Brief Catechetical Teaching of the Old Orthodox Church of Christ #

Every Christian needs to know: 1) what he should believe; 2) how he should pray to God and strengthen himself with hope in God’s help; and finally, 3) how he should conduct his earthly life to obtain eternal and blessed life in heaven after his death.

But to know all this, one must receive instruction about it; these instructions are called the Old Orthodox Catechism. Consequently, the Catechism sets forth the teaching: a) about the Old Orthodox Christian faith, b) about prayer, and c) about the commandments of God.

Catechism is a Greek word meaning instruction. It received this name because in the early centuries of Christianity, when adult Jews and pagans joined the Church of Christ, before baptizing them, they were instructed in the faith, taught prayers, and explained God’s commandments; and while they were thus preparing for holy baptism, they were called catechumens. Hence, the instruction in the Christian faith itself received the name—catechesis, or in Greek—catechism.

People by themselves could not know how to believe in God correctly, how to pray to Him, and how to live on earth to please God; but God Himself revealed this to people.

At first, with the first people, the Lord conversed in Paradise and communicated His instructions to them; then, after their fall into sin, He, the Merciful One, did not leave people without His help, but gave them the verbal promise to send a Savior into the world and, throughout the entire Old Testament period, very often and in various ways revealed His will through pious men: patriarchs and prophets. And when the time appointed by God was fulfilled, He sent His Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave His divine teaching, recorded in the Holy Gospel, explained in the apostolic epistles and rules, and interpreted in the writings of the Holy Fathers and conciliar decrees.

Initially, in the Old Testament, God’s revelation was transmitted orally from Adam to Moses, and then the prophet Moses wrote this tradition in books, thus laying the foundation of the Holy Scripture of the Old Testament (the five books of Moses).

When divine revelation is transmitted orally, it is called Holy Tradition, and when it is recorded in a book, it is called Holy Scripture.

About the various ways in which divine revelation is communicated to people, the holy Apostle Paul says:

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds (Heb. 1:1-2)

Both Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition hold equal authority and value for a Christian, as the Apostle Paul himself says regarding this:

Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. (2 Thess. 2:15)

All the books of the Old Testament are twenty-two in number, and the New Testament consists of twenty-seven. The books of the Old Testament were written before the birth of Christ and contain revelations of God regarding the preparation of humanity for the coming of the Savior, as well as the history of mankind from the creation of the world until the birth of Christ. The books of the New Testament contain the account of the earthly life of the Savior up to His ascension into heaven, His teachings and miracles, the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, the commandments and rules for a God-pleasing life, the spread and establishment of the Church of Christ, and one book (the Apocalypse—Revelation) which prophetically depicts the fate of the Church of Christ until the second coming of Jesus Christ for the Last Judgment.

A true Christian must understand Holy Scripture as it has been explained and interpreted by the holy fathers and teachers of the Holy Church, and avoid those false scholars who teach according to their own understanding, for this corrupts the purity of the Old Orthodox Christian teaching and gives rise to heresies and church schisms, which are such grave sins that, according to Holy Scripture, not even the blood of martyrdom can atone for them.

Since a Christian must know how to believe in God, how to pray and place hope in Him, and how to fulfill His commandments—that is, how to love Him—the Catechism, as instruction on all these matters, is divided into three parts: 1) on faith, 2) on hope, and 3) on love.

How one should believe is taught by the Symbol (confession) of faith; how one should pray and place hope in Him is exemplified by the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father”); and about love for God and one’s neighbors, we are taught by the Ten Commandments, given by God through Moses and further expounded by the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ on the paths to blessedness in His so-called Sermon on the Mount.

On Faith #

The Confession of the Orthodox Faith (The Symbol of Faith). #

Every true Christian must not only have faith in their heart, but also confess it with their mouth, as the holy Apostle Paul teaches us, saying:

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Rom. 10:10)

One must believe in everything that the holy, catholic, apostolic, Old Orthodox Church preaches and upholds; particularly, one must believe (i.e., accept as undeniable truth) what is set forth in the Confession (symbol) of the Orthodox faith, that is:

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and all that is visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten of the Father, begotten before all ages. Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, but not created, one in essence with the Father, who wrought all things. For us men and for our salvation, came He down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Ghost, and of the Virgin Mary became man. Who was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried, and arose on the third day, after the scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father; And he shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, Whose kingdom has no end. And in the Holy Ghost, the true and life-giving Lord, Who proceedeth from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, Who spake by the prophets. And in One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism unto remission of sins. I await the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come. Amen.

The Confession of Faith was briefly formulated by the twelve holy apostles before they set out to preach the Gospel to the whole world. This is attested by Rufinus in his commentary on the Apostles’ Creed, by St. Cyprian, and others (Great Catechism, page 80 verso). At present, the Holy Church teaches its children the Confession of Faith of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, which is named so because it was composed by the holy and God-bearing fathers at the first two Ecumenical Councils, when heretics, who had disturbed the Church of God with their false doctrines about the Persons of the Holy Trinity (such as Arius, Macedonius the Pneumatomach, and others), were condemned. It was then that the apostolic formulation of the Symbol of Faith was written more completely and clearly so that no one would have any doubt about a single word. Both the Apostolic Confession of Faith and the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed are divided into twelve parts, or articles.

Ecumenical Councils are gatherings of the shepherds and teachers of the Orthodox Church from all over the world for the establishment of true Christian teaching and proper order. There have been seven Ecumenical Councils, and nine local ones.

Local Councils were gatherings of the shepherds for the same purpose, but only from a specific region or several regions, not the entire Church.

The first article reads as follows:

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and all that is visible and invisible.

This means: I, a Christian, firmly believe with the help of God, with all my being, although my weak mind does not fully comprehend, that God exists; that He is one in essence, but three in Persons, or hypostases, glorified by three names: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the Holy Trinity, consubstantial and indivisible, because it is both one and three, and three in one. (Great Catechism, page 32 verso.)

The distinction of the Persons of the Holy Trinity is as follows: The Father—the First Person—is neither begotten nor proceeds from anyone; the Son—the Second Person of the Holy Trinity—is eternally begotten of the Father, but not created; the Holy Spirit—the Third Person of the Holy Trinity—proceeds from God the Father. I believe that God, in His goodness, holds all things by His omnipotence, preserves all things, governs all things by His wisdom, and directs all things toward the good. This action of God is called Divine Providence. I believe that God created the heavens and the earth, the entire visible world, and the invisible, that is, the angels. Angels are called incorporeal spirits, and there were ten ranks of them. However, the first rank became proud, ceased to obey God, and therefore the angels belonging to this rank, led by Lucifer, became evil spirits, devils, that is, accusers and deceivers; they wage war against God and strive to lead people into evil. The remaining nine ranks of angels stand before God, fulfill His will in the world, protect and guide people to good deeds. The invisible world was created by God before the visible world.

Every Christian receives from God a holy guardian angel at holy baptism, who invisibly remains with them and protects them during their earthly life from all calamities. However, when a Christian, by their own free will, begins to commit evil deeds, the guardian angel departs from them, and the evil spirit (the devil) approaches and instills sinful and evil thoughts in the person. The guardian angel accompanies the soul of the Christian even after death.

The second article:

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten of the Father, begotten before all ages. Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, but not created, one in essence with the Father, who wrought all things.

This means: I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I believe that He is the second Person of the Holy Trinity. His name is Jesus/Исус (a Hebrew name), which in our language means Savior, because He saves and preserves all who believe in Him. The name Jesus also means Healer, for the Master Christ, our God, healed many who were not only physically ill but also sick in soul. Christ means the Anointed One, because His humanity is anointed with divinity, that is, He grants the gifts of the Holy Spirit through the holy sacraments. He is of one substance, but in two natures: divine and human. I believe that He is the only Son of God, begotten from the essence of God the Father. I believe that He was begotten by God the Father before all ages and times; therefore, He is eternal and without beginning, just like God the Father. I believe that, just as God the Father is the Eternal Light (1 John 1:5), that is, the Most Perfect Being, the Holiest, and the True God, so also the Son of God was incomprehensibly and ineffably begotten by God the Father from His essence, not created, and shares the same divine essence as God the Father. I believe that all things were created by God the Father through His Son, the Word. The phrase “Light from Light” should be understood as a comparison that in some way explains the incomprehensible begetting of the Son of God from God the Father. Just as the sun and the radiance that emanates from it, visible throughout the universe, are inseparable from each other, of one nature, and cannot be conceived one without the other, so also God the Father and the Son of God are inseparable in their essence from one another, of one divine nature, and cannot be conceived one without the other.

The third article:

For us men and for our salvation, came He down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Ghost, and of the Virgin Mary became man.

This means that I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came down from heaven to earth for all of us, to save us from sin, curse, and death. I believe that the Son of God, without ceasing to be God, took on human nature in an incomprehensible way, that is, a human soul and body, and was born a true, but sinless, man from the Virgin, who is therefore Ever-Virgin and the Mother of God. The Son of God is thus called the God-Man, meaning He is fully God and fully man.

The fourth article:

Who was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried

Jesus Christ was crucified under Pontius Pilate, who was not of Jewish origin but from the island of Pontus, a foreigner. The Roman emperors Claudius and Tiberius appointed him as the governor of Judea. This indicates that the time of Christ’s coming had arrived, according to the prophecy of the patriarch Jacob:

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. (Gen. 49:10)

I believe that Jesus Christ was crucified by the Jews who did not believe in Him, but He Himself voluntarily chose to suffer and die on the cross for our sins, so that through His real suffering, His humanity, His death, and His burial, He might redeem us from eternal suffering, eternal death, and grant us the forgiveness of sins, the grace of God, and eternal blessed life. After His death, Jesus Christ descended into Hades (i.e., an unknown place), where the souls of the righteous were before Christ’s coming. These souls always rejoiced in God, for they had faith and hope in the promise of God that they would be delivered from there. During Christ’s Passion, the repentant thief entered paradise, and during the Lord’s descent into Hades, all the souls of the righteous were also brought out of Hades into paradise, which had been closed (sealed) before Christ’s crucifixion. As for the sinful souls, according to Scripture, they remain in Hades and in darkness, though they are not yet tormented by judgment, but they are deprived of light and joy. (Great Catechism, page 65).

The fifth article:

And arose on the third day after the Scriptures

I believe that the Son of God rose on the third day after His death, as it was written about Him in the Holy Scriptures, that is, the prophecies which foretold His birth, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection on the third day (the prophecies of Daniel, Isaiah, Micah, David, Hosea, and others).

The sixth article:

And ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of the Father

I believe that our Lord Jesus Christ, while being omnipresent in His divinity, ascended into heaven with His most pure body and sat at the right hand of God the Father, meaning that He has equal honor, authority, and glory in all things with God the Father and intercedes for us before Him.

The seventh article:

And he shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, Whose kingdom has no end.

I believe that our Lord Jesus Christ will come visibly in glory, with all the holy angels, to judge the living and the dead, that is, the righteous and the sinners, for the righteous have performed virtuous deeds and live forever, while the sinners are those who are dead in faith. All the dead will rise. The second coming of the Son of God will be completely unexpected (2 Peter 3:5–10), for no one knows the time of His coming, not even the angels (Matthew 24:36; 25:13). He will “judge the world in righteousness and expose the hidden things, and reveal all the words, deeds, and thoughts of both the righteous and the sinners”—all our actions will stand before our faces (Great Catechism, page 96). After the universal and terrifying Judgment, the unending kingdom of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ will come, and this Kingdom will have no end—it will be infinite, eternal.

The eighth article:

And in the Holy Ghost, the true and life-giving Lord, Who proceedeth from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, Who spake by the prophets.

I believe in the Holy Ghost as the true Lord, who gives life to others and is life Himself. I believe that the Holy Ghost eternally and incomprehensibly proceeds from the Father and receives equal worship and glorification with the Father and the Son, as He is the true God. In the Holy Scriptures, the Holy Ghost is also called by the Greek term “Paraclete,” meaning Comforter, the third Person of the Holy Trinity, the true, eternal, and all-powerful God. I believe that the Holy Ghost spoke through the prophets, meaning that the prophets foretold the future through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. The action of the Holy Ghost is manifested in Christians who perform good deeds, are baptized, listen to the word of God, and keep it; in those who repent and truly believe, obeying God’s commandments until their death. In such people, all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which they received in the holy sacraments, remain and are active. However, those who neglect the correction of their spiritual life, even if they have received holy baptism and have been sanctified by other holy sacraments, lose the grace of the Holy Spirit within themselves. (Great Catechism, page 118).

The ninth article:

And in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church

In this article of the confession of faith, we learn that the *Church of God is one, holy, and catholic. The Church of God is the assembly of all believers who firmly hold to the one, true Orthodox faith and abide in love, following the Gospel teaching unwaveringly. These believers are worthy to partake of the holy and divine mysteries, they live under the one Head—our Lord Jesus Christ—and are guided by the sacred leaders appointed by Him. These leaders live blamelessly in the Christian law, fulfill the apostolic rules, and the decrees of the seven holy ecumenical councils, the nine local councils, and the holy God-bearing Fathers, pastors, and teachers of the Holy Church.

