Orthodox Faith - Liturgy. Divine Liturgy in the Church

Life in the Church is a graceful communion with God - love, unity and spiritual path to salvation. Not everyone knows what the liturgy is.

Divine Liturgy is more than prayer. It is an action, both general and personal. The Liturgy includes a structure that includes prayers and readings from pages of holy books, festive rites and choral singing, in which all parts are linked together. Understanding worship requires a spiritual and intellectual effort. Without knowing the rules, prescriptions and regulations, it is difficult to experience a new, wonderful life in Christ.

The history of the origin of the Divine Liturgy

At the hour of the main and most important service for believers, the Sacraments of the Eucharist are celebrated, or. Sacrament of communion it was done for the first time by our Lord Himself. This happened on Great Thursday before his voluntary ascent to Calvary for our sins.

On this day, the Savior gathered the apostles, delivered a eulogy to God the Father, blessed the bread, broke it and distributed it to the holy apostles.

Committing Sacraments of Thanksgiving or the Eucharist, Christ commanded the apostles. They spread the covenant around the world and taught the priests to perform the Liturgy, which is sometimes represented as Mass, since it begins at dawn and is served until noon, before dinner.

Eucharist- This is a Bloodless sacrifice, because Jesus Christ brought the sacrifice in blood for us on Calvary. New Testament canceled the Old Testament sacrifices, and now, remembering the sacrifice of Christ, Christians offer God a Bloodless sacrifice.

The Holy Gifts symbolize fire that burns away sin and filth.

There were cases when spiritual people, ascetics at the hour of the Eucharist saw the manifestation of heavenly fire, which descended on the blessed Holy Gifts.

The origin of the liturgy is the Sacrament of the Great Holy Communion or the Eucharist. Since ancient times, it has received the name liturgy or general service.

How the main liturgical rites were formed

The rite of the Divine Liturgy was not formed immediately. From the second century onwards, a special lineage of each service began to appear.

At first, the apostles performed the Sacrament in the order shown by the Teacher.
In the days of the apostles, the Eucharist was combined with a meal of love, during the hours of which the believers ate food, prayed and stayed in fraternal communion. The breaking of bread, communion took place after.
Later, the liturgy became an independent celebration, and the meal was performed after a joint ritual action.

What are the liturgies

Different communities began to form liturgical rites in their own way.

The Jerusalem community celebrated the liturgy of the Apostle James.

In Egypt and Alexandria, the liturgy of the Apostle Mark was preferred.

In Antioch, the liturgy of the holy enlightener John Chrysostom and the Monk Basil the Great was celebrated.

Uniform in meaning and initial meaning, they differ in the content of the prayers that the priest pronounces during the consecration.

The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates three types of liturgy:

Saint of God, John Chrysostom. It takes place on all days except the Great. John Chrysostom shortened prayer appeals Saint Basil the Great. Grigory Dvoeslov. Saint Basil the Great very much asked the Lord for permission to celebrate the Divine Liturgy not according to prayer, but in his own words.

After spending six days in ardent prayer, Basil the Great was granted permission. The Orthodox Church celebrates this liturgy ten times a year:

When celebrated Christ's Christmas and on Holy Baptism on Christmas Eve.
In honor of the celebration of the day of the memory of the saint, which takes place on January 14.
On the first five Sundays of fasting before Easter, on Maundy Thursday and Great Holy Saturday.

The Divine Liturgy for the Holy Presanctified Gifts, compiled by St. Gregory the Divine, is served during the hours of the Holy Forty-day. According to the rules of the Orthodox Church, Wednesday and Friday of Great Lent are marked by the liturgical rules of the Presanctified Gifts, which are consecrated on Sunday with the sacrament.

In some localities, Orthodox Churches serve the Divine Liturgy to the holy Apostle James. This happens on October 23, the day of his memory.

The central prayer of the Divine Liturgy is Anaphora or repeated petition to God to perform a miracle, which consists in the application of wine and bread, symbolizing the Blood and Body of the Savior.

"Anaphora", translated from Greek has the meaning of "ascension". During the recitation of this prayer, the clergyman “offers up” the Eucharistic Gift to God the Father.

