Г. Литургия верных

A. Final preparation of the gifts and the faithful for the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice Conversation No. 1. About the Great Entrance I. Having completed the explanation of that part of the Liturgy, which is called the Liturgy of the Catechumens, we now proceed to present the content and meaning of the third most important part, the so-called Liturgy of the Faithful. It is so called because in ancient times only the faithful, that is, those who had already received Holy Baptism, were allowed to listen to it. The Liturgy of the Faithful is divided into four parts: a) the final preparation of the gifts and the faithful for the offering of sacrifice; b) making a sacrifice, that is, performing the Sacrament of Communion and remembering the dead and living members of the Church; c) preparation for Communion and communion itself; and d) thanksgiving for Communion and the end of the liturgical service. The first part of the Liturgy of the Faithful consists of the Cherubic Song, the Great Entrance, petitions for spiritual benefits (petitionary litany), the instillation of peace and love, the confession of faith and invitations to attention. II. The Liturgy of the Faithful begins with the following proclamation: “Let us pray again and again in peace to the Lord.” By that time, the celebrant had already prostrated himself on the throne of St. antimins. The gradual discovery of this image reminds us of how the Lord gradually revealed and announced His suffering on the Cross, His death and resurrection (Matthew 12:40,16:4; Luke 13:33). He predicted this in detail several days in advance (Luke 9:22; Matt. 16:21) and on the very day (Matthew 17:9,12) of His transfiguration. But He predicted with special detail before His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 20:18–19). The antimension, remember, brethren, is a silk or linen cloth depicting the position of the Savior in the tomb, consecrated by the bishop instead of the throne. That is why the priest, although he was already standing before St. throne, then secretly thanks the Lord God of hosts, in the first prayer of the faithful, that He has made him worthy to appear at His holy altar to offer prayers for universal sins. During the second litany of the faithful, which constitutes a shortening of the great litany, the priest secretly prays to the Good and Lover of Mankind, so that He, having regard to his prayer, will cleanse him from all defilement of the flesh and spirit, and grant him an innocent and uncondemned presence with St. His altar, and granted all those praying with him the uncondemned communion of the Holy Mysteries and the Heavenly Kingdom. After each litany, the priest exclaims: “Wisdom!” expressing by this that in the coming mysteries the wisdom of God begins to be revealed, that is, the miraculous power of God, incomprehensible to all human wisdom. After praying for the faithful, the Royal Doors are opened, into which the King of Kings enters under the guise of Eucharistic shrines. With the raising of his hands, expressing the highest elevation of mind and heart, the priest then prays to the King of Glory, Whom the heavenly powers serve with fear, so that He, out of His ineffable and immeasurable love for mankind, would look upon him, His sinful and indecent servant, and make him worthy to bring the Holy Gifts. Oh, with what reverent awe and with what a deep sense of his unworthiness should a priest pray, daring to begin the sacred rite of the Holy and Most Pure Body and Precious Blood of Christ, and preparing to join the host of heavenly powers, invisibly serving him and surrounding the King of Glory! And how deeply must he then feel the need for the intercession of the celestials and the prayers of the coming believers! Pray then, compassionate Christians, pray with all zeal for the priest, that the Lord God may remember his priesthood in His Kingdom! The priest finds great consolation in the thought that his good flock are praying for him in this terrible time; His spirit is also supported and strengthened by the thought that it is not he who actually performs the sacrament, but Christ our God Himself, who is the offerer and the offered, the acceptor and the distributed. For St. Chrysostom says: “It is not man who creates the Body and Blood of Christ that is set to be, but Christ Himself who was crucified for us” (in a conversation about the betrayal of Judas). Let us also remember the words of St. Cyprian, which are so comforting for the celebrant. “Even until now, the Lord creates, sanctifies, and blesses this most true and holy Body of His” (from the “Sermon on the Lord’s Supper”). But, brethren, although the priest himself does not perform the Sacrament of the Eucharist, although in this case he constitutes one instrument of Christ, with all this much, very much is required of him in purity and holiness in order to stand before the terrible throne without condemnation at the sacred rite of the bloodless sacrifice! There is censing at the opening of the Royal Doors, as a sign of the solemnity of the upcoming sacred rites, when the church becomes heaven and is filled with the angels of God surrounding their King and Lord; Incense also occurs as a reminder to those who are coming that Christ Himself is coming to give “Himself for us, as an offering and sacrifice to God as a sweet aroma” (Eph. 5:2), and that therefore we ourselves, out of gratitude to Him, should become “Christ’s aroma to God” (2 Cor. 2:15). At this time they begin to sing the Cherubic Song. Finally, brethren, there is the Great Entrance in the middle of the Cherubic Song, before the words “For let us raise up all the King,” with the prepared Holy Gifts, which are transferred from the altar to the throne. The Great Entrance mysteriously signifies the procession of our Lord to free suffering and the transfer of His most pure body from Golgotha ​​to the helicity of Joseph of Arimathea. Therefore, both the persons and things that are then presented have a meaning corresponding to that event: the priest and the deacon then depict the faithful friends of Christ - the handsome Joseph and Nicodemus, who, having asked Pilate for the body of Jesus Christ and taking it down from the Cross, transferred it to the helicity of Joseph, where they laid it in a new coffin, carved in stone by Joseph of Arimathea for himself. The larger shroud, or air, carried on the priest's frame, represents the shroud of Christ; one of the smaller covers means sir, that is, the towel with which the Savior’s head was wrapped, and the other means His burial shrouds; the censer then depicts the myrrh and scarlet with which the body of Jesus Christ was anointed. The throne, by placing on it the gifts transferred from the altar, means the tomb of the Savior; the star signifies the seal attached to the coffin, and the air signifies the stone rolled to the cave, the closing of the Royal doors with a curtain - His secret descent into hell and the guards assigned to the coffin 76. According to this meaning of the Great Entrance, the troparions then read secretly by the priest: “Noble Joseph”... “Carnally in the grave”... and “Like a life-bearer”... also indicate the circumstances of the Savior’s death on the Cross, namely: in the first troparion the burial of the Savior is remembered, and in the other two - the indescribable omnipresent Deities and the new life that shone from the tomb of Christ. The proclamation during the bishop's service at the Great Entrance of the names of the Sovereign Emperor and His entire Highest Family, also the synod, the local archpastor and all Orthodox Christians was established in memory of the ancient custom - when transferring the prepared gifts to St. the throne to remember in prayer the names of those who brought such gifts and those for whose salvation they were brought, as well as those who made some remarkable help to the Church. Subsequently, a detailed calculation of the names of such persons, which turned out to be difficult during the Great Entrance, was referred to as proskomedia; at the Great Entrance, it was decided to remember them under the common name of all Orthodox Christians, as is the case today 77 . So, the Great Entrance mysteriously depicts the procession of our Lord to the free passion and the transfer of His most pure Body to the place of burial. Therefore, at such a significant and solemn action, everyone should stand with fear and trembling and not think of anything earthly in themselves, but think only that the King of kings and Lord of lords comes to be slain and given as food to the faithful, that He, whom legions of angels are ready to serve as their King and God, is coming as a lamb led to the slaughter! III. Let us, brethren, remember the highly significant significance of the Great Entrance, and, imagining then our Savior coming to free suffering, let us cry to Him from the depths of our hearts: “Remember me, Lord, when you come into Your Kingdom.” Amen. (Compiled with significant additions based on the “Brief Conversations on the Divine Liturgist” by Priest V. Razumovsky, published in 1857). A. A note on the meaning of the words of the Cherubic Song The song “Like the Cherubim,” which is sung during the Great Entrance 78, aims to instill in what disposition we need to be in then, namely, it reminds us to put aside all worldly cares at this time, in accordance with the then remembered great event of the death of the Lord and the upcoming celebration of the Eucharist. It is called Cherubim because its purpose is to incite us to bring praise to the Lord, like the cherubim, that is, with that purity, with that reverence that is characteristic of disembodied spirits 79 . This Cherubic Hymn was compiled under Emperor Justin II, in the 7th century, 80 so that it can be understandable to everyone, we will try to present it in the Russian dialect. The first word of it means “which” in Russian, and the meaning will be as follows: “We, who mysteriously depict cherubs, or in other words, we, mysteriously depicting cherubs and, chanting the trisagion hymn to the Trinity, will now put aside all worldly cares.” For what? “Let us raise up the Tsar”, i.e. “in order to worthily raise the King of glory, invisibly accompanied by the angelic ranks - hallelujah, hallelujah, applilujah!” The song of hallelujah, as already noted, means “praise the Lord,” and forms an essential part of the Cherubic song; because it was she who was borrowed by the Church from the world of angels (Rev. 19:6). And the expression dorinoshima is replaced here by the word “accompanied” because dorinoshi, being composed of the Greek word - dori (δόρυ - spear) Russian - burden, means: “I accompany someone with spears.” It recalls the following circumstance: in ancient times, among the Romans, when the newly elected emperor was proclaimed, the Roman soldiers solemnly raised him and carried him on a shield, in the midst of the copies of the Roman legion surrounding him. Likewise, in the present case, the deacon, as if a representative of an invisible legion of angels, lifts the King of all above the head, on the paten, as if on a shield, - lifts Him in the humble form of a lamb, among the prayers of the Christians present, as a true spiritual weapon of His militant Church (See Letters on Muravyov’s Divine Services, ed. 1839, p. 31). B. Why was the Great Entrance installed? The solemn rite of the Great Entrance was established by the Church for the bringing to the throne for consecration of gifts prepared in an offering that was then not inside, but outside the altar on the left side, where people's offerings were received. “Those who have completed this (the prayers of the faithful) deacons, as prescribed in the apostolic orders 81, may bring gifts to the bishop to the altar,” that is, to the throne. In accordance with this ancient order, gifts are now transferred during the episcopal service by other lower clergy. The bishop, reverently greeting them in the Royal Doors with burning incense and secretly greeting them with the words: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” takes them from the hands of the clergy and places them on the Holy. throne. (See “Historical, dogmatic and sacramental explanation of the Divine Liturgy” by Iv. Dmitrevsky, pp. 194–195). Conversation No. 2. About bowing during the Great Entrance I. When the so-called Great Entrance takes place at the Divine Liturgy, that is, when the clergy, having taken from the altar the gifts prepared for the sacred rite of the Body and Blood of Christ - bread and wine, carry them around the church, then stop near the pulpit to say their prayers, and then enter with them into the holy altar to place them on the holy throne - you stand all the time, pious Christians, bowing your heads theirs. II. Why do you bow your head at this time, and what should you mentally pray for on this occasion? The gifts carried at this time, although not yet consecrated, are, however, completely prepared for consecration. This bread on the paten that the deacon has on his head will soon be the Most Pure Body of Christ; this wine in the Chalice that the priest has in his hands will soon be the Life-giving Blood of Christ. And therefore these gifts, instead of the Body and Blood of Christ, are already sacred. To express your reverence for these sacred gifts, you bow your heads when the priest and deacon carry them to the altar. And some of you, listeners, do not bow your head before them at this time, as well as on other occasions and before other sacred objects. Why don't they bow down? Perhaps because they don’t know well why they need to bow down? So, this is why: in order to bow the head to pay respect to the holy gifts prepared for consecration into the Body and Blood of Christ, and through this to sanctify ourselves and thus prepare for the holy offering and (sometimes) to accept the offered and consecrated Gifts. Yes, we honor every shrine of God, not only because it is holy and venerable, but also because, by paying veneration to it, we ourselves are thereby sanctified and made worthy before it. Her holiness, with our veneration, is communicated to us, as if reflected in us, and therefore we become purer and holier before her. This is how objects are illuminated with light when they are turned towards the sun; This is how iron receives magnetic force by touching it with a magnet. By our veneration of the shrine, worship of the head, kneeling and other signs of our respectful humiliation before her, we, as if by some kind of duty, reduce, correct our sinful guilt, cover up, make up for our unworthiness before her. And therefore, an unworthy sinner becomes worthy of the shrine of God, even the divine, most pure, terrible shrine of the Body and Blood of Christ, when he humbly honors it, bows before it with reverence, approaches it with the fear of God - then he is already pure, he becomes holy before it; This reverent veneration he gives to the shrine alone is already holiness and piety in him. Yes, he who honors the holy thing is holy and pure; This is why he is holy and pure because he honors the shrine. III. So, listeners, how important and necessary it is during the Great Entrance to the Liturgy to bow your heads before the holy gifts as a sign of respect for them, just as it is important and necessary for you to honor every shrine of God at all times. A shrine is a shrine because, being holy in itself, it sanctifies those who honor it. Amen. (Compiled from the “Complete collection of teachings” by Archpriest R. Putyatin, 22nd edition, 1893). Conversation No. 3, explaining the Cherubic Hymn I. You know, listeners, that the Great Entrance in the Liturgy marks the descent of Jesus Christ into free passion for the salvation of all mankind, therefore, for each of us. If this sacred rite contained nothing more than the remembrance of the sufferings of Christ, which became the price of our redemption, then even in this case, how many objects would appear to the attentive gaze worthy of occupying our entire soul and capable of expelling from it all worldly thoughts and cares and arousing in it a feeling of the most lively love, devotion and gratitude to the Creator of all things, who bowed the heavens and descended upon the earth, may the earthly one unite with the heavenly ones, - who humbled Himself to the form of a slave, may he deliver us from the slavery of sin, - may he who has become a curse for us, may he redeem us from the curses of the law, - finally, may he who suffered, died and rose again, may He also resurrect us, killed by sin, and make us sit in heavenly places. But here it is not rituals and symbols that the believing soul contemplates, but the truth itself under the cover of only the material; here it is not a ghost or a specter that appears at the Divine table, but the true Body and true Blood of Christ, under the guise of bread and wine, are presented to everyone who receives them with faith for sanctification and justification. How appropriate, therefore, when transferring the gifts prepared and presanctified into the Body and Blood of Christ, from the altar to the table, as at the meeting of Christ Himself, who is invisibly coming, in the words of the Church, “to be sacrificed and given as food to the faithful,” to proclaim to each of us from the whole and fullness of our souls the voice of a thief: “Remember, Lord, in Thy Kingdom." And how fitting it is again for the servants of the altar of the Lord, going out into the midst of the church and presenting these saving gifts on their heads and on their foreheads, to proclaim benevolently, as if in response to the secret appeal of everyone, “may the Lord God remember you in His Kingdom, always now and ever and unto the ages of ages.” What a touching spectacle of benevolent love, truly Christian love, opens up for an observant mind and a sensitive heart in just these mutual appeals and proclamations! Here no one is forgotten, no one is neglected and no one is preferred. To all who bear the name of Christians: kings, nobles, spiritual, secular, warriors, and common people, one desire is expressed for the only and highest good - the Kingdom, not of the earthly, but of the Heavenly: “And may the Lord God remember all of you Orthodox Christians in His Kingdom,” proclaims the celebrant. During the transfer of gifts, the singers sing the Cherubim song, so named from its first words: “Like the Cherubim.” II. This song is so important and in some expressions so difficult to understand that it cannot be left without a detailed explanation. The words of the song are known to each of us. “Like the cherubim secretly form, and the life-giving Trinity sings the thrice-holy hymn.” Here's their explanation. The cherubim in heaven, standing before the throne of the Lord of glory, continually sing praises to Him and glorify Him with the trisagion: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts!” We, being present at the celebration of the Liturgy, have the same divine activity as the blessed powers perform in heaven. For 1) we stand in the church, that is, in a place that is dedicated to the habitation and honor of the Most High Being, where a majestic throne has been erected for Him, on which He is present invisibly with His glory, as in heaven. For this reason, Saint Chrysostom calls the church the place of angels, 82 the place of archangels, the highest heaven, the very Kingdom of God. 2) We send up singing from our lips and glorify the holy-worshipping and life-giving Being in three Persons with thrice-holy songs, i.e. songs in which the word holy is proclaimed three times, such as: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us” or “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts” and so on, with which the cherubim in heaven glorify the Almighty. Therefore, the church hierarchy is an image of the heavenly hierarchy. “Our hierarchy, compared to the angels,” says St. Dionysius of the Areopagite - there is only something similar to him, and requires sensual images to raise us from them to divine exaltation” (Cer. Hierarch. Chapter 1, § 5). And due to this advantage of the church hierarchy, we, who are present during the celebration of the Liturgy, mysteriously form the triumphant faces of the cherubim. And therefore the Church exhorts us with the hymn proclaimed at this time: “Let us now put aside all worldly cares,” that is, let us reject all worldly cares, all the worries of the vain world, and let us tame the rebellious agitations of passions in our hearts, and let us direct our thoughts to divine contemplations, standing with reverence in these mysterious moments, as on the mountain of saints, in the most the highest villages of heaven, where the earth and everything that happens on it would no longer appear to our eyes. “Let us think of nothing earthly in ourselves,” proclaims the Church in another similar song, where only objects worthy of the immortal soul would occupy all our thoughts, and where all our attention would be deepened into a single reflection on the coming Sacrament. What kind of Sacrament is this? It is proclaimed in the following words: “As if we will raise up the King of all, the angels invisibly bring chinmi.” Behold, the Son of God, the King of ages and the Lord of all, venerated, that is, solemnly and divinely escorted by the angelic authorities, comes invisibly to the church, to fulfill the highest calling of His eternal priesthood, to offer Himself at a holy meal as a sacrifice to God the Father for the whole world, and to offer His Most Pure Body and Blood as blessed food to the faithful. Let us take care to greet this great and immortal King of ours, formed by the gifts transferred from the altar to the throne, with reverence and to receive Him into our souls through His saving Sacraments with zeal and living joy, welcoming Him and singing solemnly with the seraphim passing by and exclaiming to him: “Alleluia!” III. If the Holy Church considers it necessary to instill in us that when we meet our Savior coming to free suffering, we should leave all everyday worries, then stand in these sacred moments, brothers, with faith, reverent attention and the fear of God, so as not to be subjected to the wrath of God. Amen. (Compiled from the “Explanation of the Liturgists” by Arseny, Metropolitan of Kiev). Appendix to conversation No. 3 The ministry of angels during the Divine Liturgy (Letter from St. Nile of Sinai to Bishop Anastasius) The great luminary of the Byzantine Church, or, better to say, the whole world, the wondrous John (Chrysostom), as a visionary, saw many times that the house of the Lord at almost every hour, especially during the Divine and bloodless sacrifice, is not abandoned by angels or deprived of their care. Why, filled with surprise and joy, he privately told about this to his closest spiritual friends. As soon as the priest, he said, begins to perform the holy proskomedia, suddenly the blessed forces, descending from heaven in great numbers, dressed in certain bright vestments, with bare feet, with an attentive gaze, with a bowed face, in reverence, great silence and silently, surrounding the altar, stand before the performance of the terrible Sacrament. Then, having dispersed throughout the entire venerable church, each of them here and there assists, helps and gives strength to the bishops, presbyters and deacons who are in the church, all who distribute the Body and the Precious Blood. I am writing this so that, having learned how much fear there is in the Divine Liturgy, we ourselves, having lost this divine fear in ourselves, do not indulge in negligence, and do not allow anyone else to talk and whisper during the proskomedia, or boldly give signs to others, or stand, swaying from side to side, looking around here and there, or carelessly and easily walk from place to place. For the Lord speaks to Moses, and through him to all the priests. Be reverent and not careless, the children of Israel (Lev. 15:31). (Creations of St. Nile of Sinai, part 3, book 2). Conversation No. 4. About how one should stand in the church during the Cherubic Song I. In ancient times, during the Great Entrance, all the faithful bowed down to the priests who walked. On the one hand, they thus asked for their prayers and asked to remember them during the sacred rite, and on the other, they gave honor to the Divine gifts, because although these gifts were not yet sacred, they were already dedicated to God in the sentence, and the priest sent up a prayer there (at the proskomedia), asking to be accepted into the heavenly altar. The Holy Gifts are already prepared for fulfillment and constitute an offering to God and are gifts in place of the Lord's Body and Blood. (See Simeon Sol. 36. Nicholas Cabasilas, chapter 24). Now, during the Great Entrance, some of those praying in the church, imbued with the deepest sense of humility and the most vivid awareness of their sins and infirmities, worship while the Holy Gifts are carried to the ground and stand on their knees until the minute the Holy Gifts are brought into the Holy Place. altar. They repeat one prayer: “Remember us, Lord, in Your Kingdom.” Others, reverently praying during the Cherubic Song, during the transfer of the Holy Gifts, stand with bowed heads, as if not daring to raise their eyes to the magnificent procession of the Lord coming to his free death; and at the words of the bishop or priest: “And may the Lord God remember you all Orthodox Christians in His Kingdom,” they bow to the ground and quietly say the prayer: “Remember us, Lord, when You come in Your Kingdom.” There are, my brethren, those among us who, both during the singing of the Cherubic Song and during the transfer of the holy gifts, fearlessly stand in the church and do not even want to bow their heads when the bishop or priest, raising the holy cross in the shape of a cross. Paten or Chalice, prays for them too, so that the Lord will remember them in His Kingdom. There is - alas! and those who behave even worse in the church in these great and terrible moments, but may the Lord not remember their sins! II. How should one stand in the church at this time? The Holy Church, for the correct resolution of this question, points us to two contemplations. a) According to the Cherubim Song, at this time we secretly portray cherubs, therefore we must imitate them. And the cherubim constantly cry out to the Lord: “Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,” and during the transfer of the Holy Gifts they reverently approach the great procession, covering their faces with fear, not daring to look at the Lord Jesus, who is coming to free suffering and death. Elevate yourself, my pious listener, with your soul to the state of cherubim; mentally contemplate and accompany the procession of the Lord Jesus to free suffering; be imbued with the most living love for Him, with complete faith in Him as your Redeemer, with the consciousness of your sins and His highest holiness, and in reverent awe repeat the Cherubic song: “Alleluia.” b) However, my pious listener, if this contemplation is too high for you and the imitation of cherubim is too beyond your strength - although you should not at all apologize for this - here is another, more accessible example for you to follow. On Calvary, two thieves were crucified with the Lord; both were villains, sinners, perhaps even greater than you and me. One of these thieves, seeing the long-suffering of the Lord, looking at His divine face, expressing the purest righteousness, hearing His last words from the Cross, filled with love, listening to His prayer for the crucifiers, seeing His devotion to the will of God and inclining his gaze to his sinful soul, came into heartfelt repentance and, as if involuntarily, exclaimed, confessing the divine greatness of the Lord Jesus: “Remember me, Lord, when You come in Your Kingdom." This exclamation concentrated all his love for the Lord, all his faith in Him, all his hope in Him and all his repentance and contrition for his sins. If it had been possible for the thief to come down from the cross, without a doubt, he would have given his whole life to the Lord. My pious listeners! The robber was not a cherub, not a seraphim; he was a sinner just like you and me; Perhaps he only saw the Lord in those moments when He was crucified and when He hung on the Cross, but the thief was the first of the children of the New Testament Church to receive the Kingdom of Heaven. Imitate the confession of the prudent thief, transport yourself to Golgotha, stand mentally at the foot of the Cross of the Lord; be imbued with living faith in the Lord Jesus, who was crucified and died for you, with fiery love for Him, with firm trust in Him; decide to devote all the time of your life to the Lord and cry from the depths of your soul: “Remember me, Lord, when you come in Your Kingdom!” And the Lord will really remember you in His Kingdom. And the words of the bishop or priest will seem to you: “And may the Lord God remember you all Orthodox Christians in His Kingdom,” the words of the Lord Himself, and you will be touched in your soul and fall to the ground before the Lord. Here, grateful listener, are two examples to follow: imitate either the cherubim or the prudent thief. c) For those of us who do not know how to imitate either the cherubim or the prudent thief, we can point to one more event, which is not alien to the historical recollection of the suffering of the Lord, pointing out, however, more for the sake of conviction. When describing the events of the Lord’s crucifixion, the evangelists (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47) mention, among other things, the following: the Roman centurion, placed on guard at the Cross of the Lord, seeing the terrible signs of trembling nature and hearing the last words of the Lord, was imbued with a feeling of tenderness and heartfelt faith in the crucified Lord and exclaimed: “Truly a man This is righteous, truly the Son of God!” “And all the people,” continues one of the evangelists, “who had come to see this spectacle, seeing what was happening, returned, beating their chests.” (Luke 23:48). My pious listener! Don’t be worse than a pagan at this terrible moment! Do not be more hard-hearted than the Jews, the enemies of the Lord. And their hearts were touched! And their chests were aware in trembling that a great thing was happening at these moments. You are a Christian. III. Who are those of us like and imitating who, during the Cherubic Song, not only stand in the church without reverence, but also look around, bow, rant, and move from place to place? When I see how, during the great removal, some do not want to bow their heads before the Holy Gifts, when I see various nods of acquaintances, wandering from end to end in the church, when I notice conversations, I involuntarily recall the words of the evangelist: “But those who passed by reviled Him, that is, the crucified Lord, nodding their heads” (Matthew 27:39). O brothers! I tearfully beg you, let it not happen, let it not happen! May the Lord deliver you all from such a terrible sin. Amen. (Compiled on the Explanation of the Divine Service by Archpriest V. Vladislavlev, pp. 322–325). Appendix to conversations No. 3–4 A. Historical background on the Cherubic Song At the end of the offering of prayers from the faithful, the Cherubic hymn begins: “Like the Cherubim form secretly,” and so on. According to the testimony of George Kedrin 83, it was installed during the time of the pious Emperor Justin so that during the transfer of gifts from the altar to St. the throne to fill the souls of those praying with the most reverent feelings 84. To express this enthusiastic state of prayer, the priest pronounces it three times, raising his hands to the sky 85. Therefore, the holy Patriarch Herman reasons: “When the Cherubic Hymn 86 is sung, from that time on everyone is aroused to the most diligent attention, even until the end of the sacred rite, putting aside all worldly cares, as those who have the ability to receive the great King into themselves through the mystery of Communion.” B. Code of Opinions of St. fathers about the Cherubic song 1) “The soul is purified... when its thinking ability leaves and completely erases earthly images within itself, that is, theologically speaking, worldly cares, worries and... unsuitable impressions” 87. 2) St. John Chrysostom, in a speech of praise to all the martyrs, spoke about them: “The martyrs... unite with the faces (of angels), participate in mysterious chants. They, while still in the body, through participation in the Sacraments belong to the local face, chanting the Trisagion hymn together with the cherubim, as you know, initiated into the mysteries” 88. 3) “The Cherubic hymn, preceded (during the entrance of the deacons during the singing of it), serves as a sign of the entry of all the saints and righteous, descending into the Holy of Holies, preceded by the invisibly flowing Cherubic forces, which cry out and bring the great King Christ, marching to the mysterious sacrifice... At the same time, hosts of angels cry out with us invisibly: “Alleluia.” The transfer of the holy gifts... from the offering and their entry to the throne while singing the Cherubic Song indicate the procession of the Lord from Bethany to Jerusalem; for then both the multitude and the Jewish children sang a hymn to Him, as the King and Conqueror of death, sensually, and the angels with the cherubim spiritually sang the thrice-holy hymn before Him” 89 . “The holy gifts pass from the offering to the altar (throne)... This means the procession of the Lord from Bethany to Jerusalem” 90. 4) The word “dorinoshima” means: accompanied and surrounded by spearmen. Yes, St. John Chrysostom wrote: “The Seraphim stood around Him, says the prophet (Is. 6:2). During royal appearances, spearmen... And we consider those spearmen the most famous whom we see riding close to the chariot. So, of the incorporeal forces, those that are brightest are those that are located near the throne itself... The same can be seen regarding the angels. Christ... said: For their angels always see the face of My heavenly Father (Matthew 18:10). Just as there... the angels... see the face of the Heavenly Father, so here... the seraphim... stand around the throne... The Lord is in the midst... of the seraphim” 91. That is why the church hymn expresses the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I saw the Lord sitting on the throne,... the seraphim stood around Him” (Is. 6:1-2), expresses this: “As Isaiah saw God exalted on the throne, the angels of glory brought him down” (fifth hymnos, for the Presentation). 5) When placed at the holy table, the Divine gifts are covered, as a sign that “Jesus... was not known by everyone” 92. Conversation No. 5. On the litany of petition after the Cherubic Song I. At the end of the Cherubic Song, the deacon pronounces a litany of petition. II. a) Since the priest and deacon are the closest ministers during the celebration of the Sacrament of Communion, before the litany they begin to prepare for the celebration of the Sacrament, humbly asking each other for prayers for themselves. To show greater humility, the larger one asks for prayers for himself from the smaller one - the priest deacon. Having given the censer to the deacon, after the words: “Bless Zion, O Lord, with Thy favor,” the priest, bowing his head, says, turning to the deacon: “Remember me, brother and co-servant” (in your prayers); The deacon answers: “May the Lord God remember your priesthood in His Kingdom,” and then he himself, bowing his head and holding the orarion with three fingers, says to the priest: “Pray to me, holy master.” The priest tells him: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” To these words the deacon says: “The same (i.e., the same) Spirit works for us all the days of our life. Remember me, holy lord." The priest answers: “May the Lord God remember you in His Kingdom, always now, and ever, and unto ages of ages.” “Amen,” the deacon says to this and kisses the priest’s hand. b) Having prepared themselves in this way with the help of mutual prayer combined with humility, the priest and deacon go to their work. The deacon leaves the altar and, standing on the pulpit, proclaims a petitionary litany, beginning like this: “Let us fulfill (i.e., add, repeat) our prayer to the Lord.” This litany is called a petitionary litany, since its petitions for the most part end with the words “We ask the Lord” and in the choir they sing for each petition: “Give, Lord.” Our first prayer in this litany is “for the honest gifts offered,” no doubt, so that the Lord would mercifully look at these gifts offered for us and accept them as a sacrifice pleasing to Himself. Then we also pray “for this holy church and for those who enter it with faith, reverence and fear of God,” “for us to be delivered (that is, for us to be freed) from all sorrow, anger and need,” and also for the salvation and preservation of us by divine grace. If the Holy Church always with special care calls on the grace of God to those who enter the church of God, as a place of the special presence of God, for a worthy and uncondemned state in it, then the grace of God is all the more necessary for everyone standing in the church, now that the moments are already close when the church of God will become a place of the special presence of God through the descent of the Holy Spirit on the offered gifts for their transfusion into the Body and Blood of Christ. How can one not pray that now especially those who pray avoid all distraction and do not become worthy of God’s wrath, sorrow and need for this? What follows is a series of petitions regarding our needs. We ask the Lord, first of all, “to have a perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless day,” that is, to spend this entire day in a completely Christian way, holy, in peace with God and neighbors and without sin. And since, due to our weakness, we ourselves cannot spend the days of our lives like this, the Church teaches us to ask for help “An angel of peace, a faithful mentor, guardian of our souls and bodies.” This is the angel that is given to each of us at baptism; He is always with us, always ready to protect us, always instructs and protects our world. But often, with our evil will and sins, we drive him away from us, and therefore we ask the Lord that our angel never depart from us. And so that our sins do not remove our angel from us, we ask the Lord for forgiveness and forgiveness of our sins. We further ask for “good and useful things for our souls (that is, everything that is good and useful for our souls) and peace in the world” (that is, silence in the world). Please note, brethren, the Holy Church asks for everything that is good and useful for the soul, that is, spiritual benefits, and not physical ones; for when thinking about the atoning sacrifice of Christ our Savior, which He offered on Calvary for the salvation of our souls and the image of which is the sacrifice that we are now preparing to offer to the Lord, it is not the time to think about bodily blessings. Having asked the Lord for everything necessary for our soul for this day, we ask “to end the rest of our life (that is, the rest of our life) in peace and repentance.” Finally, we ask for “the Christian death of our belly, painless, shameless, peaceful and a good answer at the terrible judgment of Christ.” Our death is Christian if, before death, we sincerely and sincerely repented of our sins before our spiritual father, partook of the Body and Blood of Christ and were guided into eternal life by the prayers of the Holy Church; our death is painless if our dying sufferings are light and do not prevent us from confessing and receiving communion as we should; our death is not shameful if we die not from overeating or drunkenness or other vices, not according to the law, like any criminals, and not by suicide, like those strangled, drowned, shot themselves or poisoned; our death is peaceful if we die reconciled with God, our conscience and our neighbors. This is the kind of death we ask for ourselves from the Lord. We also ask for a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ. After death, each person will appear at the judgment of Christ, and after the end of the whole world, at the second coming of Christ, he will be judged with all other people who died before and after him. Then the deeds and thoughts of each of us will be revealed. And if the Lord sees through our iniquities, who can stand before His righteous judgment? Pray, brothers, that the Lord will give us, in His mercy, the opportunity to be justified at His terrible judgment. All these prayers and petitions end with invoking the intercession and intercession of our Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary and all the saints and surrendering ourselves, each other and our whole life to the all-good and wise will of Christ God. c) While the deacon on behalf of the worshipers says these petitions, the priest in the altar secretly reads the prayer 93. He prays for the people standing in the church, that the Lord would accept prayer from us sinners and bring it to His holy altar, that He would make us worthy to offer Him gifts and spiritual sacrifices for our sins and human shortcomings, that He would grant us the grace to find before Him the grace to make our sacrifice acceptable to Him, and that the good spirit of His grace would dwell in us both on the gifts that are presented and on all His people. Concluding this prayer, the priest proclaims: “By the bounty of Thy only begotten Son, with Him art thou blessed, with Thy Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages,” thereby making it clear that the Lord will fulfill our prayer for the bounty, that is, the generous love of His only begotten Son for us. To this the face answers: “Amen.” Then the priest teaches peace to everyone and hears from the believers the desire for this peace: “And give your spirit.” This time we will end our conversation. (“See Bonfire, ep. ved. 1889, No. 17). III. Let us, brethren, listen to the petitionary litany with all attention, putting aside all worldly cares and praying with all our souls only for spiritual blessings, remembering that we are being prepared by the Holy Church to receive the greatest spiritual benefit - partaking of the Immortal Body and Blood of Christ. (Compiled with additional information according to specified source). Besela No. 6. On instilling peace, love and unanimity before confession of faith I. After the litany of petition for spiritual blessings, spiritual peace, mutual love and unity of faith are instilled in the believers. II. a) The deacon, after the priest’s exclamation: “Through the bounty of your only begotten Son” and the teaching of peace, says: “Let us love one another, that we may be of one mind.” The clergy, continuing this proclamation, sings: “Father and Son and Holy Spirit, Trinity consubstantial and indivisible.” Then the deacon again exclaims: “Doors! doors! Let us sing of wisdom!” The face sings the Creed: “I believe in one God...”. The priest, shouting: “Peace to all!” instills with this (and, as it were, a message from the Lord) to all those present, the spiritual peace necessary for a like-minded confession of faith, which the deacon further explains with the words: “Let us love one another...”