are also expanded by the accession of unbelievers and people of other faiths to it - when it is in a beneficial alliance with the state and enjoys the patronage of the supreme power - when its sons maintain unshakable devotion to its teaching, its institutions, customs and rules - when it is not overwhelmed by heresies, schisms and other hostile her teachings and opinions and easily triumphs over them - when the believers belonging to her become more and more successful in the moral Christian life. Lord grant that this external and internal well-being may be the property of all God’s holy churches, that they may all enjoy the outer world and prosper in their inner well-being. In addition, for the well-being of private Orthodox churches, it is required that between them, as between members of the one universal church, lively communication is maintained - if not external, then at least communication of faith, love, prayers, and that misunderstandings and disagreements that sometimes arise between them end in peace. And about connecting everyone, i.e. about the unity of all people. What kind of unity of all people does the church teach us to pray for? About unity in Christ Jesus, through faith in Him. Jesus Christ Himself prayed for it to God the Father even before the onset of His suffering. “I pray not for them (the apostles) only, but also for those who believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one” (John 17:20,21). Faith in Jesus Christ does not destroy external divisions between believers - it does not require them to renounce their nationality, the advantages of social position, or wealth, but it brings them so close to each other that they are all one in Christ Jesus, they are all sons of God and brothers (Gal. 3:26, 28), so that among them there is neither Greek nor Jew, barbarian and Scythian, slave, free, but Christ is all and in all. ( Col. 3:11 ). This brotherhood, this unity of all in Christ Jesus turns to the common good of the Church of Christ even social and moral inequality between its members, because according to the spirit of spiritual brotherhood in Christ, the strong should bear the infirmities of the weak, the rich should serve the poor from their possessions, the masters should take care of the salvation of their servants, those who have excelled in reason and piety should guide and admonish their ignorant, erring and sin-resistant brothers, remembering that all are one in Christ Jesus. “For this holy church, and for those who enter it, let us pray to the Lord with faith, reverence and fear of God.” A church is called holy by the holiness or sacred significance of the actions performed in it, especially the sacraments, by the grace of its solemn consecration for these actions, by the special presence of God in it from the time of its consecration, revealed primarily in the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ. To pray for a holy church means to ask God to never depart from the church with His grace, to protect it from desecration by enemies of the Orthodox faith, from fires, earthquakes, thieves, and so that the means to maintain it in a flourishing state outside and inside do not become scarce. The prayer for the building of the church is combined with the prayer for those entering it, so that the Lord will look upon them with His grace, enlightening, sanctifying, comforting. But this grace is not available to everyone who enters the church, but only to those who enter it with faith in its holiness as a result of such faith, with reverence for it and the fear of God. How should this reverence and fear of God be expressed? In a prayerful mood of spirit, in putting aside worldly worries, in cleansing the heart from unpeaceful dispositions towards one’s neighbor - enmity, envy, etc. Those entering the church must remember that the place on which they set foot is the village of the King of glory, the God of purity, holiness and love, a place of fraternal communication of believers in prayers and sacraments: how can one not reverence such a place? “About the Holy Governing Synod, the local bishop, the honorable presbytery, the deaconry in Christ, about all the clergy and people.” Here is a prayer for all members of the church. The church consists of two categories of members: some belong to the hierarchy, others belong to the laity, people, or people (λαος). At the head of the hierarchy of the Greek-Russian Church is the Holy Synod, i.e. a permanent council of the highest members of the hierarchy, extending its power over the entire vast region of the Greek-Russian Church. In terms of power and significance, the Synod is equal to each of the four Eastern patriarchs, and therefore, following their example, it is called the most holy, i.e. most sanctified. Private areas of the Russian Church, called dioceses, are governed by bishops depending on the synod; Some of them are simply called bishops, others, either according to the seniority of the dioceses, or according to personal merit, are given the title of metropolitans and archbishops. Bishops with a synod constitute the highest level of hierarchy. They are followed, in order of hierarchy, by the class of presbyters (priests), called in the litany honest, i.e. venerable, presbytery. The lowest level of hierarchy is made up of deacons. They assist bishops and elders in performing the sacraments and other church services. In the litany they are called the diaconate in Christ. This name seems to suggest to them that, no matter how high their personal merits may be, they should not consider either their position or their title (deacon means minister) humiliating - they must remember that they serve as deacons in Christ, for the glory of Christ, for His sake. - About everything and people. The name clergy, clergy generally means people chosen to a special