I believe that the Church is holy because it is sanctified by Christ, its Head, through His holy teaching and sacraments, and because the Holy Spirit always dwells in it, preserving it in holiness. I believe that the Church is catholic, or universal, meaning that it was established by the Lord for all peoples, all countries, all times, and for the entire world, without distinction of nations, tribes, ages, or social conditions. I believe in the catholic and apostolic Church, meaning that I trust in the teachings and doctrines of the holy apostles and the holy seven ecumenical councils, and I do not rely on human wisdom that contradicts these teachings and reject such falsehoods.

Furthermore, the Holy Church includes not only the faithful living on earth, who partake in the holy mysteries of Christ, but also those who have died in the true faith and in the hope of resurrection. They are united with the living through communion in prayer. Outside the Church, there is no salvation; therefore, in the Holy Scriptures, the Church is compared to Noah’s Ark, in which only those inside were saved from the flood, while all outside perished.

The tenth article:

I confess one baptism unto remission of sins.

These words of the Symbol of Faith affirm that we, as Orthodox Christians, recognize only one *baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We are baptized once with water and the Spirit, but with three immersions, in the name of the Most Holy and Life-giving Trinity. During the baptism, the priest says: “The servant of God (name) is baptized in the name of the Father, Amen, and of the Son, Amen, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.” The word “Amen” means “truly” or “so be it.”

There are seven holy mysteries (sacraments):

• Baptism
• Chrismation
• Holy Orders
• Divine Communion
• Confession, or Repentance
• Holy Matrimony
• Anointing with Oil, or Extreme Unction

Sacraments, or holy mysteries, are sacred actions instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, in which the grace of God, or the saving power of God, is invisibly and mystically bestowed upon believers.

Of the seven sacraments, three are especially necessary for every Christian’s salvation: Baptism, Repentance, and Communion. Holy Chrism and Extreme Unction are also necessary for salvation, for Holy Chrism strengthens us with boldness for spiritual struggle, and Extreme Unction grants forgiveness of remaining sins. Therefore, a Christian would be in error if they were to neglect these two holy sacraments necessary for salvation. Marriage and Holy Orders depend on individual will and choice, as it is possible to attain salvation without entering into marriage or receiving ordination. However, for the fullness of the Church of God and for the administration of the Church and the performance of the divine mysteries, these sacraments are also necessary. (Great Catechism, page 356).

In the sacrament of Baptism, a person is cleansed of all sins, is spiritually reborn through the grace of God, and enters into the community of believers in the Holy Church.

Chrismation is a sacrament given by God to those who have received Holy Baptism, in which grace is bestowed, guiding them in the Christian faith and virtues, and strengthening them for spiritual warfare so that they may courageously resist the temptations of the devil, sinful flesh, and worldly allurements. During the anointing of specific parts of the body, as outlined in the liturgical books, the priest says: “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit,” along with other sacred phrases.

Ordination, or Holy Orders, is a sacrament in which the grace of God grants authority to bishops, priests, and deacons, enabling them to perform sacred services and the administration of the holy mysteries in the Church of God for the benefit of the faithful.

Communion is a sacrament in which believers partake of the true Body of Christ, transformed from bread, and His true Blood, transformed from wine, thereby uniting with Christ and becoming partakers of eternal, blessed life in Him.

Confession, or Repentance, is a sacrament in which a Christian, having sinned after Baptism, with a contrite heart, confesses their sins before the priest to the Lord God Himself, and receives absolution through penance prescribed by the spiritual father, so that they may bear fruits worthy of repentance.

Marriage is a sacrament in which a bride and groom, by mutual consent, are united in a marital union through the blessing of a priest, signifying the union of Christ with the Church, for the blessed birth and Christian upbringing of children, and for protection from fornication and unchastity.

Anointing with Oil, or Extreme Unction, is a sacrament in which the sick, through the anointing of specific parts of the body with consecrated oil, as prescribed in the liturgical books and accompanied by appropriate prayers, receive by the grace of God the forgiveness of any remaining sins after confession, as well as relief from physical ailments and illnesses.

The eleventh article:

I await the resurrection of the dead

In this article of the confession of faith, we are taught not only to firmly believe in the resurrection of the dead but also to expect it for ourselves. Even though the bodies of the dead will turn to dust, the Lord will raise them on the last day, and they will be reunited with their souls. These resurrected bodies will be incorruptible and immortal. As for those who are still alive on earth at the time of the general resurrection, their bodies will be changed in an instant into incorruptible ones, and the entire world will be transformed: there will be a new heaven and a new earth.

The twelfth article:

and the life of the age to come. Amen.

This means that we not only believe there will be eternal life in the age to come, but we also eagerly await this new, eternal, and endless life. In this future life, the righteous will enjoy eternal blessedness with God and the holy angels in paradise, while sinners will suffer eternal torment in hell alongside the devil. The word “Amen” means “truly,” that is, everything presented in the confession of the Orthodox faith is true and unchanging.

On Hope #

During their earthly life, every Christian is subjected to temptations, snares, hardships, and sorrows. Therefore, in addition to faith in God, they must also strengthen themselves with hope (trust) in Him. The holy Apostle Paul writes:

But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Heb. 7:24-25)

Thus, the foundation of our hope in God is the Lord Himself—Jesus Christ, as the High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of God the Father, having redeemed humanity with His precious blood (1 Peter 1:18–21).

The primary means by which we acquire hope and trust in God, and by which we strengthen our hope, is through *prayer to God. The Lord Himself said:

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (Matt. 7:7)

The Lord’s Prayer serves as the model for all prayers and is the common prayer for all Christians.

Explanation of the Lord’s Prayer #

The “Our Father” is called the Lord’s Prayer because the Lord Himself taught His disciples to pray with this prayer.

It begins with an invocation, consists of seven petitions, and ends with a doxology.

Invocation:

Our Father which art in heaven

We call God “Father” because: first, He is the Creator of all creation and, in His mercy, has called us Christians His children (sons); second, because He loves us as a Father and helps us in all good deeds; and third, because we should always approach Him with love and hope, as children approach their father. By the word “Father,” we should understand all three Persons of the Holy Trinity, as the Savior said to the Apostle Philip: “Do you not know that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me?” We also call Him “our Father,” saying “Our Father” even when one Christian prays alone. By this, we express our love for our neighbors, considering all like-minded Christians as our brothers and gently encouraging those who are our “unwise” enemies, not united in the faith, to become our brothers in faith. We call God “Father, who is in heaven” because He is omnipresent, but His throne of glory is in heaven, where the heavenly powers serve Him and unceasingly praise Him. Therefore, as we say this prayer, we should direct all our thoughts to heaven, leaving behind all earthly and worldly concerns. The holy psalmist says, “Our God is in heaven and on earth, He does whatever He pleases.” He has His throne in heaven, and the earth is His footstool, meaning He rules the entire universe.

First Petition:

hallowed be thy name.

The words of this petition declare that there is no one as holy as our God, and we are sanctified and strengthened in faith by His name. Through our good deeds, we spread the glory of His most holy name among people. We ask for God’s help in doing this with the words of the first petition: “Hallowed be Thy name in us,” for the Lord said: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” God’s name is hallowed in us when we live according to His commandments.

Second Petition:

Thy kingdom come

In this petition, we ask that the Lord, as the King of all visible and invisible creation, deliver us from the powers of sin and evil thoughts, and establish the kingdom of God’s grace, in which all is eternal and unending. We ask that we may be Christians not only in name but also in our way of life.

Third Petition:

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven

In this petition, we ask our Heavenly Father for His grace and help to fulfill His holy law completely. Just as the angels praise God and fulfill His will without envy, in peace and deep tranquility, we pray that we too may fulfill His holy will in a way that pleases Him. At the same time, we express our readiness to accept whatever God wills to send us.

Fourth Petition:

Give us this day our daily bread,

Since a person consists of both soul and body, in this petition, we ask for the heavenly bread, that is, the Holy Communion of the sacred Mysteries and edification in the Word of God—this is for the soul. For the body, we ask for food, clothing, and shelter, which are necessary for our existence. We say “Give us this day,” meaning for today only, because our life depends on God, and by these words, we remove from ourselves any thought of acquiring earthly goods.

Fifth Petition:

and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

We commit many sins, both by deed, word, and thought, and we are obligated to fulfill God’s commandments. But when we sin, we remain in debt to God. Our debtors are our neighbors, who have offended us in some way. This petition reminds us not to delay in forgiving one another’s offenses, so that the Lord, seeing our leniency toward others, our good deeds, pure repentance, and almsgiving, may mercifully forgive our many and great sins.

Sixth Petition:

And lead us not into temptation

Temptations are events in our lives where, without God’s help, we could easily fall into sin. God allows temptations for our good, while the devil seeks to use them for evil. Temptations may arise from our physical weakness, from the bad example of others, or from the devil’s snares. With the words of the sixth petition, we ask the Lord to deliver us from these temptations. However, if God sees fit to allow temptations for our benefit, that is, to strengthen us in the good life (as in the example of the righteous Job), we ask the Lord to grant us strength and fortitude to endure them and to protect us from despair and destruction.

The Seventh Petition:

but deliver us from the evil one.

With these words, we pray to the Lord that He may not allow the evil devil to have power over us, but rather cover us with His usual love for mankind. We then ask the Lord to deliver us from all evils, afflictions, and dangers that the devil and his wickedness, as the implacable enemy of the human race, bring upon the followers of Christ’s teachings. The holy Apostle Peter says:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

The Doxology, or the Conclusion of the Prayer, offered to God, our Heavenly Father:

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

With this, we glorify the eternal kingdom of God, about which St. David says: “Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom” (Psalm 145:13). We ask to be granted this kingdom, prepared for the righteous since the foundation of the world, because He is able to bestow it upon us and crown us with glory. “For the Lord is God, the King of glory, strong and mighty in battle, and He will deliver us from the oppression of the violent” (Great Catechism, pages 171–230).

By thinking of God as the Eternal King, we will be more and more strengthened in our hope that He, the Almighty, will grant us what we ask, for it is within His power and for His glory.

The word “Amen” is added to this and all other prayers to express our faith in all that we ask of God.

On Love #

A true Christian, concerned for the salvation of their soul, must not only have faith in God and hope in Him but also possess love, accompanied by good deeds. The holy Apostle James speaks about the necessity of combining good deeds with faith and hope:

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? … Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. … For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:14, 19, 26)

Our Lord Himself said:

The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. (Matthew 7:21–24)

On Love and the Ten Commandments of God #

Love is the heartfelt inclination toward one’s neighbor that does not allow a person to do harm to others but always compels them to strive to do good, as they would desire for themselves. Jesus Christ gave us two great commandments. The first:

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)

Our love for God is expressed in the keeping of His holy commandments, as He Himself says:

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. (John 14:21)

Love for our neighbors is shown in the way St. Paul describes it in his letter to the Corinthians:

Charity (Love) suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

This is how true love for our neighbors is recognized. The commandments about love for God and for our neighbors were given by God in the Old Testament to the Jewish people through Moses on Mount Sinai, when the Lord Himself engraved them on two stone tablets. On one tablet were written four commandments, and on the other six. The first four commandments describe a person’s duties to God, while the last six describe their duties to their neighbors. These commandments are as follows:

I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Thou shalt not kill.

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Thou shalt not steal.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

The First Commandment: God commands us to know Him as the One True God, without beginning, incomprehensible, the Creator of heaven and earth and all creation, and to recognize no one and nothing else as God or worship them as God. The holy angels and saints of God should be invoked for our intercession before God, but we must not honor them as gods, but as friends of God and His servants, who, according to God’s will, carry our prayers to Him and request mercy and grace for us. Therefore, we must ask for help from God through them. St. John the Theologian calls the saints “children of God” and says:

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God. (John 1:12)

Sins against the First Commandment:

• Atheism—when people, rightly called “fools” by the psalmist, say, “There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)
• Polytheism or Idolatry—when people worship many created beings as gods and bow down to them as they would to God.
• Unbelief—when people deny God’s providence, the Savior of the world, the grace of the Holy Spirit, or anything else taught by our Holy Church.
• Heresy—when people hold false beliefs about the truths of the faith, contrary to the teachings of the holy apostles, saints, and teachers of the Church.
• Schism—when Christians, against the tradition of the holy fathers, introduce new rites and regulations into church life and alter the Christ-given customs.
• Apostasy—when a Christian, for worldly gain or to please others, renounces the true faith in God and joins paganism or another incorrect confession.
• Despair—when a Christian loses hope in God and despairs of His holy help.
• Witchcraft—when Christians, not trusting in God’s help, turn to hidden forces of creation, particularly the power of evil spirits, and attempt to lead others into this.
• Superstition—when one believes, without rational thought, in the power of some ordinary object and trusts in it more than in God.
• Laziness in prayer—when, out of negligence, one does not offer the prayers assigned by the holy fathers for every Christian, both at home and in church.
• Love of creation more than God—when people become so attached to created things that they forget God and often say, “I adore” something, as though making it a god.
• People-pleasing—when, in order to please others, Christians fail to follow God’s commandments, church rules, or the customs of the holy fathers.
• Trusting in people—when people place their hope in human help or seek assistance from the powerful of this world, while neglecting to hope in God or ask for His help.

