А. Предварительные понятия о Литургии

Conversation No. 1. About how the Lord performed the Divine Liturgy I. The word “liturgy” is Greek, in Russian it means: public work or public sacred service. Previously, Liturgy was the name given to any public service consisting of prayers, chants, reading of Holy Scripture and teaching; but since the 4th century, it has been customary to call Liturgy the actual service in which the Sacrament of Communion is performed and a saving sacrifice is made for the living and the dead. The very Sacrament of Communion among the first Christians was sometimes called the supper, or the mystical supper, because it received its origin from the Divine supper that Jesus Christ performed before His suffering with His disciples; sometimes - a supper of love, because together with the Sacrament of Communion, or, better to say, after it, then a supper, or dinner, was held for everyone, and mainly for the poor; For this supper, wealthy Christians, moved by Christian love, brought bread, wine and oil; and sometimes with the Eucharist, or thanksgiving, because during the celebration of the Sacrament of Communion, gratitude was sent to God for all His benefits shown to the human race. With this last name, i.e. Eucharist, the Sacrament of Communion is also called among us. The reason for this is that for us, the celebration of this Sacrament is accompanied by prayerful thanksgiving to God for all His benefits to us. Our liturgy is simply called mass, because, firstly, during its celebration a spiritual meal is offered to the faithful - the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and secondly because it is always celebrated before dinner. Pious Christians try to be present when it is performed on an empty stomach, and after it is completed they begin to reinforce themselves with food. Compared to other church services, the Divine Liturgy is the most important service. It reminds us of the entire earthly life of Jesus Christ: His birth, solemn appearance to the world, teaching, His establishment of the Sacrament of Communion, His suffering, death, Resurrection and Ascension into heaven. But what is especially dear to us is that during its performance, the most pure Body and life-giving Blood of His Son is offered to the Heavenly Father as a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, and then this Body and Blood of the Son of God is offered to us as spiritual food and drink for the remission of sins and eternal life. II. As for the establishment of the Liturgy, it originates from Jesus Christ Himself. This was at His last supper. So as not to make it difficult for you, brethren, in remembering how this supper was celebrated, I think it would not be superfluous to outline here, albeit briefly, its history. On the fifteenth day of the month of Nisan (March), according to our standard reckoning - the second of April, the disciples came to Jesus Christ and said to Him: where do you tell us to prepare Easter for You? Jesus calls two disciples to Himself - Peter and John and says to them: “Go into the city (Jerusalem); at your entrance a man will meet you carrying a jug of water; you follow him, and when you enter the house 1 into which he enters, then say to the owner of the house: The Teacher says to you: My time is at hand; Where is the room in which I could eat the Passover with My disciples? And he will show you a large upper room, furnished, and prepare there.” The apostles Peter and John went, found as Jesus told them, and prepared everything they needed for the Passover. The Jews usually celebrated the Passover supper like this: first, having given praise to God, they drank a common cup of wine mixed with water, and little by little ate a baked lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; then they sang psalms and said a short prayer; then for the second time they drank a common cup and again ate the lamb, herbs and bread, and this was repeated up to four times, and it was the duty of the cooked lamb to eat the whole thing, leaving nothing behind. But the Easter last supper of Jesus Christ had its own characteristics. It was like a festive dinner and consisted of offering thanks to God, eating a common cup of red wine dissolved in water, eating various dishes prepared in the form of a sauce of dates, figs, grapes and vinegar, singing Easter hymns and talking about such subjects that were closely related to the holiday. The Passover lamb and unleavened bread were not there, since the ritual of slaughtering and eating the Passover lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs in the year when Jesus Christ celebrated His Last Supper was performed by the Jews on Friday 16 to 17 March, or, in our opinion, 3 to 4 April. It was customary for the Jews to celebrate this kind of Passover on the dates of the month established by law and ancient tradition, and the Sanhedrin did not interfere with this 2 . And so, when evening came (March 13 to 16, or, in our opinion, April 2 to 3), Jesus Christ came into the prepared room with His disciples, where he reclined with them at supper. Tradition says that the disciples of Jesus Christ reclined at supper in this order: on the right side of the Savior, John occupied the first place, and behind him reclined: his brother James the Younger, Simon, Judas, Thaddeus and Judas Iscariot, and on the left side of the Savior, in the first place, reclined Peter, and behind him were Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew. Then Jesus Christ began to celebrate the supper itself. “I really wanted,” this is how He began His Easter conversation with the disciples, “to eat this Easter with you before My suffering; for I tell you that I will no longer eat it until it is revealed in its most perfect form in the Kingdom of God.” Then he took the Cup and, praising God, said: “Take it and divide it among yourselves!” At these words, the disciples of Jesus Christ remembered that they had not yet washed their feet, and were very concerned about washing them, since, according to the custom accepted at that time, the Easter supper must certainly be served with washed feet. This washing was usually performed by special servants, but this time they did not have any servant; Of the disciples of Jesus Christ, none wanted to take on this position, since each considered himself no worse and no lower than the other. Thus, a dispute arose between them about primacy, which lasted for several minutes. Then Jesus Christ, in order to put an end to this unpleasant dispute for Him and to teach His disciples humility, stood up from His place, took off His outer clothing, girded Himself with a towel, poured water into the washbasin and began to wash each of their feet and dry them with the towel with which He was girded. When it was Peter’s turn, he, in his humility, did not want to allow Jesus Christ to wash his feet. You will not wash my feet, he said, forever. But the Savior answered him: “If I do not wash, then you will not have a part with Me.” After finishing the washing, Jesus Christ again put on His clothes and, again reclining at supper, said: “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord. And I am truly your Teacher and Lord. Therefore, if I, the Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, then you should wash each other’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do the same as I have done to you.” After this, the disciples began to drink the common cup of wine offered to them by Jesus Christ and began to eat the prepared food. But Jesus Christ continued His conversation. The presence of Judas the traitor, and most importantly, his skillfully concealed betrayal and hypocritical friendship, greatly outraged His most holy soul, and therefore His conversation was now directed directly towards the discovery of the treacherous plan. “Truly I say to you,” said the Lord, “one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.” The disciples were horrified by these words and began to look at each other, wondering who could be the traitor between them. Then, one after another, they began to ask their Teacher: Isn’t it me, Lord? Isn't it me? But the Lord remained silent and delayed in revealing the name of the traitor; He delayed in order to give Judas the opportunity to come to his senses and come to the consciousness of the terrible sinfulness of what he had planned. At this time, Peter gave a sign to John, who was sitting near the Savior, on His right side, so that he would ask: who is this of whom He speaks? And John leaned against the Savior’s chest and asked Him almost in a whisper: who is this that you are talking about? He, the Savior answered very quietly, to whom I, having dipped a piece, will give it. And having dipped the piece, he gave it to Judas Iscariot. Meanwhile, Judas sat as if innocent of anything, and, skillfully concealing his anger, even decided, like the other disciples, to ask the Teacher: “Lord! Isn’t it me?” “Yes, you,” the Lord quietly answered him. And then he said out loud to everyone: “What are you doing, do it quickly.” No one except John understood these words. Since Judas had a box of money, everyone thought that Jesus with these words ordered him either to buy something for the holiday, or to make some kind of alms to the poor. Judas immediately got up from the table and went out. After this, Jesus Christ took bread into His most pure hands (the bread, of course, was leavened, but not unleavened) and, lifting it up, said thanks to God for all His blessings shown to people in their creation and providence for them, especially in sending Him, the Only Begotten Son of God, to earth for their salvation - He blessed the bread that was lying, i.e. Through a blessing, he transformed it into His most pure Body, broke it, gave it to his disciples and said: “Take and eat, this is My Body, broken for you for the remission of sins.” Then he took the prepared Cup of wine, dissolved it with water (as undoubted tradition testifies), blessed it and, through blessing, sanctified it in His most pure Blood, gave it to His disciples and said: “Drink of it, all of you, this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins.” And they tasted St. the apostles under the guise of bread and wine of the most pure Body and Blood of Christ. “Do this in remembrance of Me,” said the Lord, having celebrated the supper and communion with St. apostles After singing psalms, the entire congregation stood up and went out to the Mount of Olives. This is how the first Divine Liturgy was performed, called in Holy Scripture the Last Supper, in which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself was the High Priest, Himself and the sacrifice, having deigned, before His visible and universal slaughter on the Cross, to offer Himself as a sacrifice invisibly and mysteriously, under the guise of bread and wine. “He who has been consumed before himself,” the Church sings about this in one sacred song. This is where the Liturgy now performed in every church, during which you and I, listener, now pray, received its beginning and sanctification. But even now, although the priest performs the Liturgy, he is not the real performer of it, but the same Lord Jesus Christ. The priest is nothing more than a humble instrument in the hands of God, by whom the Sacrifice is offered. “Grant, O Lord, that I, a sinful and unworthy servant, have been offered to You by this gift. For you are the one who brings and is offered, the one who receives and who is distributed, O Christ our God,” the priest prays in one prayer during the Liturgy. “Believe,” says St. John Chrysostom about the Liturgy - that even now the same supper is celebrated at which our Lord Jesus Christ Himself reclined; for they are no different from one another; it cannot be said that this is done by man, and that by Christ; on the contrary, He Himself does both.” (Bes. 50, p. 357, ed. Moscow 1839). After the establishment of the Sacrament of Communion, the Lord, without yet rising from His place, talked with His disciples about love, commanding them to love each other, and clearly stated that He would soon be separated from them, and promised to send them the Spirit - the Comforter, and predicted to Peter that before the rooster crows twice, he would deny Him three times. Then, when it was time to end the supper, the Lord and His disciples rose from their places. The Lord greeted His disciples with peace, saying to them: “My peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you,” etc., and the disciples sang several psalms (Ps. 114 - Ps. 118). And then both the Lord and His eleven disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane. (Tamb. ep. ved. 1883). III. This is how the Last Supper, or the first Liturgy, was performed by Jesus Christ, from which our Liturgy received its beginning. Secret, or mysterious, it is called, firstly, because it was committed by Jesus Christ secretly from the Jews who were seeking to kill Him, and secondly, because the Sacrament of Communion was established on it, which was accompanied by prayers, chants, sacred rites (washing the feet) and the conversation of the Lord with the disciples. (Compiled with additional information according to the indicated source). Conversation No. 2. About how the Liturgy was celebrated under the apostles I. After the ascension of Jesus Christ, the apostles holyly fulfilled the commandment given to them to perform the Sacrament of Communion, in His memory. They celebrated the Divine Liturgy with all zeal and love. They tried to imitate their Teacher, Jesus Christ, as faithfully as possible in the way they performed it. And then they taught this to their successors, the shepherds of the Church. II. How the Divine Liturgy was celebrated then can be approximately depicted in the following terms 4: Christians gathered in the house designated for worship (initially in the Zion Upper Room, and subsequently in other houses in which the so-called dining rooms were primarily chosen for worship) and brought with them bread, wine and other substances necessary for the Divine Liturgy and for the Supper of Love. At that time there were neither altars nor thrones, as we now have: worship was performed openly, and instead of a throne an ordinary table was used. From the bread brought, the best one was chosen for the Eucharist and placed on the table, on a special plate (paten). A bowl of wine dissolved in water was also placed here. Before the start of the Divine Liturgy, the clergy put on sacred clothes, 5 lamps were lit and incense was burned. Following this, the singing of psalms began, and this singing constituted the beginning of the Divine Liturgy. (Of the psalms, probably the pets were those that are read today on our watches). After the psalms, general prayers were offered (this is probably the same as our litanies), which were accompanied by the singing: “Lord, have mercy.” (It should be noted that prayers were then read not from books, as now, but orally, and were not previously compiled and studied, but were read by inspiration from above: the Holy Spirit Himself put the words of the prayer into the mouth of the clergyman). After general prayers, passages appropriate for the day from the holy books were read, first the Old Testament, and then the New. Then a lesson was offered, in which the content of what was read was mostly explained. After the lesson, we prayed for the catechumens, the repentant, the demon-possessed, and those preparing for Baptism. And when these prayers ended, both of them, having accepted the blessing from the main clergyman, left, and only the believers remained in the church. Following this, the doorkeepers were immediately ordered to watch so that any of the infidels did not enter the church doors; and the faithful who were in the church gave mutual kisses. After this, the sacrifice itself began: the primate, having washed his hands, taught the believers the peace and grace of God, inspired them to ascend in mind and heart to heaven and said a long prayer in which he thanked God the Father for all His benefits, and especially for the salvation of the human race through Jesus Christ, and recalled the suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross, His death, Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, as well as His Last Supper. Following this, he prayed for the sending of the Holy Spirit and blessed the Holy Gifts. And at that moment the bread was transformed into the Body of Christ, and the wine into the Blood of Christ. After this, the clergyman commemorated the saints, prayed for the living and the dead, and especially for the authorities and creators of St. church. Next, the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father” was said; The Holy Gifts rose with the cry: “Holy to holies!” and the very communion with these Holy Gifts began: the primate, having broken the Body of Christ into parts, used one of them himself, and distributed the others to those present. After using them, they drank the Blood of Christ from the cup. After this, a prayer of gratitude was offered to God, and the Liturgy ended with the supper of love (i.e., a common dinner). Where, perhaps, you may also ask, was the Liturgy celebrated then? The most favorite place to celebrate the Divine Liturgy was at first the Zion Upper Room, in which the Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples celebrated the Last Supper. With the increase of Christians, the Liturgy began to be celebrated in other houses, where a large table covered with white linen served instead of a throne (“On church services.” Bellustina, p. 284). Due to the severe persecution to which believers began to be subjected from Jews and pagans shortly after the Ascension of the Lord, there could not be specially designated places for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. Therefore, even under the apostles, it was carried out not only in houses, but also in prisons, on ships and in deserts, in a word - wherever it could be done, first, following the example of the Lord, at the onset of evening, and then, due to persecution, at any time of the day or night. According to the book of the Acts of the Apostles, the first Christians loved this Divine service so much that they performed it every day and every day they partook of the Body and Blood of Christ. So they sacredly remembered the commandment of the Lord: “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Sunday was a particularly special day for communion of the Mysteries of Christ. With such frequent communion of the Body and Blood and the constant, so to speak, renewal of their communion with Christ, it is not surprising that they were very keenly aware of their brotherly love for each other and called each other nothing more than brother and sister. You always stop with reverence at that place in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, where it is said that “the believers had one heart and one soul, and no one called anything of his possessions his own, but they had everything in common. There was great grace for everyone. There was no one in need among them, for everyone who owned lands or houses, selling them, brought the price of what was sold at the feet of the apostles, and everyone was given everything that anyone needed” (Acts 4:32-35). Yes, Orthodox Christians, frequent, with proper preparation, communion of Christ’s Mysteries most of all kindles in us brotherly love for each other and makes us saints. Let us conclude this conversation by drawing moral lessons for ourselves. Everything we have said clearly proves that our Liturgy is not of human origin, but of Divine origin, and that its essence has been preserved in its entirety for more than 18 centuries. With the preservation of the Liturgy, the Sacrament of Communion was also preserved, in which we are most closely united with Christ and become partakers of eternal life. And this is a blessing beyond which there is nothing. But every benefit, of course, should be accepted with the liveliest feeling of gratitude. Therefore, we are most obliged to have in our souls the highest feelings of gratitude to the Lord, both for the fact that He gave us, for our salvation, His precious Liturgy, and for the fact that He sent us such great men who brought it into proper composition and put it in writing, and through this contributed to its preservation intact. And then we must treasure the Liturgy, we must attend it more often, removing from ourselves in every possible way all obstacles to non-attendance, and especially we must overcome laziness and inattention. Finally, we must approach St. more often. The Sacrament of Communion, celebrated during the Liturgy, remembering that in this Sacrament the main thing is our happiness. (Compiled with additional information according to specified source). Appendix to conversations No. 1–2 A. The most ancient description of the Liturgy in the first apology of Justin the Martyr “On the so-called day of the sun,” says St. much Justin, - there is a gathering of everyone living in cities or villages in one place, and the records of the apostles and the Scriptures of the prophets are read, as much as time permits. Then, when the reader finishes reading, the primate gives instructions in words and an exhortation to imitate the good examples of what he read. Then we all get up together and say prayer, and when... we finish the prayer, bread and wine are brought; the primate, as much as he can, sends up prayers and thanksgiving (εὐχαριστῖας), and the people (ὁ λαός) proclaim amen” (Apolog. 1, η. 67). The second half of the words quoted above is conveyed by Justin in this version: “Then bread and a cup of mixing water with wine are brought to the leader of the brethren, and he, taking them, sends praise and glory to the Father of all in the name of the Son and the Holy Spirit and makes thanksgiving at length (ἐπί πόλυ) (τ ή ν εὐχαριστῖαν) for the gifts we received from Him; at the end of their prayers and thanksgiving, all the people present shout amen” (Ibid., paragraph 65). It will not be a mistake to conclude that Justin Martyr means in the present case that part of the Liturgy which from ancient times was called the Eucharistic Prayer (Dionis. Areopag, Eccles. Hierarch. c. 7). In all known rites of the Liturgy, this prayer begins with the words: “We give thanks to the Lord” and then consists of three parts: a) detailed thanksgiving for the ineffable mercies shown by God in the creation of the invisible, visible and human world, in the providence for the human race and, especially in sending down to earth the only begotten Son and His redemption of the human race; b) memories of the establishment of the Eucharist by Jesus Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit on the gifts presented, and c) prayers for the Church, bishops and all church clergy, for the king, the authorities and the army, for the saints who have pleased God from time immemorial, and all those who have died, and so on. These three parts in some rites of the Liturgy are presented in more detail, and in others shorter, but, according to evidence coming from the deepest antiquity, their conclusion should be a doxology to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever, to which the people respond: “Amen.” Thus, Tertullian asks the Romans who often attend stage games how they can express approval (reddere testimonium) of the gladiator with the lips with which they pronounce the Amen at the Eucharist, or say εἰς αἰῶνας ἀπ ’ αἰῶνος (forever and ever) to another other than God and Christ (De spectacul., p. 15). The rite of the Liturgy, set out in the apostolic decrees, ending the Eucharistic prayer with a doxology: “To you is all glory, reverence, thanksgiving, honor and worship of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the endless ages of ages,” notes: “καί π ᾶ ς ὁ λαός λεγέτω άμίν "(Miss. Review 1897). So, the Eucharist in the apostolic age was not an extra-liturgical eating of bread and wine, but a divine service in which it was sacredly performed as a New Testament bloodless Sacrifice. B. Love suppers among ancient Christians (agapes) Putting together all the fragmentary news that mentions love suppers in the early times of the Church, we receive the following information about the manner in which they were celebrated. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles, among other things, it is said about the first Christians that they “every day... breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with joy” (Acts 2:46), and in another place (Acts 20:7,11), that “on the very first day of the week, when the disciples were gathered together to break bread,” Paul “talked with them,” and after the resurrection of a young man who had fallen from a window and was killed to death, “having gone up and broken bread and eaten, he talked contentedly even until dawn, and then went out.” From these words of the sacred writer we can conclude that in the very first times of Christianity there were two kinds of love suppers: those that were celebrated in different houses, therefore, by separate societies of believers (mainly in Jerusalem), and those that on certain days, namely on Sundays, were celebrated by the entire assembly of believers. The food for the supper of love was prepared either in the place where the supper took place, or was delivered there ready-made by the rich. They consisted of vegetables, fish, meat and flour dishes; wine was also not excluded. All these dishes, mainly wine and bread, had to be previously consecrated during the service. Moderation, modesty and order reigned at the table. Bishops, presbyters and deacons occupied the highest places and directed everything. The supper opened and ended with prayer and washing of hands. During the supper, psalms and other songs were sung, passages from the Holy Scriptures were read and interpreted. Immediately, the believers informed each other of various church news, so that everyone could constantly know the situation of the Christian Church. In addition, the messages of bishops and other primates of the Church and the acts of martyrs were read in order to strengthen oneself in the faith in case of persecution. At the end of the supper, a collection was made for the poor, widows, prisoners, and shipwrecked. After everything they parted with assurances of brotherly love and kisses. It should be noted that obvious sinners and those who underwent public repentance, as well as catechumens and everyone who did not yet belong to the Church were not allowed to participate in the love suppers. Love suppers, at least in the beginning, were very common. In themselves, they did not constitute a necessary accessory to the Eucharist to such an extent that they could not be released. It is known that already in the first centuries of Christianity there were Churches in which we see no traces of these suppers. Thus, Justin Martyr, speaking about the celebration of the Eucharist and the worship of Roman Christians of his time, does not mention agapes. At St. Irenaeus says nothing about them either. The reason for this is mainly that in Rome and the places nearest to it, secret meetings and night feasts were prohibited, and, according to Pliny, the common suppers of Christians were prohibited by the edict of the Emperor Trajan. Far from the center of the state it could, of course, be different, and that is why we find mention of love suppers in other places. From those places of Holy Scripture that speak of the existence of similar meetings in Jerusalem, Corinth and Troas, we see that in the first centuries of Christianity, it was in Jerusalem that believers gathered very often and even daily to celebrate the Eucharist and the Supper of Love. Since this phenomenon is very naturally explained by the state of the first communities, namely, the small number of Christians, it is also natural that this custom was not in general use, or, at least, was not used for long. Therefore, we soon find that Sundays themselves were designated for the celebration of Agap (Acts 20:7,11), although there were exceptions to this, and Sunday suppers occurred less frequently in some places, and more often in others. At the very beginning of Christianity, until the Church of Christ had yet received a definite structure, agapes preceded the Eucharist. This was due to the similarity of these suppers with the Last Supper of the Lord Himself, which was taken as a model in both other respects and in this one. Some places of Holy Scripture, for example, the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Epistle. to Corinth. indicate this (1 Cor. 11:20–27). 6 Later, on the contrary, due to various reasons, both in the Corinthian community and throughout the Eastern Church, even in the times of the apostles, agapes occurred after the communion of St. The Mysteries and therefore usually after the Eucharist 7. At the end of the service, the believers remained in the church for a common fraternal supper... Over time, for this very reason, only at the beginning did the suppers stand in connection with the Eucharist, but later they were completely separated from it. Only on Maundy Thursday did some African communities celebrate supper before communion in order to vividly remember the Last Supper of the Lord, which marked their beginning. As for the actual time at which the love feasts took place, since the time of worship in the first centuries of Christianity, given the cramped position of the Church, was not the same, therefore, agapes could not be performed at a certain time. In general, it can be taken for granted that they occurred in the evening and at night; in later times, when they were performed after the morning service, at noon or around this time. But there is no doubt that the place where the love suppers took place was the same where the Eucharist was celebrated, that is, the Church, if Christians owned them, or the houses in which they gathered. In the early times of Christianity, a special kind of sacred supper was represented by those suppers that were celebrated in memory of the martyrs. During the annual commemoration of those days in which the Christian martyrs suffered a heroic death, believers gathered at their graves, and later in the churches dedicated to their name, and at the end of the service a general supper was held under the direction of the priests. Suppers of this kind were known in the second century and were preserved for a long time in the Orthodox Church. At the burial of wealthy people, funeral suppers were held: the poor were offered food in the church or near it, asking through this their prayers for the deceased and considering alms to be saving for the deceased. Christian fraternal suppers, known under the name agape, have long been tried by some to explain by similar phenomena in the life and worship of Jews and pagans. So, Isaac, as a sign of peace and friendship with Abimelech and his allies who insulted him, “gave them a feast, and they ate and drank, and, rising early in the morning, they swore to each other” (Gen. 26:30–31); “And Jacob slaughtered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his relatives to eat bread, they ate the bread and drank,” after the restoration of good family relations with his father-in-law Laban and by mutual assurance and oath of the sincerity of benevolent feelings and intentions towards each other (Gen. 31:54). Thus, the covenant concluded between Jehovah and the people of Israel was accompanied by a feast: “they ate and drank” (Ex. 24:11). This custom is also found in the times of kings (1 Sam. 9:12–13); and according to the testimony of Josephus, common meals continued even until Christian times. Philo even left us a detailed description of the religious meals of the Essenes, which, at first glance, bore a great resemblance to the Christian Agapes. In the same way, in pagan worship it was a very common custom to arrange common meals in temples after sacrifices from the leftovers. The Persians, Athenians, Arcadians, and Naucratetes combined common feasts with public worship. The inhabitants of the island of Crete, the Lacedaemonians and the Romans, as you know, had common meals. But Christian love suppers have nothing in common with the Old Testament feasts, which were held due to one or another circumstance, much less pagan feasts in any respect could have been prototypes for Christian love suppers. Christian suppers of love most closely appeared in imitation of the Last Supper of the Lord Jesus Christ and are nothing more than its most vivid reproduction for greater stimulation in the believers of those feelings with which the disciples of Christ were imbued in the sacred moments of the last farewell conversation with them of their beloved Teacher. Their origin is rooted in the very spirit of Christianity, which proclaims to people one God of love and one union of sacred love and fraternal unity. The very use of the word ἀγάπη in Christianity in a completely new sense proves that Christian fraternal suppers represented something special, significantly different from all known feasts. Who does not know with what fiery inspiration for the divine the first Christians were imbued and to what extent their entire life with all its material relations was filled with religious Christian consciousness? Is it surprising that eating food - one of those types of everyday relationships - did not have the character of a simple, everyday action, but also served, to a certain extent, as a reflection of the entire Christian worldview of believers? Just as the divine, as if descending from heaven, permeated all earthly relationships in the lives of Christians, so the human, earthly, for its part, imbued with the divine, seemed to be spiritualized by it and manifested itself as if it were a continuous, living service to God. This religious mood of the leading Christians was also joined by moral motives - brotherly communication and love. Love, with its mighty power, bound everyone into one circle of loving brothers; all felt united in one center of living brotherhood, animated and inspired by the spirit of brotherly love and unity. No one wanted to have their own separate property; everyone, moved by the spirit of Christian love, shared their funds with others. And where could this feeling be more fully expressed, if not in a common fraternal meal? Thus, in the primal Church, the suppers of love were essentially connected with the church life of Christians, imbued with a spiritual sense of unity and common wealth of each - they were, so to speak, only their completion; and from this it is clear how eating and drinking - a material matter - could be so closely connected with the highest, purely spiritual worship - the Eucharist. The spread of love suppers could have been greatly facilitated by the very necessity and circumstances of the time. Christians, persecuted from outside, had to unite more closely with each other and in this close communication seek support, consolation and encouragement. Religious meetings of the leading Christians took place in private homes: the small number of Christians favored the holding of suppers. There were many other reasons in the original position of Christians that contributed to the spread of this custom. But times have changed. With the spread of Christianity, the initial life of Christians, which had a family character, more and more took on the vast dimensions of social, church-folk life; therefore, the original agapes had to gradually fall out of use on their own. At the end of the third century, they begin to be celebrated only on special days, mainly in memory of martyrs, and precisely as feasts for the poor. The destruction of the love suppers was greatly facilitated by the abuses and riots that were mixed in with them. The pagans, regarding such an institution incomprehensible to them as the love feasts, showered Christians with evil and absurd slander. These slander became known to us from the defensive speeches of Christian apologists. The pagans called love suppers fiesta feasts 8 (because of the Eucharist connected with them and incomprehensible to the pagans) and accused Christians of indulging in the grossest debauchery. No matter how false these slander was, the Agapes were not immune to some abuses. Already up. Paul condemns the Corinthian community for these abuses, namely for the separation of the rich from the poor and their immoderation (see 2 Peter 2:13; Jude 1:12). Of course, the good side of love suppers prevailed for a long time, and all evidence from the first three centuries, with few exceptions, speaks of the highly moral spirit with which Christians were imbued with love suppers, the religious reverence with which Christians treated them, and the order that prevailed at these suppers. This is witnessed by one of the worst enemies of Christianity, Julian, who spoke favorably of the love feasts held in his time. Later, with the increase in the number of persons entering the Christian community, the love suppers gradually lost their original character in many respects; Various kinds of abuses and disorders appeared and over time intensified, against which Clement of Alexandria, St. Gregory of Nazianzus, St. Zlatoust, bl. Augustine and others. The Council of Laodicea in the middle of the 4th century issued a ban on celebrating agapes in churches: “It is not proper to celebrate so-called meals of love in the churches of the Lord or in churches, and to eat and sit in the house of God,” we read in 28 of this council. Although a little earlier than this, the Council of Gangra, in Paphlagonia, accepted agapes under its protection against the Eustathians, this happened only “because they, the heretics, in their proud abstinence, considered agapes impermissible and fasted even on Sunday. Due to abuses, love suppers were also canceled in St. Milan. Ambrose. Soon the rest of Italy began to stop them. Bl. Augustine advised the Carthaginian bishop Aurelius to abolish them in Africa, but at the same time he advised to take up this matter with prudence. The Third Council of Carthage (391) forbade the clergy to take part in agapes and ordered, if possible, to keep the people from them. For a long time, the custom of celebrating these feasts in churches still persisted in some places, and therefore the prohibition of this custom was again repeated at Constant. cathedral in 692. How difficult it was to completely abolish this custom and how accustomed the people were to it can be concluded from the fact that even Pope Eugene in 826 complained about the unrest under Agape. These church festivals were preserved longest in England, Gaul and Germany. Gregory I allowed English converts, who were especially fond of religious celebrations, to feast at churches on feast days. In the same way, the first German preachers allowed them mainly among the Britons and Scots. On the Lord's feasts and in honor of the martyrs, they gathered either in a church decorated with green branches, or in front of the church under the trees, or, finally, in tents woven from tree branches; There they slaughtered animals and celebrated a festive feast to the sounds of music and religious songs. Similar celebrations took place in Gaul. But here they changed so much that they almost transformed into pagan bacchanalia: dancing started in the churches, riots and outrages of all kinds took place; even, according to ancient pagan custom, they slaughtered animals as sacrifices to the saints. A similar perversion of love suppers and the mixing of pagan customs with Christian ones also manifested themselves in Germany. Many councils, namely the Council of Orleans in 533, the Council of Auxerre in 584, and the councils assembled by the activities of Boniface, especially the councils of Littich in 743 and the German Council about 746, resolutely rebelled against the abuses that had crept into the ancient love suppers. However, almost a hundred years later, the council in Aachen was forced to renew the ban on the Council of Laodicea against agapes, and yet, in some places, they continued to be preserved: so the common people in Germany and France got used to them. Abyssinian Christians still have love suppers in connection with the Sacrament of Communion. In other countries we would look in vain for this ancient institution, but one can often encounter various customs, not so much church as folk, in which, one way or another, the memory of ancient traditions is reflected. It is believed that the custom, preserved in some places, of setting up tents around the church on major holidays and selling food and drink in them, as well as offering a meal to the poor, combined with the washing of their feet, on Maundy Thursday (as is done in Rome, Austria, Bavaria and other places) are the remnants of ancient love suppers. They look the same way at those feasts that among the Greeks and even among the Russians are arranged by the rich for the poor on the occasion of a funeral or on some other occasion, in the open air or in private houses. Something similar to agapes is visible in the feasts celebrated on certain days among the Herrnhuters, in the prayer house, before the reception of St. Tain. In addition, they have special, so-called home love suppers. (Compiled from “Right. review" 1870, 1st half, p. 940). Conversation No. 3. On the celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the early times of Christianity I. In the first two centuries after the apostles, no special names were adopted for Christian worship. All church services were called "liturgy"; this name was used to refer to the reading of the sacred. Scripture, morning and evening prayers and the Sacraments of St. Communions. Actually, the Sacrament of Communion was called the supper, the mysterious supper of love, the Eucharist (thanksgiving). The name “Divine Liturgy” was not adopted until the fourth century. Here are some details of how it was done. II. a) In the first times of Christianity, all the faithful, who made up the Church, gathered in a special church, designated for general prayers and sacraments, and brought