Christians who have only recently embarked on the path to God may not understand the various names. For example, parishioners often ask: “What is the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts? What secret meaning does it carry? How is it done? "
When the time of Great Lent comes before the holiday of Easter, namely on the days of the holy forty days, a special liturgy is held. It is performed constantly on Fridays and Wednesdays. This sacred act takes place on the days of the strictest abstinence in the evening.
Following church laws, these days you should completely refuse to eat until the first star appears. And only in the evening every true Christian, like a child, rejoices in this holy communion. But nowadays this sacrament has already ceased to be carried out only in the evening hours. In almost all churches, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is held in the morning or afternoon.
It differs from the everyday liturgy in that during the divine service the gifts (sacrifice) are prepared the day before. Before the service begins, they are consecrated and laid out for further communion.
This liturgy began to be held from the very first centuries of the development of Christianity. Previously, the Orthodox received Communion very often, practically on any weekdays. But since this sacrament is very solemn, during Great Lent it was considered not a very good act to perform it. Therefore, it was decided on the days of strict fasting to conduct divine services with gifts that had been consecrated in advance.
All this was fixed in a letter by Pope Gregory Dvoeslov in the 6th century. This was also due to the fact that some Orthodox Christians could not attend services, and especially for them, they left consecrated gifts on the steps of the temple, or deacons carried these offerings to the homes of the laity.
The tradition of celebrating the liturgy in the evening appeared in 1968. Then the working people asked to hold this joyful service in the evening, since before that they were busy at work. The church took these requests into account and began to conduct the sacrament in the evening hours.
The beginning of the liturgy is the same as for any other sacrament. It begins with the words of His Holiness: "Blessed be the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit ..." This is a hope for spiritual expectation. Then the service goes in this order:
Anyone who has experienced this fascinating ritual at least once will no longer ask the question "What is the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts?"
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts- Divine service, which is mainly performed on the days of special abstinence and august fasting: Wednesday and Friday during all the days of the Holy Forty.
The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts by its nature, primarily the evening service, to be more precise, is the communion after Vespers.
During Great Lent, following the church statute, on Wednesdays and Fridays, complete abstinence from food is required until sunset.
These days of especially intense physical and spiritual deed are sanctified by the expectation of the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, and this expectation supports us in our exploit, both spiritual and physical; the goal of this feat becomes the joy of waiting for evening communion.
Unfortunately, today this understanding of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts as an evening communion has been practically lost, and therefore this service is performed everywhere, mainly in the morning.
The service begins with the Great Vespers, but the first exclamation of the priest:
"Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever!"the same as at the Liturgy of John Chrysostom or Basil the Great; thus, all worship is directed towards the hope of the Kingdom; it is that spiritual expectation that defines the whole of Great Lent.
Then, as usual, the reading of Psalm 103, "Bless, my soul, the Lord!" , "in the rest of the day to avoid various wiles of the wicked one", "to spend the rest of the day blameless before the holy Glory" of the Lord.
At the end of the reading of Psalm 103, the deacon pronounces the Great litany, with which the complete Liturgy begins.
“Let us pray in peace to the Lord” - the first words of the litany mean that in the peace of our soul we must begin our prayers.
First, he will reconcile himself with everyone on whom we hold our grievances, whom we ourselves have offended, this is an indispensable condition for our participation in divine services. The deacon himself does not say any prayers, he only helps in the performance of the divine service, calls the people to prayer.
And all of us, answering "Lord, have mercy!", Should take part in a common prayer, because the very word "Liturgy" means a common service.
The deacon calls us to prayer, the priest, on behalf of all those gathered in the church, prays, and all of us together are participants in the service.
During the litany, the priest reads a prayer where he asks the Lord to "hear our prayer and heed the voice of our prayer."
At the end of the litany and the exclamation of the priest, the reader begins to read 18 kathisma, which consists of psalms (119-133) called "songs of the ascent." They were sung on the steps of the Jerusalem temple, ascending them; it was the song of the people gathered for prayer, preparing to meet God.
During the reading of the first part of the kathisma, the priest puts aside the Gospel, unfolds the holy antimension, then Lamb, consecrated at the Liturgy on Sunday, with the help copy and liars puts it on the diskos and puts a lighted candle in front of it.
After this, the deacon pronounces the so-called. "small" litany.
"Packs and packs in peace to the Lord let us pray," that is "again and again in the world let us pray to the Lord."
"Lord, have mercy" - answers the choir, and with it all those present.
At this time, the prayer of the priest follows:
"Lord, do not reprove us in Thy anger, and do not punish us in Thy anger ... Enlighten the eyes of our hearts for the knowledge of Thy Truth ... for Thy power, and Thine is the Kingdom and power and glory."
Then the second part of the reading of the 18th kathisma, during which the priest performs a threefold censing of the throne with the Holy Gifts and bows to the ground before the throne.
The "small" litany is recited again, during which the priest reads the prayer:
"Lord our God, remember us sinful and indecent Thy servants ... God grant us everything that we ask for salvation and help us to love and fear You with all our heart ... for You are a good and humane God ...".
The last, third part of the kathisma is read, during which the transfer of the Holy Gifts from the throne to the altar is performed. This will be marked by the ringing of a bell, after which all those gathered, noting the importance and sacredness of this moment, should kneel. After the transfer of the Holy Gifts to altar the bell rings again, so you can already get up off your knees.
The priest pours wine into a cup, covers the holy vessels, but does not say anything. The reading of the third part of the kathisma ends, the "small" litany and the exclamation of the priest are again pronounced.
Chorus starts chanting verses from Psalms 140 and 141: "Lord, cry out to you, hear me!" and the stichera laid down for this day.
During this singing, the deacon burns the altar and the entire temple. Censing is a symbol of our prayers to God. During the singing of the stichera on "And Now," the priests make a solemn entrance.
The Primate reads a prayer:
"In the evening, as in the morning and at noon, we praise, bless You and pray to You ... do not let our hearts deviate to words or evil thoughts ... deliver us from all that catch our souls ... All glory, honor and worship, the Father and the Son, and The Holy Spirit. "
The priests go out to the solea (dais in front of the entrance to the altar) and the Primate blesses the Holy Entrance with the words:
"Blessed is the entrance of Thy saints, always now and ever and forever and ever!"The deacon tracing the holy cross with a censer says:
"Wisdom, forgive me!""I'm sorry" - that means, let's stand upright, reverently.
In the Ancient Church, when the service was much longer than today, those gathered in the temple sat, getting up at especially important moments of the service.
The Deacon's exclamation calling to stand upright and reverently reminds us of the importance and holiness of the Entry being made. The choir sings the ancient liturgical hymn "Quiet Light", the clergy enter the holy altar and climb a mountainous place.
On those days when Vespers is celebrated separately, the entrance and ascent to the mountain place are the culmination of the service.
Now is the time for singing special prokimna.
Prokeimenon is a verse from Holy Scripture, most often from the Psalter.
For the prokimn, the verse is chosen especially strong, expressive and suitable for the occasion.
The prokeimn consists of a verse in the proper sense called the prokimn, and one or three "verses" that precede the repetition of the prokimn.
The prokeimenon got its name from the fact that it precedes reading from the Holy Scriptures.
Then passages from the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament are read taken from the books of Genesis and the Proverbs of Solomon.
Between these readings, which are called paremias, a rite is performed, which mainly reminds us of those times when Great Lent was predominantly a preparation of the catechumens for Holy Baptism.
During the reading of the first couple, the priest takes a lighted candle and a censer.
At the end of the reading, the priest, tracing the holy cross with a censer, says: "Wisdom, forgive me!", Thereby calling for special attention and reverence, indicating the special wisdom contained in the present moment.
Then the priest turns to the audience and, blessing them, says:
"The Light of Christ enlightens everyone!"The candle is a symbol of Christ, the Light of the world.
The light of baptism that unites the catechumens with Christ opens their minds to understand the teachings of Christ.
According to the established tradition, at this moment all those present kneel down, about which they are warned by the bell ringing, after the priest has spoken the words, the bell ringing reminds them that they can get up from their knees.