The Second Commandment: God forbids the worship of pagan idols, false gods, and the rendering of divine honor to created things in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth. This refers to things like the sun, moon, stars, animals, plants, fish, insects, and other creatures. The commandment also forbids any earthly passions and distractions. Holy icons, which serve to reverently remind us of the works of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy God-bearer, and the saints, should be honored by all Orthodox Christians as a sign of God’s mercy, given to us sinners for comfort and the adornment of our churches and homes. The manner of honoring these holy things was given to us even in the Old Testament, when, by God’s command, Moses adorned the “tabernacle of witness” with the holy ark, golden cherubim, and embroidered cherubim on the walls of the tabernacle. We do not pray to icons but rather before icons, to those depicted on them—namely, the Lord God, His Most Pure Mother, the holy angels, and the saints.

Sins against the Second Commandment:

• Greed—when a Christian makes the accumulation of wealth the sole purpose of life.
• Gluttony—excessive indulgence in food and drink.
• Pride and vanity—when a person values their own abilities and advantages above all and boasts about them.

The Third Commandment teaches us not to swear by the name of God against someone who offends or disturbs us but rather to pray for everyone, following the example of the Lord, who prayed for those who crucified Him, and of St. Stephen the First Martyr, who prayed for those who stoned him. This commandment forbids uttering the name of God carelessly or irreverently in prayers and conversations, swearing, cursing, or lying under oath.

Sins against the Third Commandment:

• Blasphemy—disrespectful speech against God.
• Complaining against God—grumbling and lamenting about God’s providence.
• Profaning holy things—mocking or desecrating sacred objects.
• Inattention during prayer—carelessly reciting the words of a prayer without focusing on their meaning.
• False oaths—affirming something with an oath that is not true.
• Perjury—failing to fulfill an oath made before God.
• Breaking vows—not keeping promises voluntarily made to God.
• Swearing—the habitual and careless use of oaths in conversations.

The Fourth Commandment: God commanded the Jewish people to dedicate the Sabbath (Saturday) to His service because on that day, He rested from all His works, meaning He ceased creating anything new but continues to govern and provide for all creation. For us Christians, we honor and celebrate Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection of Christ our God. On this day and on all great feast days established by the Holy Church, we are to refrain from worldly work, which God commands us to do on the other six days. We are to celebrate Sundays and feast days spiritually, not physically—by prayer, purity of thought, reading the Holy Scriptures, studying God’s commandments, and doing good deeds to help others through charity and mercy.

Secular feasts established by worldly vanity (such as pagan celebrations) are strictly forbidden for Christians to observe, as they are condemned by the Holy Fathers and may result in excommunication from the Church. (Great Catechism, page 240).

The Fifth Commandment: God commanded us to honor our father and mother because “the blessing of parents establishes the houses of children,” and as a reward for this, the Lord promises obedient children a happy and long life. In addition to our biological parents, this commandment instructs us to honor our spiritual fathers, that is, the pastors of the Church. The Apostle Paul says:

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls. (Heb 13:17)

We show this honor to our spiritual mentors when we listen to and diligently observe and preserve all their teachings, namely, the unshakable faith passed down from Christ, the holy Apostles, and the holy God-bearing Fathers, the ecumenical councils, and all the ranks and ordinances of the Church. (Great Catechism, page 241). Additionally, honor must also be given to authorities and all our elders in general, according to the word of Holy Scripture:

Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man. (Lev 19:32)

*Sins against the Fifth Commandment:

• Disrespect towards parents.
• Neglecting or disregarding them in old age or poverty.
• Mocking or contradicting them.
• Failing to care for the physical health of one’s parents.
• Reproach and judgment, both of biological and spiritual parents.
• Slander against either group.
• Failure to fulfill the penance (epitimia) prescribed by one’s spiritual fathers.
• Wasteful squandering of parental inheritance out of willfulness.
• Failing, due to stinginess, to give alms or make offerings for one’s parents and spiritual fathers, either for their health or their repose.
• Mocking the elderly and the poor.
• Disobedience to the good counsel of one’s parents.
• Engaging in unlawful relationships (marriage) against the conviction of one’s spiritual fathers.
• Entering into marriage without the consent of one’s parents.
• Becoming angry with parents when they provoke or dishearten their children.

These are the offenses that violate the honor and respect due to parents and spiritual guides, as instructed by the fifth commandment.

It is fitting for us not to despair, but to heed instruction (Teaching)

The Sixth Commandment: God forbids murder, harming oneself or others, and harboring malice toward one’s neighbor. He commands that we should not harbor rage, anger, envy, or resentment. One can kill not only by actions but also by words. Authorities and judges must be merciful and just, so as not to unjustly destroy a person or subject an innocent person to punishment, for this too is a form of murder of one’s neighbor.

Sins against the Sixth Commandment:

• Murder.
• Injuring or striking another person, leading to sickness or suffering.
• Poisoning or causing harm with toxic substances.
• Forcing someone to commit murder.
• Administering medical treatments without understanding, thereby causing harm.
• Negligence or carelessness that results in someone’s death.
• Fights or quarrels driven by greed, leading to death.
• Using contraceptives or abortive means, resulting in the loss of life.
• Forcing others into sin.
• Unjust and wicked judgments, condemning someone to death without proper investigation.
• Willfully or negligently harming or killing children.
• Wishing death upon oneself or another out of malice.
• Overindulgence or drunkenness that harms one’s health.
• Excessive punishment or beating in anger, causing death.
• Vengeful wrath that leads to murder.
• Taking justice into one’s own hands, killing a neighbor without reporting to the authorities.
• Aggravating a sick person to the point of causing death.
• Self-destructive stubbornness, bringing oneself to physical or mental suffering.
• Inciting others to bloodshed.
• Rejoicing in another’s death or misfortune, causing distress to others.
• Being responsible for another’s death in any way.
• Cursing or slandering someone to the point of causing their death.
• Severing love between neighbors through insults, mockery, or cruelty, which could lead to death.

The Seventh Commandment: God forbids a husband and wife from violating their mutual faithfulness and vows made before God in the sacrament of marriage. To those unmarried, He commands purity of thought and desire, as well as chastity and modesty. Additionally, this commandment forbids indecent or shameless conversations, words, and actions, as well as foul language, drunkenness, and generally seductive spectacles and entertainments.

Sins against the Seventh Commandment:

• Impure thoughts about unchaste acts.
• Lustful kisses.
• Singing lewd songs and dancing.
• Incestuous relationships or unlawful cohabitation.
• Unlawful cohabitation outside of marriage.
• Cohabiting with someone without a proper spiritual divorce.
• Keeping a prostitute in one’s home.
• Carnal temptations brought about by drunkenness or gluttony.
• Engaging in lewd behavior through adornment or flirtatious conversation.
• Lustful gazing upon another. (Great Catechism, page 244).

The Eighth Commandment: God forbids any unjust gain from another’s property through action, speech, or cunning, whether by under-measuring, under-weighing, or any other dishonest means.

• Theft—openly taking someone else’s property.
• Stealing—secretly taking someone else’s belongings.
• Fraud—obtaining someone else’s possessions through deceit.
• Sacrilege—taking anything dedicated to God or belonging to the Church.
• Bribery—when authorities accept bribes and, out of greed, justify the guilty or promote the unworthy.
• Usury—charging excessive interest rates or exploiting workers with heavy labor, especially during times of famine or crisis.

The Ninth Commandment: God forbids bearing false witness against anyone in court, slandering others, and condemning them unjustly. He commands us to avoid all lies, to keep promises, conditions, and agreements faithfully, and to restrain our tongues.

Sins against this commandment:

• Lying.
• Unjust judgments.
• Revealing confessional secrets.
• Exposing the private matters of one’s neighbor.
• Cursing oneself or others with falsehoods.
• Listening to and encouraging slander against others.
• Rushing to judgment without knowing the facts.
• Mocking or ridiculing others out of envy, particularly when they are devout.
• Excessive self-praise.
• Making promises one cannot keep.
• Criticizing priests and Church servants of the Holy Apostolic Orthodox Church.
• Boasting about one’s sins or those of others.
• Demeaning someone’s dignity or achievements out of jealousy or malice.

The Tenth Commandment: God forbids coveting your neighbor’s goods or wishing harm upon your neighbor and commands everyone to be content with their own possessions. Coveting another’s possessions leads to malice, deceit, and various other disruptions in life.

Sins against this commandment:

• Wishing harm upon your neighbor.
• Enticing someone else’s servants or workers to leave and work for oneself or another.
• Envying another’s beauty.
• Intentionally causing harm to a neighbor in any way.
• Wishing for widespread calamities (such as war, disease, or famine) for personal gain.
• Desiring any kind of sin in general.

These commandments were given by God through Moses to the people of Israel, and with the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ, they were further clarified and perfected by His holy teachings in the Holy Gospel, which was preached by the holy apostles throughout the world, as prophesied by King David:

Their sound is gone out into all lands: & their words into the ends of the world. (Psalm 18).

The greatest Christian commandment is love. For the Lord Himself said:

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:12-13).

Christ Himself expanded and perfected the commandments of the Old Testament in six instances. Specifically, the Lord said first:

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. (Matt 5::21-22)

By this, the Lord taught us that even insulting our neighbor with words will bring severe punishment, as it contradicts the fundamental commandment of the Gospel, which is to love our neighbors.

The second:

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Matt 5:27-28).

Here, the Lord forbids even sinful thoughts for Christians.

The third:

It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: but I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. (Matt 5:31-32).

Due to the hardness of heart of the Jews, Moses allowed for the dissolution of marriage, but the Lord commanded, “What God has joined together, let no one separate.”

The fourth:

Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. (Matt 5:33-37)

John Chrysostom, in his ninth homily on the Acts of the Apostles, teaches us not to swear at all, either justly or unjustly, nor to lead others into swearing. Therefore, any Christian must answer if someone says “Swear”: “Christ has commanded me not to swear at all, so I will not swear.”

The fifth:

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. (Matt 5:38-42)

The Lord taught us not to resist the evil one, but to turn those who offend us to the right path with our love, humility, and willingness to help them in their need.

The sixth:

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matt 5:43-48)

With both word and example, the Lord commanded us to love our neighbors, even our enemies. Thus, on the cross, He prayed for His persecutors:

Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do. (Luke 23:34).

From the fulfillment of the Gospel commandments, we receive great and wondrous benefits, for by them we are taught the truth and turn away from false, heretical teachings. We will receive forgiveness of sins and deliverance from torment, attain ascent to God and adoption as His children, become partakers of eternal blessings, and dwell with Him in ineffable bliss and eternal life.

Concept of Church Worship #

Church worship refers to a series of church services prescribed by the Holy Fathers’ statutes at designated times, with specific rituals performed by clergy in special sacred garments or vestments.

Church services are divided into two categories: regular services, which are performed daily according to the church calendar, and special services, which are conducted on specific occasions to meet the religious needs of Christians, and are therefore called “services of necessity.”

The most important Christian public worship service, in which the sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated according to the Savior’s command, is the Liturgy. The most significant “services of necessity” include the sacraments and the burial of the dead. Other services include prayer services, the blessing of holy water, the blessing of homes, memorial services, and more.

The Church Building and Its Structure #

To conduct church worship, Christians build a special structure called a church or temple. The church is distinguished from residential buildings by its exterior; however, many Christians, for various reasons, also establish churches at their homes, known as house chapels or prayer houses.

Churches are built in various shapes: round, octagonal, elongated like a ship, or in the form of a cross. Round churches symbolize the eternity of Christ’s Church; octagonal churches remind us of the star that appeared at the birth of the Savior of the world; elongated churches symbolize that the Church, like a ship, sails through the waves of the worldly sea, and that salvation is found only in the true Church, saving people from all worldly sorrows; and the cross-shaped churches remind us that by His death on the cross, our Lord Jesus Christ delivered the human race from sin, curse, and death.

On the roof of the church is a dome, upon which the sacred eight-pointed cross is placed, symbolizing the glory of the Head of the Holy Church, Jesus Christ, who was crucified on the cross. Sometimes multiple domes are placed on a church: three in honor of the Holy Trinity; five representing Jesus Christ and the four evangelists; seven in honor of the seven sacraments; and thirteen in honor of Jesus Christ and the twelve holy apostles.

A bell tower is either attached to or built separately from the church, where bells are hung to call people to worship and to notify Christians who are not present at the service about what is happening inside the church. Inside, the church is divided into three parts: the altar, the middle section, and the vestibule. The altar is the main part of the church, designated for the clergy, and, according to the rules of the Holy Fathers, laypeople should not enter it without special need, while women are prohibited from entering the altar at all. Churches are oriented with the altar to the east and the entrance from the west, symbolizing that the Christian turns away from darkness towards the Light—Christ, who is the “East from on high,” and whose name is the “East.”

Every church is dedicated to the memory of a certain event from the life of the Savior, the Mother of God, or the memory of the Holy Angels and holy saints. In the center of the altar stands a table, adorned with sacred coverings, called the throne (altar table, “престол”), because upon it, during the Divine Liturgy, Christ invisibly resides as the “King of Kings.” This is the main holy object of the church, and only clergy may touch or kiss the throne. On the throne, beneath its top cover, is the holy Antimins—a white cloth with an eight-pointed cross, containing relics of saints in certain places. Antimins are consecrated by bishops. Without the antimins, the Divine Liturgy cannot be celebrated. Also on the altar table are the Holy Gospel, a linen cloth (called a “liton” or “illiton”), a small sponge, the tabernacle, and a cross. In the left corner of the altar stands another table called the prothesis, (“жертвенник”) where the bread (prosphora) and wine are prepared for the bloodless sacrifice, and where Christians offer prosphora for the commemoration of the living and the dead. On the prothesis are: a diskos (a small dish on a stand), a star-cover, a chalice (чаша, or потиръ), a spear, a spoon, a sponge, a veil, and coverings.