with them, depending on their wealth, bread and wine, for the celebration of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ and for a common meal of love, in which the poor were content with the abundant offerings of the rich. The bishop or presbyter, sometimes himself, and sometimes through deacons, that is, ministers of the Church, accepted these offerings (prosphora in Greek), and they were placed in a special place of preparation, which is now the altar, which is in large churches, separated from the altar. There the presbyter selected and prepared one bread for the Sacrament itself, and so that the other bringers and the offering were evenly accepted and presented to Christ, in prayer and sacrament, a particle from each loaf was added to the bread chosen for the Sacrament, in memory of the bringer, while the bread itself remained for the meal of love. And now the priest repeats the same thing at the altar, preparing bread for the sacred rite, called lamb - a name borrowed from the Paschal Lamb, and taking parts from other prosphoras in honor and memory of the Mother of God and all the saints and as a sacrifice for the living and the dead; this constitutes the first part of the mass - proskomedia, otherwise - preparation. b) Then the celebrant, alone or with the help of a deacon, called the faithful to prayer and prayed in the hearing of all for temporal and eternal blessings; followed by the singing of psalms, the reading of prophetic books and apostolic epistles. Then the deacons brought the holy Gospel from the storehouse to the middle of the church, and from this movement the present small entrance with the Gospel was formed, which also marks the opening of the preaching of Christ, when he himself appeared after the preparatory sermon of the last prophet before him, John the Baptist. The Gospel was followed by the interpretation of the word of God and prayers for the repentant and those who had only yet been proclaimed by the original teachings of the faith, but had not been enlightened by baptism. With their removal, the second part of the mass, called the Liturgy of the Catechumens, ended and now ends. c) The third part - the Liturgy of the Faithful - began with two short prayers and the third - silent. So it is now, except that the third secret prayer of the celebrant for those coming is closed by the singing of the so-called Cherubic song. At this time, the clergy had to go for the prepared gifts to the place of their preparation in order to bring them to St. a meal where the secret action was to take place - and this is the basis of the great entrance with the Holy Gifts, which you now see in the Orthodox Church with the splendor befitting a shrine, for this mysterious transfer also remembers the free Procession of the Savior to redemptive suffering. Now the throne of Christ the King becomes together with his altar of the cross and life-giving tomb, the elevation of the altar represents Golgotha. In ancient times, this mysterious spectacle was open to all the faithful, because everyone or almost everyone began to receive the Holy Mysteries. In time, it is closed with a barrier and a veil from those who themselves recognized themselves as unworthy to be partakers. However, to this day, as in the first centuries, in some Palestinian churches the throne remains open. After the consecration of the gifts and the communion of the elders and the people, general thanks were offered to God for His bounties, and the faithful gathered for a brotherly meal in the part of the church to which it left its name. Subsequently, due to abuses that crept in, the meal of love was destroyed, but the memory of this primitive supper or public dinner of the faithful was preserved in the very word mass. This is how this service was performed in ancient times. III. Some details of the Liturgy changed in places and times, but its essence never did; We still have several special orders of the Liturgy from the times of the apostles, completely similar to each other, with the exception of some prayers that were pronounced according to the special inspiration of the great clergy. The Liturgy of the Apostle James, the first bishop of Jerusalem, is very long, and is now still sung on the day of his memory in Jerusalem. In the fourth century, Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea, condescending to human weakness, partially reduced it, and in this order it is celebrated on Sundays of Lent and on some other holidays. A few years later, Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, somewhat shortened the service of Saint Basil, and his mass remained daily, for after this great hierarch no hand dared or would dare to touch her, and the perfection of her prayers reached the highest degree that is only accessible to mankind. Later, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, compiled by Gregory, Pope of Rome, the Dvoeslov, also entered the category of divine services. But this is not Liturgy in the proper meaning of the word. There they only receive communion, but there is no actual celebration of the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ. It is possible only when it is preceded by the Liturgy of Basil the Great or John Chrysostom, and is performed only when the real Liturgy is not supposed to be performed, namely, on some well-known days of Lent. (Compiled with additional information from “Letters on the Divine Services of the Orthodox Church” by A. Muravyov, ed. 1882). Conversation No. 4. On the meaning of the sacred rites of the Divine Liturgy I. The rite of the Divine Liturgy performed in the Orthodox Church as part of its sacred rites marks the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ and has the goal of leading us to the saving memory of the work of redemption of the human race accomplished by Him. All of us, Orthodox Christians, should know the meaning and signification of the sacred rites of the Divine Liturgy, which can guide us to the living remembrance of our Savior. Hear about this, brothers! II. a) The Liturgy begins with the celebration of proskomedia, during which the Holy Gifts are prepared and which is performed invisibly for the people, in the altar, with the church doors closed and the curtain drawn. For those present in the church at this time, the third and sixth hours are read, consisting of a collection of psalms and prayers. Proskomedia is not performed aloud to the whole people, in the altar, because with its celebration is connected the memory of the birth of Jesus Christ and His original life, little known and revealed only to a select few. In accordance with such remembrance, all objects and rituals during the performance of proskomedia receive a special sign. So, at this time the altar depicts the Bethlehem cave, the paten - a manger; the star - the star that appeared to the Magi at the birth of the Savior - the covers over the vessels - the shrouds with which the Divine Infant was wrapped; burning incense - gifts of the Magi. b) Further, in the second part of the Liturgy, called the Liturgy of the Catechumens, the entrance with the Gospel and the very reading of the Apostle and the Gospel are especially significant in relation to the memory of the Savior. Entry with the Gospel means the appearance of Jesus Christ to preach, which began after His baptism in the Jordan. The candle carried in front of the Gospel depicts St. John the Baptist, who, according to the Savior Himself, was a burning and shining lamp (John 5:35), who appeared as the Forerunner of Christ to prepare people to receive Him. At the sight of the Gospel carried at the small entrance, we, as if in the face of Jesus Christ Himself, humbly bow, falling to Him and singing the song: “Come, let us worship and fall before Christ! Save us, Son of God, risen from the dead, singing to Ti: Hallelujah.” The very reading of the Apostle and the Gospel depicts the sermon of the Savior carried by the Apostles throughout the world. Therefore, we must listen to this reading with the same attention and reverence as we would see and hear Jesus Christ. Exclamation before and after reading the Gospel: “Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee!” shows that for Christians there cannot be more joyful news than the news of the Savior and our salvation accomplished by Him. For greater concentration of attention to the words of Christ, since ancient times there has been a pious custom when reading the Gospel to stand with a bowed head. c) The third and most important part of the Liturgy, called the Liturgy of the Faithful, after two litanies, begins with the Great Entrance. The Great Entrance during which, during the singing of the Cherubic Song, the prepared gifts from the altar are transferred to the throne for consecration, should remind us of the solemn entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem for free suffering. When remembering this event, which testifies to the inexpressible love of the Lord for us, we must put aside all earthly cares and become like the cherubim in order to worthily glorify the heavenly King, who descended to us and suffered death for us. The significance of the great entrance is especially expressively expressed in St. the song sung at this entrance on Holy Saturday: “Let all human flesh be silent and stand with fear and trembling, let nothing earthly think within itself. The King of kings and the Lord of lords comes to sacrifice and give food to the faithful.” After the great entrance and after the exclamations that prepare us for a worthy presence at the celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Communion, this Sacrament itself is performed and the blessing and sanctification of the Holy Gifts takes place by the power and action of the Holy Spirit, whereby the bread and wine are mysteriously transubstantiated and transmuted into the true Body and true Blood of Christ. In these terrible moments, while singing: “We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You, Lord, and we pray, our God,” and we must, with primary tenderness of heart, offer up a prayer to the Lord God for our salvation, remembering the Savior’s saving suffering for us, His death and burial. At the end of the Liturgy, the Resurrection of the Savior and His last appearances are remembered. Thus, after the sacramental verse, the opening of the Royal Doors and the appearance of the Holy Gifts to the people depicts the appearance of Jesus Christ after the resurrection. The last appearance of the Holy Gifts to the people with the exclamation: “always, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages,” reminds us of the ascension of Jesus Christ and His promise to be with the believers all the days until the end of the age. (See “Resurrection Conversations”, published by the Society of Lovely Spiritual Enlightenment, 1891 No. 5). III. Christian brothers! Consider it a sacred Christian duty to go to church for the Divine Liturgy, listen to it reverently. During the celebration of the Liturgy, mentally imagine Jesus Christ and in every action, notice the saving events of His earthly life. When the priest proclaims: “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” honor the coming of Jesus Christ into the world and reverently worship Him, glorifying God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. When you see a procession with the Holy Gospel, remember the Gospel preaching of Jesus Christ and remain His faithful followers and doers of His holy will. When, during the Cherubic Song, the Holy Gifts are carried, bow your heads and knees before our Savior Jesus Christ, Who goes to free suffering for us, and pray to Him that He will remember us in His Kingdom. When you hear the exclamations of the priest: “Take, eat, this is My Body, and drink of it, all of you, this is My Blood,” then remember the Last Supper of Jesus Christ; when they sing: “We sing to you, we bless you, we thank you, Lord, and we pray to our God,” stand reverently and pray - at this time the holy and terrible Sacrament is performed on the throne, the bread is transformed into the Body and wine - into the Blood of Christ by the visible blessing of the priest and the invisible influx and action of the Holy Spirit. When the priest exclaims: holy to holies, prostrate yourself before the altar, as before the holy Mount Golgotha, and pray to the crucified Lord Jesus Christ, who laid down His soul for our salvation. When the holy doors open and we see the Divine mysteries, worship the risen Christ with the fear of God and faith; and when you again see these mysteries, revealed for the last time, in secret - see the Lord Jesus Christ ascending into heaven and promising to be with us invisibly always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Finally, conclude the Divine Liturgy with thanksgiving to God in a voice of spiritual joy: “Let our lips be filled with Your praise, O Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from now on and forever.” Amen. (See “The Sower of the Good.” Archpriest Nordov, vol. I., ed. 1891). Thus, in the rite of the Liturgy, the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ is consistently depicted in order to awaken in the faithful the memory of Him, as He Himself commanded at the establishment of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, saying to the apostles: “Do this in remembrance of Me.” This memory is necessary and life-giving for us. Arousing in us pure meaning to understand the love of Christ that surpasses reason, rooting and confirming this love in us (Eph. 3:18), the remembrance of the Savior serves as the closest saving means to our inner union with Christ. At each celebration of the Divine Liturgy, standing before the Holy Table, even if they did not approach the Holy. Through communion, we can participate in this great and terrible sacred rite through prayerful remembrance of Christ, with living and conscious faith in Him, and through this we become partakers of the divine grace of Jesus Christ, Who, as the Apostle testifies, dwells in our hearts by faith (Eph. 3:17). Conversation No. 5. About the three rites of the Divine Liturgy I. In past conversations, I spoke with you, my brothers, about how the Divine Liturgy, or, in our opinion, mass, was celebrated in the first centuries of Christianity. And it is easy for us to see now that the service of the Divine Liturgy is still performed almost in the same way as it was performed in the time of the apostles, the immediate successors of our Lord Jesus Christ, who laid the beginning and foundation for the performance of this divine service. But it is also easy to see that the current Liturgy, similar to the ancient Liturgy in the main actions, also has differences. Therefore, today I will tell you in more detail about from whom and for what reasons the Divine Liturgy received the form in which it is celebrated today. II. The main difference between the ancient Liturgy and the present one is that in the first three centuries it was celebrated for a very long time. Given the love for the divine service that the first Christians had for it, this duration was not burdensome for them. Everyone considered it a blessing to pray for her and partake of the Divine Mysteries. But over time, when the purity of morals began to be damaged and brotherly love between Christians began to become scarce, many Christians, due to everyday worries, began to get bored with the duration of the Liturgy and began to shy away from it. Overlong, the Divine Liturgy in each Christian country or local Church was not performed in the same order, although it was, with a unanimous confession of the faith of Christ, everywhere similar in the most important parts. Each local church adhered to the order in which it received it from the first planters of Christianity. So, for example, the Jerusalem Church adhered to the order of the Liturgy in which St. Apostle James; The Liturgy of St. was celebrated in the Alexandria Church. Brand; The Roman Church adhered to the Liturgy of St. Clement. According to the abundance of divine grace, which the Holy Spirit showed among the first Christians, especially between the shepherds of the Church, the shepherds of the Church, according to inherited from St. The apostles rightly, without changing the main order of the Liturgy, sometimes added their own prayers and chants to it. Over time, especially three centuries after the ascension of the Lord, these differences in the Liturgy increased even more. In addition, over time, heresies began to appear among Christians, that is, concepts of the Christian faith contrary to the word of God, and the pastors of the Church began to fear that some heretical thoughts might creep into the Divine Liturgy, with or without intent. All this, i.e., the duration of the Divine Liturgy, and the differences in its celebration, and the danger that any heretical thoughts might creep into it, forced the pastors of the Church to become concerned about introducing a uniform order of the Liturgy in all churches, and to compile the Liturgy in an abbreviated form. a) St. Basil the Great, called St. Church for his wise Scriptures and exploits as a pillar of the Church, he took upon himself the work of expounding the Divine Liturgy. But he did not set about this important matter until he prepared himself for it with the most fervent prayer to God. After six days of prayer, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself miraculously appeared to him and blessed his desire. Filled with the Spirit of God and zeal, St. Basil the Great outlined the entire order of the Liturgy in an abbreviated form, adding his prayers to it, strictly adhering to the order and actions in which it was performed from the time of the apostles. b) After St. Basil the Great St. John Chrysostom (so called by the Church for his divinely wise Scriptures), in order to stop Christians from having any excuse to avoid attending divine services, the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great was further reduced. But he shortened only some of the prayers of St. Liturgy, without at all touching the order in which St. composed it. Basil the Great. The Holy Ecumenical Councils, out of attention to the great merits of Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, which they showed to the entire Church of Christ with their exploits and teachings, accepted their Liturgies for introduction in all Churches. After Basil the Great and John Chrysostom in the Divine Liturgy, as required by circumstances and for greater splendor, only a few changes and additions were allowed, about which, at an opportunity, if necessary, I will say later. Now the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, as a longer one, is performed on the eve of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany, and sometimes on these holidays, on the New Year, that is, on the day of remembrance of St. Basil the Great, and during Lent on Sundays, except Palm Sunday, on Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday. And the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated on Saturdays during Great Lent, on Palm Sunday and then at all times of the year, when the charter requires the celebration of the Liturgy. c) In addition to these two Liturgies, there is also a Liturgy called the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, or Presanctified Mass, celebrated on Wednesdays and Fridays of Lent, and sometimes on other days of Lent - according to the rules, also on the first three days of Holy Week. We already know how ancient Christians loved to pray during the Divine Liturgy. The very first Christians under the apostles prayed during the Liturgy and received communion every day, but later, although not every day, but certainly four times a week: on Sunday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and also on the days when St. martyrs. But since the Divine Liturgy in its very essence is a solemn and joyful service, and the days of Great Lent are days of sorrow and lamentation for sins, during which celebration and joy are inappropriate; in addition, as we have already seen, in ancient times, after the Liturgy, a fraternal meal was offered from the offerings left after the Liturgy, and this was even more contrary to the days of Great Lent, as days of strict abstinence in all food and drink: then the pastors of the Church and councils forbade the celebration of the Liturgy during Lent, with the exception of Saturdays and Sundays, on which there is relief from fasting. But it was difficult for many Christians during Lent to be without communion of the Mysteries of Christ for a whole week. And so, in order not to break the fast, but at the same time to satisfy the pious desire of Christians, from the very times of the apostles on Great Lent, on Sundays, the pastors of the Church, during the Divine Liturgy, consecrated several loaves into the Body of Christ, watered them with the Blood of Christ and stored them until Wednesday and Friday. Then on Wednesday and Friday, after the evening service, these Presanctified Gifts were crushed and distributed to the believers. This is where the so-called Presanctified Liturgy, or Presanctified Mass, began. In exactly the same way, now on Sundays during Great Lent, loaves or lambs are prepared for Wednesdays and Fridays, they are consecrated into the Body of Christ, they drink the Blood of Christ and rely on the Holy Spirit. throne for storage. On Wednesdays and Fridays, a service called the Presanctified Liturgy is performed over these presanctified Holy Gifts. At this Presanctified Liturgy, as many of you know, there is no new consecration of the Holy Gifts into the Body and Blood of Christ; and therefore all sacred actions, words and prayers, during which the consecration of the Holy Gifts into the Body and Blood of Christ occurs at other Liturgies, are omitted at this Liturgy. Therefore, it is not the real Liturgy, but only a semblance of it. In the first times of Christianity, the Presanctified Liturgy in each local Church was also not celebrated in the same order. To eliminate differences, 600 years after the Nativity of Christ, St. Gregory Dvoeslov, having familiarized himself with how it was performed in different churches, brought it into a uniform order. It was approved by the Holy Ecumenical Councils and introduced for uniform use in all churches. In this order, the Presanctified Liturgy from the time of St. Gregory Dvoeslov continues to this day. Thus, my brothers, now three Liturgies are celebrated in the Church of Christ: the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom and the Presanctified St. Gregory Dvoeslov, and they will be performed in the same order until the end of the century. All of them have their basis in one Divine Liturgy, the foundation of which was laid by our Lord Jesus Christ with St. apostles in the upper room of Zion. (See No. 8 “Bonfire. Eparch. Guided.” for 1888). III. At the end of today’s conversation with you, brothers, I will point out the following. The ancient Christians loved the Divine Liturgy so much, as you heard in this conversation, that they considered it a grave deprivation for themselves to be without the Liturgy for even one week, and therefore even in Great Lent, on the days of fasting and repentance, they wanted to have at least a semblance of it. What a reproach to our negligence and laziness! You and I, listener, how can we be justified before God when, not four times a week, but once a week, St. The Church asks and convinces us to come to the Divine Service, but we do not obey the call of the Church, and for two, sometimes three, four Sundays in a row we do not want to go and pray at the Divine Liturgy? And not every Sunday now asks us to start St. communion of St. Church, but just pray. How, I say, will we be justified before God? It’s a shame to complain about the length of service. Oh, my brothers! There is no need to tie yourself up with the worries of everyday life. “If we,” says St. Athanasius the Great, “for almost a whole week we live as if we were created only for this earth, only to enjoy earthly joys, then at least on Sunday we must remember that we were created for another, incomparably better, most blessed world,” that there is for us another, incomparably better life for which each of us must prepare. “Each of us on this day, says the same St. a husband must certainly come to church, which for us is like the threshold of a blessed heaven.” Amen (Compiled according to source). Conversation No. 6, which briefly explains the entire course of the Divine Liturgy 9 I. Entering the church of God, we will notice that it is divided into two main parts: one is higher than the other, separated from it and accessible only to the clergy who perform their service before the throne and not in ordinary clothes, but in sacred vestments; What does all this mean? The altar is separated from the rest of the church so that you, as an uninitiated, are not worthy to look at the high Sacraments performed in it; that is why he is elevated above the platform. On the altar standing on the left side, the Sacrifice is prepared for your sins, and on the throne it is performed; therefore you must honor it as if it were the very throne of God; the gates leading to it are called Royal, as if the entrance to the Heavenly Kingdom, for through them our Lord Jesus Christ Himself enters and departs to you in the form of a sacrifice; They are also overshadowed by a veil for the greater secrecy of the Sacrament, inaccessible to you. But it is more accessible to priests who are exclusively consecrated for this purpose, the bishop or priests who perform it, and the deacons who serve with him; They all put on special vestments for this service in order to show how, when approaching a shrine, they must have a bright, clear conscience and be elevated in spirit to the contemplation of divine objects. You, though from a distance, mentally follow them and, seeing how sacred their service is before God, honor and love them as your mentors in the faith, as your spiritual fathers who accept your sins from you and make sacrifices for them. II. a) Before the start of the Divine service and during the preparation of the clergy for it, the so-called hours are read in the altar, that is, sublime prayers for different hours of the day, collected together in order to prepare you for pious attention for the Liturgy that is about to begin. When her hours are read before the Liturgy, then in St. Proskomedia is secretly performed on the altar, that is, the beginning of the sacred rite, or the preparation of the Holy Gifts. What does proskomedia mean? The Nativity of Jesus Christ, which followed secretly and alone, in the Bethlehem den. b) Mass, or Liturgy, begins with the blessing of the Kingdom of the Most Holy Trinity, “Father and Son and Holy Spirit,” Which you, as an Orthodox Christian, learned to confess at Holy Baptism, in order to once achieve this Heavenly Kingdom promised to us by our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Then the deacon pronounces short prayer appeals about temporal and eternal blessings, to which the choir of singers, on behalf of all the people, reverently answers: “Lord, have mercy!” So you too, although not aloud, but secretly, to each of these prayers, say in your heart: “Lord, have mercy,” for you must, from the entire depth of your soul, pray for heavenly peace and the salvation of your soul, for all the holy Christian Churches scattered throughout the world, for that church into which you yourself enter with the fear of God and reverence, for the most holy synod, the meeting of the supreme shepherds of the Russian Church, those who dedicate and send you spiritual guides, your fathers; for the most pious Sovereign Emperor, patron and defender of the Orthodox faith. You must also pray for every city and country and those who live in them by faith, for the abundance of the fruits of the earth for common sustenance, for those floating and traveling, suffering, captives, for the deliverance of everyone from all sorrow, anger and need through the intercession and grace of God, and, finally, you must daily and hourly surrender yourself and all your loved ones to Christ God, with the intercession of His Most Pure Mother and all the saints who constantly They pray to Him for our souls, as our true intercessors and intercessors before the heavenly throne. This is the sublime meaning of the first prayerful invocations pronounced by the deacon before the Royal Doors; be attentive to them, for he pronounces them for you: he teaches you to pray to God when you, like a baby, do not know how to open your mouth; If you don’t understand something or don’t hear enough, just say in the simplicity of your heart, but with warm faith: “Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy!” and your prayer will reach God, for your God is near you, and His Church is a treasure specially created by Him, into which He receives prayers brought depending on the strength of each. In the midst of these first prayers, you will already hear a brief confession of faith, which was taught to you in the catechism by your spiritual mentors, who are now performing the divine service before you, and the choir of those singing for you proclaims this confession: how the Only Begotten Son of God, being immortal, deigned for our salvation to become man, being born of the Most Pure Theotokos, the Virgin Mary, and was crucified for us in order to trample upon us with His death our death. After this, the Royal Gates open for the first time before you, and you see the solemn procession of the priest and deacon with the Holy Gospel, so that through this you may remember how our Lord Jesus Christ Himself once appeared into the world to preach that saving Gospel, about which the good news reached you. Therefore, like those who once saw the Lord Himself, you too are called to Him with these words: “Come, let us worship and fall before Christ; save us, Son of God, risen from the dead, us who sing Alleluia to You,” that is, praise, or glory, and this glory is given in prayers to each of the three persons of the Holy Trinity so that you are established in this fundamental teaching of the Christian faith, without which no one can be called a Christian: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us: glory to the Father and Son and Holy Spirit." This is followed by the reading of the Apostolic Epistles, with which the Apostles enlightened the world when they went around the entire universe to teach it the true faith in the Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The reading of the divine acts of Christ is offered to us to hear from His Gospel following the apostolic epistles, so that we learn to imitate Him and love our Savior for His inexpressible love for us, like the children of our father. Then the Royal Doors are closed for a while, from which the good news of the Gospel has flowed to us, and the deacon again proclaims prayers to the God of our fathers, so that, in His great mercy, He will have mercy on us; repeating previous petitions, he adds to them prayers for our departed fathers and brothers, whom we must never forget, so that we too may be remembered by our children before the throne of God. He also prays for all those present in the church who expect great and rich mercies from the Lord, and the choir responds for the people with the threefold “Lord, have mercy,” so that the zeal of those praying will increase by intensifying this appeal to the Lord with each prayer. By the goodness of God, you are an Orthodox Christian and belong to the number of believers; but there are others who are still in the darkness of paganism, for they have not yet received the light of Christ in Holy Baptism, like you. There are some who are just preparing to receive Holy Baptism already in adulthood, and not in infancy. Such persons are called catechumens, because only the voice of true faith has reached them, but they have not yet accepted it in the Sacrament of Baptism, which alone can wash us from sins and make us true children of God on earth; therefore, they cannot yet be present at the celebration of church sacraments: only faithful Christians are called to them, and the unbaptized must be removed from the church at the voice of the deacon: “Catechumens, go out”; but first the faithful pray for them, so that the Lord may have mercy on them, and enlighten them with the word of truth, and unite them with His Church. And you prayed earnestly to God for the catechumens, thanking Him with all your heart for the fact that you yourself already belong to the number of those being saved. c) You have heard the teaching about good, bright angels, constantly standing before the throne of God, who bear different names according to the degree of their glory: archangels, cherubim and seraphim. Now, when the solemn time for the celebration of the Mysteries of Christ approaches, the Church inspires you to become like these blessed spirits, in reverence for the shrine. “We, who in secret form ourselves as cherubim, singing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-giving Trinity, will now put aside all worldly cares in order to raise up the King of all, Christ, carried invisibly by the ranks of angels.” While singing this sacred song, the clergy come from the altar with sacred vessels, which are transferred from the altar to the throne: the priest carries the Chalice, and the deacon holds above his head, on a platter, or paten, the sacred bread intended for the sacrifice and is therefore called the lamb because it depicts Christ, sacrificed for our sins, and after the consecration of the Gifts will serve for the communion of the faithful. Therefore, bow your head reverently before the Holy Gifts, and since the clergy loudly remember during this procession the spiritual and temporal authorities and all Orthodox Christians, pray inwardly that the Lord will remember you in His Kingdom. After this, the Royal Doors are closed and the curtain is lowered; this means that the mystery that is to be performed at the altar is no longer accessible not only to your corruptible eyes, but also to your weak mind, and that only from afar, with pure faith, you can worship it, without trying to penetrate into what is beyond your mind, for the divine does not fit into the human concept. But in order to edify you with prayers during the celebration of the Mysteries, which are inaccessible to you, a deacon comes from the enclosed altar, inspiring you to fulfill your prayer to the Lord; however, these prayers, in accordance with the sublime moment of divine service, should relate more to eternal blessings than to temporary ones, and therefore he prays: to spend every day holy, peacefully and sinlessly; about the peaceful angel, the faithful guardian of our souls and bodies; about forgiveness and forgiveness of our sins; about everything good and useful for our souls; about the end of the rest of our life in peace and repentance, and, finally, about the Christian end of our life, painless, shameless, peaceful, and about a good answer at the terrible judgment seat of Christ, for this should be the everlasting and only goal of our life, which we must all surrender to Christ our God. After these peaceful petitions, to which the choir responds not with the usual words: “Lord, have mercy,” but with others, directly petitioning: “Give, Lord,” the deacon, having heard from the lips of the priest the desire for peace of the whole Church, stirs up all faithful Christians to “love one another in order to confess with one mind,” and the choir, as a sign of this unanimity, finishes his words: “The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity consubstantial and indivisible." This short confession is followed, according to the deacon’s appeal, by a more extensive one, under the name of the Symbol, that is, a model of faith. After the singing of the Creed, the deacon returns to the altar to serve the priest in the celebration of the Mysteries, having first awakened you to stand kindly in the church, with fear and attention, for the peaceful offering of a bloodless sacrifice. Pastoral care also animates the priest in the depths of the altar, when he, having first wished you spiritual blessings from each person of the Holy Trinity (“the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit”), inspires everyone to turn their hearts only to heavenly things and worthily thank God for this. And the choir of those singing, as if confident in your inner disposition, answers for you: “Imams (that is, our hearts) to the Lord” and “It is worthy and righteous to worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, consubstantial and indivisible.” The priest, raising his prayers higher and higher, loudly reminds you of the angels, seraphim, “the victorious, that is, solemn, song of those singing, crying, calling and speaking” to God, and you hear this very song: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, that is, the God of hosts, who filled heaven and earth with His glory.” Now, truly, stand with fear and listen; how the sacrifice of Christ will be offered for you in the interior of the sanctuary! You have heard from the divine Gospel and from the teachings of spiritual mentors how our Lord Jesus Christ on that very night on which He was handed over by one of His disciples into the hands of the Jews to suffer for our sins, having gathered His apostles for the Last Supper, He took bread before them, blessed it and, breaking it, gave it to them to eat, saying: “Take and eat, this is My Body, which is broken for you for the sake of God.” sins"; He also gave them the Cup, saying: “Drink of it, all of you, this is My Blood of the new testament, which is shed for you and for many, for the remission of sins.” These wondrous words of our Savior are pronounced in the hearing of all by the priest standing before the throne and pointing to the offered Holy Gifts - bread and wine, to remind you of the Supper of Christ, which you are preparing to begin. Then he raises them crosswise from the throne, as a Sacrifice ready to be offered for the whole world, exclaiming: “Yours from Yours, what is offered to You for everyone and for everything!”, and makes this Sacrifice by invoking the Holy Spirit on it and blessing, by the power of which the consecrated bread is transformed into the true Body of Christ, which suffered for you on the Cross, and the wine in the cup into the true Blood Christ, poured out from the Cross for you. He himself extends to the earth with fear and reverence before this greatest Sacrament; and you, too, thinking about the inexpressible bounties of God your Savior towards you, humbly bow to the ground while singing “We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You, O Lord, and we pray. Our God,” for this is the most important and solemn moment of the entire Liturgy - the celebration of the Mysteries! After this, the priest remembers all the living and deceased for whom the bloodless Sacrifice was made, starting with the saints who pleased God, and especially (fairly) about the most holy, most pure, most blessed, glorious Lady of our Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, to whom the singing faces give due praise, magnifying Her “the most honorable cherub and the most glorious Seraphim,” for She is truly higher, by grace, without comparison, than all the heavenly angelic powers and is worthy of every blessing on earth, as having given birth to the Savior of our souls. In prayer for the living, the priest also remembers spiritual authority, about the Holy Synod, and asks the Lord, “so that with one heart and one mouth everyone may glorify and sing the honorable and magnificent name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” and for this he wishes for everyone: “The mercies of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ,” for only by His grace can this be fulfilled. Then the deacon again emerges from the enclosed altar and encourages, “having remembered all that is holy, to turn again to prayer, so that the Lord, having accepted our sacrifice on His heavenly altar, would send down to us divine grace and the gifts of the Holy Spirit”; he repeats the same lofty petitions for spiritual benefits that you have already heard before the Mysteries. The priest, considering all those praying to be already sufficiently prepared to receive these blessings, calls on the Lord, “so that He may grant us, without condemnation, to dare to call upon Him as the heavenly God and Father, and to say to Him this prayer, which the Savior Himself once conveyed to His apostles, when they asked Him to teach Him to pray: “Our Father!” And you were taught this prayer before many other prayers; you know it by heart and repeat it every day, morning and evening; but have you penetrated well into its divine meaning? Do you feel how close the Christian God is to those who call on His name, for He is not like the terrible gods of the pagans, inaccessible and alien to them; no, He is close to you, for He is your Father, Who did not spare His Only Begotten Son for you and descends to unity with you in His Holy Spirit, with whom He fills you through the Sacraments of the Church. What could be closer than this union? You are not afraid to speak with your earthly father - do not shun the heavenly, speak to Him with filial love and simplicity of heart: “Our Father who dwells in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, both in heaven and on earth.” But when will all this happen? When you yourself fulfill His will, renouncing the vicious attractions of your own will; when you sanctify your life with virtues, in the name of your heavenly Father, Who will accept you into His Kingdom and, in His goodness, will choose your own heart as His dwelling place and throne on which He will reign in you. Next, what are you asking for? Daily bread. And do not desire unnecessary things, thinking about eternal life rather than temporary life; ask for forgiveness of your sins and you will truly receive it if you pay your debtors with the same forgiveness; and the