There are a number of rules in Anaphora:

Praefatio is the first prayer that contains thanksgiving and praise to God.
Sanctus, translated as a saint, the hymn "Holy ..." sounds.
Anamnesis, in Latin, remembrance has the meaning, here the Last Supper is remembered with the fulfillment of the secret words of Christ.
Epiclesis or invocation - invocation on the lying Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Intercessio, intercession or intercession - prayers are heard for the living and the dead, the memory of the Mother of God and the saints.

In large churches, Divine Liturgy takes place daily. The duration of the service is one and a half to two hours.

Liturgies are not held on the following days.

Celebration of the Liturgy "Presanctified Gifts":

Preparation of the substance for the creation of the Eucharist.
Preparing believers for the Sacrament.

Celebration of the Sacrament, or the action of the consecration of the Holy Gifts and the Communion of the faithful. The Divine Liturgy is divided into three parts:

the beginning of the sacrament;
liturgy of the catechumens or unbaptized and penitents;
the liturgy of the faithful;
Proskomidia or bringing.

The members of the first Christian community brought bread and wine themselves before the Liturgy for the Sacrament. The bread that believers consume during the celebration of the liturgy is called in the church language prosphora, which means offering... Currently in Orthodox church The Eucharist takes place on prosphora, which is prepared from yeast dough kvass mix.

Sacraments

In the sacrament of proskomedia, five prosphora are used in tribute to the memory of the miracle of the saturation of 5 thousand people with Christ.

One "lamb" prosphora is used for communion and the proskomedia is done at the beginning of the ceremony in the altar while reading the hours. The proclamation "Blessed is our God", which precedes 3 and 6 hours, is associated with the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles, the crucifixion and death of the Savior Christ.

The third hour is the initial cry of proskomedia.

Liturgy of the Hours

The Divine Liturgy of the Hours is a prayer that is pronounced on behalf of the entire People of God. Reading prayer hours is main duty priests and those who should pray for the prosperity of the Church. The Liturgy of the Hours is called the voice of the Master Christ. Every believer should unite in choral singing of praise, which in the liturgy of the Hours is incessantly lifted up to God. By church traditions The Liturgy of the Hours is not compulsory for the parishioners, but the Church advises the laity to participate in the reading of the Liturgy of the Hours or to read the Hours on their own in prayer.

Modern church practice presupposes that the priest perform proskomedia at the altar during the third and sixth hour of reading.

Proskomidia is an important and basic component of the Divine Liturgy, it is celebrated on the altar, because the Gifts of Consecration carry a special symbolic meaning.

With a copy, the priest carves a cube shape from the middle of the Lamb prosphora. The cut part is called the Lamb and testifies to the fact that the Lord, like a Lamb blameless in his essence, laid himself down for the slaughter for our sins.

The preparation of the Gifts has several main meanings:

Memories of the birth of the Savior.
His coming into the world.
Calvary and burial.

The prepared Lamb and the pieces that are taken out of the other four prosphora represent the fullness of the heavenly and earthly Church. The cooked Lamb relies on a golden platter, a diskos.

V Toraya prosphora p Designed to worship the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos. A triangular particle is cut out of it and placed to the right of the Lamb particle.

Third prosphora form as a tribute to the memory:

John the Forerunner and holy prophets,
apostles and blessed saints,
great martyrs, unmercenaries and Orthodox saints who are remembered on the day of the celebration of the Liturgy,
the righteous holy parents of the Theotokos, Joachim and Anna.

The next two prosphora for the health of the living and the repose of the departed Christians, for this, believers put notes on the altar and the people whose names are written in them are rewarded with the removed particle.

All particles have a definite place on the diskos.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the parts that were carved from the prosphora at the hour of the sacrifice, are poured out by the priest into the Holy Chalice... Further, the request of the clergyman to the Lord sounds, to take away the sins of the people mentioned during the Proskomedia.

Second movement or liturgy of the catechumens

In ancient times, people, in order to receive holy baptism, had to carefully prepare: learn the basics of faith, go to church, but they could get to the liturgy only until the Gifts were transferred from the altar to the church throne. At this time, those announced and excommunicated for grave sins from the Sacrament of the Holy, had to go to the porch of the temple.

