All-night vigil, or all-night vigil. On the meaning of the all-night vigil and the divine liturgy

On the eve of great holidays and Sundays it is served all-night vigil, or, as it is also called, all-night vigil. The church day begins in the evening, and this service is directly related to the event being celebrated.

The All-Night Vigil is an ancient service; it was performed back in the first centuries of Christianity. The Lord Jesus Christ himself often prayed at night, and the apostles and the first Christians gathered for night prayer. Previously, all-night vigils were very long and, starting in the evening, continued throughout the night.

The All-Night Vigil begins with Great Vespers

In parish churches, Vespers usually begins at seventeen or eighteen o'clock. The prayers and chants of Vespers relate to the Old Testament, they prepare us for matins, which is mainly remembered New Testament events. The Old Testament is a prototype, a forerunner of the New. Old Testament people lived by faith - waiting for the Coming Messiah.

The beginning of Vespers brings our mind to the creation of the world. The priests cense the altar. It signifies the Divine grace of the Holy Spirit, which hovered during the creation of the world over the earth that had not yet been built (see: Gen. 1, 2).

Then the deacon calls the worshipers to stand before the start of the service with an exclamation "Rise up!" and asks for the priest’s blessing to begin the service. The priest, standing before the throne in the altar, utters the exclamation: “Glory to the Holy One, Consubstantial, Life-Giving and Indivisible Trinity, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages”. The choir sings: "Amen."

While singing in chorus Psalm 103, which describes the majestic picture of God’s creation of the world, the clergy censer the entire temple and those praying. The sacrifice signifies the grace of God, which our ancestors Adam and Eve had before the Fall, enjoying bliss and communion with God in paradise. After the creation of people, the doors of heaven were open to them, and as a sign of this, the royal doors are open during incense. After the Fall, people lost their pristine righteousness, distorted their nature and closed the doors of heaven to themselves. They were expelled from paradise and wept bitterly. After censing, the royal gates are closed, the deacon goes out to the pulpit and stands in front of the closed gates, just as Adam stood in front of the gates of heaven after his expulsion. When a person lived in paradise, he did not need anything; With the loss of heavenly bliss, people began to have needs and sorrows, for which we pray to God. The main thing we ask God for is forgiveness of sins. On behalf of all those praying, the deacon says peace or great litany.

After the peaceful litany there follows the singing and reading of the first kathisma: Blessed is the man like him(which) do not go to the counsel of the wicked. The path of returning to paradise is the path of striving for God and evading evil, wickedness and sins. The Old Testament righteous, who waited with faith for the Savior, maintained the true faith and avoided communicating with godless and wicked people. Even after the Fall, Adam and Eve were given the promise of the Coming Messiah, that the seed of the woman will erase the head of the serpent. And a psalm Blessed is the husband also figuratively tells about the Son of God, the Blessed Man, who committed no sin.

Next they sing stichera on “Lord, I have cried”. They alternate with verses from the Psalter. These verses also have a penitential, prayerful character. During the reading of the stichera, incense is performed throughout the temple. “May my prayer be corrected, like incense before You,” the choir sings, and we, listening to this chant, like our sinners, repent of our sins.

The last stichera is called the Theotokos or dogmatist, it is dedicated to the Mother of God. It reveals the church teaching about the incarnation of the Savior from the Virgin Mary.

Although people sinned and fell away from God, the Lord did not leave them without His help and protection throughout Old Testament history. The first people repented, which means the first hope for salvation appeared. This hope is symbolized opening of the royal gates And entrance at vespers. The priest and deacon with the censer leave the northern side doors and, accompanied by the priests, go to the royal doors. The priest blesses the entrance, and the deacon, drawing a cross with a censer, says: “Wisdom, forgive me!”- this means “stand up straight” and contains a call for attention. The choir sings a chant "Quiet Light", saying that the Lord Jesus Christ descended to earth not in greatness and glory, but in a quiet, Divine light. This chant also suggests that the time of the Savior’s birth is near.

After the deacon proclaimed verses from the psalms called prokinny, two litanies are pronounced: strictly And pleading.

If the all-night vigil is celebrated on the occasion of a major holiday, after these litanies the lithium- a sequence containing special prayer requests, at which the blessing of five wheat loaves, wine and oil (oil) takes place in memory of Christ’s miraculous feeding of five thousand people with five loaves. In ancient times, when the All-Night Vigil was served all night, the brethren needed to refresh themselves with food in order to continue performing Matins.

After the litia they sing "stichera on verse", that is, stichera with special verses. After them the choir sings a prayer “Now you let go”. These were the words spoken by the righteous saint Simeon, who waited for the Savior with faith and hope for many years and was honored to take the Infant Christ into his arms. This prayer is pronounced as if on behalf of all the Old Testament people who with faith awaited the coming of Christ the Savior.

Vespers ends with a hymn dedicated to the Virgin Mary: "Virgin Mother of God, rejoice". She was the Fruit that Old Testament humanity had been growing in its depths for thousands of years. This most humble, most righteous and most pure Young Lady is the only one of all the wives who was honored to become the Mother of God. The priest ends Vespers with the exclamation: "The blessing of the Lord is upon you"- and blesses those praying.

The second part of the vigil is called Matins. It is dedicated to the recollection of New Testament events

At the beginning of Matins, six special psalms are read, which are called six psalms. It begins with the words: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” - this is the chant sung by the Angels at the birth of the Savior. The Six Psalms is dedicated to the anticipation of the coming of Christ into the world. It is an image of the Bethlehem night when Christ came into the world, and an image of the night and darkness in which all humanity was before the coming of the Savior. It is not for nothing that, according to custom, all lamps and candles are extinguished during the reading of the Six Psalms. The priest in the middle of the Six Psalms in front of the closed royal doors reads special morning prayers.

Next, a peaceful litany is performed, and after it the deacon loudly proclaims: “God is the Lord, and appear to us. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.". Which means: “God and the Lord appeared to us,” that is, he came into the world, the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Messiah were fulfilled. Reading follows kathisma from the Psalter.

After the reading of the kathisma, the most solemn part of Matins begins - polyeleos. Polyeleos translated from Greek as mercifully, because during polyeleos verses of praise are sung from Psalms 134 and 135, where the multitude of God’s mercy is sung as a constant refrain: for His mercy endures forever! According to the consonance of words polyeleos sometimes translated as abundance of oil, oil. Oil has always been a symbol of God's mercy. During Great Lent, the 136th psalm (“On the rivers of Babylon”) is added to the polyeleos psalms. During the polyeleos, the royal doors are opened, the lamps in the temple are lit, and the clergy, leaving the altar, perform full incense on the entire temple. During censing, Sunday troparia are sung "Angelic Cathedral", telling about the resurrection of Christ. At all-night vigils before the holidays, instead of Sunday troparions, they sing the glorification of the holiday.

Next they read the Gospel. If they serve the all-night vigil on Sunday, they read one of the eleven Sunday Gospels, dedicated to the resurrection of Christ and His appearance to the disciples. If the service is dedicated not to the resurrection, but to a holiday, the holiday Gospel is read.

After the reading of the Gospel at Sunday all-night vigils, hymns are sung “Having seen the Resurrection of Christ”.

Those praying venerate the Gospel (on the holiday - to the icon), and the priest anoints their forehead with consecrated oil in the shape of a cross.

This is not a Sacrament, but a sacred rite of the Church, serving as a sign of God’s mercy towards us. Since the most ancient, biblical times, oil has been a symbol of joy and a sign of God’s blessing, and the righteous person on whom the favor of the Lord rests is compared with the olive, from the fruits of which oil was obtained: But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God, and I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.(Ps 51:10). The dove released from the ark by the patriarch Noah returned in the evening and brought a fresh olive leaf in its mouth, and Noah learned that the water had gone down from the earth (see: Gen. 8:11). This was a sign of reconciliation with God.

After the priest’s exclamation: “By mercy, generosity and philanthropy...” - the reading begins canon.

Canon- a prayer work that tells about the life and deeds of the saint and glorifies the celebrated event. The canon consists of nine songs, each beginning Irmosom- a chant sung by a choir.

Before the ninth hymn of the canon, the deacon, having bowed to the altar, exclaims before the image of the Mother of God (to the left of the royal doors): “Let us exalt the Virgin Mary and Mother of Light in song”. The choir begins to sing a chant “My soul magnifies the Lord...”. This is a touching prayer-song composed by the Holy Virgin Mary (see: Lk 1, 46-55). A chorus is added to each verse: “The most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who without corruption gave birth to God the Word, we magnify Thee as the real Mother of God.”

After the canon, the choir sings psalms "Praise the Lord from heaven", “Sing a new song to the Lord”(Ps 149) and "Praise God among His saints"(Ps. 150) along with “praise stichera.” At the Sunday all-night vigil, these stichera end with a hymn dedicated to the Mother of God: “Most blessed art thou, O Virgin Mary...” After this, the priest proclaims: “Glory to You, who showed us the Light,” and begins great doxology. The All-Night Vigil in ancient times, lasting all night, covered the early morning, and during Matins the first morning rays of the sun actually appeared, reminding us of the Sun of Truth - Christ the Savior. The doxology begins with the words: "Gloria..." Matins began with these words and ends with these same words. At the end, the entire Holy Trinity is glorified: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.”

Matins ends purely And petitionary litanies, after which the priest pronounces the final vacation.

After the all-night vigil, a short service is served, which is called the first hour.

Watch- this is a service that sanctifies a certain time of the day, but according to established tradition they are usually attached to long services - matins and liturgy. The first hour corresponds to our seven o'clock in the morning. This service sanctifies the coming day with prayer.

Or all-night vigil, is a service that is performed in the evening on the eve of especially revered holidays.

It consists of combining Vespers with Matins and the first hour, and both Vespers and Matins are celebrated more solemnly and with greater illumination of the temple than on other days.

This service is called all-night vigil because in ancient times it began late in the evening and continued all night long before dawn.

Then, out of condescension for the infirmities of the believers, they began to begin this service a little earlier and make cuts in reading and singing, and therefore it now ends not so late. The former name of its all-night vigil has been preserved.

Vespers

Vespers in its composition recalls and depicts the times of the Old Testament: the creation of the world, the fall of the first people, their expulsion from paradise, their repentance and prayer for salvation, then, people’s hope, according to God’s promise, in the Savior and, finally, the fulfillment of this promise.

Vespers, during the all-night vigil, begins with the opening of the royal doors. The priest and deacon silently incense the altar and the entire altar, and clouds of incense smoke fill the depths of the altar. This silent censing marks the beginning of the creation of the world. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth". The earth was formless and empty. And the Spirit of God hovered over the primeval matter of the earth, breathing life-giving power into it. But the creative word of God had not yet been heard.

But now, the priest, standing before the throne, with the first exclamation glorifies the Creator and Creator of the world - the Most Holy Trinity: “Glory to the Holy and Consubstantial, and Life-Giving, and Indivisible Trinity, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.” Then he calls on the believers three times: “Come, let us worship our King God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Him.” For “all things came into being through Him (that is, to exist, to live), and without Him nothing came into being that was made” (John 1:3).