Lord will deliver you from temptations and all troubles, for the sake of your humility. After a secret prayer over those who have bowed their heads, in the voice of the deacon, the priest, drawing the curtain, proclaims: “Holy to holies,” that is, the Holy Gifts for all holy people, so that you feel with what reverence and purity you should approach such a shrine; You, imbued with your unworthiness, repeat mentally along with the choir: “One is Holy, One is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father, amen.” At this time, the clergy inside the altar reverently begin to receive communion of the holy and terrible Mysteries of Christ. Follow mentally into the interior of the sanctuary, as if to the very supper of Christ with His disciples, and if you yourself are preparing for the communion of St. Mystery, then, while there is still time - the curtain is lowered and the Royal Gates are closed, reject with your heart all your sins, which the day before you confessed in the sacrament of repentance before your spiritual father, lament about them and pray to the Lord to give you enough firmness so as not to repeat them. With such a spiritual disposition, proceed to the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, when, with the opening of the Royal Doors, the deacon exclaims: “Proceed with the fear of God and faith.” But before communion, you will be required to make an oral confession of this faith; listen to the words that you will pronounce after the priest before the chalice, before the face of Christ: “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, of whom I am the first. I also believe that this is Your most pure Body and this is Your most honorable Blood, and so I pray to You: have mercy on me and forgive me all my sins, voluntary and involuntary, committed by me in word or deed, knowledge or ignorance, and grant me, without condemnation, to partake of Your most pure Mysteries for the remission of sins and eternal life.” Remember that, begging the Lord to accept you as a partaker of His supper, you promise Him not to reveal His Mysteries to His enemies, not to give Him a kiss, like Judas who betrayed Him, but like the thief who believed in Him on the Cross, to confess: “Remember me, Lord, in Your Kingdom,” so that this communion of the Holy Mysteries may not be a condemnation for you, but for the healing of your soul and body. Then, having overshadowed yourself with the sign of the cross and folded your hands crosswise, dare to approach the saving chalice and accept the body of Christ and taste the immortal source - His Blood - for the remission of sins and eternal life, and again bow before them with reverence when the priest, carrying them from the throne to the altar, in memory of the Ascension into heaven of the Lord, will show you one more time the Holy Gifts at the Royal Gates and will proclaim: “Always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages,” for you have definitely, in the words of the singing choir, “seen the true light, received the heavenly Spirit, acquired true faith and worship the indivisible Trinity, which saved you,” and therefore pray to Her “to fill your lips with praises to the Lord, so that you can sing His glory all day long.” The deacon departs for the last time after communion of the terrible Mysteries of Christ and, having asked the Lord for a peaceful, holy and sinless course of the whole day, he reminds us to give ourselves and each other to Christ God, and the priest in the middle of the church reads a prayer of absolution for a peaceful departure from the church. Then standing at the Royal Doors, he blesses the people for the last time and, proclaiming glory to God, gives everyone the consoling hope that “Christ, our true God, for the sake of the prayers of His Most Pure Mother and all the saints, will have mercy and save us, as a good man and lover of mankind.” III. This, my brothers, is, in general terms, the composition of the Divine Liturgy, full of deep meaning and high edification for Christians. In subsequent conversations we will study it in more detail, so that we can attend this sacred service with as much understanding as possible, with faith, love, reverence and fear of God. (Compiled with some additions based on the Letters about Muravyov’s worship). Appendix to conversation No. 6. Opinion of St. Fathers of the Church about those standing indecently at the Divine Liturgy Inattention, extreme negligence when performing the greatest of the Sacraments of the Orthodox Church is not new in our time. There have been bad Christians before, who humiliate and disgrace everything in Christianity. Of course, they could not help but evoke the most severe reproofs from the teachers of the Church, who so zealously cared that everything holy was done holy, both on the part of those who perform holy things and on the part of those present at the same time, in a word, holy on all sides. We present to you, my brethren, one or two examples of such accusations so that, after reading them, you strictly interrogate your conscience whether they also fall on you, at least from one side. This is what Saint Anastasius of Sinai said: 10 “In the Church of God, we do not want to stand before God for even one hour as we should. If the reading of the Gospel takes a little longer, we become indignant and wander our eyes senselessly. If the priest continues the prayers he says a little longer, we become bored and inattentive. If the one who makes the bloodless Sacrifice performs this divine deed a little slower, we yawn and doze. We would rather be freed from prayer than from a court case. Great is our misfortune! Others think not about with what purity and with what repentance one should approach the sacred meal, but about what kind of clothes one should put on. Others, having come to church, do not stand quietly for a single hour, engaging in empty conversations and listening more to worthless stories than to prayers. They do not try at all to cleanse their conscience from the impurities of sin through repentance, but, carrying the burden of sins with them, look at the faces and beauty of women and thus completely forget that the church of God is a house of prayer. Don’t you see how Judas, who unworthily and with an insidious thought accepted the Divine Body, immediately fell under condemnation and gave the most extensive space to the devil? Because it is said that when he took the bread, Satan immediately entered into him. Tell me, with what conscience do you approach the Mysteries? With what location? What do you think, you who have an accusing conscience? If you have dirty hands, do you dare touch the royal clothes? What am I saying - royal?! You do not touch your clothes with unclean hands, but first you clean and wash them, and then you put on your clothes. But you cannot give Christ the honor that you give to worthless clothes. Because it is not enough to come to the Church of God and worship St. icons and kiss the Cross: cleansing does not consist in washing hands with water, but in washing away sinful impurities, in confession, tears, contrition and humility of heart. But, perhaps, someone will say, I don’t have tears ready to mourn myself. And for what reason? Because you don’t work, you don’t renew in your memory the terrible day of judgment. If you cannot cry, then at least mourn, suppress laughter, put aside arrogance and present yourself to the Lord with fear; turn your eyes down and confess to Him with a contrite and humble heart. Don’t you know with what respect the king of the earth is treated? They fix their eyes on him with trepidation, approach him silently, without obscene movement, without amusement, but quietly and with fear. And we hardly act differently in church than in the theater, laughing, talking idle, not thinking at all that we are in church. “Hear what the deacon proclaims: “Let us become kind, let us become fearful; Let us hear, - bring holy offerings to the world." So, let us conclude our thoughts, tie our tongues; how on wings we lift our minds and hearts to grief; let us ascend to heaven; woe are our minds and hearts; grief - to God - we will lift up our spiritual eyes, we will pass through heaven, we will pass through angels, we will pass through cherubim, we will reach the very throne of God, we will kiss the most pure noses of the Lord, water ourselves with tears and pray for mercy towards us; This is what the priest proclaims to us and the priest prays about this when he says: “Woe is our heart.” How do we respond to this? Imams to the Lord. What are you saying, what are you doing, man? The priest brings a bloodless Sacrifice to the Lord for you, but you are negligent; the priest takes care of you and, standing before the altar, as if before a terrible judgment seat, prays to the Lord that He would send you from heaven the grace of the Holy Spirit, and you do not think at all about your salvation. Your mind is tied to perishable and mortal things, occupied with money, trade, pleasures, litigation, but you say: “I have a woeful heart.” No, you do not have a heart turned to grief, but to the bottom - towards vain things and what pleases the devil. Remove this bad and empty custom from yourself. Combine your prayer with the prayer of the priest. The prayer of a righteous person will bring much success.” Conversation No. 7. On how to maintain continuous reverence while attending the Divine Liturgy I. The entire rite of the Divine Liturgy is aimed at ensuring that, while present at its celebration, we constantly feel reverence and are confirmed in piety. Everything in it reminds us of the life and deeds of Jesus Christ - from His birth to His ascension to heaven. Be careful, brethren, to what you see and what you hear; pay attention not only to external actions, but also to their spiritual signification - and you will not remain indifferent to the lofty, touching and amazing actions depicted in the Liturgy. II. a) When the proskomedia is celebrated, the substance of the Eucharist is prepared and portions are offered for the living and the dead, fulfill every duty of holy love for your neighbors, remember before God your parents, benefactors and relatives, living and dead, and all Orthodox Christians. This is the best preparation of the soul for serving God: by remembering our neighbors, living and dead, before God, we nourish within ourselves love for our neighbors and for God, we expand and warm this love, and thus we do good to both our neighbors and ourselves - our neighbors, because we pray and propitiate the philanthropic God for them - to ourselves, because by doing good to others, we fulfill our duty and collect good for our soul. At the same time, remembering that the altar depicts the birth of Christ the Savior in the den of Bethlehem, reflect and reverently marvel at the ineffable sacrament - how the Beginningless One begins, the Bodiless One is incarnated, the Creator accepts the image of the creature, the Immeasurable One is contained in the measure of infancy, and the Incontainable One is placed in a manger. Think, what a miracle! Eternal and living from eternity in glory, in the unapproachable light, begins to live among people and remains for a long time in obscurity, like the son of Mary, like the son of the Tectons. The hours read in the meantime should also not be left without attentive listening: touching psalms and prayers lift the mind and heart to the heavenly and prepare them for the contemplation of the Mysteries, depicted by the subsequent actions of the Liturgy. b) When the priest proclaims: “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” and you be free from all earthly thoughts and worries in order to glorify the Kingdom of the Holy Trinity with a pure mind and heart, and turn all your thoughts and feelings to what your ears will hear, what your eyes will see, and to which your spirit can ascend along the ladder of visible sacred rites. c) You hear the cry: “In peace (in the world) let us pray to the Lord; “Let us pray to the Lord for peace from above and the salvation of our souls, Let us pray to the Lord for the peace of the whole world, the welfare of God’s holy churches, and the unity of all,” and other petitions. Do not let a single petition pass without attention and without heartfelt participation. Remember that we, as Christians, are all one family, or one body, whose head is Christ. The higher and lower members of society are members of the same body, subject to the same Head. Therefore, everyone should pray for each other, and everyone for everyone. Just as we must love everyone and sincerely wish for everyone the beneficial blessings for present and future life, so we must pray to God for everyone, diligently asking Him for mercy to each and every one according to his need. This is what the apostle commanded: “So, first of all, I ask that prayers, petitions, supplications, thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and for all those in authority; that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and purity: for this is good and pleasing to God our Savior” (1 Tim. 2:1-3). d) The Small Entrance, or procession with the Gospel, depicts the coming of the Savior to preach and walk through cities and villages. Therefore, seeing the procession with the Gospel, remember and reflect on how the Omnipresent and Omni-filling One, having clothed himself in human nature, traveled preaching through different countries of Galilee, Samaria and Judea, experiencing all the infirmities and needs of human nature, except for sin; he was tired from the journey, he was thirsty, he was hungry, he had nowhere to lay his head - and at the same time he spread the light of saving teaching everywhere, he did miraculous benefits everywhere, as he himself told the disciples of John the Baptist: “Go, tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised” (Luke 7:22). d) “Wisdom, forgive me!” - the deacon exclaims, inspiring you with attention and reverence for what is happening. The face sings: come, let us worship and fall before Christ. And you worship Christ the Savior and cry from the depths of your soul: “Save us, Son of God!” Contemplate Him in your spirit as being inherent in you, as seeing all your weaknesses, as knowing all your needs and dangers, present and future. f) When you hear the angelic song being sung: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal,” - and you, like the angels of heaven, are lifted up with reverence on the mountain and glorify God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit - the Father, holy and righteous in His definitions - the Son, who crushed the power of death and hell and opened the gates to the Kingdom Heavenly, and the Spirit, who accomplishes your salvation and gives you life and immortality. Pray to God Almighty, may he grant you, together with the faces on high, to always glorify Him and sing the thrice-holy hymn to Him and have mercy on you according to His great mercy. g) When the prokeimenon is sung before the reading of the apostle, pray to God that He will grant you with love to worthily listen to the gospel of His holy apostles. Listen to the apostle reading as if he were the apostle himself, proclaiming to you the way of salvation. h) While listening to the Gospel, imagine how you would hear the Lord Himself preaching to you about salvation. Christ sent the apostles before Him, and He Himself taught; That is why the teaching of the apostle was first offered to you, and then you hear the good news of the Lord. Listen and accept every word as if pouring out from the lips of the Lord Savior Himself. i) When, after the Gospel, various petitions are again proclaimed - and again, do not let a single petition pass without the attention and participation of your soul, but with tenderness pray and ask the Lord for everything that His Church begs for. Give freedom to your soul to expand in love for your neighbors and for God and in reverent prayerful boldness before Him, through faith in the boundless merits and intercession of Christ the Savior. j) When you hear a deacon proclaiming: “The catechumens, come forth,” remember who this proclamation was addressed to? To those who were preparing for baptism, and to those who, for some grave sins, were in a state of repentance and were not allowed to receive the Holy Mysteries. Go inside yourself and think before the face of the omnipresent God, don’t you also belong to the number of the last in your sins, which are open before the Omniscient? Doesn’t your conscience tell you that you are unworthy to be a communicant of the great Divine Mysteries, and therefore only through the condescension of the Church do you now remain in the celebration of these holy and terrible Mysteries? Realizing your unworthiness, pray all the more fervently, my brother, to the Lord for the remission of your sins and for your salvation, and make a sincere and firm intention from now on to live worthy of your calling in Christ, purely and holy. k) The Great Entrance, or the transfer of prepared gifts from the altar to the throne, depicts the procession of the Holy Jesus Christ to free suffering, as an immaculate Sacrifice to the slaughter, while more than twelve legions of angels were ready to serve Him as their King and God. The King of kings and Lord of lords comes to sacrifice: imagine you too, Christ the Savior humiliated, dragged among reproaches and insults of all kinds from Gethsemane to the high priests Annas and Caiaphas, from these to Pilate, finally condemned to death and marching under the burden of the Cross to Golgotha. An indescribable and incomprehensible spectacle appears here to the eyes of believers: hosts of cherubim, invisibly surrounding, with fear and trembling accompany and glorify the King and their God; and the God-Man, like a gentle lamb, is led to the slaughter for the sins of the world, brought to the place of execution, and the hands of the wicked nail Him to the Cross! Listen to the cherubic song. The mystery of Christ’s humiliation has been revealed to you, and you, joining the cherubim, glorify the King of glory, who reigns together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, singing to Him: “Alleluia!” and, bowing your head before the gifts that are being transferred, cry out with your mind and heart: “Remember me, Lord, when you come in Your Kingdom. Remember me, Master, when you come to Your Kingdom. Remember me, Holy One, when you come into Your Kingdom.” m) Listen to the confession of faith each time with renewed attention and reverence, for in this faith is the foundation of your spiritual life, life-giving light for the mind and heart; Without this faith, a person wanders in the darkness of ignorance and delusion. After confessing your saving faith, pray to God: “Confirm me, Lord, in this true faith, even in my confessions, and grant me, having hated everything in my life, to have a heart for You, and to worthily praise Your all-holy name, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” m) You hear the celebrant proclaiming: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all”; - and you open your soul before God, directing all your thoughts, feelings and desires to Him, so that you will be worthy of the gifts of God and remain a partaker of them now and hereafter. o) Woe is our heart, the priest cries, we thank the Lord! Singing a song of victory, crying out... - and you lift up your mind and heart to the mountain, thank God for all His great and unspeakable blessings, for the fact that by His grace He created this world and brought you from non-existence into existence, adorned you with His image, raised the fallen, sending His only begotten Son into the world, enlightened you with the light of His teaching and gave you saving Sacraments. Worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, consubstantial and indivisible. n) When the priest exclaims: “Take, eat, this is My Body... Drink of it, all of you, this is My Blood...”, listen to his voice, as the voice of the Lord Himself, speaking and calling everyone to this most holy and saving meal. Believe without a doubt that, just as then, at the last supper, the Lord Himself taught His disciples His true Body and His true Blood, so now, on the holy throne, He Himself, through His servant, prepares and offers to everyone His true Body and His true Blood as saving food. p) When you hear: “What is Yours from Yours is offered to You for everyone and for everything,” bow down in reverence before God the Father, glorify His infinite greatness, thank Him for all His good deeds, ask and pray to Him for everything and for everything. At this time, all your prayers will more conveniently ascend to the throne of the Almighty God, for a terrible Sacrament is now being performed at the altar, a great Sacrifice is being offered to God, the Body and Blood of Christ the Savior, both for everyone and for the sake of everything. There is no other highest, most perfect and more pleasing to God sacrifice than this most holy bloodless Sacrifice, acting by the power of the one sacrifice offered by the Only Begotten Son of God in Himself on the altar of the cross. Pour out your whole soul before this great Sacrifice. Glorify God and thank Him for everything that you have received from Him in yourself and in others - ask Him for forgiveness and cleansing of all your sins, for the sake of this purest and most pleasing sacrifice to Him - ask for all the blessings you need on the path of this life to achieve eternal life - pray to the merciful Heavenly Father for all your relatives and friends, living and dead, and for all Orthodox Christians. The Holy Church calls you to this when it fills your ears with a solemn and touching song: “We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You, Lord, and we pray to You, our God.” c) When they sing: “It is worthy that You are truly blessed, Theotokos...” and you glorify the most blessed and immaculate Mother of Christ our God; pray to Her, that She may intercede for you before the throne of the King and our God, together with all the saints. r) According to the cry of the celebrant: “And grant us, O Master, with boldness without condemnation to call upon You, the heavenly God the Father...” and you, as adopted by God the Father through His Only Begotten Son, the Savior of the world, pray to Him, with filial boldness, as the Son of God, Jesus Christ, taught us to pray. The Sacrifice presented on the throne, offered by Christ Himself to God for the living and the dead, brings us closer to God and gives us boldness with childlike devotion and hope to pray to Him as the all-good and child-loving Father and Giver of all good gifts. He, through the intercession of His Son, grants blessings to all who ask Him, for His is the kingdom and the power and the glory. y) You hear: “Holy to saints, there is one holy, one Lord, Jesus Christ”: remember that “Following the example of the Holy One who called you,” we too must be holy in all our lives. “For it is written: Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15–16), as far as this weakness of our nature is accessible. f) When the Royal Doors open, you see the Holy Gifts and hear: “Approach with the fear of God and faith”; - with fear and faith, bow down to the Holy Gifts, as to Christ the Savior Himself, who died for us, rose on the third day and appeared to His disciples, and glorify the King Christ: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord: God is the Lord and has appeared to us!” – If you do not approach holy communion, then internally condemn your unworthiness, which does not allow you to the most holy mysteries of the Body and Blood of the Lord, and glorify the boundless goodness of Christ the Savior, who always calls everyone to His Divine table. x) Again you see the Holy Gifts transferred from the throne to the altar and revealed in the Royal Doors: in this transfer of St. The Mystery appears to you as an image of the ascension of Christ the Savior into heaven. Contemplating this, direct the gaze of your soul to heaven to the ascended Lord and pray to Him: “O Christ our God, who has ascended into heaven, lift up our minds, having left us carnal wisdom and earthly cares, to always listen to and follow your saving commands. Fill our lips with Thy praise, that we may sing Thy glory; establish us in Your holiness, let us learn Your righteousness all our days, alleluia!” c) After accepting the absolution prayer blessing, thank the Lord and God Jesus Christ for the fact that He has deigned you to be present at this service, to see images of His service to the salvation of the human race, His suffering, death, resurrection and ascension, to participate by faith and prayer in the great and terrible sacrifice and to offer prayers, praise, thanksgiving, and propitiation to God the Father for the living and the dead. When leaving the church, entrust to God your soul and body, thoughts and words, intentions and deeds, entrances and exits, life and the end of your days; Set the firm intention on this day and in the following time to always nourish in your soul the reverent thoughts and desires that you had when standing before the bloodless Sacrifice, and pray to God and the Lord Jesus that He Himself, by the grace of His Spirit, would assist you in a good intention and He Himself would guide and strengthen you in the fulfillment of His commandments all the days of your life. III. Whoever, with attention and holy zeal, studies the celebration of the sacraments of the Divine Liturgy and reverently attends its celebration, will find here an inexhaustible source of edification, spiritual enlightenment, sanctification, consolation and joy. And who cannot be edified here? The righteous here learns the highest righteousness and is perfected in a holy life, rising in piety and virtue through the collective prayers of the Church and the sacrament of the most holy meal of the Body and Blood of the Lord. The sinner is awakened to repentance and contrition for his sins, having before him a bloodless Sacrifice offered to propitiate the Heavenly Father and, trusting in the power of the propitiatory Sacrifice, he is strengthened in the hope of receiving remission of sins. Rich one, recognize here the insignificance of your wealth before the greatness of the gifts of grace. Poor one, do not be discouraged in your poverty, but be comforted by faith and hope in the goodness of the Heavenly Father; for you see that He, good and all-generous, does not remove you from His supper, does not block your access to the participation of the greatest Gifts, with which no earthly treasures can be equal. Great Wise One, humble yourself here before the height of the incomprehensible Mystery and before the greatness of Him who works invisibly through His servant in secret and gives Divine saving food to all who come to Him, - Who resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Poor in spirit and humble, ascend with your mind and heart up this wondrous ladder of sacred rites, and establish your soul at the height of fiery love for God and zeal for keeping His commandments, feeding on the heavenly manna of the Body and Blood of the Lord. Truly, here, in the Divine Liturgy, wonderful manna, angelic bread, containing all spiritual sweetness, falls from heaven. Whoever hungers and thirsts in spirit, come, eat and drink, to satisfy your hunger, to quench your thirst. Christ has prepared a wonderful meal in the midst of the desert of this ancient land and calls everyone to it, granting saving saturation and eternal life to all who come worthily. Glory and honor, thanksgiving and worship to Him, the merciful Savior and our God, with the eternal and good Father and the Holy Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages! Amen. (Compiled from “Conversations on the Holy Sacraments” by Eusebius, Archbishop of Mogilev). Appendix to conversation No. 7. Reverent reflections of Christians while listening to the Divine Liturgy, evoked by one or another of its sacred rites, chants and prayers 11 During the gospel for the Liturgy. Lord, grant to my hearing joy and joy, those to whom the transgressions of Thy law have been forgiven, whose sins are covered by Thy mercy! Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, that, according to Thy great mercy, with trust in Thy goodness I will go to Thy house and reverently worship Thee in Thy holy church. Oh, how desirable are Your dwellings, O Lord of hosts! Thy altars, O King and my God! It is better to be at the threshold of Your house than in the palaces of wickedness: one day, in Your courts there are thousands better than others! Blessed are those who rejoice when it is said to them: Let us go to the house of the Lord! Blessed are those who ask one thing from the Lord, seeking only to abide in Thy house, O God, all the days of their lives, to perfect its beauty! Blessed are those who dwell in Your house, who continually praise You, O Lord! Before entering the church. Leave me, the perverse desires of my heart, leave me alone, evil thoughts: my soul renounces you, abhors you! My spirit is yearning, yearning for my God! God! despite the enemies of my soul, show me Your mercy, arrange my salvation! I love the abode of Your house and the dwelling place of Your glory, O God! Delightful for the soul, desirable for the heart, is the beauty of Your shrine. I confess You, Lord, among the multitude of believers; I will praise Your name in Your church, I will offer You the sacrifice of my praise, I will pay You the vow of my soul. Upon entering the church, standing in the chosen place. God, be merciful to me, a sinner! God, cleanse my sins and have mercy on me! My Creator, save me, Thy creation, for Thy name's sake! During censing before the Liturgy. May our prayer rise up like incense before Your face, O God! Accept her as a fragrant sacrifice! Break our hearts with true repentance; turn away Your face from our sins; let us pronounce Your name with clean lips, Heavenly Father! Open them, that they may proclaim Your praise, and make us an acceptable sacrifice to You by Jesus Christ. Blessed is the Kingdom 12.... Blessed is Thy, Triune God, gracious Kingdom, holy. Thy Church, the race chosen by Thy, the people taken into Thy inheritance, called out of darkness into the wonderful light of Thy knowledge, to proclaim Thy perfections, to fulfill Thy law, to keep Thy statutes! Blessed be Thy for them, O Almighty, industry and economy! Blessed are You, Father of mercy and all consolation, who snatched us from the power of darkness and placed us in the Kingdom of Your beloved Son! Grant us the grace to act worthy of this Kingdom, enlighten the eyes of our hearts with the Holy Spirit, whom You poured out on us, so that we may know what is the hope of our calling and how rich is Your inheritance for the saints! Grant us, Triune God, to glorify You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. Let us pray to the Lord in peace.... Come down from Thy holy height, direct our hearts into Thy peace and love, O Lord! Show us Your mercy and accept our prayers, petitions, supplications and thanksgivings! About the world above.... You, Lord, are our peace, who came into this world to satisfy God’s justice for our sins, to reconcile with Yourself everything earthly and heavenly! Bless us with Your peace and save us with Your salvation! About the peace of the whole world....Speak Your peace, O God, to all the borders of the earth, spread, establish and exalt Your gracious Kingdom - Your Church, gather into the depths of it all who are called by Your name, so that all the peoples of this world may come to its light, worship it and know that You have loved it with eternal love! About this holy church. Be kind, O Lord, to this holy place, and with Thy providence support this church until the end of the world, cover with Thy grace those who built it, who adorned the splendor of Thy shrines, bless them with Thy earthly and heavenly blessing, sanctify with Thy grace all who worship in this holy church. About the Most Holy Synod... Make wise the shepherds You have given us by Your grace, inflame their hearts with zeal for converting the lost to the path of truth, for the instruction of the faithful, for the perfection of the saints and for the building of Your Church. About the most pious Sovereign... Gird with Your power the Sovereign Emperor who reigns over us, according to Your favor, send down to him everything that his heart desires, for the glory of Your most holy name, grant him Your judgment and Your righteousness, make him the subject of the blessing of the peoples entrusted to his power and prolong his years in peace and prosperity. About his heir... Overshadow with the blessing of Your goodness the entire august house of our king, pour out Your mercy on the rulers sent from him, guide the rulers and all our powers by Your law, strengthen and make invincible our army, sealed with Your name! About assistance... Raise the right hand of our king, bring Your fear to his enemies, may his weapons crush them, grant him and us deep and serene peace. About the reigning city... May the eyes of Your favor be on our fatherland, protect this city and our dwellings with Your providence, bless us and our families, grant success to the works of our hands and do not abandon us who trust in Your name! About the goodness of the air... Extend Your mercy to us, do not cease to have mercy on us, send rains in due time, grant us times of fertile and peaceful times and give us the food necessary for the continuation of our temporary existence, filling our hearts with joy! About those floating... Be everything to everyone! Fill our needs, accompany those who swim with Your thoughts, accompany those who travel, heal the sick, heal the sick and suffering, bring the captives to freedom and save us all, by what destinies you know. O deliver us... Do not punish us in Your wrath, deliver us from civil strife and invasions of enemies, from floods and fires, from famine, from pestilence and from every social disaster, since we trust in You; but primarily save us from enslavement to sin and from every evil deed! Most holy, most pure... But we are defiled by sins; Therefore, our prayers are unclean, lifeless, unworthy of Your attention, Lord! In this consciousness, we offer to Your love for mankind the prayers pleasing to You for us from our Most Immaculate and Most Holy Lady, Your Mother, the Savior! Hear Her intercession for us with the prayers of all Your saints! Have mercy on us through their intercessions, having accepted our life and hope into the hands of Your mercy, grant us the grace to live and die for the glory of Your most holy name! As it befits... For You alone are worthy of eternal glory and reverent worship! Give glory to Your name; deign us also to glorify You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. During the singing of the 1st antiphon. 13 Our God, loving of mankind, boundless in mercy! Blessed is Thy glory in this place! Delightful for the soul, desirable for the heart, is the beauty of Your shrine! Bring Your favor to this church and to those who worship You in the midst of its splendor! Be close to us when we call on You; extend Your mercy to those who trust in Your name, may all those who seek You rejoice and be comforted, may they give glory and honor to You, may they give glory to Your name. Like Your power... For You support everything by the power of Your omnipotence, and You have mercy on everyone according to Your goodness! Your kingdom is above all principality and power; To you alone belongs boundless glory, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. During the singing of the 2nd antiphon. Praise the name of the Lord, praise Him, servants of the Lord, who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God! Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice before Him with trembling; preach His salvation from day to day, worship at His footstool, sing to Him and exalt His glorious name; glory and majesty are before Him; power and beauty in His sanctuary! Blessed are those who know Your name, O God, who walk in the light of Your face! Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who cling to His commandments! For He is good and a lover of mankind... Glory to Thy inexhaustible goodness and love for mankind, our God! Glory to You, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. During the entrance with the Gospel. Lord Jesus Christ, our God, who took upon Himself our weak nature in order to illuminate the human race, enveloped in the darkness of sin, with the light of true knowledge of God! Lamb of God, indicated by Your Forerunner, who took upon Himself the sins of the whole world! Your angels looked at Your procession with amazement when You, preaching repentance, called people into Your blessed Kingdom! Glory and thanksgiving to Your inscrutable love for mankind; glory to Your wondrous looking after us; glory to You, who enlightened us with Your Gospel! What shall we bring to You for Your countless benefits? What shall we render to the Lord for all that He has done for us? Come, let us bow down and fall before Him; for He is good, for His mercy is eternal! During the singing of the Trisagion. Who, like You, is as great in holiness, O venerable God, incomprehensible in Your greatness, wondrous in Your saints, in whom You dwell as in Your churches! Seraphim and cherubim, thousands of thousands of angels serve You, ten thousand heavenly armies stand before You! And with all this, according to Your unsearchable mercy, You draw us mortals to You with the bonds of Your love, and You have deigned us sinners to offer You the sacrifice of glorification - to extol Your name! Grant us the grace to pronounce it without condemnation, send down on us the spirit of tenderness, crush our hearts with repentance, cleanse, wash, sanctify us with Your Sacraments; Receive this thrice-holy hymn from our lips and have mercy on us with Your eternal mercy! Before reading the Apostolic Scriptures. God, who protected us with the word of life, which your apostles preached, moved by the Holy Spirit! By the arrangement of Your providence, their life-giving words proclaim peace to us, preaching the joy of salvation in Your name! Send down upon us the spirit of wisdom and understanding to understand the truths preached by Your apostles, and enlighten the eyes of our hearts to a living knowledge of what is the hope of Your calling and how rich is Your glorious inheritance for the saints, may we glorify You with them forever and ever. Amen. During incense before reading the Gospel. Christ the Savior! destroy the deadly power of sinfulness reigning in me with the life-giving fragrance of the knowledge of God revealed by You; Grant us a living knowledge of his truths, so that we, abiding in Thy love, may keep Thy commandments! May the power of Your word embrace and penetrate us to our salvation, and may the fragrance of Your knowledge spread to the utmost limits of this world! Before reading the Gospel. You, O Savior, are our Light, who came into the world to enlighten us with the true knowledge of God! Enlighten us to accept Your instructions, to have You, the God of minds, in our minds and hearts, to delve into Your words, to assimilate Your revelations! May we walk in Your light; may our love for You increase more and more in the knowledge of You and in every good feeling; may the fruit of our deeds be holiness, and the goal of our temporary life be eternal life; May we glorify You with Your beginningless Father and with Your ever-present Holy Spirit forever and ever! Amen. At the end of the Gospel reading. Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee! Glory to Your economy, glory to Your providence for our salvation! Grant us the grace to henceforth spend the time of our pilgrimage on earth with fear, to die to sin and walk in newness of life! Do not allow us to become fussy in our thoughts, so that we do not perish from the vicissitudes of our minds, but, growing in the knowledge of Thy, appear pure and justified on the day of Thy coming, Amen. With all our hearts... Have mercy on us, Lord, show us Your mercy and give us Your salvation! Lord Almighty... Hope of our fathers! our strength, strength and refuge! arrange by Your providence that we will always be Your people, so that both our present and all our future generations will place their hope in You alone and keep Your commandments. Have mercy on us, O God... Merciful, slow to anger, forgiving of iniquity, our God! atone for Your own sake our crimes, wash away our uncleanness and have mercy on us for the sake of Your holy name! About the most pious... Protect our most pious Sovereign with the weapon of Thy benevolence, make the scepter of His Kingdom a scepter of righteousness and truth, crush his enemies, defeat those who hate him, bring under his rule the peoples who desire war, and grant him success in all his endeavors and deeds, to the glory of Thy most holy name! About his wife... Preserve the entire august house of our king in blooming health, extend His seed throughout the generations, establish his throne with mercy and righteousness and make it unshakable until the end of the world! About the most holy... Do good to Thy Church, clothe our shepherds and priests in Thy truth, pour out Thy Spirit on them, and may Thy grace not depart from them! About all their Christ-loving things... Bless Your army with Your overshadowing, grant them irresistible strength, may Your angel go before them, subduing the enemies of our Fatherland! About our brethren... Save, O Lord, and have mercy on those honored by You with the grace of the priesthood, who raise their hands to You and offer You their prayers and supplications; remember all our brothers who serve in Your holy monasteries and labor in the monastic ranks. O blessed and ever-memorable... Remember, by Thy mercy, who fell asleep in the sleep of death in the hope of achieving resurrection into eternal life, the patriarchs, bishops, Thy priests, kings and queens who reigned for the glory of Thy most holy name, forefathers, parents, brothers, our relatives and all who died in the saving faith in You! Cleanse them with Your grace from all sinful defilement and place them in those desired abodes in which there is no illness, no sorrow, no tears, no groans, but Your ever-present light fills Your chosen ones with eternal bliss and indescribable joy. About those who bear fruit... Remember, Lord, those who benefit this church for the establishment of its splendor and the service performed in it to You; Reward them for their earthly blessings with heavenly ones, and for perishable ones with incorruptible ones. Remember those who labor here, who pray to You, glorify You and give praise to Your name; count them among the company of those who sing a new song before Your throne; remember all of us who stand here before Your face, expecting mercy from You, remember also those who are not present here for reasons worthy of respect, and have mercy on them and us according to Your great mercy! How merciful... For, according to Your boundless goodness, It is Your nature to have mercy and love the human race, and our blessedness is to thank You for Your countless blessings, to give You all honor and reverent worship and to glorify You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. During the litany for the catechumens. Who does not want the sinner to die, but who wants all people to be saved! Illuminate with the light of Your Gospel all those who are enveloped in the darkness of unbelief, heresies and schisms, mostly those who have already realized their errors and have turned to Your Church. Show them the path of Thy justification, instruct them in Thy truth, revive them to a living hope, to an incorruptible inheritance kept in heaven, lead them into Thy holy Church and give them an inheritance with all the saints! - But am I worthy to stand in this place with Your faithful servants, Lord? Delving into my conscience, I realize that although I am enlightened by Your knowledge of God, have tasted the Heavenly Gifts and have become a partaker of the Holy Spirit and the power of the next century, I am leading a life so sinful, as if I have no idea about the very beginnings of the teaching of the Gospel; for, through hardening in sins, I became like the earth that produces thorns and thistles, worthy of curse and burning! Oh, have mercy and mercy on me, O God of goodness! Wash me with tears of repentance and unite me with Your holy Church: so that with all those who have mercy on You, I too will glorify Your holy name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. During the 1st prayer of the faithful. I thank Your forbearance, Eternal Goodness, for which, waiting for my repentance in order to have mercy on me and have mercy on me, You have not yet cast me out with Your righteous judgment outside of Your Church; but, calling me by Your grace to cry and lament about my sins, He also allowed me to stand in the assembly of believers before Your Face. Do not allow me to continue to live according to the stubbornness of my evil heart, to discredit Your Church with my life; but give me the grace to correct my morals, act according to Your commandments, leave my vicious ways, turn to You with all my heart! Yes, with all the strength of my soul and body I glorify You and give the honor and worship due to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. During the 2nd prayer of believers. Trusting in Your mercy and hoping for Your goodness, with all our souls we call on You and pray for Your goodness, our God! Open Thy ear and hear our groans; grant us with all our hearts to seek You while we can be found, to call on You while You are close to us, and to pronounce Your holy name without condemnation! Cleanse our souls and bodies from all sinful defilement, keep us from creeping and lawlessness, from participating in the fruitless deeds of darkness, so that, protected by Your grace and sanctified by it in spirit and body, we glorify Your power that protects us, Father, Son, and Holy Soul, forever and ever. Amen. During the Cherubic Song. Much-merciful, long-suffering, Christ the Savior, who loved His beings to the end! Grant us the grace to mortify in ourselves all evil lusts, to put aside anger, hypocrisy, malice, envy, vain earthly worries and all addiction to the world and its blessings. Our hearts have melted, even at this hour, with cherubic love for You and deign us to focus all our minds and all our thoughts on You, even at the present moment, at this sacred rite of Your Church, forming Your solemn procession to Jerusalem, when You arbitrarily gave Yourself up to suffer for our crimes, and underwent the most cruel torment for our iniquities. Oh, the Holiest of all saints, numbered among the transgressors, who took upon Himself our infirmities and raised our illnesses! You, having given Yourself up to the slaughter, being tormented, did not open Your mouth, did not turn Your face away from spitting and reproach; but, having given over His backbone to scourging and His cheeks to be strangled, like a silent lamb before its shearers, He lifted up our sins with His Body to the Cross, made a burnt offering from Himself with the fire of His love for us to propitiate eternal justice for us, and offered Himself as a cleansing Sacrifice interceding for our salvation! And I, the wicked, not thinking about Your boundless love, throughout my entire life I did evil to Your chagrin, Lord, I irritated You with my actions, I dishonored Your name with my sins! Oh, my Savior! do not remember my iniquities, forgive me my guilt, give me the grace to cleave to You with all my heart, keep Your covenant, keep Your commandments, walk in Your paths, do not deviate to evil thoughts, do not allow temptations to come to your heart, spend the rest of my life according to Your will, and deign me to glorify Your mercy throughout all eternity! During the entrance with the Holy Gifts. Remember me, Lord, in Your Kingdom! According to Your great mercy, remember me, the Savior, for the sake of Your goodness! Remember me for Thy name's sake and forgive me my sins! Like yes the King... God of our salvation, seated on cherubim, invisibly carried by angelic forces, as in ancient times warriors lifted up conquering kings on their shields! Receive thanks for Your loving condescension, by which You, having undergone a painful death, deigned to accept the service of Joseph of Arimathea, who, having taken Your most pure body from the Tree of the Cross and wrapped it in a clean shroud with incense, laid it in His new tomb, carved in stone. Accept with favor this service of Thy Church, which raises up the images of Thy Body and Blood, thereby forming Thy position in the tomb, and deliver us from the slavery of sin, just as You, having descended with Your soul into hell, brought out of its captivity the souls of the righteous, who have been awaiting Your coming from the ages - so that with them and with all the saints we glorify You in the heavenly Kingdom Yours. Amen. Let us fulfill our prayer... Have mercy on Your servants, Lord! Grant us the grace to serve You with all our hearts, so that our prayer may rise up before Your face, our God! About those offered... Receive, Lord, this verbal service on Your holy and spiritual altar as a pleasant spiritual incense, and remember both those who brought these Gifts, and those by whom, from whom and for whom they were brought. The day of everything is perfect... Grant us the grace to preserve ourselves on this day from all sin and spend this present day in peace, purity and holiness. The angel is peaceful... Command, Lord, Your angels to protect us, to guide us on the path of Your justification and to assist us in achieving our eternal destination. Forgiveness and forgiveness... Forgive the wickedness and sinful thoughts of our hearts, remove our guilt from us, do not remember our iniquities and cleanse us from obvious and secret, from our known and unknown misdeeds. Good and useful... Send down upon us Your grace-filled power to advance in faith, love and hope in Your goodness, O God! Grant us everything we need for spiritual benefit and for the acquisition of the Kingdom of Heaven. The rest of our lives... Penetrate us with Thy fear, melt our insides and hearts according to Thy will, and grant us the grace to spend the rest of our lives in repentance and keeping Thy commandments. Christian death... Our end is near: the time of life disappears, like a dream, like light! Grant us a peaceful, shameless end of life and have mercy on us, O omniscient Judge! when you sit down to judge the whole world, then look at us with a merciful eye, have mercy on us and deliver us from eternal fire. Most holy, most pure... Bow the Savior to the mercy of those who resort to You, Immaculate Mother! Pray earnestly with all the saints, so that we may find mercy on the day of Christ’s coming and, through the intercession of Your prayers, receive justification, according to the infinite mercy and goodness of Your Son and God, to Whom, with His beginningless Father and the All-Holy Spirit, be glory and worship forever and ever. Amen. Let us love each other... Purify, Lord, our souls to unfeigned brotherly love, so that we love each other diligently, from a pure heart; so that we, condescending to each other with all humility and generosity, try to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace; so that we, being in unanimity, love You, our God, with all our hearts and with all our soul! I love You, Lord, my strength! You are my stronghold, my invincible defense, my Savior, my God! Doors, doors! Let us sing of wisdom!.. You, Christ the Savior, are the mental door through which the sheep of Your flock, entering and leaving, find soul-saving pastures. You have revealed to us the economy of the mystery hidden from eternity; By You we have been introduced to the knowledge of the true knowledge of God! Penetrate our mind and heart with the saving truths of Your revelation and revive us with it into eternal life. According to the prophecy of the Creed. Root, confirm and strengthen us, O God, in Your faith, make us unshakable in its confession until the end of our lives; Do not allow us to dishonor our faith with sinful deeds, so that we will not be condemned on the day of Your coming, but will receive the fruit of faith, eternal salvation! Let us become kind... My eyes are fixed on Your salvation, Lord! My soul is like a thirsty land before You! Grant me, the Savior, with fear and a clear conscience, with full attention, with all my soul and heart, to participate in the celebration of Your upcoming Sacrament, to bring into the world this holy offering, the sacrifice of glorification. Woe are our hearts! Enrapture our hearts with love for You, my God, grant me the grace to disgust all the sweets, beauties and pleasures of the sinful world, hostile to Your love, and to love You, my God, with all my heart, with all my soul and with all my thoughts. We thank the Lord!.. It is truly worthy and righteous to worship You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, to sing and glorify You, self-existent, incomprehensible, unsearchable, Triune God, Creator of all creatures, visible and invisible! It is worthy and righteous to thank You for the countless, obvious and unknown, benefits poured out on us by Your goodness and mercy, especially for the gift of the ability and permission to glorify Your all-holy name, for this bloodless Sacrifice, which You deign to accept from us, corrupted and defiled by countless sins, while neither cherubim, nor seraphim, nor the archangels, neither the angels, nor all the heavenly powers are sufficient to extol You completely in accordance with the greatness of Your omnipotence, goodness and holiness, and only, in amazement at the boundless perfections contemplated in You, they praise You with incessant praise. Singing, crying... Holy, holy, holy are You, Lord Almighty! And we, sinners, confess with all our hearts and, although with unclean and defiled lips, we bring You this trisagion of the heavenly powers. Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of Your glory, goodness and justice are the foundation of Your throne, mercy and truth are before Your face! All Your works are perfect, all Your ways are righteous, and there is no measure to the greatness of Your holiness! Glory and thanksgiving to You, Triune God! Glory to Thee, Heavenly Father, who sent Thy Only Begotten Son into the world, so that we might receive eternal life through Him! Glory to You, Wisdom and Word of the Heavenly Father, who showed us the riches of Your goodness, redeeming us with Your precious Blood from the curse of sin and the captivity of hell! Glory to Thee, Holy Soul, who sealed us with Thy grace as a guarantee of the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven! Hosanna in the highest! Salvation of our God! Blessed is the one who comes! Come and save us, Christ the Savior! Redeem us from eternal death, deliver us from the hand of hell, clothe us in the robe of Your justification, grant us food and drink into eternal life! Take, eat... 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, of whom I am the first. Drink from it all... Son of God! make me a participant in Your secret supper, for I will not reveal Your secret to Your enemies, I will not treacherously kiss You, like Judas, but, like the thief, I confess You: remember me, Lord, in Your Kingdom! Yours from Yours... We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You, Lord, and we pray to You, our God! There is no sacrifice in the whole world completely worthy of You, Heavenly Father, except the Sacrifice of Your Only Begotten Son! Make and accept this sacrifice as satisfaction for our sins! There is no one but You, Savior, Son of God! You alone are the eternal propitiation for our sins and for the sins of the whole world! Show us Your grace and save us for the sake of Your name, Lord, Holy Soul, who sanctifies us! For the sake of the suffering on the cross and the death of our Savior, cleanse us from our sins, wash away our impurities and sanctify us with Your grace! God, Father, Son and Holy Soul, have mercy on us; for the sake of Your goodness, grant us to receive mercy and grace with all the saints who have pleased You from the beginning of the world. Much about the Most Holy One... Rejoice, O Most Holy One, blessed among women, more honorable than the cherubim and without any comparison more glorious than the seraphim! The hope of Christians, the hope of the hopeless! keep us under Your roof! Pray to Your Son and God to have mercy on us and save us through His unsearchable destinies. Christ the Savior! accept the prayers for us of Your most immaculate Mother and all Your saints and still spare us with Your mercy! Do not leave us alone expecting mercy from You, guide us with Your grace and lead us into Your Kingdom! Do not deprive Your mercy from our relatives, our neighbors and all who believed in You, who have fallen asleep in the sleep of death in the hope of resurrection into eternal life, but place them in the abodes of bliss, illuminated by the ever-present light of Your face! Look with Your favor on our country, on this church, which You have sealed with Your name, bless our families, our labors and our occupations - bless us in everything that passes through our hands! Be close to all who call on You, draw to Yourself with Your grace those who have strayed from Your paths into the obstinate ways of self-will! May they fear Your judgment for their own good and turn to the path of salvation. First, remember, Lord... Remember, Lord, by Your great mercy, the Most Holy Governing Synod, the Most Holy Patriarchs, Metropolitans, Archbishops and Bishops, appointed by Your providence to shepherd Your Church. Make them worthy of You, workers who do not need to be ashamed, faithfully dividing the word of Your truth. Expand the boundaries of Your Church, which You, having acquired with Your precious Blood, betrothed to Yourself with eternal love; establish and protect it from all enemy intrigues and slander! Bring the entire human race to the knowledge of Your truth, so that those peoples who have not known it will flock to the light of Your Church, may those who have taken up arms against it move into its depths, and may all those created by You in Your image and likeness be united with You in an eternal, endless union; May the whole world become your blessed Kingdom, O Christ the Savior! And give us one mouth... Grant us, Lord, one heart and one soul, so that we all walk in one Thy path, so that we are unanimous and like-minded; so that each of us takes care of each other, and with one accord, as if with one mouth and one heart, we glorify Your most holy and magnificent name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. And may there be mercy... Lord, grant us Your peace in all respects; instruct us to observe the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, inflame our hearts with love for You and sanctify our souls with Your grace. Having remembered all the saints... Show, O Savior, the riches of Thy goodness over us, as over the vessels of Thy mercy, renew us with Thy grace, so that we try to glorify You in spirit and in our body, walk in newness of life, act in spirit and life by faith in You, who gave Yourself for us! Keep us unstumbling in Your ways, destroy in us the carnal thoughts hostile to You, free us from the death of sin, make us perfect in all its fullness, filled with the fruits of Your righteousness, place us before Your glory so that we may have boldness on the day of Your judgment, and lead us into eternal life, may we glorify You forever and ever. Amen. And vouchsafe us, Master... Our Fathers, by our adoption to You through the sufferings of our Savior on the Cross, Who art in heaven, filling the angels and righteous spirits with an indescribable feeling of Your favor towards them! Hallowed be Thy name in us by Thy grace, by glorifying Thy name through our lives, by preserving our souls and bodies in Thy holiness! May Thy Kingdom come, may Thy grace rule the mind, heart and all members of our body, may Thy grace-filled Kingdom - Thy Church - spread on earth! May Your will, as depicted in Your law, be in our thoughts, desires and actions, so that, like Your holy angels in heaven, we on earth with the same zeal fulfill Your holy will, surrendering ourselves in all circumstances of our life to Your will! Give us this day our daily bread - the supernatural food of Your Body and Blood, everything necessary for our spiritual salvation and the maintenance of our existence on earth: give us as much as we need on this day to strengthen our strength! And forgive us our unpaid debts - our countless sins with which we have offended Your goodness, forgive them to the extent that we ourselves forgive those who have offended us, just as we forgive our debtors! And do not lead us, do not allow us to fall into temptation that exceeds our strength, to be subjected to temptations, disasters, persecutions, by which we would deviate from faith and keeping Your commandments; but deliver us from all that is evil - from enslavement to sin, from the snares of the eternal enemy of our salvation and - this world lying in evil, from social disasters, from sudden death and eternal condemnation! For Yours is the Kingdom... For You reign over everything, You contain everything by Your omnipotent power: To You alone from all creatures may glory be given, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. Bow your heads to the Lord... Christ the Savior, who has called us, by His mercy, with a holy calling into Thy Kingdom, the Surety of our covenant with the Heavenly Father! Grant us the grace to crucify our flesh with passions and lusts, to turn entirely from dead works to the doing of Thy commandments, to pass with patience the field of present life set before us, to fight the good fight of faith, to advance in Thy piety and love, that Thy all-holy name may be magnified in us, whether by our life or by our death, and grant us the honor of extolling Thy grace unto the ages of ages. Holy to saints!.. You alone, Jesus Christ, are holy for all eternity with a holiness unattainable by any creature! And I am a sinner who has darkened the splendor of Your image in which I was created, who has offended You with countless sins, unworthy to lift my eyes to heaven! Great are my crimes before You, my sins cry out against me, my God! I fear Your judgment, I tremble at Your justice! But I do not hide my iniquities, I open before You the sins I have committed, I acknowledge my guilt, I regret that I have offended Your goodness, I confess my crimes to You, believing with all my heart that You are humane and merciful, my Savior, you punish with compassion and have mercy on the repentant with fiery love! In this hope, I beg Your goodness, Lord: take me out of the mire of sin, so that I do not sink into hell! Do not enter into court with me, do not expose my thoughts, do not remember my words, do not reveal my deeds. But listen to the groaning of my soul and spare me, Thy creation, spare me the lost one, like a shepherd lost a sheep, snatch me from the wolf, give me a tear of compunction, accept me repentant, restore me according to Thy goodness, place me like a lamb in the pasture of Thy sheep, destroy in me – with the sweetness of Thy body and blood – burning sorrow sinful evil that has penetrated my entire composition, and have mercy on me when you come with all the angels to repay everyone, depending on their deeds. Amen. With the fear of God and faith... Behold, my Savior comes - and my truth, and my salvation is with Him! You are my God, there is no good for me except You! I thirst for Your salvation, I thirst for You, my God! For if You have mercy on me, who can accuse me? if You justify me, who will condemn me? Dwell in my heart, O my God, dwell in it with living faith and save me by Thy mercy! May my hope in You not put me to shame! Always, now and ever... Ascended into heaven, our God, be exalted above the heavens! May Your glory be throughout the whole earth, may all flesh know that You are the only Savior, may all nations turn to You! May your name be glorified by all nations from the east of the sun to the west, and may the offering of this bloodless Sacrifice be made in every place! Forgive us... We thank You, Lord, for Your countless blessings, abundantly poured into us, especially for this verbal service, which You have deigned us to offer to You, Heavenly Father! We thank You, Savior, for the inexhaustible love by which You feed us with the incorruptible food of Your Body and Blood! Holy soul! Grant us the grace to thirst with such longing for sanctification by this most holy Sacrament, with which those who are hungry desire bread, and those who thirst for water! Grant us, until our last breath, to accept this shrine with dignity for guidance into eternal life, for a good answer at the terrible judgment seat, on the last day of this world! For You are one, our God, our redemption, justification, sanctification and salvation, and to You we send up glory, to the beginningless Father, the beginningless Son and the all-giving Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. The blessing of the Lord is upon you... Blessed be Thy glorious name, our God! Blessings to You, Who redeemed, sanctified and saved us! Blessing, honor, thanksgiving, glory, wisdom, strength and power to You, our God! May our lips continually utter Thy praise! Lord, let all those who love You rejoice; Let all who seek you rejoice; May all flesh bless Your holy name! Let all nations bow down before You and glorify Your name, O Lord! Be merciful to us, our God, and bless us, O God, our God, bless us, O God! May Your blessing be upon us! After vacation. Triune God, inexhaustible in His goodness, preserving His mercy in thousands of generations! In Your hand is the soul of all living things and the spirit of all human flesh - in Your hand are life, breath and all my ways; All my desires are before You and my sigh is not hidden from You. Your eyes see all my steps; the slightest movements of my thoughts are open before Your gaze. Accept my present prayer within my power and hear the sighing of my soul: I commend to you my faith and hope, my life and all my ways; I commend to you my soul and body, every beat of my heart and the last moment of my life. Do not leave me to my own will in my ways, lest my sins turn away Thy face and Thy mercy depart from me. Lead me with Your Providence, be my helper in good deeds, instruct me with Your grace in all endeavors, may Your fear accompany me in every place, so that I do not sin before You. Do not allow the eternal destroyer to penetrate my soul, lest my heart deviate toward evil thoughts and forgetfulness of Your commandments, lest my sins enslave me to passions and the members of my body become instruments of iniquity. But cleave my heart to Thy word, O Lord; Encourage me to meditate on Your commandments, to take comfort in Your statutes. Grant me firmness in good assumptions, strengthen me with Thy power in the fulfillment of Thy commandments; grant me the grace not to love this world, nor that which is hostile to Thy love in it; deepen in my soul the memory that peace and lust will pass away, so that I can gain a decisive victory over the enemy of my soul, die to sin, serve You with all my heart amid the temptations of the world, walk in newness of life, act before You with all purity of conscience. Do not leave me in the midst of temptations, be my intercessor and refuge in adversity, incline Your ear to me in times of sorrow and comfort me with Your consolation. Do with me in this life whatever You please, just do not take Your mercy from me. Here, in real life, punish me for my sins, but do not consign me to eternal condemnation. With all my heart I wish to be Yours, my God! Fulfill this desire by Your power. Grant me the grace to always see You before me, not to forget that You are at my right hand, so that I do not deviate from Your ways, do not waver in my hope in You, but so that I bless Your name at all times, so that Your praise may continually be in my mouth, so that my soul may glory in You alone, may I exalt You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. (From Sochin. Anatoly, Archbishop of Mogilev.) B. About the first part of the Liturgy - proskomedia Conversation No. 1. About the reading by a priest who wants to celebrate the Liturgy of the so-called “entrance prayers” I. Which of you, brethren, comes early to the Church of God, has probably noticed that before the beginning of the Liturgy the priest stands together with the deacon, if he also serves with preparation, in front of the Royal Doors and begins to perform the so-called entrance prayers. These prayers have an instructive meaning for us, which is why I consider it necessary to talk with you about them in this conversation. II. After the usual beginning: “Blessed is our God,” the priest or the deacon reads the prayers for him: “Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee,” “To the Heavenly King,” i.e., the prayer to the Holy Spirit, the Trisagion, i.e., “Holy God,” “Holy Trinity, have mercy on us,” “Glory now,” and “Our Father.” After the “Our Father” prayer, the priest reads the following three verses: “Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us for every answer in bewilderment”; then another verse: “Lord, have mercy on us, for we trust in You”; then the verse: “Open doors of mercy for us, blessed Mother of God,” etc. Having read all these verses, the priest bows to the ground before the image of the Savior, saying: “We worship your most pure image, O good one, asking forgiveness of our sins, O Christ our God,” and, having read the entire troparion, kisses the saint. image. After this, he turns to the icon of the Mother of God and, also bowing to the ground before it, reads the verse: “Mercy is the source of mercy, vouchsafe us mercy, O Mother of God.” After reading this verse, the priest kisses the image of the Mother of God. You may ask: “What does this worship and kissing of St. mean?” icons? With this worship and kissing, the priest expresses his reverence and love for the church of God and fulfills the ancient Christian custom, according to which Christians, having come to the church of God, as if into the dwelling of the Lord Himself, threw themselves to the ground in front of the doors of the church, kissing even the walls and threshold of the church. Even the kings themselves were not ashamed to set an example in this. Thus, according to the story of one historian, the Greek emperor Theodosius, every time he went to the church, as soon as he crossed the threshold of the church, he uttered the following words from the psalter: “My soul is drawn to the earth, live according to Your word.” (Explanatory lit. Dmitr.). Love for the church of God is instructive for all of us! May this example serve as an edification to those who enter the church of God absent-mindedly, talking and laughing, or, passing by the church, do not want to take off their hats and cross themselves!.. Having bowed to St. icons, the priest and deacon bow their heads before the Royal Doors. The priest reads a prayer: “Lord! send down Thy hand from the height of Thy holy dwelling, and strengthen me in Thy upcoming service: that I may stand before Thy terrible throne without condemnation, and perform a bloodless sacred rite, for Thine is the power forever and ever, amen.” It is with this prayer that he asks for God’s blessing and help for the upcoming service. This prayer is now necessary for the priest: he is about to begin a great and terrible sacred rite! Having said a prayer, the priest and deacon turn to the people present in the church and bow on both sides, asking for forgiveness from everyone present in the church for all the voluntary and involuntary sins they have committed. And this reconciliation is also necessary, for he is preparing to offer the great Sacrifice of reconciliation between God and man. When at this time you see, my brethren, a priest with a deacon bowing his head before the Lord and turning to you with a bow, let each of you pray to the Lord with all your heart that He would send down His gracious power to them and strengthen them for the great service ahead; With all your soul, forgive each of you the voluntary and involuntary sins they have committed, so that they can shamelessly pray for you before the Lord. After all, they are preparing to perform great service for you and for you. Having bowed to those present, the priest and deacon go to St. altar and, kissing as a sign of love and reverence for St. At the altar door, through which they enter, they read the prayer: “I will enter Your house, I will bow to Your holy church in Your passion, Lord! guide me in Your righteousness!..” Having entered the St. altar, priest bows before St. throne, kisses the saint lying on it. The Gospel, as it were, of Christ the Savior Himself, St. the throne - like the seat of the Lord Himself, as if still asking Him for blessings for the upcoming service. After this, both, that is, the priest and the deacon, put on sacred clothes. (Cm. “Bonfire. Ep. Ved.", 1888, No. 15). III. Here, my brothers, are the prayers with which the priest and deacon precede the entrance to St. altar, preparing to celebrate the Holy Liturgy. And how much instructiveness these prayers contain for us! “I will go into Your house, I will bow to Your holy church in Your passion, O Lord! guide me in Thy righteousness, O mine enemy, straighten my path before Thee,” the priest prays as he enters the altar. I advise each of you, my brothers, to know and read this prayer when entering the church. Let this prayer serve as a constant reminder to you that you are not entering into a simple house, but into the house of God, where it is necessary to have reverence and fear so as not to be subjected to the strict condemnation of the heavenly Judge: “How did you come in, not having a wedding garment?” - “How did you enter the village of My glory without respect, without reverence, without meekness and purity of soul, which is so befitting of My holy place, in which you must stand with faith and fear and worship with the seraphim My immaculate Lamb, on the sacred throne and in heaven in glory reigning with Me?” (“Flaws. Lit.” Dmitry. § 53, p. 47). Amen. (Compiled according to source). Conversation No. 2. About the substance necessary for the performance of the Divine Liturgy I. Among many substances found in nature, our Lord Jesus Christ deigned to use ordinary bread and grape wine for the Sacrament of Body and Blood. These substances were indicated many times in the Old Testament. So, for example, Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, met Abraham with bread and wine as he returned from victory over his enemies, and thus prefigured, several dozen centuries ago, the eternal King and priest of the Lord Jesus Christ, who sacrificed bread and wine to God the Father at the Last Supper. The Book of Proverbs of Solomon says: “Wisdom made herself a house... and mixed wine in her cup, and prepared her table. He sent his servants with lofty preaching, saying: Let him who is foolish turn away from me, and to those who demand intelligence, saying: Take, eat my bread and drink the wine that was dissolved for you.” Interpreting these words, St. Cyprian says: “Here the Holy Spirit shows the image of the Lord’s sacrifice, the slain Sacrifice, bread and wine, remembering both the altar and the messengers (the Holy Apostles).” (St. Cyprian's letter 63 to Caecilian. “Explanation of the Liturgy” by Dmitrev.). The Lord used bread and wine for the Sacrament of His Body and Blood because He, as St. says. John of Damascus, “Knows human weakness, which turns away with displeasure from many things that are not confirmed by ordinary use. So, God, according to His usual condescension, through what is ordinary by nature, accomplishes the supernatural. Since people usually eat bread and drink water and wine, God united His Divinity with these substances, making them His Body and Blood, so that through the ordinary and natural we would participate in the supernatural.” (“Accurate statement of faith” book 4, chapter 13). Therefore, the Holy Church, always faithful to the commandment of the Divine Founder of the Sacrament, from the very times of the apostles has used bread and wine for the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. II. The rules of the Church require that the bread for the celebration of the Liturgy be made from the best wheat flour, that it be leavened, that is, leavened, because the Lord celebrated the Last Supper on such bread; was mixed with water, and not with milk or anything else, was well baked, not over-salted, fresh, and not stale, moldy, and was not anointed with milk or eggs (Teaches from the service book). The rules of the Church also require that the wine for celebrating the Liturgy must be red grape wine, both because the Lord celebrated the Last Supper with the Apostles on such wine, and because it best represents to our eyes the appearance of the Blood of Christ. Wine that has oxidized and turned into vinegar should not be used for serving the Liturgy. Juices of various fruits should also not be consumed instead of grape wine: apples, pears, raspberries, etc. (Teaching information in the service book). The bread designated for the Sacrament of the Body of Christ is called prosphora. Prosphora in Russian means offering, brought gift. This bread is so named because the ancient Christians brought it with them every time they celebrated the Liturgy. They also brought with them wine, oil, incense and candles. All these offerings were then called prosphora, that is, an offering brought as a gift. But now the word prosphora refers to only one bread used for the celebration of the Sacrament of St. Communions. From the many breads brought in ancient times, the celebrant chose the best one to perform the Sacrament. He did the same with the wine offerings, that is, he used the best to perform the Sacrament. Then the remaining offerings of bread and wine were used after the Liturgy for the meal of brotherly love or supper, also for the maintenance of the clergy and the poor. Over time, the custom of accepting prosphora or home-made bread for the Sacrament ceased, both because love suppers ceased and because the zeal of Christians for these offerings began to wane. Therefore, the Church began to produce prosphora at its own expense. For the same reasons, the Church began to prepare wine for the service of the Liturgy at its own expense, although even now it does not reject the offering of wine for the Sacrament from private individuals. Due to the custom of ancient Christians to bring bread for the Sacrament with them each time, the number of prosphoras for serving the Liturgy in ancient times was not limited, although the Church recognized, as it still recognizes, only one bread as necessary for the celebration of the Sacrament. In memory of the miraculous feeding of five thousand people by Christ the Savior with five loaves, the number of prosphoras for serving the Liturgy is now prescribed by church rules to be five: one for performing the Sacrament, and the others for removing particles from them. As you can always see, my brothers, prosphoras for serving the Liturgy are always prepared in two parts, in the form of two round loaves of bread folded together. In the first times of Christianity, they were prepared in the form of ordinary homemade bread. It is now customary to make them two-part because the prosphora, with its two-part appearance, depicts the two natures in Jesus Christ - Divine and human. “But why,” you ask, “on the prosphora there is a cross depicted and next to it the inscription: Isa. Xs. No way? This is why it is established: the cross with the words of Isa. Xs. is depicted on the prosphora because the prosphora during the service of the Liturgy depicts the most pure Body of Christ, which suffered and was crucified for us on the Cross; and the words: Neither ka i.e., in Russian “Win”, are depicted on the prosphora in memory of what St. saw. Equal to the Apostles Tsar Constantine of the Cross with the inscription: “By this you conquer.” I saw this Cross with the inscription St. Constantine then, when he went to war against Maxentius, and with this sign of the Cross, depicted on the shields and banners of his army, he really defeated the enemy. At present, for us this abbreviated inscription on the cross is Isa. Xs. It has the following meaning: “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, crucified on the Cross, defeat the enemies of salvation” (See “Interpretation of the Liturgy” by Archpriest V. Nechaev, now Vissarion, Bishop of Kostroma, reference to “Kostr. Bishop Vedas.” 1888, No. 11). III. My brothers! Ancient Christians never went to church empty-handed: they brought bread and wine with them for the Sacrament every time; They also brought with them oil, incense and candles and were always diligent in all these offerings. Let us learn from the ancient Christians to be diligent in making offerings to the Holy Church, no matter what these offerings consist of: candles, incense, or oil, or anything else. Those of you who, going to church, bring your labor penny there, buy it and place it in front of the saint, do a great job. images of candles and donate money to the needs of the church of God. Those of you who annually bring or bring to church the firstfruits of your labors: rye, oats, wheat, barley, flax, wool, etc., also do well. With these offerings you truly imitate the leading Christians. Until these offerings of yours become scarce, until then the splendor of the Church of God and the Divine Service will always be maintained, parochial charity and the Church of God will not be in need. Amen. (Compiled according to source). Conversation No. 3, which gives the concept of proskomedia and the preparation of bread and wine for the Sacrament at proskomedia I. The Divine Liturgy at which you pray, my brethren, consists of three parts, as you have already heard. The first part of it is called proskomedia and is performed by the priest secretly on the altar, while the hours are being read on the choir. But in ancient times it was performed not at the beginning of the Liturgy, as now, but after the catechumens left the church, just before the transfer of the Gifts from the altar to the throne. The second part of the Liturgy is called the Liturgy of the Catechumens, because in ancient times catechumens, i.e., persons preparing for St. Baptism and those instructed to accept it with the truths of the faith, which in ancient times was called the catechumen. The demoniacs and sinners excommunicated from St. for their sins also prayed at this Liturgy. communion. It begins with the exclamation of the priest: “Blessed is the Kingdom” and ends with the words of the deacon: “Depart from the catechumens,” after which in ancient times the catechumens, the possessed and the repentant went out. The third part of the Liturgy is called the Liturgy of the Faithful, because in ancient times only the faithful were allowed to listen to it, that is, Christians enlightened by St. Baptism and those preparing for St. Communion. Some of the repentant sinners who showed the fruits of correction were also admitted, but to St. Communion was not yet allowed and was called voucher. This part of the Liturgy begins after the words of the deacon: “Go forth the Catechumens of the Catechumens,” with the litany “Let us pray again and again in peace to the Lord in peace,” and continues until the end. Nowadays, all these parts of the Liturgy constitute one service - the Liturgy, which we call “Lunch”. In order of service, in today’s conversation I will begin to talk with you about the first part of the Liturgy - the proskomedia. II. Proskomedia is a Greek word; in Russian it means bringing. This part of the Liturgy is so named from the custom of ancient Christians to bring bread and wine, oil, candles, and incense to church to celebrate the Liturgy. For the same reason, the bread for celebrating the Liturgy is now called prosphora, which means offering. a) Having put on the sacred clothes, which we have already talked about with you, the priest and deacon, as a sign of their purity and immaculateness before God, wash their hands and proceed to the altar to perform proskomedia. The priest bows three times before the altar and, confessing the suffering of the Lord and the benefits that we received through His suffering, says: “Thou hast redeemed us from the oath of the law with Thy honest Blood, having been nailed to the Cross and pierced with a spear, Thou hast exuded immortality as a man, our Savior, glory to Thee.” Then the priest, remembering the saving commandment of the Lord to perform the sacred act of the bloodless Sacrifice in His remembrance, takes the prosphora with his left hand, and a copy with his right hand and, making with it an image of a cross over the seal of the prosphora, says: “In remembrance of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (three times). Then he cuts the prosphora on the right side of the seal, with the words: “Like a sheep being led to the slaughter,” - on the left, with the words: “And like a lamb without blemish, the one who shears it is silent, so he does not open his mouth,” on top of the seal, with the words: “In his humility, his judgment will be taken,” below, with the words: “Who can confess his generation.” And thus he takes out the cut center from the prosphora, with the words: “As if his belly is lifted from the ground,” and places it on the paten. I consider it absolutely necessary to stop here to explain the meaning of these words. The death of our Savior on the cross was not an unexpected or unforeseen event; no, the Lord God revealed it to His chosen ones long ago, and they predicted it to other people and even wrote down their predictions (prophecies) in the sacred books. So, for example, the king and prophet David, in the twenty-first psalm, so accurately predicted the circumstances of the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross, as if he was an eyewitness to them (Ps. 22:2, 3, 8, 9, 16-19). By the way, the death of the God-Man on the Cross was also revealed to the prophet Isaiah (he lived seven hundred years before Jesus Christ), and here is his prophecy about it: “As a sheep was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before its shearers, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from bonds and judgment; but who will explain His generation? For He is cut off from the land of the living; for the crime of my people I suffered execution” (Is. 53:7-9). 