In our time, there is no announcement and preparation for the Holy Sacrament of Baptism. Today people are baptized after 1 or 2 conversations. But the catechumens who are preparing to enter Orthodox faith, there is.

This action of the liturgy is called the great or peaceful litany. It reflects the sides of human existence. Believers put a prayer: about the peace, health of holy churches, the temple where the service is held, a prayer word in honor of bishops and deacons, oh home country, the authorities and her soldiers, about the purity of the air and the abundance of fruits needed for food and health. They ask God for help for those traveling, sick and in captivity.

After the peaceful litany, psalms are heard, which are called antiphons, because they are alternately performed on two kliros. When singing the Gospel commandments of the Sermon on the Mount, the royal gates open, a small entrance with the Holy Gospel takes place.

Cleric lifts the gospel up, thus marks the cross, saying: "Wisdom, forgive me!", as a reminder that one should be attentive to prayer. Wisdom carries in itself the Gospel, which is carried out of the altar, symbolizing the exit of Christ to preach the Good News for the whole world. After that, there is a reading of pages from the Epistle of the Holy Apostles, or the book of the Acts of the Apostles, or the Gospel.

Reading the Holy Gospel completes with augmented or intensified litany... At the hour of augmented litany, the priest reveals the antimension on the throne. Here prayers are heard for the departed, a request to God for the forgiveness of their sins and their placement in the heavenly abode, where the righteous are.

After the phrase “Proclaimed, go out,” unbaptized and repentant people left the temple, and the main sacrament of the Divine Liturgy began.

Liturgy of the faithful

After two short litanies, the choir sings the Cherubim song and the transfer of the consecrated Gifts by the priest and deacon takes place. It says that there are angelic hosts around the Lord, who ceaselessly glorify Him. This action is the Great Entrance. The earthly and heavenly Church celebrate the Divine Liturgy together.

The priests enter the royal doors to the altar, installs the Holy Chalice and the diskos on the throne, cover the Gifts with a veil or air, and the choir sings the song of the Cherubim. Great entrance- a symbol of the solemn procession of Christ to Calvary and death.

After the transfer of the Gifts has taken place, the supplicatory litany begins, which prepares the parishioners for the most important part of the liturgy, for the sacrament of the consecration of the Holy Gifts.

All gathered sing the prayer "Symbol of Faith".

The choir begins to perform the Eucharistic Canon.

The priest's Eucharistic prayers and the singing of the choir alternate. The priest tells about the establishment by Jesus Christ of the great Mystery of Communion before His voluntary sufferings. The words that the Savior spoke during the Last Supper are reproduced by the priest loudly, at the top of his voice, pointing to the diskos and the holy Chalice.

Next, there is the Sacrament of Communion:

In the altar, the priests crush the holy Lamb, take communion and prepare Gifts for the believers:

the royal gates open;
the deacon comes out with the Holy Chalice;
the opening of the royal church gates is a symbol of the opening of the Holy Sepulcher;
the carrying out of the Gifts speaks of the appearance of the Lord after the resurrection.

Before communion, the priest reads a special prayer, and the parishioners repeat the text in an undertone.

All those who receive communion bow down to earth, fold their hands with a cross on their chests and call the name they received at baptism near the cup. When communion has taken place, it is necessary to kiss the edge of the Chalice and go to the table, where give prosphora and church wine diluted hot water.

When all those present have received the sacrament, the chalice is brought into the altar. Parts that were taken out of the service and prosphora brought with a prayer to the Lord are lowered into it.

Then the priest reads the blessed speech to the believers. This is the last appearance of the Holy Gifts. Then they are transferred to the altar, which once again reminds of the Ascension of the Lord to heaven after his Holy Resurrection... For the last time, believers worship the Holy Gifts as if to the Lord and bring gratitude to Him for Communion and the choir sings a song of thanks.

At this time, the Deacon puts a short prayer thanking the Lord for Holy Communion... The priest places the antimension and the altar Gospel on the Holy See.

Shouting loudly the end of the liturgy.

End of the Divine Liturgy

Then the priest says the prayer behind the ambo, and for the last time he gives a blessing to the praying parishioners. At this hour, he holds the cross facing the temple and puts down a dismissal.

