The Apostle Paul, explaining the dignity of prayer, says: I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the mind (1 Cor. 14:15). He Himself (i.e., the Savior), in the days of His flesh, with strong crying and tears, offered prayers and supplications (Heb. 5:1). And since you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father! (Gal.4:6). Through Him we will offer sacrifices and praises, that is, the fruit of lips that glorify His Name (Heb. 13:15). Because one believes with the heart, leading to justification, and confessing with the mouth, leading to salvation (Rom. 10:10). Always make your requests known to God by prayer and supplication, with gratitude, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ. (Phil.4:6-8).
What a high, holy dignity of prayer! What an omnipotent power! But the same Apostle says that: one dry, inanimate Letter kills, but the Spirit gives life! (2 Cor. 3:6): this means that praying through only oral prayers, mechanically memorized from childhood, and pronounced without the participation of the mind and understanding of their exact meaning, and therefore without warming the heart with them and without drawing the soul to the mental Throne of God, is not only useless and leads to a well-deserved reproach: These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me (Mark 7:6); but it is also criminal, and exposes the one praying in this way to terrible condemnation: Cursed be everyone who does the work of God with negligence! (Jer. 48:10).
Scripture (Sacred) is inspired by God, continues the Apostle, and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness, so that a person may be complete and equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17); and adds, in another place, that there is no bond to the word of God (2 Tim. 2:10); but since one who does not understand the meaning of the words of the teaching is in relation to him as if he were a stranger, then in disgust of this: you too, zealously desiring spiritual gifts, try to be enriched by them for the edification of others (members of Christ's Church). Therefore, you who speak in an unknown tongue, pray and interpret! I would rather say five words with my mind, so as to instruct others, than ten thousand words in an unknown language! (1 Cor. 14:11–14, 19). This can be applied to the situation of the majority of those who pray closed prayers, in relation to the meaning of which they become strangers.
The lack of knowledge of the Slavic language, in which all the prayers are set out, the lack of interpretations of them in a common language, and the scattering of these latter in modern publications, inaccessible to the majority of Orthodox Christians, still leaves many of them in the impossibility of applying to themselves the conviction of the same Supreme Apostle that: The Word of God is living and active, and the edge of a two-edged sword: it penetrates to the division of soul and spirit, the compositions and brains - and judges the feelings and thoughts of the heart (Heb. 4:12).
To somewhat fill this gap and to serve those who need it, we decided to compile a collection of the most important prayers, with their Slavic text, Russian translation and explanation; deliberately adhering in the latter to frequent references to the Gospel, the Apostolic Acts and the Epistles, in view of the fact that by frequent reference to these references, in the totality of their general meaning with everything preceding and following, inquisitive readers will perhaps be convinced that: God, the Father of Glory, will enlighten the eyes of our hearts, so that we may know what is the hope of His calling, and how rich is His glorious inheritance, and how excellent is the greatness of His power in us! (Eph.1:17).
The word Creed means the entire essence of the confession of faith, or those most important foundations on which it is built and strengthened. This is not actually a prayer, but only a statement of the doctrine of what, of course, every Orthodox Christian should believe. This is his sacred oath before God and the Church, and a solemn oath before himself: not to change until the end of his life what is set out in this Creed. And just as the cross is the Symbol of our salvation, so all the points (or members) of this teaching, which came from the Apostles and with precise definition, set forth by the Ecumenical Councils, are the Symbol of our Holy Orthodox Faith.
The time and circumstances of the composition of this Symbol were as follows: The Apostles, upon receiving the Holy Spirit, did not immediately leave Jerusalem, but remained in it for a long time (as can be seen from the book of their deeds). Enlightened by the mind of the Spirit of God, they saw that the hopes of the ascended Savior were now placed on them, and that having received birth from the Spirit, they, as the firstborn of Christ, must first shed the light of His truths in Jerusalem, and then carry the words of the eternal life to the whole earth, even to the end of the universe! And therefore, after the murder of Archdeacon Stephen, when the outbreak of persecution of Christians forced many of the believers to flee from Jerusalem, the Apostles, as faithful guardians of the house of the Lord, fearlessly remained here, working to save the tribes of Israel.
But when this persecution, which lasted for several years, finally reached the point of frenzy, in the heat of which King Herod beheaded James, the brother of God, imprisoned Peter, and wanted to put him to death as well, then the Apostles, with the blessing of the Mother of God, decided to leave Jerusalem for a while and decided to cast lots among themselves as to who should go in which direction to preach the Gospel. Before this was accomplished, they, guided by the Holy Spirit, composed a Creed, as if a condition among themselves, so that they could preach the same thing to everyone and everyone everywhere, and through this they would harmoniously instill the faith of Christ.
After this Apostolic Council, where this Holy Dogma had its origin, it was subsequently, according to the Apostolic teaching, solemnly expounded and supplemented at the first two Ecumenical Councils, which the Christian Church, from the very first times of its existence, gathered on special occasions, both to expose false teachers and to resolve doubts and affirm piety. They were called Ecumenical because the gathering of Christian Pastors and teachers of the Church at them was, if possible, from the entire universe, and that their definitions, as sealed for believers by the All-edifying Spirit of God, are customarily observed sacredly and unchangeably in the Christian Church throughout the universe.
The Creed is divided into 12 members, which - to know firmly by heart, to fully understand their meaning, and to pronounce them with sense and attention, morning and evening - is the duty of every Orthodox Christian. This is instilled in us by the Holy Church, according to whose regulations the Symbol of Faith is read in daily services: both at the Midnight Office, that is, immediately upon awakening from sleep, and at Compline, that is, going to sleep. By this she, as it were, commands Christians that each of them must begin and end his day by strictly checking himself: have he preserved, in all purity and completeness, these Holy foundations of his Holy Faith?
Here is the presentation and meaning of this great Symbol:
1st member. I believe in One God, Father, Almighty. Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible.
The meaning of this is that remembering the words of the Savior who said Ap. Thomas: Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe! (John 20:29), every Orthodox Christian seems to say in his soul: I immutably believe and confess, although I have not seen God with my bodily eyes, that He exists, and that this Supreme Being, being inseparably One, contains three persons; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit! That He controls everything in the world, contains everything in His will and power, and that everything that is visible to me, that is, everything living on earth and above the earth, and everything invisible that is in the earth, in the water and in the air - everything was created by Him.
2nd member. And in the One Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten, Who was born of the Father before all ages, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, uncreated, Consubstantial with the Father, and by Him all things were.
The meaning here is the following: remembering the words of the Savior spoken to the disciples, I and the Father are one! (John 8:29), as well as the reproach addressed by Him to Ap. To Philip: He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? (John 14:9-10), - every Orthodox Christian should say in his soul this: I believe that this Son of God, the Image and glory of God the Father, the indivisible Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity and the One Lord, is Jesus Christ! He alone in the whole world was born, that is, He came from the Being of God, and He was born by Him (that is, He existed) before all ages, in beginningless eternity, when there was no reckoning of time and nothing in the world - visible and invisible, which He Himself attests to, telling His disciples: that the Father loved Him before the foundation of the world (John 18:24). Just as Light comes from Light, so He, as the True God, came from the Father, the True God! And that He, although He was born of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, but constituting with Them one unmerged and indivisible Person of the Divine Trinity, was born in an incomprehensible way according to the will of the Eternal Wisdom - but was not created like other people!
Therefore, being God the Son and containing within Himself God the Father and God the Holy. Spirit (which the Savior Himself also confirms when speaking to the disciples about the Holy Spirit. He will glorify Me, because He will take from Mine, and will proclaim to you John 16:14) - He, as Consubstantial with the Father, is God, by Whom all things were created and by Him all things exist!
3rd member. For our sake, man and our salvation, who came down from Heaven, and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit, and the Virgin Mary, and became human.
The meaning of this is this: remembering the promises of God to the fallen ancestors and the Old Testament Righteous Ones; remembering the prophetic tales that for many hundreds of years announced to the universe about the descent of the Son of God onto earth; finally, remembering the words of the Savior Himself, who said: I am the living bread that came down from Heaven: whoever eats this bread will live forever; The bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world! (John 6:51) - every Orthodox Christian must say this: I believe and acknowledge with all my heart that the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, in order to save us from eternal condemnation and death for the sins of our forefathers and our own, came down from heaven; and in order to become visible to people, as the invisible God, He became incarnate, receiving a body from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, from Whom He was born a true man, without ceasing at the same time to be the True God Almighty, which He Himself confirmed in a conversation with Nicodemus, saying: No one ascended into Heaven except the Son of man who came down from Heaven, who is in Heaven! (John 3:13).
4th member. She was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried.
The meaning of this is this: remembering the following words, the same conversation of the Savior with Nicodemus, where He said: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life... For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him (John 3:14, 15 17), every Orthodox Christian must repeat in his soul: I believe and confess that the Lord Jesus Christ, who did not have a single sin on Himself, voluntarily offered Himself as a propitiatory sacrifice to the Justice of God for our sins; was crucified under Pontic Pilate (the governor of the Roman Emperor in Judea); He suffered doubly, both in body and spirit, for the blindness and hardness of human hearts, and finally, having fallen asleep in human flesh, he was buried.
5th member. And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.
The meaning of this is this: that, in addition to the ancient prophecies, so faithfully justified by Christ throughout His entire life, and so clearly depicting His suffering, death and resurrection, we also remember His own words spoken to the Apostles at their last entry into Jerusalem: Behold, We are ascending into Jerusalem, and everything written by the Prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. For they will hand Him over to the pagans, and they will mock Him, and spit on Him, and they will beat Him, and they will kill Him; and on the third day he will rise again (Luke 18:31-34), - every Orthodox Christian must say in the depths of his soul: I believe and confess with all my heart that the Lord Jesus Christ, being buried in the bowels of the earth, in a cave closed with a huge stone, sealed with the seals of the High Priests and guarded by their guards, - on the third day he rose from the dead, by the power of His Divinity, and thereby again justified that, what was said about Him in the prophetic writings and predicted by Himself.
6th member. And ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.
The meaning of this is this: that, remembering the words of the Savior spoken by Him in the Capernaum synagogue to the disciples who grumbled against Him: Is this tempting you? What if you see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? (John 6:62), and then, those words with which He answered the High Priests who judged Him, to the question: “Is He the Son of the Blessed One?” I; and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power of God, and coming on the clouds of heaven! (Mark 14:62) - every Orthodox Christian should exclaim with all his soul along with the Ap. Paul: I believe and confess that the Lord Jesus Christ, being the Radiance of glory and the Image of the being of God, upholding everything with His powerful word, having cleansed our sins with the sacrifice of the cross, ascended in the flesh into heaven and sat down as an equal with God the Father, at the right hand of His Majesty (Heb. 1:3), without leaving the earth at the same time, like the Omnipresent God!
7th member. And again the future will be judged with glory by the living and the dead. His Kingdom will have no end.
The meaning here is this: remembering the prophecy of the Prophet Enoch about the Last Judgment: Behold, the Lord comes with thousands of His Saints (Angels) to execute judgment on everyone! (Jude 1:14–15); and then the message of the Apostle Peter, who said that: The present heavens and earth are contained by the same word and are reserved for fire for the day of judgment and destruction of wicked men! (2 Peter 3:7) and, finally, the words of the Savior Himself, who spoke to the Disciples about the day of Judgment: When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the Holy Angels with Him: then He will sit on the throne of His glory; and all nations will be gathered before Him; and he will separate them from each other as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left (Matthew 25:31-34); as well as the sayings of Him, the Divine King and Teacher, about His Kingdom: and they will come from the East, and the West, and the North, and the South; and they will recline in the Kingdom of God (Luke 13:29), and His answer to Pilate: My kingdom is not of this world! (John 17:36), - every Orthodox Christian, crying out like the psalmist David: You, Lord, founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
They will perish, but You remain; and they will all wear out like a robe, and like a garment, You will roll them up and change: but You are the same, and Your years will not end (Ps. 101:26, 27, 28) - I must say with reverent fear and undoubted hope: I believe and confess that the Lord Jesus Christ, who ascended in the flesh into heaven, will come again to earth, with glory and the greatness of God, in order to judge the living and the dead, and, having rewarded each of them according to his deeds, he will reign with those who have pleased Him endlessly!
8th member. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, who is worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son, who spoke the Prophets.
The meaning here is this: that, recalling the Jordanian statement of the Forerunner about Christ: I did not know Him; but he who sent me to baptize in water said to me: On whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, He is the one who is baptized with the Holy Spirit! (John 1:33); remembering the words of the Savior Himself about the Holy Spirit to Nicodemus: The Spirit gives life!.. And unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God (John 6:63; 3:5), and, finally, remembering His comforting promises spoken to the disciples: the Comforter, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father: then He will testify of Me (John 15:26)… And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him, but you know Him: for He abides with you and will abide in you. I will not leave you orphans; I'll come to you. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything. (John 14:16-18, 26) When He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak from Himself, but He will speak whatever He hears, and He will tell you the future!
(John 16:13) - every Orthodox Christian must exclaim with all his soul: I believe and confess in God the Holy Spirit as the true Lord, who gives life to the whole world; emanating from God the Father and abiding eternally and inseparably with Him and God the Son; and therefore equally revered, glorified and worshiped with Them! I believe that He is the all-edifying Spirit of truth, Who inspired the Holy Prophets with great mysteries of insight into the future and through their lips glorified God’s wondrous economy for us!
9th member. Into One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
The meaning here is this: reverence for the words of the Savior spoken by Ap. Peter: I will create My Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it! (Matthew 16:18), just as before those instructions to the disciples, in which He presented His Church, that is, the community of believers, as the highest and impartial earthly court, saying: and if he does not listen to the Church (your brother who has sinned), then let him be to you like a pagan and a tax collector (i.e., excommunicated and cast out from the society of believers. Matthew 18:15-18); remembering the authority that He, as God, granted to the priests in this Church, saying: Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 18:18-19); remembering His fatherly love for this Church and pastoral care for it, which He showed in appeals to the Heavenly Father: Holy Father! Keep them in Your Name, those whom You have given Me, so that they may be one, as We are (John 17:11). Just as You sent Me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And for them I consecrate Myself, so that they too may be sanctified by the truth.
I pray not only for them, but also for all who believe in Me according to their word: that they may be one: just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, so that they also may be one in Us (John 17:18-20); and then, remembering those sweet and immutable promises of Him about the great future of this Church, when He, as the Divine Shepherd, will finally gather the scattered sheep under the canopy of His gracious Gospel and they will hear His voice, and there will be one flock and one Shepherd! (John 10:17): remembering all this and exclaiming along with the Psalmist: You are a Priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek! (Ps. 109:4), and with Ap. Paul: The Father of glory put everything under the feet of His Christ and placed Him above all else, the head of the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything with everything! (Eph. 1:22) - every Orthodox Christian must say from the depths of his soul: I believe with all my heart and confess that the Church of God, the head and cornerstone of which is Christ, is the true Church and the only true one, just as there is one true faith in Jesus Christ! That this Church is Holy, just as Holy is the teaching about Christ and Holy are the Sacraments performed by it following the example and in memory of Christ!
That this Church is a Catholic Church, under the shadow of which all the sheep of Christ’s flock from the entire universe must finally gather, and that it is Apostolic, that is, it has not lost the grace of the Holy Spirit and those divine truths that were laid at its foundation by Christ Himself and His Holy Apostles.
10th member. I confess one Baptism for the remission of sins.
The meaning of this is this: remembering the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! I baptize you with water for repentance; but he who comes after me is stronger than I, I am not worthy to carry His boots. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. The spade is in His hand: and He will winnow the grain from His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn, and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire! (Matthew 3:2, 11–12; Luke 3:9, 16–18); remembering the words of the farewell blessing of the Savior Himself before His ascension: Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you to the end of the age. Amen (Matt. 28:19–20). Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, and whoever does not believe will be condemned! (Mark 16:16), as well as His above words to Nicodemus and the words of Ap. Paul: All of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ! (Gal.3:27) - every Orthodox Christian must say with all his soul: I believe and confess in that one Baptism, which, as the gracious gift of Christ, having washed my body with water and the Spirit from the sins of my fallen ancestors, reborn me into rebirth, i.e.
into new life, clothed me in Christ, that is, made Him the son and heir of eternal life!
11th member. Tea of the resurrection of the dead.
The meaning of this is this: remembering the words of the Savior spoken to the Sadducees: And that the dead are raised, and Moses showed, speaking about the bush, when he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living! (Luke 20:37.); or the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and hearing they will live. (John 5:25); or the words He spoke to Martha (Lazarus’s sister): I am the resurrection and the life; He who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live! (John 11:25), and finally, he who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life: and I will raise him up on the last day! (John 6:54) - every Orthodox Christian must say from the fullness of his heart: I believe and confess that on the day of Christ’s second coming to earth, according to His will, all those who have died since the beginning of the world will be resurrected, and will appear before Him for His Last Judgment.
12th member. And the life of the next century. Amen.
The meaning of this is as follows: remembering the teachings of Ap. Paul, saying: And just as we bore (during life) the image of the earthly, we will also bear the image of the Heavenly (i.e., Christ); but I will say that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, and the physical does not inherit incorruptibility. I tell you a secret: we will not all die, but we will all be changed, suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise incorruptible, and we will be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruptibility, and this mortal must put on immortality! (Cor. 15:49–53); remembering the words of the Savior Himself, when He, in explaining the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, mentioning the torment of the first and the bliss of the second, said in the person of Abraham to the rich man: Remember that you prospered in your life, and Lazarus was in poverty, now he is comforted here, and you suffer (Luke 16:25); or, describing the bliss of the righteous, He cried: Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34). Then the Righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father!
(Matthew 13:43): remembering all this, every Orthodox Christian must say with full faith and conviction: I believe and confess that for those who love God and fulfill His commandments, after their resurrection and judgment, there will come a life of eternal bliss, so great and inexplicable that the human mind cannot imagine it! I believe that everything said here (in the Symbol) is True!
Of the external or outward actions that accompany every Orthodox prayer, there is the main thing: the Sign of the Cross. Since the time of the Apostles, it has served as a visible sign that a Christian, beginning through prayer, his spiritual conversation with God, dares to do this not on his own behalf, or personal merit, but only in the name of the One who, having dissolved the handwriting of human sins on the Cross (Col. 2:13-14) and opening the doors of heaven to the world, bequeathed to his disciples: whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you! (John 16:23).
According to the statutes of the Holy Church, the performance of this sign of the cross should be as follows: the right (or right) hand is assigned for it, as usually signifying strength, honor and preference (based on the instructions of the Holy Scriptures, saying: Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father (Luke 22:69) Sit at My right hand (Ps. 109:1) “He will set the righteous at His right hand" (Matthew 25:31-34), etc. The first three fingers of this hand (thumb, index and middle) should be joined at the ends together, in commemoration of the union of the Divine persons of the Holy Trinity; and the last two fingers (the fourth and little fingers) are folded together and pressed to the palm, in an image of the dual nature of the God-man, who constantly remained in the incarnation, both perfect man and omnipotent. By God.
This arrangement of the fingers of the hand to apply the sign of the cross on oneself should be considered true and pleasing to God, because all the ancient Saints and Righteous Ones, who shone with the incorruptibility of their relics, used it in their prayers and with it, as a symbolic banner of immutable faith, they opened the gates of the Kingdom of God and were rewarded with eternal bliss.
With fingers folded in this way, the Orthodox must make the sign of the Cross on himself in the following places of the body and with the following meaning: raising his hand to his forehead, as the seat of the mind, he signifies by this that, recognizing and loving God with all his mind, he undertakes to primarily turn all his thoughts to Him! At the same time, he pronounces the words “the name of the Father—by whose wisdom everything was created and everything is contained!” Then moving his hand to his chest, like the center of the human body, where the main engine of life beats - the heart, he signifies by this that, loving God with all his heart, he reverently devotes all his feelings and desires to Him! At the same time, he pronounces the words of the Son, out of mercy and love for mankind, Who took away all the sins of the world on the cross! And finally, placing his hand on his right and left shoulders, as an instrument of a person’s physical strength and strength, he signifies by this that he is putting to the service of God not only all the powers of the soul and mind, but also all the organs of his bodily activity! At the same time, he pronounces the words of the Holy Spirit.
Amen, calling on His almighty power to consecrate these shoulders for the firm bearing of the earthly cross on them, in fulfillment of the words of the Savior; whoever wants to follow Me, deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me! (Matt. 16:24).
Great is the power of the sign of this cross! - says St. Nile the Companion, - when it overshadows the heart, forehead, etc. parts, then all the enemy’s power is destroyed, and the evil demons run away from us with trepidation! (book 3. letter 378) And if the Holy Scripture, pointing to the victories won in the Old Testament Church by the saving image of the cross, mentions that by its image in the outstretched hands of Moses the destroyer Amalek was defeated and by its mysterious power, through the image by the hands of Joshua, even the sun itself was stopped, for the final destruction of the enemies: then how much should the power of this saving banner after its consecration by the atoning blood of the Son of God, who destroyed enmity with His flesh, abolishing the law of commandments and decree, in order to create in Himself one new man out of two, establishing peace, and in one body to reconcile both with God by the cross, killing enmity on it! (Eph. 2:14–17). And therefore the Apostle adds that even one Word about the cross, for us - those who are being saved - is the power of God! (Cor.1:18).
And that is why he will not boast of anything else, except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world! (Gal.6:18).
The Orthodox Church points us to the sign of the cross as a weapon against demons, expressing the full power of the cross in the words of the prayer given to us in honor of it: as smoke disappears, let them disappear, as wax melts in the face of fire, so let demons perish on behalf of those who love God and are marked by the sign of the cross, etc.
Following the overshadowing of himself with the sign of the Cross of the Lord, the Orthodox must make a reverent bow to God, expressing that his body, created by the will of the Life-Giver and existing by His mercy, must also gratefully serve its Provider.
These bows are divided into small, or waist, and great, or earthly, expressing either the degree of gratitude for mercies, or the degree of consciousness of one’s sinfulness and deepest humility, or, finally, the degree of extreme need for the benefits requested. In addition, bowing the head during sacred rites in the Church, when the Priest, secretly reciting a prayer, asks the Lord to graciously look down from heaven on those who have bowed their heads to Him in filial fear and grant them all the blessings they ask for, has also a special meaning, namely: contrition for the fall of mankind in the person of the ancestors; just like the bowing of the head, i.e. its raising, means the restoration of humanity, granted to him in the resurrection of the Glorified God-Man!
Kneeling and prostrating oneself express in the praying person the consciousness of his sinfulness before God and His earnest prayer for forgiveness; and equally, they serve as an expression of the consciousness of their insignificance before the Almighty Creator and Provider, Whom, having dared to offend in failure to fulfill His commandments, one must beg in dust and humility for mercy.
Prayer (in general) is a reverent appeal of thoughts, feelings and words to God, or to one of His Holy Saints, blessed and worshiped by the Orthodox Church. It expresses: either glorification of the name of God, or thanksgiving to Him for giving various benefits, or asking for forgiveness of sins and other mercies, or, finally, it is used as an appeal to heavenly mediators and intercessors powerful with their help before God, to receive from Him what is asked. Prayer to the Triune God is the lifting of the mind and heart to the foot of the throne of His Glory with an expression of complete love and faith in Him. This is the best state of moral elevation of a person and the best means of communicating with heaven, for receiving heavenly blessings and the grace of the Omnipresent and All-Life-Giving Holy Spirit, without which a person would rely in vain on his weak and sin-depleted strength. In such a reverent and enthusiastic mood, a person acquires both the calm of a grieving soul and the ultimate triumph of a joyful soul! And therefore - prayer, as if divided into internal and external, i.e.
to mental or spiritual exaltation and to the reverent expression of these feelings in words and external actions, must necessarily contain both simultaneously and inseparably: otherwise, it will not achieve the goal and must remind the one praying that sad reproach that the Savior made to the Pharisees and scribes, saying: These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me (Mark 7:6), and disobedience to that apostolic teaching, which says: Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms, songs and spiritual song, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord (Eph. 5:20). External prayer, that is, the pronunciation of prayer words alone, without internal prayer, that is, without joining these words with the feelings of the heart and mind, is not only not acceptable, but also brings upon the one praying, according to the Prophet, a curse, for Cursed is everyone who does the work of God with negligence (Jer. 48:10).
Moreover, in the prayers sanctified by the blessing and use of the Church, the highest thoughts and the noblest feelings and aspirations of the souls of the righteous were poured out, and, among the briefest and simplest expressions, there is contained a large number of basic dogmatic truths and that Gospel morality, which recalls the words of the Prophet: I will put My laws in their thoughts and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they will be My people (Heb. 8:10).
In addition to prayers to the Triune God, the Orthodox Church also commands to constantly call on and please: the Mother of God, as the Ever-Virgin Mother of God, the Most Honest Cherub and the Most Glorious Seraphim without comparison; The Saints of God, as intercessors of people before the throne of God and the ethereal Powers, especially the Guardian Angel, as heavenly intercessors for people before the Lord and at the same time their vigilant guardians on earth.
Prayers should be performed at home, in solitude, as the Savior commanded, saying: When you pray, go into your room and, closing the door behind you, pray to your Father. Which is secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly (Matthew 6:6), and in the Church of God, in the assembly of believers, - according to the words of the same teaching: For where two or three are gathered in My Name, there I am in the midst of them! (Matt. 18:20). The times for daily prayers at home are as follows:
Morning, that is, upon awakening from sleep, as a time of conscious and necessary thanksgiving to the Lord, for preserving the one praying in the night and raising him up again for life and activity.
At the beginning of each task, as a reverent invocation of the gracious help of the All-edifying Holy Spirit, for better admonition and success.
At the end of each task, as due gratitude for sending this help.
Before eating food, as a request for blessing and grace, so that the nutrition given by the mercy of God would bring the strength and strength necessary for the body.
After eating food, as sincere gratitude for the satisfaction of the earthly needs of the body, with a warm desire for heavenly blessings for the soul, and
Evening and when going to bed, as a grateful glorification of the goodness of God for prolonging the life of the one praying on the past day, and a petition, with the help of prayers and the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Guardian Angel and all the Saints, for mercy on him in the night from the sending of the sleep of death.
The time of Church prayers occurs at the established hours of Divine services, mainly on holidays and during fasting.
The prayers or sacred songs used by those praying (or on their behalf by the clergy) in Church services are as follows:
Troparion - where the essence or action of the celebrated event is briefly and clearly expressed, as well as the exploits of the Saint glorified by the Church.
Kontakion, where only one main idea, or the religious significance of the holiday, is briefly conveyed.
Ikos, where this main idea is stated in more detail.
Greatness - where the hero of the celebrated holiday is glorified in a hymn of praise or gratitude.
Sedalen - songs sung after the 3rd song of the Canon and after each kathisma. They got this name from the fact that during their time in the ancient Church they were allowed to sit.
Stichera on a verse (that is, with verses) are the essence of selected, by floridity and enthusiasm, praise for the triumphant holiday (or Saint); and the accompanying verses are brief and more striking excerpts from the psalms. Those and others sung at Vespers after the psalm, Lord! I cried out to You, hear me, and ends with the hymns of the Theotokos.
The Prokeimenon (translated from Greek means “Present” is a verse appropriate for the holiday, selected from the psalms, placed at the head of other hymns, or readings of that day: proverbs, the Apostle and the Gospel. It, corresponding in its content to what it precedes, must express a common thought with it.
Luminaries are the essence of chants, during which the church is usually illuminated (that is, candles and lamps are lit in the main places), according to the content of the petitions contained in them for the sending of the light of spiritual grace on those praying.
A canon is a collection of sacred songs or praises (compiled according to special rules) depicting the Glory of God or the exploits of the Saints. It consists of three parts, which are separated from one another by small litanies, and contain 9 divisions in honor of the angelic ranks.
Irmos is the initial song of each of these mentioned 9 divisions, containing several short songs that have a connection with each other, and are composed according to the model of the initial one.
Praises are the essence of the psalms (148, 149 and 150), pronounced during the morning service, after the singing of the canon, in which the word “Praise” is often repeated.
Kathisma is a part of the psalms, which, out of a number of 150, are divided for church use into 20 parts, each of which is called Kathisma. Translated from Greek, this word means sitting, and was assigned to these prayers because during them in the ancient Church it was allowed to sit.
Proverbs are readings whose contents are borrowed from ancient historical books, parables and prophecies that speak of the appearance of the Savior on earth.
Antiphons are selected verses sung at Matins, before the reading of the Gospel, to prepare the spirit of those present for worthy hearing of it.
Six Psalms - 6 selected psalms of David, depicting the special care of God over the people of Israel during their wanderings in the desert, read during Matins.
Litia is a short prayer among the people for their well-being and for the salvation of every Christian soul.
Litanys are general prayers publicly heard and on behalf of all those present, pronounced by a deacon or, in his absence, a priest. They collect and briefly outline everything that needs to be prayed for. They are divided into four genera:
The Great Litany, which contains many different petitions (11 in number) and is the most ancient in origin;
Small or abbreviated from Great;
Subdued, i.e. especially diligent, in which all prayers are presented more intensely, and, finally,
The petitionary room, where the people, or the clergy represented by them, confirms each prayer with the words, “Lord grant!”
The word litany translated from Greek means: drawn-out, i.e., diligent prayer or offering.
1) Glory to God alone.
2) Glory even now.
3) Holy God.
4) Having risen from sleep.
5, 6) Prayers to the Lord Jesus.
7) To the King of Heaven.
8) Holy Trinity.
9) Our Father.
10) Rejoice, Virgin Mary.
11) Angel of God.
12) Invoking the Saint whose name you bear.
13) Prayer for the King.
14) Prayer for parents.
15) Prayer for the dead.
Doxology to the Holy Trinity
Slavic text
Russian translation
Glory to the One God, glorified in the Holy Trinity, Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages, amen.
Glory to the One God, glorified in the Holy Trinity, Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, now, and constantly, and forever and ever, truly!
Explanation
May there be glory, both to the One God, glorified in the persons of the Holy Trinity, and separately to each of Her Holy Hypostases: glory to the Father, glory to the Son, glory to the Holy Spirit! And may this glory remain constantly and endlessly, and at the present time, unceasingly, and at all times of endless centuries, Truly!
Glory even now
Slavic text
Russian translation
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages, amen.
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now, and always, and forever and ever, truly!
Explanation
Praise and thanksgiving to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, who created everything, contains everything and enlightens everything: now, at all times, and to endless ages, truly so!
These prayers are called the “Doxology of the Holy Trinity” and the latter is an abbreviated summary of the first.
Trisagion or Seraphim Hymn
Slavic text
Russian translation
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us! (three times)
Holy God, Holy Almighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us! (these words are pronounced 3 times)
Explanation
This prayer, glorifying the Holy Trinity, without naming the names of Her Holy Hypostases, contains the following meaning: God the Father! You, inseparably with the Son and the Spirit, possessing all perfections, alone are Holy! Son of God! You, with the Father and the Spirit, alone have creative power and omnipotence! Holy Spirit! You, with the Father and the Son, are alone not involved in death! Be merciful to us, your creation, and have mercy on us sinners!
This prayer was accepted by the entire Christian Church by special revelation. In the 5th century, during the reign of the Greek Emperor Theodosius II, under Patriarch Proclus, there was a terrible earthquake in Constantinople; people lived in the streets and squares out of fear. One day, during a nationwide prayer conducted by the patriarch in the main square to stop the earthquake, suddenly one boy from among those praying was lifted high into the air by an invisible hand and then lowered to the ground again. He announced that he heard Angels singing around the Throne of God: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal. The people, hearing this, intensified their prayer and, repeating the words heard by the boy in the sky, added to them “Have mercy on us.” After this the earthquake stopped.
From repeating the word Holy three times, this prayer is called Trisagion, and because it originates from disembodied Spirits who sang the glory of God, it is also called Angelic or Seraphim.
Having risen from sleep
Slavic text
Russian translation
Having risen from sleep, I thank Thee, Holy Trinity, for for the sake of Thy goodness and long-suffering, Thou didst not become angry with me, lazy and sinful, nor didst Thou destroy me with my iniquities, but Thou didst usually love mankind, and in the hopelessness of the one who lay down, Thou didst raise me up to exercise and glorify the power Yours. And now enlighten my mental eyes, open my lips, learn from Your words, and understand Your commandments, and do Your will, and sing to You in heartfelt confession, and glorify Your all-holy name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages, Amen. Having risen from sleep, I thank You, Most Holy Triune God, because, in Your great goodness and long-suffering, You were not angry with me, lazy and sinful, and did not destroy me with my iniquities; but He showed Your usual love for mankind, and without the confidence of a lying person, He raised me up to serve You in prayers in the morning and glorify Your omnipotence.
So, now enlighten my spiritual eyes, open my lips in order to study the words of Your teaching, understand Your commandments, do Your will, glorify You with prayerful songs in heartfelt confession of You and glorify Your Most Holy Name, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and constantly, and to the ages of eternity, truly!
Explanation
Having awakened from sleep, still for a new day in my life, with feelings of deepest gratitude I appreciate Your mercies, Triune God! You, filled with kindness and long-suffering, not only did not pour out Your righteous wrath on me for my laziness in good deeds and violation of Your commandments, and did not destroy me among my sins that block the entrance to Your kingdom; but, on the contrary, with Your usual love for mankind, He gave me more time to correct my behavior! From the region of sleep into which I was plunged by the infirmities of my body, without the confidence to return again and cheerfully to life’s activities, and from which I could imperceptibly move into the dark region of death, You raised me up like Lazarus, Christ God, and gave me the opportunity, from the beginning of the day, to serve You with prayers of thanksgiving, and to glorify Your Holy Name and Kingdom with good deeds that are pleasing to You!
For You Yourself, Lord, said: So let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16): therefore, Master, from this moment, make clear to my mind all the ways to my salvation; take away the sinful blindness from my eyes, like that of Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, and enlighten them with the light of true faith and grace-filled life, like that of a man born blind. Place in my mouth the gift of words and convictions to the consciousness of Your immutable truths about You, proclaimed by the Prophets and preached by You on earth; open them, after my sinful dumbness, for the praise of Your power, as You opened them to the deaf and tongue-tied, and make them, according to Your promise, lips of motivating power; for You said: I will give you a mouth and wisdom that will not be able to contradict, nor will all who oppose you resist (Luke 21:15). Make my mind wise to delve into the essence of Your commandments, and applying them to all the circumstances of life, regarding myself and my neighbor, to act on them, according to Your good will! Make me worthy as St.
Apostle Thomas, cry to You: My Lord and my God (John 20:28) and, confessing You with all my soul, send up fervent prayers that can, like a fragrant censer, ascend to the throne of Your majesty! May Thy All-Holy Name be glorified and sung in them, as well as in my good deeds: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now, always and in endless centuries, truly!
Prayer to the Lord Jesus
1)
Slavic text
Russian translation
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Explanation
This invocation of the Lord Jesus Christ, expressing the repentant state of the Christian soul, according to the teachings of the Holy Fathers, is one of the most necessary prayers, and therefore should be constantly on the lips and in the memory of a Christian. It must be said, if not out loud, then mentally, as often as possible; and at all times of the day, and during all our activities.
She should stand at the head of all our prayerful appeals to God and, as it were, attract His ear to these spiritual appeals!
Prayer to the Lord Jesus
2)
Slavic text
Russian translation
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother and all Saints, have mercy on us, amen.
Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, for the sake of the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother and all the Saints, have mercy on us, truly (we pray to You!)
Explanation
Our Master Jesus Christ, Son of God! Due to the multitude of our sins, we not only do not dare to address You with requests on our own behalf; but even unworthy, like the Publican, to raise their eyes to heaven, to the inaccessible light of Your greatness; but there are before You all-merciful intercessors and zealous intercessors: Your Most Pure Mother, who promised Her intercession for us, saying: Rejoice, I am with you all the days!; The Holy Saints and Angels who have pleased You, about whose sympathy for us You Yourself assured us, saying: There is joy among the Angels of God even over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10). Look at their pure and holy prayers for us, and, for their sake, forgetting all our unworthiness, have mercy on us! Truly (we pray to You for this).
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Slavic text
Russian translation
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 Good One, our souls.
Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Omnipresent and All-Completing and Perfecting, Treasury of all good things, and giver of life! Come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all sinful filth, and save our souls as the giver of all blessings.
Explanation
Ascended to heaven and Trinitarian Reigning over all! The Comforter is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, who descended on the Apostles and thereby enlightened the universe! Present everywhere, and replenishing and perfecting everything! The source of all blessings and the giver of life to all created things! In Your Mercy, condescend to us and according to Your promise, which from ancient times read:
I will dwell in them, and I will walk, and I will be their God, and they will be My people (Lev.26:12) - dwell in us; Sanctify us with Yourself and cleanse us from all sinful filth, for You are the fire that burns everything unclean, and through this, as the Giver of all blessings, save our souls from eternal torment.
This prayer is called: a prayer to the Holy Spirit, and all church prayers begin with it, so that the Holy Spirit would make those present worthy and teach them to pray pleasingly to God. The peculiarities of this prayer, according to the church charter, are that it is not read or sung in the Church for 50 days, that is, from the first day of Easter until Trinity Day; and on this day (during Matins and Mass) it is solemnly sung in the altar. Both are based on the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ, who by His resurrection further confirmed in His disciples the faith that He is God, commanded them to wait for the Comforter promised by Him - the Spirit, which He solemnly fulfilled on the 10th day after His Ascension into heaven.
Prayer to the Holy Trinity
Slavic text
Russian translation
Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse our sins. Master, forgive our iniquities. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.
Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord God the Father, cleanse us from sins. Master, Son of God, forgive our iniquities. Holy God the Holy Spirit, come and heal our powerlessness and weaknesses, for the sake of the glory of Your Name.
Explanation
Most Holy and Triune God! Like the lepers healed by You, who cried out to You: Jesus Mentor! have mercy on us! (Luke 17:13) So also for us, leprous with the wounds of sin and awaiting, according to our deserts, only terrible condemnation and eternal death - have mercy on us! Our Lord and Creator! In Your Sovereign power, as You Yourself have spoken, to forgive the sins of people (Luke 5:24) and, according to their faith and the degree of love for You, to save them as purified for the future life: cleanse our sins with which we have defiled ourselves - Your pure creation - and make us worthy, like the sinner in the house of Simon (Luke 7:39), with tears of repentance to kiss the Divine Your feet! Our Savior and Redeemer! You, who raised Zacchaeus from the iniquities of the publicans to the chosen children of Abraham and prophesied salvation for him and his house (Luke 19:9): forgive our iniquities with which we offended You, who redeemed us from the righteousness of God with Your death on the cross! Holy Comforter, All-Reviving and Perfecting Spirit!
You who healed Peter's mother-in-law, who was bleeding, the son of a courtier and a host of others - with one touch, clothing and Your word - come, Giver of Life, into the church of our soul and heal the powerlessness of our will for all good! Raise us up, as You raised the paralytic by the power of Your forgiveness (Luke 5:18) and raise us up for eternal life! We pray to You for all this, O most merciful Lord, not for the sake of our merits, or the future glory that You have prepared for the elect, but for the sake of Your Holy Name alone, by which we, even with our sins, are marked as the name of the Savior - Christ, to Whom alone belongs the power of forgiveness and the glory of converting sinners into the beloved children of God!
