After the clergy have partaken of the Holy Mysteries, the faithful are called to the Lord's Supper: "Come with the fear of God and with faith!"

The believers approach and, together with the bishop or priest who takes communion, read the prayer:

I believe, Lord, and I confess that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, who came into the world to save sinners, but from them I am the first.
I also believe that this is Your most pure Body, and This is Your Most Honorable Blood. I pray to Thee: have mercy on me and forgive my sins, voluntary and involuntary, even in word, even in deed, even in knowledge and ignorance, and make me unjudgmentally partake of Your most pure Mysteries, for the remission of sins and eternal life.
Your secret supper today. Son of God, accept me as a communicant, not for Thy enemy we will tell the secret, nor will I kiss thee as Judas, but as a thief I confess Thee: remember me. Lord, in Your kingdom.
May the communion of Your holy Mysteries, O Lord, be not for judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body.

Then everyone bows to the ground and stands up, saying to themselves: "Behold, I come to the immortal King and our God." In front of the holy chalice, everyone calls his name, so that the priest can hear him. The priest says: "The servant of God (name) partakes of the honest and holy Body and Blood of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ, for the remission of his sins and for eternal life."

Having taken communion, everyone kisses the edge of the cup, as if the pierced rib of Christ, from which blood and water flowed (John 19:34). After that, a little wine diluted with water and a piece of prosphora are taken, which are on a separate table. This is not always possible when there are a lot of participants.

After communion on that day, they no longer kneel, because the word of God has come true: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him" (John 6:56).

After everyone has taken communion, the priest blesses the people, proclaiming: "Save, O God, Thy people and bless Thy inheritance."

And as if comprehending what the present people of God experienced in their salvation, it is sung:
We have seen the true light, we have received the Spirit of Heaven, we have gained the true faith, we worship the indivisible Trinity, for it has saved us.

When the Holy Gifts, when they are transferred from the throne, are brought before the people, the words of the priest are heard: "Blessed is our God always, now and forever and forever and ever."

With these words begins the last part of the Liturgy, thanksgiving for participation in the Mysteries of God. Continuing the exclamation of thanksgiving of the priest, the congregation sings:

May our lips be filled with Thy praise, O Lord, as if we sing Thy glory, as if Thou hast made us partake of Thy holy, divine, immortal and life-giving mysteries.
This chant ends with a petition:

Keep us in Thy sanctuary, learn Thy righteousness all day long. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

The thanksgiving litany following the song ends with a doxology of the same content: "For Thou art our sanctification, and to Thee we give glory. To the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever."

Further, the priest reads in the midst of the community a prayer of dismissal beyond the ambo, which, as it were, unites the prayer themes of the Liturgy:
"Bless those who bless Thee, O Lord, and sanctify those who trust in Thee; save Thy people and bless Thy inheritance..."

Blessing of the Lord, etc. the dismissal, in which they commemorate the names of the saints close to our Church and the saints of that day, complete the Liturgy. The believers go to venerate the cross, which the priest holds in his hand, letting them kiss this symbol of our redemption.
So believers, having taken part in the holy Eucharist, bring holiness to their families and repeat the prayer to themselves all their lives: "Keep us in Your sanctuary, learn Your truth all day long. Hallelujah."

Thus life goes on from Eucharist to Eucharist, striving for "a perfect man, for the measure of the full stature of Christ" until "we see Him face to face." (Eph. 4:13, 1 Cor. 13:12). O great and most sacred Pascha of Christ! About wisdom, and the Word of God, and Strength! give us the truest communion with you, in the never-ending days of your kingdom.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, God the Lord, and appear to us.

There is one holy, one Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father, amen.

Grace and generosity, and the love of mankind of Thy Only-begotten Son, blessed be Thou with Him, with the most holy, and good and life-giving Thy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever.

Choirs: Amen.

And the deacon proclaims again:

Wonmem- and goes into the altar through the side doors, and the priest, raising the consecrated Lamb over the paten, as a sign of our redemption through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, loudly pronounces the words:

Holy to the holy!

The holiness of God sanctifies only those who approach it cleansed by repentance, with faith and contrition of heart. In a humble consciousness of sinfulness, the prayers answer:

Those. Yes, indeed, there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, holy and sinless, and the touch of the soul to Him can only purify it. Without Him - we are all sinful and unworthy - only by His mercy can we proceed to Holy Communion.

After that, the clergy proceed in the altar, behind closed doors, to Communion, and in the Church at this time, the so-called communion verse is sung, the content of which changes, depending on the day when Mass is served.