lot or inheritance for the Lord, like the Old Testament priests and Levites; it was sometimes applied to the entire clergy, as opposed to the laity, and sometimes to priests, deacons and lower servants of the church - subdeacons, readers and singers. Currently, clergymen - priest and deacon, together with readers and singers, or so-called clergymen, or the latter alone - are called clergy or clergy. In the litany under the name clergy, we are obviously talking only about clergymen, otherwise called clergymen, for priests and deacons have already been mentioned before this. Thus, we must pray to the Lord for the clergy, as persons necessary during the divine service. Grant, Lord, that they carefully fulfill their duties and, through clear, reverent reading and singing, arouse and maintain the spirit of reverence and prayer in those present in the church. – And people, that is. laymen. Grant, Lord, that they be in close spiritual communion with the hierarchy, value the legitimate shepherds of the church and, under their guidance, successfully work out their salvation. “About the most pious, autocratic, great sovereign, our emperor, his wife, heir and the entire reigning house, about the entire chamber and their army.” We need to pray for our Most Pious Sovereign, the Emperor of All Russia. The Holy Apostle Paul, commanding his disciple Timothy to pray for all people, primarily and first of all speaks about the king for whom he should pray, and this the apostle speaks about the kings of his time, who were pagans, persecutors of Christians. How much more, brethren, should we pray for our Most Pious Tsar, who, as the first devoted son of the Holy Orthodox Church, is also its first protector and patron? Serving as a king is not easy. As many as one hundred millions have been entrusted by God to His fatherly care, for the management of which the Lord will require an account from Him. It is not for nothing that there is no church service in which St. the church did not invite us to pray for our King. Praying for the Tsar, we must pray for His Spouse and for His Heir, as our future king, and for the entire Reigning House, so that our Royal family and royal rule never cease, for our fatherland experienced a lot of grief and troubles from internal and external enemies when, 250 years ago, our royal family, descended from St. Prince Vladimir, until a new family of kings from the house of Romanov, now reigning safely, ascended the throne. God forbid that these times of anarchy ever return in our fatherland. Following the prayer for the Tsar and for the entire Ruling House, there must be our fervent prayer for the entire “chamber,” i.e. about state dignitaries and rulers, as the closest servants and assistants of the Sovereign, and about all His army. We need to pray that state dignitaries, rulers and leaders will be conscientious and useful servants of the Sovereign; for no matter how good the Sovereign is, no matter how much he cares about the good of his subjects and the fatherland, if He does not have honest, diligent servants who love their fatherland, there will be no order in the state. We must also pray for the royal army: they shed their blood for our Orthodox faith, for the Tsar, our Father, and the safety of our dear fatherland; we need to pray that this army will be faithful to its duty and endure all the hardships of its service with patience and love. (See “Review of the used church prayers”, Archpriest V. Nechaev, now Vissarion, Bishop of Kostroma) Praying for the Tsar, leaders and army, the Holy Church adds the following prayer: “Let us pray to the Lord for help and subjugation under His nose of every enemy and adversary,” i.e. The church tells us to pray that God will help our Tsar to defeat every enemy and adversary, for all the enemies and opponents of the Tsar are enemies and opponents of our fatherland. The Sovereign and the Fatherland have two kinds of enemies and adversaries: internal and external. Internal enemies are those who make attempts on the life of the Tsar or secretly spread false and harmful thoughts about the Tsar and the government among gullible people and thereby undermine the peace and well-being of the state. External enemies are those who are outside our state and openly hostile against us or declare war on us. Internal enemies are more dangerous than external enemies. You can at least prepare against external enemies, but sometimes you don’t even suspect internal enemies, and sometimes you find them where you didn’t think you’d find them. But both those and others, causing unrest and unrest in the state, disrupt our quiet and serene life and thereby prevent us from living as St. ap. Paul, in all godliness and purity, and therefore hinder our salvation. Therefore St. Church and tells us to pray that the Lord will help the Tsar to conquer and defeat every enemy and adversary. (See Kostroma Diocesan Gazette No. 2, 1889) “About the reigning city, every city and country, and those who live in them by faith.” Wherever people live, whether in cities or far from them, in villages and villages (called by the common name of the country) - everywhere they need the mercy of God. Whoever does not live under the roof of the Most High will not find a peaceful and safe refuge anywhere, not only in unfortified villages, but also in cities surrounded by strongholds and guarded by numerous guards. For “if the Lord does not guard the city, the watchman does not sleep in vain” (Psalm 126:1). Therefore, we must pray to the Lord that He would cover both our cities and our villages with the shield of His mercy, and deliver them from devastating fires, floods, earthquakes, invasions of foreigners, etc. and to preserve from these disasters all those living in cities and villages with faith, i.e. Orthodox and pious urban and rural residents. And