The altar is separated from the middle part of the church by the iconostas, a wall adorned with sacred icons. The iconostas has three doors, the central ones called “royal doors” because, through them, during the Great Entrance, the King of Glory—Christ—passes invisibly in the Holy Gifts. These doors consist of two halves, behind which hangs a curtain, or veil (in Greek, “katapetasma”), which is opened and closed during worship according to the church rubrics. To the right and left of the royal doors are the northern and southern doors. In the iconostas, to the right of the royal doors (if facing the altar) is the icon of Christ, and to the left is the icon of the Mother of God. The Greek inscription on the icon of Christ around His head reads:

“Ο ΩΝ”

This means “The One Who Is”. The inscription on the icon of the Mother of God reads:

“Mρ Θу”

which means “Mother of God.” Next to the icon of the Savior, and sometimes behind the southern doors, stands the church’s patronal icon, depicting an event from the life of the Savior, the Mother of God, or the saint to whom the church is dedicated. On the royal doors are icons of the four Evangelists and the Annunciation of the Most Holy Mother of God. Above the royal doors is a depiction of the Mystical Supper, and at the top of the iconostas is the Holy Cross. In the middle part of the church, directly opposite the royal doors, stands the ambo, an elevated area intended for deacons (and in episcopal churches, for the vesting of bishops). On either side of the ambo are the kliros, where the singers and readers stand.

Next to the kliros and in other parts of the church are placed banners, that is, sacred icons mounted on long poles. These are carried during processions, serving as the church’s banners, under which Christians, as soldiers of Christ, are always ready to fight against impiety and even suffer for the faith of Christ.

The narthex occupies the western part of the church near the entrance. In ancient times, this was where the catechumens, those who had believed in Christ and were being instructed in His commandments but had not yet received holy baptism, would stand. In our time, according to the ancient Orthodox custom, men stand at the front during the service, in the middle of the church, while women stand nearer the entrance, in the narthex.

The Clergy Who Perform the Services and Their Sacred Vestments #

The clergy who, according to apostolic rules, have the right to perform services are the bishop, priest, and deacon.

Bishops hold the highest rank of the priesthood. They consecrate antimins, holy chrism, and holy temples (though they may delegate the consecration of churches to priests), and they ordain priests and deacons, as well as other church ministers (subdeacons). All bishops are equal among themselves but receive different titles depending on the size of the regions they oversee, as well as the significance of the cities in which they reside. Thus, they are called patriarchs, metropolitans, archbishops, or bishops. Priests, or presbyters, administer all the sacraments except for the sacrament of ordination, while deacons assist in the performance of the sacraments. Priests are also equal among themselves, but for certain merits and long service to the Holy Church, they may be called “protopriests” in the world, and in monasticism, they are called “archimandrites,” “abbots,” or “hieromonks.” The senior deacon in the world is called “protodeacon,” and the monastic deacon is called “archdeacon”; both serve only with bishops. Lower assistants to bishops during the service are called “subdeacons.”

Clergy, during their ordination and later in all services, wear sacred vestments: the deacon wears a stichar, orar, and cuffs; the priest wears a podriznik (or stichar), epitrachil (double orar), belt, cuffs, and a phelon (chasuble); the bishop wears the same vestments as the priest, but instead of the epitrachil, the bishop wears a special garment called an omophor (амфоръ)—a long, wide band draped over the bishop’s shoulders, with one end falling in front and the other in back. Metropolitans and archbishops, instead of the phelon, wear a sakkos—a garment resembling a short stichar with short sleeves. The mitre is the bishop’s headpiece; the panagia is a small, round icon of the Savior or the Mother of God, richly adorned, which bishops wear on their chest, along with a cross. Bishops also carry a staff, or crozier, (посокъ or жезлъ) as a sign of their authority, and eagles—round carpets depicting an eagle soaring over a city. During the service, the bishop stands on this carpet at certain points, as prescribed by the church rubrics. This signifies that the bishop, through his teaching and life, must rise above his flock and serve as an example to them, striving from earthly things toward the heavenly, like an eagle soaring in the sky.

The Lighting of Lamps and the Censing with Incense #

In the holy temples during services, as well as at home during private prayer, according to ancient patristic tradition, oil lamps and candles are lit before the holy icons. This expresses the hope of the praying faithful that the Lord will grant them the light of truth during prayer, and that our soul will burn with faith, hope, and love for the Merciful God. On festive days, the lighting is increased, while during penitential prayers, it is reduced, as detailed in the church rubrics. According to ancient tradition, candles and lamps are placed opposite the chest of the icon of Christ and opposite the face of the icons of the Most Holy God-bearer and all the saints, but never higher than the icons.

Censing with incense in holy churches, according to ancient custom, is performed in a triple manner: twice directly and a third time crosswise, before the holy icons, as well as before the faithful in the congregation. Censing before the holy icons expresses our reverence for God and our hope that He will graciously accept our prayers; censing before the faithful signifies the blessing and good wishes of the officiating clergy, that the grace of God may overshadow their souls, just as they are surrounded by the fragrant smoke of the incense.

The Opening and Closing of the Royal Doors and the Curtain #

During the performance of the service, both the royal doors and the curtain may be either closed or open, depending on the meaning expressed in the sacred hymns or prayers. When the hymns or prayers express our repentance and awareness of our sinfulness, the royal doors and the curtain are closed, signifying that our sins separate us from God. During joyful and thanksgiving moments of the service, the royal doors and the curtain are open, signifying that Christ has opened the way for us into the Kingdom of Heaven.

The church rubrics and service books specify the times when the royal doors and the curtain are opened and closed during the services.

Bells #

The purpose of the bells in churches is to call believers to worship through their ringing and, for those who are absent for valid reasons (and not out of laziness), to inform them of the most important moments of the service and to encourage them to pray at home. Bells first appeared in the West at the end of the 6th century and received their name, “cambani,” from the Roman province of Campania. In the Greek Church, they came into use in the 9th century when the Venetian Duke (Doge Ursus) sent a gift of twelve bells to the Greek Emperor Michael Komnenos. These bells were hung on a bell tower, which the Emperor had ordered to be attached to the Church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. In Russia, bells were introduced during the reign of Saint Vladimir, simultaneously with the baptism of the Russian people.

In ancient times, instead of bells, the Greek Church used bila and klepala. The bilo was a wooden board struck with a hammer, and the klepalo was an iron plate. During the persecutions of the first three centuries, the time for church services was announced in the temple by the clergy, much like it was among the Old Believers in Russia until religious freedom was granted on April 17, 1905.

Regular Services #

According to ancient customs, the church day begins in the evening. As the writer of Genesis recounts, when speaking about the creation of the world:

And the evening and the morning was made one day.

Thus, the day began in the evening. Among the ancient Jews, a day was divided into eight parts, or watches (in the Holy Scriptures, for example, it is mentioned: during the second watch of the night), each watch being three hours long (referred to as “hours”), that is, four daytime watches and four nighttime watches.¹

DAY: The first hour included the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd hours and corresponded to our 7th, 8th, and 9th hours in the morning. The third hour: The 4th, 5th, and 6th hours corresponded to our 10th, 11th, and 12th hours at noon. The sixth hour: The 7th, 8th, and 9th hours corresponded to our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd hours in the afternoon. The ninth hour: The 10th, 11th, and 12th hours corresponded to our 4th, 5th, and 6th hours in the evening.

The early Christians established that each three-hour period should be sanctified with communal prayer or worship. For the four nighttime watches or hours, the following services were appointed: Vespers, Compline, Midnight Office, and Matins. For the daytime watches: the First Hour, Third Hour, Sixth Hour, and Ninth Hour. Additionally, in fulfillment of Christ’s command, “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19), the Christian Church daily celebrates the Divine Liturgy (with rare exceptions specified in the Church rubrics). Thus, these nine church services form the daily cycle of worship.

Every seven days constitute a week, and each day of the week is dedicated by the Holy Church to special commemorations. For example, Sunday (the Lord’s Day) is dedicated to the remembrance of the Resurrection of Christ from the dead. Monday is dedicated to the heavenly, bodiless powers—angels. Tuesday honors the prophets, especially the greatest of those born of women, the holy prophet and forerunner, John the Baptist. Wednesday is dedicated to the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of Christ, as the day of Christ’s betrayal by Judas. Thursday commemorates the holy apostles and Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra in Lycia. Friday is also dedicated to the Cross, as the day of Christ’s crucifixion. Saturday is dedicated to all the saints and in remembrance of the deceased who have passed away in the hope of resurrection and eternal life. Prayers to the Most Holy God-bearer are prescribed for each day of the week, but especially she is glorified on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The services assigned for each day of the week form the weekly cycle of worship.

Furthermore, throughout the year, each day is dedicated either to the remembrance of a significant event in the history of the Holy Church or to the memory of holy saints. Therefore, to the weekly cycle of services, daily hymns are added according to the rubrics. This constitutes the annual cycle of worship. Special changes in the services occur on the day of Holy Pascha, during the Twelve Great Feasts, and throughout Great Lent.

Feasts #

The most important of all feasts, called “the feast of feasts and the festival of feasts,” is the day of Holy Pascha, or the Resurrection of Christ. Pascha is always celebrated on a Sunday but falls on various dates in March and April (according to the Paschal Calendar, no earlier than March 22 and no later than April 25).

In addition to Holy Pascha, the Holy Church has established twelve other major feasts, known as the Great Twelve Feasts.

Feasts, in general, are days throughout the year dedicated either to the commemoration of significant events in the life of the Savior, the Mother of God, or special acts of God’s mercy revealed in the history of the Holy Church, or to the memory of particularly venerated saints. Christians are obliged to observe festive days with prayer and devotion to God, performing good deeds for their neighbors, and not in gluttony, drunkenness, or indulging in the desires of the flesh and the vanities of this world. The Great Twelve Feasts throughout the year are arranged by months as follows, beginning with September, which marks the start of the new liturgical year:

• The Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God – September 8.
• The Elevation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord – September 14.
• The Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple – November 21.
• The Nativity of Christ – December 25.
• The Baptism of the Lord, or Theophany – January 6.
• The Presentation of the Lord – February 2.
• The Annunciation of the Most Holy Mother of God – March 25 (This may fall before or after Palm Sunday, depending on the date of Pascha).
• The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday) – the last Sunday before Pascha.
• The Ascension of the Lord – 40 days after Pascha (always on a Thursday).
• The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) – 50 days after Pascha.
• The Transfiguration of the Lord – August 6.
• The Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God – August 15.

Chronologically, these Great Twelve Feasts are arranged as follows:

• The Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God
• The Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple
• The Annunciation of the Most Holy Mother of God
• The Nativity of Christ
• The Presentation of the Lord
• The Baptism of the Lord (Theophany)
• The Transfiguration of the Lord
• The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem
• The Ascension of the Lord
• The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost)
• The Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God
• The Elevation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord

Fasts #

Fasts are days throughout the year when the Holy Church commands all Orthodox Christians to abstain from meat, dairy, and, on certain fasts, even fish and oil. Fasting is a form of self-discipline, not self-deprivation. Therefore, one’s physical strength should be maintained so that the Christian can perform all the prescribed prostrations according to the church rubrics, as well as stand through the long services of the fasting periods. On fasting days, Christians should not only abstain from rich foods but also practice moderation with simple foods. In addition to physical fasting, they must also practice spiritual fasting—refraining from indulgences, idle talk, and anything that weakens the soul or fuels bodily passions. Christians should devote more time to prayer and acts of charity during the fast. According to the ancient Holy Fathers’ rule, during Great Lent, Christians should even abstain from oil, except on Saturdays, Sundays, and on the feast days of saints, when the rubrics allow for food with oil. Fish is not permitted during the entire Great Lent, except on the feasts of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Mother of God and Palm Sunday. If the Annunciation falls during Holy Week, fish is not permitted. On Lazarus Saturday, caviar is allowed.

There are multi-day and one-day fasts. There are four multi-day fasts. The Great Lent was established in memory of the 40-day fast of the Lord Jesus in the wilderness. It lasts for 7 weeks: 6 weeks of fasting, and the 7th is Holy Week, in memory of the Passion of our Savior. The Nativity Fast precedes the feast of the Nativity of Christ. It lasts for 40 days and is also called the Philip Fast because it begins on November 15, after the feast of the Apostle Philip (November 14). The Dormition Fast precedes the feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God, from August 1 to 15. If August 15 falls on a Wednesday or Friday, the breaking of the fast is allowed on August 16.

The Apostles’ Fast precedes the feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul on June 29. It begins on the Sunday after the feast of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost), so its length varies depending on the date of Pascha. The breaking of the fast is also allowed on the day after the feast, June 30, if June 29 falls on a Wednesday or Friday.