In response to this call, the choir solemnly sings the 103rd Psalm about the creation of the world, glorifying the wisdom of God: “Bless my soul the Lord! Blessed are you, Lord! Lord, my God, you have greatly exalted yourself (i.e., greatly) ... you have created all things with wisdom. Wonderful are Your works, O Lord! Glory to You, Lord, who created everything!

During this singing, the priest leaves the altar, walks among the people and censes the entire church and those praying, and the deacon precedes him with a candle in his hand.

Everyday

This sacred rite reminds those praying not only of the creation of the world, but also of the initial, blissful, paradise life of the first people, when God Himself walked among people in paradise. The open royal doors signify that the doors of heaven were then open to all people.

But people, seduced by the devil, violated the will of God and sinned. to his the fall from grace people lost their blissful heavenly life. They were expelled from paradise - and the doors of heaven were closed to them. As a sign of this, after censing is performed in the temple and at the end of the singing of the psalm, the royal doors are closed.

The deacon leaves the altar and stands in front of the closed royal doors, like Adam once before the closed gates of heaven, and proclaims great litany:

After the great litany and the exclamation of the priest, selected verses from the first three psalms are sung:

Then the deacon exclaims small litany: “Packs and packs(more and more) Let us pray to the Lord in peace...

After the small litany, the choir cries out in verses from psalms:

While singing these verses, the deacon censes the church.

This moment of worship, starting from the closing of the royal doors, in the petitions of the great litany and in the singing of psalms, depicts the plight that the human race was subjected to after the fall of the first parents, when along with sinfulness all kinds of needs, illnesses and suffering appeared. We cry to God: “Lord, have mercy!” We ask for peace and salvation of our souls. We lament that we listened to the wicked advice of the devil. We ask God for forgiveness of sins and deliverance from troubles, and we place all our hope in the mercy of God. The deacon's censing at this time signifies those sacrifices that were offered in the Old Testament, as well as our prayers offered to God.

They join in singing the Old Testament verses: “The Lord cried:” stichera, i.e. New Testament hymns, in honor of the holiday.

The last stichera is called theotokos or dogmatist, since this stichera is sung in honor of the Mother of God and it sets out the dogma (the main teaching of the faith) about the incarnation of the Son of God from the Virgin Mary. On the twelfth holidays, instead of the Mother of God dogmatics, a special stichera is sung in honor of the holiday.

When singing the Mother of God (dogmatics), the royal doors open and evening entrance: a candle bearer comes out of the altar through the northern doors, followed by a deacon with a censer, and then a priest. The priest stands on the ambo facing the royal doors, blesses the entrance in a cross shape, and, after the deacon pronounces the words: “wisdom forgive me!”(means: listen to the wisdom of the Lord, stand straight, stay awake), he enters, together with the deacon, through the royal doors into the altar and stands in the high place.

Evening entrance

At this time, the choir sings a song to the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ: “Quiet light, holy glory of the Immortal Father, Heavenly, Holy, Blessed, Jesus Christ! Having come to the west of the sun, having seen the evening light, we sing of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, God. You are worthy at all times to be a holy voice. Son of God, give life, so the world glorifies You. (The quiet light of the holy glory, the Immortal Father in heaven, Jesus Christ! Having reached the sunset of the sun, having seen the evening light, we glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit of God. You, the Son of God, the giver of life, are worthy to be sung at all times by the voices of the saints. Therefore the world glorifies You).

In this song-hymn, the Son of God is called a quiet light from the Heavenly Father, for He came to earth not in full Divine glory, but as a quiet light of this glory. This hymn says that only through the voices of the saints (and not our sinful lips) can a song worthy of Him be offered to Him and due glorification be performed.

The evening entrance reminds believers of how the Old Testament righteous, according to the promises of God, types and prophecies, expected the coming of the Savior of the world and how He appeared in the world for the salvation of the human race.

The censer with incense at the evening entrance means that our prayers, at the intercession of the Lord Savior, ascend like incense to God, and also signifies the presence of the Holy Spirit in the temple.

The cruciform blessing of the entrance means that through the cross of the Lord the doors of heaven are again opened to us.

After the song: “Quiet Light...” is sung prokeimenon, i.e. a short verse from the Holy Scriptures. At Sunday Vespers it is sung: “The Lord reigned, having clothed himself with beauty”, and on other days other verses are sung.

At the end of the singing of the prokeimna, on major holidays they read proverbs. Proverbs are selected passages of Holy Scripture that contain prophecies or indicate prototypes related to celebrated events, or teach instructions that seem to come from the person of those holy saints whose memory we commemorate.

After the prokemna and paremia, the deacon pronounces strictly(i.e. reinforced) litany: “Let’s say, let’s say, let’s talk, start praying) with all our hearts and with all our thoughts, with all our hearts...”

Then the prayer is read: “Grant, Lord, that this evening we may be preserved without sin...”

After this prayer, the deacon pronounces a petitionary litany: “Let us fulfill (let us bring to fullness, offer in its entirety) our evening prayer to the Lord (Lord)…”

On major holidays, after a special and petitionary litany, lithium And blessing of the loaves.

Lithium, a Greek word, means general prayer. Litiya is performed in the western part of the temple, near the western entrance doors. This prayer in the ancient church was performed in the narthex, with the purpose of giving the catechumens and penitents standing here the opportunity to take part in the general prayer on the occasion of the great holiday.

Lithium

Following lithium happens blessing and consecration of the five loaves, wheat, wine and oil, also in memory of the ancient custom of distributing food to worshipers, who sometimes came from afar, so that they could refresh themselves during a long service. The five loaves are blessed in remembrance of the Savior's feeding of the five thousand with five loaves. Sanctified oil(with olive oil) the priest then, during Matins, after kissing the festive icon, anoints the worshipers.

After the litia, and if it is not performed, then after the litany of petition, “stichera on verse” are sung. This is the name given to special poems written in memory of a remembered event.

Vespers ends with the reading of the prayer of St. Simeon the God-Receiver: “Now dost thou let thy servant go, O Master, according to thy word in peace: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all men, a light for the revelation of tongues, and the glory of thy people Israel,” then by reading the Trisagion and the Lord’s Prayer : “Our Father...”, singing the Angelic greeting to the Theotokos: “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...” or the troparion of the holiday and, finally, singing the prayer of righteous Job three times: “Blessed be the name of the Lord from now on and forever,” the final blessing of the priest: “Blessing The Lord’s grace and love for mankind be upon you always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.”

The end of Vespers is the prayer of St. Simeon the God-Receiver and the Angelic greeting to the Theotokos (Theotokos, Virgin, Rejoice) - indicate the fulfillment of God’s promise about the Savior.

Immediately after the end of Vespers, at the All-Night Vigil, the Matins by reading six psalms.

Matins

The second part of the all-night vigil - Matins reminds us of New Testament times: the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ into the world for our salvation, and His glorious Resurrection.

The beginning of Matins directly points us to the Nativity of Christ. It begins with a doxology of the angels who appeared to the Bethlehem shepherds: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Then it reads six psalms, that is, six selected psalms of King David (3, 37, 62, 87, 102 and 142), which depict the sinful state of people, full of troubles and misfortunes, and fervently express the only hope people expect for God’s mercy. Worshipers listen to the Six Psalms with special concentrated reverence.

After the Six Psalms, the deacon says great litany.

Then a short song with verses about the appearance of Jesus Christ in the world to people is sung loudly and joyfully: “God is the Lord and has appeared to us, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” i.e. God is Lord, and has appeared to us, and is worthy of glorification, going to the glory of the Lord.

After this it is sung troparion, i.e. a song in honor of a holiday or celebrated saint, and are read kathismas, i.e. separate parts of the Psalter, consisting of several consecutive psalms. The reading of kathismas, as well as the reading of the Six Psalms, calls us to think about our disastrous sinful state and place all hope in the mercy and help of God. Kathisma means sitting, since one can sit while reading kathisma.

At the end of the kathismas, the deacon says small litany, and then it is done polyeleos. Polyeleos is a Greek word and means “much mercy” or “much illumination.”

Polyeleos

The polyeleos is the most solemn part of the all-night vigil and expresses the glorification of God’s mercy shown to us in the coming of the Son of God to earth and His accomplishment of the work of our salvation from the power of the devil and death.

Polyeleos begins with the solemn singing of verses of praise:

Praise the name of the Lord, praise the servants of the Lord. Hallelujah!

Blessed be the Lord of Zion, who dwelleth in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

Confess to the Lord that He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Hallelujah!

that is, glorify the Lord, because He is good, because His mercy (towards people) endures forever.

When these verses are chanted, all the lamps in the temple are lit, the royal doors are opened, and the priest, preceded by a deacon with a candle, leaves the altar and burns incense throughout the entire temple, as a sign of reverence for God and His saints.

After singing these verses, special Sunday troparia are sung on Sundays; that is, joyful songs in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, which tell how angels appeared to the myrrh-bearers who came to the tomb of the Savior and announced to them about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

On other great holidays, instead of Sunday troparions, it is sung before the icon of the holiday grandeur, i.e. a short verse of praise in honor of a holiday or saint.

(We magnify you, Father Nicholas, and honor your holy memory, for you pray for us, Christ our God)

After the Sunday troparions, or after the magnification, the deacon recites the small litany, then the prokeimenon, and the priest reads the Gospel.

At the Sunday service, the Gospel is read about the Resurrection of Christ and about the appearances of the risen Christ to His disciples, and on other holidays the Gospel is read, relating to the celebrated event or to the glorification of the saint.

After reading the Gospel, in the Sunday service a solemn hymn is sung in honor of the risen Lord:

“Having seen the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless one. We worship Your Cross, O Christ, and we sing and glorify Your holy resurrection: for You are our God; Do we know (except) You otherwise; we call Your name. Come, all the faithful, let us worship the Holy Resurrection of Christ. Behold, for joy has come to the whole world through the cross, always blessing the Lord, we sing His resurrection: having endured crucifixion, destroy death by death.”

The Gospel is brought to the middle of the temple, and the believers venerate it. On other holidays, believers venerate the holiday icon. The priest anoints them with blessed oil and distributes consecrated bread.

After singing: “The Resurrection of Christ: a few more short prayers are sung. Then the deacon reads the prayer: “Save, O God, Thy people”... and after the priest’s exclamation: “By mercy and bounty”... the canon begins to be sung.

Canon At Matins, a meeting of songs composed according to a certain rule is called. “Canon” is a Greek word that means “rule.”

Reading the canon

The canon is divided into nine parts (songs). The first verse of each song that is sung is called irmos, which means connection. These irmos seem to bind the entire composition of the canon into one whole. The remaining verses of each part (song) are mostly read and called troparia. The second hymn of the canon, as a penitential hymn, is performed only during Lent.

Particular efforts were made in composing these songs: St. John of Damascus, Cosmas of Mayum, Andrew of Crete (the great canon of repentance) and many others. At the same time, they were invariably guided by certain chants and prayers of sacred persons, namely: the prophet Moses (for 1 and 2 irmos), the prophetess Anna, the mother of Samuel (for the 3rd irmos), the prophet Habakkuk (for 4 irmos), the prophet Isaiah (for 5 Irmos), the prophet Jonah (for the 6th Irmos), the three youths (for the 7th and 8th Irmos) and the priest Zechariah, father of John the Baptist (for the 9th Irmos).