The second passage from Scripture follows from the book of Proverbs of Solomon.
After the second reading from the Old Testament, according to the instructions of the charter, the singing of five verses from the evening Psalm 140 is supposed to begin with the verse:
"May my prayer be corrected, like a censer before you."
In those days, when the Liturgy had not yet acquired today's solemnity and consisted simply of Communion at Vespers, these verses were sung during Communion. They now constitute a beautiful penitential introduction to the second part of the divine service, i.e. to the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts itself.
During the singing "Let it be corrected ..." all those gathered lie on their faces, and the priest, standing at the throne, censes him, and then the altar, on which the Holy Gifts are located.
At the end of the singing, the priest recites a prayer that accompanies all Lenten services, ... This prayer, which is accompanied by prostrations to the ground, attunes us to the correct understanding of our lean work, which consists not only in limiting ourselves in food, but in the ability to see and fight our own sins.
On those days when the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts coincides with the patronal feast, or in other cases indicated in the statute, the reading of the Apostolic Epistle and an excerpt from the Gospel is required.
Vespers has ended, and now the whole next course of the service is already directly the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.
The deacon proclaims litany... During the recitation of this litany, the priest prays that the Lord has received our fervent prayers and sent down to His people, i.e. on us, all gathered in the temple, expecting inexhaustible mercy from him, His rich bounties.
There is no memorial by name for the living and the dead at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. This is followed by the litany of the catechumens. In the Ancient Church, the sacrament of Baptism was preceded by a long period of announcing those wishing to become Christians.
Great Lent is precisely the time of intense preparation for Baptism, which was usually performed on Holy Saturday or Easter. Those who were preparing to receive the Sacrament of Baptism attended special catechumens at which the basics of the Orthodox doctrine were explained to them, so that their future life in the Church would be meaningful. The catechumens also attended divine services, in particular the Liturgy, at which they could attend before the litany of the catechumens. During its recitation, the deacon calls all the faithful, i.e. already baptized and permanent members of the Orthodox community, pray for the catechumens, so that the Lord would have mercy on them, announce them with the Word of Truth, and reveal the Gospel of truth to them. And the priest at this time prays to the Lord and asks Him to deliver them (i.e. the catechumens) from the ancient deception and intrigues of the enemy ... and bring them to the spiritual flock of Christ.
From half of Lent, a litany of the "enlightened" is added, that is, already "ready for enlightenment". The period of long censure is coming to an end, which in the Ancient Church could have continued for several years, and the catechumens pass into the category of "enlightened" and soon the Sacrament of Holy Baptism will be performed over them. The priest at this time prays that the Lord would strengthen them in faith, confirm them in hope, perfect them in love ... and show them worthy members of the Body of Christ. Then the deacon says that all the catechumens, all those who are preparing for enlightenment leave the church, now only the faithful can pray in the church, i.e. only baptized Orthodox Christians.
After the catechumens are removed, two prayers of the faithful are read.
In the first, we ask for the purification of our soul, body and feelings, the second prayer prepares us for the transfer of the Presanctified Gifts. Then comes the solemn moment of transferring the Holy Gifts to the throne. Outwardly, this entrance is similar to the Great Entrance for the Liturgy, but in essence and spiritual meaning it is, of course, completely different.
The choir begins to sing a special song:
The priest in the altar with raised hands three times pronounces these words, to which the deacon replies:"Now the powers of heaven are invisibly serving with us, for behold, the King of Glory enters, behold, the Sacrifice, mysteriously consecrated, is transferred."
"Let us approach with faith and love, and we will be partakers of Eternal Life. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia."During the transfer of the Holy Gifts, everyone should reverently kneel. The priest in the Royal Doors, according to the established tradition, says in a low voice:
"Let us approach with faith and love"and puts the Holy Gifts on the throne, covers them, but does not say anything at the same time.
After that, it is pronounced prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian with three bows.
The transfer of the Holy Gifts has been completed, and very soon the moment of Holy Communion of the clergy and everyone who was preparing for this will come.
The deacon pronounces a pleading litany and the priest at this time prays that the Lord will deliver us and His faithful people from all uncleanness, sanctify the souls and bodies of all of us, so that with a clear conscience, an unashamed face, an enlightened heart ... we unite with Thy Christ Himself, our true God.
This is followed by Lord's Prayer "Our Father", always completing our preparation for Communion. By pronouncing it, the prayer of Christ Himself, we thereby accept the spirit of Christ as our own, His prayer to the Father as ours, His will, His desire, His life as our own. The prayer ends, the priest teaches us peace, the deacon calls on all of us to bow our heads before the Lord, and at this time the prayer of obeisance is read, where the priest, on behalf of all those gathered, asks the Lord to preserve His people and deign to all of us to partake of His life-giving Sacraments.
This is followed by the exclamation of the deacon - "Let us attend," that is, let us be attentive, and the priest, touching the Holy Gifts with his hand, exclaims:
"Presanctified Holy - to the Saints!"this means that the Presanctified Holy Gifts are offered to the saints, i.e. to all the faithful children of God, all gathered at this moment in the temple.
The choir sings:
"One is Holy, One is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen."The Royal Doors are closed and the moment of communion of the clergy comes.
The ancient Church knew no other reason for participating in the Liturgy, except for the communion of the Holy Gifts there. Unfortunately, today this eucharistic feeling has waned. Often a person just wants to pray "about something of his own," but the Orthodox service, and especially the Liturgy, is not just a prayer "about something", it is our participation in the sacrifice of Christ, this is our joint prayer, a joint commitment to God, a common service Christ. All the prayers of the priest are prayers on behalf of all those present, on behalf of all those in the church. We often do not even suspect that this is our prayer, this is our participation in the Sacrament.
You should always strive to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ during the divine service. After all, every baptized person is a part of the Body of Christ, and through the universality of our communion it appears to this world, which "lies in evil" the Church of Christ. The Church is the Body of Christ, and we are part of this Body, part of the Church. And so that we do not get lost in our spiritual life, it is necessary to constantly strive for the union with Christ, which is given to us in the sacrament of Holy Communion. We very often, embarking on the path of spiritual development, do not know what we need to do, how to act correctly. The Church gives us everything we need for our regeneration. All this is given to us by the Sacraments of the Church. And the Sacrament of the Sacraments, or, more precisely, the Sacrament of the Church, the Sacrament that reveals the very nature of the Church, is the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Therefore, if we try to get to know Christ without communion, then we will never succeed.
One can cognize Christ only by being with Him, and the sacrament of Communion is our door to Christ, which we must open and receive Him into our hearts.
The priest with the Holy Chalice will say prayers before Holy Communion, and everyone who prepares for Communion should listen carefully to them. Approaching the Chalice, you need to cross your arms across your chest and clearly pronounce your Christian name, kissing the Holy Communion on the edge of the Chalice and go to wash.
According to the established tradition, only those children who are already able to receive a particle of the Holy Bread can receive communion.
The choir sings at this time a special sacrament verse:
"Taste the Bread of Heaven and the Cup of Life - and you will see how good the Lord is."When the Sacrament is over, the priest enters the altar and blesses the people at the conclusion of the service.
The last litany, in which we thank God for the communion of the immortal, heavenly and life-giving terrible Mysteries of Christ and the last prayer, the so-called. "beyond the ambon," a prayer that summarizes the meaning of this service. After her, the priest pronounces a dismissal with a mention of the saints celebrated today, and these are, first of all, the Monk Mother Mary of Egypt and St. Gregory Dvoeslov, Pope of Rome, a saint of the still undivided Ancient Church, to whom the tradition of celebrating the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts goes back.
This completes the service. I wish all those present God's help and hope that today's service, which has been constantly commented on, will help all of us to better understand the meaning and purpose of Orthodox worship, so that we have a desire in the future to more and more comprehend our Orthodox heritage through meaningful participation in worship, through participation in the Sacraments of the Holy Church.