Church word "Release" comes from the meaning "to let go". It contains a blessing and a short petition from God for mercy as a priest of the Orthodox people.

Vacations are divided not small and great. The great dismissal complements the commemoration of the saints, as well as the day, the church itself and the authors of the liturgy. On Holidays Holidays and Great Days of Easter Week: Maundy Thursday, Friday, Holy Saturday takes place in commemoration of the main events of the holiday.

Discharge order:

The priest declares:

“Wisdom,” which means let us be careful.
Then, there is an appeal to the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Gratitude to the Lord for the service performed.
Further, the clergyman pronounces a dismissal, addressing the parishioners.
The choir then sings the multi-year.

The Liturgy and the main Sacrament that Holy Communion serves is the privilege of Orthodox Christians. Since ancient times, there has been a weekly or daily communion.

Those who wish to receive communion during the Liturgy of the Holy Mysteries of Christ must clear their conscience. Before Communion a liturgical fast must be performed... The meaning of the main Sacrament of Confession is described in the prayer book.

Preparation Needed for the Privilege of the Sacrament

He prayers diligently at home and attend church services as often as possible.

On the eve of communion itself, you need to visit evening worship in the Temple.

On the eve of the sacrament they read:

The following, which is prescribed in the prayer book for the Orthodox.
Three canons and: a canon of the penitent to Jesus Christ our Lord, a prayer to the Most Holy Mother theotokos and his Guardian Angel.
During the celebration of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, which lasts strictly forty days, instead of them the priest blesses to turn to the Easter canons.

Before Communion, the believer needs to keep a liturgical fast. In addition to restrictions on food and drink, he suggests giving up all kinds of entertainment.

On the eve of communion, it is necessary from twelve o'clock in the morning, to fulfill complete refusal of food.

Before communion, it is obligatory to confess, to open the soul to God, to repent and to be affirmed in the desire to reform.

At confession, one should tell the priest about everything that weighs heavily on the soul, but not make excuses and not shift the blame onto others.

Most correct take confession in the evening to participate in the Divine Liturgy in the morning with a pure soul.

After Holy Communion until the hour when the kissing of the altar cross, which the priest holds in his hands, takes place, one cannot leave. One should listen with penetration to the words of thanksgiving, prayer words that mean a lot to every believer.

The Liturgy (translated as “service”, “common cause”) is the most important Christian divine service, during which the sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated (preparation of the Communion). Liturgy translated from Greek means joint work. Believers gather in the temple in order to glorify God and receive communion of the Saints together “with one mouth and one heart” Mysteries of Christ(I would like to draw your attention to the fact that in order to receive communion, it is necessary to prepare specially: fast, read the canons, come to church completely on an empty stomach, i.e. do not eat or drink anything after 00-00 hours before the service).
Liturgy in simple words... Liturgy is the most important church service... This is the rite (church service) during which you can receive communion in the church.

What is Mass in Orthodox Church?
Liturgy is sometimes called Mass, since it is usually supposed to be celebrated from dawn to noon, that is, in the afternoon.

When, what time and on what days does the Liturgy take place in the church?
In large churches and monasteries, the Liturgy can take place daily. In smaller churches, the Liturgy is usually held on Sundays.
The beginning of the Liturgy is about 8-30, but it is different for each church. The duration of the service is 1.5–2 hours.

Why is the Liturgy happening (needed) in the church? What does Liturgy mean?
This holy Sacrament was established by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper with the apostles, before His sufferings. He took the bread into His most pure hands, blessed it, broke it and divided it to His disciples, saying: “Take, eat: this is My Body. "Then he took a cup of wine, blessed it and, giving it to the disciples, said:" Drink everything from her: this is my blood of the New Testament, even for many we are shed for the remission of sins "(Matthew 26: 26-28). At the same time, the Savior gave the Apostles, and in their person and all believers, the commandment to perform this Sacrament until the end of the world, in remembrance of His suffering, death and resurrection, for the closest union of believers with Him. He said: "Do this in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19).