Before the ninth Irmos, the deacon exclaims: “Let us exalt the Mother of God and the Mother of Light in song!” and burns incense at the temple.

At this time, the choir sings the song of the Virgin Mary:

“My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior... Each verse is joined by the refrain: “The most honorable cherub and the most glorious without comparison seraphim, who without corruption gave birth to God the Word, the real Mother of God, we magnify Thee.”

At the end of the song of the Mother of God, the choir continues singing the canon (9th song).

The following can be said about the general content of the canon. Irmoses remind believers of Old Testament times and events from the history of our salvation and gradually bring our thoughts closer to the event of the Nativity of Christ. The troparia of the canon are dedicated to New Testament events and represent a series of poems or chants in honor of the Lord and the Mother of God, as well as in honor of the event being celebrated, or the saint glorified on this day.

After the canon, psalms of praise are sung - stichera on praisetech- in which all God’s creatures are called to glorify the Lord: “Let every breath praise the Lord...”

After the singing of psalms of praise there follows a great doxology. The royal doors open during the singing of the last stichera (on the Resurrection of the Theotokos) and the priest proclaims: “Glory to Thee, who showed us the light!” (In ancient times, this exclamation preceded the appearance of the solar dawn).

The choir sings a great doxology, which begins with the words:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we bow down, we praise Thee, we thank Thee, great for the sake of Thy glory...”

In the “great doxology” we thank God for the light of day and for the gift of spiritual Light, that is, Christ the Savior, who enlightened people with His teaching - the light of truth.

The “Great Doxology” ends with the singing of the Trisagion: “Holy God...” and the troparion of the holiday.

After this, the deacon recites two litanies in a row: strictly And pleading.

Matins at the All-Night Vigil ends release- the priest, turning to those praying, says: “Christ our true God (and in Sunday service: Risen from the dead, Christ our true God...), through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother, the glorious Apostle saints... and all the saints, will have mercy and save us, for good and a lover of humanity.”

In conclusion, the choir sings a prayer that the Lord will preserve for many years the Orthodox Bishopric, the ruling bishop and all Orthodox Christians.

Immediately after this, the last part of the all-night vigil begins - first hour.

The service of the first hour consists of reading psalms and prayers, in which we ask God to “hear our voice in the morning” and correct the works of our hands throughout the day. The service of the 1st hour ends with a victorious song in honor of the Mother of God:

“To the chosen victorious Voivode, for having been delivered from the evil ones, let us sing thanksgiving to Thy servants, the Mother of God. But as you have an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call You: Rejoice, unbrided Bride.”

In this song we call the Mother of God “the victorious leader against evil.” Then the priest pronounces the dismissal of the 1st hour. This ends the all-night vigil.

“The Law of God”, Rev. Seraphim Slobodsky

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All-night vigils were celebrated in the very first centuries of Christianity. The Lord Jesus Christ himself often devoted the night hours to prayer (Matthew 14:23; 26–46, etc.). “Watch and pray,” the Savior said to the apostles, “so as not to fall into temptation” () (Matthew 26:41). And the apostles gathered at night to pray (see, for example, Acts 20:7; 25). During the era of persecution, Christians also held services at night.

Saint Basil the Great (IV century) in his writings about all-night services writes: “Our people stay awake in church in labor, in sorrow and in tearful contrition, confessing to God, and, having risen from prayers, begin psalmody... already at dawn day, all together, as if with one mouth and one heart, lift up a psalm of confession to the Lord...” ().

Saint John Chrysostom (†407) also praised his flock: “You do not know day and night, but you turn both times into day, not changing the air, but enlightening the nights with all-night vigils. You have nights without sleep, and the power of sleep has ceased, since love for Christ has overcome the weakness of nature... You have rejected hatred, removed base passions, implanted virtues, had the strength to spend the whole night in sacred vigil...” ().

Night services, which St. Basil the Great calls in Greek “agrypnia,” that is, “sleepless,” were, according to him, widespread in the East, performed on Sundays throughout the year, on Holy Easter night, on the feast of the Epiphany and on the days of remembrance of the holy martyrs ().

The Easter service in the ancient Jerusalem Church was dedicated to the memories of the events of the last days of the earthly life of Jesus Christ (). Prayers and reading of the Holy Scriptures, telling about one or another gospel event, took place in the historical places where they took place, and Christians, listening to the word of God, became, as it were, eyewitnesses of these events.

Subsequently, all-night services began to precede other solemn church holidays. But the tradition of celebrating Easter in Jerusalem in the first centuries, when Christians became, as it were, witnesses to the remembered sacred events, took root and was consistently developed by the authors of the Rite of the All-Night Vigil. Thanks to their liturgical creativity, the all-night vigil helps us spiritually experience the events of sacred history. The great prayer books - the holy fathers - worked on compiling the rite of the all-night vigil: the Venerable Chariton the Confessor and Savva the Sanctified, Saints John Chrysostom and Sophronius, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Venerable John of Damascus.

The All-Night Vigil combines Great Vespers with the litia and blessing of the loaves, Matins and the first hour. The deep theological content, the morally edifying nature of the readings and chants of the service, and the wealth of artistic and musical content developed over centuries make the all-night vigil a treasury of Orthodox worship. The drama of the experience of the all-night service and its prayerful spirit prepare the Christian to put aside all earthly concerns and begin the Divine Liturgy with dignity, with a clear conscience and reverence.

At the all-night service there is a gospel signal: first on the big bell, then on all the bells - festively. During the ringing, it is customary to read the 50th Psalm or Creed.
The all-night vigil usually begins at 6 pm on Great Vespers. Vespers reflects the history of the Church of God in Old Testament times and shows that the Old Testament has its logical conclusion in the New Testament.

The general theological idea of ​​Vespers is the salvation of humanity in the Old Testament, through faith in the coming Messiah - the Savior of the world promised by God (Gen. 3:15). The rite of Vespers was formed under the influence of the liturgy, so they have many similar elements. At the liturgy, the Lord offers Himself as a Bloodless Sacrifice with the hands of a priest, and at Vespers - a spiritual, prayerful, thanksgiving offering to God.

Before the beginning of Vespers, the royal doors are opened and the clergy burn incense on the altar, which signifies the Divine grace that filled Paradise and the blissful stay of the ancestors in it ().

The deacon then calls on Christians to stand before the start of the service with the cry Arise! (in ancient times they sat in churches) and asks for the blessing of the primate at the beginning of the service. The priest, standing before the throne in the altar, pronounces not the usual exclamation of Vespers, Blessed be our God always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages, by which the Old Testament knowledge of man about God is confessed, but he theologizes in the grace of the New Testament, glorifying the Holy Trinity: Glory of the Holy Ones, Consubstantial , Life-giving and Indivisible Trinity, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. The choir sings: Amen.

The word “amen” translated from Hebrew means: “truly,” “so be it.” It serves as confirmation of what was said, and Blessed Jerome calls it “the seal of prayers.” Then the clergy in the altar (or choir) sing: Come, let us worship, calling for the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ as the King - Creator and Ruler of the visible and invisible world (John 1:3; Rev. 1:5). The entire temple is censed as a sign of the Holy Spirit, Who, as the Bible tells us, “move over the waters” at the creation of the world (Gen. 1, 2). By censing, honor is given to icons and all shrines, and the sanctifying grace of God is invoked on the people ahead.

Burning incense is the oldest Christian liturgical custom. It is carried out in the likeness of the Heavenly Church and according to the example of the Old Testament Church (Ex. 30, 1, 7–9). In Revelation, the holy Apostle John the Theologian saw an angel who stood before the Heavenly Altar, holding a golden censer, and a lot of incense was given to him (Rev. 8:3-4).

The exclamations of the priest after the litanies gradually reveal to us the properties of God. They glorify the Kingdom, power and glory of God; the goodness and love for mankind of God who has mercy and saves us.

The priest at the altar reads seven secret prayers, according to the number of days of creation (Gen. 1). They contain petitions to the Merciful and Long-suffering God for our spiritual enlightenment, for giving us love for Him, fear of God and reverence - fear of offending His love for us, for giving us the joy of singing praises to God from a pure heart now and in Eternal Life. These prayers in the Church Charter are called lamp prayers, since from the most ancient times vespers were performed with lighted lamps and vespers itself was often called the lamp service.

To reconcile with God and restore spiritual communication with Him, a person needs to realize his sinfulness and freely choose in life the path of faith in God and fidelity to His will. The singing of Psalm 1, Blessed is the man, depicts the life of the Old Testament righteous, who, amid wickedness and unbelief, did not lose hope in the Promised Christ the Savior. This psalm also figuratively tells about the Only Begotten Son of God, the One Blessed Man, who committed no sin. The content of the psalm is edifying in our time. The followers of the Lord, believing His teaching, follow the path of life indicated by Him in the Holy Gospel (John 14:6), striving for the path of righteousness according to the commandments of God. Those who choose the path of self-will are forced to go through life without God’s help and deviate towards the path of destruction. Therefore, the Lord says: “he who believes in the Son has Eternal Life” (John 3:36), and “he who does not believe is already condemned” (John 3:18). Whoever fights evil in himself and around him, believes in the gracious help of God, in His merciful forgiveness of sins, the power of God will save him from straying onto the path of the wicked, the path of vice and wickedness.

For each verse of the 1st Psalm, the refrain Alleluia (Praise God) is sung - a joyful and mysterious word, the song of eternity (Rev. 19: 1, 3, 4).

After the small litanies, stichera () are sung on the Lord, I cried with verses (). Old Testament verses alternate with stichera that narrate New Testament events, which indicates the agreement of the Old and New Testaments. The stichera are sung in one of the eight church voices, antiphonally, that is, alternately by the right and left choirs. Antiphonal singing was revealed in a vision to Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer, a disciple of John the Theologian: this is how the angels sang the praises of God. Saint Gregory the Theologian () and Saint John of Damascus () call the number “8” a symbol of eternity: the number “7” contains the present time (according to the days of creation), and the eighth day will be after the resurrection of the dead. The melodies of the voices have changed historically. It is impossible, of course, to identify the ancient melody (the ancient Greek mode) with singing in voice, but the main thing - a prayerful mood, which is conveyed by the content and the corresponding musical reproduction - has been preserved to this day.

The first voice is simple, important, majestic and most solemn. Ancient writers compared it to the sun, saying that it drives away laziness, lethargy, sleep, sadness and embarrassment. The second voice is filled with meekness and reverence; it comforts the sad and drives away gloomy experiences. The third voice is stormy, like the sea in bad weather, inciting to spiritual warfare. The fourth voice is twofold: it sometimes excites joy, sometimes it inspires sadness; with quiet and soft transitions of tones, it imparts special peace to the soul; inspires a desire for the Heavenly, most expressing the effect of God's grace on us. The fifth voice calms emotional unrest; it is suitable for prayer, crying over sins. The sixth voice gives rise to pious feelings: devotion, humanity, love. The seventh voice is soft, touching, exhorting. He gently convinces and encourages you to ask for propitiation. The eighth voice expresses faith in the future life, contemplates Heavenly mysteries, and prays for the bliss of the soul.