The priest takes communion in this way: he breaks the Lamb into four parts; one of them with the inscription Jesus lowers into the Chalice and pours warmth into it ( hot water), depicting this combination of the Body and Blood of Christ - His Resurrection. The other part XS. after saying a prayer: I believe, Lord, and I confess - communes himself, - separately the Body, then the Blood of the Lord, as was done in the first centuries of Christianity. Then he applies himself to the rim of the Chalice, saying: Behold, I will touch my mouth, and take away my iniquities, and cleanse my sins, thanks God for Communion and, having broken the remaining parts of the Lamb into as many parts as there will be communicants, lowers them into the Chalice as well.

At the end of the Communion of the priest and the singing of the sacramental verse, the veil opens, the Royal Doors open and the deacon, carrying the Chalice in his hands, stands in the Royal Doors facing the people and says:

Come with the fear of God and faith, which means: come with reverence and faith to receive sanctification and salvation, - and the chanters sing in response:

(Mat. 21:9).

The communicants get closer to the Royal Doors on the salt, and listen to the prayer of John Chrysostom, which the priest reads, standing near the Chalice, in the Royal Doors:

I acknowledge and loudly confess, Lord, that You are the true Son of God, Jesus Christ, Who came down to earth to bring salvation to sinners, of whom I feel myself the most sinful.

I also believe that this is Your most pure Body, and this is Your most precious Blood. I pray to Thee: have mercy on me and forgive my sins, voluntary and involuntary, even in word, even in deed, even in knowledge and ignorance, and make me unjudgmentally partake of Your most pure Mysteries, for the remission of sins and eternal life.

I also believe that this is Your most true Body and Your most holy Blood, and I ask You, Lord, have mercy on me and forgive me all my sins, conscious and unconscious: whether in words, in my deeds, with or without intention, Forgive me everything, and make me worthy to partake of Your most pure Mysteries, so that through them I will receive cleansing from sins and eternal bliss.

Thy secret Supper today, Son of God, accept me as a communicant: we will not sing a secret to Thy enemy, nor will I kiss Thee, like Judas, but like a thief I will confess Thee: remember me, Lord, in Thy Kingdom.

Allow me, Lord, to participate in Your Last Supper today! I promise not to betray You, like Judas, who, after his hypocritical kiss, immediately delivered You into the hands of enemies, but I appeal to Your mercy together with the thief who repented on the cross: remember me a sinner in Your kingdom.

The culmination of the Divine Liturgy is the exit from the Royal Doors of the priest with the Chalice in his hands. The cup contains the Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We emphasize: not SYMBOLS, namely Themselves. Coming out to the parishioners, the priest says three prayers in succession at once:

"I believe, Lord, and I confess that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, who came into the world to save sinners, from them the first (or first) am az. I still believe that this is Your most pure Body, and this is Your precious Blood.. I pray to Thee: have mercy on me, and forgive my transgressions, voluntary and involuntary, even in word, even in deed, even in knowledge and ignorance, and make me worthy to partake without condemnation of Your most pure Mysteries, for the remission of sins and for eternal life."

"Your secret supper today, Son of God, communicant(participant) accept me:."

"Let the communion of Your Holy Mysteries, Lord, not be for judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body. Amen."

Generally speaking, the priest says these prayers on behalf of all communicants. Those, in turn, on the eve of the service, were obliged to go home to read a number of penitential canons and the Adherence to Holy Communion. At the very end of this Follow-up we find the above mentioned prayers...

Preparing for Communion, we examine our lives and actions, so that later we can confess the sins revealed in ourselves to the Lord with the testimony of a priest, to whom God has given the power to "bind and loose." Believers understand how significant Holy Communion is in their lives, so they try to seriously prepare for it. However, let's pay special attention to the words of the prayer " we will not tell the secret to your enemy, nor kiss thee, like Judas, but like a thief I will confess you: remember me, Lord, in your kingdom ".

The gospel tells of two betrayals that occurred one after the other: first by Judas, then by Peter. In the indicated words of the prayer, however, there is no mention of Peter's betrayal. How did it differ from the betrayal of Judas?

In fact, this difference is clearly communicated by the Gospel itself in the words about Judas: " Satan entered into Judas, called Iscariot, one of the twelve" (Luke 22:3). “Having said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said: Truly, truly, I say to you that one of you will betray me. Then the disciples looked at each other, wondering who He was talking about. One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at the chest of Jesus. Simon Peter made a sign to him to ask who it was, about whom he was talking. He leaned against the chest of Jesus and said to Him: Lord! who is it? Jesus answered: the one to whom I, having dipped a piece of bread, will give. And, having dipped a piece, he gave it to Judas Simonov Iscariot. And after this piece satan got in . Then Jesus said to him, What you are doing, do it quickly. John 13:21-27).

As we can see, the reason for Judas' betrayal was to allow Satan to enter him and take possession of his heart. Another disciple, the future holy Apostle, Peter betrayed Christ out of his arrogance and cowardice. Moreover, the Savior predicted this event to him in advance: “Peter said to Him: Lord, why can’t I follow You now? I will lay down my life for You. Jesus answered him: Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow until you deny me three times. " (John 13:37,38).

