This is my blood. Divine Liturgy

Maundy Thursday. The Last Supper, Christ's Supper, so mysterious, so deep, so infinitely important, that our hearts are filled with trembling. For in this Holy Supper, the Lord Jesus Christ performed one of His most important deeds - He washed the feet of His disciples, He established the Sacrament of Holy Communion and for the first time Himself performed this Sacrament, for the first time Communion of His disciples.

The Lord showed His greatest humility by deed, washing the dusty feet of His disciples.
The Lord commanded His disciples, and through them all Christians, to imitate that great deed of His that they had just seen. The Lord said: If I, your Teacher, have washed your feet, then you must also wash one another's feet.

This is the testament of Christ to us, the order of Christ. We must fulfill it. How are we going to fulfill it? What does it mean to wash one another's feet?

This means that we must deeply humble ourselves before all people, do not exalt ourselves before anyone, serve everyone, as the Lord Jesus Christ served ... This means that in everything we must serve our neighbors, in everything, even in the most unpleasant deed, nothing abhorring. This means that we must, without any disgust, without any disgust, wash, bandage and heal the disgusting, fetid festering wounds of our brothers - bodily wounds. This means that with great humility and love we must also heal the spiritual wounds of our brothers. This means that we must endure the infirmities of the weak, as St. Paul: You must serve them, and do not rule over anyone, do not command anyone, be a servant to everyone. You see how great, how mysterious, how deeply important this work of the Lord Jesus Christ is the washing of the feet of His disciples.

But another, even more important work was done by the Lord at the Last Supper, on the day that we now remember in our prayerful bowing. On this day, the Lord Jesus Christ established the greatest of the Christian Sacraments - the Sacrament of Communion. On that day He performed an unusually mysterious and holy work. He took the bread, blessed it, looked up to heaven, gave praise to God, broke the bread and gave it to His disciples with amazing, completely unusual words that you hear at every holy Liturgy. “Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins.” Then the Lord Jesus Christ blessed the cup of wine and, giving it to the disciples, said: “Drink all of you from it: this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins. Do this in remembrance of Me."

The apostles accepted these mysterious words into their hearts, believed that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life, descended from Heaven. And now, at the Last Supper, when He gave them His Flesh and Blood under the guise of bread and wine, they remembered with deep faith these words of Christ: “Unless you eat My Flesh and drink My Blood, you will not have eternal life. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him.” They put it in their hearts.

This is how extremely important this Sacrament is, the Sacrament of the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, which the Lord Himself established at the Last Supper and commanded us to perform in His memory. We must believe with all our hearts that under the guise of bread and wine we really eat the Flesh of Christ and drink His Blood. And let none of us doubt, seeing that bread remains bread and wine remains wine, and that they have the taste of bread and wine. Let no one doubt that this is not ordinary wine and not ordinary bread, but the true Body and Blood of Christ.

The Lord does not force us, who have an aversion to raw meat, who cannot drink blood, to eat His Flesh and drink His Blood in the form of genuine meat and genuine blood. The Lord in the Mystery of the Eucharist performs the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, and we must all believe that this transubstantiation is truly taking place. None of you should think as Lutherans and all sectarians, and above all Baptists, think that we are only making an image of what our Lord did at the Last Supper, that this is only a formal similarity to the Last Supper. May every Christian believe that he partakes of the true Blood and the true Body of Christ.

There were many who doubted that bread and wine were truly transubstantiated into the Body and Blood of Christ. Not once, but many times, the Lord miraculously admonished such doubters. A true tradition has come down to us that a certain woman in Rome baked prosphora and brought them to St. Gregory the Dialogist, Pope of Rome.

When St. Gregory once communed her, she smiled. He asked her, "What are you laughing at?" “How can I not laugh,” she answered, “when I myself, with my own hands, baked this bread, and you say that this is the true Body of Christ.”

St. Gregory then raised his eyes to heaven and prayed to God that He would convince this woman that she would partake of the true Body and true Blood of Christ. And through prayer, his bread and wine suddenly turned into genuine human flesh and blood. And seeing this, the woman trembled in fear. And St. Gregory prayed again, and through prayer his flesh and blood again turned into bread and wine.

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We know from the life of St. Sergius of Radonezh. When he celebrated the liturgy and called on the Holy Spirit, when he pronounced the consummatory words of this Great Sacrament: “Having changed by Your Holy Spirit,” then one of his holy disciples saw that St. Sergius is all surrounded by flames. He saw how this flame, moving away from Sergius, twisted into a ball and entered the cup of wine. Is this not enough for us? Will we consider it a legend?

Let unbelievers talk about the legend, but we believe that this is really so, and those bishops and priests who celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist with the greatest reverence, clearly feel that the greatest Sacrament is happening, feel how the Holy Spirit descends on bread and wine.

This is what the Lord Jesus Christ did at the Last Supper, a work even more important than the washing of the feet.
Let us extend our filthy hands and feet to the Most Merciful Lord Jesus Christ and beseech Him to wash away our filthiness. And when He washes them in the Sacrament of Repentance, then let us proceed to the great Sacrament of Communion with fear and trembling, with deep faith that under the guise of bread and wine we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, that the words of Christ will be fulfilled on us: He who eats My Flesh and he who drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him (John 6:56). And let us rest forever in eternal life, in holy communion with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Maundy Thursday. Before us appears a lined room, where the Lord is at the Supper with His disciples. It remains very little to humiliation, insults, beatings, Calvary suffering. The Lord gathers the apostles not only to once again strengthen their spirit, but also to reveal the meaning of his sacrificial deed. “Take, eat: this is My Body, which is broken for you, for the remission of sins,” says the Lord, pointing to the bread that is at the Meal. “Drink from Her, all of you: this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many, for the remission of sins,” He says, pointing to the cup.

The Mystery of the Great Thursday Supper is also revealed to us. During the Liturgy, we all hear these words addressed to us by the Lord. Every believer in Christ is invited by God and Savior himself to partake of His Body and Blood.

In the Divine Service, the Body and Blood of the Lord is taught to believers from a church vessel called a chalice. This vessel is especially kept in the altar. Only priests have access to it. But, unfortunately, when the impoverishment of faith in people and the decline of piety come, such things fall into the hands of ungodly people. In our history, there have been more than enough such facts. And our city is no exception.

In 1923, the Bolsheviks closed the temple in the city of Vyazemsky. The building of the temple is transferred to the house of culture. Part of the church things goes to the new owners. Later in 1972, Gennady Borisovich Golosov, who at that time was working in the city of Vyazemsky and being an acquaintance of the director of the house of culture, saw a strange object on the table in the club, which the director used as an ashtray. When asked where she came from? - he was told that she was from old temple things. Gennady Borisovich asked me to give him this item. When he got home and cleaned it, he saw that it was a church bowl. The upper part was of silver and the lower of copper. On the bowl, even the mark of the master who minted it was visible. Gennady Borisovich decided to keep the find and left for Khabarovsk.

Time passed, and he learned that in the city of Vyazemsky there was a functioning community and a temple on a historical site. And as he himself said, he did not want to leave such a thing with him, because it should not be at home, but in the temple.

This miraculous event took place in our church on May 2, 2013 during Passion Week on Maundy Thursday after the Divine Liturgy.

You never cease to be amazed at how wonderfully the Lord binds us. The events of two thousand years ago, the past century, the fasting service, which recalls the Last Supper of the current Lent, all this speaks of the unity of our Participation in our Savior by a special providence known only to Him.

It only remains to say, glory to our God forever. Amen.

“It is very important for an Orthodox Christian to be at the Liturgy and take communion in order to become a partaker of the Last Supper,” said Deacon Svyatoslav Semak, head of the department of the church charter of the Kiev choir school.

- What does the Church celebrate on the day called Maundy Thursday?

In liturgical books this day is called “Great Thursday”. This is the day on which the Church commemorates the establishment of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. It was on this day, in the evening, that the last meal took place - the Last Supper of Christ with his disciples. After the meal, the Lord broke the bread into pieces and distributed it with the words: “Take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins…” (Mt. 26:26) Then the Lord passed around the cup of wine: “…drink of it all, this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Mt. 26:27-28).