Karpenko Dimitri, priest, source http://kiev-orthodox.org
The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is always preceded by the reading of the hours, pictorial and evening, with which it is directly connected, and consists of sacred rites and prayers:
1) evening ones, since in ancient times they received communion in the evening, and on Holy Forty-day they did not eat food until evening;
2) prayers offered at the liturgy, except for the prayers for the consecration of the Gifts, since the Gifts have already been consecrated;
3) some special prayers, litanies and hymns (for example, the song "Now are the powers of heaven", prayers and litanies for the catechumens, for those enlightened or preparing for Holy Baptism, for the faithful before the communion of the Holy Gifts and prayer for the ambo).
At the 9th hour, during the prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, our God ..." , how, before the usual liturgy, they are applied to the icons of the Savior and the Mother of God when reading the prayers: "To Your Most Pure Image ..." and "There is mercy ...". Prayer: "Lord, send down Thy hand ..." - is not read. At the entrance to the altar - a prayer: "I will enter Your house ...".
Prayers for the vesting of the priestly garments are not read; the priest only blesses each accessory of the vestment with his hand, kisses the cross on it and says quietly: "Let us pray to the Lord."
When singing "Blessed", the curtain from the royal gates is opened. After the prayer "All-Holy Trinity ..."
Chorus: "It is worthy to eat ...".
Priest: "Most Holy Theotokos ...".
Chorus: "The most honest ...".
Priest: Glory to Thee, Christ God ... ".
Chorus: "Glory, and now, Lord, have mercy (triads), bless."
The priest makes a release: “Christ, our true God, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother, the glorious and all-praised apostles, by the power of the honest and Life-giving Cross (the holy of the temple, the day), the holy righteous Godfather Joachim and Anna, and all the saints, will have mercy and save us, like the Lover of Man is good ”.
The singers slowly sing (three times) “Lord, have mercy”, so that the pause before the beginning of the liturgy is shorter.
The serving priest with the deacon make three bows before the Holy See and pray:
1) "God, have mercy on me, a sinner,"
2) "God, cleanse my sins and have mercy on me",
3) “You who created me, Lord, have mercy. Without the number of those who have sinned. Lord, forgive me. "
Then they are applied to the throne. The deacon asks for a blessing from the priest, proceeds through the northern doors to Solea and, after praying, proclaims: "Bless, sir." The priest, standing before the Throne and depicting the Cross with the Gospel, proclaims: "Blessed is the Kingdom ...". Singers: "Amen." Reader: "Come, let us bow ..." (three times) and the 103rd psalm. At this time, the priest reads ("with a frank head") in front of the royal doors the lamp prayers, starting with the 4th: "Silent songs ...", since the first three are read afterwards, at the litanies.
After the readings of Psalm 103, the deacon pronounces the Great Litany. The choir sings: "Lord, have mercy" in a fast chant. Immediately after the exclamation of the priest - the 18th kathisma. Its peculiarity at Vespers before the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is that for each antiphon of the kathisma there is a small litany. During the reading of the first antiphon, the priest rearranges the Gospel lying on the holy antimension to the south side of the throne, opens the antimension and puts a diskos on it, opens the Tabernacle and, having performed worship with the deacon (two bows to the earth), puts with reverence the Presanctified Holy Lamb on the diskos and makes one more bow to the earth.
The deacon pronounces a small litany.
The priest secretly reads the prayer (1st lamp) of the 1st antiphon. After the Little Litany, in response to the first antiphon, the priest exclaims: "As for your power ...".
The reader is the second antiphon.
A priest with a censer and a deacon with a candle burn incense three times around the throne.
The priest secretly reads the prayer (2nd lamp) of the 2nd antiphon.
The exclamation: "Yako is good and Humanitarian ...".
The Reader is the third antiphon.
The priest, having made three bows to the earth before the Holy Gifts, puts the diskos on the head and, preceding the deacon with a candle in his left hand and a censer in his right, transfers the diskos with the Holy Lamb lying on it to the altar, walking on the right side of the throne, through a high place. At this time, worshipers prostrate themselves. Having put the diskos on the altar, the priest pours wine and water into the bowl, censes the star, places it on the diskos, then censes the small covers, covers them, as usual, both the diskos and the bowl; then, having poured the "air", he covers the diskos and the bowl together, without saying any proskomedian prayers.
If there is a deacon, then when performing each of these actions, he says quietly: “Let us pray to the Lord. Lord have mercy".
The priest, having coated the Holy Gifts (three times) covered with it, says: "Through the prayers of the saints, our father, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us." Then he puts a lighted candle in front of the Holy Gifts and, making a bow, goes to the throne, folds the antimension and again puts the Gospel on it.
The deacon recites the Lesser Litany on the 3rd antiphon.
The priest secretly reads the prayer (3rd lamp) of the 3rd antiphon. The exclamation: "For Thou art our God, the God of mercy and save, and we give glory to Thee ...".
Chorus: "Lord, I have cried out ...." and stichera at 10: Triodi - 6 and Menaion - 4. During the singing of the stichera, the usual censing is performed. On "Glory, and now" - the Theotokos from the Menaion. Entrance with a censer.
Deacon: "Wisdom, forgive me."
Chorus: "Quiet Light ...".
Deacon: Let us listen.
Priest (on the High Place): "Peace to all."
Reader: "And perfume yours."
Deacon: “Wisdom. Let’s listen. ”
Reader: "Prokimen, voice ..".
Deacon: "Wisdom."
Reader: "Genesis reading."
Deacon: Let us listen.
The reader reads the paremia.
The Royal Doors are closing.
At the end of the paremia, the royal doors are opened.
Deacon: Let us listen.
Reader: "Prokimen, voice ...".
After singing the prokimna, the deacon proclaims: "Command."
The priest, taking a censer and a candlestick with both hands (if a bishop serves, he takes a trikiry), standing facing the Throne, traces the sign of the Cross with them and says "Wisdom, forgive me." After that, turning to the west to the people, he says: "The Light of Christ enlightens everyone." The worshipers fall down.
The Royal Doors are closing.
The priest departs to a mountainous place.
Reader: "Reading a parable."
Deacon: Let us listen.
At the end of the paremia, the royal doors are opened.
The priest - quietly to the reader: "Ty world."
The reader quietly replies: "And give your perfume too."
Deacon: "Wisdom." And the verses of the 140th psalm are sung:
"May my prayer be corrected ...",
"Lord, cry to You, hear me ...",
"Lay, Lord, storage ...",
"Do not deviate my heart ...".
After each verse the choir sings: "May my prayer be corrected ...".
The worshipers kneel down.
The priest stands in front of the throne wearing a headdress and censes.
While singing: "Do not turn my heart away ..." the priest goes to the altar and censes the Holy Gifts. Before singing for the last time the verse: "Let the prayer be corrected, they say ..." When the reader (or singers) sing the words for the last time: "May my prayer be corrected, like a censer before You," everyone gets up, and the choir sings the rest of the words of this verse: "Raise my hand for the evening sacrifice."
The priest, standing before the throne, recites the prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian with three great bows. Following this prayer, the prokeimen is sung and the Apostle and the Gospel are read, if required by the Rule (for example, February 24 / March 11, March 9/22 and on the day of the temple feast). If there is no Apostle and the Gospel, then the deacon goes out to Solea and pronounces an augmented litany: "All the rest ...". At this time, the Gospel is removed to the high place of the throne and the antimension is deployed, as in the usual liturgy. At this time, the royal gates are closed (see: Service Book and Neapolitan. Cit. Cit., P. 63). But in practice, the augmented litany is pronounced with the royal doors open. Then follows the litany of the catechumens and the exclamation: "According to the Gift of Christ ...".
To singing: "Now the powers of heaven ..." open the royal gates.
The worshipers kneel down.
The deacon censes only the holy altar.
Then the priest, standing with the deacon before the throne, raises his hands to grief and prays three times: “Now the powers of heaven are invisibly serving with us; behold, the King of glory enters, behold, the secret Sacrifice is accomplished before the end of the day. "
The deacon concludes: “Let us approach by faith and love, that we may be partakers of eternal life. Alleluia "(three times).