grant, Lord, that in our cities and villages the number of Orthodox inhabitants does not become scarce, Orthodox not only in name, but in life, firm in the Orthodox faith, zealous for the fulfillment of its instructions and regulations, and truly pious. Otherwise, woe to our cities and villages! The Lord threatened Israel: “If you do not listen to the voice of Jehovah your God, and if you do not try to keep all His commandments and statutes, then you will be cursed in the city and cursed in the field” (Deut. 28:15–16). And the Lord fulfilled this threat. In His wrath, He not only gave over to destruction and final desolation the wicked pagan cities of Babylon, Tire and Sidon and all the regions that depended on them, but He did not spare Jerusalem itself, the holy city, the repository of His shrines, for the wickedness of its inhabitants and gave over to devastation the entire country of Israel. A similar fate threatens every Christian city and country if wickedness and oblivion of God are established in them. In anger, the Lord does not spare His most holy things. “On the goodness of the air, the abundance of the fruits of the earth and times of peace.” Air is the greatest benefit for us and for all animals; You cannot breathe and live without air. But the air can also be harmful to our life when it is either too damp or too dry, when it is filled with deadly impurities, when pernicious winds rage, spreading death and destruction to all living things along their path. Lord, Lord of both life and death, do not bring us to experience disaster from such air that is harmful to us; turn away the danger from us - to drink poison into ourselves with every stream of air; Grant the air goodness and preserve the goodness in it, cleanse it from everything that can be harmful to our lives, so that we, breathing clean, fresh and healthy air, will constantly bless Your goodness. In addition to air, food is also needed to maintain life and health. The fruits of the earth serve as food for man. To pray to the Lord for an abundance of earthly fruits means to invoke His almighty blessing on our fields, gardens and orchards, for neither the labors of the farmer, nor the labors of the gardener and gardener can be successful without the blessing of God; fields, gardens and vegetable gardens, with the most careful cultivation, will either not produce fruit at all, or will produce meager and scanty fruit, if the Lord does not send timely rains and solar warmth to the earth. Equally, times of peace, i.e. prosperous circumstances in our private and public lives are a gift of God’s goodness. We all desire this gift, and therefore we must all ask God for it, with the hope of receiving what we ask according to the promise of Christ: ask and it will be given to you. “About the floating, traveling, the sick, the suffering, the captives and their salvation.” After asking for the benefits common to all believers, the holy church prays to the Lord for the private needs of believers who are in especially difficult circumstances. So, she prays for those floating on the waters - large rivers and seas, where, in addition to the ordinary difficulties and troubles associated with swimming, those floating can always be exposed to disasters, even drowning and death, from storms, pitfalls and other causes. Further, she prays for those traveling along the dry route, especially for a long time, where, in addition to needs and difficulties, one can always expect dangers from the unknown of the path, from air changes - storms, cold and bad weather, from predatory animals and from evil people - predators and robbers. Then, the church prays for those who are ill, i.e. For those who are obsessed with various diseases and suffer more or less severe suffering, especially for those who do not receive any medical help, he prays that the Lord will raise them from their sickbeds and strengthen their strength. After this, the church prays for those who suffer, i.e. for those who endure any sorrows and misfortunes, such as: extreme poverty, deprivation of blood relatives, orphanhood and loneliness, slander, disgrace, various insults and oppression, receiving, perhaps, no help from anyone, no consolation, no sympathy for their misfortunes - prays that the Lord will strengthen their strength to endure sorrows, grant them heart peace and consolation. Finally, the church prays for the captives, i.e. removed from their fatherland, in captivity on a foreign side, among hostile and hostile people, and therefore suffering various shortcomings and grief. Although prisoners are mostly captured in wartime, among uneducated peoples this often happens in peacetime. So, for example, Turks and other semi-savage peoples often kidnap Christians into captivity, force them to renounce the Christian faith and accept Mohammedanism, exhaust them with labor and inflict various insults on them. The Church prays to the Lord for them, so that He will soften the hearts of their captors and enslavers in their treatment of them and grant them the means to free themselves from captivity. Praying for all such our neighbors, we pray for their salvation, that is, both for their deliverance from temporary difficulties, sorrows and suffering, and for their eternal salvation, i.e. so that, with the help of God, they endure their labors, sorrows and misfortunes with complacency and devotion to the will of God, so that in their suffering they are not subjected to special temptations and falls, and through temporary difficulties and sorrows are aroused to care for the salvation of souls and get rid of eternal punishments. And it should be noted that the Lord, both in general by His mercy and, without a doubt, through the prayers of the Holy Church, often gives special help to people who are in difficult circumstances of life, for example, He