Thus the Lord instituted the Sacrament of Communion, saying to the disciples: “…do this in remembrance of me” (1 Cor. 11:25).

The central part of the mosaic "Communion of the Apostles". Sofia Kievskaya.

The main reason why the Lord came to earth is not the redemption of the sins of mankind, not the forgiveness of man by God because he once transgressed His will. The Lord came to save a person, to heal him from the consequences of sin, to restore immortality to him, to do what a person himself is not able to do.

Christ became incarnate, taking on two natures: He was fully God and fully man. And by His Divinity He healed the damaged human nature.

By the Sacrament of Communion, He gave us to join this Divine principle in man - Christ gives us His Body and Blood, with which we can partake and, thereby, "graft" Christ's nature, healed by Him, into our damaged human nature. And the juices of Divine life begin to flow in us.

This is the main meaning of Maundy Thursday - we remember the day when the sacrament was celebrated for the first time.

How is the Holy Thursday service different from other services, in particular, from the services of other days of Holy Week?

Our liturgical practice has developed in such a way that we now live a little “ahead”, and we celebrate the service that should have been performed on Thursday evening, on Thursday morning. On this day in the morning, the Hours (third, sixth and ninth), Pictorial (a small service that outwardly resembles the Liturgy) will be served, then Vespers will begin, turning into the Liturgy. Liturgy on this day is served according to the order of St. Basil the Great. Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, especially solemn and full, is now served only 10 times a year: five Sundays of Great Lent, on Christmas Eve and Epiphany Eve, on Great Thursday and Great Saturday, and also on the day of memory of St. Basil the Great himself.

On Great Thursday, the Liturgy, among other things, is also distinguished by the fact that during the service the same troparion sounds several times, which the Orthodox know by heart - he joins the prayer for Holy Communion: “Supper with Your mystery today, Son of God, accept me as a partaker: I will not tell your enemies your secret, I will not give you a kiss, like Judas, but, like a robber, I confess you! Remember me, Lord, in Your kingdom!”

“Thy secret suppers today, Son of God, accept me as a partaker: we will not sing a secret to Your enemy, nor will I give kisses to Thee, like Judas, but like a thief I will confess Thee: remember me, Lord, in Thy kingdom.”

This troparion is sung instead of the Cherubic Hymn, instead of the communion verse, during and after Communion.

At the Holy Trinity Ioninsky Monastery

- What is important to do on this day, what should not be missed?

In the people this day is called - Maundy Thursday. We will not find such a name in liturgical books, since it is of exclusively folk origin.

There is a superstition among the people: “On Maundy Thursday, every self-respecting Christian should certainly bathe before dawn”. As a result, for such "Orthodox" the whole meaning of the holiday comes down to an extraordinary bathing. And this is very sad.

Of course, on this day it is desirable to get to the service and proceed to the Holy Mysteries of Christ. On the day when the Church celebrates the establishment by the Lord of the Sacrament of Holy Communion, it is very important for an Orthodox Christian to be at the Liturgy and take communion in order to become a partaker of the Last Supper.

It is sad when a person comes to the Liturgy, stands the whole service - and does not proceed to Communion. In the first centuries of Christianity, this would have been impossible - the first Christians took communion at every Liturgy they attended. During the time of St. Basil the Great, this could happen four times a week.

It is gratifying that more and more attention has recently been paid to the importance of the Sacrament of Communion. The pre-revolutionary rule to take communion once in each fast and on Angel Day is already a thing of the past. I am very glad that the tradition of weekly communion is being revived in the Orthodox environment.

After all, the most important thing that the Lord gives us is He Himself.

Liturgy

There is the most important Divine service, during which the Most Holy Sacrament of Communion is performed, established by our Lord Jesus Christ on Thursday evening, on the eve of His suffering on the Cross. Having washed the feet of His apostles to show them an example of humility, the Lord, giving praise to God the Father, took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to the apostles, saying: "take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you"; Then He took a cup of grape wine, also blessed it and gave it to the apostles, saying: drink of it, all of you: this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins."; having communed them, the Lord gave the commandment to always perform this Sacrament: " do this in remembrance of me"(Mt. 26 , 26-28; Onion 22 , nineteen; 1 Cor. 11 , 24).

The apostles celebrated Holy Communion according to the commandment and example of Jesus Christ and taught Christians how to celebrate this great and saving Sacrament. At first, the order and manner of celebrating the Liturgy was transmitted orally, and all the prayers and sacred hymns were memorized. Then the written presentation of the Apostolic Liturgy began to appear. Over time, the Liturgy was replenished with new prayers, hymns and sacred actions, which violated the uniformity in its celebration in different churches. There was a need to unite all the existing rites of the Liturgy, to introduce uniformity in their performance. This was done in the fourth century, when the persecution of Christians ceased and the Christian Church was given the opportunity to begin to improve its inner life (Ecumenical Councils). At that time St. Basil the Great wrote down and offered for general use the rite of the Liturgy composed by him, and St. John Chrysostom somewhat reduced this rank. This rite was based on the most ancient Liturgy of the Holy Apostle James, the first bishop of Jerusalem.

St. Basil the Great was the archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia (in Asia Minor). They call him "Great" for his great deeds for the benefit of the Church. He left behind many church writings, many prayers and church rules. Died in 379

St. John Chrysostom was the Archbishop of Constantinople. "Chrysostom" was nicknamed him for the special eloquence with which he preached the Word of God. He also left behind many church works. He somewhat (in prayers read secretly by the priest) shortened the rite of the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, but did not allow any significant changes. He died in 402 in exile.

The liturgy has various names. First name" Liturgy"- Greek, means "public service" and indicates that the Sacrament of Holy Communion is a propitiatory Sacrifice to God for sins Total communities of believers, living and dead. Since the Sacrament of Holy Communion in Greek is called the Eucharist, which means "thankgiving sacrifice", the Liturgy is also called " Eucharist". Most often the Liturgy is called " mass", since it is supposed to be performed at noon (lunch) time, and the Body and Blood of Christ, offered in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, in the Word of God are called the "Meal" and "Supper" of the Lord (1 Cor. 10 , 21; 11 , 20). - In apostolic times, the Liturgy was also called " breaking bread"(Acts. 2 , 46). The Liturgy commemorates the earthly life and teachings of Jesus Christ from birth to His ascension to heaven and the saving blessings He brought to earth.

The order of the Liturgy is as follows: first, the substance for the Sacrament is prepared, then the faithful are prepared for the Sacrament, and, finally, the Sacrament itself is performed, and the faithful receive communion. The Liturgy is thus divided into three parts, called: 1) " proskomedia", 2) Liturgy of the "catechumens" and 3) Liturgy of the "faithful".

I. Proskomedia

"Proskomedia" is a Greek word and means: bringing. This is the name of the first part of the Liturgy from the custom of the ancient Christians to bring bread, wine and everything necessary for the celebration of the Liturgy; therefore, the very bread used on it is called prosphora, What means: offering. Bread (prosphora) should be leavened (raised), clean, wheaten. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself took leavened, not unleavened, bread to celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion. - The prosphora must be round and consist of two parts in the image of the two natures of Jesus Christ - Divine and human; on the upper part of the prosphora there is a seal depicting a cross and in its corners - the initial letters of the name of Christ the Savior: IS. XP. and the Greek word: NI-KA; it means: Jesus Christ conquers. Wine for the Sacrament requires grape, red, because the red color resembles the color of blood; wine is mixed with water in remembrance of the fact that blood and water flowed from the perforated rib of the Savior on the cross. For proskomidia, five prosphora are used in remembrance of the miraculous feeding of more than five thousand people by Christ with five loaves, which circumstance gave Jesus Christ a reason to teach the people about spiritual nourishment and about incorruptible, spiritual food served in the Sacrament of Holy Communion (John. 6 , 22-58). But actually for communion is used one prosphora (Lamb), according to the apostle: " one bread, and we many are one body; for we all partake of the same bread"(1 Cor. 10 , 17), and therefore, in its size, this prosphora should correspond to the number of communicants.