One-day fasts are established by the Holy Church on the following days: January 5, the eve of Theophany; August 29, the feast of the Beheading of Saint John the Forerunner; September 14, the feast of the Elevation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross; and on every Wednesday and Friday of the week—Wednesday in memory of Judas’s betrayal of Christ, and Friday in memory of Christ’s crucifixion and death.

However, the Holy Church has also designated 6 “fast-free” weeks throughout the year when fasting is relaxed, allowing Christians to eat rich foods even on Wednesdays and Fridays. These are: the weeks of Pascha and the Holy Trinity, two weeks following the Nativity of Christ, the week of the Publican and the Pharisee (the 3rd week before Great Lent), and Cheese-Fare Week (Maslenitsa), during which meat is forbidden for the entire week, but dairy and eggs are permitted.

The Custom of Walking with the Sun (Posolon) #

Among the many sacred customs and practices, our ancient Orthodox Church has preserved the ancient tradition of walking clockwise (posolon) during processions around the church, in the sacrament of baptism, and during marriage ceremonies. This walking, done in accordance with the church rubrics, follows the sun, unlike in the later practice of the Nikonian Church, which walks against the sun. Walking with the sun (posolon) has deep mystical significance. In Holy Scripture and sacred hymns, Christ the Savior is often referred to as the true Sun, the Sun of Righteousness, the Dawn from the East, and so forth. The sun and the east are often contrasted with the west, symbolizing the kingdom of darkness or hell. Sometimes the west is also compared to evening, the north to midnight, the east to morning, and the south to noon. This symbolism recalls the cycle of the day, which in turn represents human life.

Thus, walking clockwise during processions should remind the faithful of the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ, when He walked on earth accompanied by the apostles and the people. When we walk toward the western doors, it reminds us of the Old Testament prophecies about Christ, as if in the twilight of the evening; when we reach the north side of the church—midnight—it symbolizes His mystical birth from the Virgin Mary and His eternal begetting from the Father without a mother; at the eastern side of the church, opposite the altar, it is like morning, representing His life on earth; and the south—noon—represents His Gospel preaching. Then, returning to the west, like evening, reminds us of His suffering and death, while midnight signifies His descent into hell; and the east—morning—symbolizes the liberation of the souls who awaited His coming.

Walking behind the cross and the sacred banners during a procession, we should visualize Christ’s walk on earth and the footsteps of His disciples, reflecting on how we should imitate the holy apostles and all the saints and martyrs who received heavenly crowns and honors for faithfully following Christ. Naturally, Christ’s enemies—the Pharisees and scribes—did not follow Him but opposed Him. Hence, symbolically, walking in processions should remind Christians to imitate Christ’s disciples, not His enemies. Therefore, we walk not against the sun (against Christ), but with the sun—following Christ.

Besides processions, in the ancient Orthodox Church, walking clockwise is also practiced in the sacrament of baptism—around the font—and in the sacrament of marriage—around the lectern.

Although these actions have different meanings than those in processions, their inner mystical meaning points to the fact that walking around the font and the lectern should be done clockwise, not counterclockwise. Specifically, in baptism, a person promises to follow Christ, and in marriage, the bride and groom act according to the commandments of God. Therefore, their actions must align with their promises—to be followers of Christ, not His adversaries.

However, there are occasions when walking or moving during services is done counterclockwise, as these actions have a different inner mystical meaning than processions or walking around the font during baptism and the lectern during marriage. This includes the procession with the censer, the Holy Gospel, and the Holy Gifts (the Great Entrance during the Cherubic Hymn), as well as the censing around the altar or another sacred object, and the circling of the altar during the ordination of bishops, priests, and deacons.

In all these cases, the mystical meaning is different. The censing with incense is done before the face of the Lord (Malachi 1:11), and the procession with the Holy Gospel represents the teachings of Christ and symbolizes Christ Himself, who appears to the world rather than leaving it. For He is “the light of the world” and is set on a lampstand to give light to all. The Great Entrance also symbolizes the appearance of Christ—the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, when Christ rode on a donkey and the children of Israel met Him. During ordination, the man found worthy (axios) is brought before the face of God to stand before Him and offer sacrifice for himself and for the sins of the people. Hence, he faces east, toward the Sun of Righteousness—the Lord.

On Liturgical Books #

Liturgical books contain hymns and readings used in services, as well as the order of the services themselves. The origin of liturgical books dates back to ancient times, with some references to them as early as the 3rd century. In the Greek Church, the full cycle of liturgical books was completed by the 9th century. In the Russian Church, these books appeared in Slavonic translation through the Bulgarian translation made by Saints Cyril and Methodius for the Danube Slavs, along with the adoption of the Holy Baptism by the Russian people. These books included the Gospel, the Apostle, the Psalter, the Oktai, the Chasoslov, and the Sluzhebnik, as the most necessary. Other books were translated during the reign of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, and some were composed within the Russian Church itself.

Liturgical books are divided into sacred liturgical books and church liturgical books.

The sacred books include:

The Gospel – The writings of the four Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) about the events of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ and the exposition of His teachings. Readings from the Gospel are appointed for every day of the year, except for the first five days of the first six weeks of Great Lent (if there is no feast) and two days of Cheesefare Week. The Gospel is divided into sections (lessons). At the end of the book, there is an index indicating which Gospel lesson is to be read on each day.

The Apostle – Contains the Acts of the Apostles and the apostolic epistles: James, two epistles of Peter, three of John, and Jude, known as the seven Catholic Epistles, as well as fourteen epistles of the Apostle Paul: one to the Romans, two to the Corinthians, one to the Galatians, one to the Ephesians, one to the Philippians, one to the Colossians, two to the Thessalonians, two to Timothy, one to Titus, one to Philemon, and one to the Hebrews. The Apostle is also divided into sections (lessons), with a continuous numbering system. At the end of the book, there is an index indicating when and which section should be read, along with the Prokimens (brief verses sung before the readings from Scripture: the Gospel, the Apostle, and the Old Testament readings). The Prokimens glorify the greatness of God.

The Psalter – Contains the Psalms of King David. The Psalter is divided into twenty Kathismas, each of which is further divided into three sections called glories. At the end of the Psalter, there are additional psalms for the Polyeleos (a collection of verses from different psalms), as well as the Biblical Odes, hymns taken from Scripture. The Psalter is a didactic book. Kathisma means “sitting,” as readings between Kathismas allow for sitting, though it is customary to stand during the reading of the Psalms.

Church Service Books:

• Ustav (or Church Rule), also called Typikon—contains the order of all services and the variations in services for various occasions.
• Sluzhebnik—a book designed for priests and deacons to use in the performance of their daily services.
• Hierarchical Chinomnik—this is the service book for bishops.
• Chasoslov—a book intended for readers and chanters, containing the fixed daily prayers of the Church services.
• Oktoikh, or Octoechos—a book intended for the choir, containing the variable prayers for each day of the weekly cycle. There are eight tones, hence the name “Octoechos.” The author of the Octoechos is traditionally considered to be St. John of Damascus.
• Monthly Menaion (12 books, according to the number of months)—contains the variable prayers for each day throughout the year.
• General Menaion—this book contains prayers for entire ranks of saints, such as: prophets, apostles, bishops, martyrs, venerables, etc. It also includes prayers for feasts dedicated to: the Lord, the Mother of God, the Cross, angels, John the Forerunner, and the holy fathers who attended councils.
• Triod: a) Lenten Triod—contains prayers for Great Lent, and b) Light Triod—services from Holy Week until the Sunday of All Saints.
• Trebnik (Book of Needs)—contains the sacraments and prayers for various services.
• Canonnik—a collection of canons for the Savior, the Mother of God, the holy angels, and especially venerated saints.
• Prolog—brief lives of saints for each day of the year and patristic teachings.
• Zlatoust (Chrysostom)—a collection of homilies.
• Interpretative Gospel—homilies for Sundays and feast days.
• Psalter—a book containing prayers for those preparing to receive Holy Communion.
• Books of Neumatic Chant—notations for ancient Russian chant.

The All-Night Vigil and Other Weekly Services. #

There are three main church services: Vespers, Matins, and the Divine Liturgy. On the eve of feasts and, partially, on Sundays, an All-Night Vigil is performed, in which Vespers, Matins, and the First Hour are combined. Before the start of the All-Night Vigil, a small Vespers service and a small Compline are performed according to the Ustav.

Recalling the instruction of the Holy Prophet David:

O sing praises, sing praises unto God: O singe praises, singe praises unto our king. (Ps 46)

True Christians ought to participate in divine services not merely by being physically present in the holy temple and limiting themselves to knowledge of the order of services, but by contemplating with their minds and understanding the mysterious meaning of the church hymns and all the sacred actions accompanying every service. Special attention must be given to this latter point, that is, the understanding of the inner meaning of everything performed during the divine service, so that the faithful may comprehend the works of God and reverently reflect upon the wisdom of God manifested in the creation of the world and man, and the redemption of the latter from sin, curse, and death through the incarnation of the Only-Begotten Son of God.

At *Vespers, (the evening service), the Holy Church glorifies God as Creator and Provident for His care over creation and humanity in particular. Reminding us of the fall of the first people, it urges us to recognize our own sinfulness and pray for the forgiveness of our sins. Evening time should remind us of the end of our lives, for morning symbolizes our infancy, and evening—the approach of death.

All church services, according to ancient patristic custom and order, begin with a common introductory prayer and end with a common concluding prayer. Similarly, before the vigil, a general seven-bow beginning is prescribed. Then the priest, vested according to custom in sacred garments, opens the royal doors and performs the censing of the altar according to the order.

When, before the singing begins, we witness the priest censing the altar, we should in our minds recall the narrative of Moses the historian, how before the creation of the world, “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters,” over the yet unformed matter created by God.

The open royal doors remind us of the innocent state of our forefathers in paradise, while their closing signifies their fall into sin.

When the priest or deacon exits the altar, they proclaim: “Arise, O Lord, bless.” By the word “Arise,” the faithful are invited to stand up from their places and rise in spirit, i.e., to turn all their attention to prayer and to all that is being performed before their eyes in the temple during the service; and with the words “O Lord, bless,” God’s blessing is invoked before the beginning of the liturgical prayers and actions. Then the Psalm 103, “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” is sung or read, in which the prophet David describes the creation of the world, as it is presented in the first book of Moses, Genesis, and praises the Creator, Who has made everything in wisdom.

During the singing or reading of this psalm, when the words “all are filled with goodness” are spoken, the priest comes out of the altar before the closed royal doors and quietly recites prayers called the lamp-lighting prayers, so named because in them the Lord, Who dwells in unapproachable light, is glorified, and the faithful pray for the enlightenment of their souls. This standing of the priest before the royal doors should remind us of the time when, after Adam’s fall but before his expulsion from paradise, the Lord gave the promise to send the Mediator and Redeemer of mankind—Christ (“the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent’s head,” Genesis, ch. 3), and the priest, in his prayerful standing, represents the Promised Mediator, offering prayers on behalf of all people.

The Great Litany (from the Greek, meaning prolonged, earnest supplication) is pronounced by the priest before the closed doors, in memory of the wretched and sorrowful state of the first people after their expulsion from paradise, when all they could do was repent for their deeds and ask God for mercy. This spiritual state of our forefathers, and ours together with them, is depicted in the Great Litany, which asks for reconciliation with God, with our neighbors, and with ourselves.

The reading of the kathisma at vespers directs our thoughts to the feelings experienced by fallen mankind, and at the same time to their hope for the coming of the Savior of the world, Who, through His sufferings, would redeem humanity; and the refrain “Alleluia” is added as an invitation for the faithful to offer praise to Him of Whom the prophet David prophesied in his psalms, i.e., the Savior.

On the Lord’s feasts, if they do not fall on a Sunday, the reading of the kathisma is not prescribed at vespers because in all the hymns Christ Himself is abundantly glorified. On Saturday evening, however, the entire kathisma is read because this is when the reading of the Psalter begins, which, according to the church’s rule, is read in its entirety once a week, and twice during Great Lent.

Recalling from the hymns, prayers, and sacred actions at the beginning of vespers the fall of the first people and the Promised Savior of the world, the faithful themselves recognize their sinfulness and begin to call upon the Lord for repentance, expressing hope that the Lord will not delay in offering them His help (Psalm 140). These thoughts are expressed in the three psalms (140, 141, and 129), which are sung with the addition of stichera that include reflections on the various mercies of God or the righteous lives of the holy saints, pointing to God’s abundant mercy and His many deliverances. (“Lord, I have cried,” “With my voice,” “Out of the depths”).

The censing of the temple during the singing of these psalms expresses our confidence that through the Mediator—Christ, our prayer, like the smoke of incense rising upwards, will reach the throne of God, and the Lord will send down His divine grace upon us.

During the singing of the dogmatik, in which the incarnation of the Son of God from the Most Holy Virgin Mary is confessed, the priest exits through the north door to the royal doors, symbolizing the humble coming of the Son of God to earth. The offering of the lamp symbolizes the prophetic predictions about the incarnation of Christ and especially His Forerunner, John the Baptist. The priest’s pause before the royal doors signifies the temporary manifestation of the Son of God in the flesh, and the quiet prayer recited by the priest, accompanied by the bowing of the head, recalls Christ’s humiliation during His sufferings and His crucifixion, through which He reconciled fallen mankind with God’s righteousness. The raising of the head and the priest’s entrance into the royal doors signify Christ’s resurrection from the dead. The exclamation: “Wisdom, arise” (“wisdom” refers to the profound mystery, and “arise” means to stand upright) invites the faithful to attentively listen to the evening hymn in honor of Christ, Who has come to earth. This hymn, “O Gladsome Light,” is translated as follows: “O Jesus Christ, Thou gladsome light of the holy glory of the immortal, heavenly, holy, and blessed Father! Having come to the setting of the sun and beheld the evening light, we sing to God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. O Son of God, Who givest life, Thou art worthy at all times to be praised by holy voices: therefore, the world glorifies Thee.”