Our Father
Slavic text
Russian translation
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread: and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors: and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Our Father who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread: and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead you not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Truly!
Explanation
Our Father, the Triune Lord! You, out of Your great love for children and Your Divine justice, You Yourself set for us the condition that if we love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us and pray for those who offend us, then we will be sons of the Heavenly Father (Matthew 5:44). Fulfilling Your good will, and now bowing before You with a request, we dare to cry out to You:
Our Father who art in heaven! Accept our prayer and hear us! In all the ends of the universe, those who are marked by Your cross, resort to You in their needs, beg You in their sorrows and misfortunes, glorify You as the supreme Ruler of heaven and earth; They magnify you as the King of kings and the Lord of lords and thank you as the All-Good God for Your boundless mercy towards the entire human race! We also pray to You, Most Gracious Lord, Our Father, prostrating ourselves before You, with filial reverence and devotion, and trusting in Your goodness; Hear our prayers, and do not reject our petitions!
Hallowed be Thy name in us: may we be holy in the image of Thy all-perfect holiness, and in all our deeds may we always glorify Thy All-Holy Name; for You said: Be holy, as I, the Lord your God, am Holy (Lev. 11:44), and that this is Your will - our holiness! (1 Thess. 4:3). Grant to us, O All-Good Lord, that each of us will sanctify Your name before our neighbors and excite them to holiness and glorification of You in word and deed, to the best of our ability! Grant us the opportunity to glorify Your name following the example of Your Christ, Who said: My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work (John 4:34). May all our thoughts and desires, all our deeds and our whole life be one cry pleasing to You: Our Father, who is in heaven! Hallowed be Thy Name!
Our Father! Your Kingdom is the Kingdom of Light! Dispel the darkness of ignorance and the darkness of delusion of Your people, so that they all know You, the One, True God and Jesus Christ, whom You sent! (John 17:3) and in spirit and truth they always worshiped You, the One, True, Glorified God in the Trinity, and all had eternal life in You! Your kingdom is the kingdom of love! Help us with the power of Your grace, so that we, imitating Your example, who loved us to death, make this boundless love an image for our love: may we love You and all our neighbors, as You have loved us! Thy Kingdom is the Kingdom of grace, the Kingdom of mercy, which we have not earned and cannot deserve in any way, if Thy grace, so powerfully effective in Thy true followers, does not come to us!
May this grace always be with us, helping us to achieve our salvation; for we know that where Your grace reigns, there You also reign; and when You reign, O Great God, then sin does not reign in our mortal body (Rom. 6:12), and the victory of our spirit over the flesh is undoubted. And therefore, All-merciful Lord,
May Your kingdom come, to which, in the depths of our souls, we always strive, as to the kingdom of perfection, eternal peace and bliss!
Our Father! You want, command and arrange everything for us, according to Your infinite wisdom and goodness! You know what is harmful for us and what is useful and saving, which we ourselves often do not know. You know the paths that lead us to bliss, while we ourselves, wandering along the crossroads of life, often strive for the wrong paths that lead us to destruction. Your will is above us. Lord, this is the will of the good and merciful Father, who allows sorrows in order to bestow joy through them; sending illnesses and wounds in order to heal them and give greater value to health; taking in order to give back in abundance; rebuking - to correct; punisher - to make those punished happy and blissful! And because:
may Your will be done over us, and may it be accomplished in our souls and bodies!
Our Father! We know that he is not a good and faithful servant who, knowing the will of his master, does not fulfill it; but the one who knows, obeys her with filial obedience and love. We also know that not everyone who says to You: Lord! God! He who does Your will will enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 7:21). And therefore, we pray to You: grant us that, having called Your Holy will, we will always fulfill it! Grant that all our thoughts and feelings, desires and deeds, words and silence, sorrows and consolations, will always be pleasing to You, worthy of Your favor towards us and serve to glorify Your Name! Before Your face, O God, hosts of luminous Angels and Your Saints, burning with the fire of fiery love for You, always reverently worship You, thank and glorify You: grant us, ardently loving You, both in happiness and in sorrow, to reverently worship You; to give thanks for everything and sincerely cry to You: Thy will be done
as in heaven and on earth.
Our Father! You once said that your Father knows what you need before you ask Him (Matthew 6:8): and therefore we pray to You with hope: do not turn Your right hand away from us and grant us everything we need for our life! The birds of the air, who do not sow, do not reap, and do not gather into barns, feed on You: and we, Your creation, completely surrendering to You, also hope that You will not leave us without food and without those necessary clothes, in which You, the All-Merciful One, in Your wisdom and mercy, do not refuse even the grass of the field, dressing it in the same way as Solomon did not dress in all its glory (Matthew 6:28–30)! And therefore, we pray to You:
Give us our daily bread today! That is, give it only for this day, for tomorrow, according to Your teaching, you yourself will take care of your needs (Matthew 6:34) and give it no more than is required to satisfy our necessary, urgent needs; for excess, often leading to immoderation, can expose us to danger on the path to salvation. To acquire this bread and other things, we do not shy away from labor, Lord, as the condition You have determined for obtaining bread (Gen. 3:17-19; 2 Thess. 3:10-11); but we pray to Your goodness: send down upon us Your all-powerful blessing on our labors, so that it, staying over them, always fertilizes them! Before this bread, O All-Bountiful Lord, give us that bread that immaterially gives life to man, that is, spiritual bread (Matthew 4:4): so that we first of all seek Your Kingdom and its righteousness, and then everything else that is necessary for us here. Your bounties were added to him (Matthew 6:33)!
Our Father! We are all Your great debtors for our sins, and we cannot satisfy Your righteousness in any way for these our debts. But You, Lord, You Yourself showed us the way to salvation, sacrificing Yourself for these sins and assuring us through the mouth of Your Prophet that You do not want the sinner to die, but to turn the wicked from his path and live for him! (Ezek.33:11). And therefore, trusting in Your mercy, we repentantly cry out to You, Most Gracious God:
Leave us our debts! You know them; You can and want to release them to everyone who comes to You with repentance! But at the same time, we remember, Lord, the words of Your teaching, that if you do not forgive men their sins, neither will your Father forgive your sins (Matthew 6:15) and that Judgment is without mercy for those who did not show mercy (James 2:13). And therefore, we willingly forgive all the sins of the brothers who have offended us, and, having reconciled with them, we dare to offer the gift of prayer before Your altar, crying out to You: Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. Continue to grant us the spirit of humility, patience and love: may we meekly and complacently endure insults and insults, and forgive them unfeignedly.
Our Father! All the destructive nets of the devil who ensnares us are open before You. You know that we cannot withstand the strength of various enemies; but we believe that You, the Almighty, are able and want to reinforce our weakness with Your strength, so that we do not fall in battle with these enemies! And therefore, we resort to You, Good and Merciful Lord, and ask for Your help! You know all the cases in which sin overcomes us, and you also know those in which it will continue to strike us if you do not help us gain victory over it. And therefore, we pray to You:
Do not lead us into temptation, that is, guide and protect us with Your grace, so that we, the weak, do not fall into the snares of sin! Grant to us that the sorrows and illnesses that befall us do not exceed our strength and do not remove us from the path of salvation; so that no insult instills in us a feeling of revenge, no seduction of self-interest leads us to untruth; no honor - to arrogance; no sorrows - to cowardice; no bad example leads to imitation; no difficulty means breach of duty; but so that always, bearing in our souls the image of You - who suffered and died for us - we do not weaken with patience and do not stretch out our hands to do evil!
Our Father! You know what burden we are able to bear and under the weight of which we will fall if Your right hand does not support us. Who can count all the types of illnesses and sufferings of man and all types of his misfortunes? We know, Lord, that all this does not come directly from Your will, the Source of goodness and bliss, but is only allowed by You as an atoning sacrifice for sins, or rather, as a means to our correction; We also know that we can avoid much of all this, or make it easier, with our firm determination to resist sin; and therefore we pray to You, Almighty and All-Merciful God: strengthen us and grant us to resist the deceptions of the devil, so that neither the internal attraction of a corrupt nature nor external temptations enslave us to the dominion of sin! Cover and protect us from untruth that wears the appearance of virtue; from the devil, who takes on the image of a bright Angel, and from predatory and crafty wolves hiding under sheep's clothing!
Save us from carelessness about our own salvation; from destructive forgetfulness of You; from blindness of spirit; from bitterness and insensibility, which can plunge us into the depths of evil, and thus
deliver us from evil. For He alone sows tares among the wheat; steals the word of the Lord from the hearts of men; like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour and plunge into the abyss of destruction, and, being himself a lie, he is the father of lies and a murderer from time immemorial!
Our Father! Having begged You for all this, we undoubtedly believe that the fulfillment of this is in Your sovereign power; for
Your Kingdom is everywhere: in heaven, earth and in the underworld, and You, dwelling everywhere, contain everything in Your right hand and control everything!
And Your power is the life and the end of the Worlds: “You say, and it will be; command it and it will be done! Nothing is impossible for You, and nothing can happen without Your will!
And Your glory, King of Glory, is the most perfect, before which heaven and earth bow; which the ethereal ranks sing. The apostles, prophets and saints, and hymns and magnify - all who live on earth - and which will remain
forever. True.
This holy prayer, as can be seen from the Gospel, was pronounced twice by the lips of the Savior Himself: the first time - during His talk on the mount (Matthew 6:13); and in the second, when one of His disciples, on behalf of all the others, asked Him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1). After this, it would be unnecessary to say in what use and respect this prayer was held by the Apostles when, at their own request, they accepted it from the Lord Himself. But that it was also the most important and everlasting prayer in the entire primal Christian Church, this is proven by the fact that, in addition to the general instruction given by the Savior on the mountain and the example of the Apostles, who, without a doubt, did not fail to convey it to all believers, according to the testimony of all the most ancient Saints and historians, it, as the most important of all prayers, was introduced into public worship from the first times of Christianity and was pronounced only at the most solemn moments of the sacred rite. So, from the liturgy of St. Apostle.
James (Brother of God and the first Bishop of Jerusalem), we see that the believers proclaimed it only after the consecration of the gifts presented on the holy altar. Why is it that in the rite of the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great and St. John Chrysostom, which have their basis in the ancient Apostolic Liturgy (as well as in the Liturgy of the Presanctified), it is placed in the same place. The respect that the ancient Christian Churches had for this prayer can be concluded from the words of Tertullian, in the 2nd century, the Holy Martyr Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, who lived in the 3rd century. St. Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem, who lived in the 4th century, etc. Tertullian, by the way, mentions one feature assigned to this prayer by the leading Christians, that after pronouncing it in the primary Church, all those who prayed had the habit of kissing each other, and with this sacred kiss, as if a real Amen, to seal all the truths contained in this prayer. At the end of the 3rd century, believers were required to read this prayer three times every day.
Blessed Theodoret and Augustine testify that this prayer, along with the symbol of faith, was obligated to teach those preparing to receive Holy Baptism, and the right to this was accompanied, as a preliminary consecration to the acceptance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, with solemn words: Accept, - they told the catechumen, - this jewel, and keep it! Accept the prayer that God Himself taught us to offer to God! And then the catechumen, having learned this prayer by heart, on the day of baptism, following the creed, pronounced it solemnly before the Face of God and all those present.
How highly this prayer was valued for its holy properties in all times of the Church of Christ, this is also proven by the names assigned to it at different times. In the ancient Church, it was called: the Lord's Prayer (Oratio Domini, Oratio herilis), as flowing from the loving heart and pure lips of the Lord Himself; then the Fatherly Prayer (Oratio paterna), as raised to God the Father from the childish hearts of believers; further: Daily prayer (Oratio quotidiana), as obligatory for a Christian in repeatedly offering it to the Heavenly Father - and finally, in the liturgical books of our Orthodox Church (where it is also required to read it several times, at each service), it is indicated by the first words of its Our Father!
By its origin, this prayer is a firm guarantee that those who turn to the Lord with it will always be heard by Him, which is confirmed by Christ’s beloved disciple, John the Theologian, saying: And this is the boldness we have towards Him, that when we ask anything according to His will, He listens to us (1 John 5:14). And therefore, this prayer is the key to the fatherly heart of God and to all the treasures of salvation, given to us by the Savior Himself!
Angelic greeting to the Virgin Mary
Slavic text
Russian translation
Virgin Mary, rejoice! Gracious Mary, the Lord is with You: blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.
Virgin Mary, rejoice! Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your birth, because you gave birth to the Savior of our souls.
Explanation
Rejoice, eternal Virgin, who gave birth to Christ! Rejoice, Mary full of grace! The Lord has chosen You: You are preferred and exalted by Him before all the wives of the world, just as the fruit of Your womb is exalted and glorified above everything, earthly and heavenly: for He who was born of You is the Savior of human souls!
The words of this prayer are taken from the greeting of Archangel Gabriel and Holy Righteous Elizabeth to the Blessed Virgin.
Guardian Angel
Slavic text
Russian translation
To the Angel of God, my holy guardian, for my observance, given from God from heaven, I diligently pray to you; Enlighten me today, save me from all evil, guide me to good deeds and direct me on the path of salvation, amen.
Angel of God, my holy guardian, given to me from heaven by God to protect (me), I earnestly ask you; enlighten my mind now, and save me from all evil; instruct me in good deeds and guide me on the path of salvation. Yes it will!
Explanation
Angel of God, my holy guardian, given to me at birth from God as mentors, patrons and leaders! You, O celestial being, know both the blessed peace of the saints in heaven and our sorrows and dangers on earth! You know that here, due to the infirmities of the body and the weaknesses of the will and mind, I can subject myself to any evil that comes from myself, from the people around me, and from the tricks of the devil, and lose the right to eternal life! And therefore, I earnestly pray to you: enlighten my mind by teaching me the truths of God; save my heart, driving out destructive passions and evil desires from it; guide me in all that is good, confirming my will to do Godly deeds, and show me the path of salvation, removing everything on it that can shake me! Cover me with the shelter of your wings and deliver me from all troubles and destruction into which my ignorance and sinful depravity can plunge me. Yes it will!
To the saint whose name you bear
Slavic text
Russian translation
Pray to God for me, Holy Servant of God (name), as I diligently resort to you, a quick helper and prayer book for my soul.
Pray to God for me, Holy Pleasant of God (name), for I diligently resort to you as a strong patron and representative with my prayers before God for the salvation of my soul.
Explanation
Holy Pleasant of God (name). You are in heaven, and, standing before the throne of the Unapproachable Light, you enjoy His Trinitarian Glory; - I, on earth, in the darkness of sins and in the torment of my conscience, do not dare to lift my eyes to heaven! You have boldness before the Lord to pray to Him for people, among whom you have become famous for your God-pleasing life, purity of deeds and holy deeds of mercy, but I, weak from sins, do not dare to raise the voice of my prayer to Him, and only, like a harlot, I stand before Him with tears! But if such an abyss separates you and me (Luke 16:26), then I still know that you, the Holy One of God, in your compassion, grieve for me, as someone related to you in the former flesh and as an unworthy heir to your holy name! And therefore, I zealously resort to your protection and beg you to intercede for me before the Lord! My good fellow-name!
Strengthen, with the strength given to you, my weak will and weak arbitrariness; Confirm in me the spirit of sincere repentance and unfeigned attraction to God and ask Him with your prayers for forgiveness of the sins I have committed and salvation for my soul.
Prayer for the Tsar and the Fatherland
Slavic text
Russian translation
Save, O Lord, Thy people, and bless Thy inheritance, victories to our Blessed Emperor, Alexander Nikolaevich, granting against resistance and preserving Thy residence through Thy cross.
Save, Lord, Your people and bless Your heritage (Christians), granting victories over the enemies to our Blessed Emperor Alexander Nikolaevich and preserving Your Residence (i.e., the Christian Church and our public life) by Your Cross.
Explanation
Save, O Lord, from the troubles and misfortunes of Your chosen people (Christians), who are marked by Your Most Holy Name, and endow them with Your blessings and mercies, as those who have been worthy, through Your atoning sacrifice, to become Your inheritance! For You bought them with Your blood from slavery to the devil. (Rev.5:9). Grant victory over enemies (external and internal) to our Blessed Emperor Alexander Nikolaevich, and preserve by the power of Thy Cross, the Holy Church (i.e., the community of believers), under the banner of the same Cross, militant in Thy Name, in peace, harmony of faith and unanimity, for the destruction of wisdom and schism, and for establishment in piety.
This prayer, although it is listed in the division of liturgical prayers under the name “Troparia” for the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross, is also called “Prayer for the Tsar and the Fatherland”, because its historical and religious significance gives it full right to this. Namely: the sign of the Cross, so formidable and humiliating in pagan times, when the cross was a shameful instrument for executing the worst criminals, was first miraculously revealed to the Tsar (Constantine); worthily glorified by him both for his faith in this phenomenon and for his victorious success over his enemies, and for the sincere conversion of the king from paganism to Christianity and the glorious acquisition of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, with the help of his Christ-loving Mother Helen. Therefore, the participation of the King in all parts of this prayer is integral, as the herald of the Cross, as the father of the people chosen by God and as the anointed one of God, standing at the head of the Church of believers.
— From here flows the sacred duty of every loyal subject to pray for the health, long life and well-being of the King, which is supported by the words of the Apostle: Fear God - honor the King (1 Pet. 2:17) and by the teaching of the Savior Himself, who said: Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s (Matthew 22:21).
Prayer for the spiritual father, for parents, relatives and neighbors
Slavic text
Russian translation
Save, O Lord, and have mercy on my Spiritual Father (name), and with his holy prayers forgive my sins. Save, Lord, and have mercy on my parents (names), brothers, and sisters, and my relatives according to the flesh, and all the neighbors of my family, and others, and grant them Your peaceful and most peaceful goodness.
Save, Lord, and have mercy on my spiritual Father (name) and through his prayers (according to the power granted from You to forgive sins), forgive my sins. Save, Lord, and have mercy on my parents (names), brothers, sisters, blood relatives, all relatives and all good acquaintances, and grant them all earthly well-being and heavenly salvation.
Explanation
God! Save my Spiritual Father (name) from all troubles and misfortunes and forgive him all the sins he has committed. You, Lord, through the omnipotence of Your Holy Spirit, sent down on the Apostles and bestowing the power of succession, through the laying on of hands on the performers of Your sacraments, endowed them with the power to resolve and bind human sins: grant me also to get rid of my sins through the prayers of my Spiritual Father (name) and to be an heir to eternal life. Save and preserve, Lord, from all troubles and misfortunes, and forgive all the sins of my parents (names), blessed by You with the Holy Sacrament of marriage, the fruit of which, by Your mercy and inscrutable destinies, I came into the world. Impute to them. Lord, all sorrows in the flesh and spirit, and all their love for me, into the feat of humility and submission to Your will: for You said that everyone who believes is born of God, and everyone who loves him who begot him loves him also who is born of Him (1 John 5:1)! Save, Lord, and have mercy on all those who are related to me by blood and in the flesh; all the good people I know, and all Christians!
Grant to all of them, according to Your love for mankind and mercy, all earthly well-being and honor them, after death, with heavenly life in Your Kingdom.
Prayer for the departed
Slavic text
Russian translation and explanation
Remember, Lord, the souls of Your departed servants, my blood and relatives (names), and all Orthodox Christians who have fallen asleep in the faith: and forgive them all their sins, voluntary and involuntary, giving them the Kingdom and the communion of Your eternal good things, and Your endless and blissful life of pleasure.
Remember, Lord (in Your Kingdom), the souls of Your deceased servants, my blood relatives and distant relatives (names) and all the children of the Orthodox Church who died with faith in the future life: forgive them all their sins committed in knowledge and ignorance, granting them the right to enter Your Heavenly Kingdom and join the face of the Saints who have pleased You from the ages, and Your endless life, complete bliss and pleasure.
The Orthodox Church calls the dead deceased, out of confidence that they are not destroyed, but only, as it were, fall asleep here in a temporary sleep and awaken to a new, eternal life, during the general resurrection.
- Before starting every business.
- At the end of each case.
- Before teaching.
- After the lesson.
- Before eating.
- After eating.
Before starting every business
Slavic text
Russian translation
Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of Your Beginningless Father! You declared with Your most pure lips that without Me you cannot do anything; My Lord, Lord, with faith in my soul and heart spoken by You, I bow down to Your goodness: help me a sinner to complete this work, which I have begun, for You, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Only Begotten Son of the Beginningless Father, my Lord Jesus Christ! You once said with your most pure lips: without Me you can do nothing. My Lord, Lord, believing with all my soul and heart what You said, I beg Your goodness: help me, a sinner, to complete the work that I have begun, as if with Your participation in it, in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let it be true!
Explanation
Only Begotten Son of the Eternal Father, my Lord Jesus Christ! You once spoke with Your most pure lips that without You nothing can be done! We believe, Lord, that all things have been handed over to You by Your Father (Luke 10:22), and whoever does not gather with You scatters (Luke 11:23). You are the light of the world (John 10:5) and everything that is impossible for men is possible for You as God (Mark 10:27)! And therefore, starting the work I am beginning, I beg You: show me, in Your goodness, Your all-powerful help; May I complete my work as successfully and completely as if you yourself participated in it, together with me. May Your Trinitarianly worshiped Name, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be glorified in it, as in everything achieved through You,—True!
Or another prayer
Slavic text
Russian translation and explanation
O Creator and Creator of all things, O God, the work of our hands, which we begin for Thy Glory, hasten to correct with Thy blessing, and deliver us from all evil, for One is omnipotent and lover of mankind.
Creator and Maker of everything that exists in the world, our Great God! The works of our hands, which we begin for Your glory, successfully complete with Your blessing, and deliver us from all troubles and evils, as the One omnipotent and philanthropic!
Or another prayer
Slavic text
Russian translation and explanation
Quick to intercede and strong to help, present yourself to the grace of Thy power now, and having blessed, strengthened, and brought about the fulfillment of the good deeds of Thy servants: for all that they desire, as the mighty God is able to do.
Swift to protect and powerful to help, O God! Show the grace of Your power now over Your servants, and having blessed, strengthen us, and fulfill our intention to accomplish this good deed! For You, as the Almighty God, can do whatever you want!
Prayer at the end of each task
Slavic text
Russian translation
The fulfillment of all good things You are, my Christ, fill my soul with joy and gladness and save me, for I alone am merciful.
You, my Savior, as the finisher of everything begun with a good purpose, filled my soul with joy and joy! Save me (from all troubles), as the One giver of many mercies.
Explanation
You, my Savior, as the finisher of all things, began with a good purpose and in Your Name, who spoke to Your disciples that all things are possible to him who believes (Mark 9:23); who healed the Centurion's servant in absentia and with a single word (Luke 7:7) and commanded Peter to walk on the stormy waves (Matthew 14:28) - now, all-mercifully, he heard my prayer and with the successful completion, with the help of Yours, my work, rejoiced my soul! Save me in future labors from failures and obstacles and do not deprive me of Your blessing, as the One giver of many mercies.
Or another prayer
Slavic text
Russian translation and explanation
We are grateful to Your unworthy servants, O Lord, for Your great blessings upon us; we glorify You, bless, thank You, sing and magnify Your compassion, and slavishly cry out to You in love: O benefactor, our Savior, Glory to You!
Filled with gratitude to You, Your unworthy servants, Lord, for all Your great benefits that You have shown us, glorifying You, we praise, bless, thank, sing and marvel at the greatness of Your mercies to us; and, as slaves who are entirely dependent on You, with heartfelt love we cry out to You: Our Benefactor and Savior - Glory to You!
Or another prayer
Slavic text
Russian translation and explanation
As a servant of indecency, having been honored with Your blessings and gifts, Master, we earnestly flow to You, giving thanks as much as we can, and we cry out to You, as the Benefactor and Creator, glorifying: Glory to You, All-Bountiful God.
As unworthy servants, having been worthy of Your blessings and gifts, not according to our merits, but only according to Your mercy, our Master, shown to us, we heartily fall at Your feet and offer Thee the only gratitude in our power, glorifying You as a benefactor and creator and constantly crying out to You: Glory to Thee, All-Bounteous God!
Prayer before teaching
Slavic text
Russian translation
Blessed Lord! bestow upon us the grace of Your Holy Spirit, bestowing and strengthening our spiritual strength, so that, by heeding the teaching taught to us, we may grow to You, our Creator, for glory, for the comfort of our parents, for the benefit of the Church and the Fatherland.
Most merciful Lord! bestow upon us the grace of Your Holy Spirit, bestowing and strengthening our spiritual strength (i.e., mind, will, conscience and memory), so that, by heeding the teaching that is taught to us, we will grow for You, our Creator, to glory; for our parents for consolation, and for the Church and the Fatherland for useful service.
Explanation
Most merciful Lord! The Holy Prophet Joel, who predicted the sending of Your Holy Spirit on Your faithful, cried with inspiration: On My servants and on My handmaids, in those days I will pour out My Spirit! (Joel.2:28-32; Acts.2:18) and, even Your most ancient Prophet Isaiah, 700 years before Your appearance on earth, who spoke about You all the truths, truly justified by You, certified, saying: everyone will be taught by God (Is.54:13); and finally You Yourself, our Savior, among the countless blessings bestowed upon us, endowed us with the right to appeal to You as a Teacher, saying: You have only one teacher - Christ! (Matthew 23:8). And therefore, remembering all this and bowing before Your mercy, we pray to You, Most Gracious Lord, to send us gracious help from Your Holy Spirit; may He grant us the meaning of understanding everything we study; may He still strengthen the weak forces of our soul for mental labors; may the mind be enlightened to realize the benefits of the teaching; will warm our hearts with feelings of gratitude to those who care about our enlightenment and may it strengthen our conscience and will in our desire to bring all possible benefit to society.
We ask all this from You, All-Seeing Lord, not for our personal benefits alone, but so that through the success of this teaching, we, having been enlightened in mind and heart, can glorify You, our Creator, by an example of a reasonable and honest life; brought comfort to our parents, as the best fruit of their care for us, and served the Holy Church and our dear fatherland by using our knowledge for their benefit and glory.
Prayer after teaching
Slavic text
Russian translation
We thank You, Creator, for You have made us worthy of Your grace to listen to the teaching. Bless our leaders, parents and teachers, who lead us to the knowledge of good, and give us strength and strength to continue this teaching.
We thank You, our Creator, that You have honored us with Your gracious help so that we study willingly and carefully. Reward with Your blessing our leaders, parents and teachers who lead us to the knowledge of the good goals of the teaching, and grant us the strength of mind and strength of health to continue this teaching.
Explanation
We thank You, our Creator, that You did not deprive us of Your gracious help, and gave us the strength and disposition to willingly listen to the teaching. Reward our leaders with Your mercy, your protection, supervision and care for us, who replace our parents here; Reward with Thy grace our parents, who constantly care for us and do not spare themselves for our good; reward with Your blessing our mentors who strive to pass on their knowledge to us, develop our minds and prepare us to be useful public figures! May we always remember the words of the Apostle who spoke by Your Spirit: Remember your teachers who preached the word of God to you, obey them and be submissive, for they watch over your souls vigilantly, for they will have to give an account (Heb. 13:7-17). Grant us, O Merciful Lord, strength of mind and strength of health, so that we can undistractedly and continuously continue this teaching.
Prayer before eating
Slavic text
Russian translation
The eyes of all trust in You, Lord, and You give them food in good season, You open Your generous hand, and You fulfill every animal’s good will.
The eyes of all are turned to You, Lord, with hope in Your mercy, for You give them food in a timely manner; You open Your hand, full of generous giving, and enrich all living things with blessings, in accordance with Your wise will.
Explanation
Inscrutable Lord! You once fed 5 thousand with five loaves (Mark 6:44) and you constantly feed the birds of the air and everything that lives on earth; He said to people: The worker is worthy of his food (Matthew 10:10): - the eyes of all of them, Lord, are turned with faith to Your providence for them, and with trust in Your readiness to help them in the means of their livelihood! Your creative hand is filled with all kinds of generosity and good gifts for those created by You, and You, who created everything, contain everything and bless everything to life! Bless now this food, necessary for our life, and accept our gratitude for Your inexhaustible favor towards us!
Prayer after eating
Slavic text
Russian translation
We thank Thee, Christ our God, for Thou hast filled us with Thy earthly blessings; do not deprive us of Your heavenly Kingdom.
We thank You, Christ our God, that You have nourished us with Your earthly blessings: do not deprive us of Your heavenly Kingdom.
Explanation
God! through the mouth of Your Holy Apostle, You said: for everything give thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God and the Father. (Eph.5:20) We thank You, Christ our God! For You gave us food and filled us with it, for the sake of Your love for mankind, not wanting us to become exhausted and weakened in the labors of life’s journey, just as You, compassionate for the fatigue of four thousand people, fed them with seven loaves of bread (Matthew 15:34-39)! But this food given to us by You nourishes only our flesh, strengthens our bodily strength and satisfies our earthly needs. But we, Lord, have been gifted by You, in addition to the flesh, with an immortal soul - and remembering Your teachings: Strive not for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you! (John 6:27) and that the Spirit gives life, but the flesh does not benefit the least (John 6:63), the soul hungers for this other food, in hope of better blessings: peace of bliss, love and truth, which are rarely found on this sinful earth, but which dwell forever in Your heavenly Kingdom.
And therefore, as sinners and unworthy of this food, we pray for your infinite mercy; do not deprive us of it, as a guarantee of Your heavenly Kingdom!
- The day is past.
- Eternal God.
- Glorious Ever-Virgin.
- It is worthy to eat as truly.
The day has passed
Slavic text
Russian translation
The day has passed, I thank You, Lord, I ask you to grant me an evening without sin, O Savior, and save me!
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
The day has passed, I will glorify Thee, Master, I ask for the evening, grant me temptationlessness, O Savior, and save me!
Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
The day has passed, I will sing praises to You, O Holy One, I ask you to grant me the evening with the night, O Savior, and save me!
Having spent the day, I thank You, Lord, and ask: grant me, my Savior, to spend the coming evening and the coming night without sin, from which save me! Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
Having spent the day, I glorify You, Master, and ask: grant me, my Savior, the coming evening and the coming night without temptations, from which save me. Now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Having spent the day, I glorify You in songs of praise, Holy God, and ask: grant me, my Savior, the coming evening and the coming night without slander, from which save me!
Explanation
Having spent another day of my life in Your mercy, Lord, I thank You, glorify and sing Your immeasurable patience for my sins, and Your ineffable love for Your creation! I know, Lord, that this day is a gift of Your love, given to me as a means of correcting myself, for Your Holy Apostle says: instruct one another every day, while you can say: now! (Heb. 3:13), and You Yourself, for our edification, once said about Yourself: I must do the work of him who sent Me while it is day: the night will come when no one can do it (John 9:4). Merciful Lord! I believe that every moment of my life is the same gift of Your grace, undeserved by me and even used for evil, whereas these gifts should be holy and inviolable from sin, just as You are Holy and sinless!
But, weak in strength, I constantly do not act according to the desire of my soul, and, as the Apostle says, I myself do not understand what I am doing, because I am not doing what I want; I see another law in my members, which wars against the law of my mind, and makes me a captive of sin; So, while I serve the law of God with my mind, I serve the law of sin with my flesh! (Rom. 7:13, 23–25). But the same Apostle points me to You, my Savior, who crushed the power of the devil through Your death, saying: For just as He Himself endured temptation, He is able to help those who are tempted! (Heb. 2:18). And therefore, resorting to Your infinite mercy, I beg You: show me Your holy help and grant the coming evening and the coming night, determined by Your wisdom for the good of earthly creation, to pass without sin, without temptations, without slander and slander, and save me. My Savior, from all evil!
God eternal
Slavic text
Russian translation and explanation
Eternal God and King of every creature, who has vouchsafed me even at this hour to come, forgive me the sins that I have committed this day in deed, word and thought, and cleanse, O Lord, my humble soul from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and grant me, O Lord, to pass through this dream in peace at night, so that when I rise from my humble bed, I will please Thy most holy name, all the days of my life, and will fight against my fleshly and incorporeal enemies. And deliver me, Lord, from vain thoughts that defile me, and from evil lusts. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Eternal God and King of all creation, who has made me worthy to reach even this hour in life! Forgive me all the sins I have committed on this day, in deed, word and thought, and cleanse my poor soul from all impurity, physical and spiritual.
And grant me, Lord, with Your help, to spend this night in a calm and dreamless sleep, so that, rising from the secluded bed of my rest, on which I was prostrate, as if dead and incapable of any good deed, I would strive to please Your Most Holy Name with good deeds, to fulfill Your Holy will and to overthrow enemies, carnal and incorporeal, trying to overpower me. And deliver me, Lord, from empty and sinful thoughts that come from the evil one and defile me, and from all passionate and seductive attractions. For everything is governed by Your royal power, and power, and glory, as the Trinitarian God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now, constantly, and in endless centuries, truly!
Most Glorious Ever-Virgin
Slavic text
Russian translation
Glorious Ever-Virgin, Mother of Christ God, bring our prayer to Your Son and our God, may You save our souls.
Glorious, Ever-Virgin Mother of God, lift up our prayer to the throne of Your Son and our God: may He save, for the sake of Your intercession, our souls!
Explanation
Glorious, Ever-Virgin Mother of God! Although we know that the deep consciousness of our moral insignificance before God, brought by us to humility, brings His fatherly compassion down to our souls; but we also know that when this consciousness, with our frequent and grave sins, shakes our hope in His inexhaustible mercy, and when, even under the shelter of prayer, we no longer dare to expect from Him that after our thousand-fold falls, He will have mercy on us - then in whom else can we find support for this wavering hope of ours for salvation - if not in You, our only and zealous Intercessor? You, without judging anyone, only want to have mercy and save everyone, and like a tender mother who loves equally all her children, good and bad, you love all Christians, who through faith have become lesser brothers of Your Only Begotten Son.
Loving the righteous, You have pity and mercy on sinners who come running with repentance under Your Mother’s cover, and, like the same tender mother who cares more about children who are sick (with sins), You, with greater care and tender sympathy, take care of the salvation of the repentant, turning them away from hell with correction, and lovingly interceding for them at the throne of Your and Righteous Son Judges! By the grace given to You by Him, You, as a Mother, have the power to intercede and protect all those who come running into Your sovereign Veil, - like the Lady who gave birth to the Lord of the whole world, - to reward everyone with Your mercy, - and, like the Daughter of the King, - to lead believers, by the heavenly path of glory, into the church of the Kings!
As Solomon once said to his Mother: Ask my Mother, that I will not turn away from You (1 Kings 2:20), so Your Divine Son, accepting Your intercession for us, tells You the same thing, proving by the fact that He, as God, gives You His Glory, and, as the Son, gives You His heart: may all Angels and men worship You, may the World know Who You have a Son and What Mother He has! May You be glorified by His glory, and may His glory be in Your glorification! And therefore we, the vale and sinners on this earth, bowing before Your heavenly greatness, and encouraged by Your inexhaustible compassion, we pray to You: lift up our prayers, together with Yours, for us to the Throne of Your Son and our God, and intercede for us from Him forgiveness and salvation for our souls!
Praise to the Virgin Mary
Slavic text
Russian translation
It is worthy to eat, as you truly bless Theotokos, ever-blessed and most immaculate and Mother of our God. We magnify Thee, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison, the Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption.
In all fairness. You are worthy to bless You, Mother of God, as the Eternally Blessed and Immaculate, and as the Mother of our God, entitled to higher honor than the Cherubim, and to greater, without comparison, glory than the Seraphim; - and therefore, You - without loss of virginity, who gave birth to God the Word, as befits a true Mother of God - we glorify!
Explanation
It is worthy to eat in justice - to glorify You, Mother of God! This is the cry of the Holy Church and each of us. Mother of God, sending up my praises and glorifications to You! But these praises are needed not for You, Who is already glorified above all the powers of heaven, but only for us, because they, sent to Your heavenly throne, never remain fruitless, but, accepted with Your usual mercy, are resolved in the bosom of Your love, with countless benefits to us, proclaiming both Your glory and the immutability of Your heavenly intercession for us!
It is worthy to eat, as you truly bless Thee, Theotokos - the whole Christian world exclaims to You! But what worthy gifts, says St. Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople, can this world bring to the One Who is unworthy of everything that fills it? For if Ap. Paul, speaking about the Saints, said that the whole world is unworthy of each of them (Heb. 11:38), then what can be said about You, Mother of God, who is as much holy than the Saints as the light of the sun exceeds the brilliance of the stars? There is nothing in the world that can compare with You, Mother of God, says St. Proclus the Man! Pass with your mind all the creations of God and see: can anything not only exceed, but even compare with the Most Blessed Virgin? Run across the earth, examine the seas, explore the air, delve into the heavens with your thoughts, test all the invisible forces - and say: is there another miracle like this in any creation? Angels - serve God with fear; Archangels worship Him with awe.
The cherubim, unable to see His glory, cover their faces with their wings; The seraphim, flying around His throne, do not approach and, trembling, cry out: Holy, Holy, Holy! (Isa.6:3); the waters obey His voice (Luke 8:24); the clouds serve as a chariot for Him as He ascends; The sun, unable to endure the reproach of His Creator, disappears at the sight of His crucifixion; hell, out of fear, spews out the dead; hellish beliefs - from one glance of Him they are crushed!.. Calculate everything else that is miraculous, and, comparing it with the powers of the Mother of God, glorify the superiority of the Blessed Virgin, as the Mother of the One Whom every creature praises with fear and obeys Him with trembling!
All the memories of the Old Testament Holy Men are praiseworthy; but there is nothing more glorious than the triumph of the Mother of God; for they all saw Christ allegorically, and She carried Him in her womb, incarnate! — Glorious is the face of the Old Testament Holy Wives, mothers of Patriarchs, Judges, Kings and Prophets; - but the Most Blessed Mary became worthy of worship as Mother and servant; like the cloud, the palace and the ark of the Lord! Mother, like one who gave birth to the One who wanted to be born; Slave - as one who unquestioningly accepted the Archangel's message; cloud - like one who dispassionately conceived and was illuminated by the Holy Spirit; The palace, as the receptacle of God the Word, and the Icon, as the one carrying in the womb, are not the tablets of the law, but the Lawgiver Himself!
Saints are also called in Scripture persons dedicated to God (Ps. 105:16) and all believers in Christ, sanctified by the grace of His Sacraments (1 Cor. 6:1), but the grace that the Ever-Virgin was vouchsafed for, by serving Her Mystery of God, exalted Her, not only above these earthly participants in grace; but also above all the hosts of disembodied forces who, serving God, worship Her as the Queen of Heaven, Most Honest of the highest ranks of Angels!
The name of the Saint was finally adopted in the Holy Scriptures by an entire people, chosen from among all the nations of the earth, to serve the One True God (Ex. 19:6); but the Mother of God - appeared to be the chosen one and from these chosen ones, for among the whole people she alone was found worthy of the highest honor of serving the incarnation of the Son of God, for which, one of all the wives of the world, contrary to the rules of nature, retained virginity by birth!
St. Gregory of Nyssa speaks about it this way: A virgin conceived; Worn by a virgin; She gave birth to a virgin, and remained a virgin by birth! Such a miracle has never been seen on earth!