When the words of the Savior came true, and at that time He was taken to the courtyard of the bishop, where at that moment Peter was, who had already denounced Christ three times, their eyes met. What did Peter see in this look of his Master? The gospel does not say this. But we can guess, because we ourselves often find ourselves in the same situation ... At the same moment, impetuous Peter runs to a secluded place and there sheds hot tears of repentance ...

We know that the Savior forgave him. Moreover, He elevated Peter to the former level of apostleship and commanded him to become a shepherd of God...

But why didn't Jesus do something similar with Judas? After all, after committing his crime, Judas, as it were, also repented, so he returned the ill-fated pieces of silver to those from whom he received? Yes, and he also saw the Savior, like Peter, after his betrayal. Why did the always loving and forgiving, merciful and philanthropic Lord, this time, not forgive His disciple?

The reason is still the same. External repentance does not touch the heart and does not produce deep changes in it. As Satan was in him, so he remained there with Judas. Not because the Lord decided simply in His power not to forgive him, no. But because in the heart of Judas there was no repentance. He was still voluntarily under the power of Satan, which, in fact, is evidenced by his suicide. After all, we know that the Church does not bury suicides, does not bury them, and does not pray for them. The sin of suicide is one of the gravest mortal sins, in which, once committed, there is no possibility to repent. It is demonic possession that inflames human pride that leads the unfortunate to suicide. Until a person himself wants to get rid of the power of Satan in his heart, repentance, and, consequently, forgiveness is impossible!

How did Judas, possessed by a crafty enemy, betray Christ? - Kiss!

Let us think, Christians, about how often we kiss the Savior with our lips (in words and in prayers), and deny Him by our deeds. Outwardly we repent, we pray, we ask for forgiveness, we confess, but, after all, we return again to deeds ungodly. And do we sin unwittingly? Let's not be hypocritical, there are many more sins committed consciously by our will. Is this not the kiss of Judas?

How the Savior expects from us, hard-hearted and stubborn, hot, sincere Peter's tears of repentance!

Once again, the priest comes out with the Chalice. Familiar words that have become commonplace sound " no kissing, ladies, like Judas "and the heart is silent ...

The Lord looks at us, unfortunate and cursed, with pain and bitterness, and waits for us to finally see ourselves as robbers, unworthy of His mercy, but so in need of Him. When, in fact, with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our being, we cry out to Him:

"but like a thief I confess Thee: remember me, Lord, in Thy kingdom "...

Prayer at the Liturgy before Holy Communion

I believe, Lord, I openly admit, I declare that You are truly the Christ, who came into the world to save sinners, of which the first (th), i.e. the most (th) largest (th) is me. I also believe that this is Your most pure Body, and this same is Your precious Blood. Therefore, I pray to You: have mercy on me, and forgive me the sins made of my own free will, and made against my will, which I did (la) in word or deed, knowing or not knowing that it was sinful. And make me worthy to partake of Your most pure Mysteries with impunity, for the forgiveness of sins and for obtaining eternal life.

Your secret supper today, Son of God, communicant

(participant) accept me: we will not sing secrets to your enemy, nor will I give you kisses, like Judas, but like a thief I will confess you: remember me, Lord, in your kingdom.

Son of God, make me today a participant (participant) of Your Last Supper: I will not reveal secrets to Your enemies, and I will not give You such a kiss as Judas, but as a thief (who repented on the cross) I believe in You and I say to You: remember me, Lord , in your kingdom.

May the communion of Your Holy Mysteries, O Lord, not be for judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body.

God! let the communion of Your Holy Mysteries be for me, not in condemnation or punishment, but in the healing of soul and body.

I confess

Before everyone, I openly admit, declare; from them- of which; az- I; ubo- that's why; keeping- knowledge; ignorance- ignorance; vouchsafe- honor; uncondemned- without judging me for it - with impunity; abandonment- forgiveness.

Dinner; The Last Supper- the supper at which Jesus Christ established the sacrament of Communion; accept me as a communicant- make me a member; bo- because; let's say- I will open, I will say; kisses- kissing, kissing; remember me- remember me.

About the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great

Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is identical in content and order with the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. It differs from the latter only in the following:

1. Prayers that the priest reads secretly (to himself) in the altar (especially the Eucharistic one) are much longer, and therefore the singing at this Liturgy is more drawn out.

2. The words of the Savior, with which He established the sacrament of St. The Eucharist is pronounced like this: gave to His holy disciple and apostle the rivers: take, eat, this is my body ... and then: gave to His holy disciples and apostles the rivers: drink all of her from her, this is my blood ...

3. Instead of a hymn: It is worthy to eat as truly ... a special song is sung in honor of the Mother of God: O Gracious One, every creature rejoices in You, the Angelic Cathedral and the human race ...