By singing, Lord, I cried and by burning incense at this time, the times when the Law was given by God through the prophet Moses (Ex. 20; 30, 7, 8) and the Old Testament worship was established. Lord, I called to You, hear me - this is the voice of a soul that has strayed from God and is in need of His help. People could not fulfill in all the severity of the Old Testament Law, which was supposed to lead people to a full and living awareness of the impossibility of salvation on their own and through this arouse in every person the desire for the coming to earth of the Promised Savior of the world, who will fulfill the Law and restore man’s communion with God.

The last stichera is the Theotokos, or dogmatist, a hymn to the glory of the Mother of God. It reveals the dogma (church teaching) about the Incarnation of the Lord from the Blessed Virgin Mary (John 1: 1-14). The author of the dogmatists is St. John of Damascus.

During the singing of the dogmatist, an important sacred rite of Vespers is performed - the entrance with the censer. Just as at the liturgy the priest enters the altar with the Holy Gifts to offer the Bloodless Sacrifice, so at Vespers - to offer a verbal sacrifice - prayers of praise and thanksgiving.

The evening entrance symbolizes the descent to earth of the Son of God to save people. The mystery of the Incarnation is difficult to convey in words, so the Church silently performs sacred actions that signify this mystery. The Royal Doors point to those impenetrable gates that the prophet Ezekiel saw in a vision (Ezekiel 44:1-2; therefore, the Annunciation is depicted on them), and the entrance itself means the Incarnation. The priests walk with candles, which signify the light of the teachings of Christ (John 1: 1–5, 9). Deacon is the image of the Forerunner of the Lord John (John 1:15-27). The priest walks “simple,” as the book of the Missal indicates, that is, with his hands down, as if humiliated, like the Son of God at the Incarnation. During the entrance, the priest offers a secret prayer for all those present, in which he asks the Lord to protect the hearts of believers from deviating into evil words and thoughts, asking for deliverance from those who catch our souls - the spirits of evil.

The Song of the Quiet Light tells about the coming to earth at the end of the Old Testament time of Christ, about the beginning of a new, blessed day, the light of which the Savior brought - the day of eternity, given to the world by the One Immortal, the One Blessed God, for the sake of the redemptive deed of His Son. In this hymn, the Christian teaching about spiritual light that enlightens man, about Christ - the Source of gracious light (John 1:9) found expression. This song is very ancient. St. Basil the Great writes about her: “Our fathers did not want to accept the grace of the evening light in silence, but immediately as it came, they brought praise” ().

The priest, having entered the altar, kisses the throne, which means the Resurrection of the Lord and His appearance after the Resurrection to people, and, depicting that “the Only Begotten Son of God, who came down to us from Heaven, ascended again and took us to Heaven” (), goes to the heavenly place of the altar and stands there during the singing of the prokeimna (from Greek - “preceding”). Prokimny - “predestination of holidays and upcoming days” (). They precede parimia - readings from the Holy Scriptures.

On Saturday evening, the prokeimenon of the Lord reigns is sung - about the victory of the Risen Lord over death, His establishment of all believers in the universe.

Reading the Old Testament Scriptures (parimias) indicates a type or prophecy in the Old Testament about a sacred event now celebrated by the Church. Parimia (Greek) means a parable, a wise, figurative, edifying allegory. These readings come from different books of the Old Testament and contain a sermon about the expected salvation that Divine Wisdom has arranged for us, therefore those praying in the temple are called to reverent attention with the exclamation: Wisdom! Let's see! (We will listen.) During the reading of the parimia, the royal doors are closed ().

The prayer of the Church is intensified in a special litany, asking people for great and rich mercies from God, the Lover of Mankind. The choir supports the fervor of prayer by singing three times, Lord, have mercy.

Vouchsafe, Lord, a prayer for the sending down of a sinless evening and evening praise to the Triune God.

In the litany of petition, as its name suggests, the Church asks the Lord for the various spiritual needs of a Christian.

The priest proclaims: Peace to all, and the deacon calls on those praying to bow their heads in an image of humility and contrition of spirit. The priest, in prayer over those who bowed their heads, humbly begs God, who came down from Heaven for the salvation of mankind, to have mercy on those who bowed their heads to Him, for only from Him do they expect mercy and salvation, and asks to save us at all times from the devil.

Litia - fervent prayer, outside the temple or in its vestibule (). Standing at the entrance to the temple, the clergy signify our humility before God. As if depicting Adam expelled from Paradise, or the prodigal son who left his father for a foreign land, they leave the altar and stand for prayer in the vestibule, in the image of the publican’s humility, according to the parable of the Gospel (Luke 18:13).

Lithium prayers are petitions of the Church for the whole world, about the needs of all humanity. The Church asks intercession before God from all saints. She turns to the Most Holy Theotokos, the Forerunner John, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius - educators, teachers of the Orthodox Slavic peoples, Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir and Grand Duchess Olga and other powerful intercessors, and asks for prayerful intercession from the faces of saints - apostles, saints , martyrs, saints and righteous, among the patron saints of this temple. The Church prays for all people and especially for those in need of help: for those who work (engaged in hard work) and employees, for those left behind and those in exile, that is, for those who, due to work or other needs, remain outside the church, are not present at divine services, the sick, the dead and about their weakness (that is, rest from earthly labors and sorrows) and the remission of sins.

The Church also asks for the deliverance of its children and the whole world from natural disasters, wars and civil strife. He asks for God's mercy from the impending punishment, that is, the coming just punishment of sinners, asks the Lord to exchange just anger for mercy.

The prayers of the lithium are intensified by the repeated singing of Lord, have mercy.

The priest proclaims: Peace to all, and all the people, bowing their heads, offer a humble prayer to the Most Merciful Master for the acceptance of our petitions not for our sake, but for the sake of our holy representatives, for forgiveness of sins, protection, driving away enemies, pardon for us and the whole world.

After the litany, the clergy go to the royal doors, as if ascending to Heaven. The choir sings “stichera on verse” (that is, with verses from psalms), which tell about the sacred event being celebrated. The author of the Sunday stichera on the poem is considered to be the Monk John of Damascus. These stichera of the Theotokos glorify the Incarnation of Christ and contain a prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos for deliverance from misfortunes.

The chant Now You Let Go preaches the fulfillment of God’s promise of sending the Savior into the world. This prayer was sung by Simeon the God-Receiver - the last Old Testament righteous man, who at the end of his life was honored to see the Savior of Israel (that is, the faithful children of the Church) - the Lord Jesus Christ, who came into the world (Luke 2, 22-32).

Trisagion: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us... Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us... and the Lord's Prayer, Our Father... is the “Divine Seal” (), with which services begin and end.

After the priest’s exclamation, “Thy is the Kingdom”... the choir sings the troparion (on Sunday) to the Virgin Mary, rejoice... - a joyful greeting from Archangel Gabriel and Righteous Elizabeth to the Blessed Virgin Mary on the day of the Annunciation to Her of the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God (Luke 1:26- 38, 39-45).

Troparion is a short chant that expresses the essence of the holiday.

If a litia was celebrated, then five loaves of bread (symbolizing the five loaves of the Gospel with which the Lord fed 5,000 people; Matt. 14:15-21), wheat, wine and oil are placed on the prepared table in a special vessel. The priest prays for the increase of these God's gifts and blesses them ().

The choir sings: Blessed be the Name of the Lord from now to eternity. This chant and the 33rd Psalm that follows it, from which its most solemn part is sung, serve as a transition to the Matins service. The Church, fulfilling the covenant of the Apostle Paul: “Pray without ceasing, give thanks in everything” (1 Thess. 5, 17, 18), with the words of the 33rd Psalm, thanks the Lord for the past day and teaches its faithful children the admonition that all who seek (seek) God will receive saving help (every good) both in earthly life and for acquiring a blessed eternity. Vespers ends with the invocation of the Lord’s blessing, but man’s glorification of God’s wondrous deeds continues forever.

Matins is the second part of the All-Night Vigil. It depicts New Testament events.
The first part of Matins lifts the person praying from a repentant mood to joy in God.
With His coming into the world, the Lord Jesus Christ marked the beginning of a new blessed day in the life of the universe. The morning service begins with the song sung by the angels at the birth of the Savior: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men (Luke 2:14), sung three times - in honor of the Most Holy Trinity. This doxology is accompanied by the petition: Lord, you have opened my mouth and my mouth will proclaim Your praise () (Ps. 50:17).

After the chant Glory to God in the highest... the reading of the Six Psalms begins (Ps. 3, 37, 62, 87, 102, 142). The psalms depict both the joyful state of the soul of a person, with whom the mercy of the Lord is, and the sorrow of the soul, under the weight of sins, realizing the need for redemption.
Both day and night the righteous man cries out to God, realizing his own, as it were, infantile weakness, fearing many temptations that are destructive to the soul. The Merciful and Generous Lord cleanses a person from sin, heals ailments, consoles people in grievances, and strengthens them on the path of fulfilling the commandments. Putting itself before God as at the Last Judgment, the soul prays for mercy and asks the Holy Spirit to transform its deadly earthiness.

Faith in salvation is heard in all six psalms. Thus, the Six Psalms attunes the Christian’s soul to deep spiritual experiences and prepares it for the morning service.
The first three psalms are separated from the subsequent ones by triple Alleluia and a small doxology. The ending verses of the psalms are repeated to draw our attention to them. In ancient times, these verses were sung by choirs and all the people.

The Six Psalms, as it were, replaces the entire Psalter, which was read in ancient times at vigils ().

You must listen to the reading of the Six Psalms reverently, praying for the forgiveness of your sins. The Holy Fathers advise at this time to reflect on the vanity of human life, on death and on the Last Judgment of God.

After the reader has read three psalms, the priest comes out of the altar, representing the Heavenly Intercessor for us before God - the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 2, 1, 2). Standing in front of the closed royal doors, he silently reads 12 morning prayers, consecrating the hours of the all-night vigil.

After the great litany, the deacon solemnly proclaims: God is the Lord, and appear to us! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! God the Lord has appeared to us! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! - the gospel of the Old Testament prophet about the expected Savior of the world (Ps. 117: 19-29). This prophetic voice glorifies the first and second comings of Christ.

Verses from the psalms (Confess the Lord...), pronounced while singing God the Lord, depict the suffering-filled earthly life of the Savior, who spoke to the apostles about His death and Resurrection, the consequence of which would be the founding of the Church (Acts 4:11).

The choir sings God the Lord in the voice with which the troparion of the holiday will be sung.

This is followed by the reading of kathismas from the Psalter. The Psalter is divided into 20 sections, which are called kathismas. Kathisma is divided into three parts (Glory), after reading each of which a small doxology is sung: “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen” (hence the name – Glory). Kathisma translated from Greek means “sitting” - you can sit while reading the Psalter, but you must stand up during the short doxology. At the all-night vigil, two ordinary (that is, indicated by the schedule - next to the Charter) kathismas are read and after each there are a small litany and sedalny () - short prayers timed to coincide with the reading of the kathismas.