PERFORMANCE OF PROSCOMIDE

Having prepared, according to the church charter, for the celebration of the Liturgy, the priest and deacon read the so-called "similar" prayers before the closed royal doors and put on sacred clothes in the altar. Approaching, then, to the altar, the priest, having blessed the beginning of the proskomedia, takes first(lamb) prosphora and with a copy makes an image of the cross on it three times, saying: " in remembrance of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ". This means: the proskomedia is performed according to the commandment of Jesus Christ. From this prosphora, the priest cuts out the middle with a copy, in the form of a cube, with the words of the prophet Isaiah: " like(as) leading a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb without blemish, straight shearing it is mute, so it does not open its mouth; in his humility his judgment will be taken; his kind who is confession; as if the belly (life) will take off from the earth his"(Is. 53 , 7-8). This cubic part of the prosphora is called lamb(John. 1 , 29) and relies on diskos. - Then, the priest makes a cross-shaped incision on the underside of the Lamb with the pronunciation of the words: " eats(sacrifice) Lamb of God, take up(took over) the sin of the world, for the worldly belly(a life) and salvation", and pierces the right side of the Lamb with a spear, pronouncing the words of the evangelist: " one from the warrior with a copy of the rib to him perforated and abie(immediately) out blood and water; and who has seen testimonies and truly is his testimony"(John. 19 , 34); in accordance with these words, wine mixed with water is poured into the cup (chalice). - From second prosphora, called "Mother of God", the priest takes out one particle in honor Mother of God and places it on the right side of the Lamb on the diskos. - From the third prosphora, called "nine-fold", is taken out nine particles in honor of the saints: John the Baptist, prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, reverends, unmercenaries, Godfather Joachim and Anna and that saint in whose name the Liturgy is celebrated; these particles are placed on the left side of the Lamb on the diskos, three particles in a row. From fourth prosphora particles are taken out alive and rely below the Lamb on the paten; of the fifth - for the dead and rely below the particles taken out for the living. Finally, particles are removed from the prosphora served by the faithful; at the same time, the corresponding "remembrances" about the health and salvation of the living and about the repose of the departed servants of God are read; particles from these prosphora are placed together with particles taken from the fourth and fifth prosphora.

At the end of the proskomedia, the priest blesses the censer with incense and, having shaken the star, puts it on the diskos over the Lamb and the particles in order to keep them in the proper order, covers the diskos and the chalice with two small covers and on top of them with another somewhat larger one, called " air", censes before the Gifts and prays to the Lord to bless the offered Gifts, to remember those who brought these Gifts and those for whom they were brought, and to make him himself worthy for the sacred service of the divine Mysteries.

The sacred objects used on the proskomedia and the actions performed have symbolic meaning: the diskos marks both the Bethlehem cave and Golgotha, the asterisk - the Bethlehem star and the cross, the covers - the Christmas shrouds, the shrouds and the shroud that were in the tomb of the Savior, the chalice - the Chalice in which Jesus Christ served as a priest, the preparation of the Lamb - judgment, suffering and death Jesus Christ, and the perforation of his copy is the perforation made by one of the soldiers on the Body of the Savior. The combination of all the particles in a certain order on the diskos means the entire Church of God, whose members are: the Mother of God, the angels, all the saints of God, all believing Christians - living and dead, and its Head is the Lord our Savior Himself. Incense marks the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, whose grace is communicated in the sacrament of Holy Communion.

The proskomidia is performed by the priest on the altar with the altar closed in an undertone. It ends when on the kliros read 3rd and 6th(and sometimes 9th) clock according to the Hours.

II. Liturgy of the catechumens

The second part of the Liturgy is called the Liturgy of the "catechumens" because catechumens may also be present during its celebration, that is, those preparing to receive Holy Baptism, as well as penitents who have been excommunicated for serious sins from Holy Communion.

The deacon, having received a blessing from the priest, leaves the altar to the pulpit (a place opposite the royal gates) and says loudly: " Bless, lord!", that is, bless the beginning of the service and the assembled believers to participate in the prayerful glorification of God. The priest in his first exclamation glorifies the Holy Trinity: " blessed(i.e. worthy of praise) the kingdom of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever(always), and forever and ever(forever). The singers sing: Amen"(indeed so). Then the deacon says great litany, which lists various Christian needs and our petitions to the Lord, and the priest in the altar secretly prays that the Lord would look upon this temple and those praying in it and fulfill their needs. The great litany begins with a reminder that one must pray to the Lord " the world", that is, reconciled with everyone, not having anger or enmity against anyone; according to the teachings of the Savior, we cannot bring gifts to God if we have" anything against neighbor"(Matt. 5 , 23-24). The highest good for which one should pray is the peace of mind and the salvation of the soul: about from above(heavenly) peace and salvation of our souls"; this peace is that peace of conscience, that joyful feeling that we experience, for example, after an attentive confession and a worthy communion of the Holy Mysteries, in a sympathetic attitude towards the fate of our neighbor, after every good deed; the Savior taught this world to the apostles in a farewell conversation at the Last Supper (Jn. 14 , 27). "About the world of the whole world"- so that there is no strife and enmity between peoples and states throughout the world (universe)." On the Welfare of God's Holy Churches", - so that the Orthodox Churches in all states firmly and unshakably, on the basis of the Word of God and the rules of the Universal Church, profess the holy Orthodox faith, not being carried away by disastrous heresies and not allowing a schism," about connecting all those who believe in the one flock of Christ (Jn. 10 , sixteen). Pray" about this holy temple", which is the main shrine of the parish and should be the subject of special care for each parishioner, so that the Lord preserves it from fire, thieves and other misfortunes, and about those who enter it (" in one") with sincere faith, reverence and fear of God. - We pray for patriarchs, metropolitans, archbishops and bishops because they have the main oversight of the purity of the Christian Faith and morality; about faithful rulers who protect the freedom of the Orthodox Faith and the general legal order for the peaceful life of all citizens - " About this city(or weigh- - village) in which we live and work, oh " every city, country, and by the faith of those who live in them", we also pray for the feeling of Christian love and for all other cities and surroundings ( country- side) of it and about all the believing people living in them - " About the well-being of the air, about the abundance of the fruits of the earth, and about peaceful times": we pray for good, beneficial weather, so that the earth gives an abundance of all the fruits necessary to feed all the inhabitants of the country - and for a time of peace, so that there is no enmity or struggle among citizens that distracts from peaceful and honest labor. -" About floating, traveling, sick(sick) suffering(who has a lot of grief and sorrow in his soul), captives and about their salvation"- all these persons, especially before all, need Divine help and our prayer. We pray:" O deliver us from all sorrow, anger and need". - Then we ask the Lord to intercede and keep us not according to our deeds or our merits, which we do not have, but only by His mercy (grace), -" Intercede, save, have mercy and save us, O God, by Your grace". In the last words of the litany, " having mentioned", that is, having called for help, the Mother of God and all the saints, we betray, entrust ourselves and each other to Christ God, so that He guides us according to His most wise will. The priest ends the great litany with an exclamation: " like(because) befitting(befits, follows) To you all glory, honor and worship to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever": containing in itself, according to the model of the Lord's prayer, doxology, glorification of the Lord God.