In addition, at the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, performed in Great Thursday, instead of Izhe cherubim is sung: Thy secret supper is this day, Son of God... and in Great Saturday - May all human flesh be silent ...

Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is performed only ten times a year: at eve(the day before) feasts of the Nativity of Christ and the Baptism of the Lord(or on the very days of these holidays, if they fall on Sunday or Monday), January 1st- Memorial Day of St. Basil the Great, on the five Sundays of Great Lent(Palm Sunday excluded) Maundy Thursday and on Holy Saturday of Holy Week.

Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

The main feature of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is that the sacrament of the Eucharist is not celebrated at it, but the faithful commune presanctified gifts, i.e., previously consecrated, at the previous liturgy of St. Basil the Great or St. John Chrysostom.

The beginning of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts comes from the first centuries of Christianity. The first Christians very often took communion with St. the Mysteries of Christ, some even on weekdays. Meanwhile, it was recognized as inconvenient during the days of strict fasting, as days of sorrow and contrition for sins, to celebrate the full Liturgy, which is the most solemn service of church services. But, in order to enable believers to receive communion even in the middle of the week during the days of fasting, it was decided, without violating the nature of Lenten Divine Liturgy, on some days to commune believers with the previously consecrated Gifts. For this purpose, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts was introduced into the services of Great Lent. The final compilation of the order of this liturgy and its written presentation was done St. Gregory Dvoeslov, pope of Rome, in the sixth century.

The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated according to Wednesdays and Fridays in the first six weeks Great Lent; Thursday of the fifth week of Vel. post when the memory of St. Mary of Egypt; sometimes on March 9th - on the feast of the Forty Martyrs of Sebastia (if this day falls on fasting and does not happen on Saturday or Sunday) and on first three days of Holy Week(Great Monday, Great Tue and Great Wednesday).

The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated after the Lenten hours and consists of vespers and liturgy of the faithful, but only without its most important part - the consecration of the Gifts.

Great Lent (the third, sixth and ninth hours) are performed, at which, in addition to the usual psalms, kathismas.

After reading the kathisma, the priest comes out of the altar and reads in front of the royal doors troparion every hour, with the corresponding verses, bowing to the ground, and the singers sing this troparion three times.

AT troparion of the third hour we ask the Lord, who sent down the Holy Spirit to his disciples, do not take Him away from us.

AT troparion of the sixth hour we pray to Christ, who voluntarily accepted the crucifixion of sinners for us, to forgive our sins.

AT troparion of the ninth hour we ask Christ, who died for us, to put to death the sinful impulses of our flesh.

At the end of each hour is read with kneeling prayer of st. Ephraim the Syrian: "Lord and Master of my life...

At the sixth hour there is a paremia from the prophet Isaiah.

After the ninth hour - "pictorial": sing nine gospel beatitudes, with the addition of the prayer of the repentant thief on the cross: remember me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom", then several prayers are read, with the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian, and dismissed.

After that, immediately begins vespers liturgical exclamation: Blessed be the kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, of the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever".

Vespers until the small evening entrance is celebrated in the usual manner. After the evening entry and singing: "Quiet light...", a reader in the middle of the temple reads two proverbs: one - from the book of Genesis, which tells about the fall of Adam and its unfortunate consequences; another of the parables of Solomon, encouraging to love and seek Divine wisdom. Between these proverbs royal doors open and the priest, holding a lighted candle and a censer in his hands, after the words: "Wisdom forgive!" blesses the believers with them and proclaims: "the light of Christ enlightens all."

At this time, believers, realizing their unworthiness and reverent before Christ, as the eternal Light, enlightening and sanctifying man, bow to the ground.

After the second paraemia, the royal doors open again and in the middle of the temple, one or three singers slowly sing verses from the psalm:

May my prayer be corrected, like a censer before You, the uplifting of my hand, the evening sacrifice.

Lord, cry to Thee, hear me; heed the voice of my supplication...

When singing these verses, the worshiper kneels, and the priest, standing before the throne, performs censing.

Then, immediately after this, Vespers ends with the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian: "Lord and Master of my life..." and the main part of the Presanctified Liturgy begins.

On the first three days (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) of Holy Week, after this prayer, the Gospel is read, and on other days litanies: ominous, about the catechumens and about the faithful(two small litanies), as in the usual Liturgy.

At the end of these litanies, that is, during great entrance, instead of "Like Cherubim..." the choir sings: "Now the powers of heaven serve with us invisibly...

While singing this song royal doors open. Is being done burning the altar.