St. John of Damascus adds: “Oh, a new miracle, the highest of all ancient miracles! For who has seen a mother who gave birth without a husband!”
St. Chrysostom, talking about the same thing, says: “Like Adam, without a wife, he produced a wife; - so the Virgin, without a husband, gave birth to a Husband, and paid the debt for Eve! Adam remained unharmed and unharmed after his bodily rib was taken from him; the Virgin also remained unharmed and incorruptible after the birth of the Divine Child!”
St. Ephraim the Syrian expresses it this way: “She gave up Her womb to labor and illness; but instead perceived it as immaculate and inviolable. The Divine physician acted by Her nature, and therefore left Her completely intact. It was not man who was pleased to choose the Virgin for the birth of the Son, but God! That’s why He gave nature what it didn’t have, in order to show that He came not to destroy nature, but to preserve it unharmed and incorruptible!”
St. Augustine exclaims: “Such a Virgin is chosen from the whole world, who is so deserving that she received the Son of God into Herself and remained a Virgin. For such is the Divine power that made Her the Mother and preserved her virginity inviolate!
St. Ambrose, speaking about the same thing, adds: “What is incredible here if Mary gave birth against the order of natural birth and remained a Virgin, when against the order of nature she saw the sea and ran? (Ex. 14:22). Equally, also
The Monk Isidore Pelusiot, in his letter to Theodosius (deacon), says: “The Lord, by His birth, preserved the virginity of the one who gave birth to Him, just as, having risen from the dead, He passed through the imprisoned and sealed doors of the Tomb. Both of these actions show that He is God clothed in human nature!”
The same truth is confirmed by all the ancient teachers of the church, instilling at the same time that the preservation of the virginity of the Mother of God, in conception and in birth, belongs to the family of miracles that exceed the laws of nature, and is a special work of the omnipotence of the One who was born, by whom the rules of nature are conquered and for whom nothing is impossible!
The Holy Apostles, God-bearing witnesses of the earthly and heavenly glory of the Most Holy Theotokos, were the first to glorify her in service songs and call for help in their prayers. The highest glory of the Mother of God, constantly growing and spreading among Christians, and the worship due to Her, were solemnly approved at the Third and Seventh Ecumenical Councils, and at the first of them the Holy Fathers pronounced to Her, like a victory song, a solemn doxology: Rejoice, Mary, Mother of God! - cried the universal Saints, - You are the cover of the whole world! You are an unquenchable light! You are the crown of virginity, the scepter of Orthodoxy, the container of the Incontainable! Virgin Mother, rejoice, who bore in Your blissful womb the Immeasurable and Immense One. The final day of the Council was a day of celebration in honor of the Mother of God.
There is a very touching story in the book entitled “The High Veil over Mount Athos” about the origin of the prayer It is worthy, etc., in the very fullness in which it is now sung by the Orthodox Church. This story, according to the compiler of the book, was taken from the description of the Athonite miracles by the Prototus of the Holy Mountain, Hieromonk Seraphim Thiipolom in 1548, bearing the name Νέου Μαρτορολογιον.
- Protect me, Lord.
- Angel of Christ.
- Holy Apostles.
- Loosen up, leave it alone.
- May God rise again!
- Prayer before bed.
Protect me, Lord
Slavic text
Russian translation
Protect me, Lord, by the power of Your Honest and Life-giving Cross, and save me from all evil.
Protect me, Lord, by the power of Your Glorified and Life-giving Cross, and with it save me from all evil.
Explanation
The power of Your Glorious Cross, O Lord, is so great and powerful that the mere sight of it makes demons tremble; Enemies were defeated, the sick were healed and the dead were resurrected! By Your atoning death on the cross, You gave us eternal life, and on the cross You destroyed the handwriting of our sins (Col. 2:13)! Protect me, O Lord, who is marked by the saving image of Your cross, by His power, and save me from all evil!
Angel of Christ
Slavic text
Russian translation
To the Angel of Christ, my Holy Guardian, and the protector of my soul and body, forgive me all who have sinned this day: and deliver me from every wickedness of the enemy who opposes me, so that in no sin I will anger my God, but pray for me, a sinful and unworthy servant, that you may show me worthy of the goodness and mercy of the All-Holy Trinity, and Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ, and all Saints. Amen.
Angel of Christ, my guardian Saint and patron of my soul and body! Forgive me for what I have sinned this day, and deliver me from all the tricks of the enemy I hate, so that I do not anger my God with any sin; but pray for me, a sinful and unworthy servant: may I become worthy of the blessings and mercy of the All-Holy Trinity, the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ and all the Saints. So be it!
Explanation
Angel of Christ, my guardian and patron saint! From the moment of my Holy Baptism, when the Lord adopted me as His son, you were given as the spiritual guardian of my soul and body, and since then you have been my wise counsellor, my good protector! But I also know that you, as a pure and righteous spirit, abhor all evil, and with my sins, violating the commandments of God and Your teachings, you cry and grieve for me! Oh, Angel of God! Forgive me all the sins with which I upset you on this day, violating my right to Your protection, and make me again worthy to stand under Your shield! And just as the Lord spoke through the mouth of His Prophet: He will command His angels concerning You, He will preserve You: so that You will not dash Your foot against a stone! (Ps. 90:11) and meanwhile, the enemy of the human race is strong, and constantly throws me stumbling blocks to my salvation, instilling unclean desires and pushing me into sins - then I pray to You: deliver me with the powerful power of Your intercession from this enemy that I hate and save me from sins with which I can anger the Lord!
If I fell into such sins, due to my weakness or ignorance, then pray for me to the unworthy: may the Lord forgive me for them and, not allowing me to perish in them, will convert and revive me to good deeds! May I, under Your holy guidance, become worthy of the mercy of the All-Holy Trinity, the intercession of the Most Pure Virgin Mary and the intercession of all the Saints! Yes it will!
Holy Apostles
Slavic text
Russian translation
Holy Apostles, Prophets, Saints, Martyrs, Reverends, Righteous Ones and all Saints, pray to God for me, a sinner.
Holy Apostles, Prophets, Saints, Martyrs, Reverends, Righteous Ones and all Saints, pray to God for me, a sinner.
Explanation
Holy Apostles, chosen and beloved disciples of Christ, zealous doers of His will, preachers of the saving truths of the Gospel and enlighteners of the universe! Great Prophets, filled with the grace of God and in wondrous revelations, who by His Spirit predicted world events many hundreds of years before their fulfillment! Saints are servants of the wisdom of God, given to the children of the Church of Christ for the perfection of saints, for the work of service, for the building up of the body of Christ; until we all come into the unity of the faith (Eph. 4:12)! Holy martyrs, who with faith blocked the jaws of lions, extinguished the power of fire and joyfully accepted the holy destiny of not only believing in Christ, but also suffering for him (Phil. 1:29)! Reverends, for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven, who renounced earthly blessings and sanctified the earth with their prayers and tears!
The righteous, who preserved the purity of their souls amid the worries and temptations of the world and shone in it like luminaries, containing the word of life (Phil. 2:15) - and all the Saints, who pleased the Lord by keeping His commandments, and by the example and word of their Angel-like life, who called everyone to the great and saving Supper of the Kingdom of God, pray for me, a sinner and unworthy of heavenly mercy, and, as friends of the Lord, close to the throne of His glory, seek forgiveness of my sins through your holy prayers!
Loosen up, leave it alone
Slavic text
Russian translation
Weaken, forgive, forgive, O God, our sins, voluntary and involuntary, even in word and in deed, even in knowledge and not in knowledge, even in days and in nights, even in mind and in thought: forgive us all, for you are good and a lover of mankind.
Let go, leave without persecution, forgive, God, our sins: voluntary and involuntary, both in word and in deed, both done with knowledge (that this is a sin) and without knowledge; both during the day and during the night, both premeditated and in dreams: forgive us all of them, as God, filled with goodness, out of love for people, sacrificed Himself for their atonement.
Explanation
God! You have proclaimed to us, through the mouth of Your Prophet: I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins and their iniquities no more (Jer. 31:51), and He Himself said: Him who comes to Me I will never cast out (John 6:37), whoever thirsts, let him come to Me and drink (John 7:38), and everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin; but the servant does not remain in the house forever, the Son remains forever: therefore, if the Son frees you, then you will be truly free! (John 8:34). Your Holy Apostles also encourage us to fearlessly cry out to You, teaching: Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time, and cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7). Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that you may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need! (Heb. 4:16), And therefore, now, having ended our day, we stand before You, our Creator, Lord and Judge, with an account of everything that has been done in its continuation; but we do not stand as good servants who have used the talents You have given us to benefit; not like wise women, with lamps full of oil; and like evil slaves, full of shame, sin and remorse!
Every step we take is tainted by the sin of deed or thought; Every moment of the past day is: either hesitation or our fall! But You are merciful! You are the Lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world (John 1:29), who said: Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, and believe in Me (John 14:1) And whatever you ask in My Name, I will do all that, that the Father may be glorified in the Son! (John 14:13). And therefore we pray to You, Merciful Lord, forgive us all our sins! Illuminate us with Your light while we have the light of life, so that the darkness of death does not overtake us, and, having strengthened us in the coming night with beneficial sleep, like strangers tired under the burden of sin, show us in the morning the right path to Your Kingdom: for You are the way, and the truth, and the life! (John 14:6).
May God rise again!
Slavic text
Russian translation
May God rise again and may His enemies be scattered, and may those who hate Him flee from His presence. Like smoke disappears, let them disappear; just as wax melts in the face of fire, so let demons perish on behalf of those who love God, and those who sign the sign of the cross, and who say in joy: Rejoice, most honorable and life-giving Cross of the Lord, drive away the demons with the power of our drunken Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell and trampled the power of the devil, and who gave us His honorable Cross to drive away every adversary. O most honorable and life-giving cross of the Lord! help me, with the Holy Lady the Virgin Mary, and with all the Saints forever. Amen. May God rise again and may His enemies be destroyed, and may those who hate Him flee from His face! As the smoke disappears, so they will disappear!
Just as wax melts from the warmth of fire, so demons will disappear from the presence of those who love God, who sign themselves with the sign of the cross and cry in triumph: Rejoice, Most Glorified and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, driving away demons by the divine power of our Lord Jesus Christ crucified on you, who descended into hell, trampling down the forces of the devil there, and who gave us His glorified Cross to drive away every enemy. O Most Glorified and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord! Do not forsake us with your help, along with the intercession of our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the Saints forever! Yes it will!
Explanation
Arise, Lord, and with Your resurrection scatter and defeat those who are hostile to You and those faithful to You! As the smoke of the earth disappears, so may they also disappear, although the smoke of their torment, at Thy terrible judgment, will not cease to smoke forever! (Rev. 19:3). Just as wax melts and disappears from the warmth of fire, so demons will melt and disappear from the warmth of our faith in You, for You are the fire that consumes everything unclean (Heb. 12:29), and from the image on us of the image of Your Cross, on which You bore our sins in Your body, so that we, having died to sin, would live to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24)! We solemnly glorify this image of our salvation, through which You satisfied the truth of God, or the Lord sent You to reconcile everything with Himself, both earthly and heavenly, giving us peace through the blood of Your Cross (Col. 1:20)! We victoriously sing and magnify Your Holy Cross as the banner of our own victory, because everything born of God conquers the world, and the victory by which we conquer is our faith! (1 John 5:4).
If Thy earthly garments, O Lord, were granted the power of healing, and from Thy Image, miraculously inscribed on linen, the dying were raised, then from Thy Cross, this universal altar, on which Thou, the Lamb of God, was slain for our sins, and on which Thy most pure blood and the tears of Thy Most Pure Mother were poured out, the highest power of miracles will not be poured out. and life-giving! On this cross, stretching out Your almighty arms, as if with a desire to embrace the whole world, not excluding Your enemies, You said: Father! in Thy hand I commend My Spirit (Luke 23:46) and bowed down, the crowned head from the Father and the thorn-bitten head from the children! But when the hellish act of betrayal revealed You lifeless on the cross, You, as the owner of the living and the dead, breathed joy into the souls of the righteous, and, having set an example of meekness and humility on earth, You appeared in hell as the Almighty God and the terrible Judge! Having trampled down the forces of the devil and brought the righteous out of the shadow of death into heaven, You have given the earth Your victorious banner - Your cross: let our hearts not be troubled by hell and not be afraid (John 14:27) Oh, the glorified Cross of the Lord!
Overshadowed by Your Holy image and observed by life-giving power, we will not be afraid of any enemy! Let us not fall painfully before his temptations and we will not lose love and gratitude to the One who suffered on you, for the sake of our salvation! For through you it was not the spirit of sickness that God gave us, but the spirit of power and love and sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7): But you, marking us as chosen children of the Church of Christ, together with the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos for us, who adopted us at Your foot, and the prayers of all the Saints, who by you opened the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven, do not forsake us with Your help - forever! Let it be true!
Prayer before bed
Slavic text
Russian translation
In Your hands, Lord Jesus Christ, my God, I commend my spirit; You bless me, you have mercy on me and grant me eternal life. Amen.
Into Your hands, Lord and my God, Jesus Christ, I commend my soul! Bless and have mercy on me and grant me eternal life in Your Kingdom! Truly I pray to You!
Explanation
God! Having accomplished the feat of our salvation and fulfilled the eternal will of Your Father, You rested on the cross with the words: Father! I commend my Spirit into Your hands! Now, having completed the day of my life, according to Your goodness and longsuffering, and remembering the words of Your Prophet: Prepare yourself daily as if you were to die today (Is. 38:1), going to sleep, I repeat Your words, according to Your example, and according to the teaching of Your Apostle, who said: God has not determined us to receive wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we live with Him (1 Thess. 5:9), plunging into the sleep of earthly rest and overshadowed by the image of Your life-giving cross, I pray Your goodness: raise me from this likeness of death again to life and activity in Your Name, in fulfillment of the words of the same Apostle, that if we are united with You by the likeness of death, we must also be united by the likeness resurrection (Rom.6:5)! I know, Lord, that I am a great sinner before You, but I also know the infinity of Your mercy; and therefore with all my heart I cry to You: Father!
I have sinned against heaven and before You! forgive and bless me, like the child-loving Father of the prodigal son! God! be merciful to me, a sinner, and have mercy on me as a publican! And remember me, Lord, in Your kingdom, as a thief who believed in You! Yes it will!
In ancient times, when the faith of Christ began to spread, and the light of the Apostolic teaching began to illuminate people, selected Christians gathered to say their first public prayer before midnight, as if at the call of the Angel's trumpet on the last day of the Last Judgment, to meet the Bridegroom coming at midnight! In general, the result of prayers, these firstborn of Christ's Church, considering it their duty, following the example of the heavenly powers constantly glorifying and in fulfillment of the Apostolic teaching: pray unceasingly and spend time in psalms and songs and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19), gathered for prayers, in the first centuries of Christianity, seven times throughout the day. But later on, the Holy Fathers, seeing that working people, busy with household chores and crafts, could not tear themselves away from them so often, established that only three Divine services should be celebrated daily, namely; evening, morning and lunchtime, with the intention that moral and religious ideas should be associated with saving business time, i.e.
so that the day ends and begins with prayer, and the time of the human meal is preceded by the memory of the Divine meal served by the Savior himself. Why, during the last service, a bloodless sacrifice was performed, in remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ, who through His death redeemed humanity suffering from the Fall. From this division of the ancient services came the proper names of the services still performed today, i.e. Vespers, Matins and Mass. And since on the eve of great holidays and days the remembrances of especially revered saints, Vespers and Matins became so lengthened through the reading in them of prophecies, singing, special prayers of praise, magnifications, etc., corresponding to the holiday, that the period of free time between them disappeared, then the Holy Fathers decided to combine these two services on such days, with the addition to the last of them of one more daytime prayer, called the First Hour.
Through this merging of three services into one continuous prayer, it, with proper leisurely performance, required a lot of time, so that the ancient Christians, who generally chose late hours of the day to perform their public prayers, in order to avoid persecution from Jews and pagans, appointed an all-night vigil for it and ended it at dawn. This name, as well as the pious custom of celebrating great days with prayer at night and in the morning, has been passed down from generation to generation until our times, and is fulfilled by the service of the festive Vigil and Matins.
The separate and general meaning of each of the three mentioned services is the following:
Vespers - depicts the revelation of the glory and wisdom of the Triune God, revealed by Him in the creation of the world and man; the blissful state of the Ancestors in paradise, their loss of this bliss through the Fall and their expulsion from paradise. Then, they depict: the torment and painful cry of a fallen man begging for mercy; God's propitiation over him and the gracious promise that the Seed of the woman will erase the head of the serpent, that is, that the Son of the Virgin will defeat the devil. Next, the history of the Patriarchal Church is depicted, encouraged by the fulfillment of this promise and the holy life according to the faith of the Forefathers: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who, as a result of this faith, retired from idolaters to the Promised Land, their wanderings, Jacob's blessing of the 12 ancestors of the rut of Israel and his prediction about the fourth son Judah, who became the forefather The Promised One.
Then both the Old Testament prototypes and the prophecies of men filled with the Holy Spirit are depicted about events that have already come to fruition; it is reminded of the conception of the Forerunner of the Lord and the impatient expectation of the Messiah by the holy elder Simeon, in refutation of his doubts about the prophetic words, and finally, the fulfillment of the eternal advice about the salvation of people, through the gospel of the Blessed Virgin Mary, about the incarnation of the Savior of the world in Her, is depicted!
Matins - depicts the gradual revelation of the destinies of God, regarding the preparation of the human race for the acceptance of the Savior, at all times under the law, starting from the time of Moses and until the last times, illuminated by a number of prophetic revelations that foreshadowed Christ the Savior: until the time when in the house of the priest of the second temple of Jerusalem, Zechariah, the Chosen Young Lady appeared, having already accepted the gospel of the Archangel and when Zechariah’s wife, righteous Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, greeted Her as the Mother of the Lord. Then the birth of the Forerunner of Christ is mentioned in the prophetic appeal of Zechariah to the East from Above and, finally, the Nativity of the Savior Himself, announced by the heavenly choir of Angels.
Mass or Liturgy - depicts the entire earthly life of Christ: His teaching, suffering, death, removal from the cross, burial, resurrection and ascension to heaven. In a word: in the symbolic rites of the Liturgy, a complete picture of the wondrous blessings of God bestowed by the incarnate Savior on the human race is presented to the Christian mind, heart and gaze.
Prayer before entering the church
Slavic text
Russian translation
We rejoiced because they said to me: Let us go to the house of the Lord. But by the multitude of Thy mercy, O Lord, I will enter into Thy house, I will bow to Thy holy church in Thy passion. Lord, guide me with Your righteousness, for my enemy’s sake, straighten my path before You; that without stumbling I will glorify the one Divinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
I rejoiced when I heard a call saying to me: let us go to the house of the Lord! And I, as having been sought out by the multitude of Thy mercies, O Lord, will enter Thy house and bow before Thy holy abode with reverent fear befitting Thy greatness! God! enlighten me with Your truths and, despite the tricks of the enemy of the entire human race, who seeks to destroy me, guide me on the true path of pleasing You; Yes, unhindered and despite the efforts of this enemy, I will glorify, with the purity of my prayers, You, the One, Trinitarian God - Father and Son, and Holy Spirit, now, constantly, always and to the eternal ages of ages! Truly!
Prayer upon entering the church
Slavic text
Russian translation
I worship You, my Lord God, who is present by Your grace in this holy church; fairer in the most pure and life-giving Mysteries; To you, true Christ my Savior, I bow the knee of my heart. I also adore Your most immaculate Mother, the Most Pure Lady Virgin Mary, Theotokos, helper, intercessor, intercessor, the only hope and hope of my salvation. I honor the holy Angel, Thy servant, who guards Thy Divine altar, and I kiss all Thy Saints, depicted in icons, and with their relics, with love. And I pray to Thee, my good Lord; may Thy ears be attentive to the prayerful voice of the people praying to Thee in Thy holy church; remember those who died with him in Your heavenly Kingdom, despising all their sins, as good and merciful forever. Amen. I adore You, my Lord and God, who is present by Your grace in this holy church; and even more (present) in the Most Pure and Life-Giving Mysteries, and at the feet of Thy, True Christ, my Savior, I cast my humble heart!
I also adore Your Most Immaculate Mother, the Most Pure Lady Virgin - the Mother of God Mary, - our Helper, Intercessor and Intercessor, the only hope and hope for my salvation! I reverently honor the Holy Angel, as Your ministering spirit, guarding, according to the power given to him from above, Your Divine altar, and all Your saints depicted here on icons and resting here with incorruptible relics, and I kiss them with love! And I pray to You, who bestows grace on my Master: bow Your ear from the heights of heaven and listen to the prayerful appeals of Your people praying with faith in this church! Remember those buried near his departed in Your heavenly Kingdom, having forgiven them all their sins, as God, who distributes mercies and bliss, to the living and the dead, throughout the centuries! Yes it will!
Prayer before leaving church
Slavic text
Russian translation
In the hand of Your great mercy, O my God! I entrust my soul and body, my feelings and verbs, my advice and thoughts, my deeds, and my entire body and soul, my movements, my entry and exit, my faith and residence, the course and end of my life, the day and hour of my breathing, my repose, the tranquility and resurrection of my soul and body. You, oh, Most Merciful God, are invincible with the sins of the whole world, and kindly Lord! accept me, more than all sinners, in the hand of Thy protection, and deliver me from all evil; cleanse my many, many iniquities, grant correction to my evil and cursed life, and always delight me from future sins; Yes, when I anger Your love for mankind in anything, cover my weakness from demons, passions and evil people, forbid it from the visible and invisible enemy: guiding me along the saved path, bring me to You, my refuge and the land of my desires.
Grant me a Christian, shameless, peaceful death; keep from the air spirits of malice; at Your terrible judgment, be merciful to Your servant, and number me at the right hand of Your blessed sheep, so that with them I may glorify My Creator to You forever. Amen. Into the power of Thy boundless mercy, O my God! I entrust my soul and body, my feelings and words, my considerations and thoughts, my deeds, and all the movements of my soul and body; my life and death, my faith and existence, the continuation and end of my life; the day and hour of my death, the separation of my soul from my body, its calm and resurrection with my body! You, Lord, are an immeasurable abyss of mercy - and grace, not exhausted under the weight of the sins of the whole world and not embittered by them! Take me, the most sinful person of all, under Your all-powerful protection and deliver me from all evil! Blot out from the book of sins the multitude of my iniquities; give the best direction to my evil and sinful life and from the severe falls in sin that may continue to happen - restrain me: let me never anger Your love for mankind with anything bad or inappropriate!
But You, Lord, filled with this love for mankind, protect my weak and sinful nature from attacks on it by evil spirits that inflame passions in me, and from evil people who are harmful to me; and prevent all of them, as my visible and invisible enemies, from destroying me! But, guiding me on the path of salvation, lead me to You, a quiet refuge and blissful limit of my desires! Grant me a death worthy of a Christian, with which I would not disgrace this holy name, and peaceful, according to the state of my conscience! Save me from the heavenly spirits of malice, which usually block the human soul from ascending to the heavenly settlements, and at Your terrible judgment, be merciful to me, Your sinful servant, and join me with the blessed sheep standing at Your right hand: may I glorify You with them, my Creator, forever! Yes it will!
Vespers, connected with Compline, is celebrated on ordinary days separately from Matins. At the very beginning of it, the church curtain is taken away or the royal gates themselves are dissolved and the deacon, upon leaving the altar, standing in front of them, exclaims: Lord, Bless! and the priest after this proclaims: Glory to the Holy One, Consubstantial, Life-Giving and Indivisible Trinity, etc.
It should be noted here that the opening of the royal doors during Divine services generally means the revelation of the glory of God and the revelation of the Mysteries of God. And just as from ancient times the Lord revealed His glory many times and in various ways: in miracles, in promises, prototypes and prophecies, so the opening of the royal doors during Divine services happens more than once, and always indicates some special condescension of God towards people. Here it precisely expresses the discovery of the glory of God, revealed in the creation of the world and man, to which the mentioned words of the priest refer.
Following this, the priest calls on the triple believers to come and worship our King God, who showed us the light of our life and knowledge of God, that is, the mystery of the nature of God!
Then, the priest with a censer in his hand, preceded by a deacon with a lighted candle, goes around the entire church and censes the images and people, as if spreading the grace of the Lord to everyone present in the church and calling them to desire, so that the fire of Divine love, having burned into them all the principles of the old man, would lift up the prayers of their contrite hearts, like the fragrance of a spiritual censer, before the heavenly and mental altar of the Lord.
In general, a censer during worship, when it turns on behalf of those praying to God, means their prayer, praise, thanksgiving and any other heartfelt sacrifice, but when it turns on behalf of God to those praying, it means that the Lord, having accepted this sacrificial censer, sends down to the believers the grace of His All-Holy Spirit. A burning candle in the hands of a clergyman or presented in a candlestick - having the general meaning of the Light of God and the fire of Divine love of people for God and His for people, in the latter case means those messengers of God who, being illuminated from above by the light of wisdom, dispersed sinful darkness on earth and prepared the way for the Savior, such as the Prophets and especially the Forerunner of Christ John, who was the lamp that burned and shone (John 5:35).
Here, the censer and candle, while singing a psalm glorifying God for the creation of the world, depict how the Spirit of the Lord hovered, like clouds of incense, over the abyss in the days of creation and how the Creative voice was heard: Let there be Light!
At the end of the solemn incense, the royal gates are closed, signifying the expulsion of our ancestors from paradise, and the Church, looking at these closed gates as the gates of paradise itself, in accordance with the depicted meaning, begins to pray to the Lord, in the so-called great litany, for the sending of those mercies and grace that man lost through his fall.
Further, admonishing speeches are repeated again, reminding us of the lost paradise, and in the mysterious words Blessed is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked, a warning is heard for everyone against sins and temptations.
Each of these verses ends with the word Hallelujah, which means Praise God.
After this, the clergy, as if suppressed by spiritual grief over the loss of primeval bliss, imitating the expelled Adam, on behalf of those present and all humanity, calls out: Lord, I have called to You, hear me! May my prayer be corrected like incense before You. At this time, the deacon comes out to burn incense in front of the royal doors and the smoke of his incense, like our prayer, ascends the mountain, depicting the sacrifices made in the Old Testament from the very beginning of the world, which served as a prototype of the Savior’s sacrifice on the cross.
But now, among these touching prayers of a man tormented by the grief of his fall, comforting promises are heard about the coming into the world of the Savior, who will again open paradise to sinners, and the clergy cries out on behalf of everyone: Bring my soul out of prison to confess to Your Name!
This comforting revelation about the appearance of Christ the Savior into the world is depicted by the opening of the royal doors again and the exit of the clergy from the altar by the northern door. At this time, the clergy usually sings a song, either in honor of the Ever-Virgin Mother of the One who defeated the ancient serpent, or in honor of Christ Himself.
The Church, as if out of fear that the contemplation of this joyful moment might remain incompletely noticed or misunderstood by those praying, proclaims through the mouth of the deacon: Wisdom! Sorry! and the clergy, in the touching hymn Quiet Light, glorifies the Savior promised to the ancestors, Who, like the quiet light of the holy glory of the Heavenly Father, appeared already in the last days, when countless generations saw not only the setting of the sun, but also the sunset of their lives. Upon the proclamation Wisdom! The clergy enter the altar through the royal doors, which close behind them.
Following this majestic hymn, the so-called Proverbs are read, usually borrowed from ancient historical sacred books, parables and prophecies (one reading from each section, in which promises, types and prophecies about the Savior are expressed, subsequently justified by the events of His earthly life.
The proverbs are followed by an intense or intensified litany, combined with a litany of supplication, in which, between many prayers, prayers are offered that the Lord will save those present that evening from sin.
After this, on the eve of major holidays, the priest and deacon, in front of whom they carry a lighted candle, go out into the vestibule of the Church and the deacon (and if he is not there, then the priest himself) performs Litia, that is, public prayer, and prays for every Christian soul that is grieving, embittered and demanding the mercy of God, asking for the intercession of all heavenly powers and holy saints; the priest ends this Litiya with a prayer that the Lord God will forgive the sins of those who pray and grant them a peaceful life.
On the same eve of the holidays, after the Litiya, the consecration of loaves, wheat, wine and oil takes place, in the image of the five loaves with which the Lord fed 5 thousand people.
But now, from the choir one can hear the reading or singing of the touching song of St. Simeon the God-Receiver, which, as it were, tells everyone that the fulfillment of the promise given to the Forefathers and Forefathers is close, that Christ is already at the door, and that the sinful world, tired of waiting for the Redeemer, can finally exclaim enthusiastically together with the Holy Elder: Now do you let go of your servant, Master, according to Your word, in peace!
And after this, the worshipers prostrate themselves, hearing the Angelic gospel of God's chosen Revelation and in reverent fear of the great mystery of the eternal Council of God, with tenderness and gratitude, as the holy instrument of universal salvation, together with the Angel they cry out to Her: Rejoice, Virgin Mary! Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you!
The leader of the worshipers, the priest, seeing and sharing the spiritual joy bequeathed to him by Christ of the flock, overshadows it with the saving image of the Cross, and saying: The blessing of the Lord is upon you, by His grace and love for mankind, always, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages - thus ends the evening service.
Blessed is the husband
Slavic text
Russian translation
Blessed is the man who does not follow the counsel of the wicked. Alleluia.
For the Lord knows that the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked will perish. Hallelujah!
Work for the Lord with fear and rejoice in Him with trembling. Hallelujah!
Blessed are all who hope. Hallelujah!
Rise up, Lord, Save me, my God. Hallelujah!
Salvation is the Lord's, and Your blessing is upon Your people. Alleluia.
Blessed is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked. Praise God!
For the Lord knows the path of the Righteous, but the path of the wicked will perish without a trace. Praise God!
Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice before Him with trembling. Praise God!
Blessed are all who trust in Him. Praise God!
Arise, Lord, save me, my God. Praise God!
Salvation comes from the Lord, and Your blessing rests on Your chosen ones: Praise God!
Lord I called to you
Slavic text
Russian translation
Lord, I called to You, hear me!
Hear me, Lord!
Lord, I cry to You, hear me; Hear the voice of my prayer, always call me to you.
Hear me, Lord!
May my prayer be corrected like incense before You; the lifting of my hand, the evening sacrifice.
Hear me, Lord!
God! I appeal to You - hear me!
Hear me Lord!
God! I appeal to You - hear me! Hear the cry of my prayer at the time when I cry out to You.
Hear me Lord!
May my prayer rise up like the smoke of incense before You, and the lifting of my hands like the evening offering.
Hear me, Lord!
The light is quiet
Slavic text
Russian translation
Quiet light of holy glory, immortal Heavenly Father, Holy, Blessed Jesus Christ! Having come to the west of the sun, having seen the light of vespers, we sing to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, God. You are worthy at all times to be the voice of the Reverend; Son of God, give life, with the same the world glorifies You.
Quiet Light of the great Holy glory of the Immortal, His heavenly Father, the Holy and Blessed, the Lord Jesus Christ! Approaching sunset and already taking advantage of the evening light, we sing praise to You, the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit! You are worthy at all times to be sung by the laudatory voices of the Reverends (those surrounding Your heavenly throne); The Son of God, who gives life to everything, for this the world (vale) glorifies You!
Now you release your servant
Slavic text
Russian translation
Now do You let Your servant go, O Master, according to Your word in peace, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people, light for the revelation of tongues, and the glory of Your people Israel.
Now You release (me) Your servant, Master, peacefully according to Your promise, for my eyes have seen the salvation You have wrought, which You have prepared in the face of all nations, as a light for the enlightenment of the pagans and as the glory of Your people Israel.
Historical explanation of this prayer
According to the testimony of the Holy Martyr Justin, John Chrysostom, Gregory of Nyssa and St. Jerome, the Most Pure Virgin, after the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, remained with Her Eternal Child for 40 days in the birth den. But since, according to the prophetic legends, the Great Angel of the Covenant was to appear in the Church (Mal.3:1) and fill it with new glory (Hag.2:8-10), then upon the arrival of the fortieth day, determined for the purification of the woman who gave birth and the dedication of the Firstborn to God, the Blessed Virgin, accompanied by Joseph and Salome, set out with her Divine Son from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, so that there, in the church, to fulfill everything prescribed by the law.
The Law of Moses said that a mother who had given birth to a baby was considered unclean for 40 days. On these days, called days of purification, she was not to come to the church, participate in public worship, or touch anything sacred. After this period, she appeared in the church and brought a cleansing sacrifice: a woman of sufficient wealth - a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young dove or turtle dove for a sin offering; and the poor woman, two turtle doves or two young doves (Lev. 12:1-8). In addition, if the baby was firstborn, then, in addition to this rite of purification over the Mother, a rite of dedication to God was also performed over the baby: Sanctify every firstborn, who opens up every lie in the sons of Israel, the Lord commanded Moses (Ex. 13:2). When performing this ritual, the priest took the baby in his arms and, turning to the altar, raised or lifted up the child, as if handing him over to the Lord.
This commandment was given to the people of Judah in memory of the blessings of God shown to them during their exodus from Egypt, when the Angel, having destroyed all the firstborn of Egypt in one night, did not touch the firstborn of the Jews (Ex. 13:12-16; Num. 3:13).
The firstborn, thus dedicated to God, were appointed to serve Him in the church and became, as it were, His property - the Firstborn of Thy Sons and Mu (Ex. 22, 29). But as, later on, the Levites were appointed to serve God at the tabernacle, whom the Lord accepted from the children of Israel instead of their firstborn (Num. 3:12; 8:16-18), then for these latter, brought from all other tribes, a ransom was already appointed, consisting of five sacred shekels of silver.
To perform these rituals. The Mother of God came to the Temple of Jerusalem, carrying the Lawgiver Himself - and, Incorruptible, Unartificial and Most Pure - deigned to submit Herself to them, out of respect for the law. The Blessed Virgin, not proud of Her purity, out of a feeling of high humility, included herself among ordinary sinners and, coming to the doors of the church, stood in the place designated for unclean wives. She also brought with Her a sacrifice, but not the kind that rich people brought: Her sacrifice was the sacrifice of the poor, because of the gold brought as a gift to Her Divine Son by the sorcerer, She left for Herself only the smallest part, namely, how much was required for expenses in the church and the return journey from Jerusalem, and the rest was distributed to the poor. Holding Her Dearest Son in her hands, She knelt before the church, and, ascending with her soul to the throne of the Lord, cried out to Him with deep reverence: Behold Your Son, Righteous Father! Behold Your Son, Whom You sent to be incarnate from Me for the salvation of men! You gave birth to Him before the ages without a Mother, and I, by Your good pleasure, gave birth to Him without a husband!
This is the first fruit of My virgin womb, conceived in Me by Your Holy Spirit, and You alone know how He came from Me! He is My firstborn, but Yours is the first; You, the Consubstantial and Co-Original One, who came from You, but did not depart from Your Divinity! Accept Your firstborn before time, with whom You created the ages and commanded the light to shine! Accept Your Word incarnate from Me, with which You established the heavens, established the earth and gathered the waters of the seas! Accept Your Son from Me, His earthly Mother! Arrange Him and Me according to Your Holy will, and may the entire human race be redeemed by His flesh and blood, received from Me! “At a time when the Most Pure Virgin Mother was praying and crying out to the Lord, the gray-haired elder Simeon approached Her, uniting in his face: both the modern miracle of God’s Goodness and the object of reverent respect for Jerusalem.
The Gospel does not show to what rank Simeon belonged, but, based on the fact that he took the Infant Jesus into his arms, as one must think, to perform the rite of dedication over Him, and, after that, also blessed Mary and Joseph (Luke 2:28, as well as based on the meaning of church hymns, directly indicating his rank, we can assume that he was one of the priests of the Jerusalem temple. But the Gospel, keeping silent about his title, definitely depicts his moral qualities, saying that he was a righteous and pious man; he fulfilled all the proper duties in relation to God and love for his neighbor, and had a living faith in the coming Savior, eagerly awaiting the day of His coming, which is why he became the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is in him, says the Evangelist.
Like other Old Testament righteous people, Simeon was preparing to die with faith in the immutable fulfillment of the promises of God, but the Holy Spirit told him that he would receive a better lot and would not see death - without seeing Christ the Lord; after which revelation, he lived in the hope of seeing the Salvation of God and joyfully contemplated the continuation of his long days.
On the day of bringing the Eternal Child to the church for dedication, the Holy Spirit unexpectedly commanded Simeon to go there and opened the veil over everything that had happened before his eyes.
The poor Mother with the Baby in her arms was still standing among the people, preparing to make her meager sacrifice, when this venerable and respected old man approached the church, approaching the Blessed One, Simeon took the Newborn from Her hands and, fixing his attentive gaze on Him, exclaimed in sacred delight: Now you release Your servant, Master, according to Your word in peace! I have been waiting for You for a long time, yearning for Your coming, and now, finally, that blessed hour has come that You predicted to me, Lord of life and death! Now there are no more reasons to keep me on earth, just as for me - from now on there are no more goals in life; for the first and last of them have already been achieved by me; I saw You and now I can calm down. Rejoicing, I go to proclaim joy to my forefathers and fathers, for my eyes have seen Your salvation! I saw the One Whom our patriarchs and kings so ardently desired to see! (Heb. 11:13). Am I not the most blessed of them all? Isn’t he the most blessed and the very father of the believers Abraham, who here, on Mount Moriah, saw only the image of his Christ?
Isn't it more blessed than the great lawgiver Moses, who from Mount Nabab saw only the country where You were to appear? And I, not far away, but here, in my arms, I see - not an image, and not a canopy - but I have prepared Your very salvation before the face of all people! Oh, if all these people knew that this is the One about whom You, God, spoke through the mouth of the Holy One. Thy prophet! I gave You as a covenant for generations, as a light for the nations, so that You may be saved, even to the last of the earth (Is. 49:6)! For Your salvation is not for the Jews alone, but for the entire human race! O All-Good Father of Lights! Before the darkness of death that is coming to me, I see Your saving light! He shone here, but will spread throughout the whole world and illuminate all nations - this is the Light in the revelation of tongues, having to disperse their disastrous darkness and saying to everyone in chains: come out! And to those who are in darkness: open yourselves (Is. 4:9)! He will reveal to them You, the True God and Savior, and will flow out from among the people You protect, having justified the words of the Prophets and the Glory of Your people Israel!
From the east of the sun to the west, the peoples of all countries and tribes, from now until forever, will glorify our patriarchs, who shamelessly hoped for the coming Redeemer; they will glorify the Prophets who infallibly predicted Your appearance; glorify and bless Your Most Holy Mother; They will glorify and reverence Yours, O Jehovah, Divine, eternal Glory! So, Sovereign Lord! I now see and feel the life and light of the whole world, the Glory and joy of Israel, and the wealth of all believers! I feel that, having applied this Treasure to my heart, I united with Him in spirit, and therefore, there is no longer earthly life for me, but a new life has been opened, endless! Let go, O Master, of Thy servant, according to Thy word, in peace!