After that, everyone immediately kisses the throne, goes to the altar and makes three small bows with the words: "God, be merciful to the sinner," then the priest censes (three times) the Holy Gifts, and, giving the censer to the deacon, puts a large air on his shoulder ... He himself takes the diskos with his right hand and sets it on his head, and in his left hand he takes the Holy Chalice and transfers the Holy Gifts from the altar to the holy throne, through the northern doors and the royal gates.
The deacon precedes him, holding a candlestick with a candle in his left hand, and a censer in his right, and he censers with it often.
When the priest passes through the salt, all people fall down.
At the entrance to the royal gates, the priest says in an undertone: "By faith and love we will come ...".
The worshipers rise and the choir sings: “Let us approach by faith and love, so that we may be partakers of eternal life. Alleluia (thrice). "
After placing the Holy Gifts on the throne, the priest removes the covers from the diskos and from the chalice, covering it with air, having doused it before that, and reads the prayer: "Lord and Master of my life ..." with three bows. The royal gates are closed and the curtain is half drawn back.
This action indicates that the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is incomplete. The deacon goes to the solea and recites the litany, "Let us fulfill our evening prayer ...".
At this time, the priest reads a secret prayer, in which he asks God to cleanse him of impurity and make him worthy to receive the Holy Gifts. This prayer is attributed to St. Athanasius the Great.
At the end of the litany - the exclamation: "And vouch for us, Vladyka ...".
Chorus: "Our Father ...".
Priest: "As Thine is the Kingdom ...".
Chorus: "Amen."
Priest: "Peace to all."
Chorus: "And perfume yours."
Deacon: "Let us bow our heads to the Lord."
Chorus: "To you, Lord."
Priest: "Grace, and generosity, and philanthropy ...".
Chorus: "Amen" is drawn out, because at this time the priest is in the altar, and the deacon is worshiped three times with the prayer: "God, cleanse me, sinner." The curtain of the royal gates is closed to the end.
Deacon: Let us listen.
The priest, placing his right hand under the "air" and reverently touching the Holy Lamb, exclaims: "Presanctified Holy to the saints."
Chorus: "One is holy ..." and the sacramental verse: "Taste and see how good the Lord is. Alleluia (thrice). "
If the Apostle and the Gospel of the saint's feast were read, then the feast is sung and communed.
The priest removes the "air" and the starlet, shatters the Holy Lamb, as in a full liturgy, and places a particle of "IS" in the chalice without uttering any words. Warmth flows into the chalice also in silence. Then the priest and deacon receive communion according to the order indicated in the service of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. The peculiarity of communion: if the liturgy is celebrated by a priest with a deacon, then the deacon, having received a particle of the Holy Mysteries, does not drink from the chalice and does not taste the antidora until the consumption of the Holy Gifts; the priest does the same if he serves without a deacon.
Upon opening the royal gates, the deacon with reverence receives the holy cup from the hands of the priest and, addressing the people, exclaims: "With the fear of God and faith, come near." Everyone bows, the choir sings: "I will bless the Lord for all time, His praise is in my mouth." After the believers receive communion, the priest: exclaims: "Save, O God, Thy people ...".
Chorus: "Taste the Heavenly Bread and the Cup of Life and see how good the Lord is, Alleluia (thrice)."
After the words: "Blessed be our God ...", which the priest utters secretly, tracing a cross over the antimension with a cup, he turns with a cup to face the people and proclaims: "Always, now and ever ...".
Chorus: "May our lips be fulfilled ...".
The deacon says the litany: "Forgive me ...".
The priest folds the antimension, and the prayer behind the ambo is read: "Master Almighty, Who made all creation with wisdom ...".
The choir sings: "Be the name of the Lord ..." (three times) and the 33rd psalm is read: "I will bless the Lord for all time ...".
After reading the psalm, the priest says: "The blessing of the Lord be upon you ...".
Chorus: "Amen."
Priest: "Glory to Thee, Christ God ...".
Chorus: "Glory, and now" - "Lord have mercy" (three times) - "bless". And at the end - dismissal: “Christ, our true God, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother (then the holy day of the week is commemorated), for example, on Wednesday after the liturgy - Holy Thursdays:“ the glorious and all-honorable apostles, like the holy ones of our Father Nicholas, Archbishop Peace of Lycia, wonderworker, ”and this is because Vespers of the next day was celebrated. Further, they are remembered: the temple saint and the day saints according to the calendar, then the saint of the next day - according to the calendar), like the saints of our father Gregory the Divine, the Pope of Rome, the righteous saints Godfather Joachim and Anna and all saints, will have mercy and save us, like the good and the Human Lover ". The singers sing the usual perennial. Great Compline - according to the order of Monday.
Note... Students need to pay attention to and compare the ending in Great Lent of Vespers on Sunday evening, the daily Great Lent Vespers and the pictorial, when there is no Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts and when the Liturgy is celebrated.
Priest proclaims: God, bless us ...
After this exclamation a priest at every hour he says the prayer of St. :
Lord and Master of my belly! Do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, love of command and idle talk. - And makes a great (earthly) bow.
Grant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to Thy servant. - Great bow.
She, Lord, Tsar΄, grant me my transgressions and not condemn my brother, for you are blessed forever and ever. - Great bow and 12 small bows, that is, waist bows, with the prayer "God, cleanse me, sinner."
At the third and sixth hours, 16 bows are supposed, and at the ninth hour, if the representational (and not inter-hour) follows, only three great bows are supposed.
Those praying also bow down.
After the bows, the final prayer of the hour is read and the following service begins: after the third hour - the service of the sixth hour, then the ninth hour and the rite of pictorial.
Prayer of the third hour: Lord God to the Father Almighty ...
Prayer of the Sixth Hour: God and Lord of strength ...
Prayer of the ninth hour: Lord Jesus Christ, our God ...
Immediately after the ninth hour, a short service is performed, which is called the Succession of the Pictorials.
When reading the kathisma singing: And now ... Lord, have mercy does not exist. After exclaiming "Yako befits ..." and singing "Amen", the reader immediately begins reading the kathisma and each antiphon (there are three of them in kathisma) ends with the words: "Glory, and now ... Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Glory to You, God " (three times).
During the reading of the kathisma, the priest takes out the Presanctified Holy Lamb from the tabernacle (on the throne) and places it on the diskos, burns incense and transfers the Holy Lamb to the altar.
This sacred rite is performed like this.
During the first antiphon, the priest performs the position of the Holy Lamb on the diskos.
Upon pronouncing the exclamation "Like all glory befits You ..." the priest worships before the throne, takes the Gospel lying on the antimension, puts it behind the antimension and, having opened the latter, goes to the offer (altar) for the diskos and, taking it, delivers it on the open antimense. Further, the priest reverently collects the Presanctified Holy Lamb from the tabernacle, puts it on the diskos, after which he worships earthly before the Holy Gifts.
By this time, the reader has finished the first antiphon. The deacon pronounces the Lesser Litany, and a priest reads (secretly) the prayer of the first antiphon (the first lamp prayer):
Lord, generous and merciful, long-suffering and many-merciful! Instill our prayer and listen to the voice of our prayer, create with us a sign for good; Lead us on Thy path, hedgehog walk in Thy truth: rejoice our hearts, in a hedgehog fear Thy Holy Name. Grab the power you are and work miracles, you are the One God, and not like you in God, Lord: Silen in mercy and goodness in strength, in the hedgehog to help, and comfort, and save all who trust in Your Holy Name.
At the end of the litany a priest proclaims: Yako Thy state ...
Chorus: Amen.
The reader reads the second antiphon of Kathisma.
During the reading of this antiphon, the censing of the Holy Lamb, who is on the throne, is performed. By the exclamation “As for Thy power ...” the priest and deacon worship earthly before the Holy Gifts; then the priest receives the censer, and the deacon accepts the candle and burns incense, going around the throne three times from all sides.
At the end of the censing, both again worship before the Holy Gifts.