At the end of the first half of this song, after the word: “bearing”, the transfer of the Presanctified Gifts from the altar to the throne (great entrance) takes place: the priest, preceded by a candle and a deacon with a censer, exits through the northern doors to the salt with a paten on the head and a bowl in hand and without saying anything, silently brings them to the altar and places them on the antimension, previously opened on the throne. After that, the royal doors are closed, and the choir ends the interrupted singing. Since the Holy Gifts are already consecrated (i.e., this is the Body and Blood of Christ), those who pray during their transfer fall on their faces.

In view of the fact that there is no consecration of the Gifts at this Liturgy, everything related to this sacred action is omitted. Therefore, after the great entrance and the utterance of the prayer by the priest: "Lord and Master of my life...", only the last three parts of the liturgy of the faithful are celebrated: a) believers prepared for communion, b) communion of clergy and laity and c) thanksgiving for communion with leave. All this is celebrated in the same way as in the full Liturgy, with some changes in relation to the meaning of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.

Prayer beyond the ambo

read another. In this prayer, the priest, on behalf of the faithful, thanks God, who has honored them to reach the days of fasting for the purification of soul and body, and asks Him to help them accomplish the good feat of fasting, preserve the Orthodox faith unchanged, be the conqueror of sin, and uncondemnedly attain to worship the holy Resurrection of Christ.

Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian

Lord and Master of my life, do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, arrogance and idle talk.

But grant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to me, your servant.

Yes, Lord the King, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother, for you are blessed forever and ever. Amen.

my belly

my life; spirit of idleness- tendency to idleness, or laziness; despondency- hopelessness; ambition- lust for power, i.e. love to rule and rule over others; idle talk- pronunciation of empty words (idle talk), as well as the pronunciation of bad and swear words: don't give me- don't let me.

Chastity

Sanity, prudence, as well as purity and integrity of the soul; humility- consciousness, of our imperfection and unworthiness before God, and when we do not think of ourselves that we are better than others (humility); patience- patience is needed when enduring any inconvenience, deprivation and misfortune; and it is also necessary in order to bring the good work begun to the end; love- love (for God and neighbor).

Oh Lord

Oh my God! give me sight Let me see, let me know.

Under brother here, of course, every other person.

How blessed are you

Because You are worthy of praise.

God, cleanse me a sinner.

Critical Steps in Administering the Ordinances

O inner strength and the meaning of the sacraments is said above, in the explanation of the tenth article of the Creed.

BAPTISM AND ANOINTMENT

Before the sacrament of baptism is performed, there is a name given to a person in honor of one of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. At the same time, the priest three times overshadows him with the sign of the cross and prays to the Lord to be merciful to this person and, after joining through baptism to the holy Church, make him a participant in eternal blessedness. When the time for baptism comes, the priest prays to the Lord to cast out of this person every evil and unclean spirit hidden and nestling in his heart, and make him a member of the Church and heir to eternal blessedness; the one who is baptized, renounces the devil, makes a promise to serve not him, but Christ, and by reading the Creed confirms his faith in Christ as King and God. When an infant is baptized, then the renunciation of the devil and all his deeds, as well as the Creed, are pronounced on his behalf by the godparents, i.e. the godfather and godmother, who are guarantors for the faith of the person being baptized and take upon themselves the obligation to teach him the faith, when he comes of age, and making sure that he lives like a Christian. Then the priest prays to the Lord to bless the water in the font and, driving the devil away from it, make it for the baptized a source of new and holy life, and at the same time makes the sign of the cross in the water three times, first with his own hand, and then with consecrated oil, with which he also anoints the baptized as a sign the mercy of God to him. After that, the priest immerses him three times in water, saying: " baptized servant of God"(and mentions his name)" in the name of the Father, amen; and the Son, amen; and the Holy Spirit, amen". A white robe and a cross are laid on the baptized. The white robe serves as a sign of the purity of the soul after baptism and reminds him to continue to maintain this purity, and the cross serves as a visible sign of his faith in Jesus Christ. Immediately after this, the sacrament is performed chrismation. The priest anoints the baptized St. world, making them the sign of the cross on different parts of the body with the pronunciation of the words " seal(i.e. sign) the gift of the Holy Spirit". At this time, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are invisibly given to the baptized, with the help of which he grows and strengthens in spiritual life. Chelo, or forehead, is anointed with myrrh to sanctify the mind; eyes, nostrils, mouth, ears- for the consecration of feelings; breast- for the consecration of the heart; arms and legs- for the consecration of deeds and all behavior. Then the priest walking three times with the newly baptized and his godparents around the font is a sign of triumph and spiritual joy. Lit candles in their hands serve as a sign of spiritual enlightenment, and the cruciform hair cutting on the head of the baptized is done as a sign of his dedication to the Lord.