After the great litany, psalms 102 are sung: Bless the Lord, my soul... and 145th: " Praise, my soul. Lord"... divided by a small litany: " packs and packs(more, again) Let's pray to the Lord in peace". In the aforesaid psalms depicted the good deeds of God to the human race: the heart ( soul) a Christian should be glorified ( bless) the Lord, who cleanses and heals our spiritual and bodily infirmities, fulfills our good desires, delivers our life from corruption - and do not forget all His good deeds ( rewards); The Lord is generous, merciful and long-suffering; He keeps the truth forever, executes judgment on the offended, gives food to the hungry, frees the prisoners ( solve the chained), loves the righteous, accepts orphans and widows, and punishes sinners... These Psalms are called pictorial, and since they are supposed to be sung on two kliros alternately, then in Greek they are also called " antiphons". On the twelfth feasts of the Lord, pictorial psalms (antiphons) are not sung; instead, special verses from other psalms corresponding to the celebrated event are sung. After each verse of the first festive antiphon, the refrain is sung: " Through the prayers of the Mother of God, Savior, save us!"And behind each verse of the second antiphon, depending on the holiday:" Save us, Son of God, be born of the Virgin" (on Christmas Day) or: " baptized in the Jordan"(in the Baptism of the Lord) or:" risen from the dead"(at Easter) and the like..." singing T: alleluia!"(Praise God). At the end of the second antiphon, the song is always sung:" The only-begotten Son and the Word of God, He is immortal, and deigning our salvation for the sake of being incarnated from the Holy Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, immutably incarnated as a man, crucified, Christ God, righting death by death, one Holy One of the Trinity, glorified by the Father and the Holy Spirit, save us." This song outlines the Orthodox teaching about the Second Person of the Holy Trinity - the Son of God, Jesus Christ; the only begotten (only in essence) Son and Word of God, Christ God, being immortal became a man without ceasing to be God (" irrevocably"- invariably" incarnate"), having taken human flesh (body) from the Holy Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary and being crucified, He conquered our death with His death" right death death", one of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity, glorified along with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

This is followed by a small litany and singing beatitudes of the gospel(Matt. 5 , 3-12), which indicate that a Christian, asking for mercy from God, should have humility of spirit(spiritual poverty), lament your sins, be meek (gentle), to act according to the righteousness of God, to have purity in the heart to be merciful to your neighbor, square off hostile, to be patient in all trials, ready to bear reproach, exile ("dependent") and death for Christ, i.e., to be His confessor, for which feat awaits great reward ("retribution") in heaven. On the great feasts of the Lord, instead of the Gospel beatitudes, the corresponding troparion with verses is sung several times. While singing gospel beatitudes royal doors open for a small entry. At the end of the Beatitudes, the priest takes the Holy Gospel from the throne, hands it over to the deacon, and exits, preceded by the deacon carrying the Holy Gospel, through the northern doors to the pulpit. - This exit of the clergy with the Holy Gospel is called small entrance, in contrast to the next great entrance, and reminds believers of the first exit of Jesus Christ to the world preaching. Having received a blessing from the priest, the deacon stops at the royal gates and, raising St. The gospel, loudly proclaims: " Wisdom! Sorry!" enters the altar and places the Holy Gospel on the throne. - Exclamation: "Wisdom! I'm sorry!" reminds the believers that they must stand straight(according to the literal translation from the Greek, "forgive" means: correctly, directly), that is, to be attentive, concentrated in thoughts. - Looking at St. The gospel, as to Jesus Christ Himself, going to preach, believers sing: " Come, let us worship and fall down to Christ, save us, Son of God, risen from the dead(or prayers of the Virgin, or in the saints wondrous Sy), singing Ty: alleluia! After this, sing troparion(Sunday, or festive, or saintly) and other hymns, and the priest at this time in secret prayer asks the Heavenly Father, sung by the cherubim and glorified by the seraphim, to accept the angelic (trisagion) song from us, forgive sins, sanctify and give us strength righteously serve Him; end of this prayer: Thou art holy, our God"...he speaks out loud.

Next is sung "trisagion": - "Holy God" ... On the Nativity of Christ, the Baptism of the Lord, Easter (the whole week), and the day of the Holy Trinity, as well as on Saturdays - Lazarus and the Great, instead of the "trisagion" is sung: " Yelitsy(which) baptized in Christ(baptized) put on Christ(put on the clothes of righteousness): alleluia"because in the ancient Church, the catechumens mostly received holy baptism on these holidays. On the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14) and on the third "week" (Sunday) of Great Lent, when the Cross is venerated, instead of the "trisagion" , sing: "We bow to Thy Cross, Master, and glorify Thy Holy Resurrection."

At the end of the "trisagion" the next Apostle is read (the apostolic reading from the book of the Acts of the holy apostles, seven conciliar apostolic epistles and fourteen sent by St. Apostle Paul - according to a special index). For a careful reading of the apostle, the faithful prepare with exclamations: " Wonmem"(we will listen!) "Peace to all! Wisdom!" and singing prokeimna- a special short verse (variable). During the reading of the apostle, censing as a sign of that grace of the Holy Spirit with which the apostles preached to the whole world the teaching of Jesus Christ. On censing, as well as on the exclamation of the priest: "peace to all!" you need to answer with a simple bow (without the sign of the cross). Then, it is sung: "alleluia" three times with the pronunciation of special verses and the next Gospel(also according to a special index), preceded and accompanied by the singing of a joyful song: "Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee!" since for a believing Christian there can be no more joyful news than the gospel (gospel) about the life, teachings and miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle and the Gospel should be listened to with special attention, with the head bowed, those who first get acquainted with these readings at home do well. Before starting to read the Apostle and the Gospel, you should cross yourself, and at the end, make the sign of the cross, with a bow, three times.

After the gospel pure(enhanced) litany, at the beginning of which believers are invited to pray to the Lord God from a pure heart, with all the strength of the soul: " Rcem(let's talk, pray) all with all my heart and with all my thoughts..."Next, in two petitions, we specifically (strongly) ask the Lord to hear our prayer and have mercy on us:" Lord, Almighty, God of our fathers, we pray(we pray to you) hear and have mercy. Have mercy on us, God..."Substantial petitions follow: for patriarchs, metropolitans, archbishops, bishops, the ruling Bishop and to all our brethren in Christ(about all believing Christians); about faithful rulers; about priests, about monks who are in holy orders, and about all servants of Christ's Church; about the blessed and memorable(always worthy of memory) the most holy patriarchs of the Orthodox, and pious kings, and pious queens, and about the creators of St. church and about all the deceased Orthodox fathers and brothers, buried here and everywhere. It is necessary to pray for the dead out of a feeling of Christian love for them, which never fails, especially since for the dead beyond the grave there is no repentance, but only retribution - a blessed life or eternal torment. Christian prayer for them, good deeds done in their memory, and especially the offering of a bloodless Sacrifice, can implore God's justice and ease the torment of sinners. - Still especially pray for mercy(so that the Lord has mercy on us), about life, peace, health, salvation, visiting(visited, did not leave with his graces), forgiveness, forgiveness of the sins of God's servants brethren of this holy temple(i.e. parishioners). In the last petition of the special litany, it is spoken of those who bear fruit and do good in this holy and all-honorable temple, those who labor (for the temple), sing, and the people standing in it, expecting great and rich mercy from God. Under fruitful and virtuous(doing good) for the temple means believers who bring to the temple everything necessary for Divine services (oil, incense, prosphora, etc.), donate money and things for the needs of the temple and the parish (for the splendor of the temple, for the maintenance working people in it - the clergy, singers, ministers, for the benefit of poor parishioners and for other general parish religious and moral needs).

The special litany is followed by a special Litany for the Dead, in which we pray for all our deceased fathers and brothers, we ask Christ, the immortal King and our God, to forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, to rest them in the villages of the righteous and, recognizing that there is no person who would not sin in his life , we beg the Righteous Vessel to grant them the Kingdom of Heaven, where all the righteous rest.