. In ancient times, at this time, after the deacon’s proclamation: “Let us kiss each other as we love”... women with women, and men with men, kissed each other, with one saying: “Peace be with you!”, and the other answering: “And to your spirit.” Ancient Christians at this time kissed each other's head, hand, cheeks and shoulders, while kissing on the mouth was a custom of later times, which has been abolished. The ritual of kissing was established to fulfill the Savior’s commandment about reconciliation with neighbors when bringing a gift to God, in order to glorify the name of the Most Holy Trinity with one mouth and one heart. Nowadays this ritual is performed only by clergy at the altar, when there are several of them in service. After each of them bows three times before the throne, saying the words: “I will love You, Lord, my strength, the Lord is my strength and my refuge,” and kisses the paten and Chalice and the edge of the throne over the cover, with the words: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us,” they kiss each other’s hand and right shoulder, with the elder saying: “Christ is in the middle.” us!”, and the other replies: “And there is, and there will be.” b) Exclamation “Doors! doors! in ancient times, deacons and subdeacons were reminded to guard the entrances of the church - the doors, so that in the coming most important moments of the mystery, none of the unfaithful and unenlightened by the light of the Gospel teaching would attempt to enter the church, and none of the believers themselves would leave the church and disturb the general peace and reverent mood of thoughts and feelings. Now, when this custom has been abandoned, and the doors of the church can open at any time, this proclamation means that, when the veil is opened, a sacred act begins to take place on the holy throne, in order to be present at which we must close the doors of our outer senses, especially the doors of our mind and heart for everything vain and sinful, and direct our thoughts and feelings to pronounce with special attention and understanding the God-wise confession of St. Orthodox faith. (Dmitr. § 88). c) The Creed is sung with the veil open and before the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist because “believers must pronounce a confession of faith as if before the face of God Himself, and that, under the condition of true faith, access to the throne of grace is open to them and they are allowed to penetrate the Sacraments of the Church.” (§ 34). d) After removing the veil, the priest takes the upper cover, as if rolling away a stone from the coffin, and, quietly shaking it (raising and lowering) over the Chalice and paten, he himself reads the Creed, after reading which he folds the cover and places it on the throne, while the Chalice and paten remain open for the time being. This vibration of the air means, on the one hand, the earthquake that occurred during the resurrection of the Savior, from which the coffin opened and the guards fled, and on the other hand, the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, and there was also a noise, as if from a strong wind, which is expected for the consecration of the Holy Gifts and their transubstantiation into the Body and Blood of Christ 94 . (Mansvetov Explanation, lit. p. 68). This is how the first part of the Liturgy of the Faithful ends, as if still preparatory. III. You have heard, brothers, how the confession of our Orthodox faith should be made. Is this how we make this confession? Does everyone know its saving teaching, does everyone even know how to read this confession correctly? Think about this more seriously, and if there are shortcomings, try to correct them for your own good and salvation. You have also seen, brothers, what peace and love are required in church from those present at the Liturgy. Are these St. do you have feelings? If not, may they be with the help of the Holy Spirit. Concluding this conversation with you, brethren, on behalf of the Church I say to you once again: “Doors, doors, let us smell of wisdom”; Protect the doors of your soul from all distraction, from unclean, carnal thoughts and vicious desires. (Compiled according to source). Appendix to conversation No. 6. A note on the moral and historical meaning of the words “Let us love one another” The purpose for which we must love each other is explained further: “that with one mind we confess the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, consubstantial and indivisible.” With these words, an indication is made of the Symbol of Faith, then sung in the rite of the Liturgy, which is a completely true, completely consistent with the word of God confession of faith about the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and which therefore we must truly believe unquestioningly and confess it with one mind - without any contradictions and disagreements, and this we will achieve if there are no hostile divisions and differences of opinion between us - if Let us love each other with brotherly, Christian love. Such a reminder of mutual love and unanimous confession of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit especially needed to be done in the first time after the creation of the Creed, when it was the subject of great controversy, disagreement, even heresies and schisms, especially regarding belief in the Son of God - our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. However, the cessation of all hostility and anger, the acquisition of Christian love for each other - these qualities are necessary and always required both from those performing and from those listening to the Liturgy. Let us remember the words of the Savior in the Gospel: “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there... and go first, be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23–24). This means: do not offer a gift to the altar of the Lord with a soul full of enmity and malice towards your neighbor, otherwise the God of love and peace will not accept either you, the one offering the gift, or the gift brought by you. And while celebrating the Liturgy and being in church at it, we bring gifts to the Lord God, we bring material gifts - bread and wine, so that the Lord will consecrate them into His Body and Blood - we also bring an immaterial gift - our soul and heart, offering them in the prayers and chants of the Liturgy. So, if we sacrifice these gifts to God with a heart that is not free from malice, enmity and anger towards our neighbor, then the Lord will not accept our offerings - although the bread and wine will be consecrated into the Body and Blood of Christ, they will not bring down the mercies of the Lord on them - although we will sacrifice to God a spirit of humility and a contrite heart, the Lord will turn His face away from us. Knowing this and desiring us to benefit from the Divine Liturgy, our mother the Holy Church, before the time for the sacrament of communion, invites us to love our loved ones, exclaiming: “Let us love one another!” . The leading Christians were submissive and obedient children of the Mother Church. Having heard the invitation of the Church from the lips of the deacon, they left all hostility and anger towards their neighbors and established fraternal relations with them, testifying to this before everyone by kissing each other - clergy kissed clergy, laymen with laymen, husbands with husbands, wives with wives - the rich kissed the poor, the noble gave a fraternal kiss to the ignorant, the old hugged young. Subsequently, this general kissing was stopped, probably, among other things, because with the increase in the number of believers, such kissing, without any special need, lengthened the church service and produced noise and confusion, inappropriate during the most holy service. However, although such a wonderful establishment of the primacy of the Church has been discontinued, since it expresses love for our neighbors - our most necessary duty during the Liturgy, then, therefore, without doing an outward, outward kiss, when the deacon proclaims: “Let us love one another,” let us never stop giving the spiritual, mental kiss of love to our neighbors, especially those who have offended us or offended us. The ceased kissing between the laity invariably continues to this day between serving clergy - both during single and during their conciliar service. When serving alone, the priest, who does not have a brother near him whom he could kiss with the kiss of love, fulfills only the first and most important commandment of love - the commandment of love for God; For this he bows three times before St. throne, saying to himself: “I will love You, Lord, my fortress, the Lord is my strength and my refuge,” then kisses the Holy Gifts, as if the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and the edge of the Holy. throne, as it were, the High throne of glory, on which the Trinitarian Deity ever sits in heaven. The deacon, at this time, standing on the pulpit, kisses the cross on his orar - in commemoration of the mental kiss of all his brothers and co-servants in Christ. During the conciliar service, the expression of love for God is first performed by the serving priests in the above manner, then, as a sign of the expression of love for others, the priests kiss the priests on the shoulder and hand, the deacons kiss the cross on their orarions and on each other’s shoulders, all with the words: “Christ is in our midst, is and will be.” Conversation No. 7, in which the Creed is explained I. Last time I talked with you, brothers, about the singing of the Creed and about those sacred actions that precede and accompany this singing during the Liturgy. I told you that by singing “I Believe” we testify to our right faith, and, as right believers, we show ourselves as worthy participants in the most holy Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. The singing of the Creed during the Liturgy was established in the 6th century so that those who pray, constantly hearing this brief confession of faith, would know more firmly and clearly the truths of the Orthodox teaching about God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit and, as the Apostle commands, could be ready to give an answer to anyone who demands an account of their faith from them (1 Peter 3:15). Therefore, my brethren, and I, as your shepherd, wishing to see you as firm and knowledgeable in the faith as St. Apostle, I take this opportunity and now intend, albeit briefly, to explain to you the Creed so that, when you hear it sung during the Liturgy, you listen not only to the words, but also to its meaning. II. Listen more carefully to the meaning of the Creed. I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, that is, who contains everything in His power and strength, who controls everything, without Whose will nothing happens, the Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible, i.e., who created both heaven and earth and everything that we see in heaven and on earth and that we do not see, such as, for example, our souls and disembodied spirits. (I believe) in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, i.e., the only one who is no longer with God the Father, Who was born of the Father before all ages, i.e., Who was born of God the Father before time began and centuries began; Light from Light, true God from true God, born, not created, consubstantial with the Father, by Him all things were, that is, I believe that the Son of God and Christ is the Light that enlightens the whole world, who came from the same Light - God the Father, is the true God, who came from the same true God, I believe that He was born of God the Father, and not created by Him, like all other earthly creatures and even the angels, that He is of the same being with God the Father and that from Him everything that happened came. (I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God) for our sake, man and for our salvation, who came down from heaven and was incarnated by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became human, that is, I believe that the Son of God, consubstantial with the Father, for us, people, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, took flesh from St. Mary, who gave birth to Him by the influx of the Holy Spirit on her and by birth remained a Virgin, and became perfect, like us in everything except sin, a man, without ceasing to be God at the same time. (I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God) who was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sat at the right hand of the Father, that is, I believe that the Son of God who descended from heaven was crucified on the Cross for us, for our sins, at the time when the Jews were ruled Pilate of Pontius, that He really, and not only apparently, suffered, and died, and was buried, and on the third day was resurrected, as it was written about Him in the books of the prophets, and after the resurrection He ascended into heaven and sits on the heavenly throne at the right hand of His Father. These words - at the right hand or on the right hand - must be understood not literally, but spiritually, and precisely in the sense that Jesus Christ has the same power and glory with God the Father. (I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God) and again He will come with glory to judge the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end, that is, I believe that the Son of God, who ascended to heaven after His resurrection, will come to earth again, but not in humiliation, as at birth, but with glory, like a King, in order to judge people as living, that is, those who lived to see His coming, so and the dead, and this Kingdom of His will have no end. (I believe) also in the Holy Spirit of the Lord, that is, the same God as God the Father and God the Son, the life-giving one, that is, who, together with the Father and the Son, gives life to all created things, who proceeds from the Father, who, that is, first proceeds, and is not born, like the Son, from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, i.e. Who, being identical in essence with God the Father and God the Son, is therefore worthy of the same worship and glory as God; who spoke the prophets, that is, who spoke through the mouths of the prophets, as well as the apostles, who, according to His inspirations, predicted the future or wrote the books of the Holy Scriptures. (I believe) in one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, that is, I believe that your Orthodox Church is one, and there is no other such Church as there is no other Jesus Christ - its Head, that it is holy, for it is sanctified by Christ, who redeemed it with His Holy Blood, is not involved in errors or errors, that it is conciliar, i.e. embraces believers of all places, times and peoples, and that it is apostolic, for it was planted by the labors of the apostles and invariably retains in itself all the institutions, institutions and laws of the apostles, who received instructions for its establishment from I. Christ Himself. I confess, that is, I recognize, a single baptism, that is, performed once on a person who accepts the faith of Christ, and no longer repeated, performed for the remission of sins, that is, in order to cleanse the sins of a person - both the firstborn, with which every person is born, and voluntary sins committed by us before baptism of our own free will. I am waiting, that is, I am waiting, waiting, for the resurrection of the dead, who at a time determined by God, but not revealed to us, according to the voice of the Archangel trumpet and the action of Almighty God, will rise from their graves, and the life of the next century, which will come after the resurrection of the dead and will be blessed for the righteous and full of torment for sinners. By the way, we note here that the singing of the Creed, according to the testimony of Theodore the Reader (Hist. Church Book 2), was introduced into the Liturgy first in Antioch by Bishop Peter Fullon, at the end of the 5th century, and then in the Church of Constantinople by Patriarch Timothy, at the beginning of the 6th century. Until that time, it is believed that it was read once a year, precisely on Great Friday, for those preparing for baptism. (See “Bonfire of the Ep. Ved.” for 1889, No. 39). III. This, my brothers, is what our faith should be. “This is the apostolic faith, this is the fatherly faith, this is the Orthodox faith, this is the faith that established the universe.” This faith must not only be known, but also rationally understood by every Orthodox Christian. Let each of you, when the Symbol of Faith is sung during the Liturgy, try to assimilate it with proper attention and understanding, and if anyone does not understand, ask us, the shepherds of the Church, about it. Do not listen to uncalled and illegitimate teachers, who sometimes interpret the faith at random, and first of all, and most of all, try to teach the faith to your children. In ancient times, the Lord, speaking to Israel the words of the law with the threat of a terrible curse for non-fulfillment, told him: “Let these words be in your heart... and instill them in your children, and talk about them when you sit in your house, and when you walk on the road, and when you lie down, and when you get up; And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as a blindfold over your eyes, and you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deut. 6:6-9). Shouldn’t we, brethren, know our faith just as firmly? But, to our shame, how often among us we meet fathers and mothers of families who either do not know the Creed at all, or read it, altering and distorting the words without any meaning, thinking that it is saving for them to read without meaning! Pathetic delusion! We must be afraid that for such negligence towards faith, for our unwillingness to know rationally what and how to believe, the Lord will not reject our faith as unreasonable. Amen. (Compiled with additional information according to specified source). A. Historical explanation of the words “Doors, doors” After the pacification of souls and hearts and the completion of a mutual kiss of love, in ancient times, both between the clergy and between all the faithful, and now between only the clergy, the deacon exclaims: “Doors, doors, let us hear wisdom!” To fully understand this proclamation, you need to know both the structure of ancient Christian churches and the custom of apostolic times. Ancient Christian churches were divided into two halves, blocked by a wall and having completely separate entrances, of which men were placed in one and women in the other. The doors of one and the other half of the stregoma were first deacons and subdeacons, and then special servants called gatekeepers, whose exclusive duty was to not let in anyone during the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, not only from the infidels, so as not to subject him to blasphemy and ridicule, but also from the faithful themselves, so as not to disturb the peace and reverent attention of those present in the church, as well as not to let out those who, out of laziness and negligence, or for some other reason, wanted to leave the church and thereby cause temptation. That is why in the Liturgy of Saints the Apostle is commanded: “Let deacons stand at the doors of husbands, and subdeacons at the doors of wives, and let no one come out, and let the door not be opened, unless someone comes and is faithful during the offering.” This apostolic command was observed in the ancient Church with such strictness that the gatekeepers were not allowed to leave the doors even for the shortest time and even to practice prayer (Khalk. ed. 42). And so the deacon’s exclamation “Doors, doors!” referred to those guarding the doors, so that they carefully and vigilantly keep them closed, not letting anyone in or out of the church, and the subsequent words of this proclamation: let us rejoice in wisdom, were addressed to those present in the church, so that with all their attention they would delve into the sacraments that are about to be accomplished, recognizing in them the hidden wisdom of God, which, following this Creed, is proclaimed with the opening of the Royal Doors the veil, and in the subsequent offering of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is reverently contemplated. Later, when, on the one hand, the conversion of the infidels to faith, and on the other, the general zeal of the faithful to come to church at the right time and constantly stay in it until the end of the service, made the guarding of church doors completely unnecessary, the very class of gatekeepers, as no longer necessary, was destroyed, and deacons and subdeacons were converted to their original purpose. But the Church, despite this, considered this proclamation “Doors, doors!” to be necessary. to retain in the Liturgy, firstly, as a monument of antiquity, instructive for posterity, and secondly, as an object capable of taking on another purpose and another sign. Through the doors, St. Patriarch Herman understands the thoughts of our souls, which we must then distract from all earthly attachments and listen solely to the reading of the Divine symbol. Other interpreters see in these doors the doors of our mouths and ears, which should be closed to everything external, and open only to the hearing and attention of God’s wisdom, preached by the Creed. St. Cyprian, in his homily on the Lord’s Prayer, philosophizes about these doors: “For this reason the deacon proclaims, he says, with intense repetition as a sign of greater confirmation of the words “Doors, doors,” so that our hearts may be open to the enemy and to the only God, and let us not allow the enemy to enter in during prayer.” All these different, apparently, signs converge on one thought: that we, preparing to hear and contemplate divine wisdom, both in the Creed and in the mystery of the Eucharist proclaimed, must close both the external doors of our feelings and the internal ones of the thoughts of the soul from everything that can disturb and upset this hearing and contemplation. (See “Explanation of the Divine Liturgy” by Arseny, Metropolitan of Kiev, pp. 310–312). B. History of the use of the Creed at the Liturgy Timothy, from 510 to 517 Patriarch of Constantinople, ruled the Church at a time when it was worried about the Monophysite sects. He decreed for the Orthodox Church to sing the Creed at every Liturgy. This is what Theodore the reader writes in his history. The patriarch's intention is obvious. He wanted the Creed, as a literal extract from the Word of God, of the saving truths of faith in the turbulent times of freethinking to serve as a fence against freethinking. And since at no time can either a private person or an entire society consider themselves safe from the temptations of evil self-thinking, then only pride, so incompatible with the Christian spirit, can ever consider this fence of pure faith unnecessary for itself. The Symbol of Faith, containing in simple but precise expressions the lofty thoughts of faith, is the most understandable science of faith for everyone, and in terms of the importance of its thoughts, necessary for everyone, this science is necessary for everyone. “Keep,” said St. Cyril Hierus, “this faith, which was taught to you by the Church.” “Not everyone can read the Bible: some are illiterate, others are prevented from studying further in their knowledge; That’s why, so that not a single soul perishes from ignorance, we have combined the entire teaching of faith in a few lines” 95. This is how great men talked about the importance of the Creed! The historian Theodore says that before the time of Patr. Timothy's Creed was read once a year, precisely on Holy Friday, when the bishop announced those preparing for baptism; this is not entirely true. The catechumens were baptized on more than one Great Friday; they did not consider it illegal to baptize at any other time; special times of baptism were, in addition to Easter, the day of Pentecost and the day of the Nativity of Christ. If, however, each catechumen, as Theodore rightly says, before baptism certainly studied the Creed as an abbreviation of the saving teachings of the faith, then it is obvious that the Creed was read in the church more than once on Great Friday and before Patr. Timofey. St. Ephraim the Syrian wrote: “All the faithful, participating in faith, exclaim: “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the next century.” 96 These words speak of the reading of the Creed by the faithful, and not by those preparing to be baptized; therefore, it is impossible to explain them about the use of the Symbol at baptism, which is what the reader Theodore says; therefore, it remains to accept that in the Syrian Church, where Ephraim wrote, the Creed was used in the assembly of believers even under St. Ephraim. Perhaps this is why Eastern writers so insistently repeat that the use of the Creed during the Liturgy began with the 1st Ecumenical Council 97. Be that as it may, from the actions of Constants. Council of 536, we see that during this council the Creed was already read during the Liturgy after the Gospel and after the closing of the church doors 98, i.e. at the very time when it is read now. Testimonies of James of Ephesus and Sophronius, Patr. Jerusalem, show that at the same time the Creed was sung in the Syrian and Jerusalem Churches 99. The example of the East was primarily followed in Spain. Council of Toledo 589 put: “Let the Father read the Creed 318 in all the churches of Spain and Galicia, following the example of the Eastern Churches; let the people sing it loudly before they begin to read the Lord's Prayer 100. In France and Germany, the Creed was introduced into the Liturgy by the Frankfurt Council in 794, and a little earlier we see it in the Roman Liturgy 101. (See Historical review of hymns and hymns of the Greek Church, Philaret, Archbishop of Chernigov. and Nezhinsky, pp. 156–157). Conversation No. 8. About the invitation to attention before performing the Sacrament of Communion I. When the faithful have completed the confession of their faith, which gives them the right to be present at the most important part of the Liturgy - the Liturgy of the Faithful, then the deacon invites them to reverent attention in order to worthily offer a sacrifice to the Lord. II. The deacon, announcing this to those who are coming in the church, proclaims: “Let us become kind, let us become fearful, let us bring holy offerings to the world!” inspiring with this proclamation that the believers, intending to offer the most holy sacrifice to the Lord, now stand with special attention and reverence, in perfect peace and unanimity with their neighbors. The face on behalf of the people responds: “Mercy of peace, a sacrifice of praise,” that is, we offer God the gift of mercy towards our neighbors as the fruit of our peace with everyone, and at the same time a sacrifice of praise to Him. (For this to be the meaning of these words, see about this in Hebrews 13:15–16). The priest, on the one hand, as if in reward for his good readiness to offer God such gifts that are pleasant to Him: the mercy of peace and the sacrifice of praise, and on the other hand, representing the approach of the greatest sacred rite, in which the Son of God, by the good will of His Father and the assistance of the Holy Spirit, has to be sacrificed for the whole world, and the fact that those who are coming will be present at this terrible sacred rite and even (when this happens) partake of the Body and Blood The Savior (which in the first times of Christianity was performed daily, and then weekly), - in order to prepare and, as it were, presanctify them for this greatest action, overshadowing them with blessing, calls upon them the divine gifts of the Most Holy Trinity - so that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ may shine upon them, the love of God and the Father may abide with them, and the coming of the Holy Spirit will overshadow them. (New Skr. Part II, Ch. 7, § 36). Believers, in feelings of gratitude to the priest for asking him from the Lord for such great gifts, express to him with the words - “And with your spirit” - the mutual prayerful goodwill of these gifts, for the successful completion of the upcoming sacred rite. Then the priest (others turning to the people), raising both hands (or one) up, proclaims: “Woe are our hearts!” through this instilling in those who are coming, so that they now leave all worldly cares and vain thoughts and ascend with their hearts to heaven, to the throne of God. Those present through the mouth of the clergy answer: “Imams to the Lord,” that is, we already have our hearts directed towards the Lord God. You can’t help but think: oh, if only the disposition of our soul really corresponded to that! if we really felt everything that the Holy Church excites us to and that the face answers for us, in such high, holy moments!.. don’t these exclamations sometimes remain just an idle sound? Does our mental mood always correspond to this?... Sometimes, despite all our efforts, we are unable to control the mood of our soul, to awaken in it the proper reverent feeling, the proper tenderness of heart, let us at least be filled, brethren, with the thought of the necessity of such feelings and, in the consciousness of our powerlessness to arouse them, of our spiritual poverty, in that, sincerely, from the soul, let us sigh to the Lord, so that He Himself, most merciful, will touch our hardened heart with His grace, may he awaken in it those feelings of heartfelt tenderness and reverence with which we should especially be filled on this occasion, and which, however, despite all our efforts, we very often do not find in our soul. This ends the invitation to the attention of the faithful; Now comes the most sacred moments of the Sacrament itself, which we will talk about next time. III. Now, in conclusion, we will say that the good wishes of the people for the priest, expressed by the words “And with your spirit,” or “And with your spirit,” as well as the people’s prayers for him, are very beneficial for him. He begins to perform the greatest Sacrament and needs the help of the prayers of the faithful, strengthening him for this high service. And therefore, then, brethren, pray for him with all zeal and goodwill, imagining that his duties as a shepherd of the Church are a hundred times more important and responsible than his duties as a Christian in general. A clear proof of this can be the following event from the life of St. Leo Pope. “When this great high priest of the Western Church spent forty days in the church in prayer and fasting, tearfully begging the Lord to forgive his sins, he finally heard the voice of an invisible being: “The Lord has forgiven all your sins, except those that relate to the duties assigned to you by ordination.” For this alone you will be tormented.’” (From the School of Piety.) You see, brethren, how great is the responsibility of the shepherd of the Church before God! Pray for him with all the fervor of a benevolent heart, especially when he is officiating! Then God will bless you for your holy love for His servant, and, perhaps, then the prayers of your shepherd, offered by him for you before the throne of God, will be stronger and more effective. Amen. (Saint Gregory Dyachenko). A. Historical note on the origin of the words “Let’s become good” Since there were many believers present in ancient churches, and therefore the ritual of mutual kissing, which existed in ancient times after the words “Let us love one another,” when there was a crowd, was naturally accompanied by some noise and, as it were, disorder, then at the end of the Creed, when the very celebration of the Sacrament was approaching, the deacon ascended to the pulpit and commandingly said out loud to everyone: “Let us become kind, let us stand with fear, let us embrace the holy bring praise in the world!” “Let us become well,” as if he were saying so, “we will come to a feeling of fear, reverence, with which the slightest absent-mindedness is inappropriate. The moment of the holy offering has already arrived! Let us be more attentive to ourselves!.. Neither in the position of the body, nor in the movement of the limbs, nor in the expression of the face, nor in anything will we allow the slightest indecency. In deep silence, without any noise, we will peacefully begin to make a sacrifice!” How should we look at all these proclamations? Is it really just like a monument to ancient customs that have no living connection with us? No! Everything historical that is part of our Liturgy now has a moral and spiritual meaning for us. When they tell us: “Doors, doors!..” we must think about the doors of our heart. For whom are they open and for whom are they closed? Are they open to the Lord Jesus Christ? “Behold, I stand at the door of the heart,” He says, “and I strike at them; Whoever opens to Me, I will come in to him and dine, and talk with him, and he with Me (Rev. 3:20). Are the doors of the heart closed for the spirit of malice, which also tries to penetrate the human soul with its temptations? "Let's become kinder!" Apparently, we are standing decorously. How can you apply this command to yourself? We stand well with our bodies, but how does our soul feel at this time? If boredom and reluctance to pray nest within her, then her position is indecent and sinful. It is unpleasant for God and the angels with whom she came to talk to see such a soul. Or, with external beauty and silence, another soul indulges with pleasure in unclean thoughts. Shouldn’t that soul think about how to come to peace and quiet before the onset of an important moment in the whole world?.. All of us, the listeners, when proclaiming “Let’s become good,” should be imbued with the fear of God and turn to God with a pure soul. Henceforth, prayer should be the most ardent, fiery! B. A note on the moral meaning of the words “Mercy of the world, sacrifice of praise” To the deacon’s exclamation “Let us become good...” the clergy responds by singing the words “Mercy of the world, sacrifice of praise,” that is, he responds that we bring to the Lord God not only peace, but also the mercy of the world - the perfection of the world - the flower and fruit of it - mercy, we also offer the sacrifice of praise and confession at the walls and hearts of ours. Of course, such an answer was easy to give to Christians of the first divinely luminous apostolic centuries. Their deeds and behavior were consistent with the answer. They actually came to the church with an offering of the mercy of peace to the Lord, for they spared nothing for their brothers - with offerings of sacrifices of praise, or confession of the Holy Trinity, for they were ready to endure all the torments and even death for the Christian faith. And with what feeling will we pronounce these words, if only we pronounce them as we should, with reflection? “Mercy of the world, sacrifice of praise” - such church singing is a living reproach to us, because most of us are present at the Liturgy not with a peaceful conscience, but with a soul outraged by passions and worldly cares - comes to church not with zeal and jealousy, but with coldness and indifference - not with love for our neighbors, but with a heart infected with pride and hostility towards others. Therefore, we must always pronounce these words with sighs and regret about our spiritual poverty and wretchedness. B. Historical note on the meaning of the words "Mercy of the World" Dmitrevsky (ed. 1856), when explaining the proclamation “Mercy of the world, sacrifice of praise,” in § 93 lit. ver. notes: “In the Liturgy of James, the brother of God, instead of the word mercy there is the saying of oil. And from this it should be concluded that the ancient historical establishment of this popular exclamation originated from the ancient practice of the leading Christians, who, when gathering for the Liturgy, brought with them not only bread and wine, but also oil - and everything necessary to comfort the brethren. They presented their offerings as evidence of their zeal to be reverent during the offering of the Eucharist.” B. Celebrating the Sacrament of Communion Conversation No. 1. About the prayer of thanksgiving, the offering of gifts and their consecration I. The second part of the Liturgy of the Faithful consists of the prayer of thanksgiving, the offering of gifts, their consecration and the remembrance of the members of the Church. In this conversation we will talk about the first three actions of this part of the Liturgy, postponing the conversation about the last until next time. II. a) The celebration of the Sacrament of Communion opens, brethren, with the exclamation of the priest addressed to the people: “We thank the Lord!” inspiring that with which our Savior Himself began the celebration of the great Sacrament (the Last Supper), given to us in remembrance of Him, namely, thanksgiving to God. The people, represented by the clergy, respond: “It is worthy and righteous to worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, consubstantial and indivisible.” At this time, the priest, bowing his head (Dmitry § 97 note. L.G.), reads the Eucharistic prayer, in which, depicting the greatness of the Creator and His countless benefits to the human race, thanks for all this to God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, for all His mercies known and unknown, thanks also for this service, which He was pleased to accept from our hands, although they stand before Him thousands of archangels and darkness of angels, continuing the prayer out loud with the words “Singing, crying, crying and speaking.” b) The clergy, finishing the prayer, sings the angelic doxology: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts (Lord of hosts), fill heaven and earth with Your glory”; then he complements the prayer with a human song of praise to God: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, hosanna in the highest!” The Seraphim's song is called victorious because the Lord God is the Lord of powers and armies (which means the very name of Hosts), the conqueror of death and hell. The repetition of the similar words “Singing, crying, crying and speaking” depicts those many-eyed bright spirits (seraphim) seen by St. John the Theologian and the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel, hovering around the throne of the Almighty in the form of four animals - an eagle, an ox, a lion and a man, who offered praise to God with their own voices (Rev. 4:7; Ezek. 10:14), and the eagle appears to be singing, the bull or ox is crying, the lion is crying and the man is speaking. To this seraphic doxology, the Church added a human greeting, which Jewish children, with palm branches in their hands, joyfully proclaimed to the Savior of the world, who solemnly entered Jerusalem: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” – With this greeting, believers greet their Redeemer, as if coming from heaven to the church to offer Himself on a holy table (throne) as a sacrifice for the salvation of the whole world, crying out: “Holy and holy is the Lord of hosts. Both heaven and earth are filled with Your glory. Blessed is he who comes in the name and glory of God the Father!” Through this combination of the seraphim’s song with human glorification, it is expressed that at the Divine Liturgy of the Lord the most heavenly forces invisibly glorify the Lord with the believers, which is expressed by the priest in the prayer read at this time: “With these blessed powers, Master, Lover of Mankind, we cry: “Holy and holy are You and Your only begotten Son and Your Holy Spirit, holy and holy are You magnificent is Your glory." c) Then, depicting the goodness of the Heavenly Father in sending His only begotten Son into the world, the priest, remembering the order of the establishment of the Sacrament of the Eucharist by Jesus Christ at the last supper, loudly pronounces the divine words of the establishment of this Sacrament when the Savior taught bread to His disciples: “Take, eat, this is My Body...” to which the face answers: “Amen,” thereby confirming faith his own into the truth of the Sacrament being performed, and then - the words spoken when giving the Apostles the Cup of wine: “Drink of it, all of you, - this is My blood of the New Testament...”, to which the face also responds with the word: “Amen.” The words “Take, eat...” and “drink all of it...” do not finally fulfill the Sacrament, but prepare the gifts for complete sanctification. (See the appendix below about the time of the presence of the Holy Gifts). d) Then the officiant, secretly remembering the saving commandment of the Lord: “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19) and all the images of the economy of our salvation: - the Cross, the tomb, the three-day resurrection, the ascension to heaven, sitting on the right hand, the second and glorious coming again - proclaims: “Thine from Thine offering to Thee for all and for “all” - that is, we offer You, Heavenly Father, as a sacrifice the gifts we receive from You - we offer them for everyone and for all Your good deeds. Believers pour out their feelings of gratitude to the Lord in the following touching and solemn sacred chant: “We sing to You, blessed to You, grateful to You, Lord, and we pray to Our God!” Let us pray then, Christians, with all the fervor of faith and love, because at this most sacred time our prayers are especially accessible to the throne of God. e) At this time, brethren, the celebrant secretly pronounces the final perfective verbs and prayers of the sacrament, by which the Holy Spirit is called upon the offered Holy Gifts for their transmutation into the true Body and true Blood of Christ. While singing this song, the priest prays that the Lord would send the Holy Spirit on the gifts brought, consecrate them and transform this bread into His true Body, and the wine into His true Blood, and then blesses the gifts. First he blesses the bread (lamb) saying: “And make this bread the honorable Body of Thy Christ”; then he blesses the wine in the Chalice, saying: “And the hedgehog (what) is in this cup, the Honest Blood of Thy Christ,” and then blesses the bread and wine together, saying: “Translating it with Thy Holy Spirit.” At these moments, by the power of God, bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. All those present in the church express reverence for the Holy Mysteries by bowing to the ground. The Church established that these perfecting words and other prayers should be said secretly after the next miraculous event. In some ancient Orthodox churches, priests used to read all the prayers out loud during services, so that they could be memorized. It happened one day that some children, for fun, repeated the rite of the Sacred Service of the Body and Blood of Christ that they had heard. They did this in the field, using a stone instead of a throne and placing bread and wine on it. But after the execution of the actions of the Eucharist, fire suddenly fell from heaven and consumed everything offered along with the stone, so that there was no sign left of either the stone or the offering. The terrified children could not come to their senses all day. This incident was witnessed by the bishop. Blessed John Moschus, who tells about this wonderful event, was conveyed by one local commander, who adds to what he himself saw in St. the monastery of one of those who participated in this action (From the works of St. John Zlat. “On the organization of public worship.”, Christian Reader. Feb. 1849). In this miraculous event, we, brethren, can see the power and effect of perfective verbs, without which, if they are not fully pronounced by the priest, the Sacrament will not be performed (see in the Office in the “Izvest. instructive”). So, brethren, while singing “We sing to you, the most sacred actions are performed, and then the church becomes heaven and is filled with heavenly powers. Although we sinners are not worthy to see this, there were holy, chosen souls to whom divine visions appeared then. Yes, St. Basil the Great and St. Epiphanius saw the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove or eagle; St. Theodore the Sinaite saw the luminous shroud descending on the throne (see in their lives, Jan. 1, May 12, and Apr. 22), and it is said about St. Sergius of Radonezh that he then seemed to some to be standing among the fire (Sept. 25). Let us, brethren, at this most sacred time of the Divine Liturgy, when the Holy Spirit descends on the offered St. Gifts, let us then pray with all the fervor of a tender heart: “Lord, who sent down Thy Most Holy Spirit at the third hour by Thy Apostle, do not take that Good One away from us, but renew us who pray!” (See Brief explanatory lit. Reason.). III. Oh, my brothers! My word is too weak to express before you all the greatness of these moments in the Divine Liturgy. If the sky itself were to open before us now, then, it seems, even there we would not find anything more expensive than what now lies on St. throne. Truly now, as St. John Chrysostom, “the whole host of heavenly powers flocks, and the whole place around the altar is filled with angelic faces.” With all the love and gratitude in your heart, fall at this time, my brothers, before the Lord, who performs such an unceasing miracle of His divine love for us sinners, in the bloodless sacrifice of His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for our salvation, and when they sing in the choir “We sing to You,” sing in your heart, wherever you are at this time: at home or in church, to the Lord: “We sing to you, we bless you, we thank you, Lord!” We sing to You, Heavenly Father, Who was pleased to send His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for us; We glorify you, the only begotten Son of God, who was sacrificed for us; We thank You, Holy Soul, for making such a sacrifice for us, and we pray to You, Lord: “Grant us to find grace and mercy from You, show us Your many mercies, so that we may not be ashamed at Your judgment. Amen". (Compiled with additional information according to specified source). A. Moral and historical explanation of the song “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts” The priest, as if uniting with the triumphant faces of the celestials and inspired by their example, solemnly exclaims: “The song of victory is singing, crying, calling and speaking,” and the people ahead, excited by his example and carried away by their own feelings, tuned to the contemplation of divine things, instantly accept the seraphic song and through the mouths of the singers unanimously proclaim: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts,” i.e., the Lord of the heavenly armies, “fill,” that is, heaven and earth (the majesty) of Thy glory are full, Saint Chrysostom, pointing to this hymn of the Church and similar ones in a conversation on the 2nd Epistle to the Corinthians, among other things asks: “Why are you amazed, even when people speak with a priest, if they and do the cherubim themselves and the forces above send up these sacred songs?” (Conversations 18). In fact, reverently listening to this song, proclaimed in the assembly of believers, before the face of the Lord of heaven and earth, you somehow involuntarily feel that you hear in it not an earthly voice, but a heavenly one, not human, but God’s. This song was conveyed to us by the prophet Isaiah, who heard it from the lips of the seraphim themselves when, having been delighted in spirit, he saw the Lord “seated on a high and exalted throne and the six-winged seraphim standing around Him and calling out to each other and saying: “Holy, Holy.” Holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory” (Is. 6:1–3). The same vision, only under symbolic images, was seen and the same song was heard by the seer John in his revelation: he saw, he says, four animals, “and each of the four animals had six wings around, and inside they were full of eyes, and neither day nor night they had no rest, crying out: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, is and is to come” (Rev. 4:8). Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Ambrose of Milan explain this song as follows: the cherubim and seraphim praise God with incessant voices and say: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts.” They say not once, lest thou believe there be unity (of Persons) in God, and do not say twice, lest thou imagine there be a plurality (of beings) in Him, but three times they proclaim and say the same thing, so that in this song one understands the division of the Trinity (Persons) and the unity of the Divinity (book “On the Holy Spirit.” Amv. Mediol.). Holy Father, who was willing to sacrifice himself to a well-fed calf that knew no sin; Holy is the Son and the calf, always slain by will and ever living; Holy is the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who makes the sacrifice (Conversation about the Prodigal Son). The word “holy,” according to the unanimous explanation of all the teachers of the Church, and especially St. Dionysius of the Areopagite, means the uniqueness of the being of God, His exclusive difference and superiority, surpassing everything. Looking at these sacredly worshiped and incomparable perfections of the Trinitarian being of God, the seraphim armies incessantly cry out with divine delight: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts,” and imitating them, the Church sings this same song during the celebration of the Liturgy, because at that time she too sees before her in the mysterious gifts of the Eucharist the Lord of Glory, surrounded invisibly by the ranks of angels. This song is called victory. “Singing a song of victory,” etc., the priest proclaims; it is called so because it rises, like victorious cries in battle, to the glory, honor and thanksgiving of the Lord of hosts, that is, the Lord of the armies of heaven, who, as explained in the Liturgy of the Evangelist Mark, is above all authority, and power, and strength, and dominion. It is also remarkable in the priest’s exclamation the multiplication of words that have almost the same meaning: “Singing, crying, crying and speaking.” It was allowed, according to the understanding of Saint Herman the Patriarch, to depict the many-eyed four animals, soaring around the throne of the glory of the Lord and proclaiming this song, of which the first, according to the Revelation of John the Theologian, was the face of a man, the second the face of a lion, the third the face of a calf and the fourth an eagle. From Apostolic times, the Church added to the Seraphim's song a solemn greeting with which Jewish children with date branches in their hands greeted Jesus coming to Jerusalem to suffer freely, joyfully exclaiming: “Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, hosanna in the highest!” . In this greeting, the word “hosanna” is Hebrew and means in our language “save, I beg you.” It was used by the Jews both in the form of a victorious cry at the meeting of the victors, and in the form of a solemn proclamation at the meeting of the kings. There is no corresponding and completely equivalent greeting in modern languages. The Holy Spirit, foreshadowing through the mouth of the prophet of Israel the coming coming into the world of the God-man Christ and the solemn meeting of Him by joyful Israel, puts this greeting into the mouth of triumphant Israel, precisely this, and not any other greeting. “This day,” says the prophet, led by the Spirit of God, in Psalm 117, “the Lord has created: let us rejoice and be glad in it! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Ps. 118:24,26). Therefore, it is not surprising that the Jewish children, seeing Jesus marching to Jerusalem, greeted Him, out of an incomprehensible impulse to them, with the same greeting. They were controlled by the same Holy Spirit who moved the tongue of the prophet. The Pharisees and scribes did not understand this event and were annoyed at the children who proclaimed a victorious song to the future conqueror of death and hell; but Jesus Christ resolved their bewilderment and exposed the injustice of their annoyance, telling them: “Have you not heard anything in the Scriptures, that you have taken away the mouth of a child and have given praise to those who piss?” From here it is also clear why the Christian Church, singing the solemn song of the seraphim to the same Victor, adds these solemn cries of the Jewish youths. She, like these youths, meets and welcomes in Him her Redeemer, coming not from Bethany to Jerusalem, but from heaven to the church - this mysterious city of peace and shrines, to offer Himself at the holy table, as well as on the altar of the cross, as a sacrifice to God the Father for the redemption of the whole world. The meaning and intention of her greeting and appeal can be expressed in the following words, according to the instructions of St. Gregory the Dvoeslov: “Hosanna in the highest! Eternal God, who dwells in the highest heavens! Semyon, now sending forth the thanksgiving due to You for all the blessings You have shown to the human race and singing together with the seraphim the Trisagion of Your glory, we see with the eyes of faith the heavens opening to the voice of ours and Your only begotten Son our Savior, in fulfillment of Your eternal counsels, prepared for our salvation; We contemplate in spirit from heaven the one coming to us in this holy church, for this terrible meal. And therefore we pray to You with our fervent faith: Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! May His divine coming to us be successful, fruitful and saving. May He reign in our souls through the sacraments of His suffering. May His Holy Body and His Most Pure Blood be for us who receive them not as condemnation, but as remission of sins, as a pledge and betrothal of eternal life. To her! We pray to Thee, righteous Father! Hosanna in the highest. (See “Explanation of the Divine Liturgy” by Arseny, Metropolitan of Kiev, pp. 323–328). B. A set of patristic opinions on the song “Holy, Holy, Holy” “It is worthy and righteous to eat, says the people... For this the priest... opens his mouth before God and alone, conversing with Him, secretly utters before God the mysteries hidden from centuries and generations, now revealed to us through the appearance of the Son of God... and penetrates into the secrets of the divine light of the life-giving Trinity... and he mentally contemplates and cries out the trisagion of the seraphic powers, under the shadow cherubim and with the (mysterious) hymn of the seraphim, with whom he cries out: singing a song of victory. Then the people... exclaim: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, (i.e., the thrice-holy and one God of hosts). Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." “Hosanna” means “save”... The song of victory is sung: “singing” is said about the eagle, “crying out” - about the will, “crying out” - about the lion, “speaking” - about the man. Man, endowed with reason, forming the cherubic forces and four-shaped animals, cries out: “Holy, Holy, Holy,” that is, the three-holy and one God of hosts... We, the faithful, with the angels silently theologize, glorifying the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit... We sing... blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, hosanna in the highest." 102 To the Prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:10) “the cherubim were not represented in their own form, but in the form of birds and animals, which are revered by us on earth as more noble and powerful” 103. What does it mean: Lord of Hosts? Lord of angels, archangels, higher powers 104. “The Seraphim cry to each other: “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Did you recognize this call?” - asked St. John Chrysostom. – Is it ours, or the Seraphim’s? Both ours and the seraphim’s; because Christ... reconciled heavenly and earthly things and “made both one” (Eph. 2:14). Previously, this song was sung only in heaven, but when the Lord deigned to descend to earth, he brought this song to us. Therefore... the high priest, as well as the priest, appearing before the holy table... offering a bloodless sacrifice, not only calls us to this doxology, but first points to the cherubim and mentions the seraphim, and thus commands everyone to raise this terrible proclamation, so that by reminding us of the creatures singing with us, we can lift our minds from the earth" 105 . “Oh, gifts of Christ! - calls St. John Chrysostom. – In heaven the angelic armies praise; on earth, people, forming faces in churches, imitate their doxology; in heaven the seraphim cry out the thrice-holy song: on earth the assembly of people lifts up the same song; a common triumph of heavenly and earthly beings is formed, one gratitude, one delight, one joyful rejoicing. This is arranged by the ineffable condescension of the Lord; it was composed by the Holy Spirit; these harmonious sounds are coordinated by the favor of the Father... They produce a sweet melody, an angelic song, an unceasing harmony. This is the consequence of this zeal; This is the fruit of our meeting! That is why I rejoice at such prosperity, seeing joy in your souls, spiritual joy, joy in God, for nothing makes our life more joyful than joy in church. In the church there is joy preserved for those who rejoice, in the church there is consolation for those who are sad, in the church there is joy for those who mourn, in the church there is peace for those who are weary, in the church there is rest for those who are weary.”106 B. Explanation of the position of the celebrants when pronouncing the words “Thine from Thine” While the priest proclaims the words “Thine from Thine,” pointing with his hand to the gifts presented, and bowing his head as a sign of special reverence, the deacon raises several diskos and a chalice on the mountain, showing God the gifts offered as sacrifices, following the example of the Old Testament priests, who brought sacrifices of the people only by first offering and showing them to the invisible God, and Jesus Christ Himself, Who, according to the expression of the Liturgy of Basil the Great, having accepted the bread into His holy and most pure hands, showing it to God the Father, the deacon rises, placing his hands in a cross shape, not so much in order to lift up the bread with his right hand, as the first part of the composition of the mystery, and with the left Cup, as following the bread, but rather in order to clearly show by this cross-shaped transfer of hands that this sacrifice is offered to God both for all His good deeds, known and unknown to us, and especially for the Cross and the suffering of His Only Begotten Son, according to the will of the Savior Himself, Who, after the Last Supper, said: “Do this in My remembrance” (See “Explanation of the Divines.” Liturgy" Arseny, Met. Kievsky, p. 334). D. Examples from the lives of saints, proving that in the Sacrament of Communion (Eucharist 107) the true Body of Christ is taught under the guise of bread and the true Blood of the Lord under the guise of wine. I. The life of St. Gregory the Dvoeslov, Pope of Rome, tells about a significant miracle that took place in the Most Pure Mysteries through the prayer of this saint. “One noble Roman woman brought prosphora to celebrate the Sacrament of Communion. The Liturgy on this day was performed by Saint Gregory himself. When the time came to serve people Holy Communion, that woman also began to partake of the Holy Mysteries. At the words of the saint, “...the life-giving Body of our Lord Jesus Christ is taught,” the mentioned woman grinned. Seeing her laugh, the saint held back his hand and asked the woman: “Why did you laugh?” - “It’s amazing to me, Vladyka, that you call that bread the Body of Christ, which I baked with my own hands.” Saint Gregory, seeing her unbelief, prayed to God, and immediately the appearance of the bread was transformed into the appearance of the truest human body. Not only that woman saw this miracle, but also all the others who were in the church glorified Christ God and were confirmed in the faith regarding the Most Pure Mysteries, that under the guise of bread the true Body of Christ is taught, and under the guise of wine - the true Blood of the Lord. The saint prayed again - and the appearance of a human body was transformed into the appearance of bread. With fear and faith, the woman undoubtedly accepted the bread as the Body of Christ, and also the wine as the Blood of Christ.” (Cheti-Minei March 12). II. One old man who lived in a monastery was a great ascetic, but he was simple in his faith, and because of his simplicity he sinned. He said: the bread that we receive is not the essential Body of Christ, but only a substitute. Despite all his convictions, the elder answered: “If I am not convinced by the very act, I cannot be completely convinced.” The holy ascetics told him: “Let us pray to God this week about this Sacrament, and God will reveal it to us.” The elder joyfully agreed to this proposal and prayed to God, “Lord! You know that I do not believe not out of malice, but so as not to be mistaken through ignorance; open to me, Lord Jesus.” Other elders and ascetics prayed this way. God heard them. After a week, they came to church on Sunday - and their eyes were opened. When the bread was placed on the holy throne, it was represented in the form of a baby; when the priest stretched out his hand to break bread, an angel of the Lord descended from heaven with a knife, killed the baby, and poured his blood into the Chalice; when the priest crushed the Bread into small parts, then the angel cut off small parts from the baby; when they began to receive the Sacrament, one elder was given flesh and blood. Seeing this, he was horrified and exclaimed: “I believe, Lord, that this bread is Your Body, and this Cup is Your Blood!” And immediately the flesh in his hand became bread, as happens in the Sacrament, and he partook, thanking God. After this, the elders tell him: “God knows that man by nature cannot eat raw flesh, and therefore he gives His Body under the guise of bread and His Blood under the guise of wine to those who receive it with faith.” The holy ascetics thanked God for not allowing the perplexed elder to ruin his labors, and everyone joyfully returned to their cells. (“The venerable tale of the ancient saint and blessed father,” pp. 65, 57). III. One day the reverend came. Nifont and his disciple went to the church (in Constantinople) for the usual prayer, where the bishop had already begun the Divine service. And so they opened the door to the Rev. Niphon's spiritual eyes, and he saw fire descending from heaven and covering the altar and the bishop; During the singing of the Trisagion, four angels appeared and sang with the singers. And while reading the Apostle I saw St. ap. Paul, who stood behind the reader and watched him. During the Gospel, the words, like lamps, ascended to heaven, and during the transfer of the Holy Gifts, the church vault opened, the heavens opened up and, with an extraordinary fragrance, angels descended singing: “Glory to Christ God!” and they carried the beautiful Youth and, placing him on the paten, they themselves surrounded the throne. When the time had come for the consecration of the gifts and the performance of the Sacrament, one of the brightest angels came and, taking a knife, slain the Youth and poured out the holy. Blood into the Chalice; then, placing the Youth on the paten, he himself stood again with the others in reverence. Then, during communion, the blessed one saw that some of those communing had faces as bright as the sun, while others were dark and gloomy, like those of the Ethiopians. The approaching angels watched as each one approached, and crowned those receiving communion worthily, but turned away from the unworthy and abhorred them. At the end of this service, he saw the Youth again whole in the hands of angels and ascended to heaven. The monk himself told this to his disciple, who committed it to writing for the benefit of others. (Thu. Min. Dec. 23 d.). IV. One Mohammedan, a resident of Arabia, who was in a Christian church, saw that the priest had stabbed a baby during the Liturgy, poured his blood into a Chalice, and crushed his body on a platter. Then the Christians present here ate the baby’s body and drank the blood. The infidel Saracen thought this was a cruel thing, so he began to revile the priest greatly. But when the priest humbly explained the mystery to the unbeliever, the Mohammedan, struck by the greatness of this Mystery, became a follower of the Gospel and a martyr for Christ. (Prologue November 26). You, listener, may ask: why does God hide from us the appearance of the Body and Blood in the Sacrament of Holy Communion? The God-bearing Fathers of the Church answer this as follows (as we already know from the above legend): “Human nature turns away from eating raw meat and cannot drink blood without disgust. Therefore, in the mystery of Communion, God covers the Body with the appearance of bread, and the Blood with the appearance of wine” (Prol. December 25, “Teaching on the most sacred mysteries”). Suppose you say this is true; But is it not possible for us now, for confirmation, to see in the mystery of Communion, instead of bread, the Body of the Lord, and instead of wine, the Blood of Christ? Oh, without a doubt it is possible! But we must judge what we want. God allows such a vision for the most part for non-believers, but for us, who believe in the undoubted holiness of the mystery of Communion, the desire for such a vision is unnecessary and sinful. The rules of the Church command that “if one of the priests celebrating the liturgy was presented with bread in the form of a body, and wine in the form of blood, then such a priest should not partake, but should bow down in humility of spirit before the omnipresent God, blame himself for lack of faith and ask the Lord to show him the Sacrament of Communion in the ordinary form in which it is given to true believing Christians.” (See the book “Lessons and Examples of the Christian Faith” by Priest Gr. Dyachenko, ed. 4, pp. 532–3). D. Miracles that occurred during the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ 1. In the biography of St. Basil the Great writes: “A certain godly presbyter, named Anastasius, when he was performing the Divine service, during the consecration of the terrible Mysteries, the Most Holy Spirit descended in the form of fire and surrounded Anastasius; More than one saint saw this. Vasily, but also others who were worthy of this vision” (“Ch.M.” January 1st, “Life of St. Basil the Great”). 2. The historian Sozomen narrates: “When St. Chrysostom performed the liturgy and distributed the Holy Mysteries to the believers; a certain woman, infected with the Macedonian heresy, began to do this. And as soon as she accepted Divine Communion with unbelief, instantly a part (of the Body of Christ) turned into stone in her mouth. The woman, horrified by this wonderful miracle, told what happened to her in front of all the people, showing the stone itself, and from unbelief turned to true faith” (Historical Sozom. book 8, chapter 5). 3. The Limonar writes: “In Seleucia, a certain heretic merchant had an Orthodox slave, who, having taken Holy Communion, kept it in a reliquary. After some time, his master found out about this and wanted to burn the Holy Mysteries; - but suddenly all the parts of the Most Pure Body of Christ, kept in the reliquary under the guise of bread, sprouted ears of corn.” (“Limonary”, chapter 79). 4. During the time of Mina, Patriarch of Constantinople, one of the Jewish youths joined the Christian youths and received Holy Communion with them; but, returning to the house, he told his father everything that had happened. His father was inflamed with anger, and immediately grabbed his son and threw him into the furnace in which glass was melted (for his father was a master of glass casting). The mother, not knowing anything about what happened to her son, searched for him for a long time and could not find him. On the third day, crying and sobbing, she came to her husband, a glassmaker, and suddenly from the midst of a red-hot furnace she heard the voice of her son. Frightened and delighted at the same time, the mother hastily approached the smelting furnace and saw her son among the burning coals. Taking it out of the fire, she asked how it didn’t burn in the oven. He answered: “Some wife in light clothes often came to him, giving him water to extinguish the burning coal; and when he wanted to eat, she gave him food.” This miraculous incident spread throughout the city. Emperor Justin himself (who at that time reigned in the Greek Empire) found out about this and ordered his son and mother to be baptized, and ordered his father, who did not want to accept Baptism, to be thrown into a hot furnace. This miracle was known to the whole world. They write a lot about him. Church historians: Evagrius in the book. 4th, in ch. 24th; Eusebius in the book. 4th, in ch. 36th; Nikifor in the book. 17th, in ch. 25. 5. Uniting with sincere repentance for sins and unashamed faith in the Savior, communion of St. The Mystery of Christ delivers us from eternal death and, even here on earth, reconciles the sinner with the offended justice of God. One Palestinian leader, named Givimer, having taken office, wanted, first of all, to venerate the Holy Sepulcher. Approaching the church, he saw a ram coming at him and trying to hit him with its horns. The commander was frightened by the vision and wanted to go back. But the guardian of the Holy Cross, standing here, named Azarius, noticing his indecision, asked him: “Why don’t you go, sir?” He replied: “Why did you let this terrible ram come here?” Azarius calmed him down and said: “Go, there is nothing here.” But when the military leader wanted to go to church, the same vision presented itself to him again, while the others did not notice anything and entered freely. Then the keeper of the Holy Cross said to Givimer: “Sir! you have something in your soul for which you are not allowed to venerate the Holy Sepulcher of our Savior. Bring repentance to the Lord: He is philanthropic and abundant in mercy.” The boss answered with tears: “Exactly, I am guilty before God of many and important sins.” With these words, falling to the ground, he cried for a long time and confessed his sins to the Lord. Then, when he got up, he wanted to enter the church again, but the terrible ram blocked his entrance again. Then the keeper of the Holy Cross told him: “Apparently there is some other obstacle.” The boss answered thoughtfully: “Is it because I’m not Orthodox.” And after that he joined the Orthodox Church, and then, when the keeper of the Holy Cross introduced him to the Holy Mysteries, the chief freely entered the cave of the Holy Sepulcher, and the previous vision disappeared before him (“Meadow of Spirits.” I. Mosch, ch. 48). 6. It happened that from communion of the Holy Mysteries, sick people whom no medicine could improve were cured. Gregory the Theologian says that his sister, being sick and not receiving any benefit from the medicine, received the Holy Mysteries with special faith - and became healthy. (See “Stone of Faith” by Stefan Yavorsky, Metropolitan of Ryazan.). 7. Whoever partakes of the Body and Blood of Christ, even evil spirits cannot cause any harm. One of the church books mentions that one saint asked evil spirits what they fear most about Christians. - “What you eat, that is, Holy Communion. Oh, if Christians honestly observed what they eat in Communion, then they would be impregnable to our machinations.” This is the power of the Holy Mysteries! (Helmsman, part II, chapter 68). 8. One Egyptian hermit, named Mark, lived in seclusion for thirty years without leaving his cell. To strengthen himself in his exploits, he very often prepared to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and for this purpose a presbyter came to him, who performed the service, confessed and communed the elder. The devil envied St. Mark’s faith, patience and zeal for prayer. In order to distract him from these virtues, the devil wanted, first of all, to shake his trust and respect for his spiritual father - the presbyter, who honored him with the Mysteries. And so they bring him to the hermit, possessed by a demon, so that the venerable father may pray for him. The devil inspired this demoniac to utter various slander against the presbyter, as a man of unclean life and unworthy to serve as a priest. The perspicacious elder recognized the temptation of the enemy and, having cast out the demon by prayer, inspired the healed man to remember the words of the Savior: “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” Soon the presbyter came to perform the service and was received by the elder with the same respect and joy. God did not fail to console the kindly old man with a vision that proved that the presbyter, whom the possessed man had slandered, was a worthy clergyman. The elder saw that when the presbyter approached St. altar, an angel descended from heaven, laid his hand on the head of the presbyter - and this became like a pillar of fire. Moreover, a voice was heard: “Why do you wonder about this vision? If the earthly king does not allow nobles in blackened robes to approach him and serve him, how much more will not the Heavenly King purify His secret servants who stand before His throne and overshadow them with His heavenly glory? St. Mark told everyone about this vision, urging them to give honor to the priests as intercessors for us before God, and not to condemn them. (Ancient Patericon; sn. “Sunday Thursday” 1865). 9 . Here is a remarkable incident from the life of St. Sergius, Abbot, the Wonderworker of Radonezh. Once Rev. Sergius celebrated the Liturgy. The silent Isaac stood in the church and saw someone at the altar serving Sergius and wearing light robes. At the entrance with the Gospel, the wonderful visitor followed Sergius, and his face shone with such a strong light that Isaac could not look at him. The miracle opened his mouth, and he asked the reverent Macarius: “Who is this?” “I don’t know,” answered Macarius, “and horror penetrates me.” At first I thought that this was the presbyter who came with Prince Vladimir, but the boyars said no; without a doubt, this is an angel serving Sergius.” At the end of the Liturgy, both students begged the teacher to tell them who served with him. And Sergius discovered that this was definitely an angel who always served with him. (See the book “Russian saints, revered by the whole Church, or locally.” Philaret, Archbishop of Chernigov. Part III. St. Petersburg, 1882, p. 150). 10. Let us convey here a wonderful story about the miraculous vision of one monk during the Liturgy, which is placed in the famous “Monastic Letters” of the abbot of the Holy Trinity Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony, to Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow. “I cannot hold my soul,” writes the governor of the Sergius Lavra, Fr. Archimandrite Anthony, - so as not to report with fear and joy the following event: on March 17th in the Kuryazhsky monastery, near Kharkov, 7 versts, during mass, during the consecration of the holy gifts, when the brethren in the middle of the church sang: “We sing to you, we bless you,” Hieromonk Iliodor, bowed to the ground and exclaimed three times: “And we pray, and pray and pray,” suddenly remained deaf and dumb, but in an unusually touching state of mind; and when, a week after that, he received the Holy Gifts, immediately upon receiving them he read loudly grateful prayers and announced that when he, bowing to the ground, looked at the Holy Table, he saw a fire on it, which, flaring up, embraced the throne, the altar and the whole church; and this wonderful vision was accompanied by angelic singing: “And we pray, and we pray, and we pray.” Listening to the Liturgy, we are all present at this divine flame and angelic singing. If anyone is present in church with a worthy feeling, then the flame of this divine fire embraces everyone and the invisible communion of the shrine of Christ penetrates every soul.” (“Monastic letters” from the abbot of the Holy Trinity Lavra to Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, p. 60). 11. One priest told the following miraculous incident. He was invited to a neighboring village due to the absence of the parish priest to give farewell to the patient. During the teaching of the Holy Mysteries to the patient, the spare particle somehow fell from his spoon, and no matter how much the priest and the owners looked for it, they could not find it. The sick man was a blind old man, and the entire time they continued to look for the particle, he lay on his bed, anxiously asking from time to time: “Didn’t you find it?” Finally, with force, he got up from bed and, bowing his head under the bench, said: “Is that the priest glowing under the bench?” – and at the same time pointed his finger. No one except the blind old man could see the blessed light; but on his instructions the priest found St. particle and gave it to the wonderful blind man (“Dush. Read.” 1877). (Priest G. D-ko). E. Christians have always had faith in the actual presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist Having rejected once and for all the authority of church tradition regarding the ancient form of the celebration of the Eucharist, Protestants wish with their inventions to restore the Evangelical and Apostolic form of the Eucharist and therefore, naturally, reject its form in the Liturgy of Chrysostom as going against their beliefs. According to them, the form of the Eucharist is that the faithful gather in one place, bring bread and wine, over which they make thanksgiving, then share them with those present in remembrance of one Calvary sacrifice, as the most important and main subject of our faith 108 . This peculiar explanation by Protestants of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and the unfounded accusation of our Liturgy, as if it had departed from the Gospel and Apostolic form, do not stand up to criticism, since the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom has a perfect resemblance to the Gospel and Apostolic Supper. True, by the form of the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, our Liturgy maintains that faith in the true transubstantiation of bread and the cup of wine and water into the Body and Blood of Christ, which Protestants completely reject. But this was bequeathed to us by the Lord Himself, handed down by the apostles, their successors, and confirmed by the testimonies of the fathers and teachers of the Church, who set forth their faith in writing as a sign of the Orthodox teaching of the entire Church about the Sacrament of the Eucharist. All the liturgies of the East and West, which expressed the faith of Christians, all written evidence, starting with the words of Jesus Christ Himself, His apostles and ending with the assurance of St. fathers and teachers of the Church until the time of Chrysostom (we are not even talking about the testimonies of subsequent centuries), we all say, imprinted their faith in the Sacrament of the Eucharist as the true Body and Blood of the Lord. 1) Thus, the Savior, teaching bread and a cup of wine and water to His disciples, said: “Take, eat, this is My Body... drink from it, all of you, for this is My Blood of the New Testament” 109. 2) And the apostles, faithfully following the words of their Lord, both themselves believed and taught others that the gifts offered for the Sacrament of the Eucharist - bread and wine, through the mediation of the Holy Spirit, are completely transformed into the true Body and Blood of the Lord 110. 3) The successors of the apostles, their exact followers, celebrated the Sacrament of the Eucharist with full faith in the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. Based on the testimony of the apostolic men: Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch, as well as on passages taken from the writings of Justin the Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Tertullian, Cornelius, Cyril of Jerusalem, Cyprian, Firmilian, Dionysius of Alexandria. Gregory of Nyssa, Ephraim the Syrian, Ambrose of Milan and Basil the Great, - on the rules of the Councils of Carthage, Trulle and the ancient liturgies of the East and West, we see that Christians have always had faith in the actual presence of the Body and Blood of the Lord in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Thus, Clement of Rome writes: “Everything that the Lord commanded us, we must do in order at the established times. He commanded that offerings and services (προσφοράς καί Λειτουργίας) be performed not randomly and without order, but at certain times and hours” 111. In another place, the same father writes: “No small sin will befall us if we deprive those who bring gifts impeccably and holyly from the episcopate.”112 Here, the expression “perform services and bring gifts” means the act of the Eucharist, in which bread and wine were transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ through the mediation of the Holy Spirit. St. Ignatius in his letter to the Philadelphians says: “Try to have one Eucharist, for there is only one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ and one Cup, in the unity of His Blood and one altar” 113 . In another place he writes: “Heretics move away from the Eucharist and prayer because they do not recognize that the Eucharist is the Flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins, but which the Father raised in His goodness” 114. St. Justin Martyr in his apology writes: “This food (bread and wine), after the calling of the Holy Spirit on them, is called the Eucharist and we accept it, not as ordinary bread or ordinary drink, but as Jesus Christ incarnate according to the word of God, our Savior had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so, according to our teaching, this Eucharistic food, from which through transformation our blood and flesh are nourished; according to the power of prayer words, there is the Flesh and Blood of that incarnate Jesus” 115. Elsewhere, in a conversation with the Jew Tryphon, he says: “We sacrifice the bread of the Eucharist and the Cup of the Eucharist in remembrance of the suffering of the Lord” 116. St. Irenaeus writes the following against heretics: “Bread, through the invocation of God over it, is no longer ordinary bread, but the Eucharist” 117. Further, mentioning the heretic Mark, he speaks of him in the following way: “He, pretending to celebrate the Eucharist over a cup filled with wine, and stretching out the words of invocation for a long time, makes the cup appear crimson and red, from which they think that, by the power of his invocation, the Most High Grace poured out his blood into it” 118. Upon invocation of the Holy Spirit, the bread becomes the Body of Christ and the Cup of the Blood of Christ 119. Then he says the following about heretics: “They doubt how the bread on which thanksgiving is made is the Body of the Lord and the Cup is His Blood... Our teaching is in accordance with the Eucharist and the Eucharist, in turn, confirms our teaching. After this, he once again affirms that bread and wine, receiving the word of God, become the Eucharist, which is the Body and Blood of Christ” 120. Finally he says: “According to the apostolic tradition, having made the offering, we pray to the Holy Spirit that he may reveal the bread as the Body of Christ and the Cup of Blood” 121. Clement of Alexandria, speaking about the fragmentation of the Eucharist and the communion of each of those present, for a worthy acceptance of it, cites the words of Holy Scripture: “Therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks the Cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord” 122. Tertullian, explaining the requests of the Lord's Prayer “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11), speaks of the latter as the Body of Christ: “This is My Body” (of Christ) (Luke 22:19) and therefore, praying for our daily bread, we ask for constant communion and inseparability from His Body” 123. Origen, speaking about bread and wine, continues: “Bread through prayer becomes the Holy Body. He is sanctified by the word of God" 124. Objecting to Celsus, who reproaches Christians for not making any sacrifice, Origen says in response: “Having given thanks to the Creator of all, we eat the bread offered with reverence and prayer performed over the gifts, and through prayer made the Holy Body and sanctifying those who use It with a healthy disposition” 125. Convincing his listeners to care about the Word of God, Origen brings to mind the caution with which they receive the Body of the Lord 126. Cornelius, in his letter to the Antiochian bishop Fabius, speaking about Novatian, who forced those who participated to swear to him, cites the very words of the oath: “Swear to me by the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ that you will never leave me and turn to Cornelius” 127. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, citing the liturgy of that time in his catechumens, expresses himself this way about bread and wine: “Having sanctified ourselves with spiritual songs, we pray to the loving God to send down the Holy Spirit on the gifts that are presented, to make bread the Body of Christ, and wine the Blood of Christ” 128. “The bread of the Eucharist and wine before the invocation of the adored Trinity were bread and wine, and after the invocation of the Holy Spirit there is no simple bread, but the Body of Christ, and wine - the Blood of Christ” 129. All of Cyprian’s epistles to Caecilius about the Sacrament of the Eucharist are aimed at proving that in the Sacrament we offer not only water, as some heretics did: the Ebionites and Tatians, but wine mixed with water, in the image of blood and water flowing from the Savior’s perforated rib 130 . Elsewhere, explaining the request of the Lord's Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11), Cyprian says that this means the Body of Christ, which we ask to be given to us daily 131. Firmilian, Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, mentioning a woman who, through sorcery, consecrated the bread of the Eucharist with decent prayer and made a sacrifice to God, not without some mysterious praise, thereby speaks of bread and wine as the Body and Blood of the Lord 132. Dionysius of Alexandria cites one case in which he clearly speaks of consecrated bread and wine as the Body and Blood of Christ: “Whoever listened to the blessing of the gifts, said “Amen” with others, began the meal, stretched out his hand to receive holy food, accepted it and for a long time partook of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, I do not dare to cook.”133 Gregory of Nyssa says this: “What do you call the gifts brought by the priest before consecration? I eat from such and such seeds. After consecration, what do you call them? Body and Blood of Christ" 134. In another place he reasons as follows: “Just as a little leaven, says the apostle, leavens the whole dough, so this Body, which has received immortality from God, when accepted, transforms everything into its nature. One Body of Christ enlivens the nature of believers, being shared by all, and not itself diminishing... The Word of God is God and the Word is united with human nature, and the body is elevated to divine dignity by the presence of God the Word. So, we rightly believe that even now bread, sanctified by the word of God and prayer, is transformed into the Body of God the Word. Bread, as the apostle says, is sanctified by the word of God and prayer, not so that through eating it becomes the Body of the Word, but is suddenly transformed into the Body by the Word, as it is said (by the Word): “This is My Body...” (Matthew 26:26). According to the dispensation of grace, He gives Himself to all believers through the medium of a Body consisting of bread and wine, dissolving with the bodies of believers, so that through an immortal union man also becomes a participant in immortality” 135 . Having omitted other fathers and teachers of the Church, let us move on to Ephraim the Syrian, who says: “Christ gave to His people, redeemed by him, that is, to His Church, wheat, wine and mysterious oil. Wheat is His Holy Mystical Body, wine is His sanctifying Blood, oil is the good anointing with which the baptized are sealed and put on with the full armor of the Holy Spirit. Fire and spirit are in the bread and the Cup" 136. St. Ambrose says this about the Eucharist: “This is not bread (the bread of the Eucharist), but true Flesh crucified on the Cross,” and explains this with an example 137. In another place he says: “By accepting the Holy Gifts, which by the mysterious power of holy prayers are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, we proclaim the death of the Lord” 138. The 46th rule of the Council of Carthage (358) says: “In the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord, do not bring anything except what was given by the Lord Himself, that is, bread and wine with water.” 28 Ave. of the Trull Cathedral (691) also speaks of this with the prohibition of combining grapes with a bloodless sacrifice, as was the case in various churches. In the Athanasian Confession of Faith, known to Theodoret, it is said: “By body Christ is and is called High Priest and Apostle and conveyed to us the Sacrament (μυστήριον), when he said: “This is My Body, broken for you, and the Blood of the New Testament, shed for you. While performing the Sacrament itself, he blessed and said: And drink of it, all of you, This is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you." 139 4) All ancient liturgies of East and West also contain faith in the true Body and Blood of the Lord. Thus, in the Liturgy of the “Apostolic Constitutions”, after remembering in a prayer of gratitude the Savior’s teaching of the Sacrament to His disciples, the very words of the establishment of the Sacrament of the Eucharist 140 are given, and a prayer to the Holy Spirit, may He reveal this bread with the Body of Thy Christ and this Cup with the Blood of Thy Christ. The Greek Liturgy of James says: “Have mercy on us, O God, according to Thy great mercy and send upon us and on the gifts that are set before Thy All-Holy Spirit, that He may descend with Thy good and glorious presence, sanctify and make this bread the Holy Body of Thy Christ and this Cup the precious Blood of Thy Christ” 141 . In the Syrian Liturgy of James we read: “Lord, Almighty God, have mercy on us, and send Your Holy Spirit... that He... may make this bread the Body of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, and that which is mixed in this Cup, the Blood of the Lord” 142. The Liturgy of Mark speaks of the priest invoking the Holy Spirit on the bread and the Chalice, so that He would sanctify and make the bread the Body of the Lord, and the Chalice the Blood of the Savior Himself and our King Jesus Christ 143. The Ambrosian Liturgy contains the words of the establishment of the Sacrament and the prayer of invoking the Holy Spirit for gifts 144. In the Mozarabic Liturgy, the words of the establishment of the Sacrament and the prayer of invoking the Holy Spirit are recalled 145. So, the faith of the Orthodox Eastern Church in the actual transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ has immeasurably more importance and power than the wisdom of the Lutherans 146. G. Image of the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist In the teaching about the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, one must distinguish: a) reality, b) the image of this presence. A) The Orthodox Church, contrary to the errors of the ancient (Docetes) and modern heretics (Wyclef, Zwingli and Calvin), especially the Reformed, who teach that bread and wine even after consecration remain simple bread and wine and serve only as symbols of the Body and Blood of Christ, believes that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. This truth has, as we saw above, irrefutable grounds: a) In Holy Scripture. b) In Holy Tradition: this includes the teaching about the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist not only of the Church Fathers, for example. – Ignatius the God-Bearer (episode to Smyrna. 7), Justina (an. 1. ch. 66), Irenaeus (Contra haeres. liber. IV. c. 18. n. 4. 5), Cyril Jerus. (Secret teachings IV. 1, 2, 3, 6.), John Chrysostom (Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew 82), John of Damascus (Accurate presentation of the right. Ver. book. IV, ch. 13), but also entire councils: the first (Gelas, Cyzik. Comment in Akta Concil. Nicaen., cap. XXXI, Diatyr 3), third (Epist. Synodika Cyrilli Alex, ad Nestor.) and seventh (Consil. Nik. II Akt. IV Lekt Epiph. Diacon. All these testimonies are given in “Conversations on the Sacraments” by Archbishop Eusebius, pp. 154–164). B) Jesus Christ is not present in the Eucharist as if he only penetrates (according to the false teaching of the Lutherans) the bread and wine, which remain unchanged, and only remains with them, in them, under them (in, cum, sub pane); but in such a way that bread and wine are changed, transubstantiated, transformed into His very Body and His very Blood (Right. Confession, Part I, answer to Question 56; Post. Eastern Patriarch. about the Right. Faith). In confirmation of this truth, the following can be cited: a) places of Holy Scripture, where directly and clearly the bread itself is called the Body of Christ, and the wine itself is called the Blood of Christ; and bread and wine can become the Body and Blood of Christ in no other way than through transformation. b) Various rites of the Liturgy, since in all ancient liturgies, used not only in the Orthodox Church, but also among the Nestorians, Eutychians, Syrians, Jacobites and in the Roman Church, there is a prayer to God the Father, before the consecration of the gifts, so that He would change, change, transform by the Holy Spirit the bread into the honest Body of Christ, and the wine into His Honorable Blood (Renaudot. Liturg. Oriental Collection, 1685; c) The teaching of the fathers and teachers of the Church: Cyril of Jerusalem (Secret Teachings 1:7), Gregory of Nyssa (Catech. p. XXXVII), Ambrose of Milan (In libro de myster.), John of Damascus (Accurate exposition of the rest of the faith, book IV, chapter 13), Blessed Theophylact (In. loh. VI). - Said evidence. Fathers of the Church, see "Conversations on the Sacraments." archbishop Evsev., 169–173). From the teaching about the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, the following conclusions follow, which even more precisely define the image of His presence in this Sacrament and which must be firmly remembered when explaining the Liturgy: a) Although the bread and wine in the Eucharist are actually transformed into the Body and Blood of the Lord, but since His soul is inseparably united with His Body and Blood, and His Divinity is inseparably and hypostatically united with His humanity, it is clear that Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist not only with His Body and Blood, but with His whole being, that is, with His soul and with His Divinity itself. (John 6:56–57. - John. Damascus “Exact exposition of the principles of faith,” book IV. chapter 13. See “Conversation on the Mysteries.” Archbishop Eusev. p. 175). b) Although the consecrated gifts are fragmented and divided in the Eucharist, this actually happens only with the types of bread and wine, and not with the Body itself, which, together with the Blood, as a spiritual body, glorified, immortal, “who no longer dies” (Rom. 6:9; 1 Cor. 15:43-44), therefore, cannot be subject to division, destruction, fragmentation. Hence, in each part of the consecrated gifts there is not just one part of the Body and Blood of the Lord, but the Body of Christ, always and in everything whole, and in each part - to the smallest particle - the whole of Christ is present in His essence, that is, with soul and Divinity, perfect God and perfect man. (“Last eastern patr. about the right. Faith”, part 17); see the words in the rite sequence. Liturgies for the Crushing of the Lamb. c) In the same way, although the Eucharist was and is being celebrated in countless places in the universe, the Body of Christ is always and everywhere one, and the Blood of Christ is always the same everywhere, and everywhere in the Eucharist there is one and the same Christ, perfect God and perfect man. (“Last Eastern Patr. about the Orthodox Faith” part 17). d) Since bread and wine, through the sacramental consecration, are transformed into the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, it means that from the time of the consecration of the gifts, He is constantly present in the Eucharist, that is, He is present not only during the very consumption and acceptance of the Sacrament by believers, but also before and after consumption. (“Last Eastern Patr. about the Eastern Faith”, part 17). e) Finally, since bread and wine are transformed in the Eucharist into the true Flesh and into the true Blood of Jesus Christ, in which He is always inherent in His Divinity, it is clear that the consecrated Gifts should be given divine worship. (“Right Spanish” Part 1, answer to question 56. 107. 3lat. “Interpretation on the first sequence to Cor.” conversation 25. 5). H. Properties of the Eucharistic Sacrifice The Holy Eucharist is 1) a thanksgiving sacrifice for the saints, that is, through it we thank God for the fact that He favored them in Christ, under the sign of His Cross, to defeat the enemies of salvation and complete the flow of faith immaculately, that He took them from us into the Church of the firstborn, and laid them to rest in the light of His Face, that He gave us prayer books and intercessors, and gave us their prayers as intercession and help before His throne 147 . In this sense, sacrifices are made for the saints according to the rite of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom with the words: “We also offer You this verbal service for those who have died in the faith, forefathers, fathers, patriarchs,” etc., and according to the order of the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, as well as according to the order of the Liturgy of St. Apostle James, the Church, after the consecration of the Gifts, remembers the saints: a) “May we find mercy and grace with all the saints, the forefathers, fathers, patriarchs, etc., who have pleased You from the beginning,” etc., and b) to receive the intercession of the saints in heaven, so that through their prayers and intercession we can strengthen our prayers before God for the living and the dead, or, as St. Cyril of Jerusalem 148 “so that through their prayers and intercessions God would accept our prayer” and visit us with His bounties. 2) A propitiatory sacrifice for the dead; it is offered for the remission of sins of those who have fallen asleep in faith and the hope of resurrection into eternal life. 3) The cleansing sacrifice is for the living, that is, for all living Christians. I. The relationship of the Eucharistic sacrifice to the sacrifice of the Cross Here the shepherd of the Church must remind his flock, if he wants to establish them on the unshakable foundation of the teachings of the Church, 1) what is common between the Cross and the Eucharistic sacrifice of Jesus Christ; 2) how they differ from one another; 3) by indicating both, determine the properties of the Eucharistic sacrifice. 1. What is common between the sacrifice offered to God in St. Eucharist, and the sacrifice of Calvary that - a) they are one in their essence. And now on the altars of the Church they offer the same Most Pure Flesh of the Lord that suffered on the Cross, the same Most Pure Blood of Him that was shed for us on Calvary. b) The Eucharistic sacrifice is celebrated invisibly by the same eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ, who also performed the Sacrifice of the Cross. See prayer in Liturg. Zlat., read by the priest during the Cherubic Song. 2. The difference between the Sacrifice of the Cross and the Sacrifice of the Eucharist is as follows: a) on the Cross, Jesus Christ apparently sacrificed His Most Pure Body and His Most Pure Blood to God the Father; and in the Eucharist He offers them under the forms of bread and wine. b) There He Himself offered the atoning sacrifice; here, although He Himself also does it invisibly, it is visible through the shepherds of the Church. c) There the sacrifice was made through the actual slaughter of the Lamb of God; here it is accomplished through the mysterious transformation by the Holy Spirit of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, without suffering, without shedding blood, without death. d) On the Cross, Jesus Christ once offered Himself as a sacrifice for the redemption of the world, and the Eucharistic sacrifice, from the time of its establishment, has been performed, is being performed and will be performed until the end of the world (1 Cop. 11: 25-26). Conversation No. 2. On the remembrance of members of the Church, or on the prayer of thanksgiving for the saints and petition for the dead and living during the offering of a bloodless sacrifice I. Last time, talking with you about the Divine Liturgy, I told you, my brothers, about how, during the singing of the sacred song “We sing to Thee,” by the invisible influx of the Holy Spirit, through the blessing of the priest, the bread and wine on the throne are transmuted (transubstantiated) into the true and actual Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Although the Holy Gifts, in their transubstantiation, appear to be ordinary bread and wine, in essence they are the true and actual Body and Blood of Christ - the same Body that, as I told you, was born in Bethlehem from the Ever-Virgin Mary, was baptized in the Jordan, suffered, was buried, was resurrected, ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God the Father and is about to appear on the clouds of heaven, - and the same Blood that, during the suffering of the Lord on the Cross, poured out for the life of the world from His most pure side. In these, my brothers, the Holy Gifts, each time after their transubstantiation into the Body and Blood of Christ, a great sacrifice is offered to the Heavenly Father, which is surrounded with reverence by the angelic forces. This sacrifice, in its strength and effect, is equal to the sacrifice that Christ the Savior offered Himself on the Cross; for in both sacrifices the same Christ is offered. The only difference between them is that the sacrifice offered on the throne is a bloodless, dispassionate sacrifice, that is, offered without the shedding of blood and not associated with new suffering for the Savior, and the sacrifice made by Christ the Savior on the Cross was a bloody sacrifice, with the shedding of His Most Pure Blood and the greatest suffering for Him. On the Cross He offered Himself directly and once, and on the throne He is offered many times during each Liturgy. But just as the sacrifice made by Christ the Savior on the Cross was a universal sacrifice, that is, having a saving effect on the whole world, visible and invisible, so is the sacrifice offered each time to St. the throne, borrowing its power from the Sacrifice of the Cross, can have an effect on the whole world - visible and invisible. II. Confident in the great power and importance of the sacrifice offered on the throne, the priest, upon the transubstantiation of the Gifts into the Body and Blood of Christ, prays that this sacrifice will have its saving effect primarily on people approaching Holy Communion, so that the communion of the consecrated Gifts will serve those communicant for spiritual sobriety, for the remission of sins, for the communion of the Holy Spirit, for the achievement of the Kingdom of Heaven, and not for judgment or condemnation; then the priest prays for the acceptance of the sacred Gifts as a sacrifice for other people: firstly, for the dead, secondly, for the living. a) Among the departed people, the priest first of all commemorates the saints of God: “We again bring to You (Heavenly Father),” the priest prays, “this verbal service about the forefathers, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, preachers, evangelists, martyrs, confessors who died in the faith, and about every righteous soul who died in the faith, fairly (that is, in particular) about Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Most Glorious Our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.” The priest speaks these last words aloud to the whole church so that those present in the church glorify the Mother of God. In response to this, in the choir they sing: “It is worthy, as truly, to bless Thee, Theotokos...” i.e. in Russian: “Truly it is worthy to bless Thee, Theotokos, Eternally Blessed, All-Immaculate and Mother of our God; We magnify You, more honorable than the cherubim and incomparably more glorious than the seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without loss of virginity, the true Mother of God.” Sometimes, instead of “It is worthy,” the song “Every creature rejoices in You, O full of grace...”. This song in Russian can be expressed like this: “Gracious One! Every creature, the host of angels and the human race rejoices in You! You are a sacred church and a spiritual paradise; You are the virgin praise, from whom God, our God before all ages, was incarnate and became a child; He made Your womb a throne and made Your womb the most spacious of heaven. In You, O grace-filled One, every creature rejoices. Glory to You! If any of you, brethren, need to know anything to properly honor the Mother of God, then you should only learn these two sacred songs in her honor: “It is Worthy” and “Rejoices in You,” and delve into every word. On other holidays, instead of these songs, other sacred songs are sung, which are called in the church “Zadostoiniki,” i.e., replacing the song “Worthy.” Therefore, after the transformation of the Holy Gifts into the Body and Blood of Christ, a song is sung in honor of the Mother of God, because She, of all the human race, was honored to be the Mother of the Lord, our Savior. Therefore, every time His Body and Blood is sacrificed for us, it is natural to remember the Mother of God, as the author of our salvation, and turn to Her with gratitude. After the Mother of God, the priest remembers in his prayer John the Baptist and the daily saint. The priest remembers in his prayer the saints of God and makes a bloodless sacrifice for them, firstly, in gratitude to God for helping them, our brothers in the flesh, achieve bliss; secondly, especially so that for the sake of their prayers the Lord would visit us with His mercy. Starting mass, the priest, as I said, takes out special particles for all the ranks or faces of saints and a special one in honor of the Mother of God. Under the guise of removed particles, the saints now invisibly surround the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who was sacrificed for us, as true subjects of their king, and with special love they pray for us when a bloodless sacrifice is offered in their memory. At this time, when “It is Worthy to Eat” or another sacred song in honor of the Mother of God is sung in the choir, the priest continues his prayer for the people and, after the saints, commemorates our dead brothers. “Remember, Lord,” he prays, “all the departed with the hope of resurrection into eternal life and give them rest, O our God, where everything is illuminated by the light of Your face,” and he remembers the departed by name, especially those departed for whom the Liturgy is served. Likewise, the deacon reads the memorial of the departed at this time. Oh, brothers! Great consolation comes from this commemoration to those dead who passed on to the next world with heartfelt repentance, faith in Christ the Savior and hope in His mercy, although they have not yet had time to bear fruits worthy of repentance. Only unbelievers and stubborn sinners are deprived of this consolation. Just as the sacrifice made by the Lord Savior on the Cross penetrated to hell, crushing its strongholds, brought out from there the souls of departed people who were awaiting Christ’s coming with faith, so a bloodless sacrifice, each time offered on the throne, can also penetrate to hell, open the gates of hell and ease the lot of people who have passed from this life with faith and trust in God's mercy. The history of the Christian Church presents many examples of the beneficial effect of bloodless sacrifice on the dead. In the life of St. Grigory Dvoeslov tells the following incident. One monk lived a virtuous life, but had an unfortunate habit of covetousness, that is, he loved to hoard money. When the brethren of the monastery found out about this after his death, the abbot of the monastery, in fear of others, ordered to deprive him of church burial and prayer for thirty days, and then, out of compassion for his soul, for thirty days he ordered a bloodless sacrifice to be made for him. On the thirtieth day, the deceased monk appeared in a vision to his surviving brother and said: “Until now I was in bad times, but now I am prosperous, because today I received communion with the saints.” This is the power of a bloodless sacrifice. And this most holy bloodless sacrifice will be offered for us and our dead fathers and brothers as long as this light stands - until the very second coming of Christ. Tens, hundreds, thousands of years will pass - our descendants will long ago forget about us, and the Holy Church will always make a bloodless sacrifice for us and pray: “Rest, O Lord, for all those who have fallen asleep with the hope of resurrection for eternal life. Give them rest, O our God, where everything is illuminated by the light of Your face.” If ever, then precisely when a bloodless sacrifice is made, our dead, being separated from us in body, despite any length of time, under the guise of removed particles in their spirit, unite with us into one family, into one Church of Christ, are consoled by our prayers and themselves mutually console and strengthen us living on earth. How comforting, brethren, that we Christians, by the grace of Christ the Savior, have such a great sacrifice for ourselves! (See 22 No. Bonfire ep. ved. 1889). b) Having prayerfully remembered the dead, the priest then moves on to pray for the living. He implores the Lord for every priestly rank, the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, our Most Pious Sovereign and His entire August House, for the entire chamber and for their army, so that the Heavenly King will grant them a peaceful reign, so that we too may live a quiet and silent (serene) life in their silence, in all piety and purity. All this prayer is said in secret. But just as before, the priest loudly, as a sign of special reverence, remembered our Glorious Lady Theotokos as the first in the ranks of the Triumphant, Heavenly Church, so now he loudly begs the Lord to be the first to remember the Most Holy Governing Synod 149 and the local archpastor, as the first members of our militant, earthly Church, on whose welfare its well-being depends, “their grant to your holy churches in the world the goal of being honest, healthy, long-living, and rightly ruling the word of your truth,” that is, grant, Lord, that the high representatives of the holy. our Orthodox faith lived for Your Churches, to the wise rule of their entrusted, in the world whole (unharmed), honest (reverently revered), rightly ruling the word of Your truth, that is, so that they justly, holyly, in all purity and integrity, observe and teach the word of Your truth, set forth in the Gospel and in the inspired teaching of the apostles and saints. Fathers of the Church, thus following the apostolic commandment: “Try to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). After a public prayer for our clergy leaders, the face proclaims: “And everyone and everything,” that is, remember, O God, all the husbands and all the wives who belong to Thy holy Church. This proclamation is the voice of the all-embracing love of our Holy Mother the Church for her beloved children. “Remember, Lord,” she prays, “remember not only those whom the celebrant remembered secretly and publicly, but everyone in general who requires Your great compassion. For You alone know the age and name of everyone from his mother’s womb, You know the needs of everyone, and therefore those who were not remembered through ignorance, or oblivion, or by a multitude of names, You Yourself remember, O God! Be everything for everyone - help to the helpless, hope to the hopeless, savior to the overwhelmed, refuge to the floating, doctor to the ailing.” (from the liturgical prayer of St. Basil the Great). While singing “And everyone and everything,” the priest secretly prays for the present and every place of residence of believers, for all those who require the Lord’s help, for those who do good in His holy churches and remember the poor. Upon fulfillment of his prayer, he proclaims: “And grant us with one mouth, and with one heart, to glorify and glorify Your most precious and magnificent name” - and all believers, expressing their readiness to unanimously and unceasingly glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, say: “Amen.” Then the priest blesses them, wishing them all “the mercies of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ,” to which they respond with mutual goodwill: “And with your spirit.” (See “Brief Conversations on the Divine Liturgy” by Priest V. Razumovsky, published in 1857). III. So St. The Church prays for its dead and living members. Let us thank the Holy Mother Church for her prayers for us and for her maternal care for all her children, living and dead. Try with love, my brethren, to rush to the Divine Liturgy and when you hear the words of the priest: “Extremely for our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Lady...”, and when after this they sing the sacred song of the Mother of God “It is worthy to eat as truly...”, or another sacred song, then know that at this time the priest, remembering the saints of God as our intercessors, He also prays for all our dead brothers. At this time, brothers and sisters, pray in your mind for the repose of your loved ones: “Remember, Lord, in the hope of the resurrection, the departed servants of God, our relatives” (list them by name), “Rest them, O our God, where everything is illuminated by the light of Your face.” Amen. (Compiled with additional information according to specified source). Appendix to conversation No. 2. Stories about the benefits of funeral liturgies and the Church’s prayers for the dead I. St. Gregory the Dvoeslov, in his conversations with Deacon Peter, talks about the appearance of a deceased person who asked the presbyter to help him by praying for him to God. “From this it is clear,” he concludes, how beneficial it is for souls to offer a sacred sacrifice, when the spirits themselves ask the living for this, and point to signs through which they are cleansed of sins. Here are the details of this appearance of the deceased: one presbyter, who used to wash in greenhouses, once there found an unknown husband who served him. Since this was repeated several times later, the presbyter, in order to thank this stranger for his diligence, brought two prosphoras there and offered them to him; but this is what I heard from him: “Father, this is holy bread. Why are you giving me this? I can't eat. I, whom you see, was once the lord of this place, but I am condemned here for my sins. If you want to do something for me, then bring bread to Almighty God instead of me and pray for my sins and know that you are heard when, having come to wash, you will no longer find me here.” Having said this, he became invisible. For a whole week, the presbyter brought a bloodless sacrifice to God every day for his repose, and, having then come to the greenhouse, he no longer found the stranger there. (From “Conversations of St. Gregory the Two-Speaker,” book IV, chapter 55). II. St. John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, often celebrated the Divine Liturgy for the departed and said that it greatly helps their souls. In confirmation of this, he cites the following circumstance: “One prisoner, for whom his parents, who considered him dead, celebrated the Divine Liturgy three times a year: on the day of Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost, upon his release from captivity, unexpectedly appearing to his parents, he remembered that on these very days a certain glorious man came to him in prison with a lamp: the shackles fell from his feet, and he was free, but on other days he was again kept in prison. in chains like a prisoner” (“Ch. M.” November 12). III. In the east, in one place, they began to dig the ground for the foundation of a monastery and found twenty bodies in the ground, black as coal, but not at all touched by decay. The saint, the monks and the people, wanting to know whose bodies these were, began to pray to God with tears, and through their prayer, one of these unfortunates rose up and said that there was once a monastery here, that he and nineteen of his comrades, despite any convictions and threats of the abbot, lived wickedly, and after that he asked that twenty monks promise before God during the twenty years spent by the deceased in monasticism, to pray for them to God with an offering bloodless sacrifice. When the saint and the monks expressed their consent to this, the deceased protected himself with the sign of the cross and again fell asleep in the sleep of death, and immediately his body and the bodies of his comrades turned to dust, so that the saint then ordered that, according to custom, all their bones be poured into a common tomb. (“Letters of the Holy Mountainer,” part 2, pp. 185–186. – Similar things happened in 1832 and 1834; see “The Legend of the Wanderings and Journey through Russia, Moldova, Turkey and the Holy Land of the Monk Parthenius” part 3, pp. 140–142). IV. St. Gregory the Dvoeslov tells that at the church of St. Benedicta were two fasting women who had the unfortunate habit of judging their neighbors. The holy elder exhorted them to give up this habit and, finally, excommunicated them from the Holy Church for disobedience. They still did not correct themselves and went to the grave with their vice; as a result, the excommunication remained with them. But for their fasting (and probably due to the intercession of their relatives) they were buried in the church. But during the Liturgy, when the deacon exclaimed: “Come forth!”, many Christians saw them leaving the church. The Monk Benedict found out about this, he took pity on the unfortunate ones and sent a prosphora to that church to take out part of it for the repose of their souls, and also ordered them to be remembered during the celebration of the Mysteries of Christ. After that, none of the Christians saw them leaving the Church. From this everyone understood that as a result of the funeral prayers of the Holy Church and sacrifices, the deceased fasting women received forgiveness from God. (“Conversations”, book II, chapter 23). V. Let us convey here the vision of one pious man who, during the time of Saint Seraphim, labored on Mount Athos. From this vision we will see even more clearly how the prayer of the Church delivers the souls of sinners from torment. That pious man, while still in the world, once fell very ill and lay in bed for two months. One day, when his illness became especially severe, he had a vision: two young men came to him, took him by the hands and said: “Follow us!” It seemed to the patient that he stood up without any illness, looked back at his bed and saw that his body remained on it. Then only he realized that he had left earthly life and must appear in another world. He recognized angels in the young men and, accompanied by them, walked for a long time through dark places. Suddenly, as if from a distance, he heard people moaning and screaming. In fear and trembling, he walked a little more and saw many furnaces, in which a fiery whirlwind was raging and flames were spinning. The suffering groans of sinners were heard from the flames. The young men began to explain to their companion what sin this or that fiery place was prepared for; finally, they showed him various torments for the people's disorderly amusements and said: “If you do not give up your sins and habits of your former life, then here is your place.” He, seeing his fiery dwelling for an eternity, trembled like a leaf and could not utter a word. Then one of the angels snatched from the flames a man who was black as coal, completely burned and shackled from head to toe. It was scary to look at him. Both angels removed the chains from the unfortunate man, and it was as if a dark husk fell off him: he became pure and bright, like an angel; an indescribable heavenly joy shone in his eyes. It is unknown where, the angels took a robe like royal purple, shining like light, and dressed the sufferer with it. The companion of the angels wondered why such a change had occurred. “What does this mean?” he humbly asked them. “For God’s sake, explain and tell me.” Then one of the angels answered: “This soul was very sinful and therefore, due to its deeds, it had to burn forever in flames. Meanwhile, after his death, the parents of this sinner gave a lot of alms for him, made many memorials at the Liturgy and memorial services; and now, for the sake of the remembrance and prayers of his parents, for the sake of the intercession of the Church, God was appeased: his soul was delivered from eternal torment and will now appear before the face of his Lord and will rejoice with His saints forever.” That was the end of the vision. (Extracted from the “Letters of the Svyatogorets”; sn. “The Wanderer” for May 1882). VI. The Greek king Theophilus lived carelessly and did not care about the salvation of his soul. Death kidnapped this sovereign in the midst of his sinful life. Feofilov’s wife was horrified at how grave her husband’s fate would be in eternity. Prayers in churches intensified, alms and charity were given. So what? The prayers of the Church reached the Lord. Theophilus was forgiven to the spiritual joy of his distressed wife and to the consolation of the Church, which has such a merciful and omnipotent Lord, who lives and raises the dead not only in body, but also in soul, from the abyss of hell. (Synax. on Myasop. sub.). “But who can count,” exclaims St. John of Damascus - all the evidence found in the lives of St. husbands, in the descriptions of martyrs and divine revelations, clearly showing that even after death, the prayers, liturgies and alms given for them bring the greatest benefit to the deceased: for nothing given to God perishes, but is rewarded from Him with the greatest interest.” (In the “Lay on the deceased in faith” see “Chronicles” 1827, part 26). Conversation No. 3. About the sense in which the commemoration of saints is carried out during the removal of particles at the proskomedia and after the consecration of gifts at the Liturgy of the Faithful I. We call saints all those who pleased God with the integrity of their earthly life, deeds of piety and therefore achieved eternal salvation. Such are, for example, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, saints, etc. As saints of God, the saints are called friends of God and joint heirs with Christ. The title of friends of God is given to the saints by God Himself: “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:14). The psalmist also says: “I have great honor because of your friends, O God” (Ps. 139:17). The name of co-heirs with Christ is adopted by the saints in the words of St. Paul: “And if children, then heirs: heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ: if only we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him” (Rom. 8:17). As such, we constantly remember the saints in our prayers. This commemoration is, first of all, laudatory and grateful. Thus, remembering the saints, we honor them for the holiness of their earthly life, firmness in faith even to death, and we rejoice in their present blissful state. Glorifying the saints, we at the same time honor God, who is wondrous in His saints: “To the saints who are on His earth, the Lord has made all His desires come to pass in them” (Ps. 15:3). On the other hand, we thank God, who in the person of the saints gave us high examples of piety, by imitating which we can achieve eternal salvation. Further, the commemoration of the saints, brethren, has a pleading and propitiatory character. We beg the saints to give us help in the matter of our salvation. But we plead not as any gods who can help us with their own power, but as our representatives before God, the only Source and Distributor of all gifts and mercies to creatures (James 1:17), as our representatives and intercessors, having the power of intercession from Christ, who is “the only mediator between God and men... who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:5–6 ). II. From this great significance of the commemoration of saints in general follows the meaning of commemorating them at the proskomedia and the liturgy of the faithful after the consecration of the Gifts. At the proskomedia, gifts are prepared that will be transformed, through the action of the Holy Spirit, into the true Body and Blood of Christ. This should lead the celebrant not only to think about the Divine Redeemer, but also to think about those who have been honored to be His co-heirs in the Kingdom of God, that is, the saints, among whom the Blessed Virgin Mary occupies the leading position. a) Therefore, the commemoration of saints at the proskomedia has a laudatory character; but, praising the saints of God, we glorify, and we also thank God for His great mercies, bestowed upon us in the person of the saints as models, by imitating which we can achieve eternal salvation. On the other hand, the commemoration of saints at the proskomedia has a pleading and propitiatory character. This character is revealed in the following words pronounced by the celebrant: “In honor and memory of our Most Blessed Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, through her prayers accept, O Lord, this sacrifice on Your most heavenly altar”; and again: “In honor and memory of the honorable, glorious prophet John the Baptist and Baptist and all the saints, with their prayers we are visited, O God.” So, the celebrant asks God, for the sake of the prayers of the saints, to honor the sacrifice he makes with its high purpose. Although the sacrifice of Christ, offered on Calvary and offered in the sanctuaries, itself intercedes for us with absolutely sufficient power, but, asking God the Father to accept this sacrifice for us through the prayers of the saints, we do not reveal the insufficiency of faith in its power, but only the humble consciousness of the inadequacy of our prayerful efforts to assimilate its saving fruits. We pray that the Lord will have mercy on us for the sake of the priceless sacrifice of His Son, but at the same time we feel that our prayers are weak and impure. This feeling motivates us to ask others to pray for us. In this case, not only the prayer of the righteous is successful, but also of everyone who is akin to us in faith, even sinners like us, which is why such a great righteous man as St. Paul asked for prayers from all members of the Roman Church (Rom. 15:30), Thessalonica (1 Thess. 5:25) and other Churches. Isn't the prayer of the righteous even more successful in this case? So, the saints are remembered at the proskomedia, firstly, to honor their blessed memory and, secondly, so that through their prayers the Lord would accept the prepared sacrifice; finally, so that through the prayers of the saints God may visit us with His mercy. b) The commemoration of saints at the Liturgy of the Faithful after the consecration of the Holy Gifts has the same purpose, brethren. The sacrifice offered at the liturgy of the faithful, although it differs from the sacrifice of Calvary in the image of the offering, is essentially the same as the Eucharistic and Calvary. The same Lamb that was offered for the sins of the world on the Cross is offered on the altar; the same Most Pure Flesh that suffered on the Cross, the same Most Pure Blood that was shed then. And now this is performed by the same Eternal High Priest who also performed the Sacrifice of the Cross. As then, so now one is the same, both the offerer and the offered, both the Sacrifice and the Bishop; The Calvary sacrifice can be compared to a seed, and the Eucharistic sacrifice to a tree that came from this seed: “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19), says the Savior: both sacrifices are inseparable. The Eucharistic sacrifice is one of praise and thanksgiving. These properties were indicated by the Lord Himself when establishing it, when, having received the bread, first of all, giving praise and thanks, He broke it and then taught it to His disciples, saying: “This is My Body” (Matthew 26:26). Hence, the commemoration of saints at this time has a laudatory and grateful character. We express our gratitude to God for the blessedness of the righteous and for the opportunity given to them to intercede for us before God. On the other hand, the commemoration of saints at the Liturgy of the Faithful has a pleading and propitiatory purpose. This is clear from the following: there is no doubt that the sacrifice on the cross is a propitiatory one for the sins of all people, living and dead, and reconciles us with God; since God has deigned, according to the teachings of St. Paul, by Him (i.e., His Son) “to reconcile by Himself all things, making peace through Him through the Blood of His Cross, both earthly and heavenly” (Col. 1:20); “For Christ also suffered once for our sins, the righteous for the unjust, that he might bring us to God...” (1 Peter 3:18). After this sacrifice, Christ acquired power over the living and the dead, took for Himself the keys of hell: God “put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him above all, the head of the Church” (Eph. 1:22). “For to this end Christ died, and rose again, and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living” (Rom. 14:9). “And he was dead and is alive forever and ever, Amen; and I have the keys of hell and death” (Rev. 1:18). In the same way, the Eucharistic sacrifice, as essentially equal to the Cross, must be propitiatory. But for it to actually be like this, we beg the saints to intercede for this before God. So, we remember the saints not for the purpose of appeasing God towards them, but so that through their prayers and intercession we strengthen our prayers before Him for the living and the dead. Therefore, the celebrant adds: “With your prayers, visit us, O God, and remember all those who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection of the eternal life.” St. Cyril Jerus. says: “We also remember the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs who have died before, so that through their prayers and intercession God may accept our prayer.” (See “Instructional secret teaching” Cyrus. Jerusalem. 