The deacon, according to the second antiphon, pronounces the Lesser Litany, a priest at the end of the censing, he secretly prays, reciting the prayer of the second antiphon (the second lamp prayer):
God! Do not convict us with Thy anger, punish us with Thy anger: but do with us according to Thy mercy, the Physician and Healer of our souls: instruct us to the abode of Thy desire: enlighten the eyes of our hearts to the knowledge of Thy truth and grant us nothing else. peaceful and sinless and all the time of our life, by the prayers of the Holy Mother of God and all Your saints.
Then at the end of the litany a priest proclaims: Yako is Good and Man-lover, God art ...
Chorus: Amen.
The reader reads the third antiphon of Kathisma.
During the reading of this antiphon, the transfer of the Holy Lamb to the altar is performed: having worshiped before the Holy Gifts, the priest, holding the diskos with both hands at the level of the brow, transfers the diskos to the altar, walking past the high place. The priest is preceded by a deacon who walks with a candle and censer and performs the censing of the Holy Gifts.
Approaching the altar and reverently placing a diskos on it, the priest pours grape wine and water into the chalice (not for consecration). Then he takes a star and, having given it a shot, puts it on a disk over the Holy Lamb; taking the shroud and dabbing it, covers the diskos with it; having given another cover, he covers the chalice with it. Finally, after sprinkling the air, he covers the diskos and chalice together.
At every celebration a priest Prayerfully says (quietly): Let us pray to the Lord, Lord, have mercy. At the end (after covering the holy vessels with air), he says: Through the prayers of the saints, our father, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us. (The other prayers for the full liturgy are not recited at this time.)
After the transfer of the Holy Gifts, the deacon, according to custom, proceeds to the pulpit and recites the Lesser Litany for the third time, and the priest, returning to the throne, rolls up the antimension, again puts the Gospel on the antimension and prays (secretly) , reciting the third prayer of the antiphon (the third prayer of the lamp):
O Lord our God! Remember us, Thy servant sinners and indecent servants, invoke Thy Holy Name at all times, and do not shame us from the expectation of Thy mercy, but grant us, O Lord, all, even for salvation, petitions and grant us to love and fear You from all our heart and do thy will in all.
At the end of the litany a priest proclaims: As thou art our God ...
Chorus:"Lord, I have cried" (in the voice of the stichera on "Lord, I have cried" - according to the Lenten Triodion).
It is prescribed by the Charter to sing ten stichera.
At this time, the deacon is censing the church.
When singing the last stichera, on "And now" or "Glory, and now" the royal gates are opened and the evening entrance is made with a censer or with the Gospel (if the Gospel reading is supposed, for example, on February 24, March 9, on a three days of Holy Week).
The evening entrance is done in this way.
Before the singing of the stichera on "And Now," the deacon opens the royal doors, takes the censer and asks the primate for a blessing, saying: Bless, master, censer. Having received the blessing, the deacon kisses the edge of the throne and walks (in front of the priest) to Soleia through a high place through the northern doors, preceded by the chapel bearer.
The priest, having given a blessing to the censer, kisses the throne, follows the deacon from the altar and stands opposite the royal doors. The deacon stands to his right and, bowing his head, holds the orarion with three fingers of his right hand (as during the recitation of the litany). Turning to the priest, he quietly says: Let us pray to the Lord. The priest secretly reads the prayer of entrance:
Evening, and tomorrow, and midday, we praise, bless, thank and pray to You, Master of all: correct our prayer, like a censer, before You, and do not deviate our hearts into words or thoughts of deceit: but deliver us from all who catch our souls as to Thee, Lord, Lord, our eyes and trust in Thee, so do not put us to shame, our God. Like all glory, honor and worship befitting You, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.
Deacon having sprinkled the icons and the primate, he points to the east with an orarion and quietly says: Bless, Vladyka, the holy entrance.
Priest blesses, saying (softly): Blessed is the entrance of thy saints, O Lord. Deacon says: Amen. And again he censes the primate.
Standing in the royal gates, deacon waiting for the end of the singing of the stichera; then, tracing a cross in the air with a censer, he proclaims: Wisdom, forgive, enters the altar through the royal gates, censes the throne and a high place and stands on the left side of the throne, facing west.
Chorus: Quiet light ...
Priest he kisses the holy icons on the royal doors, blesses the candle bearer, enters the altar, kisses the throne and stands on a high place (also facing the west).
Deacon: Let's take it.
Priest: Peace to all!
Reader: And perfume yours.
Deacon: Wisdom.
Reader: Prokemen, voice (name of the voice). And pronounces the prokeimenon Triodi.
Chorus sings the prokemen.
Reader recites a verse.
Chorus sings the prokemen.
Reader pronounces the first half of the prokeem, and chorus sings the second (final) half of the prokimna.
Deacon: Wisdom.
Reader: Genesis reading.
Deacon: Let us hear it (and closes the royal gates).
Reader reads parimia.
After reading the parimia, the royal gates are opened.
Deacon: Let's take it.
Reader: Prokemen, voice (name of the voice). And pronounces the most prokemen.
Chorus sings the prokemen.
Reader says the verse.
Chorus repeats the chant of the prokeem.
Reader says the first half of the prokimna.
Chorus finishes chanting the prokimn.
Deacon, addressing the priest, proclaims: Command. (The priest, when serving without a deacon, does not pronounce the word "Command".)
Priest takes in his hands a censer and a lighted candle that stood in front of the Holy Gifts, and before the throne, designating a cross, he says: Wisdom, forgive. Then, turning to the west, he says to those who are praying: The Light of Christ enlightens everyone.
At this time, those praying, out of deep reverence for the Lord Jesus Christ - the Light of Truth, bow down to the ground.
The priest's proclamation "The Light of Christ ..." reminds believers that the Old Testament righteous, who are spoken of in the parimia read, were enlightened by the light of Divine truth and prepared by Old Testament prophecies and prototypes for the coming to earth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
After the overshadowing of the worshipers with a candle and a censer, the royal gates are closed and reader says: Proverbs reading.
Deacon: Let's take it.
Reader reads the second parimia - from the book of Proverbs.
1 ... On the seven days of the Forty-day period, the first parimia is read from the book of Genesis, which tells about the creation of the world and the consequences of the fall of the forefathers; the second parimia is from the book of Proverbs, which instructs believers to understand and love Divine wisdom.
2 ... On Holy Week, on Great Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, two parimias are also read, but one is from the book of Exodus, the other is from the book of Job.
3 ... In addition to the two parimias, the parimia of the feast from the Menaion is also read in the case when the next day there will be a temple feast or a saint with polyeleos (for example, February 24, March 9). If on the eve of these holidays the Presanctified Liturgy is not prescribed, then the parimia of the holiday is read on the eve of the Vespers, connected to the clock.
At the end of the reading of the parimia a priest says: Mir Ti.
Reader: And perfume yours.
Deacon opens the royal doors (as is customary everywhere) and proclaims: Wisdom.
Reader, standing before the royal doors behind the pulpit (according to the Rule), sings selected verses of the 140th psalm: May my prayer be corrected, like a censer, before You: lifting my hand is an evening sacrifice.
At this time, all worshipers kneel down and stand like this until the end of the chanting of all four verses.
The choir singers, at the end of the singing of the first verse by the reader, get up from their knees and also sing "May my prayer be corrected ..." and then again kneel down: the reader kneels while the choir sings and while singing at the end of the verse "May it be corrected my prayer ... "
Reader sings: Lord, cry out to You, hear me: heed the voice of my prayer, always cry out to You.
Chorus: May my prayer be corrected ...
Reader sings: Lay, O Lord, the keeping with my mouth, and the door of the barrier against my lips.
Chorus: May my prayer be corrected ...
Reader: Do not deviate my heart in words of deceit, do not bear guilt about sins.
Chorus: May my prayer be corrected ...
Reader(in conclusion): May my prayer be corrected, like a censer, before You.
Chorus ends: The raising of my hand is the evening sacrifice.
The priest, while singing these verses, standing in front of the throne, performs incense, as a sign of offering up heartfelt prayers to God, in accordance with the repeated words of the prayer "May my prayer be corrected, like a censer, before You ..." At the final singing, "May my prayer be corrected. .. "the priest, having given the censer to the deacon for burning incense before the altar, kneels at the throne.