What is the meaning and symbolic actions of the Liturgy? What does the Liturgy consist of?
The Liturgy recalls the earthly life of Jesus Christ from birth to His ascension into Heaven, and the Eucharist itself expresses the earthly life of Christ.
Order of the Liturgy:
1. Proskomidia... First, everything necessary for the Sacrament of Communion is prepared - Proskomidi (translation - offering). The first part of the Proskomedia Liturgy is the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. The bread used at Proskomidia is called prosphora, which means "offering."
During the Proskomedia, the priest prepares our gifts (prosphora). For Proskomedia, five service prosphora are used (in memory of how Jesus Christ fed more than five thousand people with five loaves), as well as prosphora ordered by parishioners. For communion, one prosphora (Lamb) is used, which in its size should correspond to the number of the partakers. Proskomedia is performed by the priest in an undertone on the Altar with the Altar closed. At this time, the third and sixth hours according to the Book of Hours are read (a liturgical book).
Proskomedia, during which wine and bread (prosphora) are prepared for the Eucharist (Communion) and the souls of Christians living and dead are commemorated, for which the priest removes particles from the prosphora. At the end of the service, these particles are immersed in the Chalice of Blood with the prayer "Wash away, Lord, the sins of all here who were remembered with Your Honest Blood by the prayers of your saints." Remembrance of the living and the dead at Proskomidia is the most effective prayer. The proskomedia is performed by the clergy in the altar; in the temple, the Clock is usually read at this time. (so that the priest during the Proskomedia reads a prayer for your loved one, before the Liturgy you need to submit a note to the candle shop with the words "for a proskomedia")

2. The second part of the Liturgy - the Liturgy of the catechumens.
During the Liturgy of the catechumens (catechumens are people preparing to receive Holy Baptism) we learn how to live according to the commandments of God. It begins with the Great Litany (jointly intensified prayer), in which a priest or deacon reads short prayers for times of peace, for health, for our country, for our loved ones, for the Church, for the Patriarch, for travelers, for those in prison or in trouble. ... After each petition, the choir sings: "Lord have mercy."
After reading a series of prayers, the priest solemnly brings the Gospel out of the Altar through the northern gates and just as solemnly brings it into the Altar through the Royal Doors. (The procession of the priest with the Gospel is called the small entrance and reminds believers of the first exit of Jesus Christ to preach).
At the end of the singing, the priest with the deacon, who carries the altar Gospel, goes to the pulpit (in front of the iconostasis). Having received the blessing from the priest, the deacon stops at the Royal Doors and, holding up the Gospel, proclaims: “Wisdom, forgive me,” that is, reminds believers that they will soon hear the Gospel reading, therefore they must stand upright and attentive (forgive means straight forward).
The Apostle and the Gospel are read. When reading the Gospel, believers stand with their heads bowed, listening in reverence to the holy gospel.
Then after reading next row prayers, the catechumens are invited to leave the temple (the catechumens go out).

3. The third part is the Liturgy of the Faithful.
Before the Cherubic song, the Royal Doors are opened and the deacon is censing. After fulfilling the words: "We will postpone every care of everyday life ..." the priest solemnly brings out the Holy Gifts - bread and wine - from the northern gates of the Altar. Stopping at the Royal Gates, he prays for everyone whom we especially remember, and, returning through the Royal Gates to the Altar, places the Honorable Gifts on the Throne. (The transfer of gifts from the Altar to the Throne is called the Great Entrance and marks the solemn procession of Jesus Christ to free suffering and death on the cross).
After the "Cherubim" litany of supplication sounds and one of the main prayers is sung - "The Symbol of Faith" - which all parishioners sing along with the singers.
Then, after a series of prayers, the culmination of the Liturgy comes: The Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated - the laying of bread and wine into the true Body and true Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then the "Song of praise to the Mother of God" and a supplicatory litany are performed. The most important - "The Lord's Prayer" (Our Father ... ") - is performed by all believers. After the Lord's Prayer, the sacrament verse is sung. The Royal Doors are opening. The priest brings out the Chalice with the Holy Gifts (in some churches it is customary to kneel when taking out the Chalice with the Communion) and says: "With the fear of God and faith, approach!" The communion of believers begins.