saves from enemies, from drowning, from captivity and other things, sending, beyond expectation, deliverers and helpers. “May we be delivered from all sorrow, anger and need.” The Prophet Zephaniah, threatening the Jews for their wickedness with the destruction and devastation of their land, says that the day of this disaster is already close - “the day of wrath, the day of sorrow and need” (Zeph. 1:15). This threat also has force in relation to us, for because of our sins we are worthy of all sorrow, i.e. all kinds of torment are worthy of wrath, i.e. the wrath of God, righteously moved upon us, or punishment according to the law of God's justice (Rom. 4:15), are worthy of need, i.e. extreme, unbearable embarrassment and embitterment (Luke 21:25–26, 2 Cor. 6:4; 12:10). But the Lord, righteous in His wrath, is at the same time our merciful and long-suffering Father. Therefore, we ask Him to deliver us from all sorrow, anger and need, i.e. we ask Him to deliver us now from disasters, if any of us are already enduring them according to His will, and to deliver us from them in the future if He pleases to send them to us; We ask that He not be completely angry with us and, having punished us, return His favor to us. (See “Review of the use of church prayers,” Archpriest V. Nechaev, now Vissarion, Bishop of Kostroma). Having offered up prayer to the Lord God for all our highest and lowest needs, St. At the end of the great litany, the church puts the following prayer into the mouth of each of us: intercede, save, have mercy and preserve us, O God, by Your grace - the most important prayer, brethren! In it we ask the Lord for a good that is more precious than all good and on which all other good we have depends. This good is God's grace. What is the grace of God? In general, all the gifts of God to people are called the grace of God, such as: life, health, reason, freedom, contentment and in general external well-being and everything that we have that is good. We received all this from God as a gift, and not according to our merits - all this is God's grace. But in particular, the grace of God refers to those gifts of God that are given to us by God through the suffering of our Redeemer and Lord Jesus Christ in the sacraments, such as: our renewal, cleansing from sins and justification - in the sacraments of baptism, repentance and consecration of oil; the strengths and abilities required for a pious and Christian life on earth and a blessed life in heaven - in the sacraments of confirmation, communion and marriage. Every good deed we have done, every good thought, good feeling or desire - all this is God's grace. And our Orthodox faith, which we maintain, and even when we call Jesus Lord - all this is a gift of God’s grace. “You have nothing of your own,” says St. John Chrysostom, but received everything from God... You have because you received - not this or that, but everything that you have. All good actions are not yours, but from the grace of God. Will you point to faith? And it depended on the calling. For if (Christ) had not come and called us, how could we have believed?.. So faith is not ours, but the gift of God.” This is what the grace of God means, brothers! Just don’t think at the same time that we have nothing more to try when God gives us His grace, that God Himself alone will accomplish our salvation, without our labor. No, “God’s work is to plant and irrigate, but yours is to bear fruit,” says St. Cyril of Jerusalem; “God’s work is to bestow grace; and yours is to accept and preserve. You can accept grace from God, but accept it in vain, as St. Apostle Paul, or not to save it. We have all received the grace of God in the sacraments of baptism and confirmation; We constantly receive it in the sacraments of repentance and communion. But where are the fruits of that grace? This means that we either accepted grace in vain, or, due to our weakness, did not make the effort to preserve it. So, brethren, when you hear in church the words: “Intercede, save, have mercy and preserve us, O God, by Your grace,” pray together with the church so that the grace of God does not depart from us, interceding us from the enemy of our salvation, saving us from temporary and eternal troubles, merciful, i.e. covering our sins and untruths, and preserving our purity and integrity for eternal life. And it is not without intention that the Holy Church commands us to pray for the grace of God after we have prayed for everything that we and our neighbors need for this life and the future; for, as you have already seen, brethren, everything good that we have or do is a gift of the grace of God. Therefore, our prayer itself, and what we pray to God for and what we hope to receive from God - all this is the gift of God, God's grace. St. ap. Paul says that due to our weakness we do not even know what to pray for as we should, but the Holy Spirit Himself prays for us with unutterable groanings (Rom. 8:26). At the end of the great litany we hear the words: Having remembered our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary with all the saints (i.e., mentally calling for help), we will commit ourselves (ourselves), each other and our whole life (i.e., our whole life) to Christ God; and the singers respond to these words: To you, Lord (i.e., let us betray ourselves, and each other, and our whole life). Important and edifying lessons, brothers, are contained in these words! Firstly, we must remember that our sinful prayers in themselves and alone are not sufficient for the Lord to hear them, and therefore, sending our prayers to the Lord, we must ask St. saints of God and especially the intercession of the Mother of God, for “the prayer of the Mother can do much for the mercy of the Lord.” Secondly, when praying to the Lord for our needs, we should not demand that He