5 books. Chapter 9). III. So, Christian brothers, the commemoration of the saints both at the Proskomedia and at the Liturgy of the Faithful has a laudatory-thanksgiving and pleading-propitiatory meaning. (Compiled according to source). A. On the origin of memorials (diptychs) The word diptych comes from δίς and πτυχή and means folding. The simplest diptych usually consisted of two folded together tablets or tablets made of lead, wood or ivory and fastened with rings at the root. The number of tablets, however, could increase. In the Greco-Roman world, diptychs were commonly used for formal writing. They included various types of civil and judicial cases, which is why diptychs were often called consular and civil diptychs. The use of diptychs in the Christian Church itself dates back to ancient times. Diptychs had a liturgical significance in it. Inscribed in them for reading in church were the names of not only ordinary members of the church community, but also the names of martyrs, ascetics and saints in general who emerged from its midst. There is evidence of such liturgical use of diptychs in the Christian Church from Tertullian, St. Cyprian and Dionysius the Areopagite. Diptychs were usually read by the deacon during the Liturgy. They were divided into three classes: diptycha sanctorum, diptycha fidelium virorum et, diptycha fidelium defunctorum. Over time, diptychs changed and gave rise to new forms. The first class of diptychs - diptycha sanctorum - gave rise to Christian calendars, or monthly calendars. The second and third classes - diptycha virorum et defunctorum - gave rise to our synodics. Synodikon comes from the word σύνοδος - cathedral. In church usage, the word synodik means a record of the names of the living and dead, commemorated at church services. The synodic is replaced by the word commemoration. The synodics of the Greek Church have not reached us, but they can be judged from the synodics of our Church, which undoubtedly borrowed them from the Greek Church. B. Historical information about the antiquity of the Church’s custom of remembering the names of saints at the Liturgy One of the points of attack by Protestants on the Liturgy of St. I. Chrysostom serves the invocation of saints in the prayers of the Church. This, Protestants say, destroys Christ, Who is the only Mediator between God and people. In response to this, we must say that the Orthodox Church, from the beginning of its existence to the present time, has always been and still remains very far from wanting, through its veneration of saints and calling on them in prayers, to at least somewhat reduce the significance of Christ’s intercession; on the contrary, it has highly and sacredly valued and values ​​Him. She knows only one Intercessor of God and Man - one Jesus Christ, but calls and honors the saints as persons who have pleased God and therefore are close and close to Him, intercessors for us sinners before Him. In the veneration and invocation of the saints, the militant Church expresses only the consciousness of its prayerful communion with the highest, triumphant Church and reaps in it the fruits of those promises of Christ, according to which such great blessings and gifts have been appropriated to united public prayer. The communion of saints, according to the teaching of our Church, is a union of love and prayer, which embraces not only all believers still living, but also unites them with those who have departed to eternal life. He is, as it were, a bridge of faith, leading from the earthly Church to the Heavenly Church, uniting both in one love of Christ. This union (cult) of love and communication, based on the mutual prayers of saints and believers, appeared very early in our Church. She especially highly revered the memory of those who testified to their faith by martyrdom, and arranged the places of her prayer meetings on their tombs (μαρτυρία). From the very first centuries of Christianity, Christians have been talking about the faith in the power and intercession of the prayers of saints. So in the book. Hermas, called “Shepherd”, in the church building, persons who suffered and died for the name of the Lord are mentioned, that is, martyrs and the righteous 150. In the message of the Smyrna Church, which notified the Christian community about the death of St. Polycarp, in response to the request of the Jews to the proconsul not to give the body of Polycarp to Christians, so that the latter, leaving the Crucified One, would not begin to idolize Polycarp, it is said: they (i.e., the Jews) do not understand that Christians worship only Christ, since He is the Son of God, and they sincerely love the martyrs as disciples and followers of the Lord for their love for their King and Mentor 151. Elsewhere it is said that “At his (i.e., Polycarp’s) tomb, we (Christians) will gather with joy and joy, so that the Lord deigns us to celebrate the day of his martyrdom, both in memory of those who have already accomplished their feat, and in the teaching and strengthening of ascetics” 152. The example of the disciples of Ignatius of Antioch, who took his holy remains there, shows us both their love for their teacher and their faith in his prayerful intercession for them before God 153 Origen, in his interpretation of the Epistle to the Romans, says: “It is worthy and righteous to remember the saints in solemn assemblies, or in such a way that through their remembrance we may also prosper in matters of faith” 154 . St. Cyprian writes: “Prayers, praises and thanksgiving are offered for the martyrs for the victory they won and the heavenly crowns bestowed upon them” 155 . Cyril Ierus, describing the prayers for the consecration of the Holy Gifts, continues: “We remember those who have died before, firstly the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, so that through their prayers and intercession God and our prayer may be accepted” 156. Epiphanius, refuting the Afrians who mocked such a decree of the Church, says: “We commemorate the righteous, fathers, patriarchs and prophets, apostles, evangelists, martyrs, confessors and the whole community in order to separate the Lord Jesus Christ from all others with some special praise and to give His Majesty the appropriate worship.”157 In the songs of Ephraim the Syrian we find traces of prayers performed by the faithful in honor of the saints 158. Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Ephraim the Syrian and Basil the Great left us many words of praise in honor of the saints, which speak both of the service in their honor and of the faith of all in the prayerful intercession of the saints before God 159 . Augustine, when writing against Faustus, mentions that the Christian people glorify the memory of the martyrs with pious celebration, both to excite imitation, and so that, united with their merits, they can be helped by their prayers 160. The rules of the Councils of Gangra, Laodicea and Carthage consider the veneration and remembrance of saints and prayer for them to be an apostolic tradition. Thus, canon 20 of the First Council says: “If anyone, arrogant and disdainful, condemns meetings in honor of the martyrs and the services performed in them and their memory, let him be under oath.” Rule 51 of the Second Council, giving the order that the birthdays of martyrs should not be celebrated on Lent, commands that their memory be commemorated on Saturday and Sundays. Rule 56 of the Third Council gives permission to continue to read the sufferings of the martyrs on the days when their memory is celebrated annually. In addition to the cited Fathers of the Church and the canons of councils about invoking saints in prayer and honoring them, such a faith of the Church is also found in the ancient liturgies of the East and West. Thus, in the Liturgy of the “Apostolic Constitutions” we read: “We also offer You (sacrifice) for all the saints from the ages who have pleased You: patriarchs, prophets, righteous people, apostles, martyrs and confessors” 161 . In the Greek Liturgy of James we find the following passage: “Remember us (those who serve), so that we may find mercy and grace with all the saints who have pleased You from generation to generation, forefathers, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, teachers, reverends and every righteous spirit who died in the faith of Your Christ” 162 . In the Syrian of James it is said: “We also remember the prophets, apostles, evangelists, preachers, martyrs, confessors.” (This is what the deacon says; the priest says the same thing) 163. In the Liturgy of Mark this passage reads as follows: “Remember our ancestors - forefathers, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, righteous saints and every spirit who died in faith in Christ” 164. In the Mozarabic, in the second prayer of the Liturgy of the Faithful, there is a commemoration of the apostles and martyrs 165. In the Ambrosian Liturgy there are remnants of the commemoration of saints even of the Eastern Church 166. In the Liturgy of St. Basil, according to the Barberine list, John the Baptist, the holy and glorious apostles and all the saints are commemorated 167. In the Liturgy of Chrysostom this passage reads as follows: “We offer thee a verbal service for those who died in the faith, forefathers, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, preachers, evangelists, martyrs, confessors, and about every soul who died in the faith.” 168 In view of all that has been said, Protestants are wrong if, because of their dogmatic views, they reject the teaching of the Church, attested both by its fathers and councils 169. Q. What does censing mean during “It is Worthy to Eat”? During the prayerful and grateful remembrance of “O Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary,” the bishop or priest, as if to commemorate the fact that this is a remembrance of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary at a bloodless sacrifice together and a remembrance of Her everlasting intercession for us at the throne of God and that Her Mother of God prayers are always they reach the throne of God and are graciously received by the Lord - he takes the censer and burns incense before the Holy Gifts; fragrant clouds of incense surround the throne and ascend into the sky. On the choir they joyfully sing the praises of the Blessed Virgin Mary. D. Historical information about the origin of the song “It is worthy to eat” This is what happened on Athos under the Rev. Nile. Not far from Karsa and near the Pantokratorskaya monastery, a spacious ravine with cells scattered throughout is still visible. In the group of these monastic nests there is still a cell with the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady. An elder and a novice lived in this cell. Both the elder and his novice were of spiritual life. It so happened that the elder wanted to listen to the Sunday service at the Korean Protat Cathedral; the student remained in his cell. In the late evening, the novice heard a knock at his cell and, opening the door, saw a wanderer monk. He lovingly received him into his cell for the night. When the time for prayer came, both began to pray. During the service, when the time came to honor the Most Honest Cherub, the host monk sang with heartfelt tenderness the usual song of St. Cosmas of Mayum. But the guest sang completely differently. He began like this: “It is worthy to eat as truly blessed are Thee, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate, and the Mother of our God,” and then he added: “The most honorable cherub,” etc. “Wonderful singing! said the monk who listened in delight, “For God’s sake, do mercy, write me this song that you sang.” “Okay,” answered the stranger, “give me ink and paper, I’ll write.” “Forgive me, brother,” said the owner, who came to his senses with sorrow, “we do needlework and prayer, we rarely need paper and ink - and now we have neither one nor the other.” “Then bring me a stone slab,” said the stranger. The monk brought it, and the stranger began to run his finger over it. To my surprise, the words were imprinted on the stone as clearly and clearly as if it were on soft wax. “From here on,” said the stranger, “when handing over the board, always sing the song as it is written; let all the others sing it too,” and then instantly disappeared. The enthusiastic monk, rereading the words, sang a song to confirm it. The elder returned and found the novice singing. “What are you singing?” The novice recounted everything that happened to him. The elder reported this to the protat and the cathedral. The cathedral reported to the patriarch, presenting the board itself. This was in 980, under Patr. Nicolae Chrysoverge. The Council introduced angelic singing into general church use. In the ancient Greek menea, under the 11th day of June it is said: “On the same day, the council of the Archangel Gabriel έν τώ αδειν.” The log in which the cell visited by the celestial stands is still called αδείν - the log of singing. The icon of the Mother of God, before which the celestial sang, was transferred to the Protatsky Cathedral and is still called “Worthy.” (See Historical review of hymns and hymns of the Greek Church, Philaret, Archbishop of Chernigov and Nezhinsky, p. 295296). B. Preparation for Communion and Communion itself at the Divine Liturgy Conversation 1. On the preparation of believers for Holy Communion through secret prayer and the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father” I. The third part of the Liturgy of the Faithful consists of the preparation of the faithful for the communion of the Holy Gifts and the communion itself. Now let us talk, brethren, about with what exclamations, prayers and chants the Holy Church prepares its children for the communion of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ. II. a) When preparing believers for Holy Communion, the priest first of all reads a secret prayer for them. At a time when the deacon, speaking a litany or petition before God for the offered and consecrated Honest Gifts, invites those praying, having asked for unity in faith and communion of the Holy Spirit, to surrender themselves, and each other, and their whole lives to Christ God, the priest prays for the participants: “To you, Master Lover of Mankind, we entrust all our life and hope and we ask, and we pray, and humbly We beg: grant us to partake of Your heavenly and terrible Mysteries, this sacred and spiritual meal, with a clear conscience, for the remission of sins, for the forgiveness of sins, for the communion of the Holy Spirit, for the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven, for filial boldness towards You, and not for judgment or condemnation,” and the following last words of his secret prayer he proclaims aloud to the whole church: “And grant us, Master, with boldness and without condemnation dare to call upon You the heavenly God and Father and say the words.” b) And grant, that is, in Russian: honor us, Master, so that with filial boldness, not to condemn ourselves, we can call upon You, the Heavenly God and Father, and say... what to say? - say this Lord’s Prayer, which is then sung in the choir: “Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Luke 11:2-4). The Lord's Prayer is called the Lord's Prayer because the Lord Jesus Christ Himself taught it to the apostles. When St. The apostles, simple and unlearned people, began to ask Him to teach them to pray, the Lord told them: “When you pray, say: Our Father who art in heaven,” etc., and on this occasion, for the first time in the world, the Lord said this prayer with His most pure lips. From the apostles this prayer, as a sacred heritage, passed on to all Christians. As conveyed to us by the Lord Himself and sanctified by His most pure lips, this prayer is the most important and sacred of all prayers. In the Divine Liturgy, it serves as the best preparation of believers for Holy Communion, because under the words: “Give us this day our daily bread,” we must ask not so much for ordinary bread and everything necessary to support life, but for that Heavenly Bread, which is the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ: “I am the Bread that came down from heaven,” the Lord Jesus Christ said about Himself. I will tell you, brothers, this prayer with some explanation. “Our Father, who art in heaven!” That is: Our Heavenly Father! We know that You are omnipresent; but you are primarily in heaven, where Your heavenly angelic powers and all the saints dwell and where the evil of our sins does not penetrate. "Hallowed be Thy name." Grant us, Heavenly Father, to live in such a way that we sanctify and glorify Your name with our lives, so that others who do not believe in You, seeing our good life, can also glorify and sanctify Your name. "Thy kingdom come." Grant us, Heavenly Father, to live in such a way that sin does not reign in us, but only truth and holiness reign, that is, so that Your Kingdom truly exists in us, so that, looking at our life, everyone can say that You are truly our King, and we are Your faithful subjects, always rejoicing in our King and faithfully fulfilling His commands. “Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth.” Teach us, Heavenly Father, to fulfill not our evil, corrupted will, but Your holy will, and to fulfill it as the angels of God and holy people of God do in heaven. “Give us this day our daily bread.” Do not deprive us, Heavenly Father, of our daily bread and everything necessary to support life, but especially do not deprive us of that Heavenly Bread, which is the Body and Blood of Your Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Without this Heavenly Bread we will not inherit eternal life, but a terrible eternal death awaits us, or eternal torment in hell. “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” We are unpaid debtors to You, Heavenly Father! For all those mercies and blessings that You show us throughout our lives, we should always holyly fulfill Your will, but we do not fulfill it and therefore are always in debt to You. So, forgive us, our Heavenly Father, our debts, our deviations from Your holy will and our sins, just as we sometimes forgive people their sins against us. “Forgive us, as we forgive our debtors”... these words are terrible. Whoever pronounces them calls out to God almost like this: “Lord, I have left, leave also You; I let go, let you go too; I have forgiven, you forgive too; if I didn’t let go, don’t let go either; if I have not forgiven my neighbor, do not forgive me my sins; With the same standard that I have measured, let me be measured with the same 170. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Do not allow us, Heavenly Father, to be in such circumstances where we can be tempted and fall into sin; but deliver us from the power of the evil one, who leads us into sinful temptations. What does the priest’s cry after the Lord’s Prayer mean: “For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages?” These words mean: we hope, Heavenly Father, that You will fulfill everything that we ask of You, because Your kingdom is over all, and everything is in Your power and strength, and You will fulfill everything that we ask, for the sake of the glory of Your holy name. (See “Bonfire of the Ep. Ved.” 1890 No. 2). III. Do you see, Christian brothers, with what reverence the Holy Church approaches the singing of the Lord’s Prayer. “And grant us, Master,” she says, “to dare without condemnation to call on You, the heavenly God and Father, and say” this prayer. Grant us, that is, as I explained to you, allow us, Master, Heavenly Father, not to condemn ourselves, to call on You, the Heavenly God and Father, and not for our sake, but for the sake of Your Only Begotten Son, who was sacrificed for us. Do not forget that the solemn singing of the Lord’s Prayer during the Liturgy, precisely after the offering of a bloodless sacrifice, is performed by the Holy Church, among other things, to remind us that we can call God our Father only for the merits of His Only Begotten Son, for the sake of the sacrifice He made for us. This is how high, how holy this prayer is! You can now understand how badly those who read this prayer to the Heavenly Father do it - whether at home, or in church, or anywhere - carelessly and hastily, or, what is even more sinful and what God forbid each of us - use the sacred words of this prayer as a joke and desecration! Oh, Christian brothers, fear the wrath and condemnation of God! Amen. (Compiled with additional information according to the indicated source). A. From stories about the saving power of the Lord's Prayer 1 Priest of the Ryazan diocese, Fr. Nadezhdin relates this incident from his pastoral observations. In July 1887, he says, I was called to impart the Holy Mysteries to an elder peasant from the village. Nizhny Beloomut, where I heard from him the following testament to his children: “Children,” the old father told them, “I feel that death is not far from me; You will live alone after me, but never take on bad deeds, it’s better to read God’s prayer “Our Father” more often, read it at home, in the forest, and in the meadow - everywhere, this prayer has saved me, a sinner, many times in life from various misfortunes and death, it will save all of you from great troubles, if only you, in all your grief, will diligently read this prayer. Even the animals obey her, and the water obeys her. She is God’s,” that is, given to us by God. Wanting to learn in more detail from the elder father why exactly he gave his children such a Christian commandment, I asked him: have you experienced anything special in your life from the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father”?.. “Yes, father,” the elder answered me with tears in his eyes, “if it were not for this prayer of God that kept me in life, then I would not have been in this world long ago.” “Tell me at least something from your life,” I told him, “about the power of the Lord’s prayer manifested over you. Maybe this will be instructive for others too.” “I don’t remember everything, father,” said the elder, but I still remember some things well. One day I went into the forest to pick myself some mushrooms; it was a long time ago; I was then 20 years old. I walked through the forest, looking to see if a mushroom was growing somewhere, and little by little I entered a thick linden forest. Suddenly a large wolf ran out from behind a bush and stood rooted to the spot about three steps from me; with his mouth open and his teeth clicking, this beast clearly wanted to rush at me. The fur stood on it like bristles: the wolf must have been hungry. What was I supposed to do? I had nothing in my hands except a small wallet. I was very scared of this beast. But still, God delivered me from him through the power of His prayer. When I read this prayer of God another time, the wolf, growling loudly, ran away from me at a trot, as if scorched by fire. And I remained unharmed. This is how great the power of the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father!” And another case. “Once I was working in the mowing with my comrades,” the elder continued to say. – The day was very hot. The four of us went swimming in the lake. Three of my comrades, hastily throwing off their underwear, ran from the shore into the water and swam further. Throw yourself in, they shouted to me, and you too. I rushed, but ended up in a very deep place. And as a swimmer I was a bad swimmer, no matter how hard I tried to swim out of the depths, I still didn’t swim out, but went straight to the bottom. Oh! I died: I was drowning, and, covering my mouth with my hand, I began to read the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father” in my mind. I remember that when I said to myself the words “but deliver us from evil,” then at that very moment, according to my comrades, I quickly jumped out of the water and, having made a jump, appeared at the very shore with a pale face and dull eyes, where two comrades took me and pulled me out of the water to the shore. When I came to my senses and came to my senses, two comrades told me: “We thought that you had completely drowned, and we already sent one of our comrades to the fishermen to take a net from them to catch you.” Thus, by the power of His prayer, the Lord miraculously saved me from drowning,” the elder said, crossing himself. “I have had other equally amazing incidents in my life. Once a couple of my horses, frightened by something, began to trample me across the meadow pits and hillocks so much that I thought that the end of my life had come; however, I only read the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father” twice with tears, and my root horse fell out of the blue, and through this I remained alive and unharmed. I received many, many good things from God for the sake of St. His prayer “Our Father” on earth, now I would like to move into another life with this prayer in my mouth and in my heart and appear with it at the judgment of God.” This is how the Christian elder ended his instructive stories about the power of the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father.” (“Ryazan. Eparch. Ved.” 1888, No. 16). Passing these stories on to the press, I think,” Fr. concludes his message. Nadezhdin - that every reader will find in them a lot of instructive and moralizing things. And God grant that it be so. 2. We find a similar message in another press organ, where G. Dyukov writes about the elder priest of the 20s, Fr. Dimitri Stolyarevsky, the following. (See Sunday 1887, No. 25–26). “This priest, Fr. Dimitry Stolyarevsky, as I now vividly remember, served as priest at one of the three churches, namely Nikolaevskaya, in the settlement of Balakleya, which was later renamed Novoserpukhov during the establishment of the Ukrainian military settlement. In the summer, he went on a pilgrimage to Kyiv and, passing through the Poltava province, stopped at an inn at 10–11 in the morning to feed the horses and refresh himself. At the direction of the hostess, a middle-aged woman, having occupied one of the rooms, he demanded snacks. A few minutes later, the said woman brought in a small decanter with vodka and a cold snack on a tray, and, placing it on the table, she left the room. Priest Fr. Demetrius, according to the custom he had long acquired, began to read the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father.” He barely finished the prayer, saying the last words “but deliver us from the evil one!” - the decanter standing on the table instantly cracked into pieces, as if hit with a hammer, and all the vodka spilled out. In bewilderment and some fear, he calls the woman, and, pointing to her cracked decanter and spilled vodka, asks her: what does this mean? She, turning pale with intense fear, said in a trembling voice: “It’s my fault, father!” and with these words he throws himself at the feet of the priest. Having asked her to stand up, he asked her: what is hidden here? With tears in her eyes, she told him the following: "Father, as my own father and confessor, I will reveal my life to you. My husband and I do not live well, and besides him, I have another lover. In order to get rid of my lawful husband, we decided to poison him with poison, and when he dies, then I, as a widow, will marry someone else. Having made the poison with vodka, I put the decanter with the poison in the closet where there was another similar one." a decanter of pure vodka, and when you asked for an appetizer and a glass of vodka, I hastily, instead of pure vodka, mistakenly grabbed this decanter containing poison, and handed it to you. Judge and punish me, as you know, a great sinner who encroached on the life of my husband.” The kind and experienced shepherd gave her a decent instruction, imposed on her, after a sincere confession, for which he disposed and prepared her, church penance, assuring her that even if she had to poison her husband, she would never have been able to marry her lover, because the investigation would have revealed their crime and they would have been exiled to hard labor by the court... Upon returning home from the pilgrimage, priest Fr. Demetrius told many about this obvious miracle that happened in his presence or over him, advising them to read the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father” with faith in all cases that threaten life and even death.” B. Code of Opinions of St. Fathers on the Lord's Prayer "Our Father" “In the contemplation of the one God and in ardent love for Him, our mind, embraced and imbued with this love, converses with God as with its Father. That we must carefully try to achieve this state, this is inspired in us by the words of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). We say: “Our Father!” If in this way we confess God and the Lord of the universe with our own lips as our Father, then at the same time we confess that we have been completely brought from a state of slavery into the state of adopted children of God” 171. Jesus teaches us to pray in common for our brothers. For he does not say: “My Father,” but “Our Father,” and thereby commands us to offer prayers for the entire human race 172. Next we add: “Who art in heaven,” thereby expressing our readiness to strive for the region in which we believe the abode of our Father, and not to allow ourselves anything that would make us unworthy of high adoption and deprive us of our fatherly inheritance. Having reached such a high degree of sons of God, we will immediately be inflamed with the love characteristic of good children, which will make us seek the glory of our Father in everything. Why do we say to Him: “Hallowed be Thy Name,” thereby testifying that our aspiration, our joy, is the glory of God. The chosen vessel, being filled with these feelings, desires to be “excommunicated from Christ” (Rom. 9:3), in order only to acquire for Him a large family and to add to the glory of His Father the salvation of all Israel. However, the words “hallowed be your name” can rightly convey the idea that the holiness of God is our perfection. Therefore, when we say to Him: “Hallowed be Your name,” we seem to say the following: “Father, make us such that we can either understand the greatness of Your holiness, or be worthy of receiving it, or, better yet, let Your holiness be revealed in our spiritual life. And then this is truly fulfilled in us, when people see our good deeds and glorify our Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). With the second petition, the mind, having reached the highest degree of purity, begs for the Kingdom of its Father to come as quickly as possible, meaning by this or that everlasting Kingdom of Christ in the saints, which comes when, after the destruction of vices from our hearts, the power of the devil ceases, and God begins to rule in us - when, instead of vanquished carnal lust, it reigns in our mind purity, instead of overcome anger - calmness, instead of trampled pride - humility; or - that Kingdom, which at a predetermined time is promised to all those who have become the sons of God, when Christ says to them: “Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). It is to this Kingdom that the gaze, desire and expectation of a pure soul are directed, when it calls out to God: “Thy Kingdom come!” On the contrary, none of the wicked will dare to desire this, for he, of course, will not even want to see the throne of the Judge, who knows that on the day of His coming he will receive for his deeds not a crown and a reward, but punishment. The third petition is more filial: “Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth.” There can be no higher prayer than that with which we desire that earthly things may be worthy of comparison with heavenly things. For what do the words “Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth” mean, if not that let people be like angels, and just as they do the will of God in heaven, so let all who live on earth do not their own, but His will? And no one can pronounce this petition with full feeling, except one who believes that God arranges everything that seems to us misfortune or happiness for our benefit and that He provides and cares more about our salvation and good than we do about ourselves. However, this can be understood differently. The will of God is the salvation of all people, according to Blessed Paul: God “wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). So, crying out to God: “Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth,” we beg Him in other words only like this: “Father! through the knowledge of You, may all those who live on earth be saved, just as those who are already in heaven" 173 . “Give us this day our daily bread.” Since Jesus talked with people covered with flesh, who are subject to the necessary laws of nature, although he commands us to fulfill the commandments in the same way as the angels do, he nevertheless condescends to the weakness of nature, and seems to say: “I demand from you the strictness of life equal to the angels, however, I do not demand dispassion. For your nature, which has a need for food, does not allow this.” Look how there is a lot of spirituality in the physical! The Savior commanded us to pray not for wealth, not for pleasures, not for anything else similar to this, but only for bread, and, moreover, for daily bread, so that we do not worry about tomorrow, do not overwhelm ourselves with worry about the coming day. He wants us to always be girded and inspired by faith, and to yield no more to nature than necessary needs require of us. “And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.” In the hope of this prayer, anyone who has forgiven only his debtors, but not the debtors of his Lord, can boldly ask for the remission of his sins. For many of us (which is most shameful) are usually merciful and very lenient towards those actions that offend God, even if they belong to the greatest crimes; and, on the contrary, they are cruel and inexorable avengers for their own slightest insults. Therefore, whoever with all his heart does not let go of his brother who sins against him, with this prayer he will ask for himself not mercy, but condemnation... saying: “Leave it to me, as I have left it.” For if this prayer of his is heard, then, in accordance with his example, what else should follow but inexorable anger and an indispensable determination of punishment?! So, if we want to be judged mercifully, then we ourselves must be merciful to those who have sinned against us; for the maximum amount will be forgiven to us, as long as we forgive those who have caused us any harm with their anger” 174. It follows: “And lead us not into temptation.” This raises an important question: if we pray so that we will not be subjected to temptation, then how can we prove the virtue of our firmness, which Scripture requires? “Whoever has not had experience,” it says, “knows little” (Sir.34:10). And again: “Blessed is the man who endures temptation” (James 1:12). So the words of the prayer “do not lead us into temptation” do not mean that “do not allow us to ever be tempted,” but “do not allow us to be defeated in temptation.” Job was tempted, but was not led into temptation, for he did not utter anything unreasonable before God (Job 1:22), and did not defile his lips with blasphemy, which the tempter wanted to attract him to. Abraham was tempted, Joseph was tempted, but neither one nor the other of them was led into temptation, for neither fulfilled the will of the tempter 175. Finally it follows: “but deliver us from evil.” “Here the Savior... teaches us not to give up on exploits and not to arbitrarily rush to them... as soon as we are involved in the struggle, we must stand courageously, and if there is no call to it, then we must remain calm and wait for the time of exploits in order to show ourselves both unconceited and courageous. Here Jesus calls the devil evil, and commands us to wage irreconcilable warfare against him... and thereby teaches us never to be angry with our neighbors for the insults that we sometimes suffer from them, but to turn all our enmity against the devil as the culprit of all evils.” “By reminding us of the enemy, having made us more cautious..., He further inspires us, presenting to us that King, under whose authority we fight: “For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory...” So, even though you were very weak, you must nevertheless dare, having such a King” 176. Conversation No. 2. On the preparation of the Holy Gifts for the communion of believers I. At the end of the Lord’s Prayer, the deacon, if there is one, or the priest exclaims: “Bow your heads to the Lord.” Then all those present, as a sign of filial obedience to the Lord, bow their heads before Him. Meanwhile, at this time, the priest secretly reads a prayer in which he begs the Lord to graciously look upon those who bow their heads to Him. In this prayer, the priest asks God for blessings solely for the sake of the merits and love of the Son of God; therefore, he concludes this secret prayer in the hearing of all those present with the following proclamation: “Blessed are you with the grace and compassion and love for mankind of your only begotten Son...” etc. After this, the priest reverently prostrates himself before the Savior God, also with secret prayer, asking Him to “sanctify all believers and make it worthy with His sovereign hand to teach to him, and through him to all believers, His Most Pure Body and His Honest Blood.” While the priest is praying, the deacon, standing on the pulpit, girds himself with his orarion in a cross shape; then, having finished the prescribed prayer, the priest bows before the throne, saying three times a short prayer: “God, cleanse me, a sinner, and have mercy on me!” Then the deacon exclaims, “Let us attend,” reminding all those present of their reverent and deep attention; the priest crosswise lifts the Holy Bread slightly above the paten and proclaims: “Holy to holies.” This raising, or elevation of the Holy Bread, signifies the elevation of Jesus Christ on the Cross, says Simeon of Thessalonica. To the priest’s proclamation “Holy of Holies,” those present, through the choir of those singing, respond: “There is one Holy, one Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen." The priest, immediately after the offering of the Holy Bread, crushes it, saying: “The Lamb of God is crushed and divided, crushed and indivisible, always poisoned, never consumed, but sanctifying those who partake,” and, having crushed, places all four parts crosswise on the paten. Then he takes the upper part of the Lamb with the letters 10, meaning the sweetest name of our Savior (i.e. Jesus), and places it in the Holy. Chalice; the lower part, with the letters XC, remains for the communion of the clergy, and the remaining two particles with the words: HI-KA, depicting Christ's victory over death and over hell, are assigned for the communion of the laity. After this, warmth is brought, which, with the blessing of the priest, is poured into the Chalice. After this the communion of the clergy follows, during which the sacramental verse appropriate for the day is sung. II. Here, my brothers, are all those sacred actions that, according to the order of the Liturgy, our Holy Mother Church performs from the girding of the deacon’s orarion to the communion of the clergy. Some of these actions and sacred objects have not yet been explained by us, and therefore now, my beloved, try to listen to our explanations about them. a) It is not explained, for example, why and for what purpose, according to the Lord’s Prayer, the deacon girds himself with his orar in the shape of a cross? So, listeners, according to the rules of the Church, the deacon acts, on the one hand, in order to more conveniently serve him during communion, and on the other - and mainly - in order to more clearly and clearly express the reverence that befits the Divine Mysteries, in the likeness of the seraphim, with their wings covering their faces before the unapproachable majesty of God. The cruciform composition of the deacon's orarion should also remind us that none of the believers can partake of the heavenly Mysteries without condemnation and worthily if they do not have fiery seraphim love for the crucified Jesus and do not bear their cross with patience (Matthew 10:38). b) Next, what does the word “vonmem” mean, which the deacon now proclaims while wearing an orarion? With this word it is suggested that everyone preparing for Holy Communion should be as attentive as possible to themselves and to the sacred thing that they are about to begin in a few minutes. c) After the deacon’s proclamation, “Let us go,” the priest proclaims, “Holy to holies.” By this he announces to whom exactly these Holy Gifts can be worthily given. Yes, listeners, only those believers who have been completely cleansed of sins in the Sacrament of Repentance and, fully realizing their unworthiness and damnation and their spiritual poverty, can partake of such a most holy Sacrament, have made a most decisive and firm promise not to return to those sins for which they sincerely repented. d) Further, when the priest exclaims: “Holy to holies,” the believers, through the choir of singers, respond: “There is one Holy, one Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father, Amen.” That is, Jesus Christ alone is completely holy; and therefore, with firm trust in His merits on the cross, let us beg His goodness for the cleansing and sanctification of our souls and bodies! e) After the proclamation of “Holy to Holies” and the offering of the “Lamb,” the priest splits it into four parts, following the example of the Lord Himself, Who, on the night of His suffering, instituting Holy Communion at the Last Supper, took bread, broke and crushed it, and under this guise for the first time gave communion to His first disciples - the beloved apostles. Crushing the Lamb, the priest places it on the “paten” in