Further pronounced litanies for the catechumens so that the Lord would have mercy on them, instruct them in the truths of St. faith ("revealed to them the gospel of truth") and honored with Holy Baptism ("to unite them with the saints ... of the Church"). During this litany, the priest unfolds on the throne antimension and ends the litany with the exclamation: "Yes, and ti with us glorify ...", i.e., so that they (catechumens) together with us (believers) glorify the Most Honorable and Great Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Then the catechumens are invited to leave the temple: "Come out of the Annunciation Trees"... The catechumens still exist in the exact sense; these are pagans preparing for Holy Baptism (in China, Japan, Siberia), Mohammedans and Jews in different parts of the universe. They all need God's mercy, and therefore we must pray for them. As for the command to the catechumens to leave the temple, these words should be a warning to us, even if there are no “catechumens” among us. We, the baptized, often sin and without repentance are present in the temple without due reverence, or we have enmity and hatred against our neighbor in our souls. And therefore, with menacing words: "announced get out", we, as unworthy, must delve into ourselves, reflect on our unworthiness, forgive our personal enemies, sometimes imaginary, and ask the Lord God for forgiveness of our sins with a firm determination to become better.

In words: "We will pray to the Lord again and again in peace" starts Liturgy of the Faithful.

III. Liturgy of the Faithful

This is the name of the third part of the Liturgy because only faithful, i.e. baptized. It can be divided into the following parts: 1) the transfer of honest Gifts from the altar to the throne; 2) preparation of believers for the consecration of the Gifts; 3) consecration (transubstantiation) of the Gifts; 4) preparation of believers for communion; 5) communion and 6) thanksgiving for communion and dismissal.

1. TRANSFER OF HONEST GIFTS FROM THE ALTAR TO THE THRON

After the invitation to the catechumens to leave the temple, two short litanies are pronounced and a cherubic hymn is sung: “Also secretly forming the Cherubim, and singing a three-holy song to the life-giving Trinity, we will put aside all worldly care now. - Let us raise up the King of all, Invisibly angelic Dorinos chinmi. Alleluia (thrice) .

In Russian, this song reads like this: “We, mysteriously portraying the Cherubim and singing the trisagion hymn to the Trinity, which gives life, will now leave the care of everything worldly, so that we can glorify the King of all, Whom the invisibly angelic ranks solemnly glorify. Praise be to God!” Separate words of the Cherubic Hymn mean: secretly forming- mysteriously portraying, or mysteriously representing oneself; life-giving- giving life; hummingly- singing; put off- leave; worldly care- care for everyday life; like yes- to; let's raise- raise, glorify; dorinoshima- solemnly worn, glorified (" dory"- the word is Greek and means: a spear, so that" dorinoshima"means; spear-carried; in ancient times, wanting to solemnly glorify kings or commanders, they put them on shields and, lifting them up, carried them on these shields in front of the troops, and the shields were supported by spears, so that from a distance it seemed that the glorified persons were carried on spears) ; angel chinmies- angelic ranks; alleluia- Praise be to God!

The cherubic hymn reminds the believers that they should now leave all thought of worldly things, imagining that they, like the Cherubim, are near God, in heaven, and, as if together with them, sing to Him the thrice-holy hymn - praise to God. Before the Cherubic Hymn royal doors open, and the deacon does censing, and the priest in secret prayer asks the Lord to purify his soul and heart from the evil conscience and by the power of the Holy Spirit to honor him to bring the prepared Gifts to God; then, the priest with the deacon in an undertone utter the Cherubic Hymn three times, and both go to the altar for transferring the precious Gifts from the altar to the throne. The deacon, having "air" (a large cover) on his left shoulder, carries a diskos on his head, and the priest in his hands - St. Chalice. Leaving the altar through the northern doors (the singing of the Cherubic Hymn at this time is interrupted by the words: “Let us lay aside care”), they stop at the pulpit and, facing the faithful, pray for the patriarchs, metropolitans, archbishops, for the ruling bishop, for the priesthood, monasticism, for the creators of the temple, for the Orthodox Christians present, and return through the royal doors to the altar, the honest Gifts are delivered to the throne on an unfolded antimension and covered with "air", after which the royal doors are closed and closed with a veil; the singers, meanwhile, are finishing the cherubic hymn. The transfer of the gifts from the altar to the throne is called great entrance and marks solemn procession of Jesus Christ to free suffering and death on the cross. Believers at this time should stand with their heads bowed and pray to the Lord to remember them and all those close to them in His kingdom; at the words of the priest: and you all Orthodox Christians may the Lord God remember"... you need to say in an undertone: "and may the Lord God remember your priesthood in His kingdom always, now and forever, and forever and ever."

2. THE PREPARATION OF LYERS FOR THE sanctification of HONEST GIFTS

After the great entrance, the preparation of the faithful for a worthy presence at the consecration of the prepared Gifts follows. It starts pleading litany: " Let's fulfill our Lord's Prayer" about " offered by honest Dareh"so that they are pleasing to the Lord, for which at the same time the priest secretly prays, and that the Lord sanctifies them with His grace. Next, we ask the Lord for help to spend the whole day (" day of everything") in perfection, that is, holy, peaceful and without sin, send us a Guardian Angel, faithfully guiding us on the path of truth and goodness, and protecting our souls and bodies from all evil; please forgive us (" forgiveness") and forget (" abandonment") our occasional sins and often repeated sins; to grant us everything that is good and useful for the soul (and not something that delights our pernicious passions and which we often desire) and that all people (" world") lived and worked in peace among themselves (and not in enmity and mutually destroying struggle), and that we spend the rest of our lives (" other time of our belly") at peace with others and with his conscience and, in contrition (" repentance") about the sins committed, were honored Christian death, that is, having confessed and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. We ask for death painless, shameless, since there are cases of shameful death, for a Christian, for example, from drunkenness, suicide, a fight (duel), etc. We ask for death peaceful, i.e., in peace of mind and reconciliation with others. And that the Lord would deign us to give a kind, fearless answer at His terrible Judgment. For a worthy presence at the celebration of the Holy Sacrament, peace of mind, mutual love, and the true (Orthodox) faith uniting all are necessary. Therefore, after the petitionary litany, the priest, blessing the people, says: "peace to all!". Prayers immediately express the same wish to his soul ("and your spirit"). Then it proclaims: "Let us love one another, but confess with one mind" to which the singers sing: "Father and Son and Holy Spirit, Trinity consubstantial and indivisible." This shows Who should be so unanimously confessed (recognised). Following the following exclamation: "Doors, doors! Let us be attentive to wisdom!" sing (or read) Symbol of faith, which briefly, but exhaustively accurately, sets out our faith in the Holy Trinity and other main truths of the Orthodox Church. Wherein veil on the royal gates, the "air" is removed from the honest Gifts. The words: "Doors, doors!" in ancient times, they reminded doorkeepers to better watch the doors of the temple and not let the catechumens and unbelievers into it; now with these words the believers are reminded to close the doors of their souls to extraneous thoughts, and with the words: "let us hearken to wisdom" it is indicated that we should be attentive to the wise truths of the Orthodox faith set forth in the Creed.

From now on, believers shouldn't go out from the church until the end of the Liturgy. How reprehensible it is to violate this requirement is evident from the 9th Apostolic Canon: "All the faithful who enter the church ... and do not remain in prayer to the end, as if they are outrageous in the church, should be excommunicated from church fellowship." After the Creed, the exclamation: " Let's become(we will stand) good, let us stand with fear, let us pay attention, bring the holy exaltation in the world" the attention of believers is drawn to the fact that the time has come to bring the "holy offering" or sacrifice, that is, to celebrate the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, and from this moment it is necessary to stand with special reverence. - In response to this exclamation is sung: Grace of the world, sacrifice of praise", that is, we will offer with gratitude for the mercy of the heavenly world bestowed on us from above, the only sacrifice of praise available to us. The priest blesses the believers with the words: " The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love (love) of God and the Father and communion(communication) Holy Spirit be with you all", and, calling for reverent standing, proclaims: " woe we have hearts", i.e., we will have our hearts directed upwards - to God. To this, the singers reverently answer on behalf of those who pray: imams to the Lord", i.e., we already have hearts aspiring to the Lord.