At the beginning of Matins, twilight reigns in the church, and all the lamps are extinguished, except for those in front of the images of the Savior and the Mother of God. In the midst of the silence, a touching reading of the sixth psalm, or six selected psalms, is heard, the attentive listening of which the Church obliges every Orthodox Christian, as a saving example and teaching for his soul. And although this reading begins with the triple exclamation of the joyful song of the Angels at the birth of the Savior, these words here do not yet constitute a sign of the occurrence of the event itself, but contain only the meaning of the prophecy about the Savior who is about to come, whose grace-filled appearance still needs to be redeemed by the people of God with many sufferings! The darkness of the church and the words of the psalms depict the dark and disastrous times for Israel after the death of Jacob and Joseph, when the Egyptians, ignorant of the True God, even tried to completely destroy him, saying: There is no salvation for him in his God!
and those spiritual appeals of the chosen people to God for help, where they expressed strong hope in His mercy, exclaiming: You, O Lord, are my intercessor, my glory, and lift up my head. This is the content of the first psalm read. But the Lord hesitates to deliver His people from external danger in order to turn their gaze to the internal danger: and the people tested by Him, feeling the hand of punishment from above, sees with horror that the spiritual ulcers of their sins have brought upon them the whole abyss of these disasters and cries out in trepidation: Lord! Do not reprove me with Your wrath, but punish me with Your wrath! This constitutes the content of the second of the psalms read. Such a fiery outpouring of feelings of heartfelt repentance, accompanied by intense prayer for help, appeases the justice of God, and the Lord visibly, and as if tangibly, extends the shelter of His wings over Israel, washed by the tears of repentance, and gives them a deliverer in the person of Moses.
The people freed from slavery, in grateful delight to God, conscious of the actions of His omnipotent hand, exclaims: My soul clings to You, but Your right hand has accepted me! This contains the meaning of the third of the psalms read.
At the end of this psalm, the priest leaves the altar by the northern door and, while reading the three subsequent psalms, standing in front of the royal doors, quietly prays with the flock. This depicts the fact that just as Moses, being a prototype of Christ, prayed to God in order to better blot him out of the book of life, so that the people entrusted to him would not perish, so now, the servant of God, representing to us the sacred image of the Liberator of our souls, intercedes before the gates of the palace of the King of the Kings with his prayer for us, entrusted to him! The reader, at this time, exclaims on behalf of all those praying: Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Glory to Thee God!
Then follows the continuation of the six psalms, depicting the wanderings of the Israelites in the desert.
When bitter experience confirmed the people of God that the passions and cowardice that enslaved them, after liberation from the Egyptians, were the reason for their grumbling not only against Moses, but also against God Himself, despite continuous signs that obviously proved God’s guidance in the difficulties of the desert march, and that the Lord was now subjecting them to severe trials for this, then recognizing himself as a great sinner, and with trembling at the thought of the threat, Even greater than the destruction that befell his brethren, he cried out to God: Lord God of My Salvation! Thy wrath has come upon me, Thy intimidation has troubled me! May my prayer come before You, incline Your ear to my prayer! This expresses the meaning of the fourth psalm read.
Such prayer could not help but stop the striking blows of God’s truth and incline to the mercy of the Lord, especially with the persistent prayer of His saint Moses. Graceful consolation soon illuminated the souls of the believers and convinced them again with miraculous phenomena in the presence of the providential right hand of God over them! In the living consciousness of saving blessings, Israel exclaimed: Bless the Lord, my soul, and all that is within me is His Holy Name! This is the meaning of the fifth psalm read.
Enlivened by heavenly consolation and blessing God for His mercies and bounties, the Israelites were already approaching the borders of the promised land, but the cowardice of the spies, once again shaking the faith of the entire people, again pushed him away from the desired goal of his wanderings, and again brought upon him even stronger trials, which made him tremble both for his guilt before God and for the possibility of the end of this long wandering. Then, finally imbued with the consciousness of their guilt and a feeling of living repentance, the people of God with filial boldness began to ask God about their ways and were confirmed in the faith that the Good Spirit would guide them to the right on earth - and therefore exclaimed: Lord! Hear me in Thy righteousness, and do not enter into judgment with Thy servant! Tell me, Lord, the way, and I will go to it, as if I have taken my soul to You. Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God. Your good Spirit will guide me to the right land!
This is the meaning of the sixth and last psalm, which at the same time marks the end of the Israelites’ long-suffering wanderings in the desert and their moral readiness to enter the Promised Land.
At the end of the Six Psalms, the priest goes to the altar, and he is replaced in front of the royal doors by another clergyman - a deacon - which depicts, in relation to the Old Testament Church, the succession of the great leader of the Israelites Moses - his former servant Joshua.
The deacon begins a great litany, in which, with a request, on behalf of those who are to come, for all blessings - spiritual and useful, internal and external - he recalls the blessings that believers were to find in the promised land - boiling with honey and milk.
Then, the deacon proclaims: God, the Lord, and having appeared to us, blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord! This means that both the very entry into the Promised Land and the possession of it were marked by repeated appearances of God saving His people, in accordance with their turning to Him with a feeling of repentance, faith and hope.
The clear repeats these words many times on behalf of all those present.
Next, the reading of Kathisma begins (interrupted by short litanies), depicting the times of the Judges and Kings of Israel, also abundant in various types of Epiphanies. Listening to these Kathismas, one cannot help but recall that quiet and not distinguished by the splendor of the Divine Service, which was performed in the early times of the Kings in the monastery of meeting, or camp church; This comparison is facilitated by both the content of the kathismas themselves and their monotonous reading, interrupted only occasionally by short chants of Lord have mercy and glory. You can’t help but be transported to the time when the God-inspired singer of psalms delighted King Saul, who was despondent in his distance from God, with these sacred hymns, and when this outcast of God subjected God’s chosen one to incessant persecution, which not only did not suppress sublime and holy feelings in David’s God-loving soul, but purified it even more, like gold with fire! But finally, these trials are over and David, who was once taken from the flocks, becomes the king and shepherd of Israel! The service in the tabernacle comes to an end and the zealous desire of St.
the king to erect a church worthy of the greatness of the Lord is accomplished through the labors of his wisest son Solomon. The glory of the God of Israel, as far as it could be revealed in Old Testament times, is revealed in this church not only for the Israelites, but for all nations; and the splendor of the Temple of Jerusalem, with the special greatness of its worship, spreads far the praiseworthy news to it, along with the praise of God praised in it!
And therefore, at the end of the kathismas, as if at the approach of a solemn moment, all the church lamps are lit again and the royal doors are opened with the bright illumination of the sanctuary of God. The clergy majestically proclaims the polyeleos verses: Praise the Name of the Lord, praise the servant of the Lord! Alleluia, which once resounded from the vaults of the Old Testament Temple of Jerusalem; - the celebrant, preceded by a deacon with a candle, fills the altar with incense and then walks around the entire church with a censer, spreading light and fragrance everywhere.
The abundance of church light, as well as the candle in the hands of the deacon, together with the incense of the censer, depict here, firstly, that bright cloud, which, having filled the entire temple of Solomon, during the consecration, led those present into awe and forced them to even temporarily interrupt the Divine service; and secondly, and most importantly, the One Whom this cloud represented, that is, the Only Begotten Son of God, Who is the radiance of the glory of the Father and the Image of His Hypostasis (Heb. 1:3). The abundance of incense depicts: the many sacrifices offered in the Jerusalem Temple, which served as a prototype of the New Testament spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God, by Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 2:5).
Following the polyeleos verses, the Sunday Troparions are sung: The Council of Angels in Wonder, etc., or the magnification in honor of the Lord or the celebrated Saints, or, finally, the festive antiphons: From my youth, etc., which are reminiscent of the anciently called Power Psalms, which were sung by the children of the Old Testament Church, entering the 15 steps into the sanctuary Jerusalem Temple, because at this time the Church, preparing for the reading of the Holy Gospel, as if by steps, raises the spirit of believers to the height of the Word of God.
Then the Gospel is read at the altar, and on Sundays it is taken to the middle of the church for general worship and kissing. And just as from the day of the consecration of the Temple of Jerusalem and the final organization of Divine services in it, Israelites flocked there from all sides to worship the True God - so, according to this, now in the New Grace Church the whole people worship the Lord, in the person of His Holy Gospel, which constitutes, as it were, a living image of Christ Himself. On holidays, the Gospel is read in the middle of the church and, after reading, is taken to the altar, and the sacred images of the Gospel events or the Holy Saints of God are honored with worship and kissing. On major holidays, believers, after kissing the icon before them, are anointed with oil by the priest, as a sign of the special outpouring of God’s mercy on them.
After reading the gospel of Christ and worshiping His Holy Resurrection, the first verses of David’s repentant psalm, “Have mercy on me, God!” are sung. etc.; then the deacon says a prayer: God save Thy people, etc., ending with the prayer of the priest, calling on the intercession of the All-Pure Ever-Virgin, the disembodied forces and all the saints, to whom the clergy applies, for all those who are coming, many times, Lord, have mercy! - All this matters is that the old law of Moses, and in its most solemn manifestation, was only a guide to Christ (Gal. 3:4), preparing people for the fact that salvation is possible for them only through the mercy, generosity and love of the Only Begotten Son of God!
This ends the most solemn part of the morning service, called the polyeleos.
This is followed by the reading of the Canon (introduced into Matins around the 7th century), consisting of 9 songs in honor of the 9 ranks of Angels, the content of which is borrowed from prophetic Old Testament chants. The Canon is arranged according to three main periods of prophecy, which depict divine revelations about Christ.
The first three songs of the Canon are borrowed from the most ancient period of prophecy, even preceding the time of the Kings, namely from the time of Moses.
The fourth song contains a prophetic song about Christ, the prophet. Habakkuk, who lived 608 years BC.
The fifth depicts prophecies about the saving fruits of the coming of Christ, prophet. Isaiah, who lived 803–723 years BC.
The sixth contains the prophecies of Jonah, who lived 800 years BC.
The seventh hymn is borrowed from a song sung in the Babylonian oven by the pious youths, whose triplicity depicted that the Conqueror of death and hell is one of the persons of the Holy Trinity.
The eighth song is based on the same prophetic song of these youths, developed only by the fact that He who sent down spiritual dew on them in the midst of the flame is truly worthy of the eternal blessings of all He created. And indeed, this song, passing from generation to generation, finally announced the vaults of the second temple of Jerusalem, in which the Lord of the church himself, about whom it was mentioned, was soon to appear; for with the suppression of the Maccabean family, and with the taking away of the scepter from the tribe of Judah, royal power had already passed into the hands of the slave and flatterer Herod!
The ninth hymn contains Elizabeth’s prophetic greeting to the Ever-Virgin Mary and the same prophetic response to the latter, where She, magnifying the Lord with her soul, rejoices in spirit in God, Her Savior!
In general, the Canon depicts all those revelations of God about the coming Redeemer of the world, with which the Law and the Prophets testified about him, for the more solemn the Old Testament rites were and the more abundant the symbolic sacrifices were made, the stronger the desire for the speedy appearance of the promised Messiah grew in the souls of believers. But the Sun of Truth has not suddenly risen above the world; —His rising must have been preceded by a whole host of heavenly stars, in the person of the prophets, so that the world, like a blind man receiving his sight, would be prepared for the perception of the radiant Light.
Before the singing of the ninth song of the Canon, the deacon, in memory of the visit of the Mother of God to the house of Zacharias, comes out of the altar with a censer and, standing before the local image of the Mother of God, proclaims: Theotokos and Mother of light, let us exalt in songs! and the clergy sings the very words of the Mother of God that She uttered in response to Elizabeth’s greeting, and adds each individual part of them with the magnification of the Most Honest Cherubim and the Most Glorious, without comparison, of the Seraphim.
This is followed by a small litany, ending with the exclamation of the priest: for the heavenly powers praise You, etc., and the deacon, verbally depicting these praises of the heavenly world, proclaims three times: Holy is the Lord our God! The clergy, repeating these words, after them sings a short sacred song called Svetilen, and after it three psalms of praise (148, 149, 150), adding to them the Stichera, which already demonstrate the power of grace of the new testament in its Saints.
But then comes the most solemn moment: the royal doors, closed during the reading of the Canon and the prayers that followed, are opened again, while the choir sings a hymn in honor of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, and the priest, as if reverently sending the first greeting to Christ who shone forth from her, joyfully proclaims: Glory to Thee, who showed us the light. This depicts the moment of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore those praying in the church, illuminated, like the shepherds of Bethlehem, by the light of the joyful news and the splendor of the Angels who brought it, together with the face of heaven, sing to the Born: Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will to men!
At the end of this great Doxology, the deacon pronounces two more litanies, (subjective and supplicative), and after them the priest concludes Matins with the usual dismissal: blessing those present and comforting them that Christ, through the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and all the Saints, will have mercy and save them.
Then all the lamps and most of the candles in front of the icons are extinguished, and twilight again spreads within the church; the departure of the First Hour begins, read in the midst of silence. This depicts how, after the departure of the Angels, the shepherds, in the middle of the night, went to Bethlehem and, coming hastily, found Mary and Joseph, and the Child lying in a manger (Luke 2:16). And just as there, at the appearance of the Angels, everything was majestic, so, on the contrary, here - they were greeted by the darkness of the cave, the simplicity and squalor of its inhabitants! But after the vision and gospel of the Angel, the Divine Child, in the midst of the misery surrounding Him, seemed to the shepherds even more holy and more kind; - and therefore, they, worshiping Him as their Christ, as if in reward for what this Newborn King of Israel lacked in appearance, hastened to tell His Most Blessed Mother everything they had seen and heard from the Angels.
The first hour consists of three psalms (5, 89, 100), in which believers, calling on God to hear their voice in the morning, express their zeal and joy in the Lord. This prayer, serving as a transition or preparation for the Divine Liturgy, at the same time is completely consistent in content and with the lifting of thoughts and hearts to God, which were excited by the meaning of Matins.
After reading the mentioned psalms and some already well-known prayers used by our Church in all other services, the priest leaving the altar, by the northern door, reads the prayer: Christ, the true Light, enlightening and sanctifying every person coming into the world, etc. - The priest, asking with this prayer for signs of the grace of faith, for those praying, as if to prevent their unbelief, reminds them how shepherds, having given veneration to the born Savior, praising and glorifying God who made them worthy to see His wonderful coming to earth, on the way back to their flocks, publicly announced this event to everyone they met; but in response to their joyful gospel they received only general ridicule and disbelief; for the people of Judah, led by the scribes and Pharisees, expected to meet in the Messiah a king with the greatness of the rulers of the earth, and, based on prophecies pointing to His descent from the tribe of the brilliant King David, they hoped to see in Him a heir worthy in appearance.
In addition, full of trust in the wisdom of their high priests and seeing in them the closest mediators between themselves and God, the people could not admit that it was not them, but simple shepherds, that God wanted to give revelation and announce such an important world event as the coming of the Messiah. The clergy answers this prayer with a victorious song in honor of the Mother of God: the chosen governor is victorious, and the priest, having given a blessing to those praying on behalf of Her and all the Saints, ends the all-night vigil.
God, Lord and appear to us
Slavic text
Russian translation
God, the Lord and appear to us, blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord!
Confess to the Lord that His mercy endures forever!
God the Lord and appear to us, etc.
They cheated me, and in the name of the Lord you resisted them!
God the Lord and appear to us, etc.
I will not die, but I will live, and I will tell the works of the Lord!
God the Lord and appear to us, etc.
The stone, which was built carelessly, became the cornerstone; This came from the Lord, and is marvelous in our heads!
God the Lord and appear to us, etc.
God and the Lord appeared to us! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Believe and confess the Lord, for He is good and His mercy endures forever!
God and the Lord appeared to us! etc.
Enemies, distracting me from the promised blessings, attacked me from all sides, but I resisted them in the name of the Lord!
God and the Lord appeared to us! etc.
I will not die, but I will live, and (everywhere) I will tell the works of the Lord!
God and the Lord appeared to us! etc.
The stone that the builders neglected became the cornerstone of the foundation; He is from the Lord (promised) and marvelous in your eyes (according to his incarnation).
God and the Lord appeared to us! etc.
Explanation
These verses, loudly proclaimed by the deacon after the great litany, cause the choir to solemnly repeat the first verse pronounced by him (the deacon) and, according to the number of verses, are sung four times, in remembrance of the fact that Christ, preaching for almost four years, solemnly acted for the good of people, caring for their enlightenment and salvation. Making it clear through this that they all relate directly to Him, as the immutable pledge of promises for the deliverance of the faithful and the cornerstone of the Church, neglected by unbelievers, but glorified by God.
Sunday troparia
Slavic text
Russian translation
Blessed art thou, O Lord, teach me by thy justification!
The angelic council was surprised, in vain it was imputed to You as the dead, but the mortal, Savior, destroyed the fortress and raised Adam with itself and was completely free from hell.
Blessed are you, Lord! Teach me Your holy laws!
The Council of Angels was surprised to see You in the shadow of death among the dead; but You, Savior, having destroyed the fortress of this canopy, raised Adam from it with You and freed all (the righteous) from hell!
Why do you dissolve myrrh with merciful tears, O disciples? Shine in the tomb as an angel for the myrrh-bearing women; You see the tomb, and understand, “The Savior is risen from the tomb!”
Why, oh, disciples, do you dissolve the myrrh with tears of sorrow? - the luminous Angel spoke to the myrrh-bearers in the tomb: - Look at the tomb and see for yourself, for the Savior has risen from the tomb!
Very early the myrrh-bearing woman came to Thy tomb, weeping; but an Angel appeared to them and said: the time of sobbing is simple - do not cry! Shout the Resurrection to the Apostles.
Very early the weeping myrrh-bearing women went to Thy tomb; but an Angel appeared before them and said: the time of weeping has passed: - don’t cry! Go and tell the Apostles about the resurrection (of the Savior)!
Myrrh-bearing women, women from the world who went to Your tomb, O Savior, weeping; The angel spoke to them saying: Why do you think of the living with the dead? For God has risen from the grave!
The myrrh-bearing women who came to Your tomb, O Savior, in peace, wept; The angel, turning to them, said: Why do you think to find the living among the dead? for He (the Savior), as God, rose from the grave!
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
Let us worship the Father, and His Sons, and the Holy Spirit! To the Holy Trinity in one being, calling from Seraphim: Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord!
Praise be to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
Let us worship the Father, and His Son and the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity of the Consubstantial One, together with the Seraphim calling to Her: Holy! Holy! You are holy, Lord!
And now, and forever, and forever and ever. Amen!
Having given birth to sin, the Virgin Adam delivered the life-giver, and you gave joy to Eve in her sorrow. Direct those who have fallen from life to this, from You God and man became incarnate. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
And now, and always and forever and ever! Truly!
Having given birth to the giver of life, You, Virgin, delivered Adam from his sins, and gave Eve joy instead of sadness! Those who fell in the (blessed) life were restored to it again by the God-man who became incarnate from You! Praise God! Praise God! Praise God!
Having seen the Resurrection of Christ
Slavic text
Russian translation
Having seen the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless one. We worship Your Cross, Christ, and we sing and glorify Your holy resurrection: For You are our God, do we know no other than You, we call Your name. Come, all you faithful, let us worship the holy resurrection of Christ: behold, joy came to the whole world through the Cross, always blessing the Lord, we sing His resurrection: having endured the crucifixion, destroy death through death.
Having seen the resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless one! We worship Your cross, O Christ, and we sing and glorify Your Holy Resurrection! For You are our God and we know no other besides You, and we are called by Your name! Come, all you faithful, let us worship the Holy Resurrection of Christ: for through the Cross joy has now shone forth to the whole world; and therefore, always blessing the Lord, we glorify His resurrection, in which He, having endured crucifixion, destroyed death by His death!
Song of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Slavic text
Russian translation
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
As if you look upon the humility of Your servant, behold, from now on all your generations will please me!
For O Mighty One, do greatness to me, and holy is His name, and His mercy throughout all generations of those who fear Him.
Create power with Your arm, scatter the proud thoughts of their hearts.
Dethrone the mighty and lift up the humble, fill the hungry with good things, and let go of the rich.
Israel will receive His servant, remembering His mercies, as He spoke to our fathers, Abraham, and his seed, even unto eternity.
My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For He looked upon the humility of His servant; since from now on all nations will glorify me!
For the Almighty (God) has done great things for me, and hallowed be His name, and may His mercy endure throughout all generations upon those who fear Him!
He showed the power of His mighty power, destroying the plans of the proud who created them in their hearts!
He brought down the mighty from their thrones and elevated the humble to them! He fulfilled those who were hungry with all sorts of blessings, and those who were vainglorious about their wealth - he sent them away empty-handed!
He chose (for his appearance on earth) the Israeli people as His people, remembering the merciful vows they made to our Ancestors and Abraham that salvation would come from their seed before the end of the age.
Historical explanation
The Most Holy Virgin, upon the departure of the Archangel who announced the gospel to her, was filled with inexpressible joy. The impression of this gospel was so strong that even after the evangelist was hidden from her eyes, She still heard his words and his image, as if standing before Her! The truth of everything seen and heard was now so clear and palpable, so great and gracious, so full of the heavenly mystery and omnipotence of God - that the Most Holy Virgin, as if bowed before the greatness of Her bliss, fell into the dust before the divine power and in humble prayer poured out reverent gratitude and Her complete devotion to the Lord.
Having first concealed in the depths of Her humble heart everything that had happened to Her, She soon, according to the natural feeling of all humane souls, could not help but feel the need to share with one of Her loved ones the joy that filled Her, because this joy was, in Her opinion, the property not only of Her, but of the whole world; but on the other hand, since the reason for this joy was the mystery of God, and in its height and holiness was unparalleled, the Most Pure Virgin decided not to reveal it to anyone, without the special permission of God!
Just as the first truths of the faith, says one saint, inscribed at the command of God in a sacred book scroll, preserved all the promises about the sending into the world of the Son of God indelible and undamaged until the end of summer came: so the Most Holy Virgin decided to keep in the depths of Her heart the mystery of the Annunciation, a mystery hidden for centuries and childbirth, and inaccessible to the mind of Angels, as the secret of building the salvation of people. That is why, due to the dignity of Her modesty, she is called the Scroll, the Word is written in it!
Meanwhile, the Archangel’s mention of the unexpected pregnancy of Her beloved relative, St. Elizabeth, according to the calculation of time, being in close connection with the wonderful numbness, during the Divine service, of her husband Zechariah, aroused in the Grace-Blessed One such a strong sympathy for her that She, moved by ardent family love, and more guided by the Holy Spirit, decided to immediately go to the mountainous country of Judah, to The Levitical city of Iutu (or Iette), where Zechariah and Elizabeth lived.
Having thought over the plan for her journey, the Blessed Virgin set off hastily, undertaking it alone, because Joseph was at that time outside Nazareth at his carpentry work.
Approaching the city and imagining the sincerity of the joyful meeting, the Most Blessed One was at the same time confident that Her great secret, as unknown to anyone, would remain inviolable, and that during this meeting there would be no talk about it, much less anything special would happen. But contrary to this expectation, the Lord, for His wise purposes, prepared in this very meeting, both for His Mother and for Elizabeth, a new, extraordinary event, in order to reward them both with its significance for their holy fidelity to Him. Soon the city of Iuta appeared in front of the Most Pure Virgin in a vast mountain valley, spread out on the lower slope of the Judean Mountains and immersed in the greenery of abundant gardens; further, on the mountainside, the Neffo spring shone, on the banks of which were the white walls of the fence surrounding the houses of successive priests, and finally, near the source and the road, the tall house of Zechariah and Elizabeth began to emerge, in front of whose entrance stood a huge plane tree, welcomingly spreading its shady branches.
The Blessed Virgin quickened her steps and with a joyfully beating heart approached the goal of her journey. Hastily entering the courtyard, she was still far from the massive arched porch, realizing that the unexpectedness of the meeting could frighten Elizabeth, and therefore, wanting to warn her about herself, she began to greet her loudly and from afar. But what was Her amazement when, after Her first, sincere exclamations, Elizabeth, who heard Mary’s voice, solemnly came out to meet Her and, bowing at Her feet, reverently began to greet Her, not as her beloved and simple-hearted relative, but as a high Person who had graciously honored her with Her visit; and when, instead of the unceremonious and cordial words of greeting, for which the Most Holy Virgin had so joyfully prepared, she solemnly began to pronounce inspired speeches before Her, full of reverent delight and deep respect.
Mary’s surprise intensified even more when, taken from her knees into the arms of Elizabeth, she exclaimed with joyful trepidation and visible excitement: Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb! And where do I get this, so that the Mother of my Lord may come to me? Blessed is she who has faith, for what has been spoken to her by the Lord will be accomplished! (Luke 1:42–45). These words amazed the Blessed One most of all and made Her wonder about their reason and meaning. Her clear mind comprehended all the circumstances of this extraordinary occasion: She hurried to her beloved sister with kindred innocence and sincerity, far removed from all ceremonial and solemn; Her heart, full of ardent feeling and concern for the situation of both relatives, had long and in absentia prepared for them a joyful congratulation on the gracious sign of God’s mercy over them and nourished the hidden hope of kindling in them an even greater love for God and hope, both for the happy outcome of Elizabeth’s pregnancy and for the return of the gift of speech to Zechariah.
Walking towards them, She constantly talked with them mentally, saying like the Apostle Paul: I desire to see you, so that I may give you some spiritual gift, and you may be comforted in you by the common faith, yours and mine (Rom. 1:11-13) - and suddenly, instead of all these sincere and sincere words and conversations, so usual in Elizabeth’s character, now such a reverent meeting from her? such prophetic and apparently emanating from above, by inspiration, words? But the Most Holy Mother of God, in her humility, did not realize that, having entered the fence of this house and uttered only a few words here, She, with the presence of Her Abode, had already filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit both the place and the house itself, and all those living in it! And that this grace was the reason for all the actions that surprised Her.
Further explanations of Elizabeth showed that the power of this grace first of all appeared on her baby, who, not yet seeing a single object with his sensory eyes, and not even realizing his own existence, already knew and felt the approach of the Most Pure Virgin, who bore the Lord, and with his joyful leaping in the womb of the Mother, he taught her about the high dignity of the blessed Visitor! Just as at the rising of the all-vivifying sun, everything capable of life meets and greets the luxurious luminary; so here too, with the appearance of the spiritual Sun, the East from above, the holy baby, who, according to prophecy, was to be filled with the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Mother and then to be the forerunner, in the darkness of the world, of this Light, was the first to feel His life-giving power, and with a joyful leap began his great service, pointing to the world the rise of the Sun of Truth over the sinful earth!
As soon as the voice of your greeting touched my ears, Elizabeth said to the Blessed Virgin, I felt that the baby in my womb leaped joyfully; enlightened by this feeling and at the same time illuminated from above, I saw Your dignity and my insignificance before You, exalted to the bliss of bearing the Eternal Word of the Heavenly Father! Not finding anything in myself with which I could deserve the honor of Your visit, I reverently bowed down before Your boundless greatness and humility, as a result of which You, placed above all heavenly powers, came to Your earthly servant, who should be the first to hasten to render You worthy worship. And where do I get this: may the Mother of my Lord come to me? Now I look at You with reverence, God’s chosen one, not as my relative, but as the Mother of my Lord! I see in You not the simple daughter of Joachim and Anna, but the Virgin Mary, exalted by God to an unattainable height - to be His Mother! And what an honor, what a joy for me! Could I ever have expected such happiness?
Could I hope that the One who carries the Bearer of all things would come to me, and that I would be the first among people to greet the Mother of God? Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb! Only Your Son and Your incomprehensible humility could prompt You to honor me with Your visit and benefit both the baby I was carrying and my whole house by pouring out on us the gifts of the Holy Spirit!
Surprised at first by Elizabeth’s words, the Most Pure Virgin remained for some time in silent contemplation; but then, delving into the meaning of Her greeting, and hearing in it the repetition of the words of the Angel who preached the gospel to Her, She was convinced that all these actions and words occurred by the permission of the Holy Spirit and tended to calm and glorify Her. With this conviction, the heart of the Blessed Virgin, together with a joyful feeling, was filled with that all-penetrating heavenly power, which makes it possible in an instant to embrace with one’s gaze the entire past and future, and, having understood all their secrets, to determine the great significance of the present! All the prophecies spoken at different times and by different persons now became completely clear to Her, and the entire distant future was depicted, in all its details, as if it were now taking place in Her eyes. Feelings are one the deepest of the other; sensations, one more joyful than the other, arose in Her mind and heart, and, overwhelming them, forced her to break the silence She loved!
The immense glory of the Mother of God, with the humble consciousness of His unworthiness; joy and tenderness at the thought of the deliverance of Israel and the reign of God's righteousness on earth; and most importantly, the conviction that the Holy Mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God in Her, involuntarily by Her, but by the power of the Holy Spirit Himself, was revealed, together with the image of the salvation of people to Elizabeth, filled the heart of the Blessed One with such inexplicable delight that its excess poured out from Her lips, sealed with modesty, with the wonderful words of inspired prophecy! It is clear that God the Word, who dwelt in Her as the fruit of the womb, before His visible appearance, was revealed in Her as the fruit of Her lips, and His grace was poured out on Her lips, as the prophet says (Ps. 44:3).
Sending up Her words like incense to the Lord, the Most Holy Virgin exclaimed: My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior, for He has looked upon the humility of His servant, for from now on they will bless Me throughout my birth! With these words, all the greatness in which St. Elizabeth clothed Her, calling Her blessed among women and the Mother of the Lord, She attributes to Him alone, the Great and Beneficent to Her; and, recognizing Himself only as an instrument for the manifestation of His Glory, does not dare to exalt Him otherwise than with the soul exalted by Him, like David, who gratefully cried out: I will exalt Thee, for Thou hast lifted me up. And at the same time, His spiritual joy; felt at the naming of Her blessed for her faith in what was spoken to Her from the Lord, She is completely immersed in the grace-filled source of joy and salvation - in God, Her Savior. But not in the God who once revealed Himself to the trembling people in thunder and lightning, but in God the Savior, embodied in Her, for the cross and suffering, for the salvation of the world!
Rejecting all her personal merits and merits, She solemnly confesses that the Almighty, completely undeserved on Her part, looked only at the humility of His servant, that is, at the poverty and humiliated position in which She had hitherto found herself, not allowing the thought that it was precisely this abyss of humility that She called upon the abyss of grace, according to the words of the Prophet: The abyss calls upon the abyss (Ps. 41:8).
Having confessed the power of God and Her humiliation, the Most Pure Virgin, as if inspired by the spirit of holy foresight, looks through all times with a prophetic eye - until the end of the world, and sees Herself in them as the object of reverent veneration of believers! She, in humility before the greatness of the mystery of Her service, as if in wonder, exclaims: From now on all generations will bless Me. And recognizing, in the truth of the incarnation, the omnipotence of God, which deigned Her to become the animated Icon of the Divinity, and through this the beloved daughter of God the Father, the chosen Mother of God the Son, and by mysterious inspiration - the unmarried Bride of the Holy Spirit! - She adds with the same humility: For the Mighty One has done great things for me, and Holy is His Name.
Realizing that through Her, as a vessel of God's mercy, His mercy will be poured out on all those who believe in Him, and as if repeating that in Her God only looked upon humility, which, however, was not enough to attract such great mercy, but that this mercy, according to the law of mercy of the Heavenly Father, is poured out on the sons of the Jewish people, for the sake of their righteous fathers and ancestors, who deserved their The merits are that Her humility did not remain fruitless, but had the power to attract the gaze of God's mercy to Her and to the entire human race - she preaches that: His mercy throughout all generations of those who fear Him.
Touching upon the meaning of this mercy, the Blessed Virgin, with the inspired knowledge of ancient scripture, and in the prophetic foreknowledge of the future, depicts the future destinies of the Church of Christ, presenting it in the fight against the enemies of Christianity, and confirming this with ancient, historical examples, exclaims with inspiration: Create a power with Your arm; squander their proud hearts with thoughts; dethrone the mighty and exalt the humble. Fill those who hunger with good things and those who are rich let go of their vanities.
These words contain all the prophecies and everything contained under their cover regarding the future; - is illuminated clearly, as if in a modern version: the strong muscle of the Lord - is the destroyer of the hellish plans of the enemies of His Holy Church, turning their own weapons on themselves, and making from their machinations means for His wise and saving purposes, this muscle - strikes Satan in the very heart - with the Life-giving Cross, in which the enemies of Christianity thought to see their victorious trophy, and by the power of Which, after the ascension of the Divine body to him His own, He, according to His own prediction: I will be lifted up from the earth, I will draw everything to Himself (John 12:32) - He attracted all believers and overthrew the pagan world hostile to Christianity! The powers of the ancient world, famous for their strength: Babylon, Persia, pagan Greece and Rome, - as one political body, like a prophetic idol composed of various metals (Dan. 2:34-35), fell and crumbled to dust from the force of the blow of this muscle - a stone not made by hands, the Stone is Christ (1 Cor. 10:11)!
Meanwhile, in the new Christian Church, humble believers are raised to the heights of glory as the children of God and hungering for righteousness in it are filled with all spiritual blessings! Likewise, when Israel hungered in the desert, did He not fulfill all good things? meanwhile, how did he leave those who were hitherto rich not in God - the Chaldeans - with nothing? And then, when the people of God, turning out to be unworthy of the happy position given to them, were punished with heavy captivity - and, passing from the power of one conqueror to another, they already despaired of God’s help; when it seemed to him that the Lord had already abandoned His people, did it not suddenly turn out that He, having set the limit of punishment, now again accepted it into the bosom of His fatherly love, and fulfilled the promises given to the Holy Forefathers and Abraham, in their later descendants. And did this people perceive it as they had never perceived it before, even in its happiest time, that is, entering into the closest communication with it, through the perception of His flesh and blood from the seed of the same Abraham (Heb. 2:14-17)?
Having touched this side of God's mercy, the delight of the Holy Heart of the Mother of God turns into patriotic tenderness for Her people, who, above all other nations, are blessed with the invaluable gift of seeing the Messiah with carnal eyes, and who, for their sins, are not only not rejected from God, but for the sake of the merits of their ancestors, are accepted by Him as a beloved, albeit lost son. And therefore, the Blessed One concludes Her song with the words: Israel, His servant, will remember His mercy, just as He spoke to our fathers, Abraham and his seed, even unto eternity.
This sublime and God-inspired song, like a precious pearl of feelings of faith and humility of the Blessed One, is preserved by the Holy Church and, adding it with Angelic praise to the Ever-Virgin, the Most Honest Cherub and the Most Glorious, without comparison, the Seraphim, repeats in Her glory at every morning vigil.
Great Doxology
Slavic text
Russian translation
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men! We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we bow down, we praise Thee, we thank Thee, great for the sake of Thy glory. Lord, Heavenly King, Father God Almighty; Lord, Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ and Holy Soul, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us; take away the sins of the world, accept our prayer. Sit at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For You are the only Holy One, You are the only Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
I will bless You every day, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Grant, Lord, that on this day we may be preserved without sin. Blessed art thou, O Lord, God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is thy name forever, amen.
May Thy mercy be upon us, O Lord, as we trust in Thee.
Blessed art thou, O Lord, teach me by thy justification (three times).
Lord, you have been our refuge throughout all generations. I am a sin, Lord, have mercy on me, heal my soul, for those who have sinned against You, Lord, have come to You, teach me to do Your will, for You are my God, for You are the source of life, in Your light we will see light. Show mercy to Your leading Ty!
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us! (three times)
Glory to God in heaven! There is peace on earth and goodwill towards people! We praise You, and bless You, we worship, we extol You, we thank You, for the sake of Your great glory, Triune Lord, Heavenly King, God the Father Almighty; The Lord is the Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, and the (Lord) Holy Spirit! Lord our God! - Lamb of God, Son (of God) the Father, who took away (on) the sin of the world, - have mercy on us! You who have taken away (all) the sins of the world, accept our prayer! He who sits at the right hand (on the right side, i.e., having equal strength with him). Father, have mercy on us! Just as You alone are Holy, You alone (Holy), Lord Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father, truly!
Every day I will bless You and praise Your name forever and ever.
Grant us, Lord, this day to save ourselves from all sin. Blessed are You, Lord, God of our fathers, and magnified and glorified is Your name forever, truly!
May Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we trust in You!
Blessed are You, Lord, guide me in deeds that can justify me before You! (three times) Lord! You have been our refuge from generation to generation! That is why I cry to You: Lord! have mercy on me, heal my soul, for I am a sinner before You. God! I resort to You: teach me to act according to Your will, because You are my God and with You is the source of life; in the Light of Your wisdom we will see light (for our deeds). Extend Your mercy to those who confess You!
Holy Father God; Holy Omnipotent Son, Holy Immortal Spirit, have mercy on us! (three times)
Explanation
In the first centuries of Christianity, when at the all-night vigil the altar minister at the appearance of the morning dawn exclaimed: Glory to Thee, who showed us the light! then in response to this, the choir and everyone present in the church sang this morning song, in which the Most Holy Trinity is glorified and where a request is made for preservation without sin throughout the coming day and for the illumination of the mind with spiritual light. This song, beginning with the song of the Angels, sung by them at the Nativity of the Savior, ends with the Seraphim's song, as if meaning by this that heaven and earth, Angels and people form one great, common choir for glorifying the Lord.
About the importance of that doxology, Blessed Simeon of Thessalonica says: “Everyone who is faithful should learn and know this, and send morning and evening to God every day” (See New Tablet 2, 62).
Song of praise and thanksgiving to the Mother of God
Slavic text
Russian translation
To the chosen Voivode, victorious, as having been delivered from the evil ones, let us sing thanks to Thy servants, the Mother of God; but as if you have an invincible power, free us from all troubles, and let us call to you: Rejoice, unmarried Bride.
We, Your servants, Mother of God, to You, the Voivode, who prevails in battles with enemies, offer a victorious and grateful song for having been delivered from troubles by You. But You, as having invincible power, (continue to) protect us from all troubles; we will cry out to You: Rejoice, unmarried Bride (i.e., married, ever-virgin).
Liturgy, in our social sense, is a solemn Divine service, combined with the offering of the body and blood of the Lord, established by the Savior Himself, before His free passion, at the Last Supper. This was the first liturgy from the beginning of the world at which the Priestly Christ, as the Great Hierarch according to the order of Melchizedek (Ps. 109:4), offered to God the Father, under the guise of bread and wine, His body and blood, which, after that, he actually offered on the altar of the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Having communed His apostles with this body and blood, the Lord commanded them: to do this in remembrance of Him, that is, so that they, in remembrance of His suffering, and themselves, following His example, would perform this sacred act until the end of the ages, with the hope that, according to His saying: he who eats My body and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him (John 6:56), they, communicating with Him and becoming partakers of Him Divine nature, worthy to be partakers of His Kingdom!
The Liturgy contains the complete history, or the mysterious contemplation of the Lord Jesus Christ: first, Promised by God and prophesied by the prophets, then coming into the world for the sake of its salvation, and finally, having to come again in glory, in order to judge the living and the dead. From this it is clear that in the sacred rites of the liturgy, under the divine rites, all the actions of the great Sacrament of Redemption are presented to us, which is why it is also called Mystery, because through external actions it transfers the thoughts of the believer to the mysterious, spiritual meaning of its content.