14 With the recollection of this prophecy, the offering of a bloodless Sacrifice begins. Some words from this prophecy are spoken by the priest when he separates part of the prosphora for this Sacrifice. And since, on the basis of this prophecy, St. John the Baptist called the Lord Jesus the Lamb: “behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” and the part of the prosphora, intended to be the Body of the Lord Jesus for the cleansing of the sins of the whole world, received the name lamb. Having placed the separated middle of the prosphora on paten 15, the priest, on the reverse side of the seal, cuts it crosswise into four equal parts and says: “The lamb of God is being eaten (sacrificed), take away the sin of the world, for the worldly belly and salvation.” Then from the prophecy he moves on to the event itself and touching the right side of the lamb with a copy, he says: “One of the soldiers pierced his ribs with a spear, and suddenly blood and water flowed out. And he who saw it bore witness, and his testimony is true” (John 19:34–35). At the same time, wine dissolved with water is poured into the Chalice (in Greek Chalice) in memory of the fact that blood and water flowed from the pierced side of Christ. b) And now the main thing has been done: the substance for performing the Sacrament has been prepared. But that's not all. The blood shed by the Savior was the Sacrifice of salvation and reconciliation with God of the whole world, and so, first of all, those who have already fully benefited from the fruits of this Sacrifice are remembered - the glorified saints. They are as much witnesses who have already learned from their own experience what the death on the Cross of the God-Man brought to the human race, as well as constant prayer books for those who have not yet benefited from the fruits of this Sacrifice. But they are not only remembered, but, so to speak, are brought face to face with the Lamb, who took upon Himself the sins of the world. Namely: with their names, parts are taken out (cut out) from the following prosphoras and placed right there on the paten. In the same way, with the names of those who have not yet benefited from the fruits of death on the cross, but are either still fighting here on earth (the living), or although they have moved from here (the dead), but have not yet declared in any way that they have inherited eternal bliss, parts are taken out from other prosphoras and placed right there, in front of the lamb, with the difference, however, that the glorified are on the sides of the lamb, as participants in its triumph and glory, and the militants below, as asking themselves forgiveness and mercy for the Blood shed and for the Blood that is now about to be sacrificed. To visualize this more clearly, I will make an image of how these parts are located on the paten. With it, the details about the following prosphora and the parts taken out from them will be clearer. And this is how the priest does it: He takes the second prosphora and, remembering the Most Holy Theotokos, takes out a particle from the prosphora, which he places on the side of St. bread, in the middle with the words from the psalm: “The queen stands at your right hand,” etc. (Ps. 44:10). This prosphora is called the Mother of God. Then he takes the third prosphora and, remembering the Baptist and the Baptist John, takes out the first particle from the prosphora and places it on the other side of the bread, starting the first rank (row). Further, remembering the prophets Moses, Aaron, Elijah, Elisha, David, Jesse, St. three youths (Ananiah, Azariah, Misail), Daniel the prophet and all the holy prophets, takes another particle and puts it further. Remembering the apostles Peter and Paul and the other apostles, he takes the third particle, places it further than the second and thus ends the first rite. Then, remembering Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Athanasius and Cyril, Nicholas of Myra, Peter, Alexy, Jonah and Philip of Moscow, Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod, Leontius, Bishop of Rostov, and other saints, he takes the fourth particle, puts it next to the first, starting the second rite. Remembering St. the first martyr Stephen, the great martyrs: Dmitry, George, Theodore Tiron, Theodore Stratelates and all the holy martyrs, and martyrs: Thekla, Barbara, Kyriacia, Euthymia, Paraskeva, Catherine and all the saints. martyrs, takes the fifth particle, places it second in the second row. Then, remembering the Venerables Anthony, Euthymius, Savva, Onuphry, Athanasius of Athos, Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk, Sergius of Radonezh, Varlaam of Khutyn and all the venerable fathers and venerable mothers: Pelageya, Theodosius, Anastasia, Eupraxia, Fevronia, Theodulia, Euphrosyne, Mary of Egypt and all Reverend Mothers, takes the sixth particle, places it in third place in the second row and thus ends the second rank. After that, remembering the wonderworkers and unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, Cyrus and John, Panteleimon and Ermolai and all the unmercenaries, he takes the seventh particle, puts it in the first place in the third row, starting the third rank. Remembering St. and the righteous Godfather Joachim and Aniu (and the daily saint) and all saints, takes the 8th particle and places it in second place in the third row. Finally, remembering John Chrysostom (or Basil the Great, if his Liturgy is sung), he takes the ninth particle and places it in third place in the third row. A prosphora from which nine parts have been removed in this way is called nine-order. Then he takes the fourth prosphora and prays that the Lord will remember every Orthodox bishopric, St. Ave. Synod and St. Orthodox patriarchs (and the local bishop), the honorable presbytery, the deaconry in Christ, the entire priestly order, and all who are called into communion with the Lord Jesus. At the same time, he takes a particle and places it on the underside of the bread. Then he remembers the emperor, his wife (and the entire imperial house by name), takes out a part and places it next to the first. After that, he remembers the living and with each name takes out a particle, saying: “Remember, Lord” (such and such) and puts all the particles in a row. Finally, taking the fifth prosphora, he says: “On the memory and remission of sins of St. Orthodox patriarchs and pious kings and pious queens, blessed ones, creators of St. of this church” and takes out parts. After that, he remembers everyone and others by name; For each name, he takes out a particle with the words: “Remember, Lord (such and such).” And he concludes with a prayer that the man-loving Lord would remember all who died with the hope of resurrection, eternal life and communion with Him - all our Orthodox fathers and brothers. Finally he adds: “Lord! remember my unworthiness and forgive me every sin, voluntary and involuntary,” and takes out the particle. After this, every Orthodox Christian can serve the prosphora to take out the part: “On the salvation and forgiveness of sins of God’s servants,” - the living, anyone (about health); “On the memory and forgiveness of the sins of God’s servants,” those who have died, anyone (for the repose). When all this is over, the priest, taking a sponge, collects particles on the paten at the bottom of the St. Bread so that they lie tightly and none fall out. c) The proskomedia ends as follows: after removing the particles from the prosphora, the deacon brings a censer, the priest blesses it, praying to the Lord Jesus Christ that He would accept this censer, like the stench of a spiritual fragrance, into His most heavenly altar and send down the grace of the Most Holy Spirit. Takes a star; He turns it around and places it over the bread with the words: “And a star came and stood over the place where the Child was” (“And a hundred star came from above where the child was”) (Matthew 2:9). He takes the cover 16, wraps it around it and covers the entire paten with it with the words of the psalm: “The Lord reigns, he is clothed in beauty,” etc. (Ps. 92 - all). He takes another cover, puts it on it and covers the Chalice (Chalice) saying: “Christ! Your power covers the heavens and the earth is full of Your glory.” He takes a large cover, the so-called air, extends it and covers it, praying that the Lord will cover us with the cover of His power, reject every enemy and adversary from us, make our life peaceful, have mercy on us and the whole world and save our souls, according to His mercy and love for mankind. Then he takes the censer and places the offering, that is, the altar with the prepared holy gifts, saying three times: “Blessed is our God who is well-pleased, glory to You,” and the deacon adds for each time: “Always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages, Amen.” And both worship with reverence three times. After which the deacon, taking the censer, says: “Let us pray to the Lord for the offered holy Gifts.” The priest reads the prayer of offering: And right there, at the altar, he makes absolution, saying: “Glory to Thee, Christ God, our hope, glory to Thee.” Deacon: “Glory and now, Lord have mercy (three times), - “bless.” The priest makes the usual dismissal, remembering in conclusion the saint (John Chrysostom or Basil the Great) whose Liturgy will be celebrated. After vacation, the deacon renders service to St. proposal and then the whole altar, reading to themselves the Easter hymn “Christ! in the tomb you were flesh, in hell with a soul as God, in paradise with the thief and on the throne with the Father and the Spirit, fulfilling everything, indescribable.” This song is followed by the fiftieth psalm, reading which the deacon surrounds the entire church. Thus, the beginning of a great and wonderful service has been made. The lamb is ready for sacrifice. Prayer and faith on the one hand, the all-sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit on the other, will accomplish this sacrifice. But from the entire course of the proskomedia it is clear that it has the same relation to the Liturgy as a prophecy has in relation to the event. From the first words that the priest reads as he approaches the altar (the troparion of the great heel) and until the last (Easter) hymn that the deacon reads, it prefigures the death of the God-man on the cross, his position in the tomb, and His state until the moment of the glorious resurrection. The liturgy will be the fulfillment of all this. But this is not enough: the Liturgy will also present to us the completion of the entire work of salvation. We will hear both the song about the incarnation of God the Word and the preaching of Christ; we will see both what preceded the death of the cross and what followed it. In a word, the Liturgy is the entire earthly life of our Lord our Savior, until His glorious ascension. (Compiled with additional information from the book “Letters on Church Services” by I. I. Bellustin, pp. 30–38). I. In 1198, there was an amazing incident in Novgorod: one devout Novgorodian visited the church of God every day and, reverently accepting the antidor or prosphora, ate them with reverence. One day he was carrying the Mother of God prosphora into the house and, due to weakness, fell asleep on the road. The dogs, sensing the bread, approached and wanted to steal the prosphora, but they jumped away, repelled by some force. It was in people's minds. When this was reported to Blessed Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, he ordered the foundation of a church in honor of the Mother of God at the scene of the incident. The wife of Prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich, Elena, took upon herself to build the church and convent, and the following year the monastery Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was consecrated. (See the book “Russian saints, revered by the whole Church or locally” by Philaret, Archbishop of Chernigov. St. Petersburg, 1882, Part I, p. 187). II. In the life of the Monk Zosima, the Solovetsky wonderworker, there is the following story: once the monk gave a prosphora to some visiting merchants as a blessing from his priestly service; on the way from the church they dropped it. The monk Macarius happens to pass by and sees: a dog is standing over the prosphora and is trying in every possible way to grab it with his teeth, but every time from St. Fire comes out of the bread and scorches the dog. Macarius comes closer - the fire is no longer visible. Having made the sign of the cross, the monk takes the prosphora and takes it to St. to the elder (See Life of the teacher Zosima of Solovetsky). This is the sacredness of the prosphora received from the altar of the Lord. And, thank God, the Orthodox Russian people love and reverently honor this shrine, with all their zeal and heartfelt faith they bring prosphora to the proskomedia for the health and repose of their loved ones, and then with reverence they partake of this sacred bread for the health of their souls and bodies. B. Historical information about from whom offerings were not accepted at proskomedia in ancient times 1) The catechumens could not participate in the offerings for the Holy Gifts, as well as their other categories; It was not even allowed to pray for them during the performance of the terrible Mysteries if they died while being announced. Conversation 3rd St. John Chrysostom in his letter to the Philippians says this: “The catechumens are not worthy of this consolation, but are deprived of any such benefit (i.e., commemoration cannot be performed), except for one thing: alms can be given for them, for it pleases God that we help each other, this gives them some consolation.” Further, speaking about crying for the dead, Chrysostom continues: “Cry for the infidels, for those who die without baptism and confirmation. They are outside the royal palace with the accused and condemned: the catechumen is alien to the faithful. The former has nothing in common with the latter.” 2) Apart from them, offerings were not accepted from people at war with each other, according to 93 Ave. of the IV Council of Carthage. Chrysostom also speaks about this (Discourse on the Gospel of Matthew 331, 338, p. p.): “The Word of God commands to leave the gift, hasten to reconcile with the offended brother and agree with the opponent. The Lord's Table does not admit those who are at war with each other. Let the disobedient hear this; for they also bring gift and sacrifice, that is, prayer and alms, and that this is so is clear from the words of the prophet: “Whoever sacrifices praise honors Me” (Ps. 49:23), and again: “Offer praise to God as a sacrifice” (Ps. 49:14), and in another place: “The lifting of my hands” (Ps. 140:2). 3) If one of the faithful has been convicted of any serious crime, such as theft, debauchery, robbery or kidnapping of someone else's property, injustice, oppression, etc. vices, then offerings from him were no longer accepted. About this, by the way, Chrysostom says the following (Conversation on Matt. p. 413, vol. 3, r. p.): “Listen, you who turn murder into charity! This is the alms of the Jews or, better, of the devil; There are even now people who, robbing their neighbors, think to atone for all their sins by giving some of the plundered property to the poor; The prophet says about them: “Wash my altar with tears.” No! Why do you insult the Lord by bringing him unclean things? Christ does not want to eat the fruits of covetousness; He does not accept such food. It is better for Him to starve from you (in His poor members) than to feed on such food. The first is cruelty, and the last is cruelty and abuse: it is better not to give anything than to give someone else’s.” 4) Likewise, the Church did not accept offerings from persons who contributed to the spread of pagan superstition. Thus, Ambrose wrote to Emperor Valentinian that the Church would not accept his offerings because he created an altar for pagan temples. (Letter 30 to Valent. “Orthodox Review,” 1861, I-IV, p. 498). When accepting offerings, the names of those who brought gifts were spoken in order to offer prayer to God for them. In discourse 18 on Acts. ap. Chrysostom points to such a custom, saying that the bishop must tell the poor the name of the one who brings it, so that they will pray for him (347 pp., r.p.). B. Historical information about the time of the proskomedia in ancient times The offering of gifts by the faithful (or proskomedia) took place upon the exit of the catechumens from the church, that is, at the end of the liturgy of the catechumens, and not at the beginning of it, as now. Two facts indicate this to us: one that happened during the celebration of the Liturgy by Basil the Great, and the other that happened in the monastery of St. Savva. Emperor Valens, an Arian, once decided to be present at the celebration of the Liturgy of St. Vasily. According to the story of Gregory the Theologian, the emperor entered the church on the feast of the Epiphany, at a time when the harmonious singing of psalms was heard in the church like waves of thunder. There were a lot of people, but there was strict order everywhere - in the altar and in front of the altar; more angelic splendor was visible than human. Ahead of everyone, like Samuel, stood Vasily before God. When the king needed to bring gifts to the divine meal and, according to custom, no one touched them (not knowing whether Vasily would accept them), not daring to disturb the order, then his weakness was revealed (H. E. Thedor., lib. IV, p. 19, p. 286). This shows that Valens wanted to bring gifts after listening to the part of the Liturgy common to all - the Liturgy of the Catechumens. At the monastery of St. Sava, composed of monks of various nationalities, everyone was allowed to sing psalmody in their own language, read the Gospel and other parts of the service, but everyone was charged with the duty of coming to the Greeks during the divine offering of the Gifts and sharing them with them. (“Christian Reader” 1833, p. 151). That the proskomedia followed the liturgy of the catechumens is further evidenced by the inscription in our service book of the prayer after the great entrance: “the prayer of the proskomedia after the ordering of the gifts at the holy meal” (82 pages). G. Code of patristic opinions on proskomedia “Our Lord Jesus Christ, daily sacrificed for the life and the salvation of the world, as he was crucified on the place of execution, is also eaten by the priest in the holy offering, eaten with a copy, so that we do not forget the most pure ribs, which during the holy suffering of the cross were pierced by a spear... Great Basil taught to mark the prosphora with a copy. Having kneaded the bread and placed it on the paten, we say in this way: “Like a sheep led to the slaughter.” Just as the all-essential God, having received flesh from the Virgin, in one Hypostasis appeared as a perfect God and a perfect man, similar to us in everything except sin, so the new body, as if from a certain womb, and from the blood and flesh of a virgin body, that is, from whole bread, is cut out by means of a certain instrument, which, as we said, is called a copy, and, thus, being removed from its midst, self-hypostatically sanctified. The priest, having prepared, together with the Body, the suffering that is about to take place at the appropriate time through the influx of the life-giving Spirit, the Blood of the Lord, leaves them in offering, after he says a prayer, as if in Bethlehem, where Christ was born, and at the same time, as if in Nazareth or Capernaum. In a word, the sentence combines the thirty years of the Savior’s life that elapsed before Baptism.” 17 “In the sentence, the priest first brings the bread, and then makes the union in the Chalice. Then the priest brings particles to God, one in honor of the Mother of the Lord, others for the saints, others for the living and deceased faithful. What force do particles have? The sacrificed particles bring great benefit, since they serve in place of the persons for whom they are sacrificed, and constitute a sacrifice offered for them to God, which the priest expresses by saying: accept, Lord, this sacrifice. So, the particles offered for the saints serve for their glory and honor, and those offered for the faithful serve for the remission of sins and the unity of divine grace for the deceased, and for the living, if only they improve their lives through repentance, for liberation from troubles, for the remission of sins.” 18 Blessed Simeon of Thessaloniki does not indicate what the particles from the prosphora cut out behind the proskomedia look like. But his words “On the elevated holy bread of the panagia” can also be attributed to the prosphora in the proskomedia. He says here: “From the bread that is presented, a three-sided particle is taken, depicting with all its sides the Trinity and Its unity: with the numbers of angles and sides - the Trinity, and with a single focus at the top - unity. Thus excised, according to the legend passed down unwritten from the ancient fathers, we offer the particle to our God alone in the Trinity.” 19 “Having thus performed the proskomedia, the priest brings the censer to God. Having first shown the star, he places it above the bread, saying: “And the star came and stood above where the Child was,” depicting what happened after the Nativity (of the Savior); then, taking the cover of the paten, which, together with other covers, signifies the shrouds, he says: “The Lord reigns, He is clothed in beauty,” etc. He places the cover on the Chalice, proclaiming at the same time (words) also indicating the incarnation of the Lord: “The heavens have covered Your virtue and the whole earth has filled with Your praise.” Then, finally, the priest places the air, indicating the Gifts in the offering, as dedicated to God and brought to Him, reads the prayer of offering and calls on God the Father, who sent His Son to us - the heavenly Bread, to bless the offered Gifts, accept them into the heavenly altar, remember both those who offered them and those for whom they were offered, and keep the celebrants uncondemned during the rite. Having then made the dismissal, the priest censes the offering.” 20 D. On what is based the custom, or, more precisely, the rule of the Orthodox Church, to depict saints, as well as the living and the dead, at the proskomedia by means of particles taken from loaves or prosphoras for them, placed on the paten and then lowered into a cup for immersion in the Blood of Christ? 1. It goes without saying that the first reason or basis for this rule was the establishment of our Lord Jesus Christ, who commanded that the Most Holy Sacrament of His Body be performed on bread and under the guise of bread. Offering St. the lamb at the Liturgy, taken from the bread, the first Christians, and most likely, the saints themselves. The apostles, very consistently, could come to the idea that in the same order it is possible to depict under the guise of bread other members of the Kingdom of Christ, living and dead, especially since from the very first times of Christianity, as is known, the custom was formed of bringing bread to the tombs of martyrs “in honor and memory” for the performance of a bloodless Sacrifice and for dividing them between them “for the same memory” at the Supper of Love. Moreover, from the very first times, it was necessary to somehow place these loaves in relation to the bloodless Sacrifice and the Lord Himself, especially in view of the fact that they began to bring a lot of loaves, but only one loaf was required for the Liturgy. And so, in order to give meaning to the other loaves, they began to take out parts from them “for those who brought them and for the sake of them who brought them” (prayer of the proskomedia) and placed them around the lamb, etc. This should also include the fact that the Savior Himself in St. The Gospel calls Himself the bread that came down from heaven, from where, by the way, the custom of laying St. artos in churches as a visual representation of the forty-day stay of Christ with his disciples on earth from Easter to the Ascension of the Lord. If in this way artos - bread depicted Jesus Christ, then why not come to the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bdepicting in the same way, through bread or particles from it, and all those who believe in His name, about whom He Himself says: “That they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, so that they also may be one in Us” (John 17:21)? 2. But, on the other hand, we also know that, rightly considering the Old Testament events and institutions as the shadow of future blessings, St. the apostles, and then their successors, pastors and teachers of the Church, established many, many things in the Christian Church under the influence of these events and institutions, as we see in the structure of the church hierarchy, the location of churches, etc. And the Savior Himself, our Lord, teaches that He did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it, imposing, of course, the same duties on all His apostles and their successors as representatives of His power and teaching on earth. Therefore, we, without hesitation, believe that the position of particles in the name of saints, as well as the living and the dead, in the sense of these particles designating both of them, around the saints. the lamb at the Liturgy, undoubtedly, should have been influenced by the well-known custom of the Old Testament Church of placing the showbread in the tabernacle of testimony. For for whom and for what purpose were these loaves given there? They were placed by the children of Israel before the Lord (Lev.24:8) in the number of twelve, six loaves each, in two positions (Lev.24:6), as symbolic signs representing the twelve tribes of the people of God, so that under the guise of these loaves the children of Israel would constantly be before the Lord, or, more accurately, before the ark of the covenant, where the Lord, so to speak, apparently dwelt with His people and from where He gave judgments and His definitions for him. Exactly the same thing is now done at the Divine Liturgy, where the particles represent before the Lord the persons for whom they were taken, to bow to His mercy, “through the prayers of the saints,” to these persons in the name of the bloodless Sacrifice of the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world and the Most Pure Christ.” It is remarkable that, according to the law of Moses, no one could eat the showbread except the priests, as it is directly stated in the book of Leviticus: “They (these breads) will belong to Aaron and his sons, who will eat them in the holy place; for this is the great holiness of the Lord’s sacrifices: it is an everlasting statute” (Lev. 24:9). Likewise, the particles removed at our Liturgy cannot be consumed by anyone other than the clergy, after immersing them in the blood of Christ. And this further confirms that both the removal of these particles and their position in St. the lamb in almost all respects is borrowed from the showbread, which therefore can rightly be called not only the forerunners of our particles, but also a clear, most accurate and perfect example for them. (See on this "A Manual for Rural Shepherds", Nos. 52 and 53, 1885, December, pp. 565-567). Conversation No. 4. About the hours before the Liturgy I. During the proskomedia, the hours of the third and sixth are read on the choir. The general composition of all watches is the same. After the threefold: “Come, let us worship our King God,” there are three psalms, special for each hour; with their ending: “Glory and now”, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God (three times), Lord have mercy (three times), troparion, “Glory”, another troparion, “and now” theotokos and then one or more verses from the psalms and the trisagion. According to the exclamation of the priest: kontakion, Lord have mercy (forty); prayer: “For all times”, and a prayer special for each hour. II. a) At the third hour, psalms are read: sixteenth, twenty-fourth and fiftieth. b) At the sixth hour, psalms fifty-three, fifty-four and ninetieth are read. Speaking about the worship of his contemporaries who lived in monasteries, Saint John Chrysostom pointed out that they “sing prophetic hymns with great harmony and melodic harmony. Neither the harp, nor the flute, nor any other musical instrument produces such a sound as can be heard in deep silence and in the desert when these holy people sing... They also sing David’s songs, emitting abundant streams of tears... they perform the third and sixth hours.” Β. About the second part of the Liturgy - about the Liturgy of the Catechumens Conversation No. 1. On the preparation of clergy for the celebration of the Liturgy of the Catechumens I. With this conversation I will begin with you, my brothers, an explanation of the 2nd part of the Liturgy, called the Liturgy of the Catechumens and beginning with the cry of the priest: “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” II. a) When it starts, all the bells usually ring. This is in order to let those Christians who are not in the church know that now the great divine service actually begins, and so that everyone who is not in the church, at least at home, can, during the Liturgy, pray to God. b) The preparation of the clergy, priest and deacon, before the start of the Liturgy is also remarkable. Standing together before St. throne, they, having first washed their hands in the church laver, bow before it three times and then say a prayer to the Holy Spirit: “Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of Truth,” in which they ask the Holy Spirit, so that He, the heavenly Comforter, would come and dwell in them and cleanse them from all filth and thereby make them worthy performers of the divine service. At the same time, the priest, as a sign of a special prayerful mood, says this prayer, raising his hands up. If ever, then it is precisely before the very beginning of the divine service that the priest most of all needs prayer to the Holy Spirit, because now the priest is preparing to be not only a mediator and intercessor before God for the coming people, but also the performer of the greatest Sacrifice. c) Then, with the raising of his hands, the priest and the deacon read the angelic song: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” The angels sang this song for the first time to the newly born God-Infant, Christ the Savior. These words are pronounced at the beginning of the Liturgy because the Divine Liturgy is, as it were, in action, the history of the earthly life of Christ the Savior. That is why, according to the order of events in the earthly life of Christ the Savior, at the beginning of the Liturgy the birth of the Lord is remembered. But His birth was almost unknown to people; only the Bethlehem shepherds learned about it from the angels. Therefore, the priest and deacon in the altar recite the angelic song not out loud to the people, but silently. Having uttered the angelic song twice, the priest and deacon also pray to the Lord that He would open their mouths, that is, teach and instruct them to praise Him. d) After this, the deacon asks for prayerful assistance from the priest and, having received a blessing from him and standing on the pulpit, exclaims: “Bless, Master!” With these words, on behalf of all the upcoming people, the deacon asks the priest for a blessing for the upcoming prayer work. Here he calls the priest a ruler, as the leader of the divine service, who has the spiritual power to officiate, teach, knit and decide, and guide believers to salvation. (See “Bonfire of the Ep. Ved.” No. 1888). III. This, brethren, is the preparation of the clergy for the celebration of the Liturgy of the Catechumens. From this alone one can see how important the celebration of the Divine Liturgy is and with what reverence one must be present when performing it. (Compiled according to source). Appendix to conversation No. 1. The meaning of washing hands before the Liturgy Before the priest and deacon began to dress in sacred clothes, they were washed. But now they are doing the same thing again. St. Cyril of Jerusalem writes in his fifth sacramental teaching: “You saw the deacon giving wash to the priest and other elders surrounding the altar of God; but he did not serve the water to wash away bodily filth. Yes it will not; for we do not go to church with carnal defilement. But washing your hands means that you must cleanse yourself from all sins and iniquities. For since hands are an image of action, those who wash them depict their purity and integrity of actions. Have you not heard blessed David, who mysteriously reveals the same thing: “I will wash my innocent hands and build your altar, O Lord”? (Ps. 25:6) So, to wash your hands means to be innocent of condemnation for sins. St. Herman says: “The washing of hands inspires the priests that we must approach the holy meal with a clear conscience, mind and thought (these are the hands of our souls), with fear, meekness and heartfelt disposition.” (See “New Tablet” p. 147). Conversation No. 2. About the blessing of God taught through the priest I. This is how the deacon speaks on behalf of all Christians, addressing the priest. It is not the deacon himself who blesses, but the priest who asks him to bless. II. What does it mean, listeners, that in our country, especially in church, during services God blesses and God’s blessing is taught primarily by the priest? Why is the blessing of a priest especially holy before God, favorable and especially gracious and saving for us? By blessing, that is, glorifying God and teaching the blessing of God, that is, the gracious gifts of His mercy and love for the human race, the priest mediates between God and those being blessed. But how does he mediate? – We have one mediator – Jesus Christ: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). Between the Holy God, who lives in the unapproachable light, and sinful people, who live in darkness and the shadow of death, there can be no other mediator other than the God-man, Jesus Christ. Yes, only Jesus Christ could redeem us, and “he redeemed us from the curse of the law, and gave us blessing” (Gal. 3:13–14). Without Him, we would never, forever and ever, bless God, and therefore would not receive blessings from God for ourselves: without Him, we, out of our blindness, could not and, due to our sins, would not dare to bless God, to rejoice in God. Only He, as the Son of God, could tell us and said that there is God, said and, as God Himself, showed God with Himself, showed and proved that God is omniscient, omnipotent, holy, righteous, merciful, loving of mankind, showed us God by His teaching, by His deeds, especially by His suffering, death and resurrection; showed, proved, assured, convinced us that there is God, there is eternal Truth and boundless Love, and thus he calmed us down, reconciled us with God, so that we can confidently bless God and rejoice in God from the heart. So, by blessing God with the priest and receiving a blessing from God through the priest, we thereby show our faith in Jesus Christ, our Intercessor to God, our Mediator, Redeemer, Reconciler, whose title the priest represents, whose very name he represents by folding the fingers of his hand. The priest represents Jesus Christ, not that he only resembles Him or repeats His words and actions, no, but acts, speaks with such authority and power that only Jesus Christ, the Intercessor of God and men, has. Jesus Christ is always with us, so that we can do nothing without Him; especially, predominantly, He is with us when we bring to God our common and concordant prayers, petitions, thanksgivings, so that if only two or three of us gather for this purpose, Christ is in our midst. It is this special, predominant presence of Jesus Christ with us that the priest represents. Christians serve and pray to God with a priest, which means that Christ is in their midst, mediating and interceding for them before God. The priest blesses, which means that Christ’s grace is special, profound. When you alone bless God, pray, making the sign of the cross over yourself, you act, use the instrument with which Jesus Christ earned us access, boldness to God and acquired the right to God’s blessing; but when a priest blesses God, prays, and, making the sign of the cross with his hand, imparts God’s blessing, it is the same as Jesus Christ Himself, through the mouth of a priest, praying and blessing God, mediating and interceding for us before God, and Himself, through the hand of a priest, teaching a blessing from God. How is it that with His blessing the priest has the right to teach? How does he have the right to represent Jesus Christ? – Jesus Christ Himself, by His Holy Spirit, through the episcopal ordination, gives the priest this advantage, so that he represents Him, so that he speaks and acts with His authority and power. First, Jesus Christ gave this advantage to His apostles, the apostles passed it on to their successors, and so in our Church spiritual persons with the authority and power of Christ will be successively born from the Holy Spirit. Thus, the blessing of a priest, according to the authority and power of Christ given to him, is not an expression of his own good will or permission, but the giving of God’s grace, or God’s permission, and therefore what is blessed by a priest is always holy and lawful, no matter with what mouth he blesses and with what hand he administers the blessing. III. So, this is what it means that among us Orthodox, especially during church services, it is the priest who blesses God and the blessing of God is taught primarily by the priest: the priest primarily represents Jesus Christ. That is why the priest’s blessing is especially holy before God, favorable to Him, and especially gracious and saving for us: in the blessings coming from the lips of the priest, the voice of His beloved Son is heard by God the Father, and with His blessing hand the blessing of God is taught by the One in Whom “all the families of the earth are blessed” (Gen. 12:3). Christian listeners! Be attentive to the priest, to his blessing, and not only in church, but everywhere, and always. The grace of the priesthood is inalienable from the priest; it is with him in every place, at all times. Your inattention, disrespect, disrespect for the priest, be careful that it does not apply to God, Whom he blesses, and to Jesus Christ, Whom he represents! Amen. (Compiled from the “Complete collection of teachings” by Archpriest R. Putyatin, 22nd edition, 1893). Appendix to conversation No. 2. On the meaning of the words “Bless, Master” When the deacon begins to carry out some new and mysterious work, he always comes to the priest and asks for his blessing for that work, showing through this his humility before the priest: for both of them perform the work and service of God, in which the humility and submission of the lower to the higher is especially necessary. (New tablet). Conversation No. 3 on the words “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” I. In response to the words of the deacon: “Bless, master,” the priest replies: “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” This is how our Divine Liturgy begins. At the beginning of the Liturgy, we, the listeners, bless, that is, glorify God; and at the beginning of all our other affairs, both spiritual, divine, and everyday, human, we also bless God. What does it mean that we all begin with the blessing of God, that is, with the glorification of God? By this we show that we do or should do everything for the glory of God, to do in order to glorify God, to say, to show that God exists, that He is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Creator, the Almighty. Yes, when we begin a work with God’s blessing, it means that we do it for the glory of God, for the glorification of God. How can all this be done for the glory of God? How to do everyday, worldly, human deeds for the glory of God? How to eat and drink for the glory of God? – When we do something with the thought of God, praising and blessing Him, then we do everything, both everyday and human, for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). Yes, whoever serves God, prays, or does anything else divine, but in his thoughts has himself, his own benefits, magnifying himself in his abilities and merits, expecting rewards and rewards for himself - he does not do it for the glory of God, although, apparently, he glorifies God, and not himself; if we work, we work for our health, if we drink and eat, or do anything else for our own benefit, but we have God in our thoughts, relating everything to Him, thanking Him for everything - we do it to the glory of God, although, apparently, we do it for ourselves. II. Why should we do everything, start everything with the blessing of God, for the glory of God? a) Firstly, because it is only through this that we receive a blessing from God. Yes, God gives us His blessing, help, cleansing, sanctification when we bless Him, when we do things for His glory, with the thought of Him. You will come to life, be renewed, be illuminated with light when you remember that there is God, when you cross yourself, think, say: in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And not only to us, who bless. Him, He gives His blessing, but He also cleanses and sanctifies everything that we use for His glory, that we use with the thought of Him; Thus, our food and drink, and clothing, and life are purified, sanctified, renewed, and improved by God’s blessing. And that’s why he who begins everything with God’s blessing does everything purely, holy, and successfully; everything serves for the benefit, for the good; he achieves a lot with little means and through little work and is content with little wealth... b) Secondly, and this is the main thing, we must therefore begin everything with the blessing of God, do it for the glory of God, because we were created for the glory of God, created for this. And everything that exists was created for the glory of God (Prov. 16:4), heaven and earth, and all unreasonable, dumb creatures were created for the glory of God, that is, they were created and structured in such a way that by their existence and structure they tell the glory of God, as if they say that God exists, that He is omnipotent, good, wise, they tell others without realizing it, they please others without feeling it themselves. And we, rational and verbal beings, were created to glorify God with consciousness, to speak and sing with our lips, to be comforted in our hearts and to rejoice that God exists, that He is good, wise, and omnipotent. Yes, to know God, to glorify Him is an essential need of our soul, it is the life of our life. “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent” (John 17:3). So this is why we all begin with the blessing of God, we do everything for the glory of God: we were created for the glory of God, we are created in such a way that we will only be rational, blessed beings when we glorify God. We need God's blessing; but why is it actually necessary? Why do we need all the help, all the grace from God, why health and salvation, why all the joy and good haste in everything? - All for this one thing, so that we can glorify God with boldness; so that with all our hearts we can rejoice in the fact that God exists; so that with all our hearts we can say: glory to You, God, glory to You, God, glory to You, God! III. So, listeners, let’s do nothing without blessing, but let’s start everything with God’s blessing - then if something doesn’t work out so well for us, or doesn’t happen our way, we will still do a good thing - that at least we will bless God, we will remember. Oh, Lord, enlighten those of us who, getting down to business, never bless You, and do not pray, and are not baptized, enlighten them that without Your blessing, without prayer to You, we cannot live and act purely, holy, piously, prosperously, and that in the future life we will only have eternal fun and rejoice in that we will bless, eternally bless Your Kingdom, the Father and the Son and the Holy. Spirit. Amen. (Compiled from the “Complete collection of teachings” by Archpriest R. Putyatin, 22nd edition). Appendix to conversation No. 3. About the meaning of the exclamation: “Blessed is the Kingdom,” about the inscription of the cross in the Gospel on top of the antimension, and why this exclamation separately mentions the three persons of the Holy Trinity The Liturgy of the Catechumens begins, as noted above, with the exclamation of the priest, who, pronouncing the words: “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit...”, usually draws the sign of the cross with the Gospel on top of the antimension. 