The priest’s exclamations: “Let us attend, peace to all, wisdom, let us attend, the prokeimen from the psalms of David”—express the thought that Christ has reconciled mankind with God, and thus the priest wishes peace to the faithful, who in turn wish the same to the priest, responding: “And to thy spirit.” Then the priest invites the congregation to attentively listen to the prokeimen, i.e., a short verse from the psalms that usually precedes the reading of Holy Scripture (the epistle, the gospel, or the lesson), or briefly indicates the significance of the day or the hymns. The lesson (parimia) is a proverb or saying, from the Greek word “para”—beside and “himos”—way (beside the way), meaning a proverbial or practical saying for those who are on the path of life.

After the prokeimen (on feast days, after the lesson), the fervent litany is recited, so named because the priest secretly reads a prayer of earnest supplication, and the choir sings “Lord, have mercy” three times and twelve times, thereby intensifying the prayer. Then a touching prayer is read, asking that the Lord grant us to be preserved from sin this evening, and the same thought is more clearly revealed later in the supplicatory litany: “Let us complete our evening prayer to the Lord.” In this litany, we ask the Lord for spiritual blessings during our earthly life, at its end, and finally in the life to come.

On Sundays and feast days, after this there is a procession to the narthex for the litiya, so that even those who, according to the ancient custom of the church, were forbidden to enter the main temple may take part in the common prayer. These were the so-called catechumens, i.e., adult Jews and pagans who were preparing for baptism, as well as those temporarily excommunicated for some grave sins, i.e., those under penance, and others. The mystical meaning of this procession is that it reminds the faithful of the descent of the Son of God from heaven to earth to sinful people, and His descent into Hades after His death, and the liberation of the righteous held there under the old covenant. The word “litiya” comes from the Greek “litaneia” or “liti,” meaning any fervent public prayer, especially during times of national calamity, during which processions with the cross were also held in ancient times.

In the stichera at the verses, or “na stichovna,” the justified and glorified holy saints are praised, or salvific events for humanity are commemorated. This strengthens in the souls of Christians the desire to seek and find that blessed state which the Lord has prepared for the righteous.

These stichera are called “verse stichera” because verses from the psalms are added to them, whereas at the litiya only the stichera are sung without verses.

At the conclusion of vespers, the prayer of St. Symeon the God-receiver: “Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart” is recited, so that as we go to sleep, which is a likeness of death, our thoughts may turn to death itself. Just as St. Symeon, upon seeing the salvation of Israel, i.e., the born Savior, asked the Lord to release his soul from his corruptible body, so we ask God to release our souls from sins and the temptations of the enemy. In the prayer read at the blessing of the loaves, the miracle of Christ feeding five thousand people with five loaves is recalled, and we ask that the Lord also multiply for us the wheat, wine, and oil, i.e., that which is necessary for the sustenance of our physical strength.

The dismissal is the priestly blessing of the faithful and the benediction offered to them at the conclusion of each service.

Matins on weekdays begins, in accordance with the command of St. Paul the Apostle: “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority” (1 Tim. 2:1–2), with a prayer for the King (Psalms 19 and 20), which constitutes a special service. Therefore, when the all-night vigil is celebrated and Matins is joined with Vespers, this part of the service is omitted, as during such a combination of Vespers with Matins, the prayer for the Sovereign would no longer be the first.

After the priest bestows his blessing, and after the reading of Psalm 33 up to “they shall lack no good thing,” the reading of the “Hexapsalm” or Six Psalms (“hexa” means six in Greek) is prescribed. The reading of the Hexapsalm (Psalms 3, 37, 62, 87, 102, and 142) is preceded by a verse glorifying the birth of our Savior with the angelic hymn, “Glory to God in the highest,” and a prayer asking the Lord to open our lips for the praise of God. In these psalms, the sinful state of mankind and the dangers threatening them from many enemies are depicted, along with the hope of God’s mercy. The end of Vespers recalls the end of the Old Covenant, and with the beginning of Matins, the start of the New Covenant is proclaimed by the angelic hymn. Thus, the reader standing in the middle of the church represents an angel, which is why it is the custom of the Holy Church to assign the reading of the Hexapsalm to honorable persons or monks. The penitential psalms are chosen here to remind us that our Lord Jesus Christ first preached the gospel of repentance and later redeemed us with His death. According to the church’s rule, at this time the lights in the church are dimmed so that our bodily eyes may see fewer earthly things and our mental eyes, the eyes of the soul, may be more focused, listening with reverence to the penitential psalms, and that in the physical darkness we may offer God our sighs, heartfelt and contrite tears. This is why the holy fathers’ rule forbids entering or leaving the church at this time, spitting, or making any noise, as all of this could disturb the prayerful disposition of the faithful and disrupt their state of repentance. Therefore, during the reading of “Alleluia” after the three psalms, the usual bows are omitted at this time.

During the reading of the Hexapsalm, the priest stands before the royal doors, offering prayers, representing the Mediator for those praying and the faithful, just as in Vespers.

After the Great Litany, “God is the Lord” is sung, during which the faithful should remember the appearance of Christ with His gospel preaching, which is expressed by an increase in the lighting in the church; besides this, this hymn, repeated several times, leads us to think of the Second Coming of Christ, which will be with glory, for judgment, and for rewarding each according to their deeds.

The reading of the kathismas, which contain many prophecies about the Savior fulfilled during His earthly life, encourages the faithful to fervently offer their prayers and thanksgiving for all the great work of the Son of God, who redeemed the world with His Precious Blood. Though the word kathisma means “sitting” in Greek, according to the interpretation of canonist Balsamon on the 17th canon of the Council of Laodicea, sitting is not allowed during the reading of the kathismas, but only during the instructional readings placed between the kathismas (such as the explanatory gospel and others). The singing of the polyeleos (when prescribed by the rule) symbolizes the glorious resurrection of the Lord and His victory over the enemies; therefore, the church is lit as brightly as possible (polyeleos means “much oil” or “much mercy,” depending on the translation from Greek, as the word eleos means both oil and mercy, depending on the letters used in the Greek word). During the singing of the polyeleos (the two psalms 134 and 135) and “Praise the Name of the Lord” and “Give thanks to the Lord,” “Alleluia” is sung twice, for here the Lord is glorified as the God-man, having two natures in one person, and this signifies His two comings to earth. On solemn (Twelve Great) feasts, the faithful stand with candles in their hands, as a sign of Christ’s victory over Hades (darkness) and death. On Sunday, when the Resurrection of Christ from the dead is commemorated, after the seventeenth kathisma, the resurrectional troparia are sung: “The angelic choir was amazed,” in which the events surrounding the glorious Resurrection of Christ are remembered: the appearance of the angels to the myrrh-bearing women, and so on. The censing at this time, or during the singing of the polyeleos, reminds the faithful of the fragrance of the myrrh that the myrrh-bearing women brought to anoint the Most Pure Body of the Lord, but instead, they received the fragrant and joyful news of Christ’s Resurrection.

Antiphons mean alternate singing by two choirs of verses taken from the Psalms of David. After this, there is the reading of the Holy Gospel, and on Sundays, it is carried out for veneration to the center of the church as a sign of the Resurrection of Christ, and the stichera “Having Beheld the Resurrection of Christ” is sung. The reading of the 50th penitential psalm concludes the first part of Matins, where we confessed our sins and asked for God’s mercy.

The second part of Matins, beginning with the canon, is dedicated to the glorification of the event or the saint to whom the feast is dedicated. The word canon is Greek and means rule; in this case, it refers to the combination of several hymns composed according to a specific rule or order. There are nine odes in total in the canon, and each one begins with an irmos, i.e., a model for the other verses or troparia. In the Greek language, canons had a poetic form and were composed in such a way that from the initial letters of each verse or tropar, a sentence was formed that expressed a certain idea (similar to our acrostic). This idea is called “acrostich.”

The content of the irmos of the first ode is borrowed from the Song of Moses, sung by him after crossing the Red Sea; the second ode, from Moses’ reproach to the disobedient Israelites, and as a reproachful hymn, it is only included during Great Lent, and is omitted at other times; the third ode is taken from the thanksgiving song of the prophet Samuel’s mother, Hannah, who was a prototype of the barren Church made up of the Gentiles; the fourth from the song of the prophet Avvakum (Habbakuk), who, with fear, foresaw the coming of the Lord to earth; the fifth from the prayer of the prophet Isaiah for the enlightenment of the faithful; the sixth from the song of the prophet Jonah, who cried out to God from the belly of the whale; the seventh and eighth from the song of the three youths cast into the fiery furnace of Babylon; and the ninth from the prophetic song of Zechariah about his son John the Forerunner, in which the God-bearer is also glorified. Before the singing of the ninth ode, the priest invites the faithful to magnify the God-bearer in hymns, and the choir sings the song of the God-bearer: “My soul doth magnify the Lord”² (Luke 1:46). The sedalen, read after the third ode, derives its name from the fact that during this time, certain teachings were read, during which it was permissible to sit; while the kondak, read after the sixth ode, is a short hymn summarizing the content of the feast or offering praise to the saint; the ikos—has the same content, only in more detail; therefore, the ikos is not read without the kondak. The hypakoë (meaning “attention” or “obedience”) suggests that the faithful should listen to this reading with particular attentiveness, as the content of the hypakoë serves to affirm the truth of Christ’s Resurrection, the good news to the myrrh-bearing women, the apostles, and the whole world. The Sunday exaposteilaria recount the sending of the apostles to all nations (peoples) for their enlightenment. This concludes the second part of Matins, and the final part begins—the glorification of the Lord Himself, calling upon all creation to praise Him, which is expressed in Psalms 148, 149, and 150, as well as in the Great Doxology. After the litany and dismissal, the royal doors and veil are closed. Then the First Hour is appended, because in ancient times, the all-night vigil continued through the night, and with the rising of the sun, the First Hour of the day commenced. After the First Hour, the priest gives a small dismissal and pardon according to custom, and the clergy sing “Lord, have mercy” three times. Then the concluding beginning (seven bows) is made, and quietly and attentively all Christians leave for their homes.

In the Vespers service, we recall the creation of the world, the fall of mankind, their repentance, their hope in the Redeemer from sin, curse, and death, and the joy with which they greeted the appearance of the Savior of the world.

The Matins service is dedicated to the glorification of the Lord, who gave us not only the light of day but also the spiritual light—Jesus Christ. In this service, we remember the time when Christ appeared on earth and lived in humility, preaching repentance and the nearness of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The First Hour is performed in memory of Christ being brought before Pilate for judgment.

Compline (the Small Compline) is a brief service before going to sleep. Sleep is a symbol of death; therefore, the prayers of this service are filled with thoughts of death and of Christ descending into Hades after His death and bringing out the souls of those who had died with hope in the coming of the Promised Redeemer. Compline is divided into three types: Great, Medium, and Small Compline. The Great Compline is observed during Great Lent and on the eves of the feasts of the Nativity of Christ, Theophany, and the Annunciation of the Most Holy God-bearer. It is divided into three parts: in the first, we give thanks to God for the past day and express hope that He will grant us peaceful sleep during the coming night, and after our death, will rest our souls together with the righteous. In the second, we express our repentance before God, and in the third, we glorify God and His holy saints.

Medium Compline is observed on the days of fasting; it is somewhat shorter than Great Compline; and Small Compline is a shortened form of the Great Compline. These services are found in the Chasoslov (Book of Hours), as is the entire daily cycle of services.

The Midnight Office, as its name indicates, is a service performed at midnight, in memory of Christ’s midnight prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and in remembrance that we must always be ready to answer at the Last Judgment of Christ.

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matt 25:13)

Christ said He will come unexpectedly, like a bridegroom at midnight, as recounted in the Gospel parable of the “Ten Virgins.”

The Midnight Office is celebrated daily, on Saturdays, and on Sundays. This service is also outlined in the Chasoslov. The service of the Third Hour is dedicated to the remembrance of the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost, and that at the third hour Christ was condemned to death. In the service of the Sixth Hour, we recall Christ’s betrayal by Judas, His journey to Golgotha, His crucifixion, the mockery of the Crucified, and the darkness that covered the whole earth. The service of the Ninth Hour is dedicated to the remembrance of Christ’s final sufferings, His death, and the fruits of redemption.

On the Divine Liturgy #

The Divine Liturgy is the chief Christian public service, during which, according to Christ’s command: “Do this in remembrance of Me,” a thanksgiving and merciful sacrifice is offered for the whole world, that is, the Body and Blood of Christ, of which the faithful partake for the forgiveness of sins and for eternal life. The order and rite of the Liturgy traces its origins back to the time of the Holy Apostles. In the 4th century AD, it was written down by the Holy Fathers: Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, and it is contained in the book known as the Sluzhebnik (Service Book). The Divine Liturgy is celebrated before noon. The entire service is filled with the remembrance of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, from His Nativity to His Ascension into heaven. The Liturgy is divided into three parts: the Proskomedia, the Liturgy of the Catechumens, and the Liturgy of the Faithful.