Since apostolic times, the liturgy has consisted of three parts: Proskomedia, Liturgy of the Catechumens and Liturgy of the Faithful.
The word Proskomedia actually means a gift or an offering, but here it does not yet mean the complete offering of gifts as a sacrifice to God, but only their preliminary preparation for this offering.
In ancient times, all believers, not excluding the Kings, going to listen to the liturgy, usually brought bread and wine with them as an offering, as types designated for the sacred rites, but just as for the performance of the Holy Mysteries, only bread was required, and many were brought, then, after choosing the best of them, for taking out the so-called Lamb, the rest were then, just like wine, used for a brotherly loving meal established after the liturgy, during which nobles and rich men of both sexes were not ashamed to serve the poor brethren. - This was done on the basis that the bread and wine used in Proskomedia, as material for the preparation of the Holy Mysteries, remained until the time when they were to be transformed into the body and blood of Christ - only bread and wine, i.e., images of an offering or gift to God.
The actions of Proskomedia depict both the Nativity of Christ (the star, the adoration of the Magi, etc.) and His subsequent suffering; which is why those read during her Prophecy, foreshadowing, etc. relate to these events.
In order to begin Proskomedia, the priest first prepares himself as follows: he prays in front of the Royal Doors; applied to the images of the Savior and the Mother of God; bows his head before the Lord, asking for grace to be sent down to him from above to perform the Great Sacrament; asks those present for forgiveness of his sins and their prayers for him, and upon entering the altar, he prostrates himself three times before the Holy Table (throne), kisses the Gospel, which depicts Christ Himself and the Table as the throne of His dominion. Then he puts on sacred clothes, meaning that when he begins to perform the Sacrament, he apparently separates himself from other people, as a servant of God, and completely devotes himself to the service of God. At the end, he washes his hands as a sign of spiritual washing, cleansing him from all worldly filth, and then proceeds to the altar, pronouncing the troparion of Good Friday, as a confession of the true sufferings of Christ and their blessed fruits in the work of redemption.
Taking one of the five prosphoras, and making a copy of the sign of the cross on it with the threefold pronunciation of the words: in remembrance of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, he circumcises it on all four sides, saying with each copy the prophetic sayings: Like a sheep led to the slaughter, etc., and taking out the middle, soft part of the prosphora, which has a cross on top (which actually constitutes the Lamb, he puts it on the Paten and cuts it crosswise, piercing the right side of the Lamb with a spear. At the same time, he pours wine dissolved with water into the cup.
All these actions simultaneously depict both the Nativity and the Death of the Savior, since His Nativity was already a preparation for death for the sins of the world. By the same token, the altar itself, on which gifts are prepared during Proskomedia, has different meanings: in relation to Christmas, it marks a nativity scene; Regarding death, it depicts Golgotha.
Having prepared the Lamb, the priest takes the second prosphora and takes out a part from it in honor and memory of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, asking Her that through Her prayers the Lord will accept this sacrifice and places this part on the paten on the right side of the Lamb. 9 parts are taken out of the third prosphora, in honor of: the Forerunners, Prophets, Apostles, Saints, Martyrs and Martyrs, Holy Unmercenaries and all Saints, as well as in honor of St. John Chrysostom, or Basil the Great, depending on whose liturgy is being celebrated. From the fourth prosphora a portion is taken for the welfare of: the Synod and the spiritual Hierarchy, the Sovereign and the Reigning House and all Orthodox Christians. And finally - from the fifth - for the repose of all those who have died in the faith. Through this, the Lamb, reclining on the paten in the middle of all the taken out parts, appears, as it were, surrounded by the entire army of heaven and earth.
After this, the priest, having taken the star and perfumed it over the censer, places it on the paten on top of the gifts, thereby depicting a star standing over the nativity scene, and then covers both the paten with the star and the chalice with special covers (also perfumed) and on top of both of them puts the so-called air. With all this he depicts that the Divine Power of the incarnate Savior, although it was hidden under the garments of flesh before the time of the testimony of Him by a voice from Heaven, nevertheless existed in Him constantly and inalienably.
As a result, the priest, during these coverings, utters the words: The Lord reigned in beauty, clothed with beauty, etc.
Having prepared the gifts in this way, the priest reverently censes them three times, thereby depicting the worship and gifts to the Newborn Savior from the Magi, who brought myrrh and frankincense; as well as those posthumous aromas that were brought to the tomb of the myrrh-bearer.
After all this, the priest says a prayer, which constitutes the main meaning of Proskomedia or the offering of gifts as a sacrifice to God, in which he asks God the Father, who gave the believers the Heavenly Bread - His Son - to eat, to bless these offered gifts and accept them into his Pre-Heavenly Altar.
Then follows the dismissal, that is, the conclusion of this part of the Divine service, during which the deacon burns incense in the altar and throughout the church, signifying that the grace of the Holy Spirit is mysteriously poured out on everyone present with faith and the Lord is ready to accept their prayers, like a censer before Him.
During the celebration of the Proskomedia in the altar, the hours (3rd and 6th) are read on the choir, consisting of some touching psalms prophesied about the Savior and prayers relating to Him, the Most Holy Theotokos and the Saints of that day. Attentive listening to this reading can serve as the best means of preparing for the mood of the soul of each believer for proper attention and reverence during the Mystery of the Divine Liturgy; and, just as the ancient words of the Prophets prepared people’s faith in the coming Redeemer, so they prepare the feelings of those praying for the contemplation of the great Sacrament of bloodless sacrifice! And that this preparation is necessary, we are assured of this by the words of the Pleasant of God, who said: “Before you pray, prepare yourself: and do not be like a man who tempts the Lord” (Sir. 18:23).
This prayer received the name of the hours from the fact that according to the rules of the Holy Apostles (book 8, chapter 34;, it was supposed to pray: in the morning (i.e. at the 1st hour of the day); at the third hour of the day; at the sixth; at the ninth, in the evening and at the crowing of the loop (i.e. during the first roosters), which was performed by the ancient Christians and is observed to this day by the desert dwellers, who, in addition, even in the intermediate time, between these prayers, read the psalms corresponding to them, which is called the interhour. But since the laity, due to their social duties, could not fulfill this in all severity, the Church decided: The first hour should be added to Matins, ending with the dawn of the day; the Third and Sixth hours should be read before the Liturgy, and the ninth - before Vespers.
On the eve of the days of the Nativity of Christ and the Epiphany, these Hours are called Royal, because the solemn pronunciation of the detailed Royal Title is added to their content and many years are proclaimed to the Sovereign and the entire Royal House.
This part of the liturgy is so called because in ancient times, during its celebration, catechumens and penitents, of other faiths and even pagans, were allowed to be in the vestibule of the church, and to remain there until the deacon announced their departure.
Since the time of the primacy of the Church, this part has consisted of psalmody, readings of passages from both testaments and prayers for the final confirmation of the catechumens. In a mysterious meaning, it primarily depicts the deeds of the Son of God, done by Him for our salvation, from the time of His incarnation until His suffering. It begins with the memory of His Nativity, namely: the church curtain is taken away from the royal gates, while they still remain closed; - this depicts that only the upper world (represented by the altar), and very few people from the world of the valley, had the opportunity to penetrate the great secret of the fulfillment of the Eternal Council, such as the Prophets and Patriarchs, the Blessed Virgin, Righteous Joseph, etc., and recognized the Son of God in the born Jesus, while others did not recognize the promised Messiah in Him. And therefore, before the beginning of the service of this part of the Liturgy, the priest and deacon, standing before the Holy.
During the meal, they pray reverently, calling on the Comforter-Spirit of Truth, who can cleanse them from all filth, and remembering the Nativity of Christ, they repeat the Angelic song Glory to God in the highest.
Then the deacon, having accepted the priest’s blessing to bring worship to the Lord on behalf of all believers, goes from the altar to the royal doors, and repeats this petition publicly with the words: Bless the Master! By this he depicts the Shepherds who, having sung the glory of God together with the Angels, hastened to Bethlehem to worship the Savior. The priest responds to this exclamation with the words: Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, etc. and the clergy, on behalf of all those present, confirms these words with the Hebrew word Amen, which means truly or so be it.
This is followed by the great litany, in which the deacon, having asked for all the blessings and remembering the common and closest Intercessor of all those who pray, the Most Pure Ever-Virgin, commits the fulfillment of the counted petitions and the very lives of those asking into the hands of Christ God.
The priest concludes this prayer with the words: For all glory, honor and worship, etc., are due to You, expressing by them that everything asked of God is asked for the sake of His glory; for to show such love for mankind to sinners and the unworthy is only a deed befitting the Glory of God alone. The clear confirms this with the word: Amen.
After the great litany come the Antiphons, that is, verses whose content is either praise and confession of the name of God, or an explanation of the essence of the holiday being celebrated. They were partly selected from the events of the Old Testament, partly from the Gospel history, in order to make it clearer that the One about whom the Prophets predicted had already appeared in the world. The antiphons are divided into three parts, separated from one another by small litanies.
Before the litany of the second part, the Troparion is sung: The Only Begotten Son and Word of God, which was introduced since the time of the Nestorian heresy, as a dogmatic refutation of the words of this false teacher, who tried to prove that the Mother of God should be called not the Mother of God, but the Mother of Christ.
The words of this troparion depict the moment when, at the baptism of the Lord, a voice was heard from heaven, testifying that this is the beloved Son. One of the Holy Trinity.
At the end of the third part of the Antiphons, there follows an exit with the Holy Gospel, the so-called small exit. It depicts the beginning of the preaching of Jesus Christ; The candle presented to the Gospel depicts both the Forerunner of Christ, John, and the fact that the teaching of the Gospel is the true light, enlightening every person coming into the world. The deacon, stopping at the royal doors, exclaims: Forgive Wisdom! This means that those praying, listening to the action of the Liturgy, would understand in them the hidden wisdom of God in the simplicity of spirit and heart, and without any vain thoughts or pitiful vanity. Excited by these words, those present in the person of the clergy solemnly proclaim: Come, let us worship and fall before Christ. Then troparia are read in honor of the celebrated Saints, depicting that Christ, after His resurrection, opened the doors of heaven to them all.
After this, the priest, having blessed the deacon to perform the Trisagion hymn sung by the Angels, himself begins it with the words: For Holy is our God; The deacon, bringing prayer to God for the believers, in the words Lord! Save the pious, excites them to sing the Angel’s song forever and ever. As a result, those present, having confirmed in the person of the clergy the words of this excitement with the cry of Amen, i.e., let it be, begin to sing: Holy God, adding to these Angelic words, the words of sinful humanity: have mercy on us, as necessary for those who await the mercy of God.
At the end of the Trisagion hymn, the priest ascends to a high place, signifying the heavenly throne of the majesty of God, on which the Son of God, sitting at the right hand of the Father, rules all the worlds; and the deacon shouts out loud! anticipating those praying that the time is coming for reading the Apostolic teaching, inspired by Christ Himself to His chosen ones, whom He sent to preach before His face; and therefore the priest, repeating the words of His covenant about peace (Luke 10:6), turning to those present, proclaims: peace to all! The reader of the Apostle, thanking him on behalf of those present, expresses their desire for the same peace to the soul of the celebrant; and therefore he proclaims to your spirit! After this, the deacon loudly pronounces Wisdom! thereby arousing attentive listening to be read, and the clergy, repeating the words of the reader of the Apostle, sings the Prokeimenon, that is, one of the verses of the psalm, more appropriate to the content of the Apostolic Epistle, and then, after a second exclamation from the deacon: Wisdom! Let's see! — the reading of the Apostle begins.
During it, the deacon burns incense on the altar and on those standing by, thereby expressing the desire that these latter, through the power of unconditional faith in the words of the teaching they listen to, as well as in the words of the Holy Gospel that follows it, become the fragrance of Christ of God. At the end of the reading of the Apostle, the priest teaches peace to the reader, expressing this with the words peace to you, and he, responding with the usual wish and your spirit, excites the clergy to the praise of God by singing Alleluia.
This is followed by the removal from the altar and the reading of the Gospel in front of the royal doors, preceded by the same exclamations of the priest and deacon, with the addition of the words: Forgive us, let us hear the Holy Gospel (that is, with a pure heart). This reading depicts the personal preaching of Jesus Christ, during which He not only taught, but also did good (Acts 10:38), and therefore, both at the beginning of this reading and at the end of it, grateful believers sing: Glory to Thee, Lord, Glory to Thee! With the end of the reading of the Gospel, the priest descends from the high place and, having received the Gospel at the royal doors, goes with it to the throne; the deacon, remaining at the place of reading, begins to pronounce a special litany.
At the end of this litany, the removal of the catechumens follows, because the time for the gifts is approaching, at which they are not yet worthy to be present; but before their departure, they are commanded to finally, this time, turn with a prayer for themselves to the Lord, and for this the deacon proclaims: Pray the catechumen of the Lord for yourself! and at the same time, believers are invited to join their prayers to theirs so that the Lord may have mercy on them; announced them with the word of truth and joined them to his Catholic and Apostolic Church. At the end of this prayer, the deacon, commanding the catechumens to bow their heads before the Lord to receive a blessing from Him, announces to them the time of their removal from the church, proclaiming: Depart from the catechumens!
This presentation of the catechumens from the church, according to Simeon of Thessalonites, depicts the end of the world, when, according to the saying of the Savior Himself, the Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached throughout the entire universe as a testimony to all nations - and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14). Then He will sit on the throne of His glory; and all nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-33).
Therefore, the Church, after the Gospel, commands the catechumens to leave the church, leaving only the faithful in it.
Saint Chrysostom adds this by interpreting the words food no one from the catechumens. He says: this means that none of those unworthy to eat the Divine meal, none of those unworthy to see the heavenly blood shed for the remission of sins, none of those unworthy of the living sacrifice; none of those who did not know the mysteries of faith, none of those who could touch the terrible Mysteries with defiled lips, dared to remain in the church at this time! Therefore, this exclamation obviously has full force and application to everyone present in the church at that time.
In the primal Church, the Liturgy of the catechumens was celebrated in the church among the people, and upon the announcement of the catechumens, the priest entered the altar to celebrate the Liturgy of the faithful.
This is the most important and essential part of the Liturgy. It mysteriously depicts: the suffering, death and resurrection of the Savior; His ascension into heaven; His sitting at the right hand of the Father, the outpouring of the grace of the Holy Spirit on believers, and finally, His second coming.
It begins with the litany pronounced by the deacon: Let us pray again and again in peace to the Lord! in which some petitions from the great litany are placed and which with a double exclamation Wisdom! different from all the others. This double reminder is necessary here, for at this time the most perfect wisdom of God begins, that is, the fulfillment of the Mysteries!
At the beginning of this litany, the priest reveals the Holy Antimension on the throne and secretly prays to the Lord to grant him worthiness to stand before His great altar, and, having cleansed it from all defilement of the flesh and spirit, to make it satisfactory (satisfactory) for the performance of the holy and terrible service.
At this time, the Cherubic Song begins, during which those present, having purified their souls to the purity characteristic of the Cherubim (for in order to sing with them the Trisagion Hymn to the Life-Giving Trinity, it is necessary to become like them), and having put aside all worldly cares, they must be ready to reverently meet the King of Kings, Whom the ranks of Angels invisibly bestow!
At the end of this song, there follows the Great Exit, in which the Holy Gifts are transferred from the altar to the altar or table for consecration. This transfer depicts the transfer of the Most Pure Body of the Lord Jesus Christ from Golgotha to the place of His burial. And therefore the mysterious exit takes place in the following way: the priest and deacon, like Joseph and Nicodemus, who found the body of the crucified Jesus on Calvary, reverently took Him down from the cross and carried Him along the northern side from the place of the crucifixion to the burial cave - go from the northern doors of the altar and carry the body and blood of the Lord, not yet glorified in the resurrection. The lamp preceding them depicts the prophets who so faithfully predicted the image of the suffering and death of the Savior. The air lying on the deacon's shoulder forms a shroud; the covers - on the paten and the chalice - mean - one is a sir, and the other is the shrouds with which the head and body of Christ were wrapped; the censer in the deacon’s hand is the aromas used during the burial.
Stopping in front of the royal doors (facing those ahead), the priest begins to pray for the Emperor and for the entire Royal House (by name); The deacon continues this prayer, mentioning the Holy Synod and the local Bishop, and concluding it with a general ending: May the Lord God remember them in His Kingdom, enters the altar and, kneeling before the meal, with a paten on his head, awaits the priest. The priest, having made the sign of the cross in the shape of a cup to those present, assures them that may the Lord God remember all those who worthily contemplate the Great Sacrament of Orthodox Christians in His Kingdom. Then, having entered the altar and placing the cup on the altar, the priest removes the paten from the head of the deacon and places it next to the cup.
In these actions, the throne marks the city of Joseph; the Antimins laid out on the throne - the tomb of the Savior, the air that covers, above the covers, the paten and the chalice - that great stone that was rolled by Joseph to the burial cave; - incense, - funeral incense; and the words of the psalm read by the priest: Bless Zion, O Lord, with Your favor - contain that prayer in the sense of which the new Zion means the Church of Christ: - and therefore the priest asks to strengthen the shepherds and teachers, as if the walls of the new Jerusalem.
Following the transfer of the Holy Gifts, the royal doors are closed and the church curtain is drawn behind them. This depicts the time when everything Divine was enclosed in the tomb and even sealed with the seal of Caiaphas. Then, the deacon, leaving the altar in front of the royal doors, awakens those present to prayer for the offered Gifts and adds to it some other petitions, which the priest supports with a secret prayer to God, asking in it for himself. But just as prayers not animated by love and faith have no value before the Lord, the Church demands from her children a solemn declaration before the source of peace and love, the Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore, the deacon, after the litany and the priestly exclamation of Peace, calls upon all those praying to the sacred fulfillment of the great commandment, calling upon Let us love one another, that we may confess with one mind, while the clergy, as if testifying to a common readiness for this, continues: Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, Trinity Consubstantial and Indivisible!
And after this, the church begins to confess faith; but in order for those present to fulfill this, as if in the face of God Himself, not only is the veil removed from the royal gates, but the air is also removed from the Holy Gifts, and the deacon proclaims Doors, doors! let us rejoice in wisdom! and the clergy, on behalf of all those present, solemnly pronounces the Creed.
In ancient times, when confessors of the Christian faith were still suffering persecution from unbelieving Jews and pagans, these words were Doors, doors! treated the outer doors of the church in order to have them locked at this time, in order to avoid attacks by pagans and unbelievers who could interfere with the rites; and also so that any of the catechumens, repentants, and in general those unworthy to see the performance of the Holy Mysteries do not enter the temple at this time. Let us reek of the words that follow them as Wisdom! treated those praying as a warning that the proclaimed Creed should be pronounced with full understanding and appreciation of the holy Gospel truths that it contains.
At a later time, when the persecution of Christians had already ceased, the Teachers of the Church gave the words: doors, doors! another, more important meaning. Namely: since all the sacraments of the incarnation of Christ, and with Him our faith, were replenished by His resurrection, then in the actions of the Church, at this moment of worship, we must contemplate the following: in the opening of the church curtain and the raising of the air, representing the stone on the tomb, the three-day uprising of Christ. And therefore, the words doors, doors! Let us rejoice in wisdom! must proclaim that the doors of Christ’s tomb have already been opened for His rebellion; and behind them the doors of paradise, formed by the altar, will open for our ascension into the Holy of Holies. And that the renewed flesh of Christ, under which He previously, as if under a veil, hid His Divinity, now, after taking away its earthly properties, has become for earth-born people a living and new path to the heavenly fatherland!
During the clergy’s recitation of the Creed, the priest, taking air, waves it over the Holy Gifts; this depicts: the earthquake (coward) that occurred when the stone rolled away from the tomb, as well as the breath of the Holy Spirit, the descent of which the Holy Scripture itself calls the breath of the wind and by the action of which in the present case the consecration of the gifts presented is accomplished.
And therefore, since all the actions of this moment depict the resurrection of Christ, which resurrected all fallen humanity, the priest, as a priest in fulfillment of the commandment of Christ, does all this in His remembrance - he prepares for the performance of the Great Sacrament, filled with the greatest gratitude for all the benefits of God. That is why this part of the celebration of the Gifts is called the Eucharist, i.e. thanksgiving. But so that those present, with the same true feeling of the fear of God and with purity of spirit, would add their prayers to it, the deacon encourages them to do so with the words: Let us become kind, let us begin with fear, to bring holy offerings to the world. To this invocation, the clergy, on behalf of those present, testifies that they realize that it is impossible to worthily approach the heavenly table of God without feelings of mercy and love for others and that forgiveness of offenses and mutual reconciliation is a favorable sacrifice to God, especially in these moments of solemn glorification of Him, and therefore exclaims: Mercy of the world, sacrifice of praise!
The priest, for this holy readiness, greets them with the Apostolic words: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love (i.e., love) of God and the Father, and the communion (influx) of the Holy Spirit, be with you all! The clergy responds to him with gratitude, with the same wish, saying: And to your spirit!
Having thus prepared those present for the feelings of the due Eucharist, the priest raises their thoughts and hearts from earthly thoughts to the throne of the Heavenly King, and therefore proclaims: woe are our hearts! - they unanimously respond to this, in the words of the clergy: Imams to the Lord! and then the priest, following the example of the Savior, who brought thanks to God the Father before the Last Supper, together with the flock, begins general thanksgiving, proclaiming: We thank the Lord! and at the head of the flock, prostrating himself before the throne of the majesty of God, he exclaims with her: It is worthy and righteous to worship the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, etc.
But in order to portray to those who are coming all the holiness and solemnity of this thanksgiving, all the height of the Thanked One and the purity of feelings required by this gratitude, the priest reminds them how in the heavenly world they thank and praise the Lord all the powers of heaven, constantly singing, crying out, calling out and speaking to Him a victorious song. they add to them the earthly magnification of the glory of God, poured out from the lips of the Jewish youths: Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest!
The words of the priest are singing, crying, calling and speaking, according to the explanation of St. Patr. Herman, refer to the four animals standing, according to the Revelation of St. John the Theologian, around the throne of God Almighty, and constantly exclaiming: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Hosts, of which the Eagle, like a bird, marks the creation in general singing; Taurus in the image of his lowing is blatant; Leo, by the nature of his cry, calling, and finally, Man, by his ability to speak, speaking. To depict the voices of all of them, the deacon, when the priest pronounces these words, lifts a star from the paten and strikes it crosswise on its edges, precisely in those places where the Evangelists are depicted, symbolically accompanied by these Apocalyptic animals. The addition of the words of the Jewish youths to the words of the heavenly servants means that at this time the liturgy and the Angels themselves, with all the heavenly powers, are in concelebration with people to give thanks to the Lord, which is confirmed by the prayer secretly read at this time by the priest.
After the proclamation of this Seraphim song, the priest, having given praise to God, together with the heavenly powers and the people present on earth, dares to begin the most important part of the Eucharist. He, following the example of the Savior, with secret prayer to God the Father and offering thanks for all the good deeds of God the Son, begins to proclaim with His words, pointing to the bread lying on the paten: Take, eat, this is My body, and so on. and, pointing to the chalice: Drink of it, all of you, this is My blood of the New Testament, and so on. The deacon, at the same time as the priest, pointing to the Gifts, says: Behold the Lamb of God, take away the sins of the world, and the clergy, after both exclamations of the priest, affirmatively concludes them with the word Amen, i.e. truly! Then the priest, recalling all the images of people’s salvation, i.e. the cross, the tomb, the resurrection, the ascension into heaven, sitting at the right hand of God the Father, the sending of the Holy Spirit, and finally the second coming, proclaims: Yours from Yours, what is offered to You from everyone and for everything, i.e.
We bring these gifts to You, in memory of the great sacrifice of Your mercy that You made for us, and we bring them to You on behalf of and for all those whom You redeemed with Your Most Pure Blood. Saying these words, the priest or deacon raises the paten and chalice, holding his hands crosswise, as a sign of the death of atonement on the cross; The clergy, on behalf of those present, continues these thanksgivings with the words: We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You, Lord, and we pray to You, our God.
Then, the priest, strengthened by prayers and remembrance of the actions of Christ, begins to perform the Sacrament itself: with a prayer for the sending of the Holy Spirit, he first places an image of the cross on top of the paten, with the words: And create therefore this bread the honorable body of Thy Christ; then over the chalice, with the words: And in this chalice, the honorable blood of Thy Christ, and finally, over both, with the words: Having transposed by Thy Holy Spirit, and having accomplished this, he prostrates himself before the Holy Gifts, as if before the Lord Himself, for from that moment they become the true body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, or in the words of St. John Chrysostom: The Sacrifice that unites the world the heavenly with the vale, that is, all the faithful in heaven and earth, among themselves and with Christ.
But, since the blessed inhabitants of heaven are holy, and those on earth still pray for the remission of sins, then for each of these two parts of the human race the priest makes sacrifices: for the first, thanksgiving, and for the second, propitiatory and cleansing. Thanksgiving for the forefathers, prophets, apostles, martyrs and all the saints, in whose persons the Church has gained confidence in eternal bliss; predominantly, or fairly, before all of them, for the Most Holy and Most Pure Mother of God, as for being closest to God, whose name, as a result, the priest pronounces out loud, exclaiming: Fairly about the Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed Lady of Our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, and the clergy replies: It is worthy to eat, as in truth, and so on. The propitiatory one, for those who have fallen asleep in the faith, for whose souls, according to St. Cyril of Jerusalem, there is great consolation when prayer is said for them at the holy and terrible sacrifice.
And finally - the Purification - for all the living who ask for mercy for their sins; at the same time, the priest proclaims: First, remember, Holy Lord, the Governing Synod, etc., and the clergy concludes: everyone and everything.
The priest concludes all these comprehensive sacrifices with the prayer: and grant us with one mouth and one heart to glorify and glorify Your Most Honorable Name! And as the clergy, on behalf of those present, confirms this with the word of readiness Amen (let there be), then the priest calls upon them: the mercy of God and our Savior Jesus Christ!
This is followed by a litany in which the deacon encourages those present to pray for the offered and consecrated Gifts, in order to receive through them Divine grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit, etc., and the priest concludes these prayers with an appeal to the Lord Jesus: and grant us, Master, with boldness, without condemnation, to call on You, Heavenly God the Father, and to say the prayer that You He adopted us as His own and which He Himself taught to us to turn to You.
The clergy sings the Lord's Prayer, at the end of which the deacon invites them to bow their heads to the Lord, which those present do as a sign of filial fear and reverence, and the priest at this time reads a secret prayer in which he asks the Lord to mercifully look from heaven on those who have bowed their heads to Him and bless them for worthy communion, not for the sake of their own merits, but only with grace and generosity and love for mankind. His only begotten Son.
During the prayer of Our Father, the deacon girds himself crosswise with an orarium, preparing himself for a more free service during communion, and with this position depicting the orarion, the six-winged Seraphim, covering their faces before the greatness of the glory of the Lord. Having thus prepared to present himself to the Throne of God, the deacon proclaims Vonmem! At this exclamation, the priest, lifting the Divine Lamb from the paten, which means His elevation to the cross, says: Holy of Holies, meaning with these words that just as Christ, whose body believers have to taste, is Holy, so those who partake of true union with Him must be holy. And therefore, the deacon’s proclamation before this One relates directly to this, meaning that only Saints, that is, true Christians, should partake of the Most Holy Sacrament, and its meaning is the same: let us understand, judge, believe ourselves.
To this terrible statement of the priest, those present, remembering the soothing words of the Savior to His disciples, who despaired of salvation: what is impossible for men is possible for God (Luke 18:27), - with humility cry out: One is Holy, One is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the Glory of God the Father, expressing by this that none of them in their own strength - but all, through Jesus Christ, acquire holiness.
After the priest raises the Most Pure Body on the paten, it is broken into pieces on it, following the example of how Christ did with the bread at the Last Supper; and these parts, four in number, are placed crosswise, representing the Crucified Lord. During this action, the priest says: The Lamb of God is fragmented and divided (that is, into parts and between the faithful who partake): fragmented and indivisible, always eaten and never consumed, but sanctifying those who partake, signifying by this that in every particle of this Lamb the Whole Christ is contained, never consumed because the Christian Church until the end of centuries will partake of His Most Pure Body and Blood. One of these parts (namely the upper one) is lowered into the chalice, which action, called the union of the Sacraments, represents the moment of the Resurrection of Christ, on the basis that just as the flesh, with the cessation of the action of blood on it, receives death, so, being united with it, it perceives life. By this time, warmth is brought to the meal (i.e.
warm water), which, with the blessing of the priest, is poured into the chalice to give the blood the proper warmth in the mouths of those receiving communion. Pouring it in, the priest says: Blessed is the warmth of Your Saints, blessing with these words the warm faith of those approaching communion; and the deacon, in the words: The warmth of faith filled with the Holy Spirit testifies that this warmth is the action of the Holy Spirit.
Then the priest, and from him the deacon, having received part of the Divine Lamb in their right hand, confess, bending over it at the throne, that this is truly Christ, the Son of the Living God, and then they eat it, following this by partaking of the blood from the chalice. Having kissed the edges of this latter, they pronounce the words spoken by Seraphim to the Prophet Isaiah, when touching his lips with a burning coal from the altar of the Lord: Behold, I will touch your lips, and he will take away your iniquities and cleanse your sins.
The remaining parts of the Lamb are then placed into the chalice, and the celebrants, calling on the Resurrection of Christ to see, worship the Lord Jesus and pray to Him to grant them communion in the eternal days of His Kingdom.
Following this, the church veil is taken away and the royal doors are opened: the deacon, holding a chalice in his hands, appears with him to the people, thereby depicting the appearance of Christ upon the resurrection to His disciples - and proclaims: With the fear of God and faith, approach! Those present, prostrating themselves, exclaim Blessed is the One who comes in the Name of the Lord, and those who were preparing to receive the Holy Mysteries, having publicly testified to their faith, approach the chalice and receive communion from the priest.
With the end of Communion, the Holy Gifts are again placed on the throne, and now their stay here depicts the Savior’s forty-day stay on earth after His resurrection.
At this time, the priest, having invoked God’s blessing on those present, with the words: Save, O God, Thy people, etc., places a paten with an asterisk on the head of the deacon; and this one, appearing with them to the people, when carrying them to the altar, depicts the ascension of the Savior into heaven.
At the same time, when those present, upon receiving the blessing of the priest, in touching feelings of gratitude for all the blessings of God, chant, in the person of the clergy: We have seen the Light of truth, by receiving the Heavenly Spirit, etc., ask the Holy Trinity to save them, the priest ends the image of the Ascension of Christ, overshadowing those praying with the cup and saying: always, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages, reminding blessing of the ascended Savior: Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Acts 1:11).
Those present, remembering the Apostles, who joyfully returned to Jerusalem, praising and thanking God (Luke 24:52) cry: May our lips be filled with Your praise, Lord, etc.
After this, the deacon, going out before the royal doors, thanks, together with the communicants, for their sanctification with the Holy Mysteries; and the priest concludes this thanksgiving with the invocation: For You are our Sanctification and we send up glory to You, etc.
With these words, having folded the Holy Antimension and overshadowing it crosswise with the Gospel, the priest places this last on it, and this signifies that the Divine service has been completed and that those who contemplated it with faith can leave the church of the Lord in peace, which he announces with the words: We will depart in peace. But as those who prayed would like to do this in the name of the Lord, that is, once again praying to God and receiving a blessing from Him, the priest, leaving the altar and standing in the middle of them, reads the prayer: Bless those who bless Thee, etc.
Then those present, having exclaimed: Blessed be the Name of the Lord from now on and forever, and having received back the blessing of God by the hand of the priest, together with him they cry: Glory to Thee, Christ God, our hope, receive release, that is, final permission to leave the church. At this time, the clergy proclaims many years to the Reigning House, the Holy Synod and all Orthodox Christians. This ends the Liturgy, after which the closing royal doors represent the end of the age, when no sacrifice, no offering can open the gates of God's mercy.
Prayer before the beginning of the Divine Liturgy
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Lord Jesus Christ, generous and merciful, to all who truly call on You! I pray to You and have mercy on You; grant me with diligence, love, fear and all attention, even until the end of the Divine service, to remain, and with a contrite heart and a clear conscience, to pray to You, the merciful God. Hey, Lord the King! Hear me as I begin to call upon You, and grant me forgiveness of all my sins: for You alone are blessed, with the Father and with the Holy Spirit, forever. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ! Generous and merciful to all who sincerely call upon You! I pray to You and do everything for Your propitiation: grant me with diligence and love; with fear and full attention, remain here until the very end of the Divine service, and with a contrite heart and clear conscience, pray to You, the merciful God. Oh, my Lord! Hear me calling upon You and grant me forgiveness of my sins: for You are the One, Blessed forever, the Triune God, with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Truly!
Prayer as the priest proclaims blessed be the kingdom
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God, my God! look upon me, a sinner, and correct the prayer of my lips; drive away bad thoughts from my heart, and enlighten my mind with the light of Your God-Mind; incline Thy ear, and hear me praying to Thee and seeking Thy mighty mercies: for Thou art my God, and standing before Thee in Thy house of prayer, I cry tenderly: strengthen me, and give me understanding, O generous God, in Thy passion. Amen.
My God! My God! Look at me, a sinner, and make the prayer of my lips favorable to You; drive away bad thoughts from my heart and enlighten my mind with the light of Your knowledge of God; incline Your ear to me and hear me praying to You and expecting great mercy from You, because You are my God, and I, standing now before You, in this church of Your prayer, cry out with tenderness; God Almighty! Strengthen and instruct me to remain here in Thy fear. Yes it will!
Prayer at the entrance from St. gospel when the deacon proclaims: Wisdom Forgive
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Lord Jesus Christ, our God! Now I am a sinner to see the entrance with Your Holy Gospel, but You have been vouchsafed to remember Your Holy Epiphany and life with people, look upon me with love for mankind, and having mercy, grant me to remember Your Holy commandments and the right to keep me, it is worthy to always sing to You: Come, let us worship and fall to Christ. Save us, Son of God, risen from the dead (or: through the prayers of the Mother of God, or: marvelous in the saints), singing Ti: Alleluia (three times).
Our God and Lord, Jesus Christ, who has now made me worthy to see the entrance with Your Holy Gospel and to remember Your Holy Epiphany on earth and life among sinful people! Look at me, according to Your love for mankind, mercifully and have mercy on me; grant me the opportunity to constantly remember Your holy commandments and relentlessly follow them; and also worthily praise You, proclaiming: Let us come, worship and fall before Christ! Save us, Son of God, risen from the dead (either through the prayers of the Mother of God, or marvelous in the glorification of Thy saints), who sing to You: Praise God! (three times).
Prayer for the song Holy God
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Lord God Almighty! receive the trisagion hymn from Thy heavenly Powers, receive this trisagion hymn from me, your unworthy servant, and give me the whole year of my life, and for every hour; without sin send glory to You, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, and sing with fear: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us!
Lord God Almighty! Receiving from Thy heavenly, disembodied spirits the singing of the Trisagion song, accept from me, Thy unworthy servant, the same Trisagion singing and grant me, all the days of my life and at every hour of it, without grieving You with my sins, to glorify You the Triune God: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit! And with reverent fear sing to You: Holy God the Father! Holy Almighty Son! Holy Immortal Spirit! - have mercy on us!
Prayer before the reading of the Apostle, when the prokeimenon is sung
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Grant me, O Lord, with love and worthiness to listen to Your Holy Apostles' gospel, who preach peace to us and proclaim good things: about the revelation of their words, may my spirit be enlightened and enlightened by Your grace! Amen.
Grant me, Lord, with the love and dignity of a true Christian, to listen to the gospel of Your Holy Apostles, who bring us peace and proclaim all good things! May my soul be enlightened and enlightened with the help of Your grace, by the Holy revelation of their words, in everything they said! Yes it will!
Prayer at the end of the reading of the apostle, when they sing “Hallelujah”
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Sending out praise to You, Most Holy and Indivisible Trinity, Father and Son and Holy Soul, with the angelic rites we sing Alleluia, and pray: heal all our mental and physical ailments, and may all beings be healthy, we sing Alleluia to You, our God. The Trinity is all-essential, pre-divine, and pre-good, Father and Son and Holy Soul, one God, the giver of wisdom to those who ask! correct us, so that we may praise You worthily; Hallelujah. Life-Giving Trinity, Lord our God! Deliver us from eternal death, and make us worthy, together with all the righteous in Your eternal villages, to sing to You: Alleluia. Long-suffering and abundantly merciful to the Trinity! Grant me forgiveness of sins, and grant me the ability to inherit eternal life, may I sing Alleluia to Thee forever! Sending praise to You, Most Holy and Indivisible Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we, together with the angelic ranks, sing to You Praise God and pray to You: heal all our ailments, mental and physical: so that, being completely healthy (from sins and illnesses), we can cry out without condemnation about You, our God - Praise God!
The Trinity, which existed before the beginning of centuries, is Divine and Most Perfect: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - the One Deity that constitutes and gives wisdom to those who ask! Purify us and make us worthy to praise You, crying: Praise God! Trinity, who gives life to all, is the Lord our God! deliver us from condemnation to eternal death and grant us in Your heavenly Kingdom, together with all the righteous, to sing about You: Praise God! The Trinity is long-suffering and abundantly merciful! Make me worthy to inherit eternal life; Let me sing to You forever: Praise God!
Prayer at the end of the reading of St. gospel
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Glory to You, Lord the King, Son of the living God, who has made me unworthy to hear Your Divine words and the voice of Your Holy Gospel! Therefore, with Your Sovereign voice, strengthen me in conversion and repentance, so that this present life may pass away overnight, delivering me from all slander and malice, visible and invisible enemies; For you are the only strong one, and reign forever. Amen.
Glory to You, Lord and King, Son of the Living God! Who has vouchsafed me, unworthy, to hear Your Divine words in the book of Your Holy Gospel! May you strengthen and enlighten me with these Lord’s words to the proper actions and repentance throughout my entire life, so that, through my misunderstandings, I do not walk on her paths as in the darkness of the night; but deliver me from all slander and malice, all my visible and invisible enemies! For You are the One Almighty and Reigning forever! Truly!
Prayer at the beginning of singing: Like the Cherubim
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Now seeing, my soul, the honest Gifts offered, reject all vain thoughts, and sing with fear: Even the Cherubim secretly form, and the life-giving Trinity sings the thrice-holy hymn, let us now put aside all worldly cares. As if we were to raise up the King of all, the angels invisibly darinoshima chinmi. Alleluia" (three times). Glory to Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, the only immortal Lover of mankind! Glory to Thee, who came from the bosom of the Fathers and from the heavenly glory, and from the Holy Virgin became human and conformed to the former flesh of our humility, and made us conformable to Thy glory! Glory to You, who gloriously entered Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey, and in it endure wounds and crucifixion and bring death to those who were willing, for our salvation!