1. The exclamation of the priest - “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit...” serves as an excitement for those present, a reminder that all of them, as sons of the gracious Kingdom of God, must always bless, that is, glorify and thank the Triune God, who arranges our salvation. 2. And by drawing with this Gospel the sign of the cross, it shows that the sacred rite of the Liturgy is to be performed in remembrance of the death on the cross for us of the Son of God and that this death is announced to us in the Gospel. 21 3. It is remarkable that in the exclamation that begins the Liturgy, all three persons of the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are mentioned separately, while in the morning exclamation there is no such separate mention of persons, but only speaks of the Holy Trinity in general, exactly like this: “Glory to the Holy and Consubstantial and Life-Giving and Indivisible Trinity...” ; at the evening exclamation it is simply said: “Blessed is our God...”. What does such a difference mean in the exclamations of the priest? In the exclamation at the beginning of Vespers, there is no mention of the Holy Trinity in order to signify the initial knowledge of God in the human race, when they only knew that there was one God. The exclamation at the beginning of Matins shows that the knowledge of God in the times under the law, in accordance with the Old Testament prophecies remembered at Matins for the most part, began to become more and more clear, and the doctrine of the Holy Trinity began to be revealed, although not yet in a clear and not complete form. And the exclamation that begins the Liturgy shows that, with the then-remembered coming to earth of the Son of God, a completely clear knowledge of God was revealed, the highest secret of the Most Holy and Consubstantial Trinity was revealed, in the special Persons of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 22 Conversation No. 4. About the singing of antiphons at the Liturgy I. Now let us talk, brethren, about the antiphons at the Liturgy. II. a) After the great litany comes the psalm: “Bless the Lord, my soul...” (Ps. 102) and then the small litany: “Let us pray again and again to the worlds to the Lord.” This psalm is called here the first antiphon. When singing it, it is timely to remember the Presentation of the Lord. At the Presentation, Simeon the God-Receiver blessed God (Luke 2:28) and Anna the prophetess proclaimed the Lord to all who were looking for deliverance (Luke 2:38): and in the antiphon we hear the words: “Bless the Lord, my soul... who delivers your life from corruption.” This psalm (like the other, Ps. 145: “Praise, my soul, the Lord,” sung on the 2nd antiphon) is called “pictorial” because they depict the fruits of the coming of the Son of God to earth; we sing of the great mercy of God, cleansing all our iniquities, preserving us all the days of our life and arranging everything for our good. During the first antiphon, the priest prays to the Lord, whose power is inexpressible and greatness incomprehensible, whose mercy is immeasurable and love for mankind indescribable, “so that He, in His mercy, would look (pay attention) to them serving Him, and to all those praying in the church, and bestow His generous mercies and His rich gifts on everyone.” b) After the first small litany follows the second antiphon - the psalm “Praise, my soul, the Lord...” (Ps. 145) and the hymn “The only begotten Son and Word of God, immortal, and willing for our salvation to be incarnate from the Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, immutably made man, crucified, Christ God by death trampling, the only one of the Holy Trinity, glorified to the Father and the Holy Spirit, save us." This song was composed and dedicated to the Church by the Greek Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. (See Outline of church history from biblical times to the 18th century, section I, p. 327). In this song we turn to the Savior Himself, glorifying His gracious care for us. Meanwhile, the priest prays that the Lord “will save His people and bless His property; that He might preserve the integrity of His Church; He sanctified those who loved the splendor of His house (church); and He rewarded them with His divine power, and He did not forsake all who trusted in Him.” At this time, the Baptism of the Lord is remembered. Namely: at the beginning of the hymn, with the words “Only Begotten Son,” one remembers how a voice was heard from the open heavens: “This is My beloved Son” (Matthew 3:17). At the end of the chant the words are sung: “One of the Holy Trinity.” These words recall the Epiphany of the three persons of the Holy Trinity during Baptism. c) The deacon again reads the small litany, at the end of which follows the third antiphon, or blessed. During His earthly life, after Baptism, Jesus Christ retired from Judea to Galilee and began to preach His Gospel about the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14). And in the Liturgy, after “The Only Begotten Son,” at the opening of the Royal Doors, the singing begins: “In Thy Kingdom,” called the third antiphon. Jesus Christ, soon after the beginning of His Gospel, taught the doctrine of the beatitudes before the then chosen apostles (Matthew 5:1-12). In the Liturgy, the very sayings about the beatitudes are sung: “Blessed are the poor in spirit... Blessed are the weeping... Blessed are the meek... hungry... for mercy...” At this time, the clergyman prays that the Lord will hear our common prayers and grant us the knowledge of the truth and eternal life. Towards the end of the singing of the third antiphon, a small entrance is made, which will be discussed in detail below. III. In our further conversations, we will focus your attention, pious listeners, on the explanation of the deeply meaningful song “The Only Begotten Son” on the Lord’s teaching about the beatitudes, that is, on His commandments, by fulfilling which one can receive eternal bliss, and then we will move on to the explanation of the small entrance. Now let us thank the Lord for all His countless blessings to us, His sinful and unworthy servants, for His love for us that surpasses our minds, which prompted Him to incarnate for our salvation, to bring us the light of knowledge of God and show us the path of salvation. (Priest G. Dyachenko). Conversation No. 5. About the sacred song “The Only Begotten Son” I. Our conversation with you, brethren, last time we ended with the following sacred song: “The only begotten Son and Word of God, immortal and willing, for our salvation, to be incarnate of the Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, immutably made man, crucified, Christ God trampling death by death, the only one of the Holy Trinity, glorified to the Father and the Holy Spirit, save us." This sacred hymn to Christ was composed in the 6th century by the pious Greek emperor Justinian to reflect the heretical thoughts that were then spreading about Jesus Christ, as if the union in Jesus Christ of the Divine nature with the human was illusory, and not real, as if, therefore, He was not a real man, but only seemed to be a man, and, therefore, His suffering and death for us were illusory, and not real. From then on, they began to sing at the Liturgy the song: “The Only Begotten Son,” so that those praying during the Liturgy, constantly hearing this sacred song, would more firmly assimilate the Orthodox teaching about Jesus Christ. II. I think, my brothers, that you too can learn a lot about our Savior from this sacred song, if you understand it properly. So, I will explain this sacred song to you. “The Only Begotten of the Son and Word of God”: the second Person of the Holy Trinity is called the Only Begotten Son of God, because He was born before all ages from the eternal Father, from the bosom of the Divinity, one from one uniquely and uniformly 23 in all the fullness of His infinite perfections, and therefore He is “the radiance of glory and the image of His hypostasis” (Heb. 1:3; John 1:1). He is called the Word; this expresses the incomprehensible image of His dispassionate birth. “As my word is born from my soul, so the Son was born from the Father,” says St. Chrysostom 24 “This Word is the internal verb of God and the eternal eternal thought, always in the depths of the beginningless Father, by which all things were created 25; The Word that He gives birth to eternally, in Himself, is the perfect imprint of truth” 26. “Immortal and willing” and so on. He, being essentially immortal, is with the Father, and not proceeding from His bosom, according to the eternal advice of the Trinitarian Deity, in order to save people, He deigned to take upon Himself human flesh from the pure blood of the immaculate and Holy Virgin Mary, who, as the Mother of God the Word, should be honored and magnified as the Mother of God, and not as the Mother of Christ. She, having conceived the flesh of God in the womb, without the seed of a man, and in His conception and birth remained and is always incorruptible in the purity of Her virginity. “Pure before Christmas and in Christmas, and after Christmas truly,” the Church blessed. 27 “Immutably made human”: the Son of God, unchangeable in Himself, deigned to be incarnate and take on the image of a man, although by doing so he appropriated to Himself an alien nature, but through this did not change in His Divine essence and did not lose anything of it. The Divinity abides in Him unshakably and is not humiliated by humanity. “Didn’t change what it was; “It was not changed, but what was not, it accepted,” the St. philosophizes. Gregory the Theologian. 28 “Crucified, O Christ our God, trampling down death by death.” Although He was crucified on the Cross, by His death He put to death the eternal, spiritual death that weighed upon all people. For the human race, for breaking the law, was condemned to eternal separation from the glory of God (all sinned and deprived of the glory of God), or, what is the same, subjected to eternal death: but the Savior, by shedding His Blood on the Cross, having washed away the sins of the whole world, freed us from condemnation, interceding justification and the inheritance of eternal life: He destroyed death, shining upon us, according to the word of the Apostle, life and incorruption ( 2 Timothy 1:10). “The One and only One of the Holy Trinity, glorified to the Father and the Holy Spirit.” The Son of God, the second coequal and co-throne Person of the Holy Trinity, co-reigns and is glorified together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, as He Himself confesses in His prayer to the eternal Father: “Glorify Me, O Father, with You with the glory that I had with You before the world was; because you loved Me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:5,24). "Save us." This petition contains a verse that all refers to the person of the Son of God, and glorifying Him, prays for our salvation: “Only Begotten Son, save us” (See “Historical, dogmatic and sacramental explanations of the Divine Liturgy” by Ivan Dmitrevsky, vv. 140–142). III. This, brethren, is what the sacred song “Only Begotten Son” means, which you constantly hear during the Divine Liturgy. This song is not great, but it can be said to contain almost the entire teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Church acted wisely when it established the singing of this song at the Liturgy, during which, in remembrance of the Sacrifice of Calvary, the Eucharistic bloodless Sacrifice is offered in the most pure Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ for our salvation. Heed this, Christian, and joyfully hasten to listen to this Divine service, so that, freed from all the worries and vanities of life, you may devote your mind and heart to your loving Savior. Amen. (Compiled according to source). Conversation No. 6. About the nine beatitudes I. At the Liturgy, the “blessed” are read on weekdays, and on holidays, the nine beatitudes are sung. Let us explain them so that we can consciously relate to such a great and saving teaching, without following which we cannot hope to receive eternal bliss. That is why, brethren, these beatitudes are established to be sung or read at every Divine Liturgy. II. 1) “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for to them is the Kingdom of Heaven.” The poor, or poor in spirit, are humble people who feel their unworthiness before God and powerlessness in the matter of salvation. “Since Adam fell from pride, dreaming of being God, Jesus Christ raises us up through humility, putting it as a foundation” (Blessed Theophylact, “The Good News,” part 1, p. 92). To spiritual poverty belongs the Kingdom proclaimed by Christ, with all its blessings and the inexhaustible wealth of grace. What a joyful gospel this was to the poor (Is. 61:1), and how contrary it is to the dreamy ideas of the Jews about the earthly power of the kingdom of the Messiah! 2) “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted,” “those who mourn, that is, about sins, and not about anything worldly, and not only about their own sins, but also about the sins of their neighbors” (ibid.). But so that this deep sadness of those who cry does not extend to despair, they are promised grace-filled consolation, consisting in the forgiveness of sins and peace of conscience. This is the consolation that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, gives to blessed souls (John 14:16, 26); it serves as their destiny not only in the present life, but also in the future: here they are consoled by the hope of receiving forgiveness of sins, and there they will unceasingly rejoice, having received eternal life (Blessed Theophylact “The Good News,” part 1, p. 92). 3) “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Patient enduring of the sorrows that are inevitable in life, a quiet and kindly manner with everyone, free from anger, in general - such a disposition of spirit as not to irritate anyone and not to be irritated by anything - these are the properties that acquire for the followers of the Gospel not only the blessing of God in temporary life, peace and prosperity (Ps. 37:11), but also lead them to the inheritance of the land of the living (Ps. 26:13), “the land of paradise” (expression of St. Ephraim the Syrian. His Work, M. 1858, part 1, p. 16), i.e., eternal bliss. 4) “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” With the languid feeling of hunger and thirst, requiring satisfaction, here is compared a strong desire for spiritual good, namely, every virtue that should be desired by a Christian, like food and drink, especially that truth of God (Rom. 3:22), which consists in the justification of a person before God - through grace and faith in Jesus Christ. And just as bodily saturation, stopping the feeling of hunger and thirst, restores and strengthens strength, so spiritual saturation brings peace and tranquility into the soul of a pardoned sinner and makes him capable of good. However, the complete saturation of righteous people will follow in the future life, when they, enlightened by the light of the sun of righteousness (Matthew 13:43; Mal.4:2), washed and made white by the Blood of the Lamb (Apoc.7:14), inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. 5) “Blesseds of mercy, for there will be mercy.” According to the remark of St. John Chrysostom “there are different types of mercy, and this commandment is extensive” (Conversations on the Gospel. Matthew, Part I, p. 275): it embraces not only the physical needs of those oppressed by disasters, but also the spiritual. Good advice to your neighbor, consolation of the unfortunate, prayer for him, forgiveness of offenses - all these are works of spiritual mercy; they are just as valuable in the eyes of God as material help to someone in need from one’s own acquisitions. The merciful “receive mercy here too - from people” (Blessed Theophylact, Blagovestn., Part I, p. 94), and there, on the day of righteous reward at the Last Judgment, the Lord will have mercy on them and accept them into His eternal Kingdom (Matthew 25:34–40). 6) “Blessed are those who are pure in heart, for they will see God.” The purity of heart that the Lord speaks of does not consist only in simplicity of heart, truthfulness and sincerity, but also in the elimination of all unlawful desires, from all excessive attachment to earthly objects and in unceasing remembrance of God. Pure, according to the interpretation of St. I. Chrysostom, those people who “have acquired complete virtue and are not aware of any guile in themselves; the vision here, of course, is such as is only possible for a person” (St. John the Golden. Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew, part I, p. 276). Having achieved “the purification and sanctification of the heart through the communion of the perfect and God’s Spirit” (St. Ephraim the Syrian. Creation of him, M. 1859, part 3, p. 514), they will see God – and “in their own blindness” (St. Athanasius Alexander. Creation of the Holy Fathers, M. 1854, vol. 22, p. 478), as free from any passionate attraction, and in divine revelation, because, according to the expression of Blessed. Theophylact, “just as a mirror then reflects images when it is pure, so only a pure soul can contemplate God and understand Scripture” (Blagovestn. Part I, p. 94). But, like other beatitudes that begin on earth and end in heaven, the vision of God, assimilated by the pure, beyond the earthly world will be even more complete and clear in direct contemplation face to face (1 Cor. 13:12; Phil. 3:12). 7) “Blessed are the peacemakers, these shall be called sons of God.” Followers of Christ, staying, in the words of St. Isidore Pelusiota, “at peace with themselves and not raising rebellion, but ending internal warfare by subduing the body to the spirit” (“Works of the Holy Fathers,” M. 1860, vol. 36, p. 86), establish peace in others who live in discord both with themselves and with each other. By treating everyone in a friendly manner and without giving reasons for disagreement, they reconcile the warring parties, calming down feuds and discord. And although all believers, by the grace of redemption, are called children of God (John 1:12; Rom. 8:16: Gal. 4:5–6), this name and the corresponding degree of bliss especially belongs to peacemakers who are likened to the Son of God, Who came to earth “to reconcile all things to Himself, making peace through him, both earthly and heavenly, through the Blood of His Cross” ( Col. 1:20 ). (St. John. Golden. Conversations on the Gospel. Matt., part 1, p. 277; St. Isidore Pelusiot. Works of the Holy Fathers., vol. 36, p. 87. Blessed Theophilus. Blagov., part 1, p. 95). 8) “It is blessed to expel righteousness for the sake of them, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” In these words, the Lord revealed the future destiny of His followers. He announced to them not glory and wealth, not gain and pleasure, but - contrary to the dreamy expectations of the Jews of the glorious kingdom of the Messiah - poverty, disgrace, persecution, exile. They will be persecuted for the truth, that is, according to the explanation of St. father, for virtue and piety (St. John Chrysostoms. Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew, part 1, p. 277), and therefore they are commanded constancy and firmness in virtue, courage and patience in the midst of temptations and dangers that threaten faith. For the loss of earthly benefits and peace, they will be rewarded in the Kingdom of Heaven with an incorruptible, undefiled, unfading inheritance (1 Peter 1:4). 9) Finally, the Lord, speaking to the apostles, showed that it is especially characteristic of teachers to endure reproach: “Blessed are you, when they revile you and destroy you, and say all kinds of evil things against you, lying to me for your sake, - your name will be carried away as evil, for the sake of the Son of man, rejoice and be glad, for your reward is many in heaven: so you have been driven out the prophets are (besha) before you” (Matthew 5:11–12). Not everyone who is reviled reaches this high degree of bliss, but “only he who endures reproach for Christ and falsely” (Blessed Theophylact. Blagovestn., part 1, p. 95). This slander, endured for Christ in humility of spirit, acquires the ascetic a great reward in heaven - “extreme retribution, and one crowns him for the deed itself, and the other for slander.” (Venerable Neil of Sinai. Works of the Holy Fathers, M. 1858, vol. 31, p. 107). In contrast to these beatitudes, which belong to the true disciples of the Gospel, the Lord announced woe to the proud and vain people, who make wealth and sensual pleasures the exclusive object of their desires, the goal of all their activities. (See the book “The Gospel Story about God the Word” by Archpriest P. Matveevsky, St. Petersburg, 1890, pp. 325–329). III. The congregation of worshipers tearfully repeats, following the reader or singer, these words of the Savior, who announced who can wait and hope for eternal life in the next century, who are the true heirs and partners in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Compiled according to source). I. Let us now talk, brethren, about the small entrance that occurs during the Divine Liturgy after the third antiphon - about how it is performed and what it means. II. While the Savior’s sayings about the beatitudes, sweet for a true Christian, are sung in the choir, the priest secretly reads a prayer in the altar, in which he asks the Lord to fulfill the requests of His servants, giving us in the present century the knowledge of His truth, and in the next century - eternal life. Here the Royal Doors open. Priest and deacon in front of St. three bows are made to the throne. Then the priest, taking St. from the throne. The Gospel, hands it to the deacon, and both of them walk together from the right side of the throne behind him and, preceded by candles, leave the altar by the northern doors. Standing before the Royal Doors, they bow their heads. The deacon exclaims: “Let us pray to the Lord,” and while the choir is singing: “Lord have mercy,” the priest secretly prays to God for himself and the deacon that with their entrance the Lord will arrange the entrance of St. angels who would serve Him with them and glorify His goodness. And the deacon, standing with the Gospel in front of the priest and pointing with his right hand to the altar, says to the priest: “Bless, Vladyka, the holy entrance”; The priest, blessing, says: “Blessed is the entrance of Thy saints always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages,” and kisses the saint. Gospel. Then the deacon, standing in the middle of the Royal Doors and showing St. Gospel, loudly proclaims: “Forgive Wisdom,” and enters with the priest into the altar, in which he places the Gospel on St. throne. On the choir at this time they sing: “Come, let us worship and fall before Christ: save us, O Son of God, risen from the dead (on the feasts of the Mother of God - with the prayers of the Mother of God, on weekdays and feasts of the saints - in the saints, wondrous, singing Ti: Alleluia" (i.e., praise to God). This, brethren, is how the small entrance is made. It is called the small entrance in contrast to the other, great entrance, which occurs during the singing of the Cherubic song. a) How and why did the small entrance begin during the Divine Liturgy? In ancient times, when Christians suffered persecution from pagans, St. The Gospel, in order to avoid attack from the pagans, was kept not on the throne, but in a special container built at the temple, and when the time came to read the Gospel at the Liturgy, it was carried from there by the deacons, preceded by the priests, into the midst of the worshipers and placed on the throne. Later, when the persecution of Christians had ceased, St. The Gospel was no longer hidden, but was always placed on the throne; the small entrance, that is, the removal of the Gospel, was not only not abolished, but began to be accompanied by even more solemn rituals, which we see today, for the Holy Church gave it a deep and instructive meaning for those praying. b) What does the small entrance mean during the Divine Liturgy? It means the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, after His thirty years of age from birth, to preach the Gospel to the people and to serve the human race. I have already told you, brethren, that the Divine Liturgy is a living story, depicted in the actions of the clergy, about the earthly life and deeds of the Savior. The Savior, after His birth from St. The Virgin Mary remained in obscurity until the age of 30; and when He turned 30 years old, then He began to preach about the Kingdom of God and teach the people about how people need to live and what to do in order to be worthy to enter the Kingdom of God. It is this appearance of the Savior at the sermon that signifies the small entrance. That’s why everything that happens before this entrance and during it—everything that is said or sung at this time—reminds us of the Savior’s entry into preaching the Gospel and serving His human race. Thus, the Royal doors to the small entrance remain closed, and only one curtain opens, as a sign that although the birth of the Savior took place, as was remembered at the proskomedia, few people knew Him, and even fewer people recognized God the Savior in Him. In the sacred In the song “Only Begotten Son,” those praying hear, as it were, the first news about who Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, is, why He was born and came to earth. During the singing of the third antiphon, or “blessed,” we hear that sermon about the Kingdom of God with which the Savior first addressed people, and about the blessings that He promises to people who have entered this new Kingdom. At the same time, St. The Church prays to the Lord that He will remember us when He comes into His Kingdom. Removable St. The Gospel is the image of the Savior Himself, coming into the world to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Offered to St. To the Gospel, a candle means the light of the divine teaching of the Savior, Who Himself is the true Light that enlightens every person. There is a deep, instructive meaning, my brothers, in the words loudly pronounced by the deacon: “Wisdom, forgive” (i.e., be simple in heart, or simple-hearted); These words, always spoken before the reading of St. Gospel, as well as other saints. books mean that this holy book contains not only wisdom, but also wisdom, that is, the highest, God's wisdom, and therefore, in order to listen or understand what is contained in this book, one must be simple, that is, one must listen to and believe the Gospel teaching simply, from a sincere heart, unfeignedly. However, the concept of the word “forgive” also includes the following: get up from your seats, stand straight, with reverence and the fear of God. The singing of the priest. songs “Come, let us worship and fall before Christ” by St. The Church calls on those praying to bow down and fall at the feet of the Lord who has appeared with the prayer: “Save us, Son of God, who sing Alleluia to You.” You see, brethren, how false is the promise of our Savior: “Where two or three are gathered in My name,” He once said to His disciples, there I am in the midst of them. Now we have gathered in the church to pray to the Lord and to glorify Him, therefore, we have gathered in His name - and the Lord is with us; He is present among us invisibly; the visible image of His coming to us is His St. The Gospel with which the clergy enters St. altar during the Divine Liturgy. Without a doubt, the Lord is always with us, during every service; but during the Divine Liturgy - especially since, according to His will, it was established in remembrance of Him, in remembrance of His life and suffering on earth. Remember this, my brothers! Come and let us worship Christ, come more often to the church of God, especially to the Divine Liturgy; fall more often to Christ, who is invisibly present among you, with prayer for your needs, anger and grief; fall like children to their Father, with simplicity in your heart; with faith and hope in His mercy, pray to Him: “Save us, O Son of God, who glorify Your holy name.” (See “Bonfire of the Ep. Ved.” 1889, No. 17). III. This is the high, mysterious significance of the small entrance in the Liturgy: in it believers should see - and indeed with the eyes of faith they see - Christ the Lord invisibly walking into the world to save the world. Therefore, it is not in vain that the priest, before the opening of this, prays, that the Lord God, who has appointed in heaven the ranks and armies of angels and archangels in the service of His glory, will create at our entrance holy angels to be, serving us, and glorifying His goodness. Then the church is truly no different from heaven: the Lord Himself is present here in the host of His angels, who really serve Him with us and glorify His ineffable goodness with spiritual praises and songs. It is also not in vain that the holy and God-bearing fathers, the founders of the liturgical rite, wrote in one of their church songs: “We stand in the church, we stand in heaven.” They did not want and could not, by their nature, deceive us: they knew that long before their prophet had said by the Holy Spirit, “The Lord is in His holy church” (Ps. 10:4), and they could not help but believe what was said. Isn’t it a pity after this and isn’t it regrettable to see that many of us do not come to the church of God at this time, or, if they do come, they miss it, out of their habitual absent-mindedness and indifference, without due attention to what is happening in it and without reverent worship of the coming Christ? The spiritual herald with the Gospel in his hands, coming from the altar, calls out loud to everyone: “Let us pray to the Lord!” And these people not only do not pray, but either, wandering their eyes and thoughts here and there and not finding an object worthy for themselves, they plunge into extravagant insensibility, or, having entered into a pleasant conversation with their neighbor standing near them, they forget so much that sometimes they turn their backs to the altar of the Lord (Ezek. 8:16) and from loud talking and rude laughter they do not are held. The clergy and singers in a whole choir exclaim three times: “Come, let us worship and fall before Christ!” And they, as if seeing and hearing nothing, continue to stand motionless and emotionless, like soulless statues. Looking at them, you can’t help but think that their neck is iron, their spine is copper and their heart is stone. (See “Collected Words” by Arseny, Metropolitan of Kyiv). O beloved! Do not imitate such people: these people, while continuing to call themselves Christians, are alien to Christianity, for instead of Christ God they worship themselves and their own passions and lusts. But you, as obedient children of the Church, attentive to the voice of your mother, every time you see the clergy coming out of the altar into the midst of the church, and when you hear on one side the deacon calling for prayer, and on the other, the clergy and singers proclaiming: “Come, let us worship, and let us fall to Christ,” with fear and trembling, in contrition of heart, bow your heads and knees yours before Christ our God, and the merciful Lord will show His mercy to you and reward you with His goodness, for “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and will save the humble in spirit” (Ps. 33:19). Amen (Compiled according to source). A. A note on the meaning of the kiss of St. Gospels and icons on the Royal Doors during the small entrance The priest's kissing first of the Gospel and then, at the very entrance to the altar, of the Royal Doors also has its great meaning: kissing is a sign of reconciliation. With his kiss, the priest expresses that we, through the eternal Word of God - Jesus Christ, have been reconciled with God the Father, and He has opened for us the entrance to the Heavenly Kingdom. B. A note on why the beatitudes are joined during the Lesser Entrance by troparia mainly from the 3rd and 6th songs of the canon The troparions are added to the beatitudes in order to show that the Savior’s teaching about the beatitudes was truly fulfilled and justified in the life of the saints of God, depicted in those troparions. Why the troparia of the third and sixth hymns of the canon are read - the reason for this is the following: it is known that the third hymn of the canon is based on the prayer of St. Anna, the mother of the prophet Samuel, depicts the state of the Church, formerly barren, but now rejoicing over her children - which is why the troparia of the third canto should be read for the purpose of expressing that before the appearance of the Savior to preach, marked by the small entrance, the Church was barren, but with His coming it began to bear abundant fruit. The sixth song, borrowing its content from the song of the prophet Jonah, who prefigured the three-day resurrection of the Savior, shows how the fruitfulness of the Church was accomplished, and together contains a prayer that we, like the prophet Jonah, will be delivered from all the waves and dangers of the sea of ​​life. Conversation No. 8. About troparions and kontakia at the small entrance, about singing the Trisagion hymn and preparing believers to sing it I. In the last conversation, I explained to you, my brothers, what it means during mass to enter the altar with St. The Gospel, called small in contrast to the great entrance, which occurs with the Holy Gifts during the Cherubic Song. It was I who told you that the removal from the altar of St. The Gospel means the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to preach; that for this very reason those beatitudes with which Jesus Christ began His preaching to people are read at the small entrance; that for this very reason the song is sung in the choir: “Come, let us worship and fall before Christ,” so that we worship St. at this time. The Gospel, as if the Lord Jesus Christ Himself appeared to us. II. Now I will continue my explanation of the Divine Liturgy and tell you about the singing of troparions and kontakia at the small entrance, about the singing of the Trisagion song, or the song “Holy God.” a) At the entrance to the altar with St. The so-called troparia and kontakia are sung or read with the Gospel, or, in other words, short hymns in honor of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and the saints. When troparia and kontakia are sung and read in honor of the Lord Jesus Christ, they form a complement to the song “Come, let us worship.” And when troparia and kontakia are sung and read in honor of the Mother of God and the saints, then the Church reminds us that we must worship not only the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, but also His saints. saints, honoring in them the power and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, because all the saints achieved their holiness and closeness to God only through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, who strengthens them. b) Next, the trisagion hymn, called the angelic hymn, is sung: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.” Why is this song sung? So that we know that during the Liturgy, angels are united with us, who, together with the priest, invisibly surround the throne of God and stand before the Lord. Let me first explain to you the meaning of this song. Why is the song “Holy God” called the Trisagion? Because the word “holy” is used three times. And the word “holy” is used three times in it because it is sung in honor of the Holy Trinity. The words “Holy God” refer to God the Father. God the Father is called God because He is the primordial beginning of the Divinity: from Him the Son of God is pre-eternally born and the Holy Spirit proceeds. The words “Holy Mighty” refer to God the Son. He is called “strong” or strong because everything in the world was created through Him and everything is held together by Him. The words “Holy Immortal” refer to God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is called “Immortal” because He is the source of life for all created things, especially the source of grace-filled life and immortality for all people. The word Holy is added to each person of the Holy Trinity because all three Persons of the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit - have the same holiness, the same honor and dignity: there is neither first nor last between them; but all three Persons are equal to each other, and each Person of the Holy Trinity should equally be called Holy, Mighty and Immortal God. Why