certainly do according to our prayer, but we must humbly surrender ourselves to the will of God, allow Him Himself to do with us what He wants, for we ourselves often do not know what we need, useful or harmful, while the Lord knows all our needs before we began to live. The Great Litany ends with the exclamation of the priest: for (i.e. because) all glory, honor and worship is due to Thee, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages, to which the singers pronounce: Amen (i.e. truly). With this exclamation, the priest, praising the eternal kingdom of the Holy Trinity, expresses the idea that the Lord is able to fulfill all our requests, for everything depends on His power and strength. (See Kostroma Diocesan Gazette for 1889). Brethren! The petitions of the great litany, explained in this conversation with you, teach us how we should pray. So, Orthodox Christian, when you begin to pray, approach with humility. Remember that you have nothing of your own, that everything that you have that is good, you receive by the grace of God, and therefore pray mainly that the grace of God never departs from you. Do not boast about your prayer and do not be proud of it as your merit before God. She is your duty; When you pray to God, you talk with Him, you bring yourself closer to Him, but you bring yourself closer unworthily. Do not rely on your sinful prayer alone, but ask for intercession from St. saints and, most of all, the Mother of God, their prayer for you can sooner be heard by God. Do not be bold in prayer and do not demand that God do according to your prayer, do not complain and do not be discouraged when you see that God did not do for you according to your prayer, but submit to His holy and all-good will. Accompany your prayer with hope and firm faith that it is only in the power and strength of God to grant you what you ask for. Amen. (Compiled according to source). 12. Conversation about the litany of petition Now, with God’s help, let us begin to explain the litany of petition. It is called so because each petition in it is concluded with the words: “We ask the Lord,” and the clergy responds to each petition: grant, Lord! It begins with an invitation to believers to pray: let us fulfill it, i.e. Let us perform, offer our prayer (morning or evening) to the Lord, and turn to God with a request that He intercede, save and preserve us with His grace. Then follow 6 petitions: “Every day (or evening) we ask the Lord to be completely holy, peaceful and sinless,” i.e. Let us ask the Lord that He, by His grace, will help us spend the coming day (or evening), as a true Christian should spend it, namely: that during the day (or evening) we fulfill exactly, holy, Christian duties and rules, so that we do not have any enmity or troubles with our neighbors, but there is peace and harmony with them, and also that our spiritual world is not disturbed by anything especially; so that we do not encounter strong temptations and reasons for sin during the day (or evening), and we can spend the day (or evening) sinlessly. But since on our own, without the grace of God and the highest secret guidance, we cannot lead such a sinless life, then we (in the 2nd petition) ask the Lord for an angel of peace, a faithful mentor, guardian of our souls and bodies. A guardian angel was given to each of us at baptism, therefore we ask the Lord not for a new guardian angel, but we pray to Him that, by His mercy, our guardian angel would not depart from us for our intemperance and sins, but that he would maintain, so to speak, friendly, peaceful relations with us, continue to instruct us for good in all our deeds and words, that he would protect your souls from temptations from the enemies of our salvation - the flesh, the world and the devil, and also so that the angel of the Lord, with invisible protection and secret warnings, would protect our bodies from external dangers and damage: falls, bruises, attacks from harmful animals and people. “We ask the Lord for forgiveness and forgiveness of our sins and transgressions.” Since by our sins we remove from ourselves our guardian angel and the gracious help of God, we ask the Lord to forgive and forgive us our sins and transgressions, i.e. and more serious sins that we commit consciously and voluntarily, and ordinary errors that depend more on our natural damage and weakness, absent-mindedness and everyday temptations. “We ask the Lord for kindness and benefit to our souls and for peace.” In order for us to be able to comfortably lead a virtuous life, we need to have, in addition to the invisible secret guidance from the grace of God and the guardian angel, certain favorable living conditions. Therefore, we ask the Lord that He, in His all-good and all-wise providence, would send down to us what is useful for our souls and in the circumstances of our lives, for example, send us good spiritual shepherds and mentors, give us convenient means to learn the truths of faith and piety, raise children in the fear of God, teach them useful sciences, deliver us from the community of corrupt and free-thinking people, etc. Since our physical and spiritual life is strongly influenced by the peaceful or calm state of the state, we ask the Lord of peace to the whole world, to the entire universe, so that He would deliver all kingdoms and peoples from external wars and internal rebellions and so that, with widespread peace and tranquility, true faith and morality would more easily spread among people. “We ask the Lord to end the rest of our life in peace and repentance.” Having asked for a guardian angel, forgiveness of sins, everything truly useful for our soul, we ask that the Lord help us, with the mentioned means of salvation, spend the rest of our life in peace and repentance, i.e. so that, with freedom from strife and disorder in our