Grant now, Christ, tears to my combs, that I may wash away the filth of my iniquities, and just as You vouchsafed Your most pure Body to Joseph and Nicodemus, who took it down from the Cross, honestly and with fear; bow down, for all Your looks and favors it is worthy to give thanks, and with sighing confess to You, Save to my God. But You, O Merciful One, grant me this acceptance from me, grant me a good end to life, and grant me, on the day of judgment, to stand at Your right hand and hear Your good voice: come, blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you. Amen. Having now seen the Honest Gifts being transferred, reject, my soul, all vain thoughts and sing with fear: Like the Cherubim, who secretly form and sing the thrice-holy hymn to the Life-Giving Trinity, let us now put aside all worldly cares! As if we were to raise up the King of all, the angels invisibly brought us to the chinmi. Hallelujah (three times). Glory to Thee, Lord our God, Jesus Christ, the only immortal Lover of mankind!
Glory to You, who found from the nature of God the Father and His Heavenly Glory and from the Most Holy Virgin became human and humbled Himself to the perception of our flesh, in order to lift it, in Your face, to the height of Your heavenly Glory! Glory to You, who entered Jerusalem with glory, sitting on a young donkey, and then, there, deigning to endure wounds and crucifixion and accept death, only for our salvation! Grant, now, my Savior, tears to my eyes; May you wash away with them all the impurity of my iniquities, and, as You vouchsafed Joseph and Nicodemus, having taken down Your most pure body from the cross, to transfer it with reverent awe to the tomb, so vouchsafe me, who now see these Glorious and Divine Gifts being transferred, to prostrate myself with trepidation before You, Sitting on the heavenly Throne, worthily thanking for the Divine Your providence and all your good will towards me, and with heartfelt sighing I lay down all my sins and guilt before You, as before my Savior and God!
You, O Merciful One, having accepted this, grant me the end of a Christian life and grant me, on the day of the Last Judgment, to stand at Your right hand and hear Your joyful words: Come, blessed of My Father, and inherit the Kingdom prepared for you! Yes it will!
Prayer when the priest holding St. gifts, pronounces the remembrance, after the Reigning House and the Synod, of all Orthodox Christians
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Remember me, Lord, when you come into Your Kingdom. Remember me, Master, when you come to Your Kingdom. Remember me, Holy One, when you come into Your Kingdom. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God! Just as you justified the thief, you alone cried out to You: remember me, O Lord, in Your Kingdom, and remember me. Lord my God, who constantly cries out to You, and likewise, vouchsafe me a part, for I am good and a lover of mankind. Amen.
Remember me, Lord, when you come into Your Kingdom! Remember me, Master, when you come to Your Kingdom! Remember me, Holy One, when you come into Your Kingdom.
Our Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God! How You justified the thief based on his one-time appeal to You, who said: Remember me, Lord, in Your Kingdom! So remember me too, my Lord and my God, who continually cry out to You the same words! And grant me the same blessed part as him! For You are Good and Humane! Yes it will!
Prayer following the transfer of the holy gifts
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Sovereign Lord, Jesus Christ, my God! For the sake of your suffering, on the Cross, crucifixion and burial, do not leave me to perish in my sins, I am a great sinner; but according to the multitude of Your bounty, cleanse all my iniquities, and grant me, through Your intercession, to carry my life through without misfortune, and grant me the joy of the Saints to be a communicant, for I am good and a lover of mankind. Amen.
Master, Lord and my God, Jesus Christ! For the sake of Your suffering, crucifixion on the Cross and burial, do not allow me to perish in sins, for I know that I am a great sinner; but as a generous Giver of many mercies, cleanse me from all my iniquities; grant me, with Your intercession, to spend the rest of my life, without attack from the evil one, and make me a participant in the joy and bliss of Your Saints: for You are good and Lover of mankind! Yes it will!
Prayer after reciting the Creed
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Confirm me, Lord, in this true faith, even in confession, and grant me, having hated everything in this world, to have a heart for You and to worthily praise Your all-holy name, the Father and the Son, in the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Confirm me, Lord, in the confession of this true faith and grant me that, having cooled to everything vanity in this world, I have a constant and heartfelt desire for You, who sits in the heavenly heights, and make me worthy to properly praise Your All-Holy Name: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit - now, unceasingly, and to the endless ages of ages! Truly!
Prayer when the priest shouts: Victory song
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The Cathedral of Saints Angel and Archangel with all the heavenly powers sings to You and says: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, fill heaven and earth with Your Glory! Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! Save me, Who art thou King in the highest, save me and sanctify, Source of sanctification: for from Thee all creation is strengthened; The countless people in heaven, worshiping you with trepidation, unceasingly sing the thrice-holy hymn; I am unworthy of you, unapproachable to him who sits in the light. Everyone is terrified of him, I pray: enlighten my mind, cleanse my heart, and open my lips, so that I may worthily sing to You: Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord, unto the endless ages of ages. Amen. The Council of Holy Angels and Archangels, with all the heavenly Powers, glorifies You, crying: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty, who filled heaven and earth with His glory! Salvation from above! Blessed is he who walks in the Name of the Lord! Salvation from above! Save me too: for You are the King of the Highest! Save and sanctify - as the source of sanctification, from Which all creations (earth and heaven) receive strength!
The countless heavenly host, worshiping You with awe, unceasingly sings the Trisagion of praise; like him, I too, unworthy, dare to pray to You, Who sits with glory in the inaccessible light, Whom even all the inhabitants of heaven are terrified of! Enlighten my mind, purify my heart and perfect my lips - in order to dare to worthily sing to You: Holy, Holy, Holy - You are, Lord, to the endless ages of ages. - Truly!
Prayer with the words of the priest: Take and eat
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I believe, Lord, and confess that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, who came into the world to save sinners, from whom I am the first.
I believe, Lord, and confess that You are truly Christ, the Son of the ever-living God, who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the greatest.
Prayer with the words of the priest: Drink from her, all of you
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Thy secret supper this day, O Son of God, receive me as a partaker: I will not tell the secret to Thy enemies, neither will I give Thee a kiss like Judas, but like a thief I will confess Thee: remember me, O Lord, in Thy kingdom.
Accept me now, Son of God, as a participant in Your Mystery Supper; For I will not tell Your enemies Your secret, nor will I give You a treacherous kiss, like Judas; but, like a thief, confessing You, I cry: remember me, Lord, in Your kingdom!
Prayer with the exclamation of the priest: Yours from Yours
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We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You, O Lord, and we pray to You, our God. Grant us to find grace and mercy from You, show us Your many bounties, so that we may not be ashamed at Your judgment. Do not separate us from this right standing, which is at Your right hand: for Yours is the dominion forever. Amen.
We praise You, we bless You, we thank You, Lord, and we pray to You, our God! Grant us the opportunity to find grace and mercy from You, and pour out the riches of Your mercies on us: may we not be ashamed at Your terrible judgment! Do not deprive us of the right to stand on it at Your right hand; for Your sovereignty endures forever. Truly!
Prayer with the exclamation of the priest: Much, O Most Holy One!
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Virgin Mary, rejoice, etc. Rejoice, one Most Pure One, Mother of the only Creator, the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, and be my intercessor on the day of the terrible trial, when I stand before the unhypocritical Judge, so that through Thy prayers the only Blessed One will be delivered from the fiery terrible punishment!
Virgin Mary, rejoice, etc. Rejoice, One Most Pure Mother of the One Creator of everything, the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ! Be my intercessor before Him, on the day of terrible testing, when I must appear before the impartial Judge: may I be delivered from the terrible fiery punishment for my sins, through Your prayers, O Blessed One!
Prayer with the words of the priest: Remember first, Lord
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Eternal bishop, Christ our God! I diligently pray to You: With Your highest blessing bless, confirm, strengthen, protect our Orthodox Bishops, and protect Your Holy Church whole, honest, healthy, long-living, and grant the right of those who rule the word of Your truth; Mercifully deliver from all the resistance of visible and invisible enemies.
Eternal Bishop, Christ our God! I earnestly pray to You: bless our Orthodox Bishops with Your highest blessing and confirm, strengthen and protect them with Your peace! Grant them to Your holy Church, wholly devoted to its benefits, healthy, honest, long-living, and truthfully observing the words of Your truth! from all the resistance of enemies, visible and invisible, - graciously deliver them!
Prayer with the exclamation of the priest: And grant us, lord
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Our Father!
Prayer with the words of the deacon: Bow your heads to the Lord!
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To You, O Lord my God, I bow my head, and in confession of my heart I cry: I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned in heaven and before You, and I am not worthy to ask You for forgiveness: but You, as a Lover of Mankind, like the prodigal son, have mercy on me, just as a publican has justified me, and as a thief of Your Kingdom, vouchsafe me.
To You, Lord my God, I bow my head and in heartfelt confession I cry to You: My Lord and Father! I have sinned, I have sinned against Heaven and before You, and I am not worthy to ask You for forgiveness; but You, as a Lover of mankind, without retribution, like the prodigal son, have mercy on me! Justify me as a tax collector, and as a thief, make me worthy of Your Heavenly Kingdom!
Prayer with the words of the priest: Grace and bounty
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O God Almighty, who created all creation with wisdom, and raised up me, who had fallen through many sins, with Your hand; Give me Your help and grant me freedom from worldly temptations, from the devil’s snares and from carnal lusts. Have mercy, and forgive me all that You have sinned all the days of my life; anoint my soul with the oil of grace and generosity of Your only begotten Son, the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, with Him to You and Your Holy Spirit be due all glory forever. Amen. God is Almighty! Who created all creation with His wisdom - and me, who fell in the person of the Forefather Adam - raised me from the abyss of condemnation and curse, with an omnipotent hand! Give me now Your almighty help, and grant me the opportunity to free myself from the temptations of the world, from the devil’s snares and from the passions of my body! Have mercy on me and forgive me everything I have sinned against You, all the days of my life!
Anoint my soul with the oil of grace and generosity of Your only begotten Son, the Lord God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, with whom all glory belongs to You and Your Holy Spirit forever. Truly!
Prayer with the words of the priest: Holy to the Saints
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One Holy of Holies, one King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ my God! You, who exist in the depths and in the eternal glory of God the Father, sharing us with the sufferer, and under the guise of bread and wine in these most pure Mysteries, I worship the true God and man, as in heaven, and glorifying You, as God and my Savior, I pray: look upon me at this hour and all the days of my life, and have mercy on me: on the day of the separation of my soul from my body, accept me in Thy hand in peace, and having mercy, rest with the Saints. One Most Holy of Holies, One King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ my God! You, who abides in God the Father and His eternal glory, You, who suffered, working out our salvation, and now, under the guise of bread and wine, in these most pure Mysteries, appearing, You, as true God and true man, ascended into heaven and abiding there, I worship and, glorifying You, as My God and Savior, I beg you: turn your gaze to me Yours, both at this hour and all the days of my life, and have mercy on me!
On the day of separation of my soul from my body, accept it into Your hands in peace and, having spared it, rest with the saints!
Prayer During the Sacrament Verse
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Master, Lord Jesus Christ, our God!
Memories for the sake of Thy holy passions, life-giving deaths and burials, kindle the darkness of my passions, and enlighten my darkened eyes to the knowledge of Thy truth, and do not detest my sighing: since my son is unclean and filthy, I dare to extend prayers to You and call upon Thy most holy and terrible name; but since You alone are merciful, and aware of the weakness of human nature, and all that we demand, I humbly pray to Thee: show us, unworthy of the great riches of Thy mercy, grant me remission of sins, and visit me with Thy grace, so that Thy word may dwell in me and abide, and I will be a church to Thy Most Holy Spirit, and guide me on the path of Thy commandments, to walk always in Thy truth, and teach me to perform the Holy in Thy Passion, so that even at the hour of the departure of my soul from the body I will be honored to receive part of Thy Holy Things, and now with fear and faith I will see Your Most Pure Body offered in the form of bread, and in the form of wine - the Life-giving Blood Yours; For You are my true incarnate God, and through You I hope to be delivered from all evil and to receive salvation from You, glorifying You with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever.
Amen. Our Master and God, Jesus Christ! For the sake of remembering Your holy suffering, life-giving death and burial, disperse the darkness of my passions and enlighten my darkened eyes to the knowledge of Your truths. Do not be disgusted by my sighs and the fact that I, being unclean in thoughts and defiled by sins, dare to send prayers to You and call on Your Most Holy and Terrible Name! But I pray to You, as the only Merciful One who knows all the weaknesses of human nature and everything it needs; - show me, unworthy, the great wealth of Your mercies, - grant me forgiveness of my sins and do not deprive me of Your benefits! May Your word dwell in my soul and remain in it, and may I be a church to Your Most Holy Spirit! Guide me on the path of Your commandments, so that I may constantly abide in Your truth, and teach me to accept Your Holy Mysteries with fear, which you will not deprive me of even at the hour of my death! May I see, even now, with fear and faith, in them; under the guise of bread - Your Most Pure Body and under the guise of wine - Your Life-giving Blood!
For You are my True God, who took upon Yourself, for my salvation, human flesh, and only through You do I hope to get rid of all evil and receive salvation; and therefore I glorify You, with Your Father and the Holy Spirit forever. Truly!
Prayer during the removal of the Holy Gifts with the words: With the fear of God and faith, approach!
Slavic text
Russian translation
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, God the Lord, and Jesus Christ, His Most Pure Body and Blood appearing to us in vain now under the guise of bread and wine in this Divine cup, I bow and glorify, saying: Rejoice, most holy, deified and animated Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, crucified for us, suffered, buried, and on the third day rose again for our salvation. Rejoice, most honorable, life-giving Divine Blood, flowing from His Most Pure and Divine ribs the restoration of our sins, and giving life to the faithful. Rejoice, Belly of the faithful. Rejoice, Light of the Saints. Rejoice, our Salvation, and the elevation to heaven of those who accept Thee by faith. Rejoice, Animal Bread, Spiritual Manno, Inexhaustible Source of Ever-Animal Drink, satisfy my hungry and thirsty soul with Your Divine and sweet communion, all the days of my life, and on the day of my death. Amen.
And grant me, Lord Jesus Christ, my God, to pray always the memory of Your most holy Passion, which in this Divine true and worshipful Mystery of Your Body and Blood You directed to create, in my heart and in my mind to have, and never saved Your passion, raised for my sake, and the outpouring of Your Divine blood, let the idle and the idle appear in me: but let it be for me, as it is for all Your chosen ones, for salvation and eternal life. Blessed is our God and Master Jesus Christ who comes in the name of the Lord, who has appeared to us! At the sight of His Most Pure Body and Blood in this Divine chalice, under the guise of bread and wine, I worship and, glorifying them, I cry: Rejoice, most holy, deified and animated Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, crucified for us, suffered, buried and on the third day rose again for our salvation! Rejoice, Holy, life-giving, Divine Blood, flowing from the Most Pure Theanthropic ribs for the remission of our sins and giving eternal life to believers! Rejoice, life of the faithful! Rejoice, Light of the Saints!
Rejoice, our Salvation and the elevation to heaven of all who receive You with faith! Rejoice, heavenly bread, giving life to everyone, Spiritual manna - an inexhaustible source of eternal existence! Now satisfy my soul, which is hungry and thirsty for Your sweet, Divine communion, and satisfy it all the days of my life and on the day of death! Yes it will!
And grant me, I beg You, my Lord and God, Jesus Christ, to preserve forever in my memory, mind and heart Your most holy sufferings, in memory of which You established the performance of these Divine Mysteries in the form of the true and worthily worshiped Body and Blood of Yours! And may Your saving sufferings endured for my sake, as well as the shedding of Your Divine Blood, never appear in my thoughts as vain and invalid; but may they be for me, as for all Your chosen ones, for salvation and eternal life!
Prayer after communion with the words of the priest: always, now and ever, and forever and ever
Slavic text
Russian translation
Ascended into heaven, Christ our God, lift up our minds, who have left us carnal wisdom and earthly cares, to always listen to and follow your saving command. Fill our lips with Thy praise, that we may sing Thy glory. For Thou hast vouchsafed us to partake of Thy Holy, most pure and immortal Mysteries: establish us in Thy Shrine all our days to learn Thy righteousness. Alleluia. (three times)
Christ our God ascended into heaven! Raise our mind (to that perfection) so that we, leaving behind the philosophies of our flesh and all earthly cares, always listen with our souls and unswervingly follow Your saving teaching. Improve our lips to praise You worthy, how can we sing Your glory? And, as You have honored us to be participants in Your Holy, Most Pure and Immortal Mysteries, then establish us in this Shrine, learning Your truth all the days of our lives. Praise God! (Thrice)
Prayer with the words of the priest: The blessing of the Lord is upon you
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Russian translation
God, be merciful to us, and bless us: make Thy face shine upon us, and have mercy on us, so that we may know Thy way on earth, and receive Thy salvation forever. Amen.
God! Do not deprive us of the bounties of Your goodness and bless us; Illuminate our minds with the light of Your face and have mercy on us! So that we may learn Your true path on earth and receive eternal salvation from You. Yes it will!
Prayer for the dismissal of the Divine Liturgy, to the Most Holy Theotokos
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Russian translation
The most honorable and most glorious of all the heavenly ranks, the Virgin Mother of God Mary, who gave birth to God the Word without decay! Look at my unworthy prayer, I humbly pray: from the disembodied ranks and with all the Saints, stretching out Your God-bearing hands, mercifully create Your Son, Master, Judge and Lord of mine, now and on the day of my death, and at the Last Judgment, Motherly implore Him to place me at His right hand: for you can, as much as you will, one essence is the Representative and Intercessor of the Christian race. The Highest and Most Glorious of all the heavenly ranks, the Virgin Mother of God Mary, who gave birth without breaking the virginity of God, the eternal Word! Descend to my unworthy prayer and hear me humbly praying to You: stretch out Your God-bearing hands for me, and with Your prayers, together with the prayers of the heavenly incorporeal ranks and all the Saints, make Your Son, Lord, Judge and our God, merciful to me! May he have mercy on me, both now and on the day of my death; and may He place me, through Your Motherly intercession, at Your terrible judgment at Your right hand!
For You can do anything, if You deign, as the One and all-powerful intercessor and intercessor of the Christian race!
Prayer of thanksgiving after listening to the Divine Liturgy
Slavic text
Russian translation
I thank Thee, most heavenly King, and with all my body and soul I praise, glorify, honor and extol Thee, for Thou hast vouchsafed me, a sinner, on this day, in this Divine church, Thy Divine and auspicious, bloodless and verbal, by Thy Sacred servants about our sins, to see the sacrifice brought and sacrificed to You, in remembrance of the most pure passion, the glorious resurrection, the ascension into heaven, and the terrible return of our Lord Jesus Christ. For their sake, I pray to Thee: wash away all my sins, cleanse and forgive, and grant me all the days of my life to remember Thy good deeds, and in a clear conscience to offer thanksgiving and prayer to Thee, the beginningless Father, with Thy Only Begotten Son, and the All-Holy One, good in Thy life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
I thank You, Heavenly King - and with all my body and soul I praise, glorify, honor and extol You - that You have vouchsafed me, a sinner, on this day, in this Divine church of Yours, to contemplate Your Divine, favorable, bloodless and verbal sacrifice, by Your Priests, about your sins, offered to You, and perfected in the image Your sacrifice and in remembrance of your most pure suffering, glorious resurrection, ascension into heaven, and the second, terrible coming of Your Lord Jesus Christ! For their sake, I beg You: wash, cleanse and forgive me my sins; and grant me, all the days of my life, to remember all Your good deeds and with a clear conscience to offer prayers and thanksgiving to You, the Triune God: the Beginning Father, with the Only Begotten Son, and Your Holy, Good and Life-giving Spirit - now, unceasingly and to the endless ages of ages. Yes it will!
This liturgy, according to Simeon of Thessalonica, was established by the successors of the Apostles; its written presentation is attributed to St. Gregory the Dvoeslov, based on the fact that he was the first to collect information about the rituals observed under it in Christian churches of different times and compared them with the help of oral traditions.
The reason for the establishment of this Liturgy was Lent, after all. reasons: since it was said above that in the primacy of the Church there was an indispensable custom of offering a brotherly meal after the Liturgy, where, after spiritual food, there was the delight of the flesh; but as fasting, being a time of repentance and mortification of the flesh, could not allow such excesses and sensual pleasures, especially since during it it was allowed to eat food only once and that in the evening; and yet the Christians did not want to be deprived of their usual daily communion of the Holy Mysteries. - then the Pastors of the Church, not wanting to deprive them of this spiritual joy and at the same time trying to maintain the dignity of fasting, decided to continue not the full, but only a certain part of the Liturgy, during which those who wish would receive communion with the Presanctified Gifts.
The name is for St. The gifts come from the fact that the Holy Lamb, crushed and taught here to the communicant, is sacrificed to God and sanctified, being fed with blood first. And for this, at each Sunday liturgy, in addition to the Gifts with which they receive communion during it, the Reserve Gifts are consecrated together, in such quantities as can be foreseen according to need for the whole week, and with them the Liturgy of the Presanctified is celebrated.
The beginning of this liturgy consists of prayers and the reading of psalms and songs used during Vespers, just as the rituals observed in it - before the prayer for the catechumens - belong to Vespers; but in its further succession there are already rites belonging to the Liturgy above explained, or the so-called Perfect.
According to church regulations, it is held on every Wednesday and Friday throughout Lent, and on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week.
The peculiarities in the rituals of this liturgy, as opposed to the ordinary one, are the following:
After the first paremia, the priest, standing at the royal doors, makes a cross in the shape of a lighted candle over those present, while proclaiming: The Light of Christ enlightens everyone. This action dates back to the first times of Christianity, when the catechumens, mainly during Lent, prepared to receive Holy Baptism, and the meaning is that the priest with this candle, as it were, ignites in them the desire to quickly accept enlightenment, letting them know that through this sensory light, an intelligent, true light is approaching them, enlightening every person coming into the World!
After the second paremia, a touching chant is proclaimed on behalf of those present: May my prayer be corrected, which depicts the earnest prayer of those kneeling, fasting and preparing to receive the Holy Mysteries. This prayer ends the activities of Vespers, and after it the liturgy itself begins.
Here there is a special litany and others, until the catechumens are brought out of the church - everything is the same as in the perfect liturgy - then there are changes both in prayers and in rituals, for example, instead of the song like the Cherubim, Now the heavenly powers are sung with us invisibly, and when during this song the Presanctified Gifts are transferred from the altar to the throne, then in the middle of it all those present fall - prostrate and singing for a while stops until the celebrants enter the altar. This reverent worship is done because if previously, during the perfect liturgy, the transference of these honorable gifts, which prefigured only the Body and Blood of Christ before their consecration, they were so highly honored, then all the more so now, when these gifts, as already consecrated, constitute the true Body and Blood of the Lord.
All litanies and prayers related to the consecration of gifts are skipped after the Cherubic Song, since the gifts have already been consecrated in advance; and instead of them, only those who prepare those present for communion are proclaimed. — Communion is celebrated in the same way as during the liturgies of John Chrysostom and Basil the Great.
Instead of the prayer behind the pulpit, Blessing those who bless Thee, another prayer is read: Master Almighty, with which the priest asks God to strengthen those coming in the exploits of fasting and to make them worthy to joyfully worship the Holy Resurrection.
And finally, on dismissal, in addition to the usually mentioned Saints, the name of St. Gregory the Dialogue is added to them, to whom, as stated above, is credited with the compilation of this liturgy.
The distribution of Antidoron, according to church regulations, is also required during all other liturgies, but is observed primarily during the Presanctified Liturgy because, firstly, during Lent one can more likely expect a larger number of those worthy to receive it than at other times; and secondly, that the duration of Lenten services and the bows, genuflections, etc. associated with them. more tire and exhaust those praying; and therefore, they require strengthening them with holy bread.
The Antidoron is the remains of the prosphora from which the Holy Lamb was removed, with the addition of other prosphoras that were in the sacred rite, and resembles that brotherly meal of the primitive Church, which was mentioned above. Therefore, the establishment of a nationwide distribution of it had the main goal of arousing in Christians feelings of charity and hospitality, and generally reminding them of the works of Christian mercy that are so appropriate during fasting. Why, when Antidoron is distributed on the choir, the psalm is read: I will bless the Lord at all times, etc.
The descent of the Bishop from the Royal Doors to the pulpit upon his arrival in the church and upon application to the Holy icons depicts the descent from the heavenly throne to earth of the Son of God, which took place during the Gospel of the Archangel. - His dressing on the pulpit in sacred clothes marks the incarnation of the Son of God; and all those who serve him in this vestment depict the Angels who served at the mysterious viewing of the incarnation of Christ.
The priests who come to the ambo before the beginning of the Liturgy of the Catechumens, standing in hierarchical order near the Bishop to concelebrate with him, represent the Angels who served Christ in the desert after His Baptism, as well as His further co-workers and servants, the Apostles chosen by Him as witnesses to His life and teaching.
The bishop, being on the pulpit until the small exit, remains in silence, leaving the initial administration of the Liturgy to the priest: this depicts the time of the Forerunner's sermon and the preparation of the way for the Lord. The Royal Doors, opened from the entry of the Bishop into the pulpit, are the gates of heaven, opened with the coming of the Son of God to earth, which He Himself confirmed, saying: From now on you will see heaven open, and the Angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man (John 1:51).
A small exit is performed completely differently than during an ordinary service, and has a different meaning. The priests and all those who serve them, leaving the altar to the pulpit, represent the appearance of Angels in heaven during the Ascension of Christ; and the Bishop himself, accompanied by them, descending from the pulpit to the altar, depicts Christ entering heaven. The overshadowing of dikiriy and trikyriy when the deacon proclaims: Forgive wisdom! - means the Lord’s blessing on the disciples during His ascension; the incense of the throne, the altar and those present by them signifies the grace-filled message of the Holy Spirit.
After reading the Troparions, the deacon begins to loudly remember the Holy Synod and the Reigning House, which is repeated by the clergy; then the name of the officiating Bishop, which is repeated by all those serving him at the altar and the clergy, and finally, the synclit, the army and all Orthodox Christians, which is again repeated by the clergy, indicating that all those mentioned are called by the will of Christ to strengthen the good of the Church.
Next, the Bishop, who had been silent until that time, begins to proclaim and act, thereby depicting the time determined by the words of the Forerunner: He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30); why, everything that had hitherto been the responsibility of the priest now passes to him, and He himself already proclaims: For Holy is our God, and so on. - The Trisagion hymn that follows this is sung not in one choir, but initially in the altar, depicting that the earthly Church, having successively received it from the heavenly one, glorifies the Triune God in accordance with it. During it, the Bishop, emerging from the altar in front of the royal doors, overshadows the people with the cross and dikiria, proclaiming: Look down from heaven, God, and so on. signifies the light of the Gospel illuminating the Church and the power of Christ affirming it.
Then, ascending to the high place of the altar and replacing the dikiri with the trikiri, he again overshadows everyone, signifying that the mysterious light of the Glory of God, shining in the Church, comes from the Ever-Essential Trinity. Retreating to a high place, he removes the Omophorion, depicting that Christ, having ascended to God the Father, betrayed to Him the covenant of adoption of the human race. Sitting on a high place, the Bishop depicts Christ sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and those around him are the Apostles seated on thrones for the judgment of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Descending from the high place after the Gospel, the Bishop again blesses those who are coming from the royal gates, thereby depicting for the second time the blessing of the ascending Savior, who promised the disciples not to be separated from them, but to abide in them forever.
During the Cherubic Song, the Bishop washes his hands at the royal gates, quietly reading a prayer for the blessing of water for the consecration of those coming. - This represents an ancient rite of the primal Church, when Christians who were preparing for communion, upon coming to church, certainly had to wash their hands in the church washbasins, because at that time they received the body of Christ in their hands.
At the great exit, the Bishop, as bearing the image of Christ, himself does not endure the Holy Gifts, but leaves them to those who serve him, and only, having received them at the royal doors, prays over them for the Royal House and for the others, and again hands them over for transfer to the throne.
When the Holy Gifts are already on the throne, the Bishop, as a person prone to sin by nature, horrified by the terrible service set before him, asks his concelebrants to pray for him, and after this, teaching a blessing to the people from the royal doors, he turns to him with the same request. The clergy answers him with the usual Greek greeting.
When pronouncing the Symbol of Faith, the Bishop, on behalf of the entire Church, bows his head into the air, thereby testifying to the submission in mind and heart of those present before the confession of faith, and signifying on his own behalf that, having been buried in Christ, he hopes to be resurrected with Him.
The further observance of the Liturgy has no other features, and the Bishop acts and proclaims in everything as a priest.
In accordance with the importance of the Mysteries depicted in the Divine Services, all clothing, as well as the utensils used with them, as established by the saints and great teachers of the Church, received mysterious meanings. Without a doubt, all these accessories were established simultaneously with the establishment of the Sacred rites themselves, but it is obvious that over time, their number, according to need and significance, increased from the original.
The vessels and other accessories used during the Liturgy are the following: Paten, Chalice, Star, Veils, Antimens, Spear, Lip, Liar, Censer and Lamps. And during the Hierarchical service, the following are added to them: Ripidy, Trikirsh and Dikiriy; in addition: the Gospel, the Cross and the Tabernacle - which must always be on the throne.
The paten, installed by the Apostles at the same time as the Chalice, is a flat saucer on a leg that serves to crush the body of Christ. In a mysterious sense, it means: both the manger at the birth of Christ and the coffin at His burial.
A chalice is a cup for the sacred rite of the Blood of Christ, depicting the cup in which, under the guise of wine and water. The Savior, having dissolved His Blood, offered it to the Apostles at the Last Supper.
An asterisk or star is two cross-shaped arcs connected by the vertices, moving apart and folding on a screw, on top of which a star is inscribed, representing the star that appeared to the Magi at the Birth of the Savior. It is placed on the paten above the Holy Lamb, also so that the cover, by its close touch to the Gifts, cannot shed the parts surrounding the Lamb. Its introduction into the number of liturgical utensils is attributed to St. John Chrysostom.
Veils. Of the three covers used during the Liturgy, the large one (quadrangular) is called air, because it, like the air surrounding the earth, embraces and covers the Holy Gifts and, like air, depicts the breath of the Holy Spirit. The meaning of the other two cruciform covers is explained above (one represents the sir, the other the shroud).
Antimens. - This is a sacred rug or scarf that is constantly on the throne and spread under the Holy Gifts. In the middle of it is depicted the Savior lying in a tomb, and in the corners are the Evangelists. The reason for the establishment of the Antimins was the frequent attacks of pagans on primitive Christian churches, and the destroyed thrones took away the opportunity to perform Divine services for a long time; and therefore, in order to replace the legal sanctity of the throne with something else, equivalent, the Holy Apostles decided to establish altar tables that have the same power as thrones, but are more convenient in that they can be quickly removed from the temple and hidden. And although, over time, the peace that had settled in the Christian Church stopped these attacks, the Apostolic establishment was retained on the basis that the Bishops, according to ancient law, were obliged to consecrate churches everywhere themselves and at the same time place them in the altars of St.
relics: and since the vastness of their dioceses and the large number of churches being erected did not allow them to fulfill this exactly, they decided to replace this personal participation of the rulers in the consecration with Antimensions, placing in each of them a part of the Holy Relics, and giving them the power of the Archpastoral blessing for each church.
A spear is a double-edged knife in the shape of a flat spear, used to remove the Holy Lamb from the prosphora and to crush It into pieces. It represents the spear with which the Savior was pierced on the cross, in memory of which the priest, piercing the Lamb at the proskomedia, says: One of the warriors pierced His side with a spear.
Lip - a thin piece of walnut sponge used for wiping Sacred vessels; for them to collect into one all the parts located near the Lamb on the paten and for more convenient pouring them into the chalice. It depicts the lip that one of Christ’s crucifiers, having filled with bile and stool, brought to the Savior’s lips while exclaiming His Thirst!
A liar or sacred spoon with an image of a cross at the end of the handle is used to give communion to believers. It depicts the tongs with which Seraphim, taking a burning coal from the altar, brought it to the lips of the prophet Isaiah and thereby cleansed all his sins.
A censer is a metal vessel with a movable lid, on chains, into which hot coals are placed and fragrant incense is poured. Smoking incense in honor of the Divine has been introduced since ancient times; and therefore, censing with a censer in front of icons and other sacred objects depicts reverence for them on the part of the celebrants; and the burning of incense by those present signifies the grace of the Holy Spirit upon them, and gives them the proper image of their prayers to God, which should be the aroma of a spiritual fragrance.
When we were organizing the rite of worship for the first man-made church of the Name of God on earth - the Tabernacle of Testimony - then among its sacred utensils, indicated to Moses by God Himself, a golden lamp should have been built following the example of heaven. “Make a lamp of gold, cleanly carved,” said God, “and make its seven lights, and set up the lights, and they will shine from one face of it: see, and make it according to the image shown to you on the mountain.” From that time on, the lighting of oil in lamps or candles in lamps became an indispensable part of worship, as an expression of reverence and love for God and the spiritual triumph of those praying. So Solomon, having erected a magnificent temple in Jerusalem, placed ten precious lamps in the sanctuary, in front of the entrance to the Holy of Holies. On the Feast of Tabernacles, especially solemn and joyful among the Jews, they illuminated the church and the altar with many lamps, just as, later celebrating the feast of the Renewal of the Church, they placed numerous lamps around the renewed altar.
The New Testament Church, the heir to the pious rites of the Old Testament, almost from its very beginning, introduced its use of lamps into worship. It is known that even under the Apostles, divine services were performed with many candles, and these latter were used not so much out of need in natural light, but to show the light of Christ, which illuminated the world, which lay in darkness, for Christ Himself compared His teaching with a light shining in the darkness, or with a lamp placed on a candlestick, so that those who enter would see the light.
“We never perform divine services without lamps,” says Tertullian, “but we do not use them to disperse the darkness of the night, for our liturgy is celebrated in daylight; but in order to depict Christ through them, the uncreated Light, without Which we would wander in darkness even at midday.” Regardless of this, the deplorable situation of the primitive Church during the first 3 centuries AD forced Christians, out of necessity, to resort to material illumination of their places of prayer. Vigilantly watched and cruelly persecuted by the pagans in their homes, they had to retire for worship to hidden and secluded places, namely: to dungeons and caves, where only artificial light could replace their lack of daylight. In the Roman catacombs (quarries), some of which have survived to this day in the form in which they were during the times of the primitive Church, traces of the lighting that the pioneer Christians used during their services have still been preserved.
There are found many lamps of two types: some, as can be guessed from their shape, were probably placed in small niches or on projections of the walls, found at different distances along the entire length of the passage leading to the catacombs; and others, as is noticeable, were hung over the tombs of the martyrs, where services were performed. Most of them are clay, but there are bronze and even silver ones. Their usual figure is a ship, a commonly used symbol of the Church of that time; on the outside, some of them are covered with various applied decorations, also depicting symbols, such as a dove, a lamb, a fish (a symbol of the apostleship), a palm branch, a wreath, etc. On some, the initial letters of the Savior’s name I.X are found.
So, the use of lamps in worship goes back to the first and glorious centuries of Christianity, when valiant sufferers saved the faith by wandering through deserts, mountains, caves and gorges of the earth. With the end of the persecution of Christians, the use of lamps was not only not eliminated, but, on the contrary, it received the most extensive use. Not a single divine service or sacred act was performed, as now, without lamps: the font of a newly baptized person, the bed of a terminally ill person, the bed of a deceased person were constantly surrounded by more or less of them.
It would be unnecessary to count all those cases in which, according to the charter of the Church or pious custom, it is customary to light lamps, and therefore we will limit ourselves to only indicating the meaning of the lighting that is used in churches during ordinary daytime services.
All the lamps with which all three parts of each church are decorated, i.e., the altar, the church and the vestibule, according to their different positions and the greater or lesser number of candles in them, have different signs. Thus, Simeon of Thessaloniki, the polykandile hanging in the middle of the church, learns the meaning of the firmament of heaven, dotted with myriads of stars; other multi-candlesticks placed in the vestibule and other parts of the church depict; and the pillar of fire that led Israel in the wilderness, and the Bush of Sinai, and the chariot of fire that carried Elijah into heaven. Three-candle lamps raise our thoughts to the three-candle light of the Most Holy Trinity; seven-branched - reminiscent of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, who appeared in the form of tongues of fire; twelve-candlesticks - the face of the apostles, likened to heavenly lights, illuminating the darkness, and finally - candlesticks hanging on a high place in the altar, or high in front of the royal doors - signifies Christ Himself - the Father's Radiance, enlightening every person coming into the world!
In addition to these main lamps, which are mostly lit only on major holidays, the Church also installed lamps in front of the local icons of the Savior, the Mother of God and the Saints in the iconostasis. These lamps are lit at all the main daily services and burn either throughout their duration, or are extinguished and relit at a certain time, in accordance with the content of the service being performed. Thus, the evening service, which in the opening psalm depicts the wisdom of God in the grandfathers of the universe, begins without a general lighting of the lamps, recalling through this absence of light, the original darkness that preceded the Creative voice: let there be light, but with the touching psalm of the Vespers Sacrifice, all the lamps are lit as a sign of the light that shone on the first day of peace and grace God, who illuminated the human race with words of promises and prophecies about Christ. Morning worship, continuing in the darkness of the night, would apparently require constant full illumination; but even here the lamps are lit only for the meaning of this service.
When reading the Six Psalms, the charter commands to extinguish the candles in order to, through this darkness, without providing entertainment for the eyes of those praying, to encourage them to reverently listen to the reading, placing them, as it were, in solitude, to arouse in them tenderness and repentant feelings. At the end of the Six Psalms and the proclamation of God the Lord and the appearance of us, the lamps are lit again as a sign of the Radiance of the glory of the Incarnate Lord, and they increase even more during the polyeleos, when the celebrants, as a sign of spiritual joy, with lamps in their hands excite those praying to confess to the Lord, for it is good, for His mercy endures forever. The candles at Matins are finally extinguished only after the Doxology, because this the time, as we have already said, according to the ancient rite of the Church, coincided with the morning dawn.
The Liturgy begins and continues with all the lit lamps, not only because one of the most sacred Sacraments of Christianity is celebrated in it - the Eucharist, but also because it, depicting all the most important features from the earthly life of the Savior, as the sacred memories of Christians, cannot but illuminate their hearts with the constant light of the glory of their Teacher and God, and with that fiery love for Him, the symbols of which can be the burning lamps. Regardless of the lighting of the lamps, during the Liturgy, in all parts of the church, the Church Charter also prescribes that they should be presented at the small exit - the Gospel, and at the major one - before the Holy Gifts: signifying with them, - in the first case - the coming of the Savior to preach and the fulfillment through this of the prophecy of Isaiah: people sitting in darkness, seeing the great light, and in the second - the procession of the Savior on the Cross Golgotha, as the King and Lord of Glory, bringing and being offered. In this sense, she calls on the faithful in the Cherubic song: Raise Him as a King, gifted by the invisible ranks of Angels.
In ancient times, burning lamps were presented before kings and rulers as a sign of respect for their rank and person.
Thus, the lighting of lamps and candles during worship, in addition to all historical memories and material necessity, also has its own highest, inner meaning and significance, so that in all fairness one can say about it the same thing that was said by the teachers of the Church about other rites of Christian worship: It was not for nothing, and it was not by chance that St. The Fathers passed this on to the Church; but with reason (that is, with a higher, rational meaning), so that as a result of this we have just thoughts!