“Like the veins and bones in the body, so the psalms run throughout the entire divine service,” writes the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, “they form its basis, connect the Old Testament with the New, Old Testament singing with the New Testament, prophetic with the apostolic and patristic” ().

After reading the kathismas, the most solemn part of Matins begins - the polyeleos. Polyeleos from Greek literally means “abundance of oil, oil.” Oil in the Holy Scriptures is a symbol of God's mercy, blessing, gifts of grace, and cheerfulness.

At this time, all the lamps in the temple are lit.

The observance of Matins is associated with the idea of ​​the uncreated Light of Christ, revealed in His Incarnation and Resurrection from the dead. “In all the churches of the East,” writes Blessed Jerome (IV century), “when the Gospel is to be read, lamps are lit, even in the light of the sun - of course, not to drive away the darkness, but as a sign of joy... so that under the image of the material light I imagined that Light about which we read in the Psalter: “The lamp of my feet is Your law and the light of my paths” (Ps. 119, 105)” ().

Polyeleos begins with the singing of verses of praise from Psalms 134 and 135 - Praise the Name of the Lord... and ends with the reading of the Gospel.

Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica, says that the polyeleos psalms are “a song of victory and proclaiming the wondrous deeds of God, especially the transition of our souls from the Egypt of sin and delusion to faith in Christ... after temptation and labor - entry into the promised land and heavenly inheritance through Jesus" (). At this time, the Resurrection of the Savior from the dead, His victory over death is remembered, and the Holy Church praises the Lord for His ineffable mercies towards the human race.

The royal gates open. The clergy burn incense throughout the entire church, depicting the myrrh-bearing women and the apostles who early in the morning came to the Savior’s Tomb and, having learned from the angels about the Resurrection of Christ, announced this joy to all believers (Luke 24: 1-10). The troparia of the Council of Angels (that is, the meeting, the face of angels) narrate this event. If a major holiday coincides with Sunday, then before these troparions a glorification of the holiday is sung.

Degrees, also called antiphons due to the way they are performed by choirs alternately, contain prayers for the correction and cleansing of the soul by the grace of the Holy Spirit. The nine verses of the antiphons correspond to the singing of the nine ranks of angels chanting the Holy Trinity. The author of the antiphons is considered to be the Monk Theodore the Studite (9th century).

The grave prayers elevate the soul with their tender, repentant content and prepare those praying for hearing the Gospel. Their content is borrowed from psalms called power psalms. They, as it were, by degrees, steps, along a spiritual ladder, raise the soul of a Christian from earth to Heaven, from sorrow to joy, from disasters to blissful peace. The ringing at this time reminds us of the apostolic preaching of the Gospel. The Gospel, symbolizing the Risen Lord, is carried from the altar onto the sole, and the morning prokeimenon is proclaimed.
The Church prepares its children to read the Gospel, prays for their sanctification and calls on all living things to glorify the Lord: Let every breath praise the Lord. In order to be worthy (Slavic - to be honored) to hear the words of the Gospel, you need to listen to them as to Wisdom itself, to be simple (Slavic) - humble, realizing yourself to be poor in spirit (Matthew 5: 3). The Gospel at Matins is read by the priest himself (in the case of a bishop's service - by the bishop), depicting the Lord, Who fed His disciples with the Divine word.

There are 11 Sunday morning Gospel readings (according to the number of apostles who remained faithful to Christ): Matt. 28, 16-20; Mk. 16, 1-8; Mk. 16, 9-20; OK. 24, 1-12; OK. 24, 12-35; OK. 24, 36-53; In. 20, 1-10; In. 20, 11-18; In. 20, 19-31; In. 21, 1-14: John. 21, 15-25. They tell about the appearances of the Lord to His disciples after the Resurrection.

Reading the Gospel makes us spiritual eyewitnesses of the remembered Gospel events, introduces us into living, Altar-personal communion with Christ. We become participants in His saving works, true witnesses of His Divine glory. Worship before the Gospel and the icon of the holiday, reverently kissing them is our worship of Christ Himself. This conviction is expressed by the Church when, after reading the Gospel, it sings: Having seen the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus...

The more solemn the event, the more repentant the 50th Psalm sounds at this time. This is the prayer of a sinful person who, contemplating the joy of the spiritual holiday of the Church, remembers the impurity of his heart and fears that in Eternal Life he will not see God, will be rejected by Him, will hear the just words of the Lord: “Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7 , 23).

The hymns accompanying the psalm for Glory, even now, direct our prayer to the main heroes of the holiday and the Most Holy Theotokos.

Reading the canon is the most important part of Matins. “Canon” originally meant a church service, a sequence or a rule indicating the order of the number of prayers and psalms that were supposed to be sung or read during the day. In the monastery of St. Theodore the Studite, the name “canon” was given to a large church song, with a strictly consistent literary form, performed at matins, after the polyeleos.

A canon is a sacred poetic work that unites nine songs, in which the life and deeds of a saint or a group of saints are glorified, and a festive event is glorified. The first stanza of each of the nine songs of the canon - irmos (translated from Greek - “connection”) - connects the subsequent stanzas (troparia) into a single whole and gives them a certain musical rhythm and prayerful mood. The troparia of the canon begin with refrains: for the feasts of the Lord - Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee; Theotokos - Most Holy Theotokos, save us; on Sundays - Glory, Lord, to Your Holy Resurrection; Glory, Lord, to Your Honest Cross and Resurrection. The last troparion is always dedicated to the Mother of God. At the end of each song, a small doxology is sung or read - Glory, and now. Each canon of the canon ends with a chant called katavasia, from the Greek “kataveno” - “I go down”: to sing katavasias, both choirs went down from the solea down into the middle of the temple, where they sang this chant, as is done today in some monasteries.

The first hymn of the canon is modeled after the song of thanksgiving by the prophet Moses and his sister Mariam, sung by them after the miraculous crossing of the Red (Slavic: Red) Sea: Let us sing to the Lord, for gloriously we shall be glorified (Ex. 15: 1). The second is modeled on the accusatory song of Moses, composed by him to denounce the Israelites for violating the Law of God (Deut. 32), and it is sung only during Lent. The third song is modeled on the song of thanksgiving to Saint Anna, the mother of the prophet Samuel, for the resolution of her infertility: My heart be established in the Lord... (1 Samuel 2:1-10). The fourth is modeled on the song of the prophet Habakkuk, containing a prediction about the Incarnation of the Son of God and the Divine power of the Incarnate One: Lord, I heard Your hearing and was afraid... (Hab. 3: 1-19). The fifth is modeled on the song of the prophet Isaiah, which also contains a prophecy about the Savior of the world and the fruits of His redemptive deed: From the night my spirit becomes morning... (Is. 26: 9-19). The sixth is modeled on the thanksgiving prayer of the prophet Jonah for delivering him from death in the belly of the whale: I cried out in my affliction to the Lord God... (Jonah 2:3-10). The seventh and eighth songs are modeled after the song of thanksgiving of the three youths who were miraculously saved in the cave of Babylon: Blessed art thou, O Lord God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is thy name forever... (Dan. 3:26-45).

On the eighth song, instead of Glory, it is read: Let us bless the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit of the Lord... and before the chaos it is sung: We praise, we bless... for the three youths in the cave prefigured the Holy Trinity, as well as the Incarnation of Christ (). The ninth canto contains the glorification of the Mother of God. It is applied to the song of Saint Zechariah, father of the Forerunner of the Lord John (Luke 1, 68–79).

Before the ninth hymn of the canon, a deacon with a censer proclaims in front of the icon of the Mother of God: Let us exalt the Mother of God and the Mother of Light with hymns (usually in songs), calling for special attention and solemnity. The Most Holy Theotokos is called the Mother of Light, because from Her the Light of men was incarnate (John 1:4-9) - the Lord Jesus Christ. Next, the song of the Mother of God is sung - the Mother of God’s own doxology, uttered during a meeting with righteous Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist: My soul magnifies the Lord... (Luke 1, 46-55). The Lord bestowed upon the humble Mother of God the supreme greatness and adoration of all earthly races. The Lord always has mercy on those who fear Him, casts down the arrogant and exalts (glorifies) the humble, enriches with grace those who are aware of their spiritual poverty, those who seek His righteousness, and deprives of mercy those who are “rich”, proud in spirit, wise in themselves and puffed up in their own mind (Isa. 5:21) .

The chorus to all six verses of this song of the Mother of God is the song Most Honest Cherub..., in which “with special expressiveness the Most Holy Virgin is confessed to be the real, real Mother of God and with great boldness of faith is placed above the highest ranks of Angels” (). The Song of the Most Honest Cherub was written by Saint Cosmas, Bishop of Maium (8th century). Those capable of contemplating the spiritual world have repeatedly seen the Most Pure Mother of God blessing those singing this song ().

The identical structure of the canons and their similarity in internal content make it possible to connect them with each other. First, the first hymn of all canons is read, then the next one, etc., while the irmos is sung alone. Thus, all the canons, no matter how many there are at Matins, constitute, as it were, one canon. At Sunday Matins, for example, three canons from the Octoechos are sung: the Sunday, the Cross and the Theotokos, followed by the canon to the saint from the Menaion.

“In the triple image of the Divine Trinity” () the canon is divided into three parts - after the third, sixth and ninth cantos, small litanies are pronounced. After the third song, a sedalene is read, which tells about the circumstances of the holiday. After the sixth song there are kontakion and ikos, containing a brief summary and praise of the event of the holiday or the life of the saint.

Sunday kontakia theologize about the spiritual content of the Resurrection of Christ, and ikos depict the external outline of events. Kontakion and Ikos complement the troparion of the holiday with their content.

At the end of the canon, the Sunday solemn luminary is preceded by the deacon’s threefold exclamation: Holy is the Lord our God, in imitation of the praise of the Seraphim (Isa. 6: 2, 3). Svetilen praises God as Light and Giver of Light. The lamps are also called “exapostilaria” (from the Greek – “exapostello” - “I send”, “I send”), for Sunday exapostilaria talk about the Lord sending the apostles to preach.

The last part of Matins is full of prayerful inspiration. The psalms Praise the Lord from heaven (Ps. 148), Sing a new song to the Lord (Ps. 149) and Praise God in His saints (Ps. 150) together with the so-called “praise stichera” have such a joyful tone that they are also contained in the Easter service . The Stichera of the Theotokos of Sunday praise is always the same - Blessed are you, O Virgin Mother of God... It is sung in a solemn second tone.
The first glimpse of the morning dawn, destroying the darkness of the night, gives birth to a prototype of God as the Uncreated Light and prompts the Church to great praise.

Glory to You, who showed us the Light,” the priest proclaims. The Great Doxology begins with an angelic song sung at the birth of the Savior (“Glory to God in the highest...”), contains a prayer for mercy addressed to each Person of the Holy Trinity, filled with faith in the salvation of man, and concludes with the confession of Christ.