lives, taking advantage of peace of mind, we can always take care of the soul, repent of all our sins, mourn our previous errors and misdeeds, and cleanse every sinful deed, word and thought with repentance; so that your heart does not become attached to earthly goods and pleasures and that you think more often about death and eternity. “The Christian death of our belly is painless, shameless, peaceful and we ask for a good answer at the terrible judgment of Christ.” The hour of our death is unknown to us; Also, the image and type of death is not the same for different people: some die quietly and peacefully, the death of others is sudden or accompanied by terrible suffering. On the other hand, who among us can boast that he has prepared himself for death as he should? Most of us seem to think about death very rarely. Therefore, we ask and must ask with special zeal from the Lord for the end of Christian life, i.e. so that He may grant us to die with true repentance for sins, with living faith in the merits of Christ our Savior and with hope in God’s mercy. We must ask for a painless death. Although death, as the separation of the soul from the body and the punishment for sin, must naturally be accompanied by suffering, and very few of God’s chosen ones were awarded a completely painless death, we ask and must ask that the Lord deliver us at death from a particularly cruel illness and severe suffering of the body, which so occupy and disturb the soul of a person that he is incapable of either true repentance, being unable to even remember many sins, or of saving faith and hope in God; We must ask that if God pleases to send us a serious illness, He would help us to have truly Christian feelings at our death. We ask, further, for a shameless death. Death is shameful before God and people when, for example, a person is executed with a shameful death for crimes, when he dies suddenly from drunkenness or from other causes depending on the person himself, especially when in despair he decides to commit suicide and deprives himself of the mercy of God and the prayers of the Holy Church, when he generally dies without repentance and without faith in the merits of Jesus Christ, and when a person’s salvation, except in some cases, is almost hopeless. We ask, finally, for a peaceful death, which pious people are awarded when they die without serious bodily illnesses, die with a peaceful conscience, without heavy worries about their relatives and other close persons, without attachment to earthly objects, die with the joyful consciousness that they served for the benefit of the church, the fatherland and their neighbors and see the good fruits of their labors. But no matter what end the Lord brings us to die, according to His wise will, for sometimes even pious people died in serious bodily illnesses, we must especially desire and ask that the Lord will grant us a shameless answer at the last terrible judgment of Christ, after which there will be no room for repentance, but either eternal bliss or hellish torment. After these petitions, the Church inspires us, as in the great litany, to surrender ourselves to the will of God, asking our Lady Theotokos and all the saints to intercede for us. (See Ryazan Diocesan Gazette 1883, No. 14). You see, brethren, how loving our mother, the holy church, is of children! She embraces with her attention and care all her children - living and dead, all their needs and wants - general and private, spiritual and physical, and she prays for everyone and everything to the merciful King of Heaven, asking for His great and rich mercy. Shouldn't we love and honor such a compassionate mother with special love and respect? Shouldn't we willingly and diligently fulfill all its statutes and instructions? Shouldn’t we try to visit the church of God as often as possible, participate in the holy prayers of the church and ask the Lord for all true blessings? And shouldn’t we lead a strictly Christian life in order to be worthy of God’s favor and a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ? Amen. (Compiled according to source). 13. Conversation about the small litany “Let us pray again and again in peace to the Lord. Intercede, save, have mercy and preserve us, O God, by Your grace. Having commemorated our most holy, most pure, most blessed, glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary with all the saints, let us commend ourselves, each other and our entire life to Christ our God.” When present in church during a divine service, we very often hear this prayerful offering to God, which is said on behalf of all the faithful present in the church by the deacon or the serving priest himself, if the service is performed without the participation of the deacon. Let us try to understand the meaning of this prayer offering to God, or this so-called small litany in church language. Let us pray again and again in peace to the Lord, i.e. let us pray to the Lord again and again in peace. These words contain a call to prayer and remind the believers standing in the church that they need to pray in the world, i.e. in love and good harmony with everyone. When approaching the Lord in prayer, we must certainly have peace with everyone: peace with God, i.e. right faith in Him and a clear conscience, peace and good agreement with others, i.e. love for everyone, not excluding even our enemies. Not only without right faith in God and a clear conscience, but also without love - good agreement with all our neighbors - we should not approach God with prayer. God will not accept our prayer if we do not have peace with all our neighbors; He will not forgive us our sins if we ourselves do not forgive other people their sins, i.e. insults and insults that they happened to inflict on us. Our Lord Jesus Christ directly and definitely said: if you