At the end of the singing "May my prayer be corrected ..." the priest in the altar proclaims the prayer of St. : Lord and Master of my belly ... (with three great bows).
1 ... When the Apostle and the Gospel are read (February 24, March 9, on feasts of the temple and great saints), after great bows at the open royal doors, the prokemen of the Apostle is pronounced and sung, the Apostle is read and the incense is performed. The reading of the Apostle ends with the priest's exclamation: Peace be with you, to which the reader replies: And give your perfume. The priest secretly reads a prayer: Shine in our hearts ... "Alleluia" is sung (three times), then the Gospel is read, with the usual exclamations preceding the reading, and at the end of the reading, an augmented litany is pronounced: Ptm all ...
2 ... In the first three days of Holy Week, when the reading of the Apostle is not prescribed, but only the Gospel is read, the deacon, after great bows, immediately receives the Gospel from the priest, goes out to read the Gospel, as always, on the pulpit at the royal doors. The priest proclaims: Wisdom, forgive ... Then, after the usual exclamations, the Gospel is read, and then augmented litany is pronounced.
Priest During the recitation of the litany, he secretly prays with the words of diligent prayer: O Lord our God, receive this diligent prayer from Thy servants, and have mercy on us according to the abundance of Thy mercy, and Thy bountifulness sent down on us and on all Thy people who expect rich mercy from You.
During the litany petition for the Patriarch, as well as during the full liturgy, a priest unfolds the iliton and antimension from three sides, and at the end of the litany he proclaims:
Yako Merciful and Humanitarian God you are ...
After the augmented litany, the litany of the catechumens is pronounced.
Deacon: Pray, announcements, Gospodevi.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Vernia, let us pray for the catechumens, may the Lord have mercy on them.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Will announce them with the word of truth.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Reveals the gospel of righteousness to them.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Will unite them with His Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon:
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Announcement, chapters your Lord, bow down.
Chorus: To you, Lord.
Priest at this time he reads a prayer for the catechumens:
Our God, our God, the Creator and Coordinator of all, Even though everyone may be saved and come to the mind of truth! Behold Thy servants who are catechumens and rescue them from the ancient delusions and intrigues of the resistance, and call them into eternal life, enlightening their souls and bodies and matching them to Thy verbal flock, on whom Thy Holy Name is denominated.
At the end of the litany a priest proclaims: Yes, and tii΄ they glorify with us ...
At the beginning of this exclamation, he unfolds the upper side of the antimension, makes a sign of the cross on it with an antimension sponge, kisses the sponge and places it on the right side of the antimension. (Iliton and the other sides of the antimense unfold earlier - after a prayer of diligent supplication.)
Chorus: Amen.
Deacon says: Elits of the catechumens, go out; publicity, go out; trees of publicity, go out. Yes, no one from the catechumens, people of faith, packs and packs in peace, let us pray to the Lord.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Beginning with the Wednesday of the Cross-worshiping (fourth) week after the exclamation: Yes, and with us they are glorified ... a special litany and prayer for those preparing for the holy Enlightenment (Baptism) are laid.
Deacon: Elites of publicity, go out; publicity, go out; people to the Enlightenment, go out (more correctly, from the Greek: start); pray for the Enlightenment.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Vernia, about those who are preparing for the holy Enlightenment of the brethren and their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: For yes, the Lord our God will confirm and strengthen them.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Enlighten them with enlightenment of reason and piety.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: He will vouch for them during the time of the pacific prayer, the forgiveness of sins and the garment of incorruption.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Produces them with water and spirit.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Grants them the perfecting of faith.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Will co-ordinate them with His holy and chosen flock.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Save, have mercy, intercede and save them, God, with Your grace.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Even to the Enlightenment, bow your Lord's head.
Chorus: To you, Lord.
Priest secretly reads a prayer for those who are preparing for the holy Enlightenment: Reveal, Master, Your Face is on the bottom of those who are preparing and wanting to shake off sinful filth for the holy Enlightenment: illuminate their thoughts, lime in faith, confirm in hope, do in love, do Show thy Christ faithfully, having given thyself deliverance for our souls.
After singing "To You, Lord" a priest proclaims the end of the prayer for those who are preparing for the holy Enlightenment:
As Thou art our Enlightenment, and we glorify Thee, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever and ever.
Chorus: Amen.
Deacon: Elitsy to the Enlightenment, send forth; like the Enlightenment, go out; trees of publicity, go out. Yes, no one from the catechumens, the trees of faith, packs and packs in peace, let us pray to the Lord.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
("Even to the place, even from the environment of the medium" - Service Book).
After commanding the catechumens to leave the church, the liturgy of the faithful begins.
Priest secretly prays (first prayer of the faithful):
Great and praiseworthy God, Whoever gave Thy life-giving death to us incorruptible from corruption! Thou art all our senses of the fearful mortification of freedom, and thus giving the Lord an inner thought: and the eye of all evil eyes will be inappropriate; ; with our hands, do evil deeds, do something that is pleasing to you, all our thoughts and thoughts are affirming by grace.
Deacon:
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Wisdom.
Priest proclaims the end of the first prayer of the faithful: Like all glory, honor and worship, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever and ever.
Chorus: Amen.
Deacon: Packs and packs in peace let us pray to the Lord.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord for the heavenly peace and the salvation of our souls.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Let us pray for the peace of the whole world, the welfare of the Holy Churches of God and the unification of all to the Lord.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: For this holy temple and with faith, reverence and fear of God entering into it, let us pray to the Lord.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Let us pray for the Lord to get rid of all sorrow, anger and need.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Priest secretly prays (second prayer of the faithful):
Holy Lord, Most Holy One! We pray to Thee, in the mercy of a rich man, to be merciful to us, sinners, and worthy of us to create the rise of Thy Only Begotten Son and our God, the King of glory. His Most Pure Body and Life-giving Blood, at the present hour, entering, on this secret offer and mut trapeze, from the multitude of the heavenly host invisibly dorinosy΄mya: give us the same sacrament without condemnation, but with those the mental eye is illuminating, the son of Light and the day will be.
Deacon: Step in, save, have mercy and save us, God, with Your grace.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Wisdom.
The cry of "Wisdom" reminds the believers of the special importance of further divine services - of the time of the transfer of the Presanctified Holy Gifts from the altar to the throne.
Priest proclaims the end of the second prayer of the faithful:
According to the gift of Thy Christ, with Him blessed art Thou, with Thy Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and forever and ever.
Priest: Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever and ever.
Chorus: Amen.
Priest: Peace to all.
Chorus: And perfume yours.
Deacon: The chapters of our Gospodevi will be attached.
Chorus: To you, Lord.
Priest bowing his head, secretly prays: God, the One Good and Benevolent, Alive in the high and look down on the humble! Look with a blessed eye on all Thy people, and preserve them, and grant that all of us uncondemnedly partake of Thy Life-giving Mysteries, Thou art Thou owns the bowed head, which is rich in mercy from Thee.
Further a priest proclaims: Grace, and generosity, and philanthropy of Thy Only Begotten Son, blessed art with Nizhma, with Thy Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and forever and ever.
Chorus: Amen.
Priest prays with great reverence: Vonmi, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, from Thy holy dwelling place and from the Throne of the glory of Thy kingdom, and come in the hedgehog to sanctify us, He who burns with the Father, seated and here invisibly sprinkle upon us, and grant by Thy sovereign hand, teach us Thy Most Pure Body and Honest Blood, and by us - to all people.
After this prayer, the priest is in the altar, and the deacon in the ambo is worshiped three times, each saying secretly: God, cleanse me, a sinner.
Deacon: Let's take it.
Priest covered with the Holy Gifts, touches the Life-giving Holy Bread “with reverence and fear to many” (the Serviceman) and utters exclamation: The Presanctified Saint - to the saints (without lifting up the diskos, for the ascension has already been performed before - at the full liturgy) and lays down the air.