The thanksgiving of the Lamb of God - Christ the Savior, who took upon Himself the sins of the world, sets us up to wait for the liturgy close in time (). The chant is quiet and slow and speaks of peace, contentment and rest in God. “Every believer,” writes Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica, “should delve into it and understand it, and offer it to God every day, morning and evening, because it is the confession and glorification of the One God in the Holy Trinity, and the praise of both the Incarnation and the Redemption, crucifixion and Ascension of the Word of God... a grateful prayer that we may preserve ourselves sinless every day and night, so that, as we hope, the mercy of God may be upon us, and the Lord, who through the Incarnation has become our refuge, will have mercy on us..." ().

The Great Doxology ends with the angelic hymn Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. On the coming festive Sunday, we sing praises to God together with the angels, anticipating the time “when, having risen, we will see Him face to face, when all members, in abundance of joy, will lift up a song, glorifying the One who raised them from the dead and gave Eternal Life.” ().

At the end of Matins, it seems to return to its beginning. The festive troparion is sung again. The intense and petitionary litanies at Matins are not separated in any way and, merging, make up one large, majestic prayer. The cry of this prayer is a strong petition for God’s mercy: It is Yours to have mercy and save us (us). Our God...

With the cry of Wisdom, the rite of dismissal begins (). The choir asks on behalf of the worshipers: Bless. The priest proclaims: Blessed be Christ our God...

Next, the Church asks the Lord to confirm the holy Orthodox faith of Orthodox Christians for eternity and prays to the Mother of God to intercede for us before Her Divine Son: Most Holy Theotokos, save us. The choir sings to Her the song Most Honest Cherub...

Glorifying the Most Holy Trinity and raising glorification into eternity: Glory, and now, the choir asks for blessings on behalf of all those praying. The priest confesses Christ as the True God, recalls the briefly celebrated event (Risen from the dead, Christ our True God... - on Sunday) and affirms our hope for pardon and salvation through the prayers of the Most Pure Mother of God, the saints who are celebrated on this day, and all the saints . Many years are sung to His Holiness the Patriarch, the diocesan bishop serving in the church, parishioners and all Orthodox Christians.

Matins ends. The 1st hour reading begins.

Hours - prayers consecrating a certain time of day; consist of three psalms, several verses and prayers, selected accordingly to each quarter of the day and to the special circumstances of the Savior’s suffering.

The service of the first hour was established in remembrance of the fact that at this hour the Lord was brought from Caiaphas to Pilate (Matthew 27:2).

At the service of the third hour, the trial of Pilate and the torment of the Savior are remembered (Matthew 27:11-30), as well as the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles after the Ascension of the Lord (Acts 2:1-4).

At the sixth hour we remember: the Savior’s procession to execution, His crucifixion and suffering on the cross (Luke 23:26-38).

At the ninth hour there is the great dying suffering and death of the God-man Christ (Matthew 27:33-54).

The services of the hours are performed daily and are therefore called daily, or ordinary, services. For the sake of convenience, the services of the hours are combined with other services: the 9th hour - with Vespers, the 1st - with Matins, the 3rd and 6th - with the Divine Liturgy.

Notes:

1) Temptation (test) - here in the sense of the deception of the devil.
2) Saint Basil the Great. Letter 199 [= epist.207, 3] // Creations. T. 3. St. Petersburg, 1911. S. 238, 239.
3) 11) Word 41.2 // Creations. T. 1. St. Petersburg, b. [reprint: STSL, 1994]. P. 576; Word 44, 5 // Ibid. P. 657.
12) An accurate exposition of the Orthodox faith, 23 // Venerable John of Damascus. Source of knowledge. M., 2002 (PSTBI. Patristic Heritage. T. 5). P. 328.
13) Saint Basil the Great. To Amphilochius about the Holy Spirit. Ch. 29, § 73 // Creations. T. 1. St. Petersburg, 1911. pp. 638-639.
14) Archbishop Benjamin. New tablet. Part 2, § 20. St. Petersburg, 1899 [reprint M., 1992]. P. 87.
15) Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica. Quote op. Ch. 301. P. 459.
16) On the days of remembrance of the holy apostles, parimia are read from the New Testament - from the Epistles of the Apostles. Therefore, when reading them, the royal doors are not closed, as during the Old Testament parimia.
17) The narthex is the first entrance part of the temple; in ancient times it was the place of penitents and catechumens.
18) Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica. Quote op. Ch. 305. P. 466.
19) In ancient times, when the all-night vigil lasted all night, Christians went to the refectory and strengthened their strength with these blessed breads. The Service Book says: “It will be known that blessed bread is helpful against all kinds of evils (diseases), if it is received with faith.”
20) 28) Explanation of church services. M., 2010)

IS 13-305-0398

Vespers

In the Holy Scripture, which is for us who believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and who confess the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Revelation and the word of God, the holy commandments are given about love for God and man as the image of God. One of the commandments reads: Remember the Sabbath day(seventh), to sanctify it; six days you shall work and do all your work, and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.(Ex. 20, 8-10). In the New Testament, the seventh day for us is resurrection. For Orthodox Christians, resurrection is a holiday, for on this day our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead. The Resurrection gave the content of Sabbath rest: peace with God, restoration in man of the image and likeness of God, communion with God and peace in the Holy Spirit. Saturday was a prophecy of peace, a prophecy of the Resurrection, in this sense - an image of eternity. Resurrection is the beginning of eternal life on earth. The Old Testament Passover became the New Testament Passover, and Saturday became the Sunday.

By honoring and sanctifying this seventh day, we fulfill God’s commandment given in the Old Testament, and receive God’s blessing and help from above for the coming week. The time that we spend in worship on Sundays and holidays is for us the tithe that we bring to God for the entire yearly circle of time (see: Mal., Chapter 3).

Sunday begins for us on Saturday evening with the service of Great Vespers and the singing of the 103rd Psalm, which symbolizes the creation of the world.

The royal doors open, the priest and deacon cense the altar. This means the action of the Holy Spirit, who imparted life to primordial matter. The Creator of the world created the entire Universe from it.

Then the deacon goes to the pulpit and invites everyone present in the church to prayer. “Arise,” he proclaims, and the choir on behalf of the believers sings: “Lord, bless.” The priest, glorifying the Holy Trinity, proclaims: “Glory to the Holy One, Consubstantial, Life-Giving and Indivisible Trinity, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.” The choir answers: “Amen” and sings the 103rd Psalm: “Bless the Lord, my soul... Alleluia” 1.

The priest and the deacon perform incense for the entire church and all believers. A prayer is read for the consecration of the censer: “We offer the censer to You, Christ our God, for a spiritual fragrance, which You accepted into Your Heavenly altar and sent down to us the grace of Your All-Holy Spirit.” The symbolism of the incense of the temple and the people means the following: just as at the creation of the world the Spirit of God imparted life to the primordial world, so now believers are renewed by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

The priests enter the altar, the royal doors are closed, just as the gates of heaven were closed behind a person who sinned before God.

The deacon proclaiming a peaceful litany on the pulpit symbolizes the fallen Adam, expelled from Eden and standing before the closed gates of heaven with a prayer of repentance. This is how the Fall of the first people is remembered, and the 1st Kathisma of the Psalter is sung: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,” where the reasons for the Fall are revealed (after all, it was on the “advice” of the wicked serpent that the tragedy of the Fall occurred) and the ways of life and piety are preached.

The hymn “Lord, I have cried to You, hear me” is reminiscent of the Old Testament sacrifices that depicted the future Redemptive Sacrifice - Christ the Savior. At this time, believers read to themselves the 50th Psalm, which talks about humility, and, in particular: The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit: a contrite and humble heart God will not despise(Ps. 50:19). The entire temple is censed again, which marks the gospel of Christ Jesus, the True God and the True Man. The choir sings stichera that reveal the meaning of the currently celebrated event. To sing: “And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen,” the stichera of the holiday is sung and the entrance with the censer is made from the northern doors of the altar. The priest symbolizes the light of the Old Testament prophets, the deacon symbolizes John the Baptist, and the priest symbolizes Christ the Savior. The deacon makes the sign of the cross with a censer at the royal doors, this means that through the suffering of the Savior on the cross, the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven, closed by the fall of the first people, was again opened to believers. This is followed by the song “Quiet Light,” which tells of the appearance on the Jordan of Christ the Savior, who was baptized by John, and at that time the voice of God the Father was heard and the Holy Spirit was seen in the form of a dove descending on the Son of God.

Next, hymns are proclaimed and sung, which are called prokeimnas, paremias are read in the middle of the temple, two litanies are proclaimed - the august and the petitionary, where earthly and heavenly mercies are asked from God. The stichera of the temple or holiday are sung, the clergy go out into the vestibule, where the litia is performed - a prayer of a repentant nature, four petitions are pronounced by the deacon and the fifth, final one, by the primate. Those praying can offer petitions to God for the health of the living and the repose of deceased Orthodox Christians 2. The clergy return to the center of the temple, the stichera of the holiday are sung, and the prayer of the righteous Simeon the God-Receiver is performed on behalf of the rector, “Now you let your servant go, O Master, according to your word in peace...”. This prayer reminds us of the end of each person’s earthly life and sets us up for pious reflection on people’s responsibility before God for their deeds, words and thoughts. The Trisagion after the “Our Father” is read, and the troparion is sung three times. During this holiday, three times incense is performed around a table with five loaves, which are blessed by the priest in memory of the miraculous multiplication of five loaves by the Lord Jesus Christ for five thousand people in the desert. The 33rd Psalm is sung, “I will bless the Lord at all times,” which talks about how David, filled with grateful feelings towards the Lord God, expresses his intention to glorify the Lord throughout his life. He invites other believers to do the same, with fatherly love, teaching them the fear of God and trying to convince them that pious people always enjoy the special favor of God, while the wicked will face severe punishment from God. The evening service ends with the cry of the primate: “The blessing of the Lord is upon you,” which continues into the morning service.

Matins

Matins begins with the reading of six psalms, a small doxology is sung or read, which symbolizes the night of the Nativity of Christ, so the lights and candles are extinguished. The psalms are of a penitential nature: “He stands before Christ God himself, invisibly and praying for his sins.” Believers listen carefully: in the middle of the reading, when praising the name of God, they must cross themselves three times, without bowing 3 . In the middle of the Six Psalms, the priest comes out to the pulpit and reads special prayers. It symbolizes Moses, who prayed in the desert

God for the sinned people. The last Psalm 142 recalls the last days of this world. The Coming of the Lord and the Last Judgment are the last words of the Six Psalms: Do not enter into judgment with Your servant... and Your Good Spirit will guide me to rightness on earth(Ps. 142, 2, 10). The Spirit of God elevates believers in Christ to the Heavenly Kingdom of the Father: If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His(Rom. 8, 9, 11). At the end of the Six Psalms, believers must cross themselves three times with a bow from the waist. The deacon replaces the priest on the sole and proclaims a peaceful litany - a prayer request - and then says: “God is the Lord ...” with verses, and the choir sings the troparia of the holiday. This means the appearance of God the Word, the Son of God, in the flesh on earth. The reader reads kathismas.