is it said to all three Persons of the Holy Trinity together, “have mercy on us,” and not “have mercy on us,” as it apparently should? Because God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are in His essence one triune God, worshiped in the Holy Trinity. Now, my brothers, I will tell you about the origin of this song and how it is sung during the Liturgy. The song “Holy God” is called angelic because it was adopted, or borrowed, by people from the angels who, surrounding the throne of God in heaven, constantly sing this song. And this song was borrowed and included in the Liturgy in the 6th century after the Nativity of Christ - and for this occasion. In the city of Constantinople and its neighboring lands there was a terrible earthquake, from which churches, walls and houses were destroyed. On the occasion of this earthquake, the Tsar and the Patriarch, in front of countless crowds of people, began to perform public prayer in the square with a procession of the cross to ward off the wrath of God. During this prayer, in the eyes of all the people, one youth was suddenly raised to heaven by an invisible force. A little time later, this youth was again, by an invisible force, to the greater amazement of the people, placed unharmed in his original place. And this youth said that when he was in heaven, he heard the angels singing a wonderful song to God: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal.” Hearing this, all the people immediately sang this angelic song with the addition of the words “have mercy on us.” - And the earthquake stopped immediately. From that time on, this song became part of not only the Divine Liturgy, but began to be used in all our daily prayers. Even after our death, when they escort our lifeless body to the grave, this song is supposed to be sung. c) In church during the Liturgy this song is sung in no other way than with special preparation. And it is necessary for us: we are sinful people, our lips are unclean. The prophet Isaiah was once honored to see the Lord sitting in the church or above the church on a majestic throne. Before the throne were seraphim, each of whom had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew and cried to each other: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! The whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3). The entire church building vibrated with the praise of the angels. Isaiah was embarrassed when he suddenly saw God Almighty surrounded by seraphim. He himself wanted to take part in the angelic singing, but did not dare to do so, thinking that his unclean lips were unworthy to sing the praises of God together with the sinless and pure seraphim. He could only say: “I am a pitiful man! I'm standing on the edge of death. My lips are unworthy, and I live among people of unclean lips.” Then the Lord commanded one of the seraphim to cleanse Isaiah by touching his lips with a burning coal so that he could praise the Lord. We, brothers, should experience a similar consciousness of unworthiness and impurity when singing an angelic song before St. the throne of God, on which the Lord Himself is invisibly present, surrounded by heavenly powers and preparing in the most pure Mysteries to sacrifice Himself for our salvation. And we, more than Isaiah, must say: “Wretched creatures we are, that our lips are too unclean to sing to the Lord along with the purest incorporeal forces,” and more than Isaiah, we need purification by the grace of God to sing the Trisagion. That is why the priest, as an intercessor before God for the praying people, immediately upon entering the altar with St. Gospel, on behalf of all the people secretly reads a prayer before the throne, in which he prays to the Lord that He, sung by the seraphim and worshiped with all the heavenly power, who has made us worthy to appear before the glory of His holy altar, not only accept from the lips of us sinners the Trisagion, but also forgive us every sin, voluntary and involuntary, like Isaiah, sanctify our souls and bodies and through that made it worthy to glorify Him, the Holy One, with the Trisagion hymn. At the end of the prayer, the deacon reminds the priest about the approach of the time of the trisagion song and asks for a blessing from the priest for this: “Bless, Vladyka, the time of the trisagion,” he says. The priest blesses the deacon, proclaiming aloud the last final words of his secret prayer: “For holy art thou our God, and to Thee we send glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever”; he leaves the end of the exclamation: “And forever and ever” to the deacon. (And when the priest serves alone, he finishes the words “And forever and ever.”) The deacon leaves the altar through the Royal Doors, and before he says these words, turning to the icon of the Savior, he says: “Lord, save the pious and hear us,” and then, when these words are sung again in the choir, turning to the people, he finishes with the exclamation of the priest: “And forever and ever,” at the same time giving the orar a sign to begin the trisagion hymn. And now, after all these preparations, the angelic song “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us” is sung. The words of the deacon: “Lord, save the pious and hear us,” inserted before the end of the priest’s exclamation, serve as the final preparation of those praying for the singing of the trisagion hymn and express a summary of the entire secret prayer of the priest, read before the beginning of the trisagion hymn. Just as in prayer the priest asks the Lord to look upon us, sinners, who dare to sing the thrice-holy hymn to Him, and accept it from us, so the deacon, with the words: “Lord, save the pious and hear us,” asks the Lord to save the pious, that is, not to judge or destroy them who dare to sing the thrice-holy hymn to Him, but to mercifully hear their singing. (See Bonfire ep. ved. 1889 No. 8). III. Oh, Christian brothers! What purity of mind and heart we must have in order to be participants in the divine service and glorify God! Judge for yourself how unworthy of this are those of us who during this service stand carelessly, absent-mindedly or engage in conversation! Amen. (Compiled according to source). Appendix to conversation No. 8. A set of patristic explanations about the singing of the Trisagion “At the end of the antiphons, the trisagion hymn is sung, proclaiming the divine Hypostasis of the Son, as well as the Father Himself and the life-giving Spirit. Distinguishing the properties of the persons of the Most Holy Trinity, they refer the words “holy God” to the Father, “holy Mighty” to the property of the hypostasis of the Son and the Word, and “holy Immortal” to the hypostasis of the consubstantial and life-giving Spirit” 29 . “Holy God, - God, that is, Father; the mighty saint, - that is, the Son and the Word: for He bound the mighty one (Matthew 12:29) who rose up against us, that is, the devil; holy immortal, i.e. Holy Soul, life-giving, have mercy on us” 30. Thus, in the Trisagion Song, the words “holy God” are meant about the Father; however, we do not attribute the name of Divinity to Him alone, but we confess as God both the Son and the Holy Spirit. The words “holy Mighty” are attributed to the Son; however, we do not take away the strength of the Father and the Holy Spirit. We refer the words “holy Immortal” to the Holy Spirit, but we cannot imagine that the Father and the Son do not have immortality.” 31 “The words of this thrice-holy song were briefly uttered by David: “My soul,” he says, “has thirsted for the mighty, living God” (Ps. 41:3). On the other hand, how does the seraphic song spoken by Isaiah differ from the “Trisagion” we sing, which combines three times “Holy” with one name of the Lord (Is. 6:3)? 32 This hymn is called the triholy because of the trinity of persons, since the threefold “holy” is applied to each of the three persons of the one Divinity, for each of them is a holy, and strong, and immortal being and the nature of the three is one. These short words well express the thought of the great theologian, who says this: I think about one thing, and I am illuminated by three; I will separate the three and ascend to the one.” 33 “Imagine what mysteries you are initiated into, initiated into them, with whom you lift up the mysterious song together, with whom you invoke the Trisagion. Teach those outside that you rejoiced with the seraphim, that you belong to the highest host, that you are numbered among the angels, that you talked with the Lord, that you spoke with Christ.” 34 Conversation No. 9. On the words: “Lord, save the pious, and hear us” I. At the so-called small entrance, as soon as the clergy enter the altar, to St. throne, the deacon, having accepted the blessing from the celebrant and standing before the icon of the Savior, on the right side of the Royal Doors, loudly exclaims: “Lord, save the pious and hear us.” II. Who are these pious ones whom St. Is the Church asking to be saved? Whom do you, listeners, have in your thoughts at this proclamation of the deacon? If you have been in the service of a bishop, then, without a doubt, you know who these pious ones are, because then they are counted in detail and by name. Precisely, these pious ones are: the Most Pious Sovereign Emperor and His entire Highest Family, the Holy Synod and bishops, the Synclite, military leaders, city governors, the Christ-loving army, and then all Orthodox Christians. Official people, you see how caring the saint is for you. The Church, how dearly she values ​​your duties! As soon as the clergy enter the holy altar to pray there before St. throne for the salvation of all, then after the kings and bishops they pray for you, for your salvation. Thus, one might say, the first prayer of the Church before St. throne for you. This means that your positions, your duties, whatever they may be, do not in the least remove you from the Kingdom of Heaven, do not in the least hinder your eternal salvation - and you, along with others, along with the ascetics of piety, along with fasters and abstinents, will be saved. Thus, for you too, your eternal salvation should be your first concern, your first concern. Inattention and indifference to salvation is not excusable in anyone: no title relieves a Christian of his Christian duties. Every title before God is good and holy when we abide holy in it; and no title will relieve us of responsibility for neglecting salvation, because in any title it is possible to be saved, and, therefore, must be saved. III. So, don't forget that St. The Church is praying for you; believe in this simple, but comforting truth for you, believe - without your faith in St. The Church and the Church's prayer for you will do you little good. But, not forgetting and believing that St. The Church is praying for you, do not forget your duties, do not neglect your positions; believe that the Lord has entrusted you with your offices, entrusted you with your duties for your eternal salvation. You will be saved if you faithfully perform your deeds in your service; you will fulfill your deeds correctly if you strive to do so, for St. The Church will help you with its prayers for you. Amen. (From “Full collection of teachings,” Archpriest R. Putyatin, 22nd edition). Conversation No. 10. About reading the Apostle I. From my last conversation, you, brothers, learned about singing the Trisagion hymn during the Liturgy. I told you that this song is called “Trisagion” because it glorifies the holiness of the three persons of St. Trinity. I also told you that people miraculously learned this song from the angels, which is why it is also called the angelic song and why St. The Church teaches us to sing and listen to this song with special reverence and preparation, asking us from the Lord for cleansing from sins. Now, continuing my explanation to you about the Divine Liturgy, I will talk about the reading of the Apostle. II. You should note, brethren, that the ancient Christians, when going to church for prayer, devoted a lot of time to reading holy books. They read both the books of the Old Testament and the books of the New Testament. It was the same with them during the Divine Liturgy. But over time, Christians began to be burdened by the length of the church service, and therefore St. Fathers were supposed to read only the books of the New Testament during the Liturgy, that is, the Apostle and the Gospel. The Apostle is such a sacred book, which contains, firstly, the book “Acts of the Apostles,” which tells about the life of St. the apostles and about their spread of the faith of Christ after the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven, and, secondly, the epistles (or letters) of St. apostles to the Christians of the Churches they founded, explaining the truths of the Gospel teaching. And the Gospel is a book that contains four narratives about the life and teaching of the Savior, written by St. the apostles: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. From these sacred books, short readings are read at the Liturgy, called the Apostle and the Gospel. Putting the reading of the Apostle before the reading of the Gospel, St. The Church thus inspires us that the Gospel teaching must be understood by us the way the saints explained it. apostles. At each Liturgy, the Church in its charter has decided to read its special readings from the apostle and the Gospel, its special apostle, its special Gospel. There are apostles and Gospels read at Sunday Liturgies - each Sunday has its own special ones, such special apostles and Gospels are read on each of the twelve feasts, on the feasts of the Mother of God, days dedicated to the memory of prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, holy martyrs, martyrs, saints, etc., and even on every day of the week. The readings from the Apostle and the Gospel say either something about an event remembered on a certain day, or something related to the remembered saints. Church of the saints of God. So, for example, on the feast of the Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos in the reading from the Apostle, you hear the story of St. ap. Paul about the structure of the Old Testament Church or tabernacle (Heb. 9:17), a prototype of the Mother of God, and the Gospel reading tells how one wife, listening to the teaching of Jesus Christ, exclaimed: “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts from which You were nourished” (Luke 11:27-28). On the day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the days of remembrance of the saints, the apostle reads that every Christian should obey and submit to his spiritual mentors - the shepherds of the Church and pray for them, for they vigilantly care for the souls of Christians, as obligated to give an account for them to God (Heb. 13:17-21), and in the Gospel reading you hear a clear indication of the virtues of St. Nicholas - humility, meekness and poverty, with which he acquired the bliss of the righteous (Luke 6:17-23). On the day of remembrance of the holy martyrs, the reading from the “Apostle” indicates the properties of that great love for God, which strengthened the martyrs in their exploits: “Who will separate us from the love of God? - speaks as if on behalf of all the martyrs of St. ap. Paul. – Is it sorrow, is it cramped? Or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword? (Rom. 8:29–36). In the Gospel reading these days one reads the prophetic prediction of the Savior about all His followers: “They will betray you,” He told His disciples, “they will beat you in courts and in their meetings... And you will be hated by everyone for My name. But he who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:16–22). Thus, brethren, is the structure of St. harmonious and harmonious. Everything by the Church is for our edification and teaching! I will now explain to you the order in which the reading of the Apostle occurs at the Divine Liturgy. At the end of the singing of the Trisagion hymn, the priest and deacon retreat to a high place (or high place). This is the place for St. altar, at the back, eastern side of the altar. In those churches where the bishop serves, in this place a pulpit or, in our opinion, a seat for the bishop is built on a raised platform, on which he sits while reading the Apostle and stands while reading the Gospel. In the spiritual sense, the high place means the heavenly throne of Jesus Christ Himself, from which He invisibly teaches His blessing to those praying. Therefore, the priest, leaving after the Trisagion hymn to a high place, says, turning to Jesus Christ Himself: “Blessed are you on the throne of the glory of Your Kingdom, sitting on the cherubim, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.” The standing of a priest near this high place means that the priest is the closest servant and assistant of Jesus Christ Himself, invested with His authority, and acts in the Church on His behalf. Just before the reading of the Apostle, the deacon exclaims: “Let us attend,” that is, let us listen to what will be read; the priest proclaims: “Peace to all,” that is, let there be all peace in the soul, not disturbed by any worries or earthly thoughts, so that the apostolic teaching can more easily enter our soul and be more deeply imprinted on it. The reader, who has gone out into the middle of the church to read the apostle, responds to this proclamation of the priest: “And to your spirit,” that is, may there be peace in your soul. After this, the deacon again exclaims: “Wisdom,” that is, the upcoming reading from the apostle contains the highest wisdom that requires deep attention; and the reader speaks the prokeimenon, that is, a verse taken mostly from the psalter and containing an indication of the meaning of what is remembered on a certain day; festive events or the memory of saints. For example, on the feasts of the Theotokos the prokeimenon song of the Theotokos is said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,” on the feasts of the saints: “Wonderful is God in His saints” or: “The righteous will rejoice in the Lord,” etc. When the prokeimenon is sung three times in the choir, then the deacon again exclaims: “Wisdom,” and the reader, having said from which epistle of the apostle he will read, is read by the apostle himself, and the beginning of the reading is again preceded by the deacon’s exclamation: “Let us hear.” At the end of the reading of the apostle, during which incense is performed, the priest greets the reader with the words: “Peace be with you,” to which the reader replies: “And to your spirit.” Then the preparation of those praying to hear the Holy Spirit immediately begins. Gospels. (See “Bonfire of the Ep. Ved.,” 1889, No. 9). III. In conclusion, let us explain some symbolic actions used when reading the apostle: 1) The reading of the Apostle precedes the reading of the Gospel, meaning that the Savior had previously sent the apostles to prepare the people for the preaching of the Gospel - “He sent them,” it is said, “two and two before Him” (Luke 10:1; Matt. 10:5-8), and that through their mediation, by their successors, we are brought into the grace-filled Kingdom of Christ. 2) By the priest’s departure to a high place and then sitting down near him, it is signified that Jesus Christ, preaching on earth, at the same time, according to His Divinity, dwells in heaven at the right hand of God the Father, and from there, in the person of the priest, as if looking down on His Church. 3) And the censing of the entire church expresses the idea that the grace of St. The Spirit, pouring out through the preaching of the Gospel to all ends of the world, fragrant the hearts of men with the aroma of the mind of Christ (2 Cor. 2:14-15). 4) During the reading of the Apostle, the deacon and the people stand, and the bishop and presbyters, as having accepted the apostolic authority to teach, officiate and govern, sit. When reading the Gospel, everyone stands with their heads open and bowed, as a sign of special reverence and obedience to Jesus Christ, Who is the one Head of the Church. (Compiled with additional information according to the specified source). Conversation No. 11. About reading the Gospel I. Following the reading of the Apostle, preparation for the reading of the Gospel begins. This preparation begins with the prolonged singing of the threefold alleluia. "Alleluia" is a Hebrew word and means: "Praise God." The singing of this word, both in the Old and New Testaments, has long ended the singing of psalms, as many church songs now end. It is very fitting that this word be chanted during the Liturgy, before the moment when the worshipers prepare themselves in the image of St. Gospel, carried out from the altar, to see the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and hear His Divine voice in the Holy. Gospels. Just as subjects usually greet their king with loud exclamations, approaching them and ready to please them with a merciful royal word, so we now greet with a loud “Alleluia” Jesus Christ, our King, before the very minute when He, before sacrificing Himself in the most pure Mysteries, from the height of His throne appears before us and utters His Divine word. II. During the singing of “Alleluia”, according to the rules, incense is performed, although it usually begins earlier, even during the reading of the Apostle. This incense is performed so that the Lord, coming to those praying in the form of St. Gospel, received from them a joyful greeting, like the fragrance of a censer, and so that the grace of the Holy Spirit, now signified by the wafting of incense smoke, illuminated the hearts of those praying for the understanding of the Gospel being read. In accordance with this sacred action, the priest secretly reads a prayer, so that the Lord will illuminate the hearts of those praying with the light of His divine understanding and open their mental eyes to the understanding of the Gospel preaching. Brethren, this prayer is also necessary for us now; for in order for the word of God to be alive and active in our hearts, we need the special grace of God, which would illuminate and warm them, just as the earth only grows seed when it is warmed and illuminated by the rays of the sun. Just before the reading of the Gospel, the deacon asks the priest for a blessing for his gospel, saying: “Bless the master, the evangelist of the holy, glorious and all-validated apostle and evangelist so-and-so”; the priest blesses him with the words: “May God, through the prayers of the holy, glorious and all-praised apostle and evangelist such and such, give you the Verb of the gospel with much power, in fulfillment of the Gospel of His beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ,” that is, through the prayers of such and such an evangelist, may God put into your evangelizing mouth a word clothed with power from above, so that those listening to your reading will fulfill the Gospel instructions His beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. After this, the deacon leaves with St. Gospel from the altar, in the presentation of a candle, signifying the light of the Gospel teaching, and places it on a lectern, in front of which a candle is placed. The priest, standing in the Royal Doors and addressing the people, says: “Wisdom, forgive me, let us hear the Holy Gospel”; and blessing the people, he adds: “Peace to all,” that is, God’s wisdom is before you; listen with heartfelt simplicity and unfeignedness to the reading of St. Gospels. The people, through the mouths of the singers, answer: “And to your spirit.” Thus, the clergyman and the believing people mutually teach and accept into their hearts the peace of God, which is so necessary for the acceptance and rooting of the gospel of Christ in us: for the human word in its full form and volume cannot enter an unpacified and alarmed soul, and even more so the word of God, by its very nature, differs from it, and therefore naturally does not easily enter it. However, do not think, beloved children and brethren of the Lord, that all this is nothing more than a ritual setting, invented only in order to give the divine service an appearance of greater solemnity through various actions, mutually replacing each other, and at the same time to occupy the imagination and maintain attention. Oh no no The order of Orthodox worship, and especially the Liturgy, as an undoubted product of the apostles themselves and the apostolic men, or, in spirit, very close to them, and therefore canonized by the Church, in their entirety and intact, without any changes, has come down to us, alien to such artificial embellishments, and has no need for them, being in itself both magnificent and majestic, both entertaining and attractive to those who have eyes to see and hearts to understand. But everything that is in it, down to the smallest detail, is all accepted, or allowed into it due to necessity based on our spiritual need. Of exactly the same origin and properties are the words and actions preparatory to the reading of the Apostle and the Gospel that are included in the Liturgy: the main and dominant thought in them is that the gospel of Christ, with all its inner strength and unparalleled dignity, perhaps, due to ordinary human weakness and for random reasons, is powerless and fruitless both in the mouth of the evangelist himself and in the hearts of those who listen to him - that it was more than once such even at the time when it came directly from the lips of Christ the Savior Himself and His apostles, so that He once said about the largest part of His listeners: “The prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled over us, which says: You will hear by hearing and will not understand; and you will look with your eyes, and you will not see, for the heart of this people is hardened, and their ears are hard to hear, and their eyes are closed, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and lest they be converted, so that I may heal them” (Matthew 13:14-15); and then generally noted: “To everyone who hears the word about the Kingdom and does not understand, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart” (Matthew 13:19). This is not enough: the apostles themselves, although they always seem to have diligently and attentively listened to their heavenly Teacher, often found themselves misunderstanding or misunderstanding His word. How many times, for example, did He predict to them about His death on the Cross and three-day resurrection; and yet they did not understand this until after the event had taken place, having previously been subjected to severe temptations and almost falling away from the faith. III. In order to prevent this misfortune, which is all the more possible for us, the less we are like the apostles, St. The Church so carefully and carefully begins to reproduce the Gospel gospel through its ministers, openly recognizing that without grace-filled help from above it cannot be fruitful; and this help, as we know, is given only to those who earnestly ask, reverently and piously - always and everywhere, and even more so in the church when listening to the word of God - who behave and are strictly attentive to themselves in everything (Luke 11:9; John 9:31). And for this purpose, the Church protects and guides both the future evangelist and all of us, his listeners, with blessings, prayer, reminders, confirmation, peace of the soul, and excitement of the heart. As soon as we are all obedient to the voice of our mother Church and faithfully fulfill her admonitions, then the word of the evangelist will truly be spoken with much power and will be faithfully heard and firmly accepted by us, “bringing much fruit” in us and through us (John 12:24): for in this case the Lord Himself will reveal to us, as well as to the apostles, after His resurrection, “He has opened our minds to understand the Scripture” ( Luke 24:45), or - like Lydia the purple-seller, “open her heart to listen to what Paul said” the apostle (Acts 16:14). Amen. (Compiled with additions from “Collected words, conversations and speeches” by Arseny, Metropolitan of Kiev, part IV, ed. 1874). Appendix to conversations Nos. 10 and 11 A set of patristic explanations on the reading of the Apostle and the Gospel “After the Trisagion hymn, the book of the Apostles is read and the deacon says: “Let us listen,” that is, let us listen, let us all listen.” 35 “The deacon, on behalf of everyone, stands and, exclaiming loudly, says: “Let us come,” and this repeatedly. This voice that he pronounces is the general voice of the Church.” 36 “The priest blesses the people, saying: peace to all, that is, be at peace with each other, before the divine meal.” 37 “The so-called prokeimenon is read, in connection with the readings from the Old and New Testaments, which is rightly so called because it is presented to the images of New Testament grace; it points to prophetic revelation and foretelling of the coming of Christ God. Following this comes the ap. Paul, as a kind of leader, offers his teaching to the people, or, more precisely, offers the reading of the Acts and Epistles of the Apostles. He (Jesus Christ) said to them (the apostles): “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). 38 “The reader, having come out, says in advance whose book it is, which apostle, and then pronounces his sayings, so that you better notice them and know not only the content, but also the reason for writing, and who said it.” 39 “On the Day of the Cross we read everything related to the Cross; and on Holy Saturday again that our Lord was betrayed, crucified, died in the flesh, and buried. Why don’t we read the Acts of the Apostles after Pentecost, when they occurred and began? Why do we read the Acts of the Apostles not on the very days and not at the time in which they were committed, but we warn this time? Not immediately after Christ was resurrected, the apostles began to perform miracles, but He remained with them on earth for forty days, and after forty days He ascended to the Father in heaven; Another ten days passed, and already after Pentecost was fulfilled, the Holy Spirit was sent; then they began to work miracles. The question remains: why are the Acts of the Apostles read at Pentecost? If the apostles had then begun to perform signs, that is, after the resurrection of the Lord, then this book would have been read: as we read things relating to the Cross on the day of the Cross, likewise things relating to the Resurrection - on the day of the Resurrection, and on every holiday we read things relating to this holiday. So one should read about the miracles of the apostles in the days of the apostolic signs. Why do we not read about them then, but immediately after the Cross and Resurrection? Immediately after the Cross we proclaim the resurrection of Christ, and the proof of the resurrection is the apostolic signs; The signs of the apostles are set forth in this book of Acts. Thus, which especially confirms the truth of the resurrection of the Lord, the fathers established and read immediately after the Cross and the life-giving resurrection. And the fact that signs were performed in His name was the best and clearest proof (of the resurrection) than the appearance of the Risen One Himself. Hear the words of the ap. Peter: “In the name of Jesus Christ, arise and walk” (Acts 3:6), meant no less than seeing the Risen One Himself. The people, having heard Peter say to the lame man: “In the name of Jesus Christ, rise and walk,” believed in Christ, numbering three thousand, and then numbering five thousand men. When the enemies saw the sign, they believed.” 40 “Through the reading of the Acts or the epistles of the apostles, the calling of the apostles and their purpose are revealed.” 41 “There is a reading of the apostolic (writings). While reading them, bishops and priests sit, but without deacons, since they (the priests) also have apostolic grace.” 42 “Wisdom is the word of God. Forgive us, let us hear the Holy Gospel, that is, let us lift up our hearts together with concerns over all earthly things and let us understand the revelation of good things.” 43 “Following the proclamation of peace, the sacred charter of the Holy Church decreed the divine reading of the Holy Gospel.” 44 “Believing in the wisdom and word of God, we all cry out: “Glory to Thee, Lord.” Then again the Spirit, through man, calls out: “Let us attend” - listen, that is, listen to Him. 45 “The deacon, having taken the most pure Gospel, ascends with this divine statute to the pulpit, reveals the statute (the Gospel) and proclaims it to the people.” 46 The four Gospels correspond to the four main winds: east, west, south and north. Otherwise: the four Gospels correspond to four-shaped animals (which were seen by the prophet Ezekiel - Ezekiel 1:10), on which the God of all rests. The first animal is like a lion, the second is like a calf, the third has a human face, the fourth is like a flying eagle. The Gospel also corresponds to these animals. The Eagle is the Gospel of John, which announces the sovereign and glorious birth of the Son of God from the Father, saying: “In the beginning was the Word, all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” Taurus is the Gospel of Luke, which, presenting the distinctive properties of the priestly ministry, begins the narrative with the priest Zechariah, saying: “As many have already begun to compile narratives” (Luke 1: 1), etc. Matthew announces the birth of the Lord according to humanity, saying: the book of the kinship of Jesus Christ, etc. This Gospel is human-shaped. Mark, pictured with a lion, begins in the prophetic spirit, saying: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is written in the prophets.” 47 On the benefits of reading or listening to the divine Scriptures (the Gospel and the Apostle) St. the fathers and teachers of the Church say this: “The Divine Scriptures are truly like a meadow. Just as the flowers in a meadow, although different, are all beautiful, and each of them attracts the eyes of the viewer, exactly the same can be seen in the divine Scriptures. For blessed David draws to himself our mind, and the apostolic word, and their Lord Jesus.” 48 “Whoever constantly comes here (to the church), even if he does not read at home, but listens only to what is said here, one year is enough to acquire great experience (in Scripture).” 49 “I ask and implore,” continues St. John Chrysostom, - try not only to come to church, but also to go home, having received some kind of medicine against your passions, in order to borrow the corresponding medicines from the Scriptures. For example, does anyone give in to anger? Let him listen to the reading of the Scriptures and will certainly find (healing) in the teachings when it is said: the desire of his wrath is his downfall (Sir.1:22), and an ardent man is not comely (Prov.11:25), and the like and also: a pagan man will not reform (Ps.139:12). Also Jesus Christ (says): “He who is angry with his brother is in vain” (Matthew 5:22). Is anyone obsessed with the love of money? Let him listen. Jesus Christ says: “You cannot work for God and mammon” (Matt. 6:24), and the Apostle Paul: “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10), and the Prophet David: “When wealth increases, do not apply your heart” (Ps. 61:11) and much like that. Is anyone proud? Let him listen: “God opposes the proud” (James 4:6), and the beginning of sin is pride (Sir.10:15). In general - for it is impossible to enumerate everything - let everyone choose from the Divine Scriptures a cure for his wounds, if not all at once, then partly today, partly tomorrow, and thus cleanse everything. And regarding repentance and confession of sins, and almsgiving, and meekness, and chastity, and regarding everything you will find (there) many examples. “And whatever was written before was written for our instruction,” says the apostle (Rom. 15:4). If everything is said in them for our instruction, then let us listen to them as we should.” 50 Conversation No. 12, explaining the litany for the departed I. After the reading of the Gospel there is a special litany, with which St. The Church inspires us to pray diligently, out of brotherly love for each other, for all our neighbors, living and dead. If there is an offering for the departed, it is said in the church book called the “Servant Book,” that is, when the Liturgy for the departed is served, then after the litany “Rtsem Vsi” there is a litany for the departed and a secret prayer for them. Let's talk about this litany. Nowhere, my brethren, is that holy truth felt so vividly, that our bodily death is not annihilation, but only a modification of our existence, that our dead are just as alive in the eyes of God as we are, and with us form one Church of Christ - nowhere, I say, is all this felt so vividly as in the church of God during prayer for the departed, especially during the Divine Liturgy, when we and our dead fathers and brothers, under the guise of particles taken out for us and for them, stand before the Lamb of God lying on the throne. There is no repentance after death - this is true. But by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, even after death, the hope of changing our bad fate for a better one is not completely lost. Our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of His Divinity, destroyed hell and freed the prisoners from there, and now still has, according to the word of God, “the keys of hell and death” (Apoc. 1:18), therefore, even now he can open the gates of hell and bring out the souls of the dead from there not for the sake of their merits or deeds, but for the sake of alms and prayers for them from relatives and friends, especially the prayers of St. Church, united with the offering of Him, our Savior, a bloodless Sacrifice. Nowhere is this holy and joyful truth felt so vividly for our hearts as in the church of God, during the Liturgy, during prayer for the dead. Great is the power of love! True love never stops. She is so strong that even death is not able to stop her. She is able to penetrate even beyond the boundaries of the coffin and there exert her beneficial effect. But nowhere is this grace-filled power of love expressed so vividly as in the church of God, during the prayers of St. Churches for the dead. St. Macarius of Egypt had the pious custom of praying for the dead and wanted to know whether they served in their favor. One day he asked a question to a dry human skull lying on top of the ground: Do the dead ever feel any consolation? “When you,” answered the skull, say prayers for the dead, then we feel some small consolation” (“On the necessary church care of the dead” page 54). So answered the pagan skull. What can we say about the soul of a Christian who died with faith and trust in God’s mercy, when the loving hearts of his family and friends pray for him together with the Church? II. Let us consider, my brethren, the litany and secret prayer for the departed, which St. The Church, taught by the Holy Spirit, from Apostolic times, out of love and compassion for the dead, through faith in the power of the bloodless Sacrifice, offers during the Liturgy. a) “Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great mercy, we pray (that is, we pray to You), hear and have mercy.” In saying this, it is as if the Church were saying this: “That is why we, Lord, turn to You for mercy, because we know that Your mercy is great and endless.” “We also pray for the repose of the souls of the departed servants of God, and for the forgiveness of all their sins, voluntary and involuntary.” Let us note the last words, my brothers. There is no need to neglect involuntary sins, because they also require cleansing, because nothing foul and unclean will enter the Kingdom of God. “For may the Lord our God grant their souls that the righteous may rest”; that is, let us pray that the Lord will indwell the souls of the remembered departed where the righteous rest, that is, in the Kingdom of Heaven. For each of these petitions, “Lord, have mercy” is sung in the choir three times, as a sign of an intense request for mercy. “We ask for the mercy of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, and forgiveness of their sins from Christ the immortal King and our God”; that is, we will ask our dead from Christ, the immortal King and our God, for the mercy of God, the Kingdom of Heaven and the forgiveness of sins. In the choir they sing: “Give, Lord,” that is, give them, Lord, what we ask - mercy, the Kingdom of Heaven and forgiveness of sins. b) While this litany is being said, the priest secretly prays for the dead to the Lord Jesus Christ, the conqueror of death and hell. I will tell you this touching prayer for the departed in Russian: “God of spirits and all flesh, who conquered death and destroyed the power of the devil, and gave life to Your world! O Lord, rest the souls of Your departed servants (such and such) in a place of light, bliss and peace, where there is no torment, sorrow or mental suffering. As a good and humane God, forgive them every sin committed by them in word, or deed, or thought; because there is no person who, while living on earth, has not sinned - You alone are without sin, Your justice is eternal justice, and Your word is truth.” Concluding this prayer, the priest proclaims: “For (i.e., because) You are the resurrection and the life (i.e., life) and rest of Your departed servants (such and such), Christ our God, and to You we send glory, with Your beginningless Father, and Your Most Holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.” (See Bonfire of the ep. ved. 1888). III. These, my brothers, are the litanies and prayers for the departed, performed by the Church during the Divine Liturgy. Let us especially pray for those unfortunate brothers of ours who were suddenly struck by the hour of death, who did not have time to prepare for it and passed away into eternity without the gracious guidance of St. Churches. We will also pray with all zeal for our Orthodox soldiers, who were killed in battle for faith and fatherland, since with their blood they sealed their love and fidelity to our God-protected Orthodox fatherland. Forgetting everything dear and dear to their hearts, they remembered only their duty to the Church, the throne and the fatherland, and the feeling of this sacred duty drowned out all other aspirations and attachments in them. So, let us pray with all zeal for the Orthodox soldiers killed in battle, if we want to benefit their souls. But for ourselves, brothers, it is also spiritually beneficial to remember the departed. They remind us of the resurrection of the body and dispose us to soul-saving reflection on death. A Christian, mentally looking at the countless piles of tribes placed on top of each other, sees his assigned place, and recognizing himself as a mortal, learns to live virtuously. So, whoever you are, my brother, when you hear the prayer of the Church for the departed during the Liturgy, out of Christian love for them, add your prayer for them to the prayer of the Church, and especially pray for them during the Divine Liturgy. Nowhere do our deceased fathers and brothers have such close communication with us, nowhere are they so comforted by our prayers as in the church of God, during the Divine Liturgy. Do not look at the fact that the deceased person commemorated by the Church is a stranger and stranger to you. All the same, he is your brother in Christ and equally needs your prayer, like all your dead, relatives and friends. Amen. (Compiled with additional information according to specified source). Appendix to conversation No. 12. A set of patristic testimonies on prayers for the dead (against those who think differently) The place of attacks by Protestants and our Stundists on the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom serves prayers for the dead. The Reformed reject them on the grounds that the fate of people after death can no longer be subject to any change or improvement. The Orthodox Church, believing in the great benefit of prayers for the dead, 51 established this commemoration from an early time, as evidenced by the testimonies of the Church Fathers and ancient Liturgies. Protestants usually teach that the assimilation by faith of the merits of Jesus Christ by each believer at the last hour of death frees him from unnecessary service. Fully agreeing that the assimilation by faith of the merits of Jesus Christ, accomplished with a repentant heart, is a necessary condition for the salvation of the soul, we must add that it is not the only condition for achieving complete bliss. This requires an unyielding struggle of faith against our sinful nature, which does not always end in this life; Therefore, to achieve complete bliss, prayer for the deceased is necessary in this case, helping the cause of the person’s salvation. The Reformed, having rejected the legitimate use of prayers for the dead out of mere opposition to Western Rome in its teaching on purgatory, thereby took away all hope from departed souls on the path of their gradual sanctification and deprived the living of those consolations that they could have drawn from the prayerful outpouring of their hearts. On this basis, they also consider this point to be an innovation in the Liturgy of Chrysostom and resolutely reject it. But St. John Chrysostom in that case followed the faith of the ancient Church in favor of prayers for the dead and in his Liturgy he set forth what the Liturgies of James and the Apostolic Constitutions had as the most ancient. 