Chorus: One is Holy ... And He participates (cinematographer): Taste and see how good the Lord is. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If the Apostle and the Gospel were read on the day of the saint or the temple, then the other one - laid down according to the Rule - is sung as well. After Communion, prayers are read in the kliros before Communion (for the sacraments).
Deacon enters the altar and, standing beside the priest, with reverence, quietly says to the priest: Break up, Vladyka, Holy Bread.
Priest splits the Holy Bread “with much attention” (the Service Book) into four parts, saying: The Lamb of God is shattered and divided, shattered and indivisible, always poisonous and never dependent, but sanctifying communion.
The priest places the part with the name "Jesus" in the chalice, without saying anything, the deacon silently pours warmth into the chalice.
Priest addressing the deacon, he says: Deacon, come. Deacon worships and quietly says: Behold, I come to the Immortal King and our God. Teach me, Vladyka, the Honest and Holy Body and Blood of the Lord and God and Savior of our Jesus Christ. Priest: teaching him a particle from a part with the name "Christ", he says: (river name) the Holy Deacon is taught the Honest and Holy and Most Pure Body and Blood of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ, for the remission of his sins and for eternal life.
Having kissed the priest's giving hand, the deacon departs, stands to create the throne and, bowing his head, prays in the same way as a priest (see below).
Priest takes a particle from the part with the name "Christ", saying: The Honest and Most Pure Body and Blood of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ is taught to me, the name of rivers, to the priest, for the remission of my sins and for eternal life. And, bowing his head, he prays: I believe, O Lord, and I confess ... Thy secret suppers ... But not in court or in condemnation ...
Both clergymen receive communion.
Then the priest takes the chalice with the shroud with both hands and drinks from it, without saying anything, wipes the lips and chalice with the shroud and places the chalice on the throne, accepts the anti΄dor, washes his hands and lips, and, standing a little away from the throne, reads the prayer of thanks.
We thank Thee, the Savior of all God, about all, you have given us the good ones, and for the communion of the Holy Body and Blood of Thy Christ, and we pray to Thy, Master of Humanity: keep us under the roof of Thy krill and grant us even to our last breath worthy to partake of the holy things Yours, in the enlightenment of soul and body, in the Kingdom of Heavenly heritage.
At this time, the Deacon does not drink from the Chalice, but drinks after the consumption of the Gifts after the prayer outside the ambo. (If a priest serves without a deacon, then he does not drink from the Chalice at that time, but after the celebration of the Liturgy and the consumption of the Gifts.)
The priest, crushing the particles of "NI" and "KA", puts them in a chalice, without saying anything. Kisses the discos and places it near the chalice. Taking the patron, he covers the chalice with it, puts the star, the patrons on the diskos, and worships three times. Then the deacon opens the royal doors, with reverence and attention he receives the chalice from the hands of the priest, and, turning to those who are praying, he exclaims: With the fear of God and faith, approach.
Chorus: I will bless the Lord for all time, His praise is in my mouth.
If there are partakers, the priest reads a prayer before communion and gives communion to the laity.
Then a priest pronounces loudly: Save, O God, Thy people and bless Thy heritage.
Chorus: Taste the Heavenly Bread and the Chalice of Life and see how good the Lord is. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Having dropped the Holy Gifts three times, the priest gives the censer to the deacon and, taking the diskos, gives it to the deacon.
The deacon accepts the diskos with reverence, holding it at the level of the chela, and, turning to the royal doors, silently goes to the altar and sets the diskos on it.
Priest Having bowed down and taking the chalice, he goes to the royal doors, saying in secret: Blessed be our God, and then aloud to those who are praying he proclaims at the royal doors:
Always, now and ever, and forever and ever.
And the priest carries the Holy Gifts to the altar.
Chorus: Amen. May our lips be filled with Thy praise, O Lord, as we sing Thy glory, as Thou hast vouchsafed us to partake of Thy Holy, Divine, Immortal and Life-giving Mysteries. Observe us in Thy sanctuary, study Thy righteousness all day. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Deacon comes from the northern doors to the pulpit and recites the litany: Forgive, accept the Divine, Saints, Most Pure, Immortal, Heavenly and Life-giving Terrible Tains of Christ, we thank the Lord worthily.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Step in, save, have mercy and save us, God, with Your grace.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Evenings of everything perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless, having asked for ourselves, and for each other, and we will give our whole life to Christ God.
Chorus: To you, Lord.
Priest: As Thou art our Sanctification, and we glorify Thee, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever and ever.
Chorus: Amen.
Priest: Let us depart in peace.
Chorus: About the Name of the Lord.
Deacon: Let's pray to the Lord.
Chorus: Lord have mercy.
Priest reads the prayer behind the ambo, in which he asks God, who introduced the believers in the days of fasting, to help them in their good deed to complete the course of fasting, to crush the invisible serpents and to reach and worship the Holy Resurrection without condemnation:
Master Almighty, Whoever created all creation with wisdom and Thy ineffable Providence and with much goodness lead us into these holy days, to the purification of souls and souls, to the abstinence of passions, to the hope of resurrection; ΄smen, Thy saint Moses! Grant to us, Beloved, to strive for a good deed, complete the course of fasting, keep indivisible faith, crush the heads of invisible serpents, appear as the victor of sin and uncondemnedly reach to worship the Holy Resurrection. As if you will be blessed and glorified, your most honorable and glorious Name, of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever and ever.
Chorus: Amen. Blessed be the name of the Lord ... (three times).
Reader: Glory, and now ... I will bless the Lord ... (Psalm 33, in full).
Further a priest reads a prayer before consuming the Holy Gifts: O Lord our God, lead us into these all-honorable days and create your Terrible Tains for us! Bring us together to your verbal flock, and show your heirs your kingdom, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.
The deacon listens to this prayer and consumes the Holy Gifts with reverence.
The priest comes out of the altar and distributes the anti΄dor to those who are praying.
At the end of the reading of the psalm and the distribution of the antidor a priest proclaims: The blessing of the Lord be upon you, of Him, by grace and love of mankind, always, now and ever, and forever and ever.
Chorus: Amen.
Priest: Glory to Thee, Christ God, our Hope, glory to Thee.
Chorus: Glory, and now ... Lord, have mercy (three times). Bless.
Priest: Christ, our true God, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother, and holy (name of rivers, It also has a temple, and it also has a day, then a saint the next day), and those of our saints, our father, the Pope of Rome, and all saints, will have mercy and save us, as the Lover of Man is good.
Such a dismissal is pronounced before Holy Week; on Holy Week one says its release, by day.
On dismissal, prayers of thanks are read. Then, "Now let go," the Trisagion according to the "Our Father" and by the exclamation of the priest, "For Thy is the Kingdom ..." troparion, voice 5:
Even from God above, Divine grace is received, gloriously Gregory, and you have been strengthened by strength, you have delighted to march in the gospel, you have accepted the reward of labor from Christ, all blessed, behold him, may our souls save.
"Glory", kontakion, voice 3:
The Sub-Leader appeared to be the Leader of Christ's shepherd, monks in succession, Father Gregory, instructing the heavenly fence, and from there you taught the flock of Christ by His commandment: now you rejoice with them and rejoice in the blood of heaven.
“And now,” the Theotokos: The betrayal of Christians is not shameful, Intercession to the Creator is immutable! Do not overlook the sinful prayers of the voice, but anticipate, like the Good One, for the help of us, who are rightly calling Ty: speed up to prayer and plead for supplication, presenting openly to the Mother of God, who honor Thee.
After thanksgiving prayers, the Holy Cross is given for kissing, then the royal gates are closed, the clergy take off the sacred garments, thanking God for the Divine Liturgy, and come out of the church or perform, if any, treasures.
Saturdays and Sundays of Lent are not considered fast days. And not because it is allowed to eat something quick these days. (Modest for healthy bodily people is prohibited until Easter.) But because on Saturdays and Sundays, a full, real Liturgy is served. So the Liturgy is placed by the Church at the forefront, and from its presence or absence, the days become festive or mournful, respectively.