The next part of Matins is the polyeleos. The priesthood enters the middle of the temple through the royal doors to glorify the holiday. Greatness is sung, on resurrection - glorification of the Risen Christ. Incensing of the entire temple is performed. This means that the joy of the holiday is communicated to all those who pray. The Gospel corresponding to the day is read. On Sunday, the Gospel is raised to the pulpit and the song “Having seen the Resurrection of Christ...” is sung.

Then the worshipers venerate the Gospel or the icon of the holiday and approach the primate, who anoints them with consecrated oil. The holiday canon, consisting of nine songs, is sung and read. The canon is compiled according to the sacred events of the Old Testament and New Testament history. The first hymn is a song of praise and thanksgiving by the prophet Moses, commemorating the passage of the people of God through the Red Sea. The second song was also composed in honor of the prophet Moses; it has a repentant and accusatory character and is sung only during Great Lent. The third song is in honor of the prophetess Anna, the mother of the prophet Samuel. The Lord heard and fulfilled her fiery heartfelt prayer. The fourth song is the song of the prophet Habakkuk, who heard the voice of God about the coming of the Savior to the world. The fifth song is the song of the prophet Isaiah, who saw the Everlasting Light, signifying the appearance of Christ into the world. The sixth song is the song of the prophet Jonah, who prefigured the three-day burial and Resurrection of Christ the Savior. The seventh song is the song of the three youths in the Babylonian furnace, who, like the burning bush under Moses, prefigured the incorruptible Nativity of Christ. The eighth song is the song of the righteous Nehemiah, who received a sign during the restoration of the second temple in Jerusalem - the lighting of a sacred fire on the altar. The ninth hymn glorifies the Most Holy Theotokos, it is sung: “The most honorable is the Cherub and the most glorious without comparison is the Seraphim.” According to the ninth song, the luminary is read - a short chant that reflects the meaning of the holiday, and stichera on “praise” are sung. The priest proclaims: "Glory

You, who showed us the light." The choir sings a great doxology, after which the troparion of the holiday is performed. Two litanies are proclaimed by the deacon: intense and supplicative. Matins ends with the dismissal of the priest. The reader reads the first hour, which is dedicated to the last hours of the Savior’s life, when He was led into the praetorium from the high priest Caiaphas to Pilate and there he was unjustly condemned.

Divine Liturgy

The Divine Liturgy, or Eucharist, occupies a central place in the life of a Christian because it connects a person with God, the Source of Eternal Life. The purpose of our life is spiritual transformation and renewal. It occurs not only through our efforts, but especially through our mysterious unions with the God-man, Jesus Christ. The sacrament in which this connection is carried out is called Communion, and it occurs during the Divine Liturgy, where bread and wine become the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, those who approach the Eucharist must prepare themselves with dignity. It is necessary to attend the evening service, confess to the priest, and read the Rule for Holy Communion. It is necessary to fast before Communion and the day before, after midnight, not to eat or drink anything.

The Divine Liturgy begins with the reading of the third and sixth hours, during which the priest performs proskomedia - the preparation of the Honest Gifts for the Eucharist. At the same time, notes are read about the health of the living and the repose of the dead.

During the third hour, we reverently, with tenderness of heart, diligently reflect on how our Savior, judged by Pilate and bound at a marble pillar, accepted countless insults, strangulations and was crowned with a crown of thorns in order to free us from the torment of the devil. The events recalled during the reading of the third hour include the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles in the form of tongues of fire, with which the Lord enlightened His disciples to preach the Gospel.

During the sixth hour, we reverently, with tenderness of heart, diligently reflect on how the Lord carried His Cross to Calvary and was crucified on it among two thieves, how the soldiers divided His vestments and there was darkness throughout the whole earth.

The liturgy begins with the exclamation of the priest “Blessed is the Kingdom...”. The Primate proclaims the presence of God, glorified in the Trinity in His Kingdom in the earthly Church. We come to church to fully participate in the Holy Mysteries, and also to offer God our gifts, spiritual and physical. In other words, we enter the Kingdom of God not only to receive something, but also to give something - to give ourselves and our prayer offering, praise and thanksgiving.

When we pronounce the words “Blessed is the Kingdom,” we reverently make the sign of the cross in the name of the Holy, Life-Giving and Indivisible Trinity and, in doing this, we commit our bodies, hearts and souls to God to allow Him to reign over us.

The deacon proclaims a peaceful litany, calling on the faithful to pray in peace with their conscience, with God and with their neighbors. The Great Litany, that is, petition or prayer, reveals to us God’s creation. Saint John Chrysostom, who set out the rite of the Divine Liturgy in writing, wanted us not to be indifferent to what God has created, and at the same time to make prayers, talents and personal sacrifices in order to preserve and rejoice in everything that God has created for us in His Kingdom.

According to the petitions of the litanies, we are called, on the one hand, to be with the sick, with the traveler, with a friend, etc. and, on the other hand, say from the bottom of your heart the prayer “Lord, have mercy!”, as did the woman caught in adultery, and the blind and paralytic.

We need the mercy of the Lord, we must be ready to meet Him, therefore the most frequently repeated words in the liturgy are “Lord, have mercy.”

At daily and great holiday services, three antiphons with special choruses are sung. In the first antiphon the Mother of God is glorified, in the second - saints, prophets, apostles, martyrs, in the third - the Son of God Himself, marvelous in His Providence and in His saints. By singing the first antiphon, “Through the prayers of the Mother of God, Savior, save us,” we are reminded that through the Mother of God salvation comes into the world. The closest person who can intercede for us is the Mother of God. All generations call Her Blessed.

Remembering our Heavenly Mother, we constantly learn from Her humility, obedience, and holiness of life. In the singing of the second antiphon we hear the voices of prophets and saints who foretold and preached the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We prepare to receive Him with great joy as He enters the royal doors. The introduction of the Gospel during the small entrance during the singing of the third antiphon symbolizes His coming. By singing the third antiphon we glorify the Lord, who came into the world and took upon himself human sins. On holidays, figurative antiphons with the beatitudes are mostly sung:

1) “Bless the Lord, my soul, and all that is within me, His holy name.”

2) “Praise the Lord, my soul; I will praise the Lord in my life.”

3) “In Your Kingdom, remember us, O Lord.”

The first antiphon - Psalm 102 - calls believers to the heartfelt, inner glorification of God according to the word of the Apostle Paul, that with our hearts we believe in the truth, and with our lips we confess God for salvation. This is also sung in the second antiphon, which calls on believers to confess God with their lips for the salvation of their souls. The chant “Only Begotten Son and Word of God! You, being immortal, wanted for the sake of our salvation to be incarnate from the Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary...”, performed after the second antiphon, reminds us of the Lord’s incarnation. The Word becomes flesh and dwells with us in the Kingdom of God - in the Holy Church.

The small litany “Let us pray again and again in peace to the Lord” calls for attention to what is happening during the liturgy. Jesus Christ promised: Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them(Matt. 18:20). And further: And if you ask the Father anything in My name, I will do it, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it(John 14:13–14).

The litany ends with an expression of God's love for the entire human race: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life(John 3:16). We glorify the Holy Trinity: “For God is good and a lover of mankind, and to You we send glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (from the sanctuary prayers, prayer three).

During the singing of the third antiphon - the Beatitudes - a small entrance with the Gospel is performed, which symbolizes the appearance of Christ the Savior to preach His Divine teaching, announced in the Sermon on the Mount, in the parables of the Kingdom

God, in the manifestation of the power of God - signs and wonders, healing of the sick and casting out demons. Two thousand years ago the world heard the Good News, and now we hear it again. Just as Christ entered the world, proclaiming salvation, the primate leaves the sanctuary and goes out in procession to the middle of the temple, saying: “Wisdom! Sorry!" These words mean: “Let’s stand up straight!” To hear Christ and touch Him, people came from all over the earth. Now at the liturgy we are asked to come and do the same - to come to hear Jesus Christ, touch Him and receive healing. Christ entered the world, and during the liturgy we are in His presence, we hear Him through the voice of the prophets.

A candle bearer with a candle signifies the light of New Testament grace. The Gospel carried by the deacon means Christ the Savior, the priests mean the holy apostles. The deacon makes the sign of the Cross with the Gospel and enters the altar, this implies that through the Savior’s suffering on the cross, the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven is opened for believers. All the clergy enter the altar. During the bishop's service, censing of the altar, iconostasis and people is performed. The troparia of the holiday and the Trisagion are sung, during which the clergy goes to a higher place, which means the salvation of the entire human race by Christ the Savior, His Resurrection and Ascension to the Heavenly Kingdom to the Heavenly Father.

Through the Trisagion we offer our sacrifices of praise, as it is said: Through Him let us continually offer to God the sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips glorifying His name.(Heb. 13, 15). In the priestly prayer of the Trisagion there is a call to join the angelic forces, the Cherubim and Seraphim in the Trisagion hymn, to all the disembodied Heavenly forces for the glorification of God, so that through touching and approaching Him, His holiness becomes our holiness.

The deacon leaves the altar to read the Apostolic Epistles - this symbolizes the preaching of the Savior’s disciples, the holy apostles. At the end, "Alleluia" is sung - the Angel's song. At this time, everything earthly falls silent and the heavenly angelic song “Alleluia” is sung, which translated means: “praise the Existing One - Yahweh.” Here we unite with the heavenly liturgy, when there is a direct manifestation of God and His power, and we praise Him in especially solemn moments: at the small entrance with the Gospel, before the reading of the Gospel, at the great entrance with the Honest Gifts, when they are placed on the throne, after an exclamation “Holy to Holies”, after the Communion of the Holy Gifts of the Body and Blood of the Lord and transferring them to the altar.

Reading the Gospel is a symbol of the fact that the Lord Himself reveals to us His Divine teaching. We need to heed the Good News and be careful not to act like Judas, who betrayed Christ. Do not let doubt into your heart like Thomas and do not renounce Christ like Peter. Each of us must take the Good News into our hearts and repent. And, undoubtedly, Christ will not leave us.

Then two litanies are performed - about health and about the catechumens who are preparing for Baptism. The first prayer is a prayer of intense petition. This prayer reminds us of those people who heard Christ during His public ministry and received Him in Jerusalem, Jericho, or on the road to Emmaus. They followed Christ with special zeal and freely accepted death in His name because He became their Lord and Savior. Over the past two thousand years, millions of souls have been converted, baptized into Christ and clothed with Him (see: Gal. 3:27). The rebirth of the soul takes place in the house of God, in the Kingdom of God during the liturgy. Here, once again, we have the opportunity to hear Christ and pray more earnestly, remembering our own repentance and baptism.

Prayer for the catechumens is an instruction for us. This is the time to think about your own Baptism and renewal of life in Christ Jesus. This is the time to put off the robe of corruption and put on the robe of incorruption, as the Apostle Paul writes.