REPENTANCE AND COMMUNICATION

The one approaching these sacraments first fasts for several days and attends church services, moreover, remembering his sins, he laments about them and prays to the Lord for mercy on him. Then, at the appointed time, he comes to the priest, who makes confession at the lectern, on which the Cross and the Gospel lie, and repents of sins. The priest, seeing his sincere repentance, lays the end of the epitrachil on his bowed head and reads a permissive prayer, forgiving him his sins on behalf of Jesus Christ Himself and overshadowing him with the sign of the cross. Having kissed the cross, the confessor departs with a calm conscience and prays to the Lord to deign him to partake of St. Mystery. sacrament of communion takes place during the Liturgy. All confessors repeat after the priest prayer before communion and make a prostration, and then reverently approach St. Chalice and partake of St. Sacraments, eating under the guise of bread and wine the true body of Christ and the true blood of Christ. After Communion, in addition to thanksgiving offered at the Liturgy, special thanksgiving prayers. The priest, however, communes the sick in their homes, having first confessed them.

PRIESTHOOD

This sacrament is performed in the altar at the throne during the hierarchical service of the Liturgy. Deacons and priests are consecrated by one bishop, and consecrated bishops are performed by a council of bishops. dedicated to deacons happens at the Liturgy after the consecration which shows that the deacon does not receive the right to perform the sacraments; in priests they consecrate at the "liturgy of the faithful" after the "great entrance", so that the initiate, as having received the proper grace for that, takes part in the consecration of the gifts; in bishops they consecrate during the "liturgy of the catechumens" after the "little entrance", which shows that the bishop is given the right to consecrate others to various sacred degrees. The most important action during consecration is the laying on of hands by a bishop with the invocation of the grace of the Holy Spirit upon the initiate, and therefore the consecration is otherwise called the laying on of hands. The ordained deacon or priest is entered through the royal doors into the altar. After circumambulating the throne three times and kissing its corners, he bows before him. The bishop covers his head with the end of his omophorion, overshadows it three times with the sign of the cross and, laying his hand on it, proclaims aloud that this man " Divine grace... prophesies(i.e. produces through the laying on of hands) deacon(or to presbyter); let us pray for him, that the grace of the All-Holy Spirit may come upon him". On the kliros they sing in Greek: " Kyrie eleison", which means: Lord, have mercy. When laying on the ordained sacred robes, assimilated to his rank, the bishop proclaims: "axios!" i.e. worthy, and this "axios" is repeated by all the clergy and choristers. After dressing, the clergy of the degree to which the ordained person belongs kiss him as their brother, and he, together with them, takes part in the service. Almost the same thing happens with being consecrated as a bishop, with the only difference being that before the beginning of the Liturgy, in the middle of the church, the consecrated one pronounces the confession of faith aloud and the promise passes his service as it should according to the law, and after the "little entrance" during the singing of the "trisagion" is brought to the altar and kneels before the throne; when then the bishop who takes the lead in the service reads the prayer of initiation, then all the bishops, in addition to laying their right hands on the initiate, still hold the open Gospel above his head with the letters down.

The sacrament of marriage is performed in the midst of the church before the lectern, on which the Cross and the Gospel are located, and at the same time it happens first betrothal, and after him wedding. The engagement goes like this. The groom stands on the right side, and the bride - on the left. The priest blesses them three times with lit candles and gives them these candles in their hands as signs of conjugal love, blessed by the Lord. After praying to God for the bestowal of all blessings and favors on the betrothed and that He would bless their betrothal, unite and keep them in peace and unanimity, the priest blesses and betroths them with rings that were previously placed on the throne for consecration. The bride and groom accept these rings as a sacred pledge and a sign of the inviolability of the marital union in which they want to enter. The engagement is followed by the wedding. At the same time, the priest prays to the Lord to bless the marriage and send His heavenly grace to those who enter into it. As a visible sign of this grace, he places crowns on them, and then blesses them both together three times, saying: " Lord, our God, crown me with glory and honor!(i.e. them). The readable letter of the Apostle Paul speaks of the importance of the sacrament of marriage and the mutual duties of husband and wife, and in the gospel - the presence of the Lord Himself at the marriage in the city of Cana. Those who marry drink wine from the same cup served to them as a sign that from now on they should live in one accord, sharing joy and sorrow together. Their triple walking after the priest around the lectern serves as a sign of spiritual joy and triumph.

SANITATION

This sacrament is also called unction and is performed on the sick to heal them from the infirmities of their soul and body. Seven priests gather to perform it, although, if necessary, one priest can perform it. A small vessel with oil is placed in a dish with wheat, as a sign of God's mercy, and red wine is added to the oil in imitation of the "merciful Samaritan" and as a reminder of the blood of Christ shed on the cross; around that vessel, lit wax candles are placed in wheat, and between them are seven sticks, entwined at one end with cotton wool and serving for the sevenfold anointing of the sick. Lighted candles are distributed to all present. After the prayer for the consecration of the oil and for it, by the grace of God, to serve the sick for the healing of the infirmities of the soul and body, seven selected places from the books of the apostles and seven gospel narratives are read. After reading each gospel, the priest crosswise anoints the patient forehead, cheeks, chest, arms, saying at the same time a prayer to the Lord, so that He, as a doctor of souls and bodies, would heal His sick servant or His servant from bodily and mental infirmities. After the seventh anointing, the priest opens the Gospel and, holding it with the letters down, lays, as it were, the healing hand of the Savior Himself, on the head of the sick person and at the same time prays to the Lord for the forgiveness of all his sins. Then the sick man kisses the Gospel and the Cross, and this ends the sacrament of the unction.