a cross shape to depict the fact that our Lord and Savior was crucified on the Cross for all four parts of the sinful world - that He, with His Most Pure Blood, shed on the Cross, sanctified our sinful earth, in which His life-giving Body was buried - that, finally, in His very crucifixion, the Lord Jesus depicted His Flesh Life-giving and saving four-pointed Cross. f) It is still not superfluous for every Orthodox Christian to know what exactly the words mean that the priest says to himself when breaking the “Lamb” into four parts (i.e. the words: “The Lamb of God is fragmented and divided, fragmented and undivided,” etc.). This can be explained by the true words of St. Herman the Patriarch, who says: “Although the Lamb, Christ, is divided, he remains inseparable and unfragmented, and in each individual part the whole is found; for although He fell into corruption through death, His flesh did not see corruption.” Consequently, although someone partakes of the slightest particle of that Holy Bread, he partakes of the whole Body of Christ and the whole Blood of Christ. In this sense, the priest, at the very fragmentation of the holy Lamb, says: “The Lamb of God is fragmented and divided, fragmented, but not divided, always poisoned and never consumed, but sanctifying those who partake.” g) Finally, why does it pour into St. Have a cup of warm water? This is done in order to impart to the Blood of Christ its natural property - warmth. (New Skr. Part 11, Chapter 7, § 72 and 74). We, touching the Holy Chalice with unworthy lips and partaking of the Blood of Christ, drink it as if from the very life-giving rib of the Lord, from which, after the death of Christ, when one of the soldiers pierced it with a spear, blood and water flowed out. h) When warmth is poured into the Chalice, the words “Blessed is the warmth of Thy saints” spoken at the same time mean the warm faith of those approaching the saint. Mysteries. (See Brief explanation of the Liturgy of Archpriest G. Mansvetov). i) The following words, “Fill the warmth of faith with the Holy Spirit,” show that the fervor of faith is kindled in us by the Holy Spirit. III. These, my brothers, are the symbolic actions that are performed in the altar during the preparation of the Lamb for the communion of all the faithful. (Compiled with additional information according to the indicated source). Conversation No. 3. About the communion of clergy I. In the previous conversation, we said that during the singing of sacramental verse 177 (or instead of some other sacred song), the clergy (i.e., bishops, priests and deacons) partake of the Body and Blood of Christ at the altar. II. What does this communion consist of and how is it accomplished? Let us first repeat in brief words what has already been said. Believers can see the external actions of this communion during Easter, when the Royal Doors are constantly open throughout Bright Week (while throughout the whole year at this time not only the doors are closed, but also the curtain is closed), but the words spoken at these most sacred moments by the sacred persons, believers cannot hear, which is why the actions of these persons are not entirely clear to those present in the church. Therefore, let us present as completely as possible the image of the communion of clergy. The sacred persons, as can be seen on Easter Sunday, partake of the Body and Blood of Christ the Savior separately, just as He Himself taught the Apostles at the Last Supper His Body and Blood, under the guise of bread and wine, also separately. In the first times of Christianity, even the laity were involved in this way, but, as a result of the important abuses noticed from teaching the Body of Christ into the hands, the shepherds of the Church considered it necessary to teach the laity the Body and Blood of Christ together, directly in the mouth, through a spoon 178. a) The deacon, having proclaimed the word on the pulpit: “Let us attend!”, while the priest exclaims: “Holy to the saints!”, enters the altar by the northern door and, having made adoration to the holy throne and the priest, stands on the left side of the priest and, pointing with his hand with an orar at the Body of Christ (the Holy Lamb) lying on the paten, says: “Break, Master, Holy Bread! The priest, dividing (breaking) the upper side of the Lamb, cut into four parts from below during the proskomedia, says: “The Lamb of God is fragmented and divided, fragmented and undivided, always poisoned and consumed in no way, but he sanctifies those who partake,” and he places these parts on the paten in a cross shape: to the East he puts the part with the words I-s (Jesus), opposite it is the part of Hr-s (Christ) on the north side - neither and against it (on the south) ka. This breaking of the Lamb into pieces means the crucifixion of Christ the Savior. b) The deacon, meanwhile, moves to the south side of the throne and, standing on the right side of the priest, says: “Fulfill, Master, the holy Chalice!” The priest, having taken the first part of the Holy Lamb (with the word: Jesus) and depicting the sign of the cross over the Chalice, lowers it into the Chalice, into the Holy Blood, saying: the filling of the Holy Spirit, which expresses, as we mentioned in a previous conversation, that the celebrant and performer of the Sacrament of the Eucharist is the Holy Spirit (Dmitry § 132). This union of Body and Blood occurs because the living body is naturally connected with blood; and since we partake of the Body and Blood of the risen Savior, who, during the breaking of the Bread (Lamb), is depicted crucified, then His resurrection is represented by their union, which is also expressed by the joyful Easter songs of the resurrection, which are read when lowering, after communion, into the Chalice from the paten of all the parts remaining on it, - “Having seen the Resurrection of Christ... Shine, shine, new Jerusalem... Oh, Easter is great and sacred, Christ...” (ibid.). c) After the union of Body and Blood, the deacon gives the priest warmth, that is, hot water, saying: “Bless the warmth, Vladyka!” The priest, blessing her, says: “Blessed is the warmth of Your saints always, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages”; then the deacon (and without him the priest) pours warmth into the Chalice in a cross shape, saying: “Warmth of faith, fill with the Holy Spirit.” What does this action mean? Hot water is poured into the Chalice so that the combination of body and blood receives some warmth, which would produce, during communion, in our mouths and larynx a feeling as if we were drinking the living Blood of the Savior from His pierced rib. In a mysterious sense, the influence of warmth means the grace of the Holy Spirit, depicted in Holy Scripture as the likenesses of fire and water (John 7:37–39; Acts 2:3), which performs the Sacrament and arouses in believers the warmth of feelings and love for God. d) After the influence of heat, the Chalice is covered with air or cloth so that no insect gets into it and the Holy Blood does not cool. e) The priest, standing in his place, and the deacon behind the throne, pray, saying the prayer three times: “God, cleanse me, a sinner,” and, bowing their heads, secretly read the prayer: “Loosen, forgive, forgive, O God... sins”... and bow to the four sides, thereby asking forgiveness from each other and from those who stand before them for their sins and insults. f) Then the priest calls the deacon with the words “Deacon, come!” The deacon, approaching the throne from the north side, bows to the ground, saying: “Behold, I come to the immortal King”; then, turning to the priest, he says: “Teach me, Vladyka, the Honest and Holy Body of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ!” The priest, having taken a part from the Holy Lamb, places it on the deacon’s folded hands, with the words: “The Deacon (name of the rivers) is taught the Honest, and Holy, and Most Pure Body of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and eternal life.” g) The deacon, having kissed the right hand of the priest teaching the Holy Body with the word: “Amen,” stands waiting for the priest, who, having bowed before St. throne to the ground, with the words: “Behold, I come to the immortal King and God,” and leaning to the edge of the Holy. antimins, takes part of the Lamb, saying: “The Honest and Most Holy Body of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ is presented to me (name), the priest, for the remission of sins and eternal life.” Then, turning to the deacon, he gives him a kiss on his right shoulder, saying: “Christ is in the midst of us,” to which the deacon responds: “And there is, and there will be” (i.e., Christ is among us). On Easter Sunday (and before it is celebrated), the priest, instead of: “Christ is in our midst,” says to the deacon: “Christ is risen!” and the deacon answers: “Truly he is risen!” When several priests celebrate the Liturgy together, then they all kiss each other’s shoulders upon receiving the Body of Christ in their hands, pronouncing the indicated words, and if several deacons serve in preparation for communion, then they do the same among themselves. This kiss expresses mutual peace in Christ and unanimity between the clergy. h) Having received the Body of Christ from the priest, the deacon goes behind the throne and, bowing his head, reads the prayers: “I believe, Lord, and I confess... Thy secret Supper... and: Do not go into judgment into condemnation”... and eats the Body of Christ - which the priest does at the same time, who, after eating the Body of Christ, partakes of His Blood, drinking three times from St. Cups and saying: “I partake of the honorable and holy Blood of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, servant of God, priest (name of the rivers), for the forgiveness of my sins and to eternal life, Amen,” and adding quietly at the first tasting: “Holy God,” at the second: “Holy Mighty One,” and at the third: “Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us,” and, Having wiped the edge of the Chalice with a cloth, he reverently touches it with his lips, saying: “Behold, I will touch my lips, and he will take away my iniquity and cleanse my sins,” thereby expressing his faith in the remission of sins through the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. i) Then, inviting the deacon with the words “Deacon, come!” the priest gives him to taste the Blood of the Savior from the Chalice three times with the words “The servant of God, the deacon (name of the rivers), receives communion,” etc.; after eating, bringing the edge of the Chalice to the deacon’s lips, he pronounces the following words: “Behold, I will touch your lips...” (Is. 6:7) (These are the words of the seraphim, which he, taking with tongs a coal from the altar of the Lord and bringing it to the lips of the prophet Isaiah, spoke to him as a sign of the cleansing of his sins) 179. j) After this, the priest prays to Christ the Savior to wash away the sins of the believers remembered here - living and dead - with His honest Blood, through the prayers of all His saints. k) Then, in a short prayer, he thanks Him for honoring him with Holy Communion. Tain and asks Him to direct our (spiritual) path, strengthen us in our fear, preserve life and strengthen our (moral) feet, through the prayers of the Most Pure Mother of God and all the saints. l) Then he goes to the offering (altar), eats some prosphora and wine dissolved in water there, and washes his lips. n) Meanwhile, the deacon takes the paten with the remaining parts of the Holy Lamb (Body of Christ) and the particles taken from the prosphora at the proskomedia, lowers it all into the Chalice - into the Blood of the Savior, reading the Easter songs: “Having seen the Resurrection of Christ... Shine, shine, new Jerusalem... O great and most sacred Easter to Christ...” o) If at the Liturgy, for example, during fasting, adult laity commune, then the priest, after communion with the deacon, breaks up the parts of the Holy Lamb with the words “no way” according to the number of people who want to partake, and in this case, the deacon or priest immerses the parts remaining on the paten into the Chalice after all the laity have received communion. The particles taken out at the proskomedia and lying on the paten during the Liturgy are immersed in the Chalice - in the Blood of Christ - and given it to drink so that the persons for whom they were taken out, having washed this life-giving Blood, receive grace and mercy from God - the righteous and saints - greater glory and joy in heaven, and the living and the dead - the remission of sins and the inheritance of eternal life. (See “Ryaz. Ep. Ved.” 1886, No. 3). III. This is how the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ is performed by the clergy. (Compiled with additional information according to specified source). Beceda No. 4. About singing the sacrament verse I. At the time when the clergy partake of the Body and Blood of Christ the Savior, the choir sings the sacrament, that is, a verse chosen for the most part from the psalms of David and, if possible, adapted to a certain day and holiday, for the edification and spiritual consolation of those who are to come. II. On different days and holidays, different sacramental verses are sung, but each time in strict accordance with the remembered events or persons. So, on Monday, when the service is in honor of the holy angels, the sacrament is sung: “Create angels your spirits and servants your fiery flame.” On Tuesday, when the service is performed in honor of John the Baptist, as well as in memory of the prophets, saints and saints, the sacrament is sung: “In eternal memory the righteous will not fear evil from hearing.” On Wednesday, when there is a service in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos, as well as on all the Mother of God holidays, except the Annunciation, the sacrament is sung: “I will accept the cup of salvation, and I will call on the name of the Lord.” The Most Holy Theotokos is a Chalice, filled with grace and generosity, poured out by Her on everyone who calls on the name of the Lord with faith and zeal and runs under Her protection. St. John of Damascus calls Her the ever-flowing source of grace. At the Annunciation the sacrament is sung: “The Lord has chosen Zion and made it his dwelling place.” Here, Zion means the Most Holy Virgin Mary, whom the Son of God chose from all the daughters of men and was incarnated in Her most pure womb. On Thursday, when the general service of the apostles is held, and on private holidays of all the apostles, it is believed that “their message went out into all the earth, and their words went out to the ends of the world.” On Friday, when the service in honor of the Cross of Christ is established, it is believed that we are saved by the death of the Son of God, “Thou hast wrought salvation in the midst of the earth, O God.” On Saturday, when the Church especially prays for the repose of Christians who have fallen asleep in the faith, the sacrament speaks about the bliss of the righteous. On Sunday the sacrament is sung, “Praise the Lord from heaven, praise Him in the highest.” At the Nativity of Christ, the sacramental song “The Deliverance of the Lord’s Ambassador to His People” is sung, expressing the fruits of the incarnation of the Son of God. Ha Epiphany of the Lord is involved in “The grace of God appeared, saving all men,” which is first and foremost given to us in the Sacrament of Baptism. At the Transfiguration of the Lord - “Lord, in the light of Your face let us go and in Your name we will rejoice forever.” On the week of Vay - “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, God is the Lord and appears to us.” On the Sunday of Easter before it is given away - “Receive the Body of Christ, taste the immortal source.” On the Ascension of the Lord - “God went up with a shout, the Lord with a trumpet sound.” At Pentecost - “Your good Spirit will guide me to rightness in the land.” All communions are concluded with the word “Alleluia,” which means “Praise God.” At the same time, it should be noted that the sacraments, especially on holidays, are very often only read, and instead of them the stichera of holidays and saints and other sacred songs are sung. (See “Ryazan. Eparch. Gazette.” 1886, No. 2). III. "Holy to holies!" - the Holy Church calls to us before the singing of the sacrament verse. Do we, brethren, fully feel the importance of this proclamation? Shouldn't we suppress pride and conceit in ourselves by all means possible? Shouldn’t we cast ourselves into the dust before the most holy, righteous Heavenly Creator, with the most sincere awareness of our great sinfulness, our unworthiness and insignificance, and always be filled with feelings of deepest humility? Amen. (Compiled according to source). Appendix to conversation No. 4. A note on the singing of sacrament verses in ancient times In ancient liturgies, in most of them, during the communion of the faithful, different sacraments were sung and there was no certainty in this regard. Thus, Cyril of Jerusalem writes (5 vocal writings, § 17): “After this you hear a singer calling you with a divine song to communion of the Holy Mysteries and saying (Ps. 33:9): “Taste and see...” (66 pp. Philar. Historical review of hymns, ch. 1). The Ancient Mozarabic Liturgy also quotes this verse: “Gustate et videte” (366 pp.). Greek Liturgy of James too (191 pp.). In the Syrian Liturgy we find an explanation of the same word (verse 43). In the Abyssinian Liturgy, psalms of praise were sung 34,42, 130, or “Glory in the highest” Tr. KDA, 1869, No. 4, 17 No., Wandering. Eminence Porfiry, translation of the Abyssinian Liturgy). In the Liturgy of Mark - Ps.41: “In the same way the tree desires the springs of water” (Christian reading. Collected ancient liturgy. 134 pp.). Conversation No. 5. On the communion of the laity I. After the communion of the clergy, which takes place in the altar, the veil is taken away and the Royal Doors are opened. Then the deacon takes from the priest St. The cup and, standing in the Royal Doors and showing it to the believers, calls them to Holy Communion, exclaiming: “Come with the fear of God and faith!” What do all these actions mean? The removal of the veil is reminiscent of the earthquake that occurred at the resurrection of the Lord; the opening of the Royal Doors - the removal of the stone from the Holy Sepulcher; The showing of the Holy Gifts to believers means that Jesus Christ truly rose from the dead and showed Himself alive after the resurrection. Truly all this is joyful for a Christian! And so the believers, seeing St. The cup containing the Body and Blood of Christ is reverently worshiped, rejoicing at the saving appearance of Christ to them. The singers, on behalf of the believers, expressing this joy, sing: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, God the Lord, and appear unto us!” After this, the believers who were preparing for Holy Communion, after reading the prayer “I believe, Lord, and I confess”... with the fear of God and faith, partake of the Holy Mysteries. At the same time, we note that the Holy Mysteries are taught to worldly people not from the Chalice, as was the case in the first times of Christianity, but from a spoon. This lie was installed by St. John Chrysostom, when he learned that one woman, having received part of the Body of Christ into her hands in the Church from his hand, brought it into her house and mixed it with some kind of enchantment for sorcery. And so, in order to prevent such abuses from taking the Body of Christ into their hands, the saint of Christ established that the Body of Christ should be taught to people by a spoon in the mouth along with the Divine Blood. Likewise, now the officiating priest, as a servant of God, with a sacred spoon teaches the believers from the Lord’s Table the burning coal of the Body of Christ for the remission of sins and eternal life. II. Christian brothers! How joyful it is to hear the words of the Holy Church during the communion of believers: “Receive the Body of Christ, taste the immortal source!” Imagining such great mercy from Him to us unworthy, who among us does not exclaim from the depths of a grateful heart: “What will I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me? I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord!” ( Ps. 116:3-4 ). But, brethren, as we prepare to begin the Cup of Life, we must firmly remember the following saving warning of St. Apostle Paul: “Let man examine himself, and in this way let him eat of this Bread and drink of this Cup. For whoever eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks judgment upon himself, without considering (without respect) the Body of the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:28-29). It is scary, brethren, to approach the Holy Mysteries, especially if we imagine the miracles manifested from them. Let us imagine some of these miracles in order to arouse in the soul of the believer a saving feeling of awe. It happened in the ancient times of Christianity that one Jew, curious to know something about the Holy Mysteries, deceitfully entered the church under the name of a Christian, to the Divine Liturgy, which the saint himself officiated. Basil the Great. During the crushing of the Lamb, the Jew saw that the priest had the child in his hands and was crushing him. And when he, together with the faithful, began to receive Holy Communion and the saint gave him part of the Holy Gifts, he saw in his hands not bread, but true flesh, and in the Holy Chalice he saw true blood. Having hidden part of the Body of Christ, he hurried to his house and revealed everything to his wife. In the morning the Jew came to St. Basil and begged him to give him Holy Baptism - and the saint, having given thanks to God, wondrous in His saints, baptized the Jew with his whole house (Ch.M. Jan. 1). One day I began to study the Holy Mysteries, which were taught to the faithful by St. John Chrysostom, a woman infected with heresy, and when she received part of the Divine Communion in unbelief, she felt a stone in her mouth. Struck by sacred horror, she told everyone who was present about what had happened, showing them that stone, and, having come to her senses through a miracle, she moved from unbelief to faith and piety. One Seleucia merchant, a heretic, had a true believer slave, who, having once received part of the Holy Communion in church, kept it in a special reliquary. After some time, his master learned about this, and when he intended to burn part of the Body of Christ, then he saw that it had grown ears of corn (See The Stone of Faith, part 2). During the time of Mina, Patriarch of Constantinople, one Jewish youth, the son of a glass artist, mingled in the church with the Christian youths, received Holy Communion, and, coming home, told his father about it. Then the enraged father, who was the worst hater of Christianity, threw his son into a fiery oven. The mother of the unfortunate boy, not knowing anything about what had happened, wept and sobbed, looking for her child. On the third day, having arrived at the part of the house where the work was being done, she suddenly heard a voice from the stove. Her joy was indescribable when she recognized the voice of her beloved son. “How did you not burn, how did you remain unharmed?”, she asked him with delight and amazement when he was in her arms. “One woman,” answered the miraculously saved youth, “in light clothes, often came to me and brought water to extinguish the burning coals and food for me.” Soon, rumors of this wonderful event reached the Greek Emperor Justinian, who immediately ordered the mother and son to be baptized, and the father, who did not want, due to the hardness of his heart, to accept St. Baptism, he ordered to be thrown into the very oven into which his son was thrown. (See “The Stone of Faith”, part 2). III. We could imagine many other similar miraculous events, but we will limit ourselves to those shown, since there is no particular need to convince true Christians of the power and effect of the Holy Mysteries by visible miracles that occur from them - because a true Christian, who has been honored with Holy Communion, vividly feels after the fact that a mysterious miracle is taking place within himself - that some incomprehensible grace-filled power has entered into him, renewing his entire moral being and pouring into him an inexplicably sweet life. Therefore, the prophetic words of St. fully relate to the Divine Eucharistic food. Psalmist: “He made His miracles memorable, the Lord is merciful and generous. He gives food to those who fear Him” (Ps. 111:4-5). But, brethren, in order to taste the immortal Source without condemnation, we must first cleanse our soul with sincere repentance - wash it with tears of heartfelt contrition for sins, we must deeply feel our unworthiness and be inflamed with the same divine desire with which St. The prophet David cried out to the Lord: “As a deer longs for streams of water, so does my soul long for You, O God!” (Ps. 41:2). Then, undoubtedly, our Lord Jesus Christ will bless and sanctify us, and make us worthy to partake of His terrible and life-giving Mysteries without condemnation. Amen. (Compiled according to source). A. Church rules regarding Holy Communion What are the regulations regarding this Sacrament? 1. Only a priest or bishop can perform and teach this Sacrament. 2. For the Sacrament, only one prosphora, one bread, leavened, clean, wheat and not stale, is required. All believers partake of this one bread. For the celebration of the Sacrament, the wine required is grape and certainly red in the image of the Blood shed by Christ for us, and, moreover, dissolved with water, in memory of the water that flowed from the side of Christ. 3. Which laity can and should receive communion? In the Orthodox Church we commune: a) infants, b) healthy adults and c) sick people. a) Infants should be communed, if possible, immediately after their baptism. The communion of infants is most convenient in the church, because infants are incapable of receiving the spare Gifts 180. For the health of children, you need to involve them as often as possible, for example. once a week or a month, the Life-Giving Mysteries. Until the age of seven, infants receive communion without any preparation specified for the laity, and, moreover, at a very early age only under one type of Blood. From the age of seven, infants are prepared for communion by fasting, that is, prayer, fasting and confession. There is a shameful prejudice according to which parents and educators do not allow infants to receive the Holy Mysteries at the so-called funeral mass. Why do they do this? God knows. The Holy Sacrament is one both at the festive Liturgy and at the funeral; both prayers and litanies for the dead are offered at ordinary and festive Liturgies, at which, however, parents are not embarrassed or afraid to give communion to infants. Or, perhaps, the thought of death and the dead weighs on sinful souls and arouses fear for the life of the baby? "God! forgive those who don’t know what they’re doing.” Death must be remembered not only at the funeral mass, but also constantly remembered. Remember, Orthodox, remember your last. (Sir.7:39). Orthodox! Carry and take your children to the Church of God more often, so that from an early age they will fall in love with worship in church, and also so that during the communion of the Holy Mysteries they will learn not to be afraid of the clergy, which, unfortunately, is sometimes noticed in children, which is not to the honor of the parents. b) Every adult Orthodox and not sick must, without canceling four times a year according to the number of fasts, or at least once a year, cleanse his soul with repentance and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, according to the Orthodox rite, during fasts or at other times. What is wrong are those laymen who, not under special prohibition from their confessor, under various pretexts, do not care about the annual communion of the Holy Mysteries, especially since our Holy Church, like a child-loving mother, for people who wish to receive communion, but for various everyday reasons (as happens in military service) do not have the opportunity to pray for a whole week, shows leniency and considers a three-day or even one-day fast sufficient. preparing the laity for communion through fasting, prayer and acts of intense charity. The Holy Mysteries should be received by adult healthy lay people who have not drunk or eaten anything on the day of communion. This abstinence from food and drink should begin the evening before. Only elderly people, children and the sick, due to the weakness of their strength, are allowed to take very little food in the evening, and no later than midnight (12 o’clock). Upon communion of the Holy Mysteries, a Christian must first absorb them and then kiss the edge of the Chalice, like the very rib of Christ, from which blood and water flowed; and then, stepping back a little so as not to inadvertently touch St. during the sign of the cross. The cups, out of a sense of gratitude, must be bowed, but not to the ground (for the sake of protecting the received Mysteries), - and not spit until one tastes the antidor and warmth; then, decorously, without any conversation, he must stand in his place until the end of the Liturgy and until listening to the prayers of thanksgiving for Holy Communion. c) Sick people, even those who are not particularly dangerous, must be given communion without delay. Those who do wrong are those who invite a priest to a sick person already in the penultimate minutes of his life, as they say, for guidance (to the next world), so that the priest at such moments at the sick person’s bedside is not so much a messenger of peace and the calming grace of God taught in the Holy Mysteries, but rather a messenger and forerunner of death. Yes, in the last minutes of life, the patient himself often loses consciousness and loses his tongue. Sin and responsibility for such procrastination rests with those around the patient! But, unfortunately, we have to admit that very, very many people do not allow the priest with the Holy Gifts to visit the sick in advance; and most of the time the sick person themselves want to commune on the eve of death. The communion of the most holy Sacrament, which unites a person with Christ, brings peace to the soul of the sick, brings him mental and physical health and serves as a guarantee of eternal life, is postponed and slowed down. Let it not be like this in the future! Sick people receive communion at any time in their homes, without observing the rules laid down for healthy people preparing for Holy Communion; but confession of sins is also required from them. Those who have lost their senses and consciousness are prohibited from teaching the Holy Mysteries. (Compiled from the brochure of Priest V. Mikhailovsky: “On the Holy Sacraments in the Orthodox Church” St. Petersburg, 1886, pp. 16–18). B. Heartfelt feelings of a Christian about to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ In a sense of humility, one who approaches communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ must confess in his heart: “My Lord and God gives healing in the Most Pure Mysteries: and so I approach as if sick, so that I may be healed; The Lord is my cleansing: and so I come, like a leper, to my Purifier, that I may be cleansed, the Lord is my life: and so I come, like a dead man, to my life, that I may rise again and live from the death of sin into virtue. The Lord is my shepherd: and so I come like a sheep to my Shepherd, that I may be safe from the wolf. The Lord is my restoration: I draw near to my restorer, so that I may fall no more. The Lord is my justification: I come, as a condemned man, to my Judge, so that He will make me righteous from the unrighteous by His grace. I accept the Most Pure Mysteries, and having received help from their communion, from now on I will lay the foundation for my salvation, so that I will no longer serve sin, but according to my strength, my God.” In a feeling of Christian hope, the believer approaching the Holy Mysteries must confess: “What are my sins against Thy mercy, Lord? The essence of the web is against the great wind; a dirty puddle against the great river; darkness against the bright sun. The wind will blow, it will tear through the cobwebs; the river will flow and wash away the dirt; The sun will shine and will burn through the darkness: such is Your great mercy, O God! Like the wind a web, you will tear my sins apart; like the river Blato, you wash away my iniquities, like the sun the darkness, you enlighten me and drive away my evil deeds, words and thoughts.” (From the Works of St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov). B. Prayerful appeal (in Russian) before the Cup of Life “I believe, Lord, and I say out loud 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 Honest Blood. Therefore, I pray to You: have mercy on me and forgive me my sins, voluntary and involuntary, in word, deed, consciously and unconsciously, and deign me to partake of Your Most Pure Mysteries without condemnation, for the remission of sins and eternal life. Amen". When you begin communion, say the following verses of Metaphrast to yourself: “Here I begin to receive divine communion; Do not scorch me, Creator, with this Communion, For You are a fire that scorches the unworthy; But cleanse me from all filth.” Then say: “Son of God! accept me this day as a partaker of Your Last Supper: I will not reveal the secret to Your enemies, I will not give You a kiss like Judas; but, like a thief, I confess You: remember me, O Lord, in Your Kingdom!” Then say the verses again: "Human! At the sight of the God-giving Blood, shudder: It is a coal engulfed in fire, scorching the unworthy. The Divine Body both adores me and nourishes me: it adores the spirit, and incomprehensibly nourishes the mind.” Then say the troparia: “Christ! You brought me into delight with love - and with your divine care for me you made me a different person; “My sins have fallen into immaterial fire and, O Merciful One, I have been worthy to be filled with delight in You, so that with delight I magnify Your two comings.” “How can I, unworthy, enter the bright dwellings of Your saints? If I dare to enter the palace with them, the clothes will expose me, for they are not wedding clothes, and the bound one will be cast out by the angels. God! cleanse the filth of my soul and save me, O Lover of Mankind!” (See “Following to Holy Communion”, translated into Russian from Greek, Archpriest A. Svirelina, ed. 3, pp. 43–44). D. Thanksgiving for Communion and the end of the Liturgy of the Faithful Conversation No. 1. About thanksgiving for Communion I. Now, brethren, let us have a conversation about how and with what Christians express their grateful feelings regarding the communion of the Holy, Immortal, Life-giving Mysteries of Christ. II. a) After the communion of the laity and the placing of the Holy Chalice on the throne, the priest, overshadowing the people with his right hand, calls upon them the blessing of God: “God save Thy people and bless Thy inheritance!” The people, with a feeling of joy and gratitude, sing of the blessings of God revealed to them: “We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit, we have found true faith, we worship the indivisible Trinity, for it has saved us” - (because it saved us). b) For this, the priest, having placed a paten with a star and two veils on the head of the deacon, to transfer them to the altar, with the words (spoken quietly): “Blessed is our God,” he himself takes the saint. The cup and, turning to the people, finishes the praise that had begun quietly: “Blessed is our God,” exclaiming: “Always, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages,” and places it on the altar, which at this time represents heaven. This action depicts the last appearance of the Savior to the world and His glorious ascension into heaven, which the priest expresses before this transfer of the Holy Gifts by burning them three times with the utterance (three times) of the words “Ascend into heaven, O God, and throughout all the earth is Your glory.” Why do believers, like St. the apostles, they venerate the Holy Gifts, which are carried to the ground, as if the Savior of the world is ascending to heaven, and in the person of the clergy, exclaiming: “Amen,” they confirm their faith in the promise of the Savior - to abide with the believers until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20); then, in the song “Let our lips be filled with Your praise, O Lord”... They send thanks to God for the fact that He has deigned them to partake of His Holy, Divine, Immortal and Life-giving Mysteries (His Body and Blood) and pray to Him that He, by His grace, will preserve them in His sanctification, and that they will learn His truth all day long, reflecting on His wisdom, power and goodness, revealed in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. c) After transferring the Holy Gifts to the altar, the deacon pronounces a litany on the ambo, in which he inspires the believers to zealously thank the Lord for receiving the Divine, Holy, Most Pure, Immortal, Heavenly and Life-Giving, Terrible Mysteries of Christ, and together ask Him to intercede, save, have mercy and preserve them with His grace and help them spend the remaining time of the day holy and peacefully, and then - so that they completely surrender to the will of God. The priest concludes this petition with the confession that the Lord is the only source of our sanctification: “For Thou art our sanctification...” and, having made the Gospel (which hitherto stood, after reading it, on the eastern part of the throne) the sign of the cross over the antimension, he places it in its usual place. The Holy Mysteries are called in this litany by such lofty names for the purpose that the believers would see more clearly and more vividly feel the greatness of these Gifts that they were honored to receive, and therefore thank the Lord with great zeal. They are called Divine because they are the true Body and Blood of the Son of God, - they are called Holy and Most Pure because Jesus Christ is the spotless and most pure Lamb (1 Peter 1:19), - Heavenly - because our Savior Himself called Himself the bread that comes down from heaven (John 6:50-51), - Immortal and Life-giving because they worthily communicate to those who partake of their eternal life and immortality, - Terrible - because for those who partake unworthily they serve as judgment and condemnation (Dmitry § 139). This is thanksgiving, according to St. John Chrysostom, established by St. The Church in imitation and image of the hymn that the apostles performed with the Savior after the Last Supper (Matthew 26–30). (Dmitr. § 139). III. Christian brothers! Let us not only with one mouth, but with all our hearts thank God until our last breath for His priceless Gifts - the communion of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory and thanksgiving with His Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. (Compiled according to source). Conversation No. 2. About the end of the Liturgy I. Today, with God’s help, let us talk, Christian brothers, about how and how the Divine Liturgy, full of the greatest spiritual and moral edification, ends. II. a) Immediately after the litany of thanksgiving and the exclamation “For You are our sanctification...”, the priest, preparing those present to leave the church, goes out of the pulpit with the words “We will go out in peace,” and reads here a prayer in which he calls upon the people the blessing of God and asks the Lord to preserve the fulfillment of the Church, that is, to spread and maintain it in the fullness of spiritual gifts (Dmitry § 141, note b), to sanctify those who love the splendor of the house of God, that is, those who care about the beautification of the church, to give peace to the whole world, churches, priests, the Emperor, the army and all Christians, concluding this prayer with the confession that every good gift and perfect gift comes from the Lord God - the Father of lights, to whom we send glory, thanksgiving and worship. While reading this prayer, the deacon stands at the icon of the Savior with his head bowed, which he does on behalf of all those present to ask and receive a blessing from the Lord, in remembrance of that ancient custom of the Church, according to which believers, before leaving the church, bowed their heads before the bishop or priest and received a blessing from them. (Dmitr. § 141). The prayer behind the pulpit is read aloud because it is an abbreviation of all prayers read secretly at the Liturgy, the content of which many would like to know, but cannot. (Dmitr. § 141). b) According to the prayer behind the pulpit, the praise of God is sung three times, “Blessed be the name of the Lord from now on and forever,” and the 33rd psalm of thanksgiving, “I will bless the Lord at all times,” is read, which depicts various manifestations of God’s mercy and goodness towards people. Remember, brethren, where the words of praise “Blessed be the name of the Lord from now on and forever” come from. They were once uttered by a man who was subjected to the terrible vicissitudes of life, in moments of the most sorrowful state of mind. Without a doubt, each of you knows who this man was and under what circumstances he blessed God (the story of the long-suffering Job should also be known to small Christian children). What do we want to express by repeating his blessing to God at the end of the Liturgy? – When we are about to leave the church of God, we go to meet all sorts of so-called accidents in the world, we leave a quiet refuge and enter, as it were, into the open sea, where there are so many dangers for those who swim; but, inspired by love for the Lord our Savior and hope for His persistent mercy and help, we, like the ancient righteous man, say: “Be the name of the Lord blessed always, in all circumstances of our life; no matter what befalls us in the world, no matter what trials we are destined to endure, let us endure everything complacently, blessing the Lord. He, who loved man so much, will never leave us in misfortune, and at least behind some sorrowful incidents His invisible care for us was hidden, and nevertheless we believe His infinite love, we trust in His infinite goodness and we will kiss His most punishing or sorrow-allowing right hand as a hand that is kind to us, which punishes in order to reward those who have been purified by punishment with greater gifts of goodness.” (See Collected sermons of Archpriest Favorov, professor of theology at Kiev University). c) The psalm, which is read at this time, reveals in more detail the same thoughts and feelings that are contained in the words “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” In it, the psalmist confirms with his own experience that faith and trust in the Lord always leads to blessed peace of heart. Blessing the Lord himself, he calls on others to do the same: “Magnify the Lord with me; Let us exalt His name together. Try it,” he continues, “and you will see how good the Lord is.” Blessed is the man who trusts in Him. Come, children, listen