What to do during communion? The sacraments fold their hands on the right chest over the left. First, children receive communion, then men, then women. Approach the priest with a cup, call a name, open your mouth. I put a piece of prosphora in wine in your mouth. It is necessary to kiss the cup in the hands of the priest. Then you need to eat the sacrament, go to the table and take a piece of prosphora there, eat it and then drink it. It is necessary to seize and drink it so that all the sacrament gets into the body, and does not remain on the palate or in the teeth.

At the end of communion, the singers sing a song of thanks: "May our lips be filled ..." and Psalm 33. Then the priest pronounces a dismissal (ie, the end of the Liturgy). "Perennial" sounds and the parishioners kiss the Cross.
I draw your attention to the fact that after the sacrament it is necessary to read the "Thanksgiving Prayers".

Saint righteous john(Kronstadt): “... in us there is no true life without the source of life - Jesus Christ. The Liturgy is a treasury, the source of true life, because the Lord Himself is in it. The Lord of life teaches Himself for food and drink to those who believe in Him and gives life in abundance to His partakers ... Our Divine Liturgy, and especially the Eucharist, is the greatest and constant revelation of the love of God to us. "

The karinka shows a photograph showing the image of Jesus Christ and the light from the icons during the Liturgy

What Can't Be Done After Communion?
- After communion, one cannot kneel in front of the icon
- You can't smoke, swear, but you have to behave like a Christian.

FROM THE MATERIALS OF THE ORTHODOX PRESS

People who rarely go to church sometimes come across concepts that are unknown to themselves. For example, many are interested in what the liturgy is and when it happens. This word is translated from Greek as a common cause or service. In ancient times in Athens, this concept meant a monetary obligation, which rich people first gave voluntarily, and then, compulsorily. Only from the second century AD, the word "liturgy" began to be called important element worship.

What is the liturgy in the church?

This Sacrament was established by Jesus Christ, and it happened at the Last Supper. The Son of God took the bread in his hands, blessed it and distributed it to his disciples to the apostles, who were sitting with him at the same table. During this, he told them that bread is his body. After that, he blessed the cup of wine and also gave it to his disciples, saying that it was his blood. By his actions, the Savior commanded all believers on earth to perform this sacrament while the world exists, while remembering its sufferings and resurrection. It is believed that eating bread and wine allows one to draw closer to Christ.

Today, liturgy is the main divine service in the Christian faith, during which preparation for the sacrament takes place. Since ancient times, people gathered in the temple in order to glorify the Almighty with joint efforts. Understanding what the liturgy is in Orthodoxy, I would like to say that such a service is often called mass, and this is due to the fact that it is supposed to be performed from dawn to noon, that is, before dinner. As for when exactly the service takes place, then in large temples this can be done daily. If the church is small, then the liturgy usually takes place on Sundays.

It will be interesting to learn not only about the liturgy, but also what a requiem is. This word is called the funeral service, the essence of which is the prayerful remembrance of the departed. During the memorial service, the church draws attention to the fact that a person's soul ascends to heaven for judgment to. The funeral service is held on the third, ninth and fortieth days after death. There are also parental funerals, which are served for all the dead, and not for a specific person.

Liturgy for health - what is it?

Divine services can be held both for health and for peace. In the first case the main objective liturgy - to help a person get rid of existing diseases, find the right path in life, solve problems, etc. It is important that a person be present in the temple during this. Worship for the departed is aimed at helping the soul in that world.

Liturgy. Lutheran Church. LITURGY (Greek leitourgia public service), 1) in the Orthodox Church, the divine liturgy, the main service daily circle, takes place in the afternoon (hence the other name for mass). Order ... ... Illustrated encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Greek leiturgia, from leitos social, and ergon business, labor). Divine service in the Orthodox Church, in which the sacrament of St. the Eucharist; Mass, service in remembrance of the whole earthly life of Jesus Christ. Dictionary of foreign words included in ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (Greek public service). 1) In the Orthodox Church, the Divine Liturgy is the main service of the daily cycle, it is performed in the afternoon (hence the other name for mass). The order of service dates back to the 4th century. There are 2 Eucharistic celebrations (see ... ...