3. sanctification (transubstantiation) of gifts

The performance of the Holy Sacrament of Communion is the most important part of the Liturgy. It begins with the words of the priest: Thank the Lord!"The believers express their gratitude to the Lord for all His mercies by worshiping Him, and the singers sing:" It is worthy and righteous to worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity of consubstantial and inseparable". The priest at this time in secret prayer, called Eucharistic(with gratitude), glorifies the infinite perfections of God, thank the Lord for the creation and redemption of man and for all His mercies, known to us and unknown, and for the fact that He deigns to accept this bloodless Sacrifice from us, although He is facing higher beings - Archangels, Angels , Cherubim and Seraphim, " song of victory singing, crying, calling and speaking". - The priest pronounces the last words aloud, and the singers fill in, singing the song that the Angels call: " Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts(Lord of the hosts of heaven), fulfill(filled) heaven and earth of thy glory". To this song, called "Seraphim", the singers add exclamations with which the people welcomed the entry of the Lord into Jerusalem: " Hosanna(Jewish benevolence: save, God help!) in the highest(in the sky)! blessed is he who comes(going) in the name of(for glory) Lord, Hosanna in the highest!" The words: " singing the song of victory..."taken from the visions of the prophet Ezekiel ( 1 , 4-24) and app. John the Evangelist (Ap. 4 , 6-8): they saw in revelation the Throne of God, surrounded by angels in the form of an eagle ( more singing), bodies ( blatantly), lion ( defiantly) and a person ( verbally) who constantly exclaimed: "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God."

The priest secretly continues the Eucharistic prayer, glorifying the blessings of God, the infinite love of God, revealed in the coming to earth of the Son of God, and remembering the Last Supper, when the Lord established the Holy. The Sacrament of Communion, pronounces aloud the words of the Savior, spoken by Him at the establishment of Holy. Sacraments: " Take, eat, this(This) is my body,(which) for you(for you) breaking into abandonment(forgiveness) sins" and " Drink from her all, this(this) is the blood of My New Testament, even(which) poured out for you and for many for the remission of sins". After that, in secret prayer, the priest briefly recalls the Savior's commandment to take Communion, glorifies His sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension and His second coming, and says aloud: " Yours from Yours, offering you about everyone and for everything"(about all members of the Church and all the blessings of God).

The singers sing long: We sing to you, we bless you, we thank you, O Lord; and we pray, our God, and the priest in secret prayer asks the Lord to send the Holy Spirit on the coming people and on the offered Gifts, so that He sanctifies them. Then, in an undertone, he reads the troparion of the 3rd hour: "Lord, even Thy Most Holy Spirit at the third hour sent down by Thy apostles, Him, the Good, do not take away from us, but renew us to pray." The deacon recites verse 12. 50 th ps.: " Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb.". The priest again reads the troparion of the 3rd hour, the deacon pronounces 13 st. 50 ps.: " Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me". The priest reads the troparion of the 3rd hour for the third time. Blessing the Holy Lamb (on the paten), he says: " And make this bread - the honest body of your Christ". Blessing the wine (in the holy cup), he says: " And the hedgehog in this bowl is the honest blood of your Christ. The deacon at each exclamation says: Amen. Finally blessing the bread and wine together, the priest says: Having changed by Your Holy Spirit". The deacon says three times: amen, amen, amen. In these great and holy minutes, bread and wine are transubstantiated into the true Body and true Blood of Christ. The priest makes an earthly bow before the Holy Gifts, as to the King and God Himself. This is the most important moment of the Liturgy.

After the consecration of the Holy Gifts, the priest in secret prayer asks the Lord that those who partake of the Holy Gifts will serve "in the sobriety of the soul"(i.e. strengthening in every good deed), for the remission of sins, for the communion of the Holy Spirit, for the fulfillment(receipt) the kingdom of heaven, in boldness to thee(i.e., to be given the right to turn to the Lord with all needs), not to court or condemnation, and remembers those for whom this Sacrifice was offered: The Holy Gifts are offered to the Lord God as a thanksgiving Sacrifice for all the saints. In particular (" considerably") recalls the priest of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and therefore says loudly: Quite about the Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary", to which the believers respond with a song of praise in honor of the Mother of God: " Worth eating..."(On St. Pascha and on all the twelfth holidays (before giving them), instead of "It is worthy to eat", it is sung in honor of the Mother of God meritorious, i.e. the 9th irmos of the festive canon with the corresponding refrain). The priest, meanwhile, secretly prays for the dead and, moving on to praying for the living, aloud " first of all remember, Lord, the most holy eastern patriarchs of the Orthodox"..., commemorating the highest church hierarchy. The believers answer: " And everyone and everything", that is, remember, Lord, all believers - men and women. Prayer for the living ends with the exclamation of the priest; " And give us one mouth and one heart (unanimously) to glorify and sing the most honorable(glorious) and magnificent(majestic) Your name is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever", and his blessing, taught to all present in the temple: " And may the mercies of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ be with you all".

4. PREPARING LIES FOR COMMUNICATION

It begins with a pleading litany: All the saints, remembering, again and again, let us pray to the Lord in peace", that is, having remembered all the Saints, again and again let us pray to the Lord" about the brought and consecrated honest Dareh, to ( like yes) Our God, who loves mankind, having accepted them ( reception i) into the holy heavenly and spiritual ( mental) His altar, as a spiritual fragrance, as a sacrifice pleasing to Him ( into the stench of spiritual fragrance), sent us Divine grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit. - This is followed by the usual petitions of a petitionary litany, which ends with the exclamation of the priest: " And vouchsafe(dignify) us, Vladyka, with boldness(boldly, as children ask for their father) uncondemnedly sweep away(dare) call upon you the Heavenly God the Father and speak. sung Lord's Prayer - "Our Father..." The abbots do well when everyone present is invited to sing this prayer... - Then follows the teaching of the world and the bowing of the heads, during which the priest prays to the Lord to sanctify the faithful and make them worthy to partake of the Holy Mysteries without condemnation. - At this time, the deacon, standing on the pulpit, girds himself crosswise with an orarion in order, firstly, to serve the priest without hindrance during communion, and secondly, to express his reverence for the Holy Gifts, in imitation of the Seraphim, who, surrounding the Throne of God, they covered their faces with their wings (Isa. 6 , 2-3). At the exclamation of the deacon: let's hear! The veil is pulled back, and the priest, raising the Holy Lamb above the diskos, loudly proclaims: "Holy - holy." This means: the Holy Gifts can only be given to "saints", i.e., believers who have sanctified themselves through prayer, fasting, sacrament of repentance(confessions). Realizing their unworthiness, the singers on behalf of the believers proclaim: " One Holy, One Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father".

5. COMMUNICATION

The communion of the clergy in the altar follows. The priest breaks the Holy Lamb into four parts, takes communion himself and teaches the Holy Mystery to the deacon. Parts for the communion of the laity, after the communion of the clergy, are lowered into the chalice. - During the communion of the clergy, a verse called "communion" is sung, and then some hymn is sung or prayers are read before communion ... The royal gates open for the communion of the believing laity, and the deacon, having the Holy Chalice in his hands, pronounces " Come with the fear of God and faith"The opening of the royal doors at this time resembles the opening of the tomb of the Savior, and the removal of the Holy Gifts is the appearance of Jesus Christ after the resurrection. Bowing before the Holy Chalice, as before the Risen Savior Himself, the singers sing on behalf of the faithful: " Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; God the Lord and appear(appeared) us". Communion laymen, " with the fear of God and faith"approaching the Holy Chalice, with a preliminary bow, they repeat in an undertone the prayer uttered by the priest before communion: "I believe, Lord, and I confess...", in which they confess their faith in Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, the Savior of sinners, faith in the Sacrament of Communion, in which, under the guise of bread and wine, they receive the true Body and true Blood of Christ, as a guarantee of eternal life and mysterious communion with Him, and ask Him to honor Him them, without condemnation, to partake of the Holy Mysteries for the remission of sins, promising not only not to betray Christ, not to be a traitor Judas, but also in the midst of life's sufferings, like a prudent robber, firmly and boldly confess their faith. Having bowed to the ground, the faithful go up to the pulpit to receive the Holy Mysteries. Before this time, for the sake of order and reverence for the Shrine, one should not leave one’s place, and at the same time it is completely unacceptable to constrain others and desire to be among the first to take communion; everyone should remember that he the first is only a sinner. Having folded their hands crosswise on their chests, those who take communion approach the royal doors, without making the sign of the cross before the Holy Chalice, which, after communion, they also kiss without crossing themselves, so as not to push the Holy Chalice.