to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. How many of you want to live happily ever after? – Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful words; turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and follow it." The Lord is always close to such people, and although the righteous man has many evils, the Lord delivers him from them all. Evil will kill the wicked, but those who trust in the Lord will not be deceived in their trust. d) During the reading of Psalm 33, it is necessary to distribute the antidoron to the people, that is, the outer parts of the prosphora, from which the inner part, or the Lamb, is taken out at the proskomedia. In ancient times, they were distributed, at the end of the Liturgy, to those Christians who for some reason could not partake of the Holy Mysteries, so that the antidor in some way replaced the Holy Gifts for these people, which is why they were called antidor (instead of the gift). But since when there is a large gathering of believers in the church, for example, on holidays, these parts remaining from the removal of the Lamb are not enough for the antidoron, then instead of them for the antidoron prosphoras are used, from which the parts about the health and repose of the believers were taken out at the proskomedia. And since from time to time the zeal of the believers for the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ cooled, so that, finally, the largest part of Christians began to commune only once a year, the antidoron began to serve only as a memory of the former zeal of the believers for the communion of the Holy Spirit. Mysteries, as well as about the suppers of love, established for poor people from the remains of bread and wine, which were brought by believers to the church before the celebration of the Liturgy. e) After distributing the antidor, the priest blesses the people, saying: “The blessing of the Lord is upon you, through His grace and love for mankind always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages,” to which the crowd responds: “Amen.” f) Then the priest, having given glory to Christ God, our hope (glory to Thee, Christ God, our hope), - to which the face responds with the doxology of the Most Holy Trinity: “Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit...” - expresses the hope that Christ, our true God, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother, - the saints in whose honor the local church was built, - celebrated on a certain day, - the saint whose Liturgy is celebrated - the holy and righteous Godfather Joachim and Anna - will have mercy and save us, as a good and Lover of mankind. After this, the face proclaims many years to the Sovereign Emperor, His Most August House, the Holy Synod, the local bishop and all Orthodox Christians - with which the Divine Liturgy of the Faithful ends. g) After the dismissal of the Liturgy, all who are worthy to partake of the Holy Mysteries send out special prayers of thanksgiving to God for making them worthy of His great mercy, and they ask God that this communion be the source of all spiritual benefits for them - serve for the remission of sins and eternal life, for the sanctification and healing of the soul and body, for the enlightenment of the mind and heart, for the driving away of all sinful thoughts, all slander and snares of the enemy, in fulfillment of wisdom, in observance of the commandments of God; - so that the Lord will grant them to receive Holy Communion. Mysteries until the end of life with a clear conscience, for the remission of sins and eternal life; so that, through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, the angelic ranks, the Forerunner of the Lord, the apostles and all the saints, he would burn the thorns of sins, cleanse his soul, sanctify his thoughts, preserve him from every evil deed and word; - so that this very thanksgiving may serve for joy and health, so that at His terrible second coming we may be worthy to stand at His right hand; At the same time, believers offer thanks to the Most Holy Theotokos, that She has vouchsafed them to be partakers of the Body and Blood of her Son, and ask Her to enlighten their mental eyes, revive them, deadened by sins, and grant heartfelt tenderness and contrition. After these prayers, the dying song of the holy righteous Simeon the God-Receiver is proclaimed, “Now do you let go of your servant, Master,” in which those who partook of the Holy Mysteries express both their faith in the greatness of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and their readiness to leave this sinful world and unite forever with Christ, if God were pleased to call any of them soon from this temporary life to eternal life. Then, after the song of praise to the Theotokos “It is worthy to eat as truly to bless Thee, the Mother of God...” and the Trisagion (with prayers relating to it), the troparion and kontakion of the saint whose Liturgy was performed on this day are read, and the prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos “The intercession of Christians is shameless...”, or the troparion of the holiday (if this happens on the twelve feasts) and there is the usual dismissal, after which those who received Holy Communion, having venerated the St. cross, with peace and thanksgiving to God, they go to their homes. h) After unanimously wishing all Orthodox Christians many years to come, the Royal Doors are closed to remind us of mysterious eternity and that with the end of the world the most salutary offering of a bloodless sacrifice for us will end forever. “Imagining this, we must naturally imagine that we must use it, we must cherish every moment of that grace-filled, sacred time when a bloodless atoning sacrifice is made for us, sanctifying and blessing us. The night comes when no one can work (John 9:4). Before the night of death has yet come for us, the onset of which may be close, and often happens suddenly, let us prepare for ourselves in advance a saving refuge under the roof of the Holy Church; The more evening the day gets, the faster the traveler must go in order to reach the resting place before nightfall. (See Brief explanation of the Divine Liturgy, Archpriest Razumovsky). III. So, Christian brothers, this is what happens in the church of God during the Divine Liturgy: Christ is mysteriously born - during the proskomedia - in the first part of the Liturgy, during the removal of the Lamb from the first prosphora; in the second part of the Liturgy, the Liturgy of the Catechumens, Christ appears for the work of saving preaching - in the small entrance; in the third part of the Liturgy - the Liturgy of the Faithful - Christ comes to free suffering and death on the cross - in the Great Entrance; Christ ascends to the Cross - at the Ascension of the Lamb; He suffers at the breaking of the Lamb; – dies – when the Body is separated from the Blood; resurrects - at the union of the Sacraments; appears as a believer after the resurrection - at the last opening of the Royal Doors; Christ ascends into heaven at the last manifestation of the Holy Gifts and, finally, sits at the right hand of the Father when they are placed on the altar. With what deep reverent attention we must delve into the meaning of all liturgical actions, so that, while contemplating them, we can taste true spiritual pleasure! Thus, if each of us consciously understood all the sacred rites, hymns and prayers and reverently listened to the divine service, then the church of God would seem to him like paradise. Behold, brethren, how important the Divine Liturgy is, for the high spiritual significance of the actions that take place in the continuation of its actions, for the abundance of touching and edifying prayers and chants contained in it, especially because during its celebration a mysterious bloodless sacrifice is offered to the Lord God - the Body and Blood of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, cleansing our sins, propitiating God, bringing His blessings upon us and sanctification and giving us eternal life. Shouldn't we leave, even on holidays, our everyday affairs and activities in order to be present at the performance of this greatest and most saving sacred rite with all zeal, attention, reverence and spiritual joy? But, alas! Most of us, if they go to the Liturgy, do so more out of sheer habit, even out of curiosity; very many omit this divine service altogether, spending the time of performing it in the most unimportant worldly pursuits, often in complete idleness, even sinful pleasures and entertainment. The Church of God during the Divine Liturgy can seem like heaven to every Christian, if only he listens to it with deep reverent attention. It once seemed like heaven for the pagans themselves, namely for the ambassadors of St. Equal to the Apostles Vladimir, who, when they listened to the divine service in the St. Sophia Church in Constantinople, in their own consciousness did not know where they stood, in heaven or on earth. If the pagans were so deeply moved when contemplating liturgical rites, the meaning of which they did not yet understand, then will we, Orthodox, remain indifferent and irreverent, when we can now clearly contemplate with spiritual eyes their mysterious meaning? Let us remember the words of the Savior: “If you were blind, you would have no sin” (John 9:41). No, beloved brethren in Christ, let us not grow cold, we will never grow cold towards this highly solemn divine service, in which the beauty of the Lord appears in all its splendor, and let each of us from the depths of a tender heart say together with the holy psalmist: “I have asked one thing of the Lord, this I require: let us live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, behold the beauty of the Lord and attend the church His holy one." Amen. (Compiled with additional information according to the source. Priest G. Dyachenko). A. What does the last censing before the Holy Gifts at the Liturgy mean? The last incense means the grace of the Holy Spirit given to the apostles through the breath upon them after the resurrection. (See Explanation of the Liturgy, Theodore, Bishop of Andida, in the trans. Krasnoseltsev, p. 479). B. The meaning of the prayer behind the pulpit The prayer behind the pulpit is, as it were, a seal of all petitions and a short list of them, corresponding to the most important and most important (prayer) appeals. Since all divine sacred rites are performed primarily for those who made the offering and for whom the offering was made, then one prayer is added for everyone else. Since, on the other hand, some of those standing outside the altar often become perplexed, argue among themselves and say - what is the purpose, thought and power of the prayers quietly read by the bishop, and want to get some idea about this, that is why the divine fathers wrote (the prayer behind the pulpit) as if shortening everything that was asked for (in the continuation of the Liturgy), and thus communicate to those who wish the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe dress by the fringe. (See Explanation of the Liturgy, Theodore, Bishop of Andida, translated by Krasnoseltsev, p. 4748). B. Historical information about the song “We see the true light” This hymn is taken from the verses of Pentecost at Great Vespers, and expresses the gratitude of the newly enlightened Christians who received Baptism and Confirmation on that day. They confess and glorify the gifts they then received through the sacraments: 1) their calling and entry into grace-filled faith, which is God’s gift (Eph. 2:8); 2) knowledge of the saving Mysteries of the Church, which is the true and wonderful light (1 Pet. 2:9), why they are called children, sons of light and the light itself (Eph. 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:5): “By sight he sows the truth”; from this they received the name enlightened - φωτισθέντες (Heb.6:4); 3) the acceptance of the Holy Spirit through the action of chrismation, the gifts of which it is a seal. Since by the grace-filled actions of the Holy Spirit the Mysteries of the Eucharist are performed daily, and the gift of faith is kindled in the hearts of the pious and enlightenment, renewal and sanctification are given to them, the Church sings this verse at the Liturgy for almost a whole year before the onset of the new Pentecost, that is, until the week of Holy Easter 181: then instead of it the joyful praise of the immortal victory of Jesus Christ over death is sung: “Christ is risen from the dead” , except for days dedicated to the celebration of the Ascension, on which, instead of “Christ is Risen,” the troparion of the Ascension is sung in honor of the holiday being celebrated. (See Historical, dogmatic and sacramental explanation of the Divine Liturgy, I. Dmitrievsky, p. 280). D. Explanation of the song “Let our lips be filled” Nicholas Cabasilas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, in his interpretation of the Liturgy (chapter 41), explains this song as follows: “People sing the preface of the song, borrowing it from prophetic verbs (Ps. 70:8): “Let our lips be filled with Thy praise, O Lord: for let us sing Thy glory”; We are dissatisfied, they say, Master, below to bring You a song about the good things that You have honored us with; but give me this too. How? Having filled our lips with praise, and as you give prayer to those who pray (1 Samuel 2:9), let us know what is appropriate and how to ask: so give strength to your lips for Your singing. Then they ask that we may remain in the sanctification that we have received, and not lose grace, nor destroy the gift, from His hand we will be helped: “Keep us in Your holiness”: what are they doing? (it is fitting for us to be in need of this as well); all day long they learn Thy righteousness: speaking the truth (that is, the wisdom and love for mankind contemplated in the Sacraments of God). Meditation on this truth can preserve sanctification in us, for it increases faith in God and ignites love, and does not allow anything evil to enter the soul. It is not in vain that we said in what was previously spoken (in Chapter 21, his Interpretation) that without reflections appropriate (befitting) to the sacraments, sanctification cannot exist and abide in us.” (See op. cit. by Iv. Dmitrevsky, pp. 283–284). D. Historical background about Antidor Antidoron (antidoron - instead of gift) is the name given to the remains of that prosphora, from which the middle was taken out for the Lamb and offered as a bloodless sacrifice. Simeon of Thessalonica (“Book of the Church,” ch. 101) describes it as follows: “Antidorus is sacred bread, from which the internal parts are removed at the proskomedia and brought into the Body of Christ in sacred rites.” According to the establishment of the Church, the antidoron should be distributed instead of the Holy Gifts to all those present in the church during the Liturgy and who do not partake of the Holy Mysteries. The reasons for this establishment were the following. 1) In the primacy of the Church, all faithful Christians present in church during the Liturgy had the pious habit of partaking of the Holy Mysteries. This custom was so strictly observed that deviating from it entailed severe punishment. According to the ninth apostolic canon: “All the faithful who enter the Holy Church and listen to the Holy Scriptures, but do not remain in prayer and Holy Communion to the end, as if they are committing outrage, must be subject to excommunication.” The same was confirmed by the Council of Antioch, according to the second rule of which “all those who enter the church and listen to the Holy Scriptures, but due to some deviation from order do not participate in prayer with the people or turn away from communion of the Holy Eucharist, must be excommunicated from the Church.” Over time, when zeal and ardor among Christians began to cool, this pious and strictly observed custom in the first centuries began to weaken little by little. Already St. John Chrysostom strongly complained that many Christians only wanted to be present at the celebration of the Liturgy, without receiving Holy Communion. Although many began to evade Holy Communion under the pretext of consciousness of their unworthiness, St. the father strongly reproached such Christians, calling them shameless and unworthy of communicating in prayers (in the 3rd conversation on the Epistle to Ephesus). No matter how great was the zeal for the piety of St. John Chrysostom, no matter how powerful his word was, he could not achieve that all Christians present in the church during the Liturgy would partake of the Holy Mysteries; and after his death, the deviation from communion of the Holy Mysteries at every Liturgy became even more noticeable among Christians. For this reason, the pastors of the Church were forced to show condescension to human weakness - they allowed the faithful, following the example of the penitents and who were called standing with the faithful, to be present at the celebration of the Liturgy without communion of the Holy Mysteries. Showing such condescension to human weakness, St. the fathers and teachers of the Church were guided by the fact that just listening to the Liturgy and reverent presence at the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist can be useful and saving for Christians. But so that the people would not go to their homes without a visible gift and without a visible sign of consecration, they established the distribution at the end of the Liturgy of the remnants of the prosphora from which the center was taken out for the Lamb and offered as a bloodless sacrifice, and the remnants of this sacred bread were called antidoron. Simeon of Thessalonica speaks about it this way: “The people also need to partake of the holy thing, and so it is invisibly taught to the faithful through prayer and terrible sacred rites. But since they, clothed with flesh, need to receive sanctification in the form of something sensual, this is done through the antidor.” “Instead of the terrible Sacraments, those who do not receive communion are given bread, consecrated in a sentence, from which the middle has been removed, and which is consecrated by prayers; this bread, which was a copy of the sign and over which sacred words were pronounced, imparts sanctification and bestows a divine gift” (“Bk. about the church", ch. 101 and 100). Since the Church has established the distribution of the antidoron instead of the Holy Gifts to all the faithful and those present in the church during the Liturgy, but not those who partake of the Holy Mysteries, then during the distribution of the antidoron to this day the 33rd Psalm is read, which was previously sung during communion by ancient Christians, and with the words of which (“taste and see that the Lord is good”) they were invited to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord (Apostolic Constitutional Rule). 8, chapter 13; Cyril of Jerusalem, 5th secret teaching). 2) There was another reason why the Church established the distribution of antidoron at the end of the Liturgy to all those present in the church during the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. In connection with the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the leading Christians held so-called love suppers - agapes. These suppers arose for purely religious and moral reasons: first of all, they appeared in imitation of the Last Supper of the Lord and are nothing more than a living reproduction of it; then the feeling of brotherly love and unity between Christians was disposed towards their establishment, which feeling could not be more fully expressed in anything than in a common brotherly meal. And so, every time Christians gathered for worship, they brought not only the substances necessary for the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, but also everything necessary for organizing a fraternal meal. From substances brought by Christians and previously consecrated during the service, fraternal suppers were prepared, in which all the faithful took part - without distinction of gender, age, rank and position in society. Usually, they took place in the same place where the Liturgy was celebrated. Initially, they preceded the Eucharistic act - at least this was the case in the Church of Corinth, and then, due to some unrest that was allowed to take place in them in the Church of Corinth, and out of a sense of reverence for the greatest Sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord, it was supposed to be held at the end of the Liturgy - after the offering of a bloodless sacrifice and after communion of the Holy Mysteries. It is believed that such a change, for these reasons, was made by the Apostle Paul himself (1 Cor. 11:18-34). No matter how lofty the motives for establishing agape were, they did not remain in their original purity for long and were soon destroyed. Already with the spread of the Church of Christ, the life of Christian society inevitably lost its family character; with the increase in Christian society, not all members of this society could take part in fraternal meals; From here, brotherly meals naturally had to disappear. And indeed, by the end of the 3rd century they were performed only on special holidays, mainly on the days of remembrance of martyrs, and, moreover, they were organized especially for the poor. The gradual disappearance of the agapes was facilitated by the abuses committed against them. The former brotherly feelings with which the faithful appeared at the supper disappeared; those present at the suppers even crossed the boundaries of moderation and decency and indulged in crude pleasures. That is why the Fathers of the Church and councils repeatedly rebelled against these abuses (St. Gregory the Theologian, St. John Chrysostom, Blessed Augustine, St. Ambrose of Milan) and, finally, completely prohibited them (Carth. sob. pr. 51, Laod. sob. pr. 28, Trul. sob. pr. 74). But even having destroyed the agapes, the Fathers of the Church wanted the people, at the end of the Liturgy, not to go to their homes without eating a common meal, and therefore, in imitation of the ancient brotherly loving Christian institutions - in memory of the ancient brotherly meals, they decided to distribute to all those present, at the end of the Liturgy, deliberately left for this part of the bread, from which at the proskomedia the entrails, called the Lamb, were removed and brought into a bloodless sacrifice (Dmitrevsky’s “Historical, dogmatic and sacramental explanation of the Liturgy.” M. 1805, 3rd edition, p. 280). Since the Church has established the distribution of antidoron to those present at the Liturgy, but not partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, for the sanctification of their souls and bodies, one cannot help but regret that this custom is abandoned in many parish churches and is not even observed in all monasteries, as if today’s Christians are less in need of grace-filled sanctification than former Christians. If ever, then at the present time one should not abandon, but in every possible way support the pious custom of distributing the antidoron to everyone present in the church during the Liturgy on Sundays and holidays 182. It is known that many of today's Christians have become intemperate, and on Sundays and holidays they began to eat and drink even before the end of the Liturgy. And so, the distribution of the antidoron at the end of the Liturgy on Sundays and holidays could encourage, if not all the intemperate, then at least some of them to fast until the end of the Liturgy and before receiving the antidoron, since the antidoron, according to the mind of the Church, is sacred bread and can only be eaten on an empty stomach. “An antidoron is distributed for the blessing and cleansing of the soul,” noted in the rite of the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom (see in “Bishop. Officials”) - he is sanctified and it is fitting for those who have not eaten to receive him; If anyone is a little more poisonous or foody, let him not accept the antidor.” (See “Hands for village shepherds.”, book “Ekaterinb. Eparch. Ved.,” for 1892, Nos. 15 and 16). E. Critical remark about the custom in some churches of replacing the distribution of antidor by sending prosphoras to the most honorable parishioners The practice in many parish churches of replacing the antidor by sending prosphoras to only a select few of those present in the church for the Liturgy - the most influential in society and wealthy parishioners - is very reprehensible. 1) The Church established the distribution of antidoron to all those present at the Liturgy, as we have seen, in memory of the ancient fraternal suppers and, therefore, to stimulate and maintain feelings of brotherhood, communication and unity among Christians. But what feelings can and does arouse in members of the parish community when the distribution of prosphoras is given only to a select few of them? Without hesitation, we can say that in those to whom prosphora is sent preferentially over others, a feeling of pride and arrogance awakens. And how can they not fall into proud self-delusion and a contemptuous attitude towards their neighbors, when the priest himself in the church, in front of the entire upcoming and praying community, shows them preferential attention and distinction by sending out prosphoras? And what can we say about those parishioners who are not awarded this honor for no other reason than for the sake of their poverty and ignorancy? Naturally, feelings of insult, humiliation and envy creep into such parishioners. Thus, the shepherd of the Church, instead of arousing and supporting feelings of brotherhood, communication and unity among his parishioners, he himself demoralizes them and undermines these feelings in them. 2) In replacing the antidor by sending prosphoras to the most influential and wealthy parishioners, there is also a bad side. Those present in the church, instead of fervently praying to God, some direct their gaze to where the prosphora are sent from, while others turn their attention to those to whom they are handed. And the priest himself has no time for prayer: he has to carefully and more than once examine everyone present in the church, so as not to overlook among them those to whom he usually sends prosphora; otherwise, if the priest does not notice such people, they will be offended. Replacing the antidor by sending prosphoras to the richest and most influential parishioners in society is not only accompanied by harmful consequences, but also arises from base motives. And in fact, what does the sending of prosphoras to the most influential and wealthy parishioners, some on a silver plate, others on a copper plate, and others on a tin plate, indicate? Translated into simple language, this means: whoever is more eminent and richer and from whom one can expect more mercy will receive more attention and honor... And what is this obvious and even rude partiality and servility, and moreover, in the church and before God, before Whom everyone is equal and Who looks not at the external, but at the internal in man? It would not be reprehensible to distribute prosphoras to zealots of Christian piety, zealous visitors to the church of God and guardians of its improvement and splendor, otherwise in rural parishes prosphoras are sent and sometimes preferential attention is given to “kulaks” and “world-eaters”, therefore, to people who do not act in their lives according to Christian principles, who do not even know how or do not want to value the shrine and therefore deservedly enjoy a bad opinion about yourself in society. In general, no matter from which side we look at the custom of sending prosphora only to a select few of those present in the church during the Liturgy, this custom seems, at the very least, reprehensible, and therefore it is necessary to destroy it where it is practiced and, instead, restore the custom established by the Church of distributing the antidoron at the end of the Liturgy to everyone present in the church. It is best if the priest, having divided the antidor into small parts (on major holidays, when there are many pilgrims and when the antidor may not be enough for everyone, you can divide into small parts other prosphoras, from which particles were taken out at the proskomedia in honor of the Mother of God and the saints), he himself distributes the antidor to everyone present in the church, when the 33rd psalm of thanksgiving is supposed to be read, as is usually done by exemplary priests God's, watching that the highly instructive words of this psalm be read slowly, clearly, loudly, throughout the distribution of the antidoron. Leaving the psalm-reader to carry the antidoron on a plate to the whole church, or allowing the pilgrims themselves to sort out the antidoron from a plate placed on some table, means allowing unnecessary fuss and disorder between the pilgrims, especially the village ones; at least, it is possible to achieve that the parishioners themselves dismantle the antidoron in compliance with due order, silence and decorum, only after strengthened and persistent admonitions and instructions to them. (See “Guide for rural pastures,” see Ekaterinb. Diocese. Ved. 1892, No. 13–16). G. Historical information about the dismissal of the Liturgy A priest or bishop, sending glory and thanks to the Savior Christ, calling Him (1 Tim. 1:1) “our hope,” cries out: “Glory to Thee, Christ our God, our hope, glory to Thee!” Lik, on behalf of all the people, confirming the priest’s gratitude, unanimously proclaims the usual doxology, with a prayer to God: “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” and “Lord have mercy,” and, finally, asks from the priest the last parting blessing from the church to everyone: “Bless.” The priest, turning to those present 183, offers a prayer to Christ the Savior, our true God 184, so that He would send them all good things, not for sinful human prayers, not for our weak virtues, but for the intercession of the Mother of God and the saints 185: “Christ, our true God, through prayers destined... will have mercy and save us, for He is good and lover of humanity! This is an everyday leave, common to all church services. Here it refers more to the distribution of antidor and its food, as spiritual and soul-saving food, and therefore in the Jerusalem churches it takes place when the Royal Doors are already closed 186 as in other weekly services; In fact, the holiday of the Liturgy had already been celebrated in a special way, with the solemn invocation of God's blessing on all classes of the faithful. In this vacation, it is especially worthy to note that the priest of the Savior Christ calls our hope, to assure those praying in their petitions that He, as our only faithful and true God in promises, omnipotent, good and loving of mankind, can give everything we ask from Him. “Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it, and it will be done for you,” He Himself assures with His omnipotent verb (Mark 11:24). And with such firm hope, the priest releases the Orthodox from the church; The bishop also sends them a pastoral blessing, lighting candles on all sides, and the clergy exclaims to him the usual grateful greeting of the Church: “Εις πολλά έτη δέσποτα.” (Cm. History, dogma. and sacraments. explanation of the Deities. liturgy, Iv. Dmitrevsky, pp. 297–298). H. Note on the Liturgy of Basil the Great The Liturgy of Basil the Great is celebrated only 10 times a year: on the eve of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany (if these eves do not occur on Saturday or Sunday, in the latter case the Liturgy of Basil the Great is celebrated on the very day of the holiday, and the day before the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is served), on January 1 - on the day of remembrance of St. Basil the Great, on Sundays of Great Lent, except Palm Day, and, finally, on Thursday and Saturday of Holy Week. It is in almost every way similar to the Liturgy of John Chrysostom. The difference between this Liturgy and the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is as follows: 1) The prayers secretly read by the priest during the consecration of gifts are more extensive, and therefore in the choir during this part of the Liturgy they sing more drawn out. 2) Before the words spoken by the Savior at the Last Supper: “Take. eat..." and "Drink from it, all of you." The priest still says out loud: "He gave rivers to His saints as disciples and apostles" (said). 3) In honor of the Most Holy Theotokos, instead of “It is worthy to eat,” another song is sung: “In You, O Gracious One, every creature, the angelic council and the human race rejoices.” This song expresses praise of the Mother of God, for from Her God was incarnate, existing before all times and through His Nativity made Her womb His throne, which is more spacious than the heavens and sanctified Her womb. This song was composed by St. John of Damascus on the following occasion. St. John, who received the name of Damascus from the city of Damascus, where he was born, was the first nobleman of the caliph (sovereign) and mayor of Damascus. At that time, the Greek Emperor Leo banned the worship of icons. John, distinguished by his great learning, wrote several essays in defense of the holy icons. His works were read by many and supported them in Orthodoxy. Emperor Leo, having learned about these writings and who wrote them, decided to destroy John: he wrote himself a letter in John’s handwriting, which said that he was ready to surrender Damascus to the Greek troops, and sent this letter to the caliph. The caliph believed the deceptive letter and ordered John's right hand to be cut off. In grief, the innocent sufferer fell to his knees before the icon of the Mother of God and tearfully prayed to the Lady for justification. Bleeding, he fell asleep in front of the icon from weakness, and when he woke up, he felt that his hand had grown back; in joy, he sang the song: “O Blessed One rejoices in You”... The Caliph, having learned about the miracle, returned his former honor to John, but he renounced all worldly honors and withdrew into the desert and subsequently became a great church hymnographer and learned theologian. I. Historical and dogmatic information about the time of the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts at the Liturgy Neither the Latin theologians, who attribute the sanctifying power in the Sacrament of the Eucharist exclusively to the words of the Lord alone (“Take, eat”), and take it away from the prayerful invocation of the Holy Spirit on the Gifts for their transposition, nor the Greek theologians, who completely take away the sanctifying power from the words of Christ and transfer it exclusively to the priest’s prayer for the transposition of the Holy Gifts by the Holy Spirit, can in no case be called right in their judgments that contradict the teachings of the Church on this matter. Between these two extremes, the truth lies in the golden mean: for the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts at the Liturgy, both the words of Christ and the priestly prayer for the transfusion of the Holy Gifts by the action of the Holy Spirit, with their blessing with the sign of the cross, are needed together and inseparably; not the words of Christ alone without the Holy Spirit, invoked by the prayer of the priest, not a single invocation of the Holy Spirit through the prayer of the priest, without the pre-verbal words of Christ, perform the Sacrament of the Eucharist, or the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts at the Liturgy 187. The words of the Savior, pronounced by the celebrant, indicating the Holy Gifts that are presented, then the invocation of the Holy Spirit on the Holy Gifts and the very blessing of them with the sign of the cross constitute one continuous and inseparable action 188. The Orthodox Church, recognizing the full importance of the words of the Savior spoken by Him at the establishment of the sacrament of Communion, calls after them the Holy Spirit on the Holy Gifts that are presented and believes that - by the power of the words of the Lord - by the grace of the Holy Spirit, through the prayer of the celebrant, the bread is transformed into the Body of Christ and the wine into the Blood of Christ. This belief of hers is evidenced by St. Fathers and teachers of the Church: 1) Compiler of the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great († 379) 189 wrote: “We are not content with those words that the Apostle or the Gospel mentions, but before them and after them we pronounce others as having great power for the Sacrament.” Here St. the father and teacher of the Church speaks of “words that have great power for the Sacrament,” that is, for the sharing of “the bread of the Eucharist and the Cup of blessing,” which he speaks about above this; therefore, it is impossible to understand and interpret this saying in the same way as the Latin party in Russia understood and interpreted it in the 17th century: we are not content with the words of the Apostle (Paul) and the Gospel to remember the entire life of Christ, all the deeds of Christ. This is not what St. is talking about. Basil the Great. What words are these? Before the words of Christ, in the Greek-Eastern Liturgy, there is a Eucharistic prayer to God the Father or thanksgiving for creation and redemption “With these blessed powers,” and after the words of Christ there are “words of invocation in the breaking of the bread of the Eucharist and the Cup of blessing,” or the priestly prayer for the breaking of the Holy. Gifts of the Holy Spirit, with their blessing with the sign of the cross. Thus, according to the image of St. Basil the Great, the consecration of the gifts at the Greek-Eastern Liturgy is carried out gradually: it begins with a prayer of gratitude to God the Father for creation and redemption, continues with the repetition of the words of Christ spoken at the Last Supper, and ends with the prayer of the priest for the sending of the Holy Spirit on the Gifts for their transposition with their blessing with the sign of the cross. 2) St. Gregory of Nyssa († 400), in his “Catechetical Oration” (chapter 37), says: “The bread (in the Eucharist) is sanctified by the word of God and prayer (1 Tim. 4:5). The Word of God, that is, the words of Christ, prayer, that is, the prayerful invocation of the Holy Spirit for gifts. 3) St. John Chrysostom († 407), in a conversation about the betrayal of Judas, teaches: “This is My Body says (the priest). This verb modifies (μεταρρυθμίζει) what is proposed,” and in other conversations speaks of the prayerful invocation of the Holy Spirit on the gifts, for their transposition: “The priest stands before the table, and, raising his hands to heaven, calls (of course, after the words of Christ) the Holy Spirit, so that He may descend and touch the gifts that are presented” 191 ; “The grace inherent in the Spirit and touching everything makes a mysterious sacrifice” 192 ; “the mysterious Body and Blood never exists without the grace of the Spirit” 193; in the essay “On the Priesthood” (Book VI, Chapter 4), he puts the invocation of the Holy Spirit on gifts in connection with the consecration of the sacrifice, saying: “The priest calls upon the Holy Spirit and makes the most terrible sacrifice,” and in the Liturgy he compiled, after the words of the Savior, he placed a prayer about invoking the Holy Spirit on the offered gifts for their transposition. How would he have dared to place this prayer in his Liturgy if, in his time, the Ecumenical Church had not believed and taught about this as the Orthodox Church now believes and teaches? 4) St. John of Damascus († 780) 194 thus explains the need for the transposition of the Holy Gifts and the words of Christ, and the prayerful invocation of the Holy Spirit on the Gifts, with their blessing with the sign of the cross. “God said in the beginning: “Let the earth produce greenery” (Gen. 1:11) and the earth, stirred up and strengthened by God’s command, even being watered by rain until now, produces its vegetation. So here too God said: “This is My Body, this is My Blood: do this in remembrance of Me,” and according to His omnipotent command, so it happens and will be until the time when He comes: for so it is said: “Till He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26). And for this new work, through the invocation (i.e., the Holy Spirit for gifts in the prayer following the utterance of the words of Christ, the overshadowing power of the Holy Spirit becomes rain... showbread, wine and water, through the invocation and influx of the Holy Spirit, “are supernaturally transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ.” 5) Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria (11th century) says: “Bread, in mysterious words, through the mysterious blessing and influx of the Holy Spirit, is transformed into the flesh of the Lord.” 195 Mysterious words are the words of Christ; the blessing of the gifts with the sign of the cross and the influx of the Holy Spirit takes place during the priest’s prayer for the transfusion of the Holy Gifts by the Holy Spirit. 6) Nicholas Kavasila († 354), Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, in the “Interpretation of the Liturgy,” writes: “The priest always says: Thine from Thy, bowing his head, prays and asks, applying to the gifts presented the divine sayings of the only begotten Son of God, our Savior, so that the all-holy and all-powerful Spirit, resting on them, may spread the bread into His Most Honest and Holy Body, and the wine - into His Most Pure and Holy Blood. With this said, all the sacred rites are completed and completed, and the gifts are sanctified, and the sacrifice is sanctified” 196. 7) In the work of Simeon, Metropolitan of Thessalonica († 1429) 197, we read: “We firmly believe that the transmutation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is accomplished by priestly prayers and is accomplished by signs by invoking the Holy Spirit, after the Lord’s words “Take, eat,” and “Drink of it, all of you,” and also: “This do in remembrance of Me,” once and forever granted the apostles and their successors of grace the right to do this through prayer. Therefore, turning to the Father and praising the works of the economy, the priest first proclaims the divine words of Christ and says that He betrayed this and that therefore he brings these (gifts) to You for all, according to His commandment, and prays to You: send down Your Spirit on me and on the gifts set before us, and create them - His Body and Blood, as He said, translating with Your Spirit To the saints... So the words of the Lord... constitute the first basis of the sacred rite, but they are actually fulfilled by the prayers of the priest... We, observing the traditions we have received, as the Savior Himself gave and through the apostles and fathers, perform the Mysteries of the terrible communion by invoking the divine Spirit, as well as through the words of the Lord and priestly prayers.” 8) The Council of Constantinople, which followed the Florentine Council, in the 15th century, said: “The presentation of the essence of the Sacraments is performed by the Trinity and the Lord’s words, after the prayers of the priest, who assists as an instrument in the sacred rite” 198. 