1) In addition, the entire Church recognized the great benefit of prayers for the dead and testified its faith with the Scriptures of St. fathers. Thus, Dionysius the Areopagite in the “Church Hierarchy” writes: “The priest with humility must pray for the grace of God to forgive the deceased the sins resulting from human weakness and to settle him in the land of the living, in a place where there is no illness, sorrow or sighing.” 52 Tertullian in his book “De corna militis” says: “We make offerings for the dead every day on the day on which they died” 53 . In another place he speaks of a custom that existed in his time: “Every wife prays for the soul of her deceased husband; asks him for coolness and union with him on the first day of the Resurrection, makes offerings annually on the day of his death 54, in the same way, every husband prays for the soul of his wife and does the same for her.” Origen, in his interpretation of the book of Job, says this: “We create the memory of the saints and parents and our friends who died in the faith, rejoicing both at their coolness and asking ourselves for a pious death in the faith.” 55 Arnovius, arming himself against the pagans who destroyed churches, among other things points out that they pray to the Supreme God, asking Him for peace to all, living and dead. 56 St. Cyril in his mystical teaching, explaining the liturgy of the faithful to his listeners, says: “We pray for all those who have passed away among us, considering the prayer offered as the highest benefit for the souls for whom it is offered during the celebration of this holy and terrible Sacrament on the altar.” 57 Epiphanius, refuting the Afrians who mocked the Church’s decree to pray for the dead, responds to all this as follows: “As for the remembrance of the dead, what could be more useful and timely than this? Those who are present are absolutely sure that the deceased are alive, that they have not been destroyed, but still exist and live before God. Moreover, through such a teaching of piety about their fellow men, they have good hopes about them, as about departed strangers. However, prayers offered for the departed also bring benefit to them, although they do not blot out all their sins. They are useful because during our earthly life, for the most part, we stumble willy-nilly or unwillingly. Thus, through this, greater perfection is signified.” 58 This reasoning of Epiphanius expresses all the reasons for which the Church prays for the dead. St. Ambrose, speaking about the death of Emperor Theodosius, turns to God and begs him to grant the deceased peace: “Give, Lord, to your servant Theodosius perfect peace, the peace that You have given to Your saints.” 59 St. Augustine writes: “Pray for the dead, so that when they are in a blessed life, they will pray for you.” 60 2) In addition to the evidence of patristic writing about the existence in the ancient Church of prayers for the dead, the ancient Liturgies, which embodied the entire totality of a Christian’s ideas, his entire faith, also provide us with clear evidence of this. So in the Liturgy of the Apostolic Decrees it is said: “We also offer to You for all whose names You Yourself know.” 61 In the Greek Liturgy of James we read: “Lord, remember... the Orthodox, whom we have remembered and whom we have not remembered, from righteous Abel to this day, rest them there, in the land of the living, in Thy Kingdom.” 62 The Syrian says: “Lord, God of spirits and all flesh, remember all who have departed from this life in the Orthodox faith, grant repose to their souls, bodies and spirits, saving them from future eternal condemnation and making them worthy of joy in the bosom of Abraham.” 63 In Markova there is the following passage: “To the souls of our fathers and brothers, who have first rested, grant peace, O Lord our God.” 64 In the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great we read: “Remember all those who have previously fallen asleep about the hope of the resurrection of eternal life, about the peace and leaving of souls in a bright place, where there is neither sorrow nor sighing, rest, O our God, and their peace, where the light of Thy face shines.” 65 In the Liturgy of Chrysostom the same thing is repeated. Thus, the prayers of the Church for the dead, confirmed by the testimony of St. fathers and ancient Liturgies, without any doubt, and their rejection by Protestants has no reasonable basis, since it stems from their hatred of the Roman teaching on purgatory, which, of course, cannot have importance and significance in resolving such an issue. Conversation No. 13. About the litany of the catechumens I. The litany for the dead is followed by the litany for the catechumens, in which the faithful pray for them, “May the Lord have mercy on them, announce them with the word of truth, and reveal to them the Gospel of righteousness.” After this prayer, the catechumens had to leave the church at the voice of the clergyman: “Depart from the catechumen,” because they, as not yet initiated into the Christian Sacraments and not included in the chosen flock of Christ, were unworthy to be present at the performance of the greatest and incomprehensible Sacrament of the bloodless Sacrifice. To what has been said, we will add that at the exclamation after the litany about the catechumens with the words: “Yes, and they are glorified with us,” the entire antimins unfolds. What does this opening of the antimension mean, which depicts the position of the Lord in the tomb after His removal from the Cross? The opening of the antimension on the throne, which depicts the position of the Lord in the tomb, means that the time of the celebration of the Sacrament and the descent of the All-Holy Spirit on the Divine Gifts begins, and with this the time of the crucifixion, suffering on the cross and burial of Jesus Christ approaches (which is depicted at the Great Entrance). II. Here, perhaps, some will ask us whether it is not unnecessary at the present time to pray for the catechumens and command them to leave the church, when they are not among us, since we have all already been baptized from infancy, we all believe in Christ and are called by His name. Yes, brothers! All of us, as soon as we were born, our loving and gentle mother - St. The Church accepted him into her arms, clothed him in a pure, bright spiritual robe and gave him the dearest name of our Divine Redeemer. But do we bear this high name with dignity? a) Are we fulfilling the great vows we made under St. baptism? Then, brethren, having entered into a covenant with Christ, we committed ourselves to believe in Him and to be united, that is, to unite with Him, to follow Him. But where is our faith that we promised Him? Often and, unfortunately, very often, Orthodox Christians confess Christ only with their lips and “with their lips they honor Him, but their heart is far from Him” (Is. 29:13). There are also those of them who allow their proud minds to be at enmity with the Orthodox faith, who look with indifference and even doubt at the performance of the Divine Sacraments and speak with disrespect of the soul-saving instructions of their spiritual shepherds. At St. At Baptism we committed ourselves to imitate our Hero and Leader. But are there any features in our poor soul that would be similar to the features of His divine image and that would bring us closer to Him and unite us with Him? It would be in vain for us to seek in ourselves something similar to His humility, meekness, kindness and patience. His meek admonition has no effect on us: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29), and the Holy One grieves deeply. The Church, not seeing in us what it expected when it first laid the cross on us; She laid a cross on us so that we, constantly imagining the redemptive merits of the Savior of the world, would also always remember our duty in relation to Him and His most holy commandment: “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). b) Finally, brethren, at St. At Baptism we committed ourselves to renounce Satan, all his works and service to him. But are we also fulfilling this St. vow? No, at least not far from how it should be executed. Of course, none of us considers himself not only openly, but also before his own conscience, a servant of the spirit of darkness, but meanwhile how often this ancient enemy of the human race, at his own discretion and without any opposition from us, disposes of our inclinations, finding the doors of our souls and hearts without any protection and completely accessible to him! This means that the vow of renunciation of Satan is not fulfilled by us as it should. How, brethren, do many faithful differ from the catechumens, who are only taught the rules and truths of the Orthodox faith? Where are our good deeds that would justify our faith? And “faith without works,” according to the words of St. Apostle James, she is dead” (James 2:17). Who will now say that the clergyman’s proclamation is unnecessary: ​​“By the announcement”? No, brethren, why question with doubt why at present the catechumens are being expelled from the church; when they are not among us, we could instead ask the question first: why are those who are unworthily present in it not expelled from the church, when there are many of them? Let no one be tempted by cold unbelief or doubt of the sacraments, rituals and statutes of our Orthodox Church! During the prayers for the catechumens that follow after reading the Gospel, each of us must fearfully imagine that when the Gospel is preached throughout the world, then the end will come, and then the Lord will “send His angels” (Matthew 24:31) to separate the wicked from the righteous, just as deacons now separate the catechumens from the faithful. That is why, when proclaiming: “Come forth with the Catechumen,” let everyone lift up from the depths of his heart a prayer to the Lord, so that He, the Just One, on the day of His last terrible judgment will not separate us from the host of the blessed and expel us forever from His Kingdom. At this time of the Divine Liturgy, let us also, brethren, imagine that the title of a Christian is not enough to worthily be present at the sacred rite of the bloodless Sacrifice - it is not enough just to be called to the divine meal, because although many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14), - one must appear to her in a decent robe of the soul, so as not to anger the King of Heaven with your unworthy presence before Him and not hear from Him a terrible sentence: “Friend! How did you come in here without wearing your wedding clothes? Take him and throw him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 22:12–13). Let us, brothers, prepare ourselves in a worthy manner for the feast that the King of heaven is preparing for all of us and to which he is calling us all! (See “Brief Conversations on the Divine Liturgist” by Priest V. Razumovsky, published in 1857). III. This is the saving reminder of St. Church, serving as the end of the Liturgy of the Catechumens, will be the conclusion of our present conversation. Amen. (Compiled with additional information according to specified source) Appendix 1 to conversation No. 13. The necessity and importance today of reading the litany about the catechumens in our Orthodox churches The Orthodox Church, in the person of its pastors, is not now guided in relation to those entering the path of faith in Christ by all the strictness of the ancient Christian catechetical discipline, and this circumstance often forces a person who wants to be a conscious participant in church worship to raise the question of how useful in our time and applicable to the modern structure of church life is the litany about the catechumens read in Orthodox churches during the Divine Liturgy. Now, strictly speaking, in our Church there is no longer that special category of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who could appropriate the ancient name of the catechumens (οἱ κατηχουμένου) in the full meaning of this word: why are ancient prayers for them offered to us during divine services, why is it that even now in the rites of the Liturgy the order for the catechumens to leave church: “Will you go forth from the catechumens”? It is not due to reverent respect for sacred Christian antiquity alone that our Orthodox Church preserves this original establishment of the Holy Church intact and inviolable. fathers. Eastern Christians now offer the same bloodless Sacrifice that the pioneer Christians made; therefore, the same praises and prayers are offered in their churches during the Divine Liturgy, which were read out to the churches in the time of St. Basil the Great. In this regard, what was done by the ancient Christians is also done among us; what faith they professed by this, we strive to preserve; What kind of reverent respect they had for the ineffable benefits of Divine mercy shown to man in the most holy Sacraments, we also want to cultivate and root in ourselves, preserving their institutions. 1) During the time of St. Justin the Martyr, who was convinced of the truth of the Gospel teaching and promised to live in accordance with it, was taught by Christian shepherds “to ask God, with prayer and fasting, for forgiveness of their former sins.” And the faithful themselves fasted and prayed with them and for them. 66 And until these catechumens had not yet been washed “with water in the name of the Father of all and the Lord God, and our Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit” 67, the ancient Christian Church strictly distinguished them from its other children, did not make them partakers of the terrible Mysteries of Christ and removed them from the offering of the bloodless Sacrifice of St. Body and Blood of your Lord and Savior. 68 By silence, Christian shepherds maintained reverence for the Sacraments in the catechumens and by silence they honored such holy and divine things. 69 And the more reverently they hid themselves, the more ardently those who were not familiar with them should have desired them, 70 putting aside laziness and hastening to understanding. 71 Only the heretics of this time did not know any difference between those approaching the faith and the faithful. “They don’t know,” says Tertullian with his characteristic harshness, “who is faithful and who is catechumen: they still listen, they pray the same. Even if the pagans accidentally came to them, even then they would throw the holy to the dogs and pearls, although not to the true ones, to the pigs.” 72 This is how it was in the first centuries of Christianity, when the Church of God increased by the power of faith and love of Christians in the number of its children; and what was then must be now - the faith of Christ continues to spread on earth and is established in Christian love and prayer. Therefore, although in our churches there is no longer a special category of believers with the ancient name of catechumens, we still have people who need church prayer for themselves according to the content of the ancient prayers for catechumens. They may not exist among this or that church community, but it cannot be said that they are completely absent from the universal Church of Christ. Not here - they are elsewhere: one Christian community does not constitute the entire Church of God and, on the contrary, is included in the latter only because it participates with its love in its life, inviolably preserving its faith, accepting its sacred institutions and praying with it. In view of this, we would violate the laws of church life and brotherly love for each other if, on the basis that there are no catechumens among us, we excluded the ancient litany about them from liturgical use in our church or doubted its usefulness for us. 2) In different parts of the world, many people of other faiths turn to the Christian God and seek salvation in the Orthodox Church. Before being called Christians, these people must satisfy certain requirements regarding both knowledge of the Gospel truth and a firm determination to leave their former sinful life and put on the new man, created in righteousness and the honor of the truth. Orthodox pastors instruct them in this, and the Church itself comes to them with its help on the difficult path of spiritual improvement: it allows them to visit their priests. churches are the best schools of intact faith and piety. But no matter how invested a person’s appeal to the Lord Jesus Christ is, no matter how ardent his own zeal for the knowledge of the truth, no one can call God his Father if this is not given to him from above. Therefore, sincere and fervent prayer in St. churches - places of the special presence of God on earth - is necessary for those approaching faith: having in itself little dignity and value in the eyes of God, like the prayer of people who are still in sins, it is enhanced here by the prayers of all the faithful. That is why the Orthodox Church now addresses the catechumens in its churches with an appeal to pray for themselves, and that is why we are called to pray for them. 3) Many non-Orthodox Christians are now also approaching the true faith of Christ, contained in the Orthodox Church. It is enough for them to recognize the entire falsity of their religious opinions and ardently wish to reunite with the true Church of God, so that its saving door will open for them in St. Sacraments. But while they are only striving for this, they are not yet the children of St. Churches, like those converting from other faiths, need the Lord to reveal to them the Gospel of His righteousness, to announce them with the word of truth and to join them to His holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. We add our prayers about this to their own prayers at the time when the ancient litany about the catechumens is read in church during the Liturgy. 4) In addition to these two categories of persons who come to faith, there are also catechumens in our Church, and their number is very large. These are children of Orthodox parents, prayed to by a priest, who have received a Christian name, but have not yet received Christian Baptism. They are not Christians, but they cannot be counted among non-Christians either, because they already bear a Christian name and are sanctified by a church blessing. They are helpless for themselves, and their future fate is dark; Therefore, our deepest prayer is needed for them, so that the Lord will save, intercede and have mercy on them with His grace, so that He will merit them to be proclaimed by the word of truth and reveal to them the Gospel of His righteousness. They are worthy of Baptism in their infancy according to the faith of their recipients; but the latter only vouch for St. The Church is that their adopted children, when they come of age, will fulfill everything required of them in the name of Orthodox Christians and, for their part, will be worthy of those benefits that they have already been granted by Divine grace. Will we exclude these people close to us from our prayers before offering a bloodless Sacrifice for all the living and the dead? And when should we pray at this time for those who have not yet been baptized, if not while reading the litany about the catechumens? The Orthodox Church does not make all of these persons now, as in the ancient times of its existence, participants in the Holy Eucharist until it accepts them among its faithful. By this she confesses her deepest reverence for St. the sacrament of communion and the words: “The catechumens shall go forth” encourages its catechumens to hasten in cleansing themselves from all depravity and moral impurity, in order to quickly be worthy of the ineffable benefits of Divine mercy, bestowed on people for the sake of the Calvary Sacrifice of the Son of God. After all that has been said, is it possible not to consider it quite appropriate to read the litany about the catechumens in our churches? Not only is it beneficial for those embarking on the saving path of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but it is also instructive for us ourselves. If St. The Church removes from participation in the most sacred Liturgy those preparing for holy Baptism, as those who have not yet been freed from their sins, then on what basis do we stand boldly at the throne of God, when the King of kings and Lord of lords Himself sits on it? In a feeling of deepest humility and repentance before God, suppressing unclean thoughts, passionate and lustful movements, anger and envy and other vicious inclinations of the heart, we must heed the words “Depart from the Catechumens” and highly appreciate the mercy of God shown to us in St. Sacraments and allowing us to participate in the offering of the bloodless Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. (See “Guide for village shepherds”, 1893, No. 16). Appendix 2 to conversation No. 13 Announced Those preparing for baptism, that is, the catechumens, were divided into several classes. 1. Among the permanent classes, the first class was “listening”. These included those catechumens who had just expressed a desire to be baptized. They got their name from the fact that during worship they were allowed to listen to the reading of St. Scriptures, and at the same time teachings, which in ancient times were inseparable from reading the Gospel. They had this right in common with second-class penitents, who were also called “listeners” - with Jews, heretics and pagans. But they could not be present at all the prayers, even those offered for other catechumens, for the possessed and the repentant. Before the intensity of these prayers, as soon as the deacon proclaimed: “Yes, no one from those who listen, and no one from the unbelievers!”, They had to leave the church, as the “Apostolic Decrees” testify. That they were not even allowed to listen to prayers for the catechumens of the upper classes, this is evident from the rule of Gregory of Neocaesarea, who says: “The hearing takes place inside the gate in the vestibule, where the sinner must stand until praying for the catechumens and then leave.” 2. From the “listening” class, the catechumen moved to the “kneeling” or “prostrate” class. In this class, those preparing for baptism in ancient times were predominantly given the name catechumens, as can be seen from the 14th canon of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, which says: “Concerning the catechumens and those who have fallen away, it is the will of the holy and great Council that for three years they should only listen to the Scriptures, and then pray with the catechumens.” That is why the deacon’s appeal: “Come out with the announcement!”, one might think, actually applied to them. Their main difference from the catechumens of the first category was that they had the right to listen to the prayer said during the Liturgy for them, and which, together with the prayer for the possessed and repentant, immediately followed the reading of the Gospel and His teaching. “It is proper, firstly,” says the 19th canon of the Council of Laodicea, at bishop’s conversations to especially pray for the catechumens, and after the departure of the catechumens, to pray for the repentant. When they came hand in hand and departed, then the three prayers of the faithful were performed. Catechumens of the first class, as we have seen, were not allowed to remain during this prayer. Thus, the catechumens of the class we are considering remained at the divine service somewhat longer than the catechumens “listening.” They got their name because after listening to the reading of St. Scriptures and teachings, together with prayer for them, they knelt down and, bowing their heads, listened to the prayer that the bishop or presbyter read over them, in this position they received a blessing from him, hence the prayer that the bishop read over the kneeling person was usually called the “prayer of laying on of hands.” 3. Finally, the catechumen moved to the highest level. In this class, the catechumens were called differently. The writers of the Eastern Church called them “baptized” and “enlightened” (“βαπτιζόμβνοι”) (“φωτιζόμενοι”). We find the first name in the “Apostolic Constitutions”; the second is found in Cyril of Jerusalem in his catechetical teachings. Hence the prayer that was read for these catechumens is called in the “Apostolic Constitutions” “prayer for those preparing for Baptism and enlightenment.” Western church writers usually call them differently - “askers” (“competentes”) or “elected” (“electi”). The first of these names has its origin in the fact that some of the catechumens, out of special zeal for the Christian faith, themselves asked for baptism and were recognized as worthy of it. “Because we ask for the Sacrament of Baptism,” says Blessed Augustine, we are henceforth called those who ask.” “Those of the catechumens are called supplicants,” says Isidore of Seville (d. 636), who, after instruction in the faith, hasten to receive the grace of Christ.” “The chosen ones, as they say in the “New Tablet,” were once called those who, having carried out all the catechetical or catechetical tests and shown evidence of true piety, were separated from the other catechumens, according to the reasoning of the clergy, worthy of Baptism, and sooner or later they finally accepted it.” Despite the fact that these catechumens stood incomparably higher than their brethren and were closer to the faithful, they were also subject to removal from the church before the Liturgy of the Faithful. But before they left the church, the Church offered special prayers for them with content corresponding to their purpose. 73 After this, they bowed their heads and received a blessing from the bishop or presbyter, who also had to read a special prayer over them. These special prayers read over the catechumens, selected and preserved to this day, serve as the most indisputable proof of the independent existence of this class. It should be noted that a feature that distinguishes the catechumens of this class from others is that they left the church after all the catechumens of other classes, since the prayers offered for them were said after the latter had left. (See more about this in the book “History of the rites of Baptism and Confirmation.” A. Almazova, Kazan, 1884, pp. 80–84). Appendix 3 to conversation No. 13 Moral explanation of the proclamation “Depart from the Elites of the Catechumen” As for the proclamation of “The Elitsa Catechumen, go forth,” now among the Christians themselves there are many who should either be counted among the catechumens or the repentant, who, following that proclamation, should leave the church; Among them are unrepentant sinners, irreconcilable enemies who dare to mock the shrine of faith, etc. And in the Liturgy of St. The apostles 74 proclaimed to the faithful themselves: yes, no one against anyone (that is, let no one in his heart harbor anger and vengeance against any of his brethren, but let everyone forgive and reconcile all insults and insults, kissing the offender with the holy kiss in Christ, as a sign of which it was established by the Church); “Yes, no one is in hypocrisy and no one is faithful!” (none of the most faithful, those who must leave the church with those who clearly repent, will dare to remain in the church). Hearing such a proclamation, everyone should think about their unworthiness, be touched in their souls, and in the secret of their hearts ask God for the remission of their sins with the firm intention of correcting them, so as not to fall under the terrible condemnation: “Throw him into outer darkness!” To excite such feelings and tenderness in the hearts of those present, the deacon proclaims the words “Depart from the catechumens!” St. I. Chrysostom expels all those unworthy from being present at the performance of the Sacraments with such a divine cry 75: “Yes, none of those unworthy of food (the Divine Meal), and none of those who are unable to see the heavenly Blood shed for the remission of sins! Yes, no one is unworthy of a living Sacrifice! Yes, no one is ignorant of the Mysteries of faith! Yes, no one can touch the terrible Sacraments with defiled lips (he dares to remain!) If you have anger at the enemy, cast off your anger, heal the ulcer, resolve the enmity, and receive healing from the meal.” According to legend, this house belonged to Joseph of Arimathea (See “The Life of I. Christ” by Prof. Skvortsov). See Strange. 1881, Apr. Book, pp. 609 and 610. Reclining means: sitting in a reclining position. This is how in ancient times they sat at the table during dinners. The table was placed in the middle of the room, covered with felts and carpets, and places for reclining or sitting were prepared near the table, which were called boxes. The diners, leaning on the bed with their left hand, took food with their right. The guidelines in compiling this essay were: a) “Explained. Liturgist." Dmitrievsky, b) “Histor. review of hymns." Filareta and others op. It is known, for example, that ap. John the Theologian used during divine services a golden crown, like our miter. The same withered was used by the ap. James, first bishop of Jerusalem. From this latter they remained and were subsequently presented to the Patriarch of Constantinople Ignatius Theodosius, Patriarch of Jerusalem: Podir - the outer garment of the Old Testament high priest, with an opening for the head, without sleeves and with bells, similar to our sakkos and amice, or omophorion. The Mother of God herself made an omophorion with her own hands and gave it to St. Lazarus, resurrected by Christ, when he was a bishop on the island of Cyprus. The Apostle Paul left in Troas the very phelonion in which he officiated (“Explained. Liturg.” Dmitrievsk. 43). Blazh. Augustine asserted that in Corinth the Eucharist was celebrated post coenam sive convivium, which was the cause of disorder and abuse there. He thinks that it was the ap. Paul abolished this custom of celebrating the Eucharist after Vespers at the time when he came to Corinth himself, according to his promise, in order to arrange affairs there (Ep. 118 ad Ian., pp. 6-7. Katansky. “Essay on the historical liturgist of the Right Church”), The celebration of the love supper after the Eucharist is testified by: Cyprian of Carthage, Tertullian, Basil the Great, Chrysostom, Blessed. Jerome, blessed Theodoret and others. Chrysostom testifies to the same thing (Des. Ha 1 epil. to Cop. T. 2, p. 101) the early custom of receiving holy communion became dominant. Tain on an empty stomach. According to Bunsen, this happened in 65. according to R. X. (Katansky. “Essay on the historical literature of the Orthodox Church”). Thyestes - Θυέστης - a mythological figure considered among the descendants of Tantalus. They say about him that his own murdered son was offered to him at a meal from his brother Atreus, who was at enmity with him (Gamera Iliad, 2, 106. Aeschylus. 1253. Euryp. Or. 1608). After this conversation, which briefly explains the entire course of the Divine Liturgy, other conversations that explain all parts of it will become more understandable. The same must be said in relation to the general overview of the all-night vigil that we previously posted. In general, when distributing liturgical material, we were guided, among other considerations, by pedagogical interests. Priest Gr. Dyachenko. From the words “On the Divine Supper.” Anastasius Sinaite is a disciple of John Climacus and, after his brother, abbot of Mount Sinai. He lived in the first half of the 7th century. and left behind many writings. He mainly fought against opponents of the Council of Chalcedon. Reading these beautiful, reverent reflections and sighs of the soul, poured out from a believing heart, is highly useful both for understanding the inner meaning of the liturgy and for the mood of the Christian’s heart for worthy listening to the divine service. This application does not provide theoretical knowledge, but gives true spiritual food to the heart, which is very important in educational terms. G. Dyachenko. The initial words of the chants and sayings spoken aloud by the celebrants are marked here in bold to indicate the proposed reflection corresponding to each of them. An explanation will be made about the antiphons of the Liturgy in due course. The Lord prepared people for this terrible purifying death of the God-Man not only with prophecies, but also with some special significant events. Thus, the Passover lamb, which the Jews were supposed to eat before leaving Egypt, contained within Itself the likeness of the Lamb of God and His death on the cross. Here is one feature of this similarity. Since on this night the angel was supposed to destroy all the firstborn of the Egyptians, so that at the same time the firstborn of the Jews would not perish, they were commanded to smear the blood of this lamb on their entrances. Thus, the blood of the sacrificial lamb was the means of salvation for the Jews. Likewise, the blood of the spotless lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ, is the salvation of people. These special, significant events are called prototypes, that is, preliminary images and similarities of how the promised Savior of the world was supposed to offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of people. Paten, from Greek, a vessel on which food is served, a dish; here it serves as a reminder of the cave in which the Body of the Lord Jesus was laid after He was taken down from the Cross. Two small covers cover the paten and the chalice; they resemble the swaddling clothes with which the body of the Lord Jesus was wrapped; A star is placed on the paten - two connected half-hoops, respectively, so that the cover does not fit tightly to the lamb and particles and does not drop them in any way. An excerpt from the words of St. Sophrony, Patriarch of Jerusalem. “On Divine Sacrament”, published. 1855 SP b., pp. 273–276. Blessed Simeon, Archbishop. Thessalon., “Interpretation of the Divine Church.” Ch. 102, according to ed. 1857 SP b., p. 56. Blessed Simeon, Archbishop. Thessalon., “Conversation about St. sacred rites", ch. 322, according to ed. 1836 SP b., p. 512. Blessed Simeon, archiette. Thessalon., “Conversation on sacred rites” ch. 63–64. According to ed. 1856 SP b. pp. 129–131. Explained on Liturg. Dmitrievsky, part 2, § 25, note. 2, page 32. New tablet Part 2, Ch. 7, § 2. St. Gregory. Theologian in word 36, about the Son, p. 147. Russian. ed. 1798. St. Chrysostom. conversation 18, volume 5, ed. 1612, in Eton. Ps. 32:6; Ps. 148:5; John 1:3; Col. 1:16. – The Son of God, in addition to the above reasons, is also called the Word because 1) because in him we know the will of the Eternal Father (John 4:34, 5:30, 6:38), which He revealed when He was in the flesh (John 1:18), as a prophet (Deut. 18:18) and the angel of the covenant (Mal. 3:1), 2) because the promise of sending Him to earth as the Messiah it was foretold to the living spophs, or voice, to our ancestors after their fall. (Gen.3:15), and 3) because from that time until the very incarnation He, in the form of a man, talked with the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets, in mysterious visions and revelations, because the beginning of His humanity was in people from the very first ancestors (Gen.3:15); see “Notes on the book. Genesis”, Metropolitan Philaret p. 288). Bossuet, conversation 2, art. 6, “On General History.” The Church depicts the virginity of the Mother of God on Her icons with three stars on her forehead and on both shoulders. St. Gregory. Theologian WORD 39. St. Sophronius “O deities. sacred rite." According to ed. 1855 St. Petersburg, p. 281. St. Herman "Sequence" exposition church services." According to ed. 1855 St. Petersburg, p. 381. St. John of Damascus “An accurate presentation of the Orthodox Church. faith." Book 3, ch. 10, according to ed. 1844 Moscow, p. 161. Excerpt from the words of St. Sophronius, Patr. Jerus. “Oh god. Priest." According to ed. 1855 St. Petersburg, p. 281. St. Herman, Patr. Constant., “Sequence. exposition church services." According to ed. 1855 St. Petersburg, p. 382. St. John Zlat. "Discourse on the words of Rom." XII, 20. “Conversations on various topics. places of Holy Scripture" 1862 SP b. vol. P, p. 402. St. Herman "Sequence" exposition church services." According to ed. 1855 St. Petersburg, p. 384. St. John Zlat. on "The Acts of the Apostles", demon. 19. According to ed. 1856 St. Petersburg. Part I, page 355. c. Sophronia “O deities. sacred." According to ed. 1855 SP b., pp. 282–283. St. John Zlat. on Last to the Hebrews, demon. 8. According to ed. 1859 SP b., pp. 155–156. St. John. Zlat. on the overhead Acts apostle demon 5. According to ed. 1862 St. Petersburg. II, pp. 340–346. St. Herman, Patr. Constant "Afterbirth. exposition church services." According to ed. 1855 SP b., p. 384. Blessed. Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalon: “Interpretation of the Deities. church." According to ed. 1857 SP b., p. 30. St. Herman, Patr. Constant "Afterbirth. exposition church services", page 385. Lecturer Maximus the Confessor Mystery. Ch. XIII. According to ed. 1855 SP b., p. 326. St. Herman, Patr. Const. “Last. exposition church services." According to ed. 1855, p. 386. St. Sophronius, Patr. Isrus. “Oh divine. sacred." According to ed. 1855, p. 284. St. Herman, Patr. Const: “Last. exposition church services." According to ed. 1855 SP b., pp. 386–388. St. John the Golden: conversation on the words: “The harvest is plentiful.” According to the 1862 edition of SP b., p. 82. St. John Zlat. on Ev. from John, demon. 58. According to ed. 1855 SP b, p. 298. St. John Zlat. on Acts apostle, demon 29. According to ed. 1857 St. Petersburg. Part II, pp. 27–28. Phil. 1:4,19; Col.1:9; 1 Timothy 2:1-3; 2 Corinthians 1:11; Acts 12:5; Matt. 12:31–32, 21:22, 9:24; Mk. 16:16; Rome. 14:9. De corna milicis c. 4 p.m. 181. O unit. Ch. 10 admonished. to chastity Ch. 11. Will announce. Mystery 5. Part 5. Heres. 65. Adrian. part 5. Wind. 3 hours p. 205. Sevm. Ad. Fratr. In Eremmo Commcmor XLIV, t X. Goar Evchol. 145 rub. and 62.3 l. See 2 Apology of St. Justin the Martyr. See the detailed description of the order of the liturgy in Apostolic Constitutions II, 57; VIII, 6–11. St. Basil the Great on the Holy Spirit, ch. 27. Blazh. Augustine's conversation 26 on John. His same conversation on Psalm 109. Tertull. De praescript. Advers. Haeretic., c. XLI. Liturgical service book. presanctified Ed. M. 1842, sheet 143, vol. – 144. Official. Apostolic book 8, ch. 12. St. I. Chrysostom in “Discourse on the Parable of the Prodigal Son.”