According to the faith of parents and educators and according to the words of the Savior: " do not prevent children from coming to Me" and " drink from her", at the same time, children also receive communion (without confession until the age of seven).

After communion, believers receive warmth, that is, church wine mixed with water, so that even the smallest particle of the Holy Gifts does not remain in the mouth. After the communion of the laity, the priest lowers into St. A cup of all the particles that were taken out of the service and brought prosphora, with a prayer that the Lord, with His Blood and the prayers of the Saints, cleanse the sins of all for whom the particles were taken out. He then blesses the believers with the words: Save, O God, your people(believers in You) and bless your inheritance"(Your property, the Church of Christ). In response to this, they sing:" We saw the true light, received the Heavenly Spirit, gained the true faith; We worship the inseparable Trinity: She saved us there." The content of this song: we saw the true light, as having washed away our sins in the sacrament of Baptism, we are already called sons of God by grace (mercy), sons of light, received the Holy Spirit through St. Confirmation, we confess the true (Orthodox) faith, we worship the indivisible Trinity, because She saved us ("That bo saved us is"). The deacon, taking the paten from the hands of the priest, transfers it to the altar, and the priest, taking St. Chalice and blessing the worshipers with it, he proclaims: "Always, now and ever, and forever and ever" and takes it to the altar. This is the last, the appearance of the Holy Gifts to believers, transfer them to the altar and the exclamation of the priest reminds us the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ into heaven and His promise to remain in the Church "for all days until the end of the age"(Matt. 28 , 20)

6. THANK YOU FOR COMMUNING AND LEAVE

Worshiping the Holy Gifts for the last time, as The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, believers thank the Lord for communion of the Holy Mysteries. The singers sing a song of thanksgiving: "May our lips be filled with Thy praise, O Lord, as if we sing Thy glory, as if Thou hast vouchsafed us to partake of Thy holy divine, immortal and life-giving Mysteries; keep us in Thy sanctuary all day to learn Thy righteousness. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia... That is, praising the Lord for deigning us to partake of the Divine immortal and life-giving Mysteries, we ask Him to keep us in the holiness received in the Holy Sacrament of Communion ( keep us in Your sanctuary), all day to learn the truth of God. After this, the deacon pronounces a short litany : "Forgive me, accept the Divine... Christ's Mysteries"...(taking communion with reverence), calling "it is worthy to thank the Lord." Having asked for His help to spend this day holy, peaceful, sinless, he invites you to surrender yourself and your life to Christ God. The priest, having folded the antimension and placing the Gospel on it, proclaims: "For Thou art our sanctification, and to Thee we send glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever" and adds: "Let's leave in peace", thus showing that the Liturgy is ending and that one must leave the church peacefully, in peace with everyone. Singers on behalf of all sing: "On the Name of the Lord", that is, we will leave with the blessing of the Lord. The priest goes out to the prayers behind the pulpit and reads prayer beyond the ambo, in which he once again asks the Lord to save His people and bless His inheritance, to sanctify those who love the splendor (beauty) of the temple, not to leave with His graces all those who hope (hope) in him, to give peace to the world (universe), priests, faithful rulers and all people. This prayer is an abbreviation of all the litanies said at the Divine Liturgy. At the end of the prayer beyond the ambo, the believers commit themselves to the will of God with the prayer of righteous Job: May the name of the Lord be blessed from now on and forever". Most often at this time, for spiritual enlightenment and edification, it is pronounced pastoral sermon based on the Word of God. Then the priest, blessing the faithful for the last time, says: The blessing of the Lord is upon you, by His grace and love of mankind, always, now and forever, and forever and ever and give thanks to God: Glory to Thee, Christ God, our hope, glory to Thee!"Turning to the people and having in his hand the altar Holy Cross, having overshadowed himself with the sign of the cross, which all those present must do, the priest says dismiss: "Christ our true God" ... On leave, the priest, remembering the prayers for us of the Mother of God, the Apostles, the temple saint, the saints whose memory we celebrate on this day, the righteous Bogotets Joachim and Anna (the parents of the Mother of God) and all the saints, expresses the hope that Christ, our true God, will have mercy and save us, like a good man and a philanthropist, he immediately gives the Holy Cross to believers for kissing. Every believing Christian, slowly and without embarrassing others, in the order of a well-known queue, must kiss the Holy Cross in order to testify with the kiss of the cross his fidelity to the Savior, in whose remembrance the Divine Liturgy was performed. The choir at this time sings a prayer for the preservation for many years His Holiness Orthodox Patriarchs, the ruling Bishop, parishioners of the temple and all Orthodox Christians.

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Is there a means in the Church of Christ not only to receive the forgiveness of sins, but also to be strengthened in virtue?

There is. In the sacrament of repentance, those who believe in Christ the Savior receive forgiveness of their sins, and in the sacrament of communion, with a sincere desire of a person to be freed from sinful inclinations and retire "from the corruption that is in the world through lust," The Lord gives the Christian eternal life, strengthens him in virtue, makes him "a partaker of the divine nature" ().

How is this miraculous communion with the Divine nature accomplished?

It is accomplished through a special heavenly nourishment, which the Merciful Lord gave to His Church. During His earthly life, the Savior promised to provide this wonderful nourishment. "Try," He said, not about corruptible food, but about food that endures into eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you" ().

What is this heavenly food?

The Savior explained that He would give Himself as food to believers. "I am the bread of life" ().

What is the nature of this promised miraculous nourishment?

"Your fathers," continued the Savior, ate manna in the wilderness and died; but the bread that comes down from heaven is such that whoever eats it will not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven: whoever eats this bread will live forever; the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” ().

What is the significance of this promised mysterious nourishment?

Without it, a person is definitely dead. The Lord said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My Flesh is truly food, and My Blood is truly drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live by the Father, so the one who eats me will live by me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers ate manna and died: Whoever eats this bread will live forever" ().

When did the Lord give this heavenly food He promised?

The Lord gave His Body and Blood as food to people at the Last Supper under the guise of bread and wine. “And when they were eating (i.e. the 12 Apostles), Jesus took bread, blessed it, and broke it, and giving it to the disciples, he said, “Take, eat: this is my body. And taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said: drink all of it, because this is my blood of the New Testament, poured out for many for the remission of sins" ().

Did the Savior confine himself to the ritual performed by Him personally?

No, not limited. "Do this in remembrance of me", - said the Lord, and by this very commanded the Apostles and their future successors to perform the sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord (Luke 22 cf.).

Is the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ celebrated in the Church?

It is being done, and moreover from the very beginning of its existence. "Cup of Blessing", - writes Ap. Pavel, - communion of the blood of Christ? communion of the Body of Christ? ().

How long should the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ be performed?

Always, until the very second coming of Christ. Ap. Paul writes to the Corinthians: “I received from the Lord Himself what I also conveyed to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night in which he was betrayed, took bread and, having given thanks, broke it and said: Take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of me. Also the cup after supper, and said, This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this whenever you drink, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's until he comes" ().

How do Christians view the sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord?

Christians have always looked and look at it as the greatest sacred rite, and they know that they should approach it as the greatest shrine, with deep reverence. "Who will eat this bread, says Ap. Pavel, - or drinking the cup of the Lord is unworthy, guilty will be against the Body and Blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and thus let him eat from this bread and drink from this cup. For whoever eats and drinks unworthily, he eats and drinks condemnation to himself, disregarding the Body of the Lord. That is why many of you are weak and sick, and many die.” ().

Do sectarians recognize the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ?