Ripids - held over the Gospel and the Holy Gifts during the Bishop's service - long shafts with the image of six-winged Cherubim at the ends, signify the invisible presence of these highest disembodied Spirits over these Shrines, and by their vibration over the Holy Gifts, they signify the reverent co-service of their priests.
Trikirium and Dikirium are candlesticks with three and two candles, with which the Bishop overshadows those present during his service. The first of them depicts the Sacrament of the Most Holy. Trinity, and the second - two natures in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Gospel - reclining on the throne, depicts the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, abiding on the throne of His Majesty; and the reading of the Holy Gospel marks the preaching of Christ during His earthly life.
The Cross is necessary on the Throne and behind the Throne, because here the saving sacrifice of the cross is constantly performed, although verbal and bloodless.
Tabernacle - there is a special container for spare Gifts, standing constantly on the throne. The Holy Gifts stored in it serve both for giving communion to the sick at all times, and for performing Presanctified Liturgies with them during Lent. — It depicts the cave of the Holy Sepulcher, from which Christ emerged.
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The sacred garments are: surplice, handrails, orarion, epitrachelion, belt, legguard, club, phelonion, sakkos, omophorion and miter. Of these, the deacon owns: surplice, handrails and orarion; To the priest - in addition to them: a belt, a phelonion, and, as a special distinction, a legguard and a club, and, finally, to the Bishop, on top of all this: a sakkos and an omophorion; the latter is the primary distinction of his rank; As for the miter, by the permission of the Sovereigns, in addition to Bishops, it is worn by Archimandrites and some Archpriests.
The surplice is the first garment among the sacred, and since the Priest or Bishop places other garments on top of it, it is called the surplice in relation to their vestments. The surplice is: white, speckled and striped: in the first case, it depicts the luminous clothing of the Angels, or in general the proper purity and immaculateness of the priestly rank; in the second, it recalls the ulcers of the body of Christ, and in the last, the Divine blood flowing through His most pure Body during the torture and crucifixion.
Handrails are small pieces of fabric laced with braids and placed on the hands of both hands of the clergy, where they are held by tightening and wrapping these braids. They depict the bonds of the Savior in which he was led to the judgment of the High Priests of the Jews.
The orarion is a long ribbon placed by the deacon on his left shoulder, above the surplice, decorated with crosses and constantly held in his right hand during all sacred rites. In the primal Church, instead of the current narrow orarion, there was a long piece of cloth worn by the deacon on his shoulder during service, which he used on various occasions, namely; he used it to wipe the mouths of those partaking of the Holy Mysteries; they were given a sign by the reader or clergy when it was necessary to read or sing; through him, at the words of the catechumens, come out, he hurried the catechumens and the penitents to leave the church as quickly as possible, and so on. St. John Chrysostom gives the orarion such a meaning that it depicts the wings of Angels, because the deacon wearing it corresponds in rank to these disembodied spirits.
The epitrachelion is the same orarion, thrown over the priest's neck and connected only in front with buttons, as a sign that each priest was formerly a deacon himself, and now performs his duties in his absence; and also as a sign of the special outpouring of the grace of the Holy Spirit given to the priest for the performance of the sacraments. Due to this last meaning, a priest cannot perform any church service without an epitrachelion, just like a deacon without an orarion.
Belt - a wide ribbon worn over the cassock; he depicts; readiness, strength and unshakable firmness in the exercise of priestly service. The same thing is explained in the priest’s prayer when putting on this part of the vestment.
The gait is a rectangular oblong piece of fabric, hung on a ribbon over the shoulder, to the right thigh of the priest. It depicts the spiritual sword of the word of God, with which the shepherd must arm himself against the wicked and unbelievers; it is given as a distinction to priests, according to their dignity and participation in the Church government.
A club is a square piece of cloth, attached at one corner to the belt of a priest or bishop on the same side as the legguard, and has the same meaning as the latter. Its establishment, as the highest award in comparison with the previous one, was intended to further arouse in the shepherds zeal for faith and the salvation of human souls.
Felonion or Robe is an image of the outer clothing of the Savior and the Apostles, or the mantle in which the Savior was clothed from his scoffers; and therefore it has the appearance of sackcloth, without sleeves.
Sakkos is the outer bishop's robe, which in the spiritual sense has the same meaning as the priestly robe. This clothing (and with the same name) in ancient times was an accessory to the royal dignity, and kings clothed themselves in it as a sign of humility in times of repentance; but when the Christian faith became dominant, the pious Sovereigns, out of respect for the Church, provided it to the Greek Patriarchs; and from these latter, it has already passed on to the hierarchs of other Christian confessions.
Omophorion - there is a long wide ribbon with crosses on it, worn in a special manner with the help of buttons on the neck and the ramen of the Bishop. This part of the vestment constitutes a predominant sign of the priesthood and was adopted following the example of the Old Testament Church. The High Priest of Judah put on the Ephud or Paramennik, which had on itself the Word of Judgment, composed of 12 precious stones, from which on each was carved the name of the 12 sons of Israel, and in this vestment he received the power to be the intercessor and priest of the whole people. Likewise, the Newly Graced Bishop, having placed on himself an omophorion, decorated, instead of stones, with an incomparably most precious sign for all Christians, becomes a prayer book for them before God. According to the understanding of the Holy Fathers of the Church, the omophorion signifies the lost sheep in the person of the human race, and therefore, when vested in it, the Saint depicts Christ, who took on His Holy Neck the sins of all lost humanity and lifted them up in His person to God the Father, with the covenant of adoption.
This is confirmed by the very prayer pronounced when placing the omophorion on the Bishop: On the Ramo, Christ, you took your erring nature, ascended, and offered it to God and the Father!
Miter - the head decoration of the Bishop, also got its origins from Old Testament clothing. The Jewish high priest, when putting on the Ephud, placed a miter on his head, which had exactly the same outline as the miter, but only with a notch in the middle, which made it more like the moon. Imitating this, but not preserving the above form, the first Bishops of the Christian Church, like the High Priests of the New Testament, for example, James the brother of God and others, wore a high golden bandage, like a crown. In the spiritual sense, the miter depicts both the Savior’s crown of thorns and that handkerchief or Lord with which the wounded head of Christ was entwined during burial.
On the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(September 8)
Troparion
Slavic text
Russian translation
Thy Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, is a joy to proclaim to the whole universe: from Thee has risen the sun of righteousness, Christ our God, and having destroyed the oath, given blessing, and having abolished death, given us eternal life.
Your Nativity, Virgin Mary, announced the joy of the entire universe, for Christ our God, the sun of righteousness, shone from You and, having destroyed the curse, gave (us) blessing and, having abolished death, gave us eternal life.
Kontakion
Slavic text
Russian translation
Joachim and Anna were freed from the reproach of childlessness, and Adam and Eve were freed from mortal aphids, O Most Pure One, in Thy holy Nativity, then Thy people also celebrate, having been freed from the guilt of sin, never to call Thee: the Mother of God and the nourisher of our life gives birth to barren fruits.
Joachim and Anna were freed from reproach for childlessness, and Adam and Eve were freed from mortal corruption, O Most Pure One, through Thy holy birth. This birth is also celebrated by Your people, redeemed from the guilt of errors, in order to cry out to You: The barren one gives birth to the Mother of God and the nourisher of our life.
Greatness
We magnify You, Most Holy Virgin, and honor Your holy parents, and glorify Your birth all-gloriously.
On the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross
(September 14)
Troparion
Slavic text
Russian translation
Save, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thy inheritance, granting victories to our Blessed Emperor Alexander Nikolaevich in resistance, and preserving Thy residence through Thy cross.
Save, O Lord, Your people and bless Your heritage, granting victories over the enemies to our Blessed Emperor Alexander Nikolaevich, and preserving through Your cross our social life that belongs to You.
Kontakion
Slavic text
Russian translation
Having ascended to the Cross by will, grant to Your namesake new residence Your bounty, O Christ God, by Your power gladden our Blessed Emperor Alexander Nikolayevich, giving Him victories for his fellows, the benefit of Your weapon of peace, an invincible victory.
Voluntarily ascended to the cross! To Your new citizenship, Your namesake (i.e. Christian), grant Your bounties, O Christ God! Make our blessed Emperor Alexander Nikolaevich glad with Your power, granting Him victories over enemies, may He have Your support as a weapon of peace, an invincible victory.
Greatness
We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, and honor Your Holy Cross, with which You saved us from the work of the enemy.
On the Entry into the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(November 21)
Troparion
Slavic text
Russian translation
On the day of God’s favor, the transfiguration and the preaching of the salvation of men, the Virgin clearly appears in the church of God, and announces Christ to everyone, to that we too will loudly cry out: rejoice in seeing the Creator’s fulfillment.
Now is the representation of God's favor and the preaching of the salvation of men; in the church of God the Virgin appears visibly (to everyone) and announces Christ to everyone. And we will solemnly exclaim to Her: Rejoice at the fulfillment of God’s economy (about the salvation of people).
Kontakion
Slavic text
Russian translation
The most pure Church of the Savior, the valuable palace and the Virgin, the sacred treasure of the glory of God, is today introduced into the house of the Lord with the grace of the Divine Spirit, even as the Angels of God sing: This is the heavenly village.
The Most Pure Church of the Savior, the Precious Palace and the Virgin, the Sacred Treasure of the glory of God, is now being introduced into the house of the Lord, introducing into it the grace of the Divine Spirit. The Angels of God sing about her, calling out: “She is the Heavenly Tabernacle!”
Greatness
We magnify You, Most Holy Virgin, God-chosen Youth, and honor Your entry into the Church of the Lord.
On Christmas Day
(December 25)
Troparion
Slavic text
Russian translation
Thy Nativity, Christ our God, the world's light of reason has arisen, in it for those who serve the stars as stars, I bow to Thee, the Sun of righteousness, and Thou leadest from the heights of the East: Lord, Glory to Thee!
Your Nativity, Christ our God, has enlightened the world with the true light of knowledge; for when You were born, those who studied the heavenly bodies were taught by the star to bow to You - the Sun of Truth and to understand You, the High East! Lord Glory to You!
Kontakion
Slavic text
Russian translation
Today the Virgin gives birth to the Most Essential, and the earth brings a den to the Unapproachable: Angels with shepherds praise, and wolves travel with a star; For our sake, the Young Child, the Eternal God, was born.
The Virgin now gives birth to the Supreme Being, and the earth brings a cave as a gift to the Unapproachable; The angels, together with the shepherds, praise Him; and the wise men with the star travel to Him! For a new (extraordinary) Child has been born for us - the eternal God!
Greatness
We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, for our sake now born in the flesh from the brideless and most pure Virgin Mary.
On the Epiphany of the Lord
(January 6)
Troparion
Slavic text
Russian translation
In the Jordan, baptized to Thee, O Lord, Trinitarian adoration appeared: For the voice of the parents testified unto Thee, Thy beloved Son's possession: and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, made known to Thy word the affirmation: Christ the God appeared, and the world of enlightenment, glory to Thee.
At Your baptism in the Jordan, Lord, the venerable Most Holy Trinity appeared: for the Voice of the Father testified of You, calling You the beloved Son, and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the truth of this word (i.e., testimony). Having appeared and enlightened the world, Christ God, glory to Thee!
Kontakion
Slavic text
Russian translation
Thou hast appeared this day to the universe, and Thy light, O Lord, has appeared upon us, in the minds of those who sing Thee: Thou hast come and appeared, the unapproachable Light.
On this day You have appeared, and Your light has appeared upon us, who with knowledge (conviction) call upon You: You have come, You have appeared to us, Unapproachable light!
Greatness
We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, for our sake now baptized in the flesh by John in the waters of the Jordan.
At the Presentation of the Lord
(February 2)
Troparion
Slavic text
Russian translation
Rejoice, blessed Virgin Mary, for from You has risen the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, who enlightens those who are in darkness: rejoice and you, the righteous elder, are received into the arms of the Liberator of our souls, who gives us resurrection.
Rejoice, blessed Virgin Mary! For from You has arisen the Sun of righteousness—Christ our God, who enlightened those who were in darkness. Rejoice also, O righteous old man, who has accepted into your arms the Liberator of our souls, who has given us resurrection!
Kontakion
Slavic text
Russian translation
The womb of the Maiden, blessed by Thy Nativity, and the hand, Simeon, blessed, as befitting, Thou didst foresee and now save us, O Christ God: but die in battle, and strengthen the Emperor, whom Thou hast loved, the only Lover of Mankind.
Having previously sanctified the womb of the Virgin with Your Nativity and blessed the hands of Simeon, as it should have been, now You have saved us, O Christ God! Send peace to our social life during the attack of enemies, and strengthen the Emperor, whom You loved as the only Lover of Mankind!
Greatness
We magnify Thee, Life-Giving Christ, and honor Thy Most Pure Mother, by whom, according to the law, Thou hast now been brought into the church of the Lord.
On the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(March 25)
Troparion
Slavic text
Russian translation
The day of our salvation is the most important, and since the beginning of time the mystery has been revealed, the Son of God, the son of the Virgin, is born, and Gabriel preaches the good news. In the same way, we cry out to the Mother of God: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
On this day is the beginning of our salvation and the manifestation of the sacrament, predestined from eternity; The Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin and (such) grace Gabriel preaches to Her! And we will exclaim to the Mother of God: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!
Kontakion
Slavic text
Russian translation
To the chosen Voivode, victorious, as having been delivered from the evil ones, let us sing thanks to You, Thy servants, to the Mother of God; but as if you have an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call to You: Rejoice, unbridelike Bride!
We are Your servants, Mother of God, to You, the Voivode who holds the upper hand in battles with enemies, we offer a song of victory and gratitude, for having been delivered from troubles by You. But you, as having invincible power (and henceforth), protect us from all troubles; we will cry to You: Rejoice, unmarried bride (i.e., never married, ever-virgin)!
Greatness
The Archangel's voice cries out to You, Pure One: Rejoice, O Gracious One, the Lord is with You!
On Palm Sunday
(one week before Easter)
Troparion
Slavic text
Russian translation
Assuring the general resurrection before Your passion, You raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ our God. Likewise, we, like the youths of victory who bear the sign of victory, cry out to you, the conqueror of death: Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord.
Before Your suffering, wanting to convince (everyone) of the general resurrection, You raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ God! Therefore, we, like children, holding in our hands the banner of victory (over death), cry out to You, the conqueror of death: salvation from heaven! Blessed is he who walks in the Name of the Lord!
Kontakion
Slavic text
Russian translation
On the throne in heaven, carried on the earth by lots, O Christ God, Thou didst receive the praise of Angels and the chanting of children, calling to Thee: Blessed art Thou, Who art come to call Adam.
In heaven on a throne, and on earth seated on a foal, Christ God, You accepted the praise of the Angels and the chanting of the children who cried out to You: Blessed is He who comes to restore Adam!
Greatness
We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, Hosanna in the highest, and we cry to You: blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
On the Ascension of the Lord
(on the 40th day after Easter)
Troparion
Slavic text
Russian translation
Thou art exalted in glory, O Christ our God, having brought joy as a disciple, by the promise of the Holy Spirit, by the former blessing communicated to them: for Thou art the Son of God, the deliverer of the world.
You ascended in glory, O Christ our God, giving joy to your disciples with your promise of the Holy Spirit, while assuring them (of this promise) with your blessing; for You are the Son of God, the deliverer of the world.
Kontakion
Slavic text
Russian translation
Having fulfilled your concern for us and united us on earth with the heavenly, you ascended in glory, Christ God, in no way departing, but remaining persistent, and crying out to those who love You: I am with you and no one is against you.
Having fulfilled God's predestination for us and united the earthly with the heavenly, You ascended in glory, Christ our God, never leaving us, but staying constantly with us and calling out to those who love You: “I am with you and no one is against you!”
Greatness
We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, and honor the Divine Ascension into heaven with Your most pure flesh.
On Trinity Day or the Descent of the Holy Spirit
(on the 50th day after Easter)
Troparion
Slavic text
Russian translation
Blessed are You, O Christ our God, who are wise fishers of phenomena, having sent down upon them the Holy Spirit, and with them you have caught the universe, O lover of mankind, glory to You!
Blessed are You, Christ our God, who made the fishermen wise, sending down the Holy Spirit on them, and through them capturing the universe! Lover of humanity, Glory to Thee!
Kontakion
Slavic text
Russian translation
When the tongues of fire descended, the Most High divided the tongues; when the fiery tongues were distributed, all things were called into union; and accordingly we glorify the All-Holy Spirit.
At Your descent (during the Pandemonium of Babylon), You, Lord, confused the languages and divided them (among different nations); When You distributed tongues of fire (to the Apostles), then You called everyone to unite! And therefore we all unanimously glorify the All-Holy Spirit!
Greatness
We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, and honor Your All-Holy Spirit, Who You sent from the Father as Your Divine Disciple!
On the Transfiguration of the Lord
(August 6)
Troparion
Slavic text
Russian translation
Thou art transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, showing Thy disciples Thy glory, as unto a man. May Your ever-present light shine upon us sinners too, through the prayers of the Mother of God, Light-Giver, glory to You.
You were transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, showing Your disciples Your glory as much as they could (perceive it). O Giver of Light! May Your eternal light shine upon us sinners too through the prayers of the Mother of God! Glory to You!
Kontakion
Slavic text
Russian translation
You were transfigured on the mountain, and as the host of Your disciples, Christ God saw Your glory: that when they see You crucified, the sufferers will understand freely, and the world will preach that You are truly the Father’s Radiance.
You were transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, and Your disciples, as much as they could contain, saw Your Glory; so that when they see You crucified, they believe that this suffering is voluntary, and (then) preach to the world that You are truly the Radiance of the Father!
Greatness
We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, and honor Your most pure flesh, the glorious Transfiguration.
On the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(August 15)
Troparion
Slavic text
Russian translation
At Christmas you preserved your virginity, at your Dormition you did not abandon the world, O Theotokos, you reposed in the Life, Mother of the Being of the Life, and through Your prayers delivered our souls from death.
At the birth (of the Lord) - You retained your virginity; at Your Dormition (death) - You did not leave the world, Mother of God! You have passed on to life (eternal), as the Mother of life, and through Your prayers you deliver our souls from death.
Greatness
We magnify You, most immaculate Mother of Christ our God, and glorify Your Dormition all-gloriously.
For the Circumcision of the Lord
(January 1)
Troparion
Slavic text
Russian translation
Seated on a fiery throne in the highest with the Father without beginning and Thy Divine Spirit, Thou didst deign to be born on earth from a maiden, unskilled Thy Mother, Jesus: for this reason Thou wast circumcised, as a man of the day. Glory to Your all-good advice, glory to Your discernment, glory to Your condescension, O One Lover of Mankind!
Sitting with the Beginningless Father and Your Divine Spirit, on the heavenly, fiery throne, You, our Lord, Jesus Christ, deigned to be born on earth, choosing as Your Mother the young Virgin, who was not tempted by marriage; and therefore, as a man was circumcised (according to the law) on the eighth day. Glory to Your all-good (eternal) advice! Glory to Thy providence (about us)! Glory to Your appearance on earth, the only Lover of Mankind!
Kontakion
Slavic text
Russian translation
The Lord endures circumcision of all, and human sins, as good, He circumcises: He gives salvation to the world today: and the Creator Hierarch, and the luminous and Divine secret of Christ Basil, rejoice in the highest.
Now the Lord suffers circumcision of all: forming all human sins, and, as a benefactor, gives salvation to the world! The Creator Hierarch (Basily) - the performer of the Divine Mysteries of Christ - rejoices (together with us) in this, in the heights of heaven and the luminous one.
On the Nativity of John the Baptist
(June 24)
Troparion
Slavic text
Russian translation
Prophet and Forerunner of the coming of Christ, we are perplexed to praise you worthily, honoring you with love; the barrenness of your birth, and the silence of your father, is resolved by your glorious and honest birth, and the incarnation of the Son of God is preached to the world.
Prophet and Forerunner of the coming of Christ! We, who lovingly honor You, are perplexed as to how to praise You worthily? For with your glorious birth, the infertility of the Mother and the dumbness of the father were resolved, and the incarnation of the Son of God was preached to the world!
Kontakion
Slavic text
Russian translation
Before the infertility of today, Christ gives birth to the Forerunner, and that is the fulfillment of every prophecy: for the Prophets preached Him, placing their hand on this in the Jordan, the Prophet, the Preacher, and the Forerunner of God appeared.
The one who was previously barren is now giving birth to the Forerunner of Christ! And in this the fulfillment of all prophecies is accomplished: for the One about whom the prophets predicted, laying his hand on Him in the Jordan (now born), appeared as a prophet and preacher of the Word (Son) of God and at the same time as His Forerunner!
Greatness
We magnify You, the Forerunner of the Savior, John, and honor Your glorious birth from the barren.
On St. Day Apostles Peter and Paul
(June 29)
Troparion
Slavic text
Russian translation
The first apostles and universal teachers, pray to the Lord of all to grant peace to the universe and great mercy to our souls.
The First Altars (of) the Apostles and Teachers of the Universe! Pray, Lord of all, to grant peace to the universe and great mercy to our souls.
Kontakion
Slavic text
Russian translation
Firm and God-proclaimed preachers, the top of Thy Apostles, O Lord, Thou hast received into the enjoyment of Thy good things and peace; You have accepted illness and death more than any fruitfulness, the only one who knows the heart.
The most zealous preachers and filled with the gift of Divine prophecy, Your supreme Apostles, You, Lord, accepted into the heavenly villages of Your bliss, for eternal peace and pleasure. For You imputed all earthly suffering and their death to them above all merit, as the One who leads all the thoughts of the heart.
On the day of the Beheading of the Forerunner
(August 29)
Troparion
Slavic text
Russian translation
The memory of the righteous is with praise, but the testimony of the Lord, the Forerunner, is sufficient for you; For you have truly shown yourself to be a most honest Prophet, as even in the streams of baptism you were worthy of the Preached One. Moreover, having suffered for the truth, rejoicing, you preached the gospel to those in hell of God revealed in the flesh, taking away the sin of the world and giving us great mercy.
The memory of every righteous person is honored with praise; but You, the Forerunner of Christ, have been awarded all praise, witnessed by the Lord Himself; for You have shown yourself to be truly a glorious Prophet and have been deemed worthy to baptize in the streams (of the Jordan) the One who was foretold by the Prophets. In the same way, having joyfully suffered for the truth, You descended to preach to those in hell about God who appeared in the flesh, who took upon himself the sins of the world and gives us great mercies!
Kontakion
Slavic text
Russian translation
The forerunner's glorious beheading, a certain Divine sight; Yes, and to those in hell the coming of the Savior is preached, so that Herodia weeps, having asked for lawless murder: “Thou shalt not love the law of God, nor the living age, but a feigned, temporary one.”
The beheading of the Forerunner took place at some discretion of God: may he preach to those in hell the coming of the Savior to earth, and may Herodia, who asked for lawless murder, weep, for she did not love the law of God, not the true life of the next century, but temporary and fleeting life.
Greatness
We magnify You, John the Baptist of the Savior, and honor all your honorable heads.
Prayer to Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra
Oh, All-Good Father Nicholas, shepherd and teacher of all who flow with faith to your intercession and call upon you with warm prayer. Strive quickly and deliver the flock of Christ from the wolves that are destroying it and every Christian country, protect and preserve with your holy prayers from worldly rebellion, cowardice, invasion of foreigners, and internecine warfare, from famine, flood, fire, sword and from vain death. And just as you had mercy on three men imprisoned, and delivered them from the royal wrath and beatings of the sword, so have mercy on me, in mind, in word, and in deed, in the darkness of sins, and deliver me from the wrath of God and eternal punishment, as through your intercession and help, with your mercy and grace, Christ God, quiet and sinless life will give me to live in this world, and will deliver me from this place, and will make me worthy of the right hand, with all the saints. Amen.
Prayer of St. to the faithful Vel. Book Alexander Nevsky
Oh, Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander! From reverent hearts, this song of praise offered to you, even if it is unworthy, accept from us, as a zealous sacrifice of hearts that love you and bless your holy memory! Protect us all with your prayers: protect with your intercessions our Most Pious Emperor and your city, and all the people of the Russian land, so that having lived a quiet and silent life in the present world, we will inherit eternal bliss, and together with you and all the saints we will be worthy to sing to God: Alleluia!
Prayer to Saint and Wonderworker Mitrofan
To the Holy Hierarch Father Mitrofan, by the incorruption of your honorable relics, and by the many good deeds miraculously done and performed by you, flowing to you with faith, convinced that you have received great grace from the Lord our God, we all humbly fall down and pray to you: pray for us, Christ our God, may he send down to all who revere your holy memory, and earnestly to you to those who come running, His rich mercies. May He establish in His Holy Orthodox Church the living spirit of faith and piety, the spirit of knowledge and love, the spirit of peace and joy - about the Holy Spirit! Yes, all its members, pure from worldly temptations and carnal lusts, and the evil actions of evil spirits, worship Him in spirit and in truth and are diligently concerned about keeping His commandments, for the salvation of their souls.
Let her shepherd, - may holy zeal give care for the salvation of the people entrusted to them: may the unbelievers be enlightened; those who are ignorant will be instructed; those who doubt will be enlightened and convinced; those who have fallen away from the Orthodox Church will be converted into its holy bowels; believers will be kept in faith; sinners are moved to repentance; those who repent will be consoled and strengthened in correcting their lives; those who have repented and corrected themselves will be confirmed in the holiness of life; - and so, everyone will be led, along the path indicated by Him, into the prepared eternal kingdom of His saints! May our Most Pious, Most Autocratic, Great Sovereign, Emperor Alexander Nikolaevich, grant: courage, wisdom, victory over all enemies; success in establishing the prosperity of His kingdom, and to all of His most august house—joy and longevity! To those chosen by Him to rule and judge His kingdom, may He bestow zeal, insight, wisdom and fidelity! May they govern and judge for the peace and joy of all!
May He grant all His people in the State: peace, silence, serenity; zeal in fulfilling His commandments, the institutions of the holy Church and the civil law, and abundance, in what is necessary for this life, and may He deliver the reigning cities, this city and all other cities of His kingdom, and all: from famine, cowardice, flood, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners, civil wars, deadly plagues and from all evil! Hey, Holy Hierarch of God! May your prayers bring all that is good to our souls and bodies: may we glorify in our souls and bodies our Lord and God, Jesus Christ - to Him, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer to St. Sergius, the Wonderworker of Radonezh
Oh, Heavenly citizen of Jerusalem, Reverend Father Sergius! Look upon us graciously, and, those who are devoted to the earth, lead us to the heights of heaven. You are a mountain in heaven: we, on earth below, are removed from you, not only by place, but by our sins and iniquities; but to you, as one who is related to us, we run and cry; teach us to walk in your way; enlighten and guide! It is characteristic of you to have Our Father - compassion and love for mankind; Living on earth, I care not only about my own salvation, but also about everyone who flows to you. Your instruction was with the reed of a scribe, a cursive writer, on everyone’s heart, inscribing the verbs of life. It was not just physical illnesses that you healed, but even more so, an elegant physician appeared to you; and your whole holy life was a mirror of all virtues. Even though you were so much Holy of God on earth, how much are you now in heaven? Today you stand before the throne of unapproachable light, and in it, like in a mirror, see all our needs and petitions! You are together with the Angels, who repent of one sinner and rejoice!
And God’s love for mankind is inexhaustible, and your boldness towards Him is great: do not stop crying to the Lord for us! Ask for your intercession from our All-Merciful God: peace of His Church, under the sign of the militant cross; agreement in faith and unanimity; superstition and schism - destruction; affirmation in good deeds; healing for the sick; consolation for the sad; intercession for the offended; help for the needy! Do not disgrace us, who come to you with faith. Even more, we are unworthy of such a great Father and intercessor; but you, being an imitator of God’s love for mankind, make us worthy by turning from evil deeds to good living! All God-enlightened Russia, filled with your miracles and blessed with graces, confesses that you are their patron and intercessor! Reveal your ancient mercies, and you helped them as their father, do not reject us, their children, who are marching towards you in their footsteps! We believe that you are present with us in spirit! Where the Lord is, as His word teaches us, there His servant will be!
You are a faithful servant of the Lord, and to God, who exists everywhere, you are in Him, and He is in you; Moreover, you are with us in body! Behold your incorruptible and life-giving relics, like a priceless treasure, grant us the God of miracles. Standing before them, as I live for you, we fall down and pray: accept our prayer and offer them up on the altar of God’s mercy! May we receive grace from you and help in our time of need! Strengthen our cowardice and confirm us in faith: let us undoubtedly hope to receive all the good things from the mercy of the Master through your prayers. But your spiritual flock, gathered by you, do not cease to rule with the rod of spiritual wisdom: help those who strive; Rise up the paralytic, hasten to bear the yoke of Christ in complacency and patience, and guide us all, in peace and repentance, end our life and move with hope into the blessed bosom of Abraham, but you joyfully, after your labors and struggles, now rest, glorifying with all the saints God, glorified in the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer to the holy great martyr and healer Panteleimon
Oh, Great Pleasant of Christ and glorious Healing Great Martyr Panteleimon! With your soul in heaven stand before the throne of God and enjoy His Trinitarian glory, rest in your holy body and face on earth in Divine churches, and with the grace given by You from above, exuding various miracles, look with Your merciful eye on the people who are coming and more honorably than Your icon, tenderly praying and asking You for healing help and intercession; extend your warm prayers to the Lord our God, ask for forgiveness of sins for our souls. Because of our iniquity, we do not dare to lift our hair to the heights of heaven, nor to raise our prayerful voice lower to His unapproachable glory in the Divine; but with a contrite heart and a humble spirit, You are a merciful intercessor to the Lady, and we call for a prayer book for us sinners, for You have received grace from Him to drive away illnesses and heal passions! We therefore ask you: do not despise us, unworthy, who pray to You and demand Your help!
Be a comforter to us in sorrows, a physician to the suffering in times of severe ills; to those attacked - a quick patron; for those who are ill, the giver of insight; we are the most ready intercessor and healer for those who are living and a baby in sorrow: intercede for everyone - everything useful for salvation, for through your prayers to the Lord God we have received grace and mercy - let us glorify all the good Source and Gift-Giver, the One God, in the Holy Trinity Slavimago: Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Prayer to the Holy Great Martyr George
Oh, All-Praised, Holy Great Martyr and Wonderworker George! look upon us with Thy quick help, and beg God, the Lover of mankind: may He not judge us sinners according to our iniquities; but may He deal with us according to His great mercy! Do not despise our prayer, but ask us from Christ and our God; a quiet and God-pleasing life; mental and physical health; the earth is fertile and abundant in everything; and let us not turn into evil the good things that You have given us from the All-Bountiful God, but for the glory of His Holy Name and for the glorification of Your strong intercession! May He grant our Orthodox Emperor and the entire God-loving army, who are their companions, victory, and may He strengthen His Kingdom with unchangeable peace and blessing; rather, may His Angel protect us with a militia of Saints, so that we, upon our departure from this life, may be delivered from the wiles of the evil one and his difficult airy ordeals, and may present ourselves uncondemned to the throne of the Lord of Glory!
Hear us, Passion-Bearer of Christ George, and pray for us unceasingly to the Trinitarian Lord of all and God: that through His grace and love for mankind, through Your help and intercession, we may find mercy, with the Angels and Archangels and all the Saints, at the right hand of the Just Judge of the world, and I may glorify him, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer to Saint Archangel Michael
Holy and great Archangel of God Michael! The Mysterious and Essential Trinity is the first in the Angels Primate; the guardian and guardian of the human race, crushing with your army the head of the proud star (Satan) in heaven and putting to shame the malice and deceit of him on earth! We resort to you with faith, and we pray to you with love: be an indestructible shield and visor (helmet) firmly to the Holy Church and our Orthodox Fatherland, protecting them with your lightning sword from all enemies, visible and invisible! Be a Guardian Angel; wise is the giver of advice and helper to our Most Pious Emperor, bringing to Him from the Throne of the King of Kings, enlightenment and strength; joy, peace and consolation! Be the Leader and invincible companion - to our Christ-loving army, crowning it with glory and victory over the adversaries; May all who oppose us know that God and His Holy Angels are with us! Do not forsake us, O Archangel of God, with your help and intercession, who today glorify Your Holy Name!
Behold, even though we are many sinners; Otherwise, we do not want to perish in our iniquities, but to turn to the Lord and be quickened by Him to do good deeds. Illuminate our minds with the light of God’s face, which shines on Your lightning-fast brow: that we may understand that God’s will is good and perfect for us, and see all that it is fitting for us to do and that which we should despise and abandon. Strengthen with the grace of the Lord our weak will and weak will: so that, having established ourselves in the law of the Lord, let us cease to be dominated (submit) by earthly thoughts and lusts of the flesh, be carried away in the likeness of thoughtless children, - the soon perishing beauties (charms, seductions) of this world, as if for the sake of what is corruptible and earthly, - insanely forget - eternal heavenly!
Above all of these, ask us from above for the spirit of true repentance; unfeigned sadness and God and contrition for our sins: let us spend the remaining number of days of our temporary life (use) not in pleasing our feelings and working with our passions; but to blot out the evil we have done, with tears of faith and contrition of heart; feats of purity and holy deeds of mercy! When the hour of our death and liberation from the bonds of this mortal body approaches, do not leave us. Archangel of God, defenseless against the spirits of wickedness in heaven, accustomed to block the human soul from rising to heaven: may we, protected by you, unquestioningly reach those glorious villages of paradise, - where there is no sorrow, no sighing, - but endless life, - and being honored to see the Most Blessed Face of our All-Good Lord and Master, - fallen, with tears at His foot, - in joy and tenderness we exclaim: Glory to Thee, our dearest Redeemer, who, for Thy great love for us unworthy, Thou hast deigned to send Thy Angels to serve our salvation. Amen.
Prayer for the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Oh, Most Holy Theotokos, Virgin, Lady, Highest Angel and Archangel, and Most Honest of all creatures! Angelic great surprise; Prophetic high sermons; Apostolic most glorious praise; Saints - a fair decoration; martyrs - a strong statement; monks - saving instruction; fasters - inexhaustible abstinence; virgins - purity and glory, Mothers - quiet joy; babies - wisdom and punishment; widows and orphans - breadwinner; naked—garment; for those who are sick - health; captives - deliverance; those floating on the sea - silence; for those overwhelmed - a calm haven; wandering - an easy mentor; traveling - easy passage; for workers - a good rest; in real troubles - an ambulance to the intercessor; for the offended - protection and refuge; those who do not hope - hope; those who require - to the assistant; for the poor - inexhaustible wealth; for the sad - everlasting consolation; hated - loving humility; sinners - salvation and appropriation to God; true believers of all - firm protection, invincible help and intercession!
We see You, the Lady, the Invisible One, and we offer our prayers to You, O Lady, the sins of Your servants! Oh, Most Merciful and Most Wonderful Queen of Light, Who gave birth to the King Christ our God, the Life-Giver of all! Glorified from the heavenly (forces) and praised from the earthly!
Angelic mind, Radiant star; Most Holy Saints; Queen of Queens; Mistress of all creatures; Graceful Maiden; Undefiled Bride; Chamber of the Holy Spirit; the fiery throne of the Invisible King; Heavenly ark; Carried the Words of God; fire-shaped chariot; The chamber of the living God; the ineffable composition of the flesh of Christ; Nest of the Heavenly Eagle; The Bogoglasnaya Turtledove; The dove is meek, quiet and gentle; Mother is child-loving; the abyss of mercy, dispelling the cloud of God’s wrath; immeasurable depth; unspeakable mystery; unknown miracle; The Church not made by hands of the One King of all ages; fragrant censer; honest scarlet; Richly woven porphyry; spiritual paradise; life-giving garden industry; beautiful color; the grape of our salvation; cup of the Heavenly King, in which the wine of inexhaustible goodness dissolved from the Holy Spirit; intercessor of the law; the true faith of Christ was conceived; unshakable pillar; destruction of heretics; the sword of God's wrath against the ungodly; intimidation of demons; victory in battle; True guardian of all Christians - and the world of all, known salvation!
Oh, All-Merciful Lady, Virgin, Mother of God, hear us praying to You, and show Your mercy to Your people! Pray to Your Son: deliver us from all evil, and save our monastery and every monastery, and the city, and the country of the faithful, and people who piously resort and call on Your Holy Name, from all misfortunes, destruction, famine, cowardice, flood, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare; from every illness and every situation: neither by wounds, nor by rebuke, nor by pestilence, nor by any righteous wrath of God, may Thy servants diminish, but protect and save with Thy mercy, O Lady, praying for us, and grant us the beneficial goodness of the air, at the time of the fruitful offering. Ease, rise up and have mercy, O Merciful Lady, the Mother of God, in every misfortune and need that exists! Remember Thy servants, and do not despise our tears and sighs; and renew us with the grace of Your mercy: may we be comforted with thanksgiving, having found You as a helper! Have mercy, O Most Pure Lady, on Your weak people, our Hope!
Gather the scattered, the lost, guide them on the right path; those who have fallen away from the pious faith of their fathers, return them again; support old age; punish the young ones; raise babies; and glorify, glorifying Thee, - more significantly - the Church of Thy Son - observe and preserve for the length of days! Oh, merciful and most merciful Queen of heaven and earth, Ever-Virgin Mother of God! By Your intercession, have mercy on Our Most Pious, Most Autocratic, Great Sovereign, Emperor Alexander Nikolaevich and the entire Reigning House, the chamber and all their army, and all Orthodox Christians, preserving them under the roof of Your mercy, with the robe of Your honest protection; and pray from You, Who has become incarnate without the seed of Christ our God: may He gird us with strength from above against all our visible and invisible enemies; against foreigners fighting against us and against our Orthodox faith! Save and have mercy, O Lady, - the Most Holy, Governing Synod and the Most Reverend Metropolitans, Archbishops and Orthodox Bishops; priests and deacons, and the entire church congregation, and all the faithful people worshiping and praying before Your honorable Icon!
Look upon us all with the mercy of Your merciful intercession! Raise us from the depths of sin and enlighten the eyes of our hearts to the vision of salvation! Be merciful to us here, and at the terrible Judgment of Your Son, pray for us; Thy servants who have ceased in piety from this life - in eternal life with the Angels and Archangels and with all the saints - parables: that they may appear at the right hand of Thy Son and God! And through Your prayer grant all Orthodox Christians to live with Christ and enjoy the joys of Angels in heavenly villages! For you are, Lady, the glory of the heavenly and the hope of the earthly; You are our hope and intercessor of all who flow to you and ask for your help! You are our warm prayer service to Your Son and our God! Your Motherly prayer can do a lot to implore the Lord, and through Your intercession to the throne of grace, His Most Holy and Life-giving Mysteries, we dare to approach, even if we are unworthy!