Cm … Synonym dictionary

- (from litoV common and ergon deed) the name of the most important of the Christian divine services, which exists, although not in the same form of origin, for all Christian denominations and expresses the main ideals of the Christian world outlook and main goals ... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

liturgy- LITURGY, mass ... Dictionary-thesaurus of synonyms for Russian speech

- (Greek leiturgia) in ancient greek city-states state service, which was borne by wealthy citizens and meteki (for example, the maintenance of participants gymnastics competitions). An extraordinary liturgy was considered to be the triere's equipment. Was… … Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

LITURGY, liturgy, wives. (Greek liturgia) (church). Lunch, main Christian church service... Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

LITURGY, and, wives. 1. Morning or afternoon Christian worship, which includes prayers, chants, reading of holy books, sermons and other ritual activities. Serve, listen to the liturgy. Celebration of the Liturgy. 2. A cycle of spiritual chants ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Female the succession of the priestly service, in which the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is celebrated, mass. Liturgical, related to the liturgy. Liturgy husband. the book is a miscellany, a description of the rite of Vespers, Matins and Mass. To liturgize or poke, perform ... ... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

Christian worship, accompanied by singing, music; in the Orthodox Church - Mass, all-night vigil; in the Catholic - a mass, a requiem (funeral mass). Big explanatory dictionary on cultural studies .. Kononenko BI .. 2003 ... Encyclopedia of Cultural Studies

Books

Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Op. 31. For a mixed choir without accompaniment, Rachmaninov S.V .. The monumental "Liturgy" created by the composer in 1910 is one of the outstanding examples of Russian sacred music. This work is performed by both spiritual and secular choral ...
Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, op. 37, M. Ippolitov-Ivanov. This book will be produced in accordance with your order using Print-on-Demand technology. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, op. 37, Score, For mixed choir Type ...

The Liturgy (translated as “service”, “common cause”) is the most important Christian divine service, during which the sacrament of the Eucharist (preparation) is performed. Liturgy translated from Greek means joint work. Believers gather in the church in order to glorify God together with “one mouth and one heart” and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. i.e. do not eat or drink anything after 00-00 hours before the service).
Liturgy in simple words. Liturgy is the most important church service. This is the rite (church service) during which you can receive communion in the church.

What is Mass in the Orthodox Church?

Liturgy is sometimes called Mass, since it is usually supposed to be celebrated from dawn to noon, that is, in the afternoon.

When, what time and on what days does the Liturgy take place in the church?

In large churches and monasteries, the Liturgy can take place daily. In smaller churches, the Liturgy is usually held on Sundays.
The beginning of the Liturgy is about 8-30, but it is different for each church. The duration of the service is 1.5–2 hours.

Why is the Liturgy happening (needed) in the church? What does Liturgy mean?

This holy Sacrament was established by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper with the apostles, before His sufferings. He took the bread into His most pure hands, blessed it, broke it and divided it to His disciples, saying: “Take, eat: this is My Body. "Then he took a cup of wine, blessed it and, giving it to the disciples, said:" Drink everything from her: this is my blood of the New Testament, even for many we are shed for the remission of sins "(Matthew 26: 26-28). At the same time, the Savior gave the Apostles, and in their person and all believers, the commandment to perform this Sacrament until the end of the world, in remembrance of His suffering, death and resurrection, for the closest union of believers with Him. He said: "Do this in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19).

What is the meaning and symbolic actions of the Liturgy? What does the Liturgy consist of?

The Liturgy recalls the earthly life of Jesus Christ from birth to His ascension into Heaven, and the Eucharist itself expresses the earthly life of Christ.

Order of the Liturgy:

1. Proskomidia.

First, everything necessary for the Sacrament of Communion is prepared - Proskomidi (translation - offering). The first part of the Proskomedia Liturgy is the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. The bread used at Proskomidia is called prosphora, which means "offering."
During the Proskomedia, the priest prepares our gifts (prosphora). For Proskomedia, five service prosphora are used (in memory of how Jesus Christ fed more than five thousand people with five loaves), as well as prosphora ordered by parishioners. For communion, one prosphora (Lamb) is used, which in its size should correspond to the number of the partakers. Proskomedia is performed by the priest in an undertone on the Altar with the Altar closed. At this time, the third and sixth hours according to the Book of Hours are read (a liturgical book).