About prayers

Molebens are short services in which believers, according to their particular needs and circumstances, pray to the Lord God, the Mother of God and the saints.

Ordinary prayers, in their composition, are similar to matins, but in practice they are significantly reduced and consist of: initial prayers, singing of the troparion and refrains ( Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee... Most Holy Theotokos, save us... Saint Father Nicholas, pray to God for us and others), the reading of the Gospel, the special and small litany, and the final, adaptive to the subject of prayer, prayer to the Lord God, or the Mother of God, or the saint to whom prayer singing is performed. Sometimes such prayers are combined with an akathist or with a small consecration of water. The Akathist is read after a small litany before the Gospel, and the blessing of water is performed after reading the Gospel.

In addition to the general petitionary prayer service, there are special prayer services adapted to any occasion, for example: a thanksgiving prayer service for the mercies received from God, a prayer service for the healing of a sick person, prayer services for public disasters: droughts, lack of water, floods, wars. A special prayer service is supposed to be performed on the day of the New Year, before teaching, on the week of Orthodoxy.

On the burial of the dead

After the death of a Christian, his body is washed, dressed in clean, if possible, in new clothes and put in a "shroud" (white cover), as a sign that the deceased, at his baptism, made a vow to lead a life in purity and holiness, - or but they are dressed in the clothes of the title of the deceased, as an indication that he is going to the Lord God, he gave an account of the passage of the duties of his title. Placed on the forehead of the deceased whisk with the image of Christ, the Mother of God and John the Baptist and with the inscription "Holy God" ..., as a sign that the deceased, as a Christian, fought on earth for the truth of God and died with hope, by the mercy of God and the intercession of the Mother of God and John Forerunners, receive a crown in heaven. A cross or some kind of icon is placed on his hands, as a sign of the faith of the deceased in Christ, the Mother of God and the saints of God. The body of the deceased is placed in a coffin and half covered with a sacred veil as a sign that the deceased was under the protection of the Orthodox Church. The coffin is usually placed in the middle of the room in front of the home icons (in the front corner), turning the face of the deceased towards the exit. Candles are lit around the coffin as a sign that the deceased has passed into the realm of light - into a better afterlife. Then, at the tomb begins reading the psalter with the addition of prayers for the repose of the deceased, and requiem services are served (before burial, a special follow-up to the exodus of the soul, placed at the end of the psalter, is required). Psalms are read to console those who mourn the death of the deceased.

funeral services

short services are called, consisting of prayers for the forgiveness of sins and repose in the kingdom of heaven of the deceased. During the service of memorial services, the assembled relatives and friends of the deceased stand with lit candles, as a sign that they also believe in a bright future life; at the end of the memorial service (when reading the Lord's Prayer), these candles are extinguished as a sign that our earthly life, burning like a candle, should go out, most often not having burned down to the end we imagine.

Before burial, the body for the funeral is transferred to the temple; before the removal, a short funeral service ("lithia") is performed, and during the transfer they sing: "Holy God"...

In the temple, the coffin with the body of the deceased is placed in the middle of the church facing the altar, and lamps are lit on the four sides of the coffin. The funeral service consists of chants in which the whole fate of a person is briefly depicted: for the transgression of the commandment, he again turns to the ground from which he was taken; but, in spite of many sins, a person does not cease to be "an image of the glory of God", created in the image and likeness of God, and therefore the Holy Church prays to the Master and the Lord, by His inexpressible mercy, to forgive the deceased sins and honor him with the Kingdom of Heaven. After reading the Apostle and the Gospel, which speak of the future resurrection of the dead, the priest reads permissive prayer. This prayer resolves the prohibitions and sins that were on the deceased, in which he repented and which, upon repentance, he could not remember, and the deceased is released in peace into the afterlife; the text of this prayer is placed in the hands of the deceased. Then, relatives and friends give the deceased the last kiss, say goodbye to him, after which the body of the deceased is wrapped in a shroud and the priest sprinkles it crosswise with earth, saying: The Lord's Land and Its Fulfillment(everything that fills her) the universe and all living on it; the coffin is closed with a lid and the deceased is sung " everlasting memory".

After the funeral, the coffin with the body of the deceased is transferred to the cemetery and lowered into the grave, facing east; at the same time, a short funeral litiya is performed.