By the same Thy All-Honorable Image, and by Thy hand, holding the Almighty, - seeing on the icon - we rejoice in sins; with tenderness and love we kiss this (image), longingly, Lady, with Your holy, auspicious prayers, to reach the heavenly, endless lives and shamelessly, on the day of judgment, at the right hand of Your Son and our God, glorifying Him, together with the Beginning Father, and the Most Holy, Good, Life-Giving and Consubstantial Son, in forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer for the Day of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Oh, Most Holy Virgin, Mother of the Lord of the highest powers; heaven and earth to the Queen; our city and land - Omnipotent intercessor! Accept this singing of praise and gratitude from us, Thy unworthy servants, and lift up our prayers to the throne of God, Thy Son! May He be merciful to our untruths and add (continue) His grace to those who honor Your All-Honorable Name, and with faith and love who worship Your Miraculous Image! We are not worthy to be pardoned by Him, unless You propitiate Him for us, the Lady, for all things are possible for You from Him. For this reason, we resort to You, as to our undoubted and immediate intercessor!
Hear us praying to You: cover us with Your Almighty protection and ask God, Your Son: zeal and vigil for our souls as our shepherds; to city rulers wisdom and strength; to judges - truth and impartiality; mentor - reason and humility; to spouses - love and harmony; chadam—obedience; to the offended - patience; to those who offend - the fear of God; to those who mourn - complacency; those who rejoice - abstinence; to all of us: the spirit of reason and piety, the spirit of mercy and meekness, the spirit of purity and truth! Hey, Most Holy Lady! Have mercy on Your weak people: gather those who are scattered; guide those who are lost on the right path; old age - support, young - chastity; bring up babies, and look upon us all with the care of Your merciful intercession! Raise us from the depths of sin and enlighten the eyes of our hearts to the vision of salvation; You will be merciful to us here, and there: - in the land of earthly coming and at the terrible judgment of Your Son! Our fathers and brethren, who have presented themselves in faith and repentance from this life, to eternal life, with the Angels and with all the Saints, create!
For you are, O Lady, the glory of heaven and the hope of earth! You, according to Bose, are our hope and intercessor of all who flow to You with faith! We therefore pray to You, and to You, as the Almighty Helper, we commit ourselves and each other, and our whole life, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer to the Holy Guardian Angel
Oh, Holy Angel, my good Guardian and Patron! With a contrite heart and a sick soul, I stand before you, praying: hear me, your sinful servant (your name), with a strong cry and a bitter cry: do not remember my iniquities and untruths, with which I, the accursed one, anger you all day and hour, and I create an abomination before our Creator, the Lord! Show yourself merciful to me and do not leave me unfavorably even until my death. Arouse me from the sleep of sin and with Your prayers help me to pass the rest of my life without blemish and create fruits worthy of repentance; Above all, protect me from mortal falls: may I not perish in despair, and may the enemy not rejoice over my death! I truly confess with my lips that no one is such a friend and intercessor, protector and champion, as you are the Holy Angel! Standing before the throne of the Lord, pray for me, indecent and more sinful than all others; May the Most Good One not take away my soul on the day of my hopelessness and on the day of the creation of evil.
Do not cease to propitiate the Most Merciful Lord and my God, may He forgive me the sins that I have committed throughout my life, in deed, in word, and with all my feelings, and in the image of fate, may He save me, may He punish me here according to His ineffable mercy, but may He not convict and punish me with impartial justice. To yours; may he vouchsafe me to bring repentance, and with repentance may I be worthy of receiving Divine Communion, for this I pray even more, and I earnestly desire such a gift.
In the terrible hour of death, be persistent with me, my good guardian, driving away the dark demons that have the power to frighten my trembling soul; protect me from those traps, when the Imam passes through airy ordeals, yes, we protect you, I will safely reach the paradise I desire, where the faces of the saints and heavenly Powers constantly praise the all-honorable and magnificent name in the Trinity of the glorified God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and to Him is due honor and worship in forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer to Jesus the Sweetest of the Akathists of Jesus
To you, Lord, the only good and unforgettable evil one, I confess my sins, to you I fall, crying out, unworthy: I have sinned, Lord, I have sinned, and I am not worthy to look up to the heights of heaven, because of the multitude of my iniquities. But, my Lord, Lord, grant me tears of compunction, O One who is Blessed and Merciful, for with them I beg You to be cleansed before the end from all sin; It’s a scary and menacing place for the imam to pass through, their bodies being separated, and a multitude of dark and inhuman demons will be buried in me, and no one will help or deliver me. Thus I bow down to Your goodness, do not betray me to those who offend me, below let my enemies boast about me, Good Lord, below let them say: you came into our hands and you were betrayed to us. Neither, Lord, do not forget Your compassions, and do not reward me for my iniquities and do not turn Your face away from me; but punish me Yourself, with Your usual mercy and bounties: but my enemy will not rejoice! Stop the threats and destroy his actions against me! Oh, Good Lord! Give me a blameless path to You; for even though I had sinned, I did not resort to any other doctor besides You, and I did not stretch out my hands to a strange God!
Do not reject my prayer; but hear me, according to Thy goodness: and establish Thy fear in my heart! May Thy grace be upon me, O Lord, like fire, consuming all unclean thoughts within me; for You, Lord, are light, greater than all light! Joy, greater than any joy! Calm - greater than any calm! True life and salvation that endures forever and ever. Amen.
That is why, when performing Chrismation on people of other faiths of other Christian confessions (Lutherans, Catholics, etc.), converting to Orthodoxy, or during the Baptism of non-Christians, they are required to solemnly, three times and publicly pronounce the Orthodox Creed; just as during the sacrament of baptism of an Orthodox baby, his recipients, as if vouching for the faithful fulfillment of the Creed by those being baptized, throughout his life, on his behalf loudly pronounce the entire Creed.
On the Mount of Olives, not far from the peaks of the Ascension and below those places where Christ, sitting with his disciples, predicted for them the end of the world; where He mourned Jerusalem (these places are indicated by the ruins of the churches of St. Helena); where the Lord’s Prayer was taught to the Apostles by Our Father (a fragment of a column can be seen here) - on the ledges of rocks facing Vivania, there are still the ruins of an extraordinary building, divided as if by lodges (of which, as they say, there were 12): this, according to stories, was the house where the Apostles gathered to compose the Creed. (See Guide to the Holy Place. A.S. Norov. T. 3, part 1, p. 115).
The 1st Ecumenical Council (First Nicaea) took place in 325 AD, in the city of Nicaea (in Bithynia). He consisted, at the invitation of the Emperor. Constantine the Great, from 318 Holy Fathers, and the main subject of his studies was the establishment of the true teaching about the Son of God, against the false teaching of Arius, who rejected in Jesus Christ the consubstantiality with God the Father and called Him an ordinary man (a being created in time). This council refuted the teachings of Arius, and, in accordance with the words of the Apostles, set forth the Creed in all its completeness and certainty. (Téodoret. de p. Nicaen et alii plurimi). At this Council, Saint Nicholas of Lycia, in a fit of indignation for insulting the holy faith, hit Arius on the cheek, and condemned by the Fathers of the Council for this act, incompatible with the dignity of the Saint and the solemn significance of the Council, was at the same time justified by God Himself: many of those present, by the revelation of God, saw here how the Lord Jesus Christ himself handed him the Gospel, and the Mother of God placed on him the omophorion, which the Saint was deprived of by the verdict of the Council. From this revelation the Holy Fathers understood that the act of St.
Nicholas was pleasing to God, and therefore they left him outside of any punishment. (Herman. Gigas, in fascic. temper.). At the same time, St. Spyridon and St. Alexander, in addition to words of conviction against the like-minded people of Arius, showed amazing miracles over them; the first one extracted from brick, in confirmation of the unity of the Holy Trinity, fire, water and plinth; and the other miraculously shamed the pagan philosopher, who asked the Emperor for permission to compete with him about faith, making him speechless in the name of Jesus Christ. - (Epiph., Haer. LXIX. lib. I. p. III, Athanes. orar. I. contr. Ar.).
The 2nd Ecumenical Council (1st Constantinople) took place in 381 AD in Constantinople. He consisted, at the invitation of the Emperor. Theodosius the Great, from 150 Holy Fathers and the subject of his studies (for 3 years) was the refutation of the false teaching of the Doukhobor sect, who, under the leadership of the false teacher Macedonius, rejected the Divinity of the Holy Spirit, calling it a created force serving the Son of God as Angels. By the resolution of this Council, Macedonius and his followers were excommunicated from the church, and at the same time, by the general consent of the Holy Fathers, the 8th article of the Nicene Creed, regarding the veneration of the Divinity of the Holy Spirit, was added. (T. II. homil. et Maimburg. Hist. Arianismi. lib. VI. Teodoret. lib. V. c. IX). The exposition of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit contained here is attributed to St. Gregory the Theologian.
Near the steep cliffs of the mountain side of Jerusalem lies a deep ravine dotted with graves: this is the Valley of Jehoshaphat, or the Valley of Cedars. The word Jehoshaphat in Hebrew means: Jehovah judges, and therefore the name of this valley expresses the terrible judgment and I will gather all the tongues, and I will bring them to the valley of Jehoshaphat and will reason with them, said the Lord through the mouth of the Prophet Joel (Joel 3:2). Christians, Jews and even Mohammedans look at this valley as a solemn place for a future great event. This valley has been from the most distant times the site of a people's cemetery, or human grave (2 Kings 22:20). The ashes of countless generations and the ashes of the many times destroyed Jerusalem, falling asleep from the steep slopes, were finally dried up by the Cedar stream, which rushed along it, which received its name from the Hebrew word blackness, because its water always seemed black, both from the depth of the channel and the steepness of the banks, and from the shadow of the thick olive trees hanging over it along its entire length. (See the guide to the Holy Place. A.S. Norov, vol. 3. part 1. p. 120).
The Baptism of John was the introduction and preparation for the Baptism of Christ, as the Church Fathers, St. Basil the Great (in conversation 13) and Chrysostom (in the interpretation of Chapter 1 of John) call it. The Baptism of John, says the last of these fathers, although it was much higher than the Jewish ablutions, however, lower than ours: it served as a bridge between them and transferred from one to another. (Demon 74). In this regard, it expressed the general character of the entire ministry of the Holy Forerunner; because, just as he himself, coming before the Lord, had to point to the Lamb of God coming after him, taking away the sins of the world, so his baptism had, according to Chrysostom, the purpose so that the crowds flocking to John would be led to Christ. From which it follows that this Baptism, as a preparatory one, was only temporary and transitory, and not eternal and immutable, i.e.
that from the time the Savior was solemnly revealed and indicated to the world by John, then the Baptism of this latter should have gradually ceased and given way to another, higher, grace-filled and immutable Baptism, which alone remains and will remain in the Church of Christ until the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20). This is how the Holy Forerunner himself looked at him, saying to his disciples, who pointed out to him the increasing Baptism of Jesus: It is fitting for him to grow, but for me to grow small. (John 3:30). With the Baptism of John, says St. Theophylact, the remission of sins was not connected, because John preached only repentance, and only led to the remission of sins, that is, to Baptism in the name of Christ, on Whom alone the remission of all sins depends. (Interpretation on chapter 3 of Matthew)
See 8th term.
The word: Amen means: so, truly, justly, and so be it!
Proof of this are the relics of the Holy Saints and Wonderworkers, resting in the caves of the Mother See of Kyiv, the peaks of which, like the mothers of all Russian cities, were consecrated by the presence and gracious prophecy of the Holy Apostle Andrew. There, among other shrines, are the relics of St. Spyridon the Wonderworker, who reposed in the 12th century, and who to this day has the fingers of his right hand folded in the manner mentioned. These holy fingers, which preserve a real and not an imaginary structure, have been kept in this form, according to the testimony of the church, for more than 600 years, and have already become stronger to such an extent that there is no way to give them a different direction without damaging them.
Translation means: similar.
All these sacred songs differ from each other not so much in content, but in the difference in the time when they are used in Church services. So, for example: The troparion at Matins is sung after the verse God, the Lord, and appeared to us; and Kontakion - after the 6th song of the canon, etc.
Troparion, Kontakion and Magnification for major and especially celebrated holidays, see at the end of the book.
Of these latter, the so-called “Dogmatika” are especially remarkable, which are sung during vespers and matins on Sundays and holidays, and contain the doctrine of the two natures of the Savior. They were composed by John of Damascus.
Svetilen is also sung after the 9th song of the Canon.
These songs are separated from one another by various refrains, for example: Glory to Thee, our God, Glory to Thee, or the Most Holy Theotokos, save us, or the Holy One (name of the Saint), pray to God for us, and so on. According to the translation, the word “Irmos” means: Communication).
The Savior, having seen that Lazarus, his friend, had died, said to His disciples: Lazarus, our friend, fell asleep: but I am going to wake him up (John 11:11).
Mark 10:46–52.
John 9:38.
Mark 7:32–35.
Luke 18:13.
Chetya Menaion August 15th.
Treasury - Keeper of treasures; a place where treasures accumulate.
2 Corinthians 6:16.
Hebrews 12:29.
Matthew 8:14–16; Mark 5:33–35; John 4:49–54.
Matthew 5:23–24.
See the rite of the Liturgy of St. James, in the book. ? τ. α. Parigiis, 1560.
Tertullianus de Oratione.
Cyprianus de Orationo Domini.
St. Cyrus Jerus. Pouch. Secret guide. 5 cm in Russian translation ed. Holy Synod.
Words by Bl. Augustine, in his speech will announce.
The God-chosen Youth is the only one of all people who is called in the word of God the Graceful One, as one of the human race, over whom the Spirit of grace rested, bringing from her into the world the Gracious Sun of Truth; and the stream alone, superior to all those who please God, can pour out on us all the gifts of the Lord’s grace! That is why the Holy Church, teaching believers to turn to the Mother of God in prayer, magnifies Her in her hymns as an inexhaustible source of all gifts of grace and generosity.
Luke 1:28, 42.
In general, the word Angel means messenger. In St. books mention different classes of Angels, called the Hierarchy (Thurs. Min. 8 November). This division of the heavenly powers into orders is depicted in a book called The Heavenly Hierarchy, which is attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite, a first-century father and first bishop of Athens, ordained by Ap. Paul in 55 AD. According to this book, the place in the highest Hierarchy, closest to the Most Holy Trinity, is occupied by the Seraphim (Is. 6: 2), whose name means fiery or flaming, for they, flaming with love for God, also ignite other spirits and earthly beings; then the Cherubim, whose name means those who have understanding, or who shed wisdom, which is why they are also called many-readers, shining with the light of the mind of God and who shed wisdom on all other creations. They are followed by Thrones, on which God rests intelligently (Ch. Min.
November 8), why they are called God-bearing, but this is not meant in a literal sense, but in a moral sense, in the manner of their service: for God, through them, establishes His righteous judgments (Ps. 9:5), and they, Shining with His justice, pour out His power on earthly judges.
In the middle Hierarchy, the first are placed the Dominions, whose merits exceed the lower Angels; they endow the chosen ones of the vale of the world with the power of prudent self-control and help to subdue rebellious lusts and passions, enslave the flesh to the spirit and generally dominate their own will and temptations. Next come the Powers - the executors of God's will and the givers of the ability to perform miracles to strengthen faith and to help the needy and burdened. And finally, the Powers that strengthen a person in deeds of piety and protect him from the temptations of the devil.
In the lower Hierarchy, the first place is occupied by the Principles, to whom the administration of the universe and the custody of kingdoms are entrusted: they contribute to the election of good authorities, and spread the glory of God among people; then the Archangels are the evangelists and forerunners of the great mysteries of God, to increase faith among people, and lastly, the Guardian Angels, as the closest beings to people, and as messengers of the lesser mysteries of God.
The number of Angels, according to scripture, is innumerable; but we know only 7 of them (Rev. 5:4. Thursday Min. 8 November): four biblical and three revealed by the God-thought Fathers of the Church. They are:
Mikhail, by his service, is a winner. (Dan.10:13; Jude.1:1; Rev.12:7).
Gabriel is the messenger of the Mysteries of God (Dan.8:16; Luke 1:26).
Raphael is the healer of human ailments (Tov.12:15).
Uriel is the enlightener, a reflection of the Divine fire (3 Esdras 4:1).
Selaphiel is a man of prayer, representing God about people and stirring them up to prayer. (Gen.21:17).
Jehudiel is the glorifier of God, strengthening the working people for the glory of God and interceding with God for their glorification (Ex. 23:20).
Barachiel is a blessing, distributing God's blessings to people, and asking God for benefits to them (Gen. 18).
The veneration of Angels, both in the Old and in the New Testament, was constant, and in the first centuries of the Christian era even reached idolatry among some (2 Kings 23:5; Col. 2:18), as a result of which the Fathers of the 4th century, by the rules of the Laodicean Ecumenical Council (35th rule), decided to honor them only as servants of God. This is why the Orthodox Church has designated special days for the glorification of ethereal forces. (Cheti Menaion November 8).
This prayer is called the Troparion of invoking the Holy Spirit for every good deed.
This prayer is called “Kondak”, invoking the Holy Spirit for every good deed.
This prayer is called the Troparion of Thanksgiving for every good deed of God.
Tune - translated means: for free, not paid. Eat tuna, give tuna (Matt. 10:8).
This prayer is called Kontakion in a series of prayers of thanksgiving for every good deed of God.
St. Herman, Patr. Const., T. XII. Vivliof.
See Teachings of St. John. Chrysostom (about St. Proclus) p. 227.
That is why, for the Holy Church, the dignity of the Ever-Virgin Mary, expressed by the word Mother of God, is such a high dignity, higher and more sacred than which, after God, there is nothing in the universe; which is why she instructs us to call Her Most Holy, that is, to give Her a name that primarily befits Her before all created things.
See St. Gregory of Nyssus. teaching about the Nativity of Chr.
See Margaret of St. Ephr. Sire. (De Marg. pretiosa ad a Voss), p. 668.
See Bl. Augustina, T. 10 (Serm. 14 de Temp.) p. 218.
See St. Ambrose, T. 5, ch. 186. (Epist. Sept. ad Sirie pag).
Book I, Pis. 226.
See Patavia, book. 17, ch. 6. (De Incornat).
See Act. Sob. Ephes. act I.
Here is the story in brief: Not far from the Pantocrator monastery, near Kareya, in a group of monastic shelters, there was a cell (which exists to this day), where one elderly monk and his novice took refuge. One day this elder, wanting to listen to the Sunday all-night vigil at the Kareya Cathedral, went there in the evening, leaving the novice to guard his cell and pray at home. At night, the young ascetic was awakened by a knock on the door and, opening it, saw an unfamiliar monk, whom, having received with respect and hermit hospitality, he calmed him down from the labors of the journey. When the time for prayer came, the young man invited the stranger to pray together. Going through all the prayers and hymns established by the Church, they finally reached the praise of the Mother of God, but when the novice began to chant this song in ordinary words; The most honorable Cherub and so on, which had previously existed according to church regulations, then the stranger stopped the young man and, before these words, sang new ones: It is worthy to eat, as truly, and so on. and then connected them with the previous ones.
This struck the novice so much that he, touched by the warmth of the new words and touched to the depths of his soul by them, asked the guest to write them for him to study as a keepsake. He agreed and demanded paper and ink, but since they were not in the cell, he ordered to bring some kind of stone to inscribe them on it. The novice brought a stone slab and oh, miracle! the stranger, taking it, began to write on it, not with any instrument, but with his finger, and the words cut into the stone, as if it were melting like wax under the finger of the writer. Having written the entire prayer, the unknown person gave the slab to the astonished young man and, saying: “From now on, sing like this forever, you and all Orthodox Christians,” he became invisible! Then the young novice realized that he was honored to receive in his cell, under the guise of a monk, none other than Archangel Gabriel the Evangelist and the chosen servant of the Mother of God. The returning elder, having learned about what had happened, immediately reported everything in detail to Protat, who, for his part, immediately reported to the Patriarch and the Tsar with a presentation of the miraculously written slab itself.
From that time on, the narrator concludes, the angelic song “It is worthy to eat as in truth to bless Thee Theotokos and beyond” began to sound in the mouths of the Orthodox, in the fullness in which it is sung to this day. This event is remembered and celebrated on Mount Athos on June 11. (See “Vyshny. Pokrov over Athos.” ed. 1867, St. Petersburg, pp. 3–9).
When the Cross of the Lord was found by Queen Helena (March 6, 326), when, after demolishing the mountain and the pagan temple with which the Jews deliberately wanted to hide the instrument of their redemption, precious to Christians, three crosses were found, it remained unknown on which of them Christ was crucified? in appearance all three crosses were identical; The tablet that was nailed to His Cross during the crucifixion of the Lord, with the inscription: INCI, was found not on the cross, but lying separately near the crosses, as well as the nails. Everyone fell into sad bewilderment at the sight of these three identical crosses, when their holy works, thoughts and desires strived for the one and only thing! “If God’s Providence,” said the Patriarch (St. Macarius), “did not allow the Cross of the Lord to remain in the earth forever, then will it now allow it to remain in obscurity? will he allow us, instead of the Cross of the Lord, to give honor to the cross of the thief? God Himself will show us the Cross of our Savior. Carry the crosses you find after me!
And having come to the house of one pious wife, who was lying on her deathbed due to a long-term and incurable illness, the patriarch, after fervent prayer, laid crosses on the dying woman, one after the other. The first two did not produce any change in the patient; but the touch of the third not only restored her from her sickbed, but also completely healed her, giving her even greater strength than what she had in a healthy state. Delighted by this miracle and giving praise to the Lord, everyone unanimously recognized the miraculous Cross as the Cross of the Savior. But this was not enough for the glory of the Holy Tree. Providence wanted His glory and power to be visible and convincing to those who denied them, and so that the unbelief of His enemies would be crushed by the power of the Cross of the Lord. - Upon leaving the patriarch with the queen and the people carrying crosses from the house of the healed woman, they encountered a crowded funeral of one Jew.
Filled with faith, the patriarch stopped the funeral procession and, approaching the coffin, placed all three crosses on the dead man again, one after the other; but two of them, which did not help the sick woman, helped the deceased even less; only the Cross of the Conqueror of Death and the Source of Life broke the mortal bonds - and the deceased came to life! One can imagine with what joy the Christians were filled with this secondary miracle of confirmation of the power of the Cross of the Lord, and with what horror the unbelievers were struck. Everyone was in a hurry to turn down, kiss him, touch him, or at least look at him; but since the crowded conditions, with the constantly arriving crowd of people, did not allow everyone to satisfy the desire, the patriarch, standing on an elevated place, erected, that is, raised the Honest Tree and, showing It in this way to those standing in the distance, blessed everyone with it; The people, overshadowing themselves with the sign of the cross, reverently exclaimed: “Lord have mercy!” This solemn action gave the name to the holiday, known in the Orthodox Church under the name of the “Worldwide Exaltation of the Honest Life-Giving Cross of the Lord.”
At this majestic sight and glorious miracles of the Cross of the Lord, the enemies of the Crucified One themselves fell before His Divine Name and teaching and hastened to accept Holy Baptism. Among many of them was that Judas, through whose forced recognition the crosses were acquired. After Holy Baptism, he took the name Cyriacus and subsequently became the Patriarch of Jerusalem; under the Emperor Julian the Apostate, he was tortured for Christ and, having accepted the crown of martyrdom, was canonized (Cheti Menaion, September 14).
The Life-Giving Cross thus acquired was placed in a silver ark and handed over to St. Patriarch Macarius for safekeeping; part of St. St. Helena brought the wood, along with the nails, with her to Constantinople to her son, the Emperor, who accepted this shrine as a guarantee of the prosperity of his new capital and state.
In 1799, during the reign of Emperor Pavel Petrovich, upon his acceptance of the title of Grand Master of the Order of Malta, part of the Life-Giving Cross was transferred from the island of Malta to Russia and placed in the city of Gatchina, and then in the Church of the Image of the Lord Not Made by Hands in the Imperial Palace, where it remains to this day. (See the book. The Twelfth Feasts of the Orthodox Church by G. Lavrentiev, published in 1862, St. Petersburg, under the heading Exaltation of the Honest Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, pp. 8–10).
2 Peter 1:21.
This prayer should be said while lying down in bed, kissing the cross worn on the chest, and protecting the bed and yourself with the sign of the cross.
This prayer should be said when you have completely surrendered to sleep.
In a general sense, the word “Liturgy” means any church service established for the glory of the Trinitarian God, which is confirmed by the 4th canon of the Council of Antioch, which says: If any bishop, deposed from the council, or presbyter, or deacon, excommunicated from his bishop, dare to perform any service (Λειτουργίας) and etc. Here, under the name of service, according to Zonar’s interpretation, is meant not only the sacred rite of a bloodless sacrifice, but also every Divine service belonging to the priestly rank; since in the acts of the Council of Ephesus, Matins, Vespers and other church prayers are called Liturgies (ἀι ἑσπεριναΐ καὶ ωδιναι λειτοργιαι).
In addition to the relics of the Holy Saints, who rest openly or secretly in the churches of God, in each of them there are also constantly relics in the Antimins, or the sacred lining, over which the Holy Gifts are celebrated during the liturgy. (See the end of the book for an explanation of vessels and other church utensils).
Nowadays, all this is brought in small vessels and placed on a specially prepared table in the middle of the church, but in ancient times this was performed so that Christians, tired after daytime fasting and long evening prayers, would strengthen their strength with food to continue the morning prayer, which lasted, as we have already said, the whole night. And since these unusually long services took place exclusively on the eve of holidays and the memory of great saints, sufficient people donated bread, wine, etc., which, being consecrated at Vespers, after it were distributed in the vestibule to everyone who wanted it.
The holy Hebrew shekel contained 3 spools of silver and was equal to the value of our half. There was also a shekel and a civilian one, but of a different value. For a female child, a fee was also charged in favor of the church, only not 5, but 3 sacred shekels (see Interpretation of Hebrew and Greek words left without translation in the next Bible, stated at the end of it).
In the Church Songs (pes. 5, 1; and 8, 2), St. Simeon is described as an Old Testament priest, who foresaw and foreshadowed to people the great sacrifice of the Lamb of God in the legal sacrifices.
Some even think that he was one person with the Jewish High Priest Simon, the son of Onias, called righteous for his piety and charity (301-322 BC). There is also an opinion that Simeon was the son of the famous Gillei and the father of Gamaliel, the teacher of St. Apostle. Paul (Biblical text, p. 430) and that, being one of the most learned people of his time, he was among the 72 interpreters of the books of the Law of Moses and the prophetic writings, when translating them, at the command of the Egyptian king Ptolemy, from Hebrew into Greek. It is about this very time that it is narrated that Simeon, translating the book of the Prophet Isaiah, settled on the well-known prophecy: Behold the Virgin will receive with child and wanted to correct this place, because it seemed incredible and impossible to him to give birth to a son from a virgin; but the Angel who appeared forbade him to correct the prophecy and said that he himself would see the fulfillment of these prophetic words and until then he would not see death. According to this legend, St. Simeon is given at least 300 years at the time of the Nativity of Christ (see Prol. Thur. Min. 3 February and Bibl. History, 9th ed., p. 322).
A very remarkable church legend about the power of St. Simeon’s intercession at the throne of God is in the description. life of the teacher Peter of Athos (See the Celebration of Menaion on July 12).
If you proclaimed to Adam, I am going to hell alive, and bring the gospel to Eve. (Canon of the Presentation, pes. 7, 1).
You adorned yourself, and you were the brightest Moses, you received him in your arms with red kindness, elder Simeon, who for our sake was a child after us (Con. Candlemas 6:2).
Who will give salvation to Israel from Zion? exclaimed the Prophet King (Ps. 13:7).
3. 37, 62, 87, 102 and 142 Psalms.
Like the one who at Vespers reminded of the blessings of earthly paradise.
On the eve of holidays or in honor of the Saints, after singing God the Lord, etc., the Troparion is sung, depicting the essence of the holiday, in which, like the Sunday, where the victorious greatness of the risen Christ is expressed, either His glory appears in the flesh, or His glorification in His Saints.
This revelation of the glory of God in the Temple of Solomon is depicted at the Matins of the All-Night Vigil, by the so-called polyeleos, the very name of which expresses: the burning of much oil, and the outpouring of many mercies of God.
And therefore, on Sundays, the clergy, after reading the Gospel, cries out: Having seen the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus! etc.
At ordinary Matins it is read in its entirety.
In ancient times, when Christians spent the whole night in prayer, these words were pronounced at the very time when the first light of day began to illuminate the east.
On holidays after this Great Doxology, another Troparion of the holiday is sung.
To this and each of the following verses is attached a song: Most Honest Cherub, etc. See plaque above, Praise to Our Lady.
End of the century; the end of summer and similar expressions here do not mean either the calculation of time or the end of the world, but only mean the end of the time of the Old Testament, which came with the birth of Jesus Christ.
Kirill, Archbishop. Podolsky, lyrics. on the Annunciation, in Christ, Thu. 1841 part I.
From the Gospel History we only know that Zechariah’s house was in the city of Judah, in the hill country (Luke 1:39). Some thought that it was Hebron, which lies in the mountains (Joshua 21:11); but the best of the newest interpreters, not finding sufficient grounds for this opinion (because there were other priestly cities in the same place), with great authority believe that it was the city of Iuti or Iette, which lay near the desert of Ziph (Joshua 15:27). St. Helena, Equal to the Apostles, based on the surviving tradition, built a monastery in this village (Village of St. John), on the very spot where the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth was. (See Guide to the Holy Places. A.S. Norov, part I. p. 324. and Description of Palestine. Rera, trans. Nadezhd., p. 127).
The wives of the Jews of the Old Testament times, enjoying quite important influence in family affairs and free from any despotism on the part of their husbands, enjoyed significant freedom in external life. People who were wealthy, they even had special tents and houses (Gen. 24, 67; 31, 33); This already clearly speaks of the independence that Jewish women enjoyed. Constantly encountering a crowded crowd near wells - these gathering points in the East - a Jewish woman, naturally, could not become shy and timid. The freedom of these external relations sometimes attracted even Jewish women to participate in matters that were sometimes very important and of a public nature (Exod. 15:20–21; Num. 12:1–10). But at the same time, with the freedom of this external position, the Jewish woman constantly maintained in the eyes of a man significant self-respect and special respect for her feminine qualities.
In Hebrew Neftoi (Joshua 15:9). It is now called the spring of the Blessed Virgin Mary, because, as legend says, during Her three-month stay with Elizabeth, She went here every day for water. (See the guide to the Holy Place. A.S. Norov, vol. 3, p. 393).
The glory of every other wife is her husband, says St. I. Damascus. - but the glory of the Mother of God is inside - this is the fruit of Her womb! (See the word of I. Damascene on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary).
All the details of this explanation closely resemble the meaning of the general content of Matins, and through this they make the Song of the Mother of God, as it were, the main motive of this service. That's why we found it necessary to place them here.
His body and blood, says St. Cyril of Jerusalem, according to the Apostolic teaching, penetrating into your members, makes us partakers of His Divine nature! (See the word secret guide. 1).
“In the Liturgy,” says Nick. Kovasil, - we contemplate the depicted Christ, and His deeds and sufferings that were about us: for through the psalms, reading in priestly actions, - the Savior's look is everywhere signified in it. (See Explanations of the Liturgy, Chapter I).
As St. Gregory the Theologian says about King Valens. See 20th syllable. praise Vasily the Great.)
“Everything that is said or done at the proskomedia, and that only foreshadows the death of Christ,” says Nick. “Cabasil,” is only a mark and an image: bread remains bread, and wine remains wine, and they should be accepted as a gift to God.” (See: explanation of the Liturgy, chapter XI).
Ave. Benjamin. See N. tablet, page 94.
This and similar dual meanings of objects and actions during the Proskomedia were borrowed from the instructions of St. Patriarch Herman, placed in his “Secret Vision of Church Things.”
See rank of Deities. Liturgy of I. Chrysostom, p. 53.
In Constantinople, these days were also joined by the eve of Good Friday. (See Kuroplata, on the rites of the great Church and the Court, chapters 6 and 13).
The word catechumen comes from the Greek verb κατπχέω - I announce, or teach teaching with a living voice, orally. This is how it was during the time of the Apostles, who publicly preached the doctrine of Christ: everyone who was convinced by him and declared a desire to accept Holy Baptism, until the time of its completion, when they prepared for it, were called catechumens.
Therefore, the Liturgy of the Catechumens had another name: “Common Prayers.”
See Nick. Kavas. Explanation of the Liturgy, ch. 15.
Antiphons during the Bishop's service are sung in both choirs, in the image of the Angels, whom Ignatius the God-Bearer saw in the revelation, chanting the Triune God in heaven.
On Sundays and some other days, instead of the Antiphons, the 9 beatitudes mentioned by the Lord in His Sermon on the Mount are read or sung, and at the end of each of them the words of the prudent thief are appended: Remember me, Lord; and between them the 3rd and 6th songs of the canon are read. This last is done because, according to Church rites, the Liturgy must be celebrated on ordinary days between 3 and 6 o’clock in the afternoon and after the prayers, called the 3rd and 6 o’clock, have been completed. (See the book on the order of the Orthodox Church of Metropolitan Gabriel, sheet 30).
The origin of this song is explained in the interpretation of the prayer "Holy God". On holidays: the Nativity of Christ, Epiphany, Lazarus and Holy Saturday, Easter and Trinity Day, instead of the Trisagion hymn they sing: Those who were baptized into Christ, put on Christ, Alleluia (that is, all those who were baptized in the name of Christ are clothed in the glory of Christ Gal. 3:27 - Praise God!), because in these days, mainly in the ancient time, the catechumens received Holy Baptism, and these words reminded them, along with their participation in the glory of the Lord and the responsibilities of having taken on the name of a Christian. On the day of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross, instead of both of these songs they sing: We worship Your Cross, Master, etc.
St. John Chrysostom was elected. sl. 46.
See Sim. Thessal. about the church, ch. 73.
See St. John Chrysostom. in a conversation in parables. about the Prodigal Son.
Darin - comes from the Greek word δορν - spear, and means: to accompany someone with a spear, that is, solemnly, as in ancient times armed bodyguards accompanied the Kings.
In the ancient Church at this time, they remembered by name those from whom offerings were accepted, that is, those in whose name and for whose salvation they were brought, as well as those who made some special donation for the church. But since the large number of offerings made listing these names difficult and slowed down the service too much, this list of names of donors was included in the Proskomedia, during which they are remembered for their health and peace; when carrying out the Gifts, they limited themselves to the names of the highest Secular and Spiritual Hierarchy and the general name of all Orthodox Christians. (See Metropolitan Gabriel, p. 34).
In ancient times, after these exclamations, all Christians preparing for communion kissed each other as a sign of brotherly love and general reconciliation; Now, this pious rite remains only between the priests in the altar, who, having first kissed the paten, the chalice and the throne, kiss each other, saying: Christ is among us, is and will be! Those praying in the church must replace this kissing with the inner disposition of the soul.
See St. Patr. German, in N. Skrizh., p. 134.
Acts 2:2.
Luke 12:17.
See St. Patr. Herman in his Secret Vision of Things of the Church.
Rev. 4:6–9.
Or. S. Joh. Chris. Vol. I, hom. XXI et. XXIV.
During these propitiatory prayers of the priest, the deacon reads the so-called Diptychs, that is, remembrances. This word comes from the ancient Diptychs, or double-sided boards, which on one side contained the names of the living, commemorated for their health; and on the other hand, the dead, for repose.
According to the explanation of St. Herman.
Plot. Liturgist I. Kaliv. Ch. 27, 32.
The parts taken out in memory of the Saints, as well as for the health of the living and for the repose of the dead, are put into the chalice: if there are communicants, not together with the parts of the Lamb, but after communion; because he, representing the faces of mortals, should not be confused with the immortal body of Christ, which alone should partake of eternal life. For which purpose the remaining parts of the Lamb are split into small parts.
According to the rule established by St. John Chrysostom, those receiving communion should have their hands folded crosswise on their forearms, as a sign of heartfelt humility and reverence.
See above, Virgin Mary, Rejoice.
See Our Father above.
See book. about member faith, question 55.
Rule 52 says: Throughout Great Lent, except Saturdays, Sundays and the day of the Annunciation, let the Presanctified Service be performed.
On this basis, lighted candles are also given to recipients at the baptism of an infant.
Except that from Wednesday of the 3rd week of Lent, to the litany about the catechumens, there is added another litany about those preparing for enlightenment, that is, about those who, being recognized as sufficiently prepared to receive Holy Baptism, must receive it in the same fast, and who, as a result, no longer leave the church, at the cry of the deacon: The catechumens, go out, but remain until the end of this litany about them. This continues until Holy Saturday, when this type of penitent usually received baptism.
An elevated place arranged in the middle of the church for the Bishop's service.
The Greek words of the choir of Ispolaeti Despot (Εις πολλα ἑτη Δέσποτα) mean: for many years, Master!
For this purpose, lavers or fonts were placed at the entrance doors of the church, as a sign of sacred cleansing (see Eusebius, book I, chapter 4); but over time, they were destroyed, as was the very ceremony of receiving the Body of Christ into the hands. The reasons for this latter were: both the prevention of various abuses regarding the Body of Christ, and the precaution against the possibility of shedding Blood, when serving cups separately to everyone. So, abolishing this method of communion, St. John Chrysostom left it only for the celebrants alone.
See explanation. Metropolitan Gabriel page 36.
All historical research on these subjects is drawn from the book. about the official Orthodox Metropolitan Church Gabriel and about their mysterious meaning from the explanation. Simeon of Thessalonica.
Exodus 25:31, 37.
Acts 20:8.
Luke 8:16.
Hist. des catacombes par 1’ Abbé Gaume, pag. 91.
Hebrews 11:38.
Est. Church last Morning Sheet. 19.
Ps.135.
Est. Church last four decades in ch. about bows, sheet 391.
This word comes from the Roman os, oris, mouth, that is, as a sign that replaces the mouth, or as a cloth that wipes the lips.
The Apostle Paul testifies to the existence of a Guardian Angel in every person when he says: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to serve for those who are to inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14) But the history of the Holy Ascetics of the Faith is especially rich in evidence of this truth. Here the Guardian Angels, appearing in the closest communion with them, often even appear to the sensual eyes: sometimes as prayer leaders for the saints, sometimes as their guardians during sleep, sometimes as ministers during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, sometimes as messengers of the will of God, and so on. The gratifying truth of the existence of these invisible friends and patrons of people can be confirmed by the life experiences of everyone who is attentive to himself. Who has not experienced in his life how someone's invisible hand saved him from visible danger? Who hasn’t noticed, perhaps more than once in his life, how someone’s power awakened him from sleep when it was time for prayers, or was it necessary for other reasons? How did your previously scattered heart sometimes unexpectedly flare up even during prayer itself?
How did someone’s voice, inaudible to the ear, but clear to the soul, warn against the intention to do a bad deed? and so on. An unbeliever, or inattentive to himself, will call all this an accident, or will explain it with something natural; but nothing in the world is accidental; and in the natural, supernatural power is often hidden. People experienced in spiritual life, who, therefore, deserve more trust in this regard, say directly that all the good mysterious influences that we experience in life are the actions of our Guardian Angels, assigned to us by God himself. When, under what... - note from the electronic editors.
The original does not contain the ending of this prayer, added. — note from the electronic editors.
The original does not contain the beginning of this prayer. The beginning of the prayer is a note from the electronic editor.
This prayer was composed by St. Macarius the Great.
This prayer was composed by St. Macarius the Great.