The Proskomedia consists of the preparation of the bread and wine for the mystery of Communion. The breads used in the celebration of this mystery are called prosphora, which means “offering” in Greek, because in ancient times they were brought by the faithful themselves, but now they must be prepared in men’s monasteries by monks, in women’s monasteries by nuns, and in secular parishes by elderly virgins or widows who have been married only once, at least 40 years old, and living a pure and blameless life. The prosphora must be made of pure wheat flour, leavened, not oversalted or overly fermented, and still warm, but in no case stale. The Proskomedia is performed at the zhertvennik (the table of oblation). During the Holy Proskomedia, seven prosphora are required for the sacred rite, but an indefinite number are baked for the private commemoration of the living and the departed. On the prosphora, a seal is placed bearing the image of the three-barred Cross of Christ and an inscription in a circular form with the words from the Gospel: “Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world” (Nomocanon, Canon 15). The prosphora are baked in two layers to signify the two natures of Christ. The Lord Himself twice performed the miracle of feeding the people: once with five loaves for five thousand people—this is remembered during the blessing of the bread at the all-night vigil; and another time with seven loaves for four thousand people. This number seven is established for the Proskomedia.

The first prosphora is offered for the Lord’s bread. The priest, using a lance, cuts out a rectangular piece from the first prosphora, which is called the Lamb, because it symbolizes our Lord Jesus Christ, who, like a Lamb, was sacrificed for the sins of the whole world. Then the priest crosswise incises the Holy Lamb and pierces its right side with the lance, placing it on the diskos, while saying: newpage

But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. (John 19:34)

From each of the remaining six prosphora, the priest removes a triangular particle at the foot of the Cross.

• The second prosphora is in honor of the Most Holy God-bearer.
• The third is in honor of St. John the Baptist and all the saints.
• The fourth is for the supreme hierarch (bishop) and the entire ordained clergy.
• The fifth is for the sovereign king, the queen, and their children.
• The sixth is for all living Orthodox Christians.
• The seventh is for the repose of all Orthodox Christians who have departed this life.

After the sixth prosphora, if there are those who wish to pray for their living relatives, they offer special prosphora and write down their names and the names of those they wish to be commemorated. The priest then removes a particle from these prosphora. After the seventh prosphora, the priest similarly acts, commemorating the deceased whose names are written on special scrolls or notes³. After placing the particles on the diskos, the priest covers them with the star-cover (zvyezditsa), which symbolizes the star that “stood over where the young child was.” (Matt 2:9)

Next, the diskos and the chalice (потиръ) are covered with veils and the aer (larger veil), and then the priest performs the censing and recites the appointed prayers. In the first part of the Liturgy—the Proskomedia—the Nativity of Jesus Christ is commemorated, as He is both the Lamb destined to be sacrificed for the sins of mankind and the King of the Kingdom of God on earth, to which all who believe in Christ belong. During the Proskomedia, the third, sixth, and ninth hours are read by the choir (or kliros). After the dismissal of the hours, the priest gives a blessing to the entire church, and then the royal doors are closed.

The second part of the Liturgy is called the Liturgy of the Catechumens, because in ancient times, not only the faithful, i.e., those who had already received holy baptism, were present, but also the catechumens, i.e., those who were preparing for holy baptism. It begins with the exclamation of the priest: “Blessed is the kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, now and always, and forever and ever” and concludes with a litany inviting the catechumens to leave the temple: “All catechumens depart”

After the glorification of the Kingdom of the Most Holy Trinity, the Great Litany is pronounced. The term “litany” means “extension” in Greek, referring to a collection of short petitions pronounced in a prolonged manner.

In these litanies, the clergy pray for peace among people, for the salvation of our souls, for the well-being of the holy Churches of God and universal unity, for the holy temples and the sacred hierarchy, for civil governance, for favorable weather, the abundance of the fruits of the earth, for peaceful times, and for the absence of wars and conflicts. They also pray that the Lord may deliver us from sorrow, wrath, and need. Then, recalling the Most Holy God-bearer, the warm intercessor of Christians, and all the holy saints, our patrons, they invite the faithful to entrust themselves to God’s will, for He knows better than we do what we need and how to help us, since to God alone, glorified in the Holy Trinity, belong glory, honor, and worship, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages.

Next, the faithful are presented with the reading or chanting of the Psalms of the prophet David (Psalms 102 and 145), in which it is indicated that the Kingdom of God has been revealed through the inexpressible mercies of God, even in the Old Testament.

Praise the Lord, O my soul (beginning to both antiphons - Psalms 102/145).

These psalms are sung alternately by the choirs (kliros) and are therefore called antiphons in Greek, meaning “responsive singing.” They are divided into three parts by two small litanies, in honor of the Most Holy Trinity. After the second antiphon, the hymn in honor of the incarnate Son of God is always added: “O Only-begotten Son”

This indicates that the Kingdom of God, in all its majesty, was revealed through the coming of the Son of God to earth.

For us men and for our salvation, came He down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Ghost, and of the Virgin Mary became man.

Crucified and through His death conquering death (trampling down death by death), He defeated death on earth. The singing of the Nine Beatitudes (“Blessed”) reminds the faithful that the Kingdom of Heaven is promised for the virtues listed in these commandments, namely: to the poor in spirit, i.e., the humble-minded; to those who mourn over their sins; to the meek; to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; to the merciful; to the pure in heart; to the peacemakers; to those persecuted for righteousness’ sake; and to those who suffer for the Christian faith. After the Beatitudes are sung, the small entrance with the Holy Gospel is made through the northern doors into the royal doors. This symbolizes Christ’s appearance to the people with the gospel message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

At the exclamation of the priest or deacon: “Wisdom, stand aright”, with reverence, the singers chant: “Come let us worship”

The congregation bows in reverence to the Lamb of God, who has come to take away the sins of the world, and then listens to the angelic hymn, “Holy God.”

After the reading of the Epistle, and the proclamation of the Holy Gospel, which are the words of the Savior Himself, His divine teachings, which He brought from heaven to earth⁴. After the reading of the Epistle, “Alleluia” is sung, and before and after the reading of the Gospel, “Glory to Thee, O Lord.”

With this, Christians express that they receive the words of the Gospel with gratitude (Alleluia means “praise the Lord”). After the Gospel, the Fervent Litany is pronounced (they sing “Lord, have mercy” three and twelve times, fervently). Here, the faithful pray for mercy for themselves, for God’s mercy upon the church hierarchy, the civil authorities, for those offering the fruits of the earth, for those who are doing good deeds, for the laborers, and for those standing in the temple, awaiting great mercy from the Lord God. Then they pray for the catechumens, that the Lord may have mercy on them, teach them the word of truth, open to them the Gospel of righteousness, and unite them through holy baptism to the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, so that they too, along with all the faithful, may glorify the most honorable and magnificent name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. After this, the catechumens are asked to leave the temple: “All catechumens depart.”

This is because they have not yet received holy baptism and are thus not worthy to be present for the celebration of the Holy Mystery of Communion. The faithful remain in the temple, and now begins the main, third part of the Liturgy—the Liturgy of the Faithful, during which the Sacrament of Holy Communion is performed. For the consecration of the Holy Gifts, the bread and wine prepared on the table of oblation are transferred to the altar, and this transfer is called the Great Entrance. This entrance is performed in memory of the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. During this time, the Cherubic Hymn is sung, in which the faithful, mystically representing the cherubim who bear their King, and offering the life-giving Trinity the thrice-holy hymn (i.e., Alleluia), cast aside all worldly cares in order to worthily receive the King of all, who is about to appear in the Holy Mysteries⁵. When the priest comes out with the Holy Gifts through the northern doors, he says, facing the left kliros: “All of you may the Lord God remember in His Kingdom.”

The faithful make a waist bow, quietly saying: “Lord, remember me, when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom.” Then, standing towards the western doors, the priest says: “May the Lord God remember all of you…”

Bowing to the waist, we say: “Master, remember me, when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom.”

Turning toward the southern side, the priest says: “All of you may the Lord God remember in His Kingdom…”

All bow to the ground and say: “O Holy One, remember me, when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom.”

The Holy Gifts are placed on the altar in remembrance of the removal of Jesus’ body from the Cross and its placement in the tomb. The aer (veil, воздухъ) that covers the Holy Gifts symbolizes the shroud in which the body of Jesus was wrapped.

The priest (or deacon) closes the royal doors and recites the Fervent Litany, “Let us complete” (that is, “Let us fulfill”) our prayers to the Lord, in which he asks God on behalf of the faithful for the forgiveness of sins, all that is good and beneficial for our souls, a Christian end to our lives, and a good answer at the Terrible Judgment of Christ. Then the following exclamations are made: “With love for one another, with one accord, let us confess.” (That with one mind we may confess God).

The singers, continuing the priest’s exclamation, sing Whom specifically to confess: “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The Trinity One in essence and undivided.”

The priest (or deacon) proclaims; “The doors, the doors, in wisdom let us attend.”

The singers chant the confession (the Symbol) of faith — the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed: “I believe in one God.”

In ancient times, the doors of the churches were closed so that no unbelievers could enter the temple during this time. Likewise, we must close the doors of our hearts, so that no worldly thoughts may enter. Then: “Let us stand well, let us stand with fear, let us take heed to offer the holy oblation in humbleness.”

With this exclamation, the faithful are invited to be filled with goodness, fear, and peace, and to offer mercy, sacrifice, and praise. Then, with the following exclamation, the priest offers blessings to the faithful: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all.” And the singers respond with mutual well-wishes: “And with thy spirit.”

Next, the faithful are invited to lift their thoughts to the Lord, upward (on high): “Let us hold up our hearts.”

The singers, on behalf of the people, affirm that they have already directed their hearts toward the Lord: “We hold them up to the Lord.”

After this, the priest begins the consecration of the Holy Gifts.

Just as Jesus Christ, at the Last Supper, took bread, gave thanks, and praised God, here the priest exclaims: “Let us give thanks to the Lord,” and choir sings: “It becometh rightly…” That is, it is just and fitting to give thanks to the Lord. The priest quietly recites a prayer, in which he gives thanks for all the blessings, both seen and unseen, and for this service, which the Lord accepts from the hands of sinful people, while thousands of archangels and countless angels, cherubim, and seraphim stand before Him.

“Singing the triumphant song, crying, calling, and saying.” The priest pronounces these last words of the prayer aloud, and the people continue the thought of the prayer by singing the angelic hymn: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth (Lord of Hosts), heaven and earth are full of Thy glory, Hosanna in the highest, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest.” (Hosanna means: “grant salvation”). The priest continues to recite the prayer, in which he glorifies the Lord, who so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son for the salvation of mankind, who (that is, the Son of God), on the night in which He was betrayed for the life of the world, took bread into His holy hands: “giving thanks, blessing, and sanctifying, he brake, and gave to his holy disciples and apostles, saying: Take, and eat, this is my Body, which is broken for you unto remission of sins, and: Drink of it…” (That is, from the cup.)

“Drink of it all of you: This is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many, unto remission of sins.” The singers chant after both exclamations. “Amen,” what is, truly. Then, recalling the commandment of Christ: “This do in remembrance of Me.”

Recalling as well everything He accomplished for our salvation: His suffering on the Cross, His resurrection, His ascension into heaven, His sitting at the right hand of God the Father—and His second and dreadful coming, the priest exclaims: “Thine own from Thine own do we offer unto Thee, unto all and for all.”

That is, we offer to Thee Thy bread and wine from Thine own creation — mankind, in thanksgiving for all past blessings and for all those yet to come. The people conclude: “We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we give thanks to Thee, O Lord. We pray to Thee, our God.”

During the singing of this hymn, the priest prays that the Lord may send the Holy Spirit upon the offered gifts and “make this bread the precious Body of Christ, and wine—the precious Blood of Christ.” Whereupon he blesses the Holy Gifts, and then, blessing the bread and wine together, he says: “Transform them by Thy Holy Spirit.”

At this moment, by the power of God, the bread and wine are transformed in substance into the Body and Blood of Christ, meaning that at this moment the most Pure Body and most Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ are present. The faithful bow to the ground before the Holy Mysteries and commemorate before them the Most Holy God-bearer, all the saints, the living, and the departed in faith. The singers chant: “It is worthy,” following the priest’s exclamation, “Especially for the most holy…”, with bows to the ground both before and after this hymn.

The priest then pronounces aloud a blessing, wishing God’s mercies upon the faithful Christians present: “And let the mercy of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ be with all of you.” And the choir responds: “And with thy spirit.”

Next follows the Fervent Litany, preparing the faithful for Communion, in which petitions are made for the granting of spiritual blessings, and it concludes with the priest’s prayer, asking that the Lord deem us all worthy to partake without condemnation, and “to dare to call upon Thee, the Heavenly God the Father, and to say: Our Father.”

This Lord’s Prayer is sung by the faithful. After this, the priest, raising the Holy Lamb above the diskos with three fingers⁶ of both hands, exclaims: “The holy for the holy.”