On the grave of a Christian is placed St. Cross, as a symbol of Christ's victory over death and hell, as a majestic and many-leaved tree, under whose shade, a Christian rests, like a traveler after a long wandering.

Having true faith in the immortality of the human soul, the universal future resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment of Christ and the last recompense to each according to his deeds, St. Orthodox Church does not leave his dead children without prayer, especially in the first days after their death and in the days general commemoration of the dead. She prays for them third, ninth and fortieth days after their death.

On the third day

After the death of the deceased, the Holy Church, remembering the three-day resurrection of Jesus Christ, prays to Him to resurrect the deceased for a blessed future life.

On the ninth day

The Holy Church prays to the Lord to number the deceased among the saints of God, divided, like the angels, into nine ranks.

On the fortieth day

a prayer is made so that Jesus Christ, who ascended to heaven, would also lift the dead to the heavenly abodes.

Sometimes the commemoration of the deceased, according to the zeal and faith of his relatives, is performed daily, for all forty days, with the service of a funeral Liturgy and a panikhida; this commemoration is called magpie.

Finally, in death anniversary the deceased is prayed for by his close relatives and faithful friends, expressing by this the belief that the day of a person's death is not a day of destruction, but a new birth for eternal life; the day of the transition of the immortal human soul to other conditions of life, where there is no longer any place for earthly diseases, sorrows and sighs.

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On Thursday of Holy Week, during the last meal with the apostles, Christ established the Sacrament of Holy Communion. The Son of God served the companions with bread and wine. They symbolized the flesh and blood of Christ, his sacrifice in the name of all sinners living on earth. This food soon became the basis for the church sacrament of Communion.

During the Divine Liturgy, the faithful make speeches of repentance and petitions to the Lord. The prayer of the Supper of Your Secret before communion from time immemorial is traditional for the ceremony. This hymn helps to purify the soul and gain repentance, which is so necessary for a Christian to conduct the sacrament of Communion.

How does the prayer of Your Secret Supper help?

An Orthodox Christian must remember that the Heavenly Father is the protection and support in the life of any layman. There is no need to be ashamed to ask the Lord, for he is merciful and righteous. The Prayer of Your Secret Supper is read in the following cases:

• In grief and sorrow. Provides an opportunity to talk with God about life's difficulties.
• In an effort to be cleansed from the fall and receive the forgiveness of the Lord.
• In the kitchen or dining room before a meal. Blesses for cooking and eating. Expresses gratitude to the Lord for the opportunity to eat food.

When and how to pray

On Maundy Thursday, during the Liturgy, with participation in the church sacrament of communion, you need to read the prayer of Your Secret Supper.

While singing a prayer before communion, it is important to feel peace and drive away any bad thoughts from yourself. According to Orthodox canons, a person came into the world for kindness and love for his neighbor.

When pronouncing the text of the prayer of Your Secret Supper, one must remember the slaughter of the Son of God, his torments and the miracle of the resurrection

At the same time, one should strive with all one's soul to merge with the image of Christ.

It will not be superfluous to pronounce the prayer every day, for it will give the fruits of God's mercy. Namely:

• It overshadows food with a blessing and therefore can be used every time before a meal.
• It gives firmness of the spirit of humility and strengthens the believer in repentance.

Prayer text

I believe, Lord, and I confess that you are truly the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who came into the world to save sinners, from them I am the first. I also believe that this is Your most pure Body, and this is Your precious Blood. I pray to you: have mercy on me and forgive my sins, voluntary and involuntary, even in word, even in deed, even in knowledge and ignorance, and make me worthy to partake without condemnation of Your most pure Mysteries, in the remission of sins and in eternal life.

Thy Secret Supper today, Son of God, a communicant (participant) accept me: we will not sing a secret to Your enemy, nor will I give kisses to Thee, like Judas, but like a thief I confess Thee: remember me, Lord, in your kingdom.

May the communion of Your Holy Mysteries, O Lord, not be for judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body. Amen.

Translation of the text of the prayer into Russian

I believe, Lord, I openly admit, I declare that You are truly the Christ, who came into the world to save sinners, of which the first (th), that is, the biggest (th), is me. I also believe that this is Your most pure Body, and this same is Your precious Blood. Therefore, I pray to you: have mercy on me and forgive me the sins made of my own free will and made against my desire, which I did in word or deed, knowing or not knowing that it was sinful. and receive eternal life.

Son of God, make me a participant (participant) of Your Last Supper: I will not reveal secrets to Your enemies, and I will not give You such a kiss as Judas, but as a thief (who repented on the cross) I believe in You and I say to You: remember me, Lord, in your kingdom.

God! Let the communion of Your Holy Mysteries be for me, not in condemnation or punishment, but in the healing of soul and body. Amen.