If you go to Sunday services only during Great Lent, then you will not feel the fast, despite abstinence in food. It is also necessary to attend special fasting services in order to feel the contrast of these holy days with other days of the year, in order to deeply breathe in the healing air of the Forty-day. Chief among the special services is the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.
It differs from the traditional liturgy in that it does not offer a Bloodless Sacrifice to God. The Sacrifice is brought in advance, the Gifts are consecrated, and Them can be used for communion. The whole service is preparation for Communion with the Gifts prepared in advance.
The main thought that should be born from attention to the topic raised is the longing for Communion, the sorrow of separation. This unwillingness to remain even for one week without the Holy Mysteries. Let us not triumph, but we must humble ourselves and cry. But all the same it is impossible not to partake of Communion, and, therefore, it is necessary to partake of Communion at least with the Gifts prepared in advance.
It is impossible to understand the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, its order, its origin, the need for it without love for the Sacraments and the practice of frequent Communion. What you want to say and what you want to think, but if in the Ancient Church there was a tradition to receive communion five or six times a year, then the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts would never have arisen. There would be no need for it itself. And this need is called: I cannot live without Christ and the Sacrament. "For me life is Christ, and death is gain."
If you rarely receive communion, then you should rarely serve the liturgy, filling the rest of the days with the reading of the Mass, psalmics, akathists, teachings and sermons. But this is an honest path to nowhere, which should be clear to the blind. The Liturgy must not be abandoned. She is our only wealth. On the contrary, one must love the Liturgy so deeply in order to understand church life in general through it. A.S. Khomyakov quite rightly said that "Christianity is understood only by those who understand the Liturgy."
Mary of Egypt did not otherwise go into the wilderness for many years, as having received the Holy Communion. Still not cleansed of passions, she received Communion and grace as a pledge for the future, so that there, in the wilderness, she could have Divine help.
So we, according to the word of Andrew of Crete, must settle "in the desert of passions through repentance."
During fasting, passions reveal themselves, wake up, torment and disturb the soul. At times they not only disturb, but burn and scorch. The need for Divine help is becoming more in demand, more tangible. The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts was created for such auspicious toilers, who felt especially acutely their weakness.
According to its rank, it is united with Vespers, and it would be good to serve it in the evening. (Do not rush to object - let me finish.)
Actually, there is only one difficulty in the evening service - the long Eucharistic fast. Everything else is technical details. The excuse that they haven't done this for a long time does not work. We didn’t do a lot of good things, but we got used to many bad things. Well, we should mark all mistakes with the “do not touch” icon, but dismiss all the forgotten heritage?
The unusually long Eucharistic fast is the only serious questioning on the way to the evening liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. But isn't that why fasting exists, in order to feel hunger and thirst, a kind of subtle weakness in the body and a slight dryness in the womb? Have we completely given up work, effort, abstinence and are fit only to gratify our infirmities? St O It’s just a try, and there will be more people ready to fight and pray than we thought. Children in this service do not receive communion. They have Saturday and Sunday. They will say: they say, old people cannot live long without medicine and food. But for them there is Saturday and Sunday. And those who can not eat or drink until evening, who are strong and strong, who are disturbed by carnal passions due to their youth and excess of strength, let them endure and fight with themselves. I’ll tell you more: in fact, it turns out that old people are ready not to eat and pray in anticipation of P Frequencies are often more frequent than young ones. And young people crave a feat more often than we think.
St O So once in your life to serve this service in the evening, if only for the sake of experience and a sense of contrast. St O and sing: “When you came to the west of the sun, seeing the evening light,” not at 8:30, but at 18:00, when the sun really came to the west. St O it is possible to feel how much better it is to combine your mind with the words of the psalm: "Raising my hand is an evening sacrifice" - in the darkness of the temple, illuminated only by lamps, and not in bright sunlight. And “Let us fulfill our Lord's evening prayer” is incomparably better and more natural to say late in the evening, and not before noon. St O with the body to understand how much better it is to pray on a completely empty stomach, so that later on to choose the ancient and better way, albeit more difficult.
All singing, burning incense, kneeling, all walking with candles and incense around the Eucharistic Lamb, all the prayers of Saint Ephraim are intended here for the evening time. This service is mysterious and especially intimate. She shuns direct sunlight and electric light, since people who have decided on an intensified feat, people who have constrained themselves for the sake of the breadth of the Heavenly Kingdom, partake of Christ on it.
The Liturgy is not for prying eyes at all. A sheer illness and true punishment are our doors always open at the service and random people buying candles and bargaining at tables with notes at any time of the service. Whether the Gospel is being read, whether the Cherubim is sung, someone will always have a wandering eye looking for places on the candlestick for their candle. God would give us to grow up, become more serious and someday on the exclamation of "Doors, doors!" they really closed the front doors so that no one would come in and out before the end of the service.
So at the usual liturgy.
But at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts it is even more serious. This is not the place for random people who wandered into the light, "unable to pray with us." They are immediately visible. They do not kneel down with everyone, they stare at the priest with the exclamation "The Light of Christ enlightens everyone!" and, even worse, at the entrance with the Gifts. They definitely cannot be given communion.
It, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, raises the bar for the clergy. There is a lot to explain, to tell. One must learn to interpret the texts of Genesis and Proverbs read at these services. It is also necessary to reassure those who see a trace of renovationism in everything unusual.
Renovationism is a lowering of church discipline for the sake of pleasing the spirit of the times. A return to tradition is the opposite movement: from relaxation - to concentration, from self-indulgence - to struggle with oneself. This is a movement from simple proofreading of texts to comprehending the spirit of the texts. For example, at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, frequent prayers are laid for the catechumens and for “those who are preparing for holy enlightenment”. This is a trace of an ancient era, when people prepared for baptism for a long time and passed the announcement. Today, in order not to release these prayers as unnecessary and not to read for the sake of simple proofreading, we must find an application for them. After all, many have relatives, friends and acquaintances who have heard about Christ, but have not been baptized. Many almost agree, but still hesitate. So, maybe we should accept notes with the names of those who are on the verge of baptism, who need a Divine impulse? Especially if they are relatives of our regular parishioners. And if there are no such, then one could pray for the illumination of the light of Christ's faith of many peoples who are still in the darkness of paganism.
Not all of this will work out everywhere. At least not everywhere will work out right away. This is good. Because all people are different, and we do not need revolutions, radical reforms and instant uniformity. But we need love for the Church and a burning desire for everything to be right, and not "as we are used to." If everything is "as we are accustomed to," then this is just self-love and fear of stirring up the familiar environment, and not standing up for the truth.
Lent flies by quickly. And having flown, it often leaves a residue of dissatisfaction. Say, but I did not have time to work or change. is approaching, but I feel that I have misled the whole Forty-day, felt sorry for myself, fasted half-heartedly. And I seem to know that “the kingdom is taken by force”, that “the path is narrow and the gates are narrow”, but I repeat out of habit that “the times are not the same,” that there is no strength. I relax myself, calm others who are relaxed.
That is why Easter Red does not fill us to the brim with eternal life, because during fasting we do not have time to clean out our insides. The Lord does not pour us "young wine into old wineskins." And the Lord is not to blame, but we, comfortably seated behind a palisade of various excuses.
This is not good. Ugly. Not fair.
The planets circle the sun.
Our Sun is Christ. “For you, who revere my name, the sun of righteousness and healing in its rays will rise,” says the prophet Malachi (Mal. 4: 2).
Thus, at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, we fearfully touch the Lamb and ring the bell for people to kneel; and we make obeisances: and we sing many songs of repentance and praise. And the heavenly powers serve the King of Glory with us together invisibly. And all this results in such a prayerful feeling and attitude, such a thirst for standing before Christ, that this should be enough for a long time.
And the fast will pass, but the reverence will remain. And after Easter, other holidays will come, and the desire to pray with tears, to bow down and fast will not leave the soul. Therefore, we need to breathe in deeply the mournful and healing air of Great Lent, so that chastity and severity, dissolved in this air, penetrate deeply into every cell of our spiritual body.