9) Mark Eugenicus († 1444), Metropolitan of Ephesus, wrote a special essay entitled “On the fact that divine gifts are sanctified by the power of the Holy Spirit not only from the voice of the Master’s verbs, but also from the prayer that follows them and the blessing of the priest.” 10) Gabriel the Sevirian (XVII century), Metropolitan of Philadelphia, in his essay “On the Sacraments,” writes: “The bread offered in the Divine Liturgy and the wine in Flesh and Blood pre-exist and are undoubtedly transformed by the Lord’s words and prayer,” and again: “The substance of the Divine Liturgy is bread and wine with water, - view (form) is the leading word of the Lord, “Take, eat,” and so on, having subsequent and verbal verbs according to the order of the priest, as in the Divine Liturgy” 199. 11) The Eastern Patriarchs (in 1872), in their “Exposition of the Orthodox Faith of the Eastern Church” (Part 15 according to the Greek original), write: “The Sacrament of Communion, after it is imprinted with a noun verb (i.e. the word “is” in the words this is My Body, this is My Blood) and is sanctified by the invocation of the Holy Spirit, becomes complete through the existence of the signified in it, that is, the Body and Blood of Christ.” 12) His Holiness All-Russian Patriarch Joachim († l690), in a letter to Dionysius, Patriarch of Constantinople, says that he has always spoken, written, preached, and believes that the Sacrament of the Eucharist is performed by the Lord’s words, by the calling of the Holy Spirit through the prayer of the priest and by the blessing and seal of Christ 200 . 13) St. Demetrius († 1709), Metropolitan of Rostov, in “Discourse on the Transubstantiation of the Most Holy Eucharist,” writes: “Different people guess differently about this. Some say that it is only the words of Christ that cause transubstantiation, except for the subsequent priestly prayer... Others greatly cut off the power of the words of Christ, saying that they are nothing but effective at all, but only historically remembered... but they posit the entire power of transubstantiation in the priestly prayer itself. Third: both, the words of Christ and the words of the priests, are accepted together in transubstantiation, predicatively, as the words of Christ begin, and transubstantiation ends with prayer, and the essence of the words of Christ is the basis for transubstantiation, prayer is the completion, and one cannot be without the other; neither do the words of Christ themselves (alone) without the Holy Spirit, called upon by the priestly prayer, act transubstantiation, nor does the Holy Spirit, without the preverbal words of Christ, accomplish this; wallpaper is so necessary for transubstantiation. We are also attached to this” 201. 14) According to the Right Reverend Veniamin 202, Archbishop of Nizhny Novgorod, “here everything is together: both the words spoken by Christ Himself at the Last Supper and the prayer of the priest with the sign of the cross fulfill the Sacrament (Echarist) by the action of the Holy Spirit.” 15) In the “Long Catechism” of the Right Reverend Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, it states: “The most important action in the liturgy of the faithful is the pronouncing of the words that Jesus Christ said at the establishment of the Sacrament (Eucharist) (Matthew 26:26-28) and then the invocation of the Holy Spirit and the blessing of the gifts, that is, the bread and wine brought. Why? Because with this very action, bread and wine are changed or transubstantiated into the true Body of Christ and the true Blood of Christ.” (See the excellent article by Archpriest Seredinsky about the time of the Transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts, published in the Riga diocesan journal for 1895). E. Additional information about the Divine Liturgy Conversation No. 1. About the bishop's service of the Liturgy I. For a clear concept of the fullness of the Liturgy, we must set forth before you, brethren, its hierarchical service. II. The bishop enters the western doors of the church and says in a quiet voice: “I will go into Your house, I will bow to Your holy church in Your passion: Lord, instruct me in Your righteousness for my sake, correct my path before You.” The bishop is greeted with a cross and censers, and the choir sings: “It is worthy to eat as truly blessed are Thee, the Mother of God,” and on the twelfth holidays - the irmos of the 9th canto. The first preparation of the bishop for the sacred rite is the entrance prayer before the Royal Doors, which were initially closed and covered with a curtain. Then he appears among the church and the people, in an elevated place - the bishop's pulpit, for vesting, because his ministry should be visible to the entire church for its edification; but appears here in simple, ordinary clothes, thereby recalling the at first unrecognized appearance of Christ in the humble clothes of humanity. And since the saint in the sacred rite represents not only the closest servant of Christ, but partly the image of Christ Himself, he now needs to put on sacred clothes, signifying Christ-imitating properties and virtues. These clothes are brought to him by the deacons, like angels, from the altar, as from invisible repositories of grace, and clothe him as if with signs, while the other deacons proclaim the mysterious meaning of each of these clothes. First, they put a surplice on him - as a sign of purity and spiritual joy; then the stole - a sign of the yoke of Christ and the grace poured out in the priesthood; further - a belt - a sign of the power of God and readiness to serve, - instructions that give freedom to perform sacred acts, - in memory of the bonds of Christ; knee pad - to remind the lention of Christ and the fact that the spiritual ascetic must be armed with the word of God; then - the upper robe - sakkos - depicting the scarlet robe of the mocked Christ or the sackcloth of repentance. But the essential sign of the bishopric is the omophorion - the amice, which signifies not only the yoke of Christ, accepted by the servant of Christ, but also the yoke that Christ Himself took upon Himself, that is, human nature, which He, like the good Shepherd of a lost sheep, lifted onto His shoulder and brought into the house of the Heavenly Father. As an obvious and closest follower of Christ, the saint accepts his cross on his chest; and so that he remembers what he should have in his heart, they place a panagia on his heart, that is, the image of the Most Holy Theotokos with the Eternal Child, or the image of Jesus Christ Himself; finally they crown him as a spiritual leader in their Church - with a miter. Orlets are placed under his feet - to indicate the lofty aspiration of grief. They give trikiriy and dikiriy - candlesticks with three and two candles, as a sign of the light of the Holy Trinity and the two natures in the Savior - Divine and human, with which he overshadows the people - to the east, to the west, to noon and to the north, as by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. The deacon reminds him of the duty of his title with the words of the Gospel: “So let your light shine before men...” and the faces greet - “I have fulfilled these despots” - “for many years, Master.” Having given the candlesticks to the deacons, the bishop sits down and the hours begin; he rises only for Alleluia, the Trisagion, and the Most Honest. During the reading of the hours, the “hand washbasin” is taken out of the altar, and the bishop, sitting, washes his hands. At the same time, he ordains to the surplice and to the subdeacon, if there is anyone. At the end of the hours, the serving archimandrites, abbots, protopresbyters and presbyters, having dressed in the altar, leave it - by the southern and northern doors, and, having bowed to the bishop, stand in order on the right and left sides of it. All these exits from the altar and entry back into it are reminiscent of the words of the Gospel: “From now on you will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (John 1:51). After reading the hours, the bishop stands up and quietly prays: “Heavenly King...”, “Glory to God in the highest...”, “Lord, open my lips...”, and the deacons approach the bishop, reminding: “It is time for the Lord to create,” and ask for blessings for their service during the Liturgy. With them, the foremost of the protopresbyters worships the Bishop, goes to the altar by the southern door, enters and orders the deacon to open the Royal doors and begins: “Blessed is the Kingdom...” During the “Peaceful Litany”, the “bishop sitting” reads prayers - “sentences”: “God, God of the Mysteries” and the other three prayers - “agreements”. He only rises in exclamations and to the “Only Begotten.” The senior presbyter begins the Liturgy with the blessing of the Kingdom of the Holy Trinity, just as the forefathers and prophets proclaimed the glory of God and the grace of Christ before Christ Himself opened the work of saving the human race. The Great Litany, or lengthy prayer, contains everything that we should prudently ask God for for our lives, starting with the heavenly world and the salvation of our souls and concluding with complete devotion to ourselves and each other and our entire life to Christ our God, at the intercession of the Most Pure Virgin and all the saints. What could be more touching than prayer for those floating, traveling, sick, suffering, captives and for their salvation? Here, not a single misfortune of humanity has escaped the merciful eye of the Church: even the invisible world participates in her all-encompassing love when she prays “for all the previously deceased fathers and brothers who lie here and are Orthodox everywhere.” To the deacon’s spoken invitations to this prayer, the people, represented by the choir, respond: “Lord, have mercy... You, Lord...” but the presbyters, following the deacon’s words in secret prayer, always - at the end of the litanies - proclaim praise to the Triune God. Between the great and two small litanies, antiphons are sung to both choirs, that is, alternating hymns, composed partly of entire psalms, partly of selected verses related to the festival of the day. This type of singing was established by St. Ignatius the God-Bearer, whom the Savior blessed among the infants brought to Him. A mysterious vision of angels proclaiming the glory of God to each other inspired this thought in Ignatius, and he conveyed it to the Church. And in the 6th century, Emperor Justinian reverently brought her as a gift his high hymn in honor of the only begotten Son of God. This hymn is placed at the end of the 2nd antiphon in order to capture the truth of prophetic inspirations with the song of the incarnation. The ceremonial entrance with the Gospel begins. The bishop rises from his pulpit with a secret prayer: “Sovereign Lord...” prepares to enter the altar. Contemplating the presence of Christ Himself in the Gospel, he kisses him and, imitating John the Baptist, who, seeing the coming Savior, exclaimed: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” - the first calls the faithful to worship Him with these words: “Come, let us worship and fall before Christ: save us, Son of God..!” In the Gospel there is the light of Christ, and the immediate action of prayer is the spiritual light in the soul, and therefore, when singing this prayer, the bishop overshadows the faithful with lamps, as if by Divine light, surrounded and supported by the clergy, “inertly and quietly” walking to the altar, he also overshadows the people to the right and left, gives the trikirium to the protodeacon, kisses the Royal Doors to the right and left, and then - throne While the prayer “Save us, Son of God” moves from the middle of the church to the choir, and from here into the interior of the altar, the bishop receives the censer and the aroma of incense, firstly gives honor to the throne of Christ, censes the altar and the altar, and then the church, thereby depicting the action of deep inner prayer - the delightful breath of the Holy Spirit. In response to the censing, the Church greets the saint with the wish of many years, according to custom in Greek; and the bishop himself - thereafter mutually greets with the desire of many years the entire Church, starting with the Holy Synod and the Emperor, which the deacon and clergy proclaim, and he seals with the overshadowing of his hands. After this, the bishop again begins prayer, even more internal, because it begins in the altar - at the very throne of Christ and from here goes into the church - even more sublime, because it relates directly to the Most Holy Trinity. The saint himself proclaims for the first time, glorifying the holiness of God: “For You are holy, our God, and to You we ascribe glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever,” and hastening to return to his secret prayer, does not end the doxology, but – as a sign of unity – leaves it to the deacon to complete it, addressing the church with the exclamation “And to the ages.” centuries." The Trisagion hymn, proclaimed on the choir and in the altar, is in turn accompanied by the light of lamps. The bishop takes the dikiri and touches it crosswise to the Gospel lying on the throne, as a source of light; then he turns to the people, and, holding a lamp in one hand and a cross in the other, cross-shapely overshadows the entire church from the pulpit - to the west, to noon, to the north and to the east with these touching words: “Look from heaven, O God, and see, and visit these grapes, and establish them, and Thy right hand will plant them,” and the Church sees in this overshadowing not only the dual light of dikiria - a sign the dual nature of Christ, but also the saving purpose of His incarnation - the Cross. When the bishop returns to the altar not only to the throne, but further to the east - to the “high place”, to the image of Christ’s ascension and sitting at the right hand of God the Father, then, taking the trikirium from this deeper interior of the sanctuary, he once again overshadows the triple light of the Divinity living in the unapproachable light. Then the reading of the apostle begins, during which the bishop sits in a high place as the successor of the apostles, and the presbyters sit on his sides as concelebrants. But before reading, he gives away his omophorion, so that this sign, in some way of Christ, would accompany the Gospel of the Savior when it is brought out for reading, and so that at that time he would present himself humbly standing on a par with the other disciples of the word of God - in only the miter, which distinguishes him from others. At the end of the Gospel, the saint descends from the high place, stands again before the throne for prayers offered in the following litanies - the special one, for the dead, for the catechumens and others - until the Cherubic Song. c) The “Cherubic Hymn” - the creation of Emperor Justin - is sung, and the procession of the King of Glory to his free suffering and death on the Cross is commemorated. In the Cherubic Song, the word “dorinoshima,” or spear-carrying, exactly expresses the picture that Justin wanted to portray. Roman soldiers, when proclaiming the newly elected emperor, usually raised him in the middle of the legion on a shield raised on spears, so that he appeared on top of the spears surrounding him. In the church the same picture is repeated: after the words: “let us put aside care,” the deacon appears, as if one of the invisible legion of angels, raising above his head, on a paten, like on a shield, the King of all in the humble form of a lamb. Oh, how opportunely, just before the move, the beneficent word “let’s put aside care” always strikes the ear—how opportunely it draws the coarse mind out of worldly thoughts! Then the bishop himself, having washed his eyes and hands in the Royal Doors in the water immediately consecrated by his prayer in order to purely contemplate and act, and having stretched out his hands three times in prayer before the throne, goes himself to perform a prayerful remembrance of the living and the dead over the altar and releases the prepared mystical Lamb for His terrible sacrifice on the throne for the sins of the people; and Christians are waiting for this solemn procession, secretly remembering their relatives and praying, with a bow of the head, walking past the elders, so that they themselves will be remembered before the Lord, which they do loudly, starting with the authorities. The song of Basil the Great for this very moment, which is sung only once a year, on Holy Saturday, is even more touching: “Let all human flesh be silent, and let it stand with fear and trembling, and let it think of nothing earthly within itself; The King of kings and Lord of lords comes to sacrifice and give himself as food to the faithful. And before Him came the faces of angels, with all principle and power—many-eyed cherubs and six-winged seraphim, covering their faces and crying out the song: Alleluia.” Together with the sounds of this song, we see its image in the faces: deacons, in the form of angels, precede with candles; others blow ripids with the image of cherubs over the paten and the vessel; still others clothe the entire procession with clouds of incense, as if preparing an airy path for Him; one carries air on his shoulder - the memory of the funeral shroud of Christ; the other carries an omophorion, a sign of incarnation, with a cross shining on it; the senior deacon holds high above his head the paten, or dish, on which lies the covered Lamb; behind him is the senior presbyter with the Chalice - the Cup, ready to soon be filled with the Blood of Christ; then gradually follow, in the hands of the priests, the instruments of Divine suffering: the cross, the spear, the lip that gave Him bile to drink, and the spoon that gave His blood to the faithful to eat. The bishop, without a miter and an omophorion, slavishly greets this figurative procession at the royal doors, he himself performs the commemoration and, placing the paten and the Chalice on the throne, as if in a tomb, like Joseph of Arimathea, he remembers his feat, saying: “The noble Joseph took down your most pure Body from the tree, entwining a clean shroud, and put the scents in the new tomb and close it.” Again, the deacon comes out to the people and invites them to fulfill the Lord’s Prayer; but his petitions no longer concern earthly and temporal blessings, but extend solely to the spiritual and heavenly. He prays for a guardian angel, for what is good and useful to our souls, for the forgiveness of sins, for spending our lives in peace and repentance, and for our Christian end with a good answer before the terrible judgment seat of Christ. What edifying prayers! Then, having heard with the whole Church the desire for peace from the lips of the saints, he invites Christians to mutual love, so that they can confess with one mind - and the choir finishes for everyone: “Father and Son and Holy Spirit, Trinity consubstantial and inseparable,” showing that we all maintain mutual love and with love confess the true God. Previously, during this song, all Christians kissed each other; Now only the priests in the altar kiss the hand and shoulders of the bishop and each other. Then the deacon calls out: “Doors, doors, let us hear wisdom.” And the Church sings the “Creed.” The bishop bows his head to the throne, and the servants blow air from vessels over his head. In ancient times, at this time, the doors of the church were closed against infidels and heretics; Now believers must close their feelings from absent-mindedness. The deacon once again arouses the attention of the faithful with strong words: “Let us become kind, let us become fearful, let us bring holy offerings to the world!” and retires to the altar. In response to the deacon’s invitation, the choir sings: “Mercy of peace, sacrifice of praise.” That is, remembering the great mercy of God, the death of the Savior on the cross, which gave us deep peace with God, with ourselves and our neighbors, we will offer a sacrifice of praise to God for it, or the Eucharist. Then for the last time, to kindle zeal among the people before the consecration of the gifts, the bishop comes to him, holding candlesticks in his hands, and, raising them to heaven, first teaches the faithful three spiritual gifts from each person of the Holy Trinity: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit,” and prays to everyone, “Woe are our hearts,” and, having received from the faithful the answer: “Imams Lord! the bishop, overshadowing them, exclaims: “We thank the Lord!” and returns to the throne of God. The most important moments of the Liturgy have arrived: the very offering of the bloodless sacrifice begins; the sound of the bell excites not only those who are present, but also those who are absent, to greater prayer; The Church sings: “It is worthy and righteous to worship the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, consubstantial and indivisible.” The saint before the throne remembers all the wondrous and unspeakable benefits of the Lord to the human race, from the creation of the world to His redemption, becoming more and more delighted and as if no longer finding human words to give worthy praise to God, admires to heaven, hears there with Isaiah the seraphic song, sees with Ezekiel mysterious images - an eagle, a calf, a lion, a man - and exclaims: “Singing a song of victory, crying out, crying and speaking,” and the choir, participating in its delight, first responds with the words of the angels themselves, as if in heaven: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, fill heaven and earth with Your glory!” Then on earth he greets the Lord with the cries of the Jewish youths who once went out with palm trees to meet the Son of David: “Hosanna in the highest! blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “In this moment,” says St. John Chrysostom, - many St. the men saw angels inside the sanctuary serving them and approaching the meal with fear.” The mind of the saint, enraptured to heaven and his heart inflamed with love, in angelic praises, prayerfully moves from the praises of the Holy Trinity after the Savior of the world, from heaven is transferred to earth - on that unprecedented night on which He was betrayed for the life of the world - to that great upper room in which He established the Sacrament of the Eucharist - in His eternal remembrance, and, pointing to the holy bread, pronounces the words of the Lord: “Take, eat, this is My Body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins,” and on the Cup: “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.” Having remembered this saving commandment and everything that happened to us: the Cross, the tomb, the resurrection, the ascension, the sitting on the right hand and the second coming, the saint again ascends the mountain to God the Father with this free Son’s offering and, at the same time, offering Him this verbal and bloodless service - these gifts - bread and wine (raised crosswise by the hands of the deacon), proclaims: “Yours from We offer Yours to You for everyone and for everything.” At the same time, he tenderly asks and prays to the Heavenly Father for the sending of the Holy Spirit on himself and on the gifts that are presented, which, with the pronunciation of the mystical words, he reverently blesses with the sign of the cross: the bread - “And make this bread the honorable Body of Thy Christ”, the Cup - “And in this Cup the honorable Blood of Thy Christ”, the wallpaper - “By translating with Thy Holy Spirit!” Then, having before him no longer bread and wine, but the true Body of Christ and the true Blood of Christ, he and all those who concelebrate reverently prostrate themselves before the supernatural Sacrament, which a mortal dared to perform by the grace of the Holy Spirit. At the same time, during this great action, the faces sing reverently: “We sing to You, we bless You, we thank You, Lord, and we pray to You, our God!” And in these moments it is impossible not to sing, bless, thank the Lord and pray to Him: now all of heaven - with all the inhabitants of heaven - is here. “What are you doing, oh my brother! St. once said Ephraim the Syrian scattering at this terrible moment - what are you doing! Didn’t you promise the priest grief to have a heart, and aren’t you afraid at this hour of being found deceitful? Oh, great miracle! The Lamb of God is slain for your sake, all the powers of heaven and the priest are praying for you, the Blood of Christ is pouring into the secret Chalice for your cleansing, and you are not ashamed, you are not mourning for yourself at this moment, not praying for yourself or for others!” Then the celebrant prays that this great Sacrament may be received by those who partake of it - for the sobriety of the soul, for the remission of sins, for the communion of the Holy Spirit, for the fulfillment of the Kingdom of Heaven, for boldness towards God, not for judgment or condemnation; remembers, as participants in prayer and the Sacrament, and all the saints who have pleased the Lord from time immemorial: forefathers, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, preachers, evangelists, martyrs, confessors, abstinents and every righteous spirit who has died in the faith; most of all (pretty much) “about the Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary” (burning incense in this way means the Mother of God’s intercessory prayers to God for us). And the Church pleases Her with worthy praises, magnifying: “the most honorable cherub and the most glorious without comparison seraphim.” The bishop, having also remembered the Baptist of the Lord John, the saints and glorious apostles, the saint whose memory is celebrated, and all the saints, so that the Lord may visit us with their prayers, prays for all the dead in the hope of the eternal resurrection, so that the Lord will give them rest, where the light of His Face is present; He prays for the spiritual and temporal authorities, for the Church, for all living Christians and even for the entire universe, for as if the power and action of Christ’s sacrifice extends throughout the entire universe, he prays in particular that with one mouth and one heart everyone will glorify and sing the most honorable and magnificent name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Finally, the bishop concludes his prayer with the great words: “May the mercies of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ be with you all,” while making the sign of the cross with both hands of those who stand before him and answer him: “And with your spirit.” The deacon leaves the altar and repeats the previous spiritual, lofty prayers, but adds to them at the beginning: “So that the Lord, having accepted the holy gifts brought to Him on His heavenly and mental altar, would send down to us His divine grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit”; and at the end he says: “Having asked for the union of faith and the communion of the Holy Spirit, let us commit ourselves, each other, and our whole life to Christ our God.” Meanwhile, the saint says the prayer: “We offer you our entire life and hope, Lord, Lover of Mankind, and we ask, and we pray, and we do this for dear life: grant us the privilege to partake of Your Heavenly and Terrible Mysteries, eating sacred and spiritual meals, with a clear conscience, for the remission of sins, for the forgiveness of sins, for the communion of the Holy Spirit, for the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven, with boldness towards You, not into judgment or condemnation,” and at the conclusion of this prayer, he cries out: “And grant us, O Master, with boldness, without condemnation, to call upon You the Heavenly God the Father, and to speak.” In response to this, people sing the most godly of all prayers - the Lord’s Prayer itself, “Our Father.” This prayer is secretly prayed by all the concelebrants, and by the bishop himself, who concludes it by proclaiming: “For Thine is the Kingdom,” and the power and glory of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.” Lik: "Amen." To those who have thus prepared for Holy Communion, the bishop teaches: “Peace to all,” and to those present during the service; He blesses them with both hands and in response receives from them: “And to your spirit.” The saint adds two more secret prayers: one for all those who bowed their heads at the invitation of the deacon, which he concludes with the exclamation “Grace and bounties”; and the other - so that the Lord will hear from St. His dwelling, He came and sanctified us, and with His sovereign hand He deigned to give His Most Pure Body and Honest Blood to us and to all people. Finally, with the word that excites attention: “Let us take in,” the sanctuary is closed with a curtain for the communion of the clergy, and at that moment the bishop, having raised the Body of Christ from the paten, lifts up the mountain, exclaiming solemnly: “Holy to the saints,” which makes it clear how holy it must be to receive this Shrine, and the face humbly answers him: “One is holy, one Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father, amen." The church sings the “sacrament verse”; and the bishop, having received communion himself, according to custom, gives communion at the altar to the concelebrants, who approach from the left side to receive the Body of Christ, and from the right to receive His Blood. Truly, this touching spectacle is touchingly reminiscent of Christ’s last supper with his disciples. After the communion of the clergy, the Royal Doors are opened again. Through the lips of the deacon, it is as if the Savior Himself calls all the faithful to His table: “Come with the fear of God and faith!” And the Church joyfully exclaimed: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! God the Lord and appear to us!”, sings a touching song “We have seen the true light, we have received the Heavenly Spirit, we have found true faith, we worship the indivisible Trinity, for it has saved us.” Then one more time the Holy Gifts are shown to the people at the Royal Doors and are immediately hidden from the Church on the altar. At the same time, the celebrant remembers the last appearance of Christ to the apostles and His ascension into heaven; and, as if leaving behind Christ to heaven, he pronounces at the throne: “Blessed is our God,” so that the Church does not hear this, but only the end of the doxology is heard in the ears of the earth in the middle of the Royal Doors: “Always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages,” for the Lord promised to be with us forever. III. After a brief thank you for communion and for asking for a perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless entire day - the litany and prayer behind the pulpit, the bishop once again blesses those present and gives them a dismissal. (Compiled from III and IV “Letters about the divine services” by Muravyov). Appendix to conversation No. 1. What does it mean to blow ripids over the Holy Gifts during the bishop's service? The heavenly powers were always present with Christ, especially on the night on which He was betrayed. They saw Him being brought to Caiaphas, presented to Anna, false witness, beating, spitting, strangling, desecration of the Jews, clothing by the hands of soldiers in scarlet clothing, a crown of thorns, desecrating genuflections and everything else that the history of the Divine Gospels tells about, and perhaps other things that were not mentioned due to the multitude of similar insults - they saw this at each such appearance, perplexed and amazed at the greatness of long-suffering, they covered their faces and turned away, and then, in awe of the Lord’s sovereignty, they turned to Him again. And they did this before His ascension to the Cross, for the end of His suffering in the flesh and the reproach associated with it was the Cross, which, however, was rather glory rather than reproach, since He served as the beginning of the works and manifestations of the power of the Divine. From it came the shaking of the world, from it a three-hour darkness throughout the entire earth, from it the tearing of the veil, the disintegration of stones, the opening of tombs, even the rising of the dead and everything that the Savior did when he descended into hell. Therefore, when Christ was at the very place of the crucifixion, the divine powers ceased to be horrified and amazed. In imitation of them, the deacons, as it is said, shake the sacred ripids. From here it is clear that all the reproaches, desecrating honors and ridicule that preceded the Cross most amazed both the Sufferer and the rational divine powers 203 . But since the one who suffered was a perfect man and at the same time a perfect God, had in one hypostasis two natures - one human, subject to suffering, the other - Divine, remaining dispassionate, then therefore the dedicated ministers of our salvation and the performers of the sacraments either sing His permission for suffering and patience, or offer up the due God and pure praise to the all-essential nature, rendering it to Him as if on behalf of cherubim and seraphim. The victory song pronounced in a sublime voice leads us to this.” (See “Explanation of the Liturgy,” by Bishop Theodore of Andida,” trans. Krasnoseltsev, pp. 30–32). New tablet Part 2, Ch. 7, § 29. About the servant and rank. right Churches, § 191, sheet 34, overleaf. In Vel. On Thursdays, instead of this Cherubic song, “Thy Mysterious Supper” is sung, and in Vel. Saturday - “Let all human flesh be silent.” Hob. Skr. Part 2, Chapter 7, § 28. Outline of church history. from biblical times to the 17th century, Dep. 1, p. 327. Official apostolsk, book 8, m. 12. See appendix to this conversation. Kedrin in the chronicle for the 9th year of King Justin: “In the days of this Justin (in the 6th century) it was established to sing this Cherubic song: “Like the Cherubim form secretly.” For this very reason, at the Liturgy of the Presanctified, after the prayers of the faithful, a hymn corresponding to the content of the Cherubim is proclaimed: “Now are the powers of heaven,” and so on. Origen on prayer number 20. Before reading this song, the bishop takes back his omophorion, for the importance of the upcoming actions, reverently performs the threefold recitation of the Cherubic Song, and then performs the proskamidia on the altar. St. Theodore of Edessa speculative word. “Christ. read." 1825 r., XVII, 178. St. John Zlat. "A word of praise to all martyrs." According to the 1864 edition of St. Petersburg. Words and Conversations for Various Occasions, vol. 1, p. 1011. St. Herman, Patr. Constant., “Sequence. exposition church services." According to ed. 1855 St. Petersburg, pp. 392–393. An excerpt from the words of St. Sophronia, Patr. Jerusalem, “O Divine Sacred One.” According to ed. 855 SP b., pp. 28–78. St. John Zlat. demon 6 on the words of the prophet, Isaiah VI-I, art. 2. According to ed. 1861. SP b. Conversations on various topics sacred places Scriptures, vol. 1, pp. 267–269. Blazh. Simeon, Archbishop Thessal. “Interpreted. about deities. church", ch. 80. According to ed. 1857 In the Service Book this prayer is called the prayer of proskomedia, that is, offering, since it is a prayer for the Holy Gifts being sacrificed. There is a third explanation for this symbolic action, which seems to us the most likely. The wafting of air during this vibration signifies the grace-filled overshadowing and action of the Holy Spirit, which is necessary for the confession of faith to be saving for us (1 Cor. 12:3). G. Dyachenko. Rejected against. resurrected dead. Op. T. 1, p. 214 ed vosii. This is what the Jacobites say: Nea, son of Zarf (Opusc. De concil.), Ebnassil (collect, can. c. 14), Ceeep (De Synodis et simbolo), Bar-Salibi, - from the Nestorians Ebneltaib (De Incarn.) Sl. Renaudoti Liturg. Orient. T. 1 p.m. 221. Assemani Bibi. Orient. T. 1, p. 487. Concil. Tolet. 3.can. 2. ar. Binium. T. 2, p. 280. Walfrid Strabo: De reg. ekkl. c. 22. St. Herman, Patr. Const. "Afterbirth. exposition church services." According to ed. 1855 St. Petersburg. pp. 401–404. St. Ephraim. Ser "Tolkov. on the book prophet Ezekiel." According to ed. 1853 Moscow, part 8, p. 23. St. John. Zlat. “Tolkov. on Chapter III book prophet Isaiah." According to ed. 1861 St. Petersburg. page 85. St. John. Zlat. demon VI to the words of the prophet. Isaiah, VI, I. According to ed. 1861 St. Petersburg. vol. I, pp. 271–272. Holy Communion is called “Thanksgiving”, in Greek Eucharist (Ευχαριστία), as a sacrifice not only of propitiation for the sins of the world, but also of gratitude to God for His untold mercies to the human race. Matt. 26:26–27; Mk. 14:22–24; OK. 22:1720 ; In. 6:32–35, 51–59. Acts 2:42–45 1 Cor. 10:16–17; 11:18–29. Klim. Rome. Epist. Ad Corinth. p. 40. IV. Lib. contr. haeres, p. ХVII. With. XVIII, 2.46. I. Lib. contr. haeres, p. XIII, 1 and 2. Corpus complex Vol. VII, col. 12–53. From 5 books. Prot. heresy Ch. II. 3. Ha XV Matt. T. 2 p. 27. Contr. Ceis. lib. VIII p. 83. Orig. in exod. XIII c. 3. H. E. Evceb. Lib. V c. 43 p. 391. From the letter to St. Cyprian. H. E. Evceb. Lib. VII, c. IX r. 407. See "Teaching of the Church Fathers" Phil. vol. 2, pp. 199–200. Op. Syr. T. 2. 252. Oh myrrh. r. 332 in 2 π. about the pearl in 12 songs about the dead Phil. part 2 p. 124. § 89. De misteriis. see Filar. part 11 page 227. See "Teaching of the Church Fathers" Phil. vol. 2, p. 59. Lib. VII. With. 12. 124–125. Collection ancient lit. 178 issue 1. Christ. Thurs. 1869 r., No. 2 p. 215. Right review 1870 No. 9 p. 364. See details in Vol. epar. Ved." 1888 I. Dmitrevsky - Explained. lit. page 296. In our time - His Holiness the Patriarch (ed.). H. E. Evseb. lib 4. p. 5 rub. 217. East. about the song Phil. Part 1, page 23. Lib. IX ad Rom. XII f 2 r. 607 Homil. d. in Luk. Letters to Clear. 77 pp., 37 p. 28 pp., 66 π. 3 pages Heres. 65 afr. I. V. Wind. 3 L. p. 204. P. 10. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 30. Phil. “Scientist. about the Fathers of the Church." part 2, pp. 198–170 – 259. Zlat. In Ignat op. 1.2, p. 599. Ephr. 112.Bac. 154. Perv. issue lit., p. 181. Deut. issue lit., p. 34. “Right. review" 1870 No. 9, p. 362. “Christ. Thu." 1869 No. 2, 214 pp. Daniel, pp. 84–96 Binterim, art. 79. See the excellent article in Volynsk. diocesan Ved." for 1888: “The Emergence of the Liturgy of I. Chrysostom.” St. John Zlat. Conversation about repentance. “Christ. Thu." 1836, 1.2 30. Lecturer Cassian the Roman: “Conversation on Prayer” Ch. XVII Christ. Thurs. 1835, part IV, p. 147. St. John Zlat. on Evang. Matt. demon XIX. According to ed. 1843 Moscow, p. 401. Rev. Cassian of the Romans. "Interview on Prayer." Ch. XVII, XVIII, XIX. Christ. Thurs. 1835 4. VI, pp. 147153. St. John Zlat. on Evang. Matt. demon XIX. According to ed. 1843 4.1, pp. 404–406. Lecturer Cassian the Roman, "On Prayer". “Christ. Thu." 1835, 1, pp. 155–158. St. John Zlat. on Evang. Matt. demon XIX. According to ed. 1843 Part I, pp. 404–406. Participial verse in Greek. called kinonic from κοινωνία - communication, communion. According to Palladius, St. I. Chrysostom introduced the custom of drinking communion with water and eating part of the Pallad prosphora. f. XIII. Mon. 1 (and also introduced a liar). Renad. Sirsk. litur. 34 pp. f. 11. 23. 42. 121. f. 1. 283. For the use of a spoon, see Goar Evchol. Notae in messam § 1. Chrus 130 art. Stone of Faith Part 1 Ch. 7. “On the Most Holy Eucharist” p. 351 (307). There is also Menaea, the month of November, day 9, the life of Theoktistus. See more about this in “Brief. explained for the Liturgy" Rev. G. Mansvetova, § 85. Those bringing babies to Holy Communion should place them face up on their right hand and in this form bring them to Communion, without rocking them at all. After communion, there is no need to immediately raise the child in order to give him the opportunity to swallow the Blood of Christ. The First Ecumenical Council has 20 rules. in “Interpreted. Helmsman." part 1; l. 40 on the back: The day of Resurrection (i.e. Holy Week) is an image of the future century; the non-evening day of this endless age that wants to be.” At the same time, it should be noted that in our country the bread blessed at all-night vigils before great holidays is usually not distributed to the pilgrims present in the church. So what happens from here? Some Orthodox Christians, even intelligent ones, look with some bewilderment at the blessing of the loaves without distributing them to those present in the church, while others declare with bitter irony that there is “no point in blessing the loaves if they are not distributed to those present in the church.” Nicholas Kavasila, Archbishop of Thessalonica, in “Explained. Liturgist." Ch. 53, says: “After the distribution of bread (antidora) and the end of the psalm, the priest prays for the multitude (of people) with the last prayer, not only outside the altar and in the hearing of everyone, but also to the multitude (of the people) itself, extending the verbs of prayer: more now than before, showing communication with people.” On the days of the Lord’s holidays, also Holy and Bright Weeks, before the words “Christ, our true God,” the memory of the present celebration in honor of which the service was performed is added. On the Nativity of Christ: “He who was born in a den and reclined in a manger for our salvation...” On the day of Epiphany; “He who is willing to be baptized in the Jordan” and so on. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week: “The Lord comes to our free passion for the sake of salvation... “On Bright Week: “Christ is risen from the dead...” How saving it is to ask the Mother of God for intercession for us, one church writer says about this: “Your small offering, which you wish to bring to God, strive to give into the hands most pleasing to God, and most worthy of all acceptance, of the Ever-Virgin Mary, for the sake of bringing (it to Him), if you do not want to be rejected.” For this purpose, at the end of our prayers, the following prayer is sent to the Mother of God: “Glorious Ever-Virgin, Mother of Christ God, bring our prayer to Thy Son and our God...” In the “Russian Hierarchy,” part 2, on page 350, it is shown that in the Jerusalem churches, and following their example in our stauropegial monastery, called New Jerusalem, this vacation is performed by the priest in front of the Royal Doors, which are already closed behind him, and at the end of it he enters the altar through the northern door. This is what the Likhud brothers taught us back in the 17th century. Si. Mirkovich “About time. pre-existing Holy Gifts", pp. 115, 140–141, 163. Rev. Macarius "Orthodox. Dogma. Theology". T. 2, p. 291. Right 97, about the Holy Spirit ch. 27. See Mirkovich “About time. pre-existing Holy Gifts", page 165. Accur. izl. Orthodox faith, book IV, ch. 13. See Mirkovich - “Oh present. Holy Gifts." About the divine church § 88. Leo Allatius – De Eccl. Occid. et Orient. Perp. Cons. Addela col. 1388. See Mirkovic - “About time. Pres. Holy Gifts” – pp. 182–183. See Mirkovich - “About time. Pres. Holy Gifts” – page 208. Appendix to Mr. Mirkovich’s essay “On Time.” Pres. Holy Gifts." New Tablet – part 2, page 246. St. Petersburg. 1859. Herman ed. Migne, b. 434–436; rus. trans., pp. 407, 408.