It is a serious mistake to think that we do not need any teaching. As Orthodox Christians, we believe that for this reason we already have faith and knowledge. It's a delusion. We are like little children and constantly need to be taught, admonished and trained in the faith through the Church. The moment we think we know it all, we move away from the power and grace of God, which actually leads us down a path of darkness and personal destruction. Each of us who belong to the Kingdom of God needs to open our hearts, minds and souls to the word of God and, like those proclaimed in the early Church, ask Almighty God to look favorably on each of us, forgive us and unite us with His Holy Church .

The following prayer is called the prayer of the faithful. Knowing human weakness—the ability to easily fall—God offered us another opportunity to pray. We often fall, seeking prosperity and stability in life, for, indeed, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Jesus Christ took His beloved disciples Peter, James and John with Him to the Mount of Olives, to a place called Gethsemane, and told them to wait while He prayed. These people, so faithful and so close to Christ, fell asleep. Three times Jesus found them sleeping. When we are in the Kingdom of God, we are close to God, we love God, we are faithful to Him in our prayerful promises, but sometimes in our labors we find ourselves falling asleep, just like His disciples.

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All-night vigil

The first opening of the royal doors and the censing of the altar depict the appearance of the glory of God in the creation of the world and man and the blissful state of the first parents in the paradise of God after their creation.

The singing of the 103rd Psalm (initial) “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” depicts a majestic picture of the creation of the world. The priest’s movement during the singing of this psalm depicts the action of the Spirit of God, which hovered over the waters during the creation of the world. The lit lamp, presented by the deacon during the incense, signifies the light that, according to the Creative Voice, appeared after the first evening of existence.

The closing of the royal gates after the singing of the psalm and incense means that soon after the creation of the world and man, the gates of paradise were closed (closed) as a result of the crime of the forefather Adam. The reading by the priest of the lamp (evening) prayers before the royal doors marks the repentance of the forefather Adam and his descendants, who, in the person of the priest, before the closed royal doors, as before the closed doors of heaven, pray to their Creator for mercy.

The singing of the psalm “Blessed is the man” with verses from the first three psalms and the reading of the 1st kathisma partly depicts the blessed state of the first parents in paradise, partly the repentance of those who sinned and their hope in the Redeemer promised by God.

The singing of “Lord, I have cried” with verses signifies the sorrow of the fallen forefather and his prayerful sighs before the closed gates of paradise, and at the same time the firm hope that the Lord, through faith in the promised Redeemer, will cleanse and deliver the human race from the falls of sin. This singing also depicts praise to God for His great mercies to us.

The opening of the royal doors during the singing of the dogmatist (Theotokos) means that through the incarnation of the Son of God from the Blessed Virgin Mary and His descent to earth, the doors of paradise were opened for us.

The descent of the priest from the altar to the sole and his secret prayer marks the descent of the Son of God to earth for our redemption. The deacon, preceding the priest, represents the image of St. John the Baptist, who prepared people to receive the Savior of the world. The ritual performed by the deacon indicates that along with the coming to earth of the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world, the Holy Spirit filled the whole world with His grace. The entry of the priest into the altar marks the ascension of the Savior into Heaven, and the approach of the priest to the high place signifies the sitting of the Son of God at the right hand of the Father and intercession before His Father for the human race. With the deacon’s exclamation “Wisdom, forgive me!” The Holy Church teaches us to listen with reverence to the evening entrance. The chant “Quiet Light” contains the glorification of Christ the Savior for His descent to earth and the completion of our redemption.

Litiya (common procession and common prayer) contains special prayers for our bodily and spiritual needs, and above all - for the forgiveness of our sins by God's mercy.

The prayer “Now you let go” (see page 45) tells of the meeting (meeting) of the Lord Jesus Christ by the righteous elder Simeon in the Temple of Jerusalem and indicates the need for constant remembrance of the hour of death.

The prayer “Rejoice, Virgin Mary” (see page 44) recalls the Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The blessing of loaves, wheat, wine and oil, fulfilling their various gifts of grace, recalls those five loaves with which Christ, miraculously multiplying them, fed five thousand people.

The Six Psalms is the cry of a repentant sinner before Christ the Savior who came to earth. Incomplete lighting in the temple during the reading of the Six Psalms reminds of the state of the soul in sin. The flickering of the lamps depicts the night of the Nativity of Christ, which was announced by the joyful praise of the Angels: “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will to men.” The reading of the first half of the Six Psalms expresses the sorrow of a soul that has moved away from God and is seeking Him. The priest, during the reading of the Six Psalms, reading the Matins prayers in front of the royal doors, recalls the eternal Intercessor of the New Testament before God the Father - the Lord Jesus Christ. Reading the second half of the Six Psalms reveals the state of a repentant soul reconciled with God.

The singing of “God is the Lord and appears to us” recalls the salvation accomplished by the Savior who appeared in the world.

The singing of the Sunday troparion depicts the glory and majesty of the risen Christ.

Reading kathismas reminds us of the great sorrows of the Lord Jesus Christ.

By singing the verses “Praise the name of the Lord,” the Holy Church glorifies the Lord for His many benefits and mercies to the human race.

The troparion "Council of Angels" recalls the Angel's gospel to the myrrh-bearing women about the Resurrection of the Savior.

During the Sunday all-night vigil, the Holy Gospel is read, announcing the appearance of the risen Lord to the myrrh-bearing women or apostles.

At the end of the Gospel reading, the deacon ascends with the Gospel to the pulpit, stands facing the people, raising the Gospel above his head. Those praying look at him with special reverence, as at the risen Lord Himself, worshiping and crying out: “Having seen the Resurrection of Christ...” (see p. 44). This singing should be nationwide. The Gospel is then carried to the middle of the temple for worship and kissing by the faithful.

The canons of Matins glorify the Resurrection of Christ (or other sacred events from the life of the Lord), the Most Holy Theotokos, the holy Angels and saints of God, honored on this day.

Between the 8th and 9th songs of the canon, the hymn of the Mother of God is sung (see page 45), composed of the songs of the Most Holy Theotokos and the righteous Zechariah (Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, verses 46-55, 68-79). The charter assigned this song a particularly reverent performance. The Song of the Theotokos has its own refrain, the same for all its six verses: “The most honorable Cherub and the most Glorious without comparison, the Seraphim, without the corruption of God the Word, who gave birth to the real Mother of God, we magnify Thee.” In this song, the Blessed Virgin is confessed to be the true Mother of God and, with the great boldness of faith, is placed above the highest ranks of angels. The song of the Theotokos stands out from a number of others by the special exclamation of the deacon before it, inviting the glorification of the Mother of God: “Let us exalt the Mother of God and the Mother of Light with songs,” which notes the need for special attention to the song. When singing “The Most Honest”, the Church Charter prescribes bowing at each verse, calling on them to express their special respect to the Mother of God.

In praising stichera and in great doxology, special thanksgiving and glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ is offered.

Divine Liturgy

At the Divine Liturgy, or Eucharist, the entire earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ is remembered. The liturgy is conventionally divided into three parts - the proskomedia, the liturgy of the catechumens and the liturgy of the faithful.

At the proskomedia, usually performed during the reading of the 3rd and 6th hours, the Nativity of the Savior is remembered. At the same time, the Old Testament prophecies about His suffering and death are also remembered. At the proskomedia, substances are prepared for the celebration of the Eucharist and living and deceased members of the Church are commemorated. The souls of the departed experience great joy from their commemoration at the Divine Liturgy. Therefore, hurry to the temple of God to attend the proskomedia, remembering the health and repose of your relatives, those you know, and all Orthodox Christians. You can pray for the departed like this: “Remember, Lord, the souls of Your departed servants (names) and forgive their sins, voluntary and involuntary, granting them the Kingdom and the communion of Your eternal blessings and Your endless and blissful life of pleasure.”

At the Liturgy of the Catechumens, the song “Only Begotten Son” depicts the coming to earth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

During the small entrance with the Gospel, depicting the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ to preach, while singing the verse “Come, let us worship and fall to Christ,” a bow is made from the waist. When singing the Trisagion, make three bows from the waist.

When reading the Apostle, the deacon's censing must be responded to by bowing the head. Reading the Apostle and censing means the preaching of the apostles to the whole world.

While reading the Gospel, as if listening to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, you should stand with your head bowed.

At the Liturgy of the Faithful, the great entrance symbolizes the exit of the Lord Jesus Christ to free suffering for the salvation of the world.

The singing of the Cherubic song with the royal doors open is performed in imitation of the Angels, who constantly glorify the Heavenly King and invisibly solemnly accompany Him in the prepared and transferred Holy Gifts.

The placing of the Holy Gifts on the throne, the closing of the royal doors and the drawing of the curtain signify the burial of the Lord Jesus Christ, the rolling of the stone and the application of a seal to His tomb.

At the end of the first half of the Cherubic Song, a bow is required. During the commemoration of His Holiness the Patriarch, the local bishop and others, it is necessary to stand reverently, with a bowed head and at the words “And all of you, Orthodox Christians,” say to yourself: “May the Lord God remember your bishopric in His Kingdom.” This is what is said during the ministry of a bishop. When serving other clergy, one should say to oneself: “May the Lord God remember your priesthood in His Kingdom.” At the end of the commemoration, you should say to yourself: “Remember me, Lord, when (when) you come in Your Kingdom.”

The words “Doors, doors” before the singing of the Creed (see page 43) in ancient times referred to the gatekeepers, so that they would not allow catechumens or pagans into the temple during the celebration of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Now these words remind the faithful not to allow thoughts of sin to enter the doors of their hearts. The words “Let us listen to wisdom” (let us listen) call the attention of believers to the saving teaching of the Orthodox Church, set out in the Creed. The singing of the Creed is performed by all the people. At the beginning of the Creed, the sign of the cross should be made.

When the priest exclaims “Take, eat...”, “Drink everything from her...” one should bow from the waist. At this time, the Last Supper of the Lord Jesus Christ with the apostles is remembered.

During the celebration of the very sacrament of the Holy Eucharist - the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ and the offering of the Bloodless Sacrifice for the living and the dead, one must pray with special attention and at the end of singing “We sing to You...” with the words “and we pray to Thee (we pray You), our God,” must bow to the ground to the Body and Blood of Christ. The importance of this minute is so great that not a single minute of our life can compare with it. In this sacred moment lies all our salvation and God’s love for the human race, for God appeared in the flesh.

While singing “It is Worthy to Eat” (see page 44) (or another sacred song in honor of the Mother of God - the worthy one), the priest prays for the living and the dead, remembering them by name, especially those for whom the Divine Liturgy is performed. And those present in the temple should at this time remember by name their loved ones, living and dead.

After “It is worthy to eat” or the deserving person replacing it, a bow is required. At the words “And everyone and everything,” a bow is made from the waist.

At the beginning of the nationwide singing of the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father” (see page 43), one should make the sign of the cross and bow.

When the priest exclaims “Holy of Holies,” prostration is required for the sake of lifting up the Holy Lamb before His fragmentation. At this time, the Last Supper and the last conversation of the Lord Jesus Christ with the disciples, His suffering on the cross, death and burial are remembered.

After the opening of the royal doors and the presentation of the Holy Gifts, which means the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ after His Resurrection, a bow to the ground is required when proclaiming “Come with the fear of God and faith.”