No, they don't. Among the Tolstoyans and the majority of the Molokans, there is absolutely no action, even if only similar to the sacrament of communion, action; Baptists, Pashkovites, and Adventists have a rite similar to Christian communion, but when they perform it, they eat bread and drink wine, not recognizing them as the Body and Blood of the Lord.

Why do they not recognize the need to eat the Body and Blood of Christ?

Because the sectarians do not believe either the Lord Savior or the priests. Scripture, but only yourself.

How to point out to sectarians the incorrectness of their understanding of the sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord?

The sectarians should be asked: do you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man? Do you drink His Blood? If not, then there is no life in you.

What do the sectarians say to this?

They say that according to the Scriptures, there is no need to eat the Body and Blood of the Lord, but that one should only eat bread and drink wine in remembrance of the Lord.

What to say to the sectarians?

We must remind them of the words of the Savior: “Truly, truly, I say to you: unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood you will not have life in you. Eating My Flesh and Drinking My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”(). Here the Lord speaks of eating the Body and drinking His Blood, and not about eating bread and wine, as the wicked sectarians lie against the Savior. And at the Last Supper, giving the Apostles bread and a cup, the Lord said that He would give them His Body and Blood, and not bread and wine, as the sectarians slander. "Take, eat: this is my body" , - said the Lord, and not (said) "bread." Also about the bowl: “drink everything from it; for this is my blood" and not (said) "wine" ().

Isn't it crazy to assume that the Almighty Lord deceived the Apostles and that, although he could miraculously transfer bread into His Body, and wine into His Blood, he did not do this?

The Lord truly gave His Body and Blood, as the Evangelist testifies to this, and as Ap. Paul, saying: “I received from the Lord Himself what I also conveyed to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night in which he was betrayed, took bread and, having given thanks, broke it and said: Take, eat, this is my body... Likewise also the cup after supper, and said, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. And then the Apostle says, warning: whoever eats this bread or drinks the cup of the Lord is unworthy, will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord" (). However, the sectarians do not believe either the Saints Apostles or the Savior Himself, as if the Lord and His disciples had deceived the whole world.

What do sectarians say when you show them the clear words of the Savior about His Body and Blood and the same words of Sts. Apostles?

Some of the sectarians blaspheme in this way: they say that when the Savior distributed bread to the Apostles, and when they were eating, then he said to them: "this is my body" and as if at the same time he pointed to his body, which had to endure torment. Thus, according to the sectarian concept, it turns out that the Lord offered the Apostles one thing (bread), but spoke about something completely different (about the body).

What can I say to the sectarians about this justification of them?

It must be said that they are the perverts of St. Scriptures and slanderers of Christ and the Apostles. The Savior, giving the disciples bread, spoke of him that this is His Body, since the bread, after the blessing of the Lord, became His Body.

But if we admit for a moment the sectarian blasphemous perversion of the words of the Lord about the body, then this is what happens. The Lord, having given the bread to the Apostles and as if pointing to His Body, said: "this is my body." Further: “Taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said: drink from it all; for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” What, one wonders, did the Lord indicate when he said: "Is this my blood?" Did He hurt Himself at that time and pointed to the dripping blood? After all, this is what sectarian madness can reach! In fact, the Lord at the words: "this is my blood"- pointed to a cup of wine, miraculously transformed by the power of thanksgiving () into the Blood of Christ.

What do sectarians say when they denounce their lies and slander against Christ and the Scriptures in this way?

The sectarians say that the Lord did not call the bread and wine body and blood, but allegedly explained that bread and wine are symbols (signs) of His Body and Blood.

What to do with such a perversion of Scripture by sectarians?

We must tell them that in the word of God there is not a single place where it would be said: bread and wine are “symbols of the body and blood”; on the contrary, everywhere in Scripture it is pointed out that one should take communion not with symbols, but with the actual Body and Blood of Christ. "Cup of Blessing", - writes Ap. Pavel, - which we bless, is there not communion of the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, isn't there communion of the Body of Christ" ()?

Is it AP. Paul understands less sectarians when he writes like this?! Don't the sectarians even think of teaching the Apostles of the saints?

That's how they come out. The sectarians recognize the Almighty Christ the Lord as powerless to put bread and wine into His Body and Blood, so it turns out that the Apostles said incorrectly in their Scriptures.

How, the sectarians ask, is it possible that bread and wine suddenly become the Body and Blood of the Lord?

What to answer sectarians?

And how, let the sectarians say, did Aaron's rod turn into a serpent and then become a rod again? How did the water in Egypt become blood ()? How did water become wine in Cana of Galilee ()?

Sectarians ask again: why is the Body of Christ not diminished, although the Orthodox have always taken communion and do commune from Him?

This should be answered: how did five loaves turn out to be enough for people numbering about five thousand, and how did it happen that the pieces of bread left from the meal filled 12 boxes with themselves, which, in any case, is much more than five loaves () ? And one more thing: why does not the fire at the candle decrease, even if a million other candles are lit from it?

What do the sectarians say when they refute their false wisdom in this way?

Sectarians say: “we are sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once”(), and therefore we do not need any communion. We recognize, they say, only the sacrifice that was made at Calvary.

What should the sectarians answer to this false wisdom of theirs?

It must be answered that the Orthodox also recognize only the one sacrifice of Christ, which replaced all the upper testamentary sacrifices, which could not blot out sins, and merely represented the sacrifice of Christ. But, just as the participants in the Old Testament sacrifices had to feed on their victims in order to participate in them, so in order to participate in the sanctifying sacrifice of Christ, they must feed on it. The body of Christ the Lord, nailed to the cross at Golgotha, and His most pure Blood, flowing from His wounds, we partake in the sacrament of the Eucharist (at the liturgy). That's why Ap. Paul says in the epistle to the Hebrews (): “we have an altar from which the servants of the tabernacle have no right to eat”. The same Apostle speaks of this nourishment in .

How do sectarians justify themselves?

They point to the words of the Lord Jesus: "The Spirit gives life, but the flesh profits nothing"(), - and they argue like this: it means that eating the Body of Christ is useless.

What is the answer to such a perversion of St. Scriptures?

Nothing is said here about the fact that the body and blood of the Lord is useless for believers. Here the Savior said how His words about the bread of life should be understood. The promise of the Lord is not carnal useless reasoning, not self-deception, as it seemed to the Pharisees, but reality: “The words that I speak to you. the essence of spirit and life(). When the Lord at the Last Supper gave the Apostles “His Flesh” and said: “take, eat, this is my body”, then the Apostles did not tell the Lord that it was useless, as our sectarians say, but they accepted the most pure Body and Blood, and performed the sacrament of Holy Communion themselves, and we were taught to do it. They even composed the Divine Liturgies of the Body and Blood of the Lord. These are the liturgies of App. James, Mark and Peter.

What to answer the sectarians when they still speak in the words of the Apostle: “We know no one according to the flesh, but if we knew Christ according to the flesh, we do not know it now.” ()?

Nothing is said here about the sacrament of Communion, about which the Apostle writes in; here the Apostle affirms only that after the Resurrection of Christ we no longer know anyone in mortal flesh, but we are convinced of the immortality of all. We used to know Christ according to the flesh, we knew that He ate, drank, slept, suffered on the cross, but now we know that He is with resurrected flesh "sat forever at the right hand of God"(). His body was spiritualized and glorified, and the body of everyone who truly believes in Him, He “transfigure it so that it will be in conformity with His glorious Body” ().

What is the answer to the Tolstoyan sectarians when they say that under the bread of life in the Scriptures is meant the teaching of Christ, on which they should be fed?

In response, one should ask them what is meant in this case by "chalice of blessing"(). The apostles understood perfectly well what should be meant by the bread of life, and yet they teach about the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. Sts. The apostles, to the disgrace of the Tolstoyans and all sectarians in general, constituted the rite of the liturgy. None of the sectarians rejects this Divine sacrament, and all of them must confess that they have gone far from Christ and have become like the ancient Jews, who spoke about Christ: “How can He give us His Flesh to eat?... What strange words! Who can listen to this" ()?