Proskomedia, during which wine and bread (prosphora) are prepared for the Eucharist (Communion) and the souls of Christians living and dead are commemorated, for which the priest removes particles from the prosphora.

At the end of the service, these particles are immersed in the Chalice of Blood with the prayer "Wash away, Lord, the sins of all here who were remembered with Your Honest Blood by the prayers of your saints." Remembrance of the living and the dead at Proskomidia is the most effective prayer. The proskomedia is performed by the clergy in the altar; in the temple, the Clock is usually read at this time. (in order for the priest to read a prayer for your loved one during the Proskomedia, before the Liturgy, you need to submit a note to the candle shop with the words "for proskomedia")

2. The second part of the Liturgy - the Liturgy of the catechumens.

During the Liturgy of the catechumens (catechumens are people preparing to receive Holy Baptism) we learn how to live according to the commandments of God. It begins with the Great Litany (jointly intensified prayer), in which a priest or deacon reads short prayers for times of peace, for health, for our country, for our loved ones, for the Church, for the Patriarch, for travelers, for those in prison or in trouble. ... After each petition, the choir sings: "Lord have mercy."

After reading a series of prayers, the priest solemnly brings the Gospel out of the Altar through the northern gates and just as solemnly brings it into the Altar through the Royal Doors. (The procession of the priest with the Gospel is called the small entrance and reminds believers of the first exit of Jesus Christ to preach).

At the end of the singing, the priest with the deacon, who carries the altar Gospel, goes to the pulpit (in front of the iconostasis). Having received the blessing from the priest, the deacon stops at the Royal Doors and, holding up the Gospel, proclaims: “Wisdom, forgive me,” that is, reminds believers that they will soon hear the Gospel reading, therefore they must stand upright and attentive (forgive means straight forward).
The Apostle and the Gospel are read. When reading the Gospel, believers stand with their heads bowed, listening in reverence to the holy gospel.
Then, after reading the next series of prayers, the catechumens are invited to leave the temple (the catechumens go out).

3. The third part is the Liturgy of the Faithful.

Before the Cherubic song, the Royal Doors are opened and the deacon is censing. After fulfilling the words: "We will postpone every care of everyday life ..." the priest solemnly brings out the Holy Gifts - bread and wine - from the northern gates of the Altar. Stopping at the Royal Gates, he prays for everyone whom we especially remember, and, returning through the Royal Gates to the Altar, places the Honorable Gifts on the Throne. (The transfer of gifts from the Altar to the Throne is called the Great Entrance and marks the solemn procession of Jesus Christ to free suffering and death on the cross).
After the "Cherubim" litany of supplication sounds and one of the main prayers is sung - "The Symbol of Faith" - which all parishioners sing along with the singers.

Then, after a series of prayers, the culmination of the Liturgy comes: The Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated - the laying of bread and wine into the true Body and true Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then the "Song of praise to the Mother of God" and a supplicatory litany are performed. The most important - "The Lord's Prayer" (Our Father ... ") - is performed by all believers. After the Lord's Prayer, the sacrament verse is sung. The Royal Doors are opening. The priest brings out the Chalice with the Holy Gifts (in some churches it is customary to kneel when taking out the Chalice with the Communion) and says: "With the fear of God and faith, approach!"

The communion of believers begins.
What to do during communion?

The sacraments fold their hands on the right chest over the left. First, children receive communion, then men, then women. Approach the priest with a cup, call a name, open your mouth. I put a piece of prosphora in wine in your mouth. It is necessary to kiss the cup in the hands of the priest. Then you need to eat the sacrament, go to the table and take a piece of prosphora there, eat it and then drink it. It is necessary to seize and drink it so that all the sacrament gets into the body, and does not remain on the palate or in the teeth.

I draw your attention to the fact that after the sacrament it is necessary to read the "Thanksgiving Prayers".

Holy Righteous John (Kronstadt): “... in us there is no true life without the source of life - Jesus Christ. The Liturgy is a treasury, the source of true life, because the Lord Himself is in it. The Lord of life teaches Himself for food and drink to those who believe in Him and gives life in abundance to His partakers ... Our Divine Liturgy, and especially the Eucharist, is the greatest and constant revelation of the love of God to us. "