forgive man their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: if you do not forgive man their sins, neither will your Father forgive you your sins (Matthew 6:14-15). In order for our prayer to be heard and our sacrifice to be pleasing to God, we must first make peace with those people who have something against us, with whom we have disagreement and enmity. If you bring your gift to the altar and remember that one, as if your brother has something for you: leave your gift before the altar and go first to humble yourself with your brother, and then come and bring your gift (Matthew 5:23-24), - this is the instruction of Jesus Christ Himself. So, with the words: “Let us pray to the Lord in peace,” the Holy Church, calling us to prayer, inspires us to pray, certainly having peace with everyone. Otherwise, our prayer will be completely in vain and useless. “Intercede, save, have mercy and preserve us, O God, by Your grace.” Grace, or what is the same, the saving power of God is absolutely necessary for us. On our own, we are weak, infirm, and without higher assistance, without God’s gracious help, we cannot do anything for our salvation. Only by the grace of God through living faith can we be saved and have mercy (Eph. 2:8). And not only for eternal salvation, but also for our temporary well-being and successful activity in ordinary activities, we constantly need God's help, without which we would work in vain (Ps. 127:1). Therefore, with the words: “intercede, save, have mercy and preserve us, O God, by Your grace,” we ask the Lord God to help us, to protect and preserve us from all the misfortunes and evils that can happen to us in this life, and especially to grant us eternal salvation and deliver us from the eternal torment that we deserve for our sins. We ask that the Lord do all this for us, not because we have the right to it, but solely by His grace, in the name of His love and mercy for us sinners. “Let us commemorate our most holy, most pure, most blessed, glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, together with all the saints, for ourselves, for each other, and for our whole life to Christ our God.” Here it is instilled in the faithful praying in the church that even after they have asked God in their prayers for various temporal and eternal blessings, they should not place all their hopes on their prayers, but would betray themselves and everyone for whom they prayed, and their whole lives to Christ God, i.e. would completely rely on His holy will. We often ask God in our prayers for our temporary blessings, for example, health, long life, abundance of earthly fruits and, in general, everything necessary for our peace and well-being in this life, we ask for deliverance from disasters and sorrows. But temporary blessings often serve to our detriment - they alienate us from God and do not leave us time to care about what is most important and necessary for us, namely the salvation of our souls. But deprivation and sorrow, on the contrary, often have the opposite effect on us. Therefore, when we bring prayers to God to grant us everything we need for a calm and happy life and for deliverance from sorrows and disasters, at the same time we must surrender our entire life to Christ our God, may His holy will be with us, for the Lord God knows our needs better than ourselves, knows what is more useful for us - happiness and joy, or disaster and sorrow. And if it pleases Him for our healing, for our own benefit, to visit us with sorrows, hardships and disasters, then so be it - let us surrender ourselves, each other and our whole life to Christ our God. Of course, it is hard to walk the path of hardship and sorrow, the narrow and thorny path! But let us remember the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, and all the saints who have pleased God from the ages. These are our helpers, intercessors and prayer books before God. Their help has never failed for us, and especially when it is required to walk the sorrowful and narrow path that leads to the stomach. They are together and an example for us. For they themselves walked this path, and their life was full of sorrows and hardships. So, having remembered our helpers and representatives - the Most Holy Theotokos and all the saints, let us surrender our entire life to Christ our God, and submit completely to the will of God. If God wants to give us blessings and happiness, let us accept it from His hand with gratitude and use these gifts of His goodness prudently; If God pleases to visit us with sorrows and hardships, let us endure these sorrows and hardships without grumbling, remembering that the Lord will not send us more temptations than we can be tempted. (Compiled from “Soulful Reflections”, published by the Athos Panteleimon Monastery, 1887, issue 4). 14. Conversation about the special litany The real conversation will be about the litany. This litany begins with the following words: “with all our hearts and with all our thoughts,” i.e. Let's say everything, with all our hearts and with all our thoughts. What shall we say? What is then sung in the choir, and what is contained in the following petitions. Let's say: Lord, have mercy; Let’s say: “Lord Almighty, God of our fathers, we pray, hear and have mercy. Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great mercy, we pray, hear and have mercy.” After the petition for our pardon, prayer requests for our neighbors follow. Among our neighbors, the Holy Church first of all prays for the Sovereign: “we also pray for our Most Pious Autocratic Great Sovereign, Emperor Nicholas Alexandrovich of All Russia, for power, victory, abiding, peace, health and salvation for him, and for the Lord our God most of all to hasten and help him in everything and to subdue under his nose every enemy and adversary.” So, brothers, we must pray “for the power” of the Sovereign, i.e. so that the Lord strengthens the royal power of our Sovereign - “about victory,” i.e. about the fact that He would make the Tsar victorious over all enemies - about “staying”, so that the Lord would extend the life and reign of our Sovereign, dear to us, - “about peace, health and his salvation”, so that he would bless our Tsar with peace, preserve his health and grant him the salvation of his soul. And with the words: “And the Lord our God must hasten and help him in all things and subdue under his nose every enemy and adversary” - we pray that the Lord most especially, i.e. in particular, he helped our Tsar in all his affairs and enterprises and conquered to him all the enemies and adversaries who interfere with the good intentions of the Sovereign. Next follow petitions for the Sovereign’s wife, His heir and for the entire reigning house; then follow petitions for the Holy Synod, the diocesan Eminence, as our common father and prayer book in his diocese, and for all our brethren in Christ. All members of the clergy who are in the Orthodox Church are called brethren in Christ, i.e. all priests, and deacons, and clerics, because they are all dedicated to the service of Christ the Savior and because of this service they constitute one brotherhood in Christ. “We also pray for all Their Christ-loving army.” The Christ-loving army here means all Orthodox soldiers in Russia. Christ-loving, i.e. The army is called loving Christ because, lovingly serving the king of the earth, it at the same time lovingly serves the King of heaven - Christ, protecting the earthly king and the kingdom from enemies, and at the same time defending the Church of Christ, or, as we usually put it, “fighting for the faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland.” “We also pray for our brothers, priests, priests and all our brotherhood in Christ.” In this petition, the church invites us to pray for the parish clergy to whose parish the parishioners belong, whatever the clergy - white or monastic. “We also pray for the blessed ever-memorable most holy Orthodox patriarchs, for the pious kings, pious queens, and the creators of this holy church, and for all the previously deceased fathers and brothers who lie here, and Orthodox Christians everywhere.” In this petition we pray for our dead - and first of all for the most holy Orthodox patriarchs who ruled the Orthodox Church, then for the Orthodox kings and queens, and for the creators of this holy church, i.e. about those who built this church, as well as about those who, with their feasible labors and offerings, helped the construction of this church. In another litany, the creators of the holy church are called “blessed and ever-memorable,” i.e. worthy for their descendants to please them and always remember them, because the creation of churches of God is the most holy and pleasing work to God, and for their work the church builders are fully worthy of parishioners praying at every service for the repose of their souls in the heavenly church of God together with the righteous. After the church builders comes a prayer for all deceased Orthodox Christians: fathers, i.e. about our ancestors, brothers, i.e. about all our contemporaries and peers who have died in our memory. As you can see, brethren, the Holy Church does not forget any of the deceased in its prayers. Tens, hundreds and, perhaps, thousands of years will pass, the memory of us will long ago be erased among people, and the holy church will forever remember us and pray for us, until the very second coming of Christ. Isn’t it true, how comforting that is! “We also pray for those who are fruitful and virtuous in this holy and all-honorable church, for those who work, sing and stand before us, expecting great and rich mercies from You.” “Fruit-bearing and virtuous” are called all those who care about the splendor of the church of God and sacrifice money or the fruits of the earth for this; “those who work” in the holy church are those who correct any work for the church of God, guard and protect the church and monitor the cleanliness of the church, for example, church guards. “Singing” refers not only to the singers singing in the choir, but also to all parishioners who help with singing and reading during services. “The upcoming people” in the church are all Christians who pray in the church of God, waiting and asking God for mercy. So that the Lord hears all our petitions, the priest, as an intercessor for us before God, during the saying of this litany, in secret prayer asks the Lord to accept these prayers from His servants and send down His rich mercy to everyone praying in this church, and to all the people mentioned in the petitions, and after all the petitions said in the litany, he ends his prayer out loud with the following exclamation: “for God art thou merciful and lover of mankind.”..., i.e. That is why we pray to You, Lord, for all our needs, because we know that You are a merciful and humane God, and to You, therefore, “we send glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.” "Amen", i.e. “true,” they answer in the choir. (See “Kostroma Diocesan Gazette” for 1889, No. 10). As you can see, brethren, the litany, which I explained to you in this conversation, for an attentive person, even without a sermon, is an intelligible sermon about mutual fraternal prayer for each other, fraternal love for each other, which even death is not able to stop. You see how the all-encompassing maternal love of the Holy Church for everyone is reflected in the explained petitions of the special litany. Oh, that we, according to the leadership of the church, would love each other as brotherly and pray for each other, as the Holy Church instills in us in its prayers! Amen. (Compiled according to source).