That is, the Holy Gifts may only be given to those who are holy, having purified themselves through repentance from sins and having been absolved by the priest’s prayer. — But since even the repentant cannot consider themselves fully worthy (holy) to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, the singers, on behalf of the faithful, respond: “One is holy, One is the Lord, Jesus Christ in the glory of God the Father, amen.”

The clergy partake in the altar behind the closed doors and veil—receiving separately the Body of Christ and the Blood of Christ, just as the Holy Apostles did at the Last Supper. Then the veil and doors are opened—this symbolizes the events of Christ’s Resurrection: the earthquake at the tomb, the stone being rolled away by the angel, and the appearance of the risen Savior to the Myrrh-bearing women.

Laypeople wishing to partake of Communion approach the altar, and when the priest comes out with the Holy Gifts, they make the sign of the cross and bow to the ground. Then they kiss the Holy Cross or a holy icon and, folding their fingers for the sign of the cross and their arms crossed over their shoulders, approach reverently to receive the Holy Mysteries. The priest, using the spoon, administers the Holy Body of Christ once and then twice the Holy Blood of Christ. After Communion, the communicant kisses the edge of the chalice, which symbolizes the pierced side of the Savior. After the laypeople have communed, the priest gathers from the diskos the particles for the health and repose of the faithful and places them in the chalice, because only the Lamb is consecrated as the Body of Christ, not the particles that the priest removes from other prosphora. Then the priest exclaims: “Save, O God, Thy people,” and, coming out again to the people with the chalice and the diskos, he quietly says: “Blessed is our God,” then proclaims: “Now and always, and forever and ever.” And the people respond: “Amen.”

Then he carries the Holy Gifts back to the table of oblation. This final showing of the Holy Gifts to the people symbolizes the Ascension of the Lord into heaven.

Concluding the Divine Liturgy, the priest addresses the faithful: “In peace, let us depart.” That is, from the church. The singers chant: “In the name of the Lord.” That is, let us go with our thoughts on the Lord.

After the reading of the concluding prayer behind the ambo, the priest distributes the bread, or the broken prosphora to the people, while the choir sings the psalm of David: “I will alwaye give thanks unto the Lord,” from the thanksgiving and praise Psalm (33).

While distributing the bread, the priest takes it with three fingers, in the same way he forms them for blessing and making the sign of the cross, that is, with the thumb and the last two fingers, the ring finger and the little finger, and to each person, he says: “Merciful and gracious is the Lord; He hath given food to them that fear Him.”

The one who approaches bows to the priest at the waist, and then, after making the sign of the cross, receives the holy bread (antidoron) in his right hand, supporting it with the left. He kisses the priest’s hand and returns to his place. Without making the sign of the cross, he consumes the bread, and afterward makes three waist-deep bows. After this, the priest, on behalf of the Lord, gives his blessing to the people, performs the dismissal, and gives the cross to be kissed, making the sign of the cross over each Christian while the church hymn is sung: “Through the Cross” and the appointed teaching of St. John Chrysostom is read (for the Sunday service). Then, after making the final bows, thanking God with joy, and congratulating each other on the feast, the faithful depart to their homes.

This Liturgy is the work of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, and it is usually celebrated throughout the year. The *Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, is celebrated 10 times during the year, specifically:

• On January 1st, the feast of St. Basil the Great;
• On the eves of the Nativity of Christ and Theophany (if the eves do not fall on a Saturday or Sunday; in such cases, St. Basil’s Liturgy is celebrated on the feast day itself, and St. John Chrysostom’s on the eve);
• On all the Sundays of Great Lent except for the Entrance into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday);
• And on Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday.

The difference between this Liturgy and the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom lies only in the following:

1. The prayers said quietly by the priest are longer, and therefore the singing is also lengthier.
2. To the words proclaimed aloud by the priest “Take and eat” and “Drink from it all of you”, the previous words of the prayer are added: “He gave to His holy disciples and apostles, saying…” These words in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom are pronounced silently.
3. Instead of “Becometh it truly”, the choir sings “In thee rejoiceth all creation” And on Thursday and Saturday of Holy Week, the irmos of the 9th ode of the canon is sung.
4. On Thursday of Holy Week, instead of the Cherubic Hymn, the following is sung thrice: “Of Thy mystical supper.” But on Saturday: “Let all mortal flesh keep silence.”
5. At the dismissal, the name of St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, is commemorated, but St. John Chrysostom is not mentioned.

In addition to these liturgies, there is also the *Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts—established by St. Gregory, Pope of Old Rome (Dialogist). It is called “Presanctified” because the Holy Gifts are already consecrated earlier, at the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom or St. Basil the Great. It was instituted so that during the days of fasting, when it is not prescribed to celebrate the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom or St. Basil the Great, the faithful would not be deprived of Holy Communion.

The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated on Wednesdays and Fridays of the Holy Forty Days (Great Lent), on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week, and also on other days during the fast when a special commemoration of a particularly venerated saint occurs.

Features of the Divine Services on Certain Feast Days #

On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (September 14th), after the Great Doxology at Matins, during the singing of “Holy God,” the Precious Cross is brought out from the altar and placed on the analoy in the middle of the church for all to venerate.

During this, the hymn to the Holy Cross is sung: “We bow down before Thy Cross, O Master.” The Church commemorates the finding of the Precious Cross by Empress Helena in 326 AD, and its return from Persian captivity in 528 AD on September 14th, where it had remained for fourteen years.

On the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the following features are prescribed by the Typikon (church regulations): on the eve of the feast, the royal hours are celebrated, and the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is served, except on Saturdays and Sundays when the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated. The All-Night Vigil begins with Great Compline, during which the hymn “God is with Us” is sung, and after the Vigil and Liturgy on the feast day itself, a Slava (glorification) of Christ is celebrated in the middle of the church.

On the Feast of Theophany (the Baptism of the Lord), the church service is conducted in the same way as on the Nativity, and the eve of the feast is a day of fasting. On the eve, the Great Blessing of Water is performed, as prescribed by the church regulations, and on the feast day, a procession to a body of water, called the Jordan (a river or pond), is conducted where the blessing of water is performed according to the same rite. Regarding the Great Water blessed on the eve, it is said that for three hours it can be used for sprinkling anywhere, even in “unclean” places, and that “due to long distances”—for example, if someone needs to travel far, perhaps 100 miles or more—it can be used for one hour upon arrival at their destination. Afterward, it is reserved only for Communion, when, according to the instruction of a spiritual father, someone is prohibited from receiving the Holy Mysteries. Holy Water should be consumed only after the prosphora (the “antidoron”).

On the Feast of the Entry into Jerusalem, or Palm Sunday, willow branches are blessed at Matins after the reading of the Holy Gospel, in commemoration of the Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem, when He was greeted by the Jewish children, who welcomed Him with the words: “Hosanna in the highest.” With these blessed willows and lit candles, the faithful stand during the canon until the end of the Great Doxology.

On the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, fruits (grapes, where they grow, and apples) are blessed, in fulfillment of the apostolic ordinance (1 Corinthians 14:2), as well as in a mystical sense, for during the Transfiguration, the Lord showed the new state into which human flesh, renewed by Christ’s Resurrection, will enter, and with it, all of God’s creation will be renewed; there will be a new heaven and a new earth.

The Feast of Pascha has always been regarded as “the Feast of Feasts” and “the Triumph of Triumphs” in the Christian Church. St. Gregory the Theologian says that it stands above all other feasts as the sun stands above the stars. The Old Testament Passover was established in remembrance of the deliverance of the Jews from Egyptian bondage and was a prefiguration of Christ—the spotless Lamb, who shed His blood for the world. Now Christ has freed us from the bondage of sin and the devil. The solemnity of the feast is reflected in the very service and the accompanying church rituals, as laid out in the Typikon. The entire week of Pascha is considered one continuous feast, and thus the service is celebrated in the same way every day. The royal doors and veil remain open when there is no service; however, during the Liturgy, they are closed according to the rule: during the Proskomedia and after the Great Entrance (the transfer of the Holy Gifts). Blessed bread, eggs, meat, and other foods are eaten after the antidoron or prosphora. The red egg is a symbol that we have received new life through the blood of Christ the Savior. At the end of Matins, the priest exchanges the kiss of peace with all those present in the church, with each person saying: “Christ is risen,” and the priest responding: “Indeed, He is risen.”

The Feast of Pentecost is established in remembrance of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. Although according to the Typikon it is prescribed to bring out the icon of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles on the first day (Sunday) of the feast, and on the second day (Monday) to bring out the icon of the Holy Trinity, the first day is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and the remembrance of the descent of the Holy Spirit and is called “Trinity Day,” while the second day is dedicated solely to the Holy Spirit and is called “Spirit Day,” as evidenced by the church hymns. Veneration of the icon does not occur on the first day, but only of the Holy Gospel. On the first day, Vespers is celebrated together with the Liturgy, but afterward, three prayers with kneeling (full prostrations) are read. Prayers are offered for the sending down of the Holy Spirit and for all the departed.

Moliebens (Supplicatory Services) #

A molieben, or supplicatory hymn, is a service in which thanksgiving is offered to the Lord God, His Most Pure Mother, and the saints on the occasion of particularly joyful events in the life of the Holy Church or of individual Christians. It may also include petitions for God’s mercy in response to public calamities or sorrowful events in the lives of individuals, such as illness, afflictions, or any other form of distress.

Moliebens are abbreviated services of Matins. Upon the request of the faithful, the blessing of water may be added to the molieben.

Features of the Divine Services During Great Lent* #

On the first four days of the first week of Great Lent, during Great Compline, the penitential and soul-stirring Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is read.

On the Friday of the first week, a molieben to St. Theodore the Tyro is served, along with the blessing of koliva, in commemoration of the miraculous deliverance of the Christians of the Antiochian Church from defilement in the first week of the Holy Fast by food sprinkled with idol-sacrificed blood, under the command of the impious Emperor Julian the Apostate in 362 AD.

On the first Sunday of Lent, the Triumph of Orthodoxy over the final heresy of iconoclasm, which was condemned at the Seventh Ecumenical Council, is commemorated.

On the Second Sunday of Lent, the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated.

On the third Sunday of Lent, the Veneration of the Precious Cross takes place, in a manner similar to the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. This is established as a means of spiritual strengthening for Christians who are faithfully observing all the rules and commandments of the Holy Church.

The fourth week of Lent is dedicated to the memory of St. John Climacus (the author of “The Ladder”), who provided a profound example of ascetic life, living in the 6th century.

On Thursday of the fifth week, during the morning service, the entire Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is read, along with the Life of St. Mary of Egypt, hence this service is called “Mary’s Standing.” Three full prostrations are made for each verse of the canon.

The Saturday of the fifth week is dedicated to the praise of the Most Holy God-bearer. The Akathist (a non-sitting hymn) to the God-bearer is read, divided into four readings.

The fifth week of Lent is dedicated to the remembrance of the great ascetic St. Mary of Egypt, who, at the beginning of her life, not knowing the Divine commandments, defiled the image of God within her with grievous sins, but later, by God’s providence, turned to the right path and demonstrated a high example of asceticism.

The Saturday of the sixth week is dedicated to the remembrance of the miracle of Christ—raising Lazarus, who had been dead for four days.

The Divine Services of Holy Week #

The entire week is dedicated to the remembrance of the final days of the earthly life of the Savior.

On Monday, the chaste life of Joseph and the withering of the barren fig tree by the word of the Lord are commemorated. The fig tree symbolizes the Jewish assembly, in which Christ found only hypocrisy rather than the true fruit of a long preparation for the coming of the Messiah.

On Tuesday, the service commemorates Christ’s parables of the ten virgins, the talents, and His second coming.

On Wednesday, a sinful woman anointed the head of the Savior with precious ointment, thereby preparing Him for burial, while Judas, the treacherous disciple of the Lord, plotted to betray his Teacher to His enemies.

On Thursday, the Last Supper and the institution of the sacrament of Communion are commemorated. At this time, the reserve Holy Gifts are prepared for the communion of the sick throughout the year, and the remaining Gifts are consumed by the clergy.

On Great Friday, during Matins, the Passion of the Lord is commemorated and the twelve Gospels are read. At Vespers, which is already part of the observance of Saturday, the removal of Jesus’ body from the Cross and His burial are commemorated. The Plaschanitsa (or the image of the Lord’s burial) is brought out for the veneration of the faithful.

On Great Saturday, the Lord’s bodily presence in the tomb, His descent into Hades, and His sitting on the throne with the Father and the Spirit are remembered, as well as the entrance of the repentant thief into Paradise. After the Liturgy, bread is blessed, and, due to the strict fast observed on this Saturday, bread and wine were traditionally distributed to the faithful in ancient times to strengthen them physically during the reading of the Acts of the Holy Apostles.

The Burial of the Dead and Days of Remembrance #

Upon the death of a Christian, the body is washed and dressed in white garments and a shroud, specially sewn from new white cloth, as a sign that the deceased had given a vow at their baptism to live a life of purity and holiness. It also serves as a reminder that the person will have to give an account before God of how faithfully they fulfilled their Christian calling. The body, dressed in the shroud, is bound with a special ribbon in such a way that three crosses are formed along the length of the body. A small crown (a narrow strip of paper) is placed on the forehead of the deceased, upon which the Trisagion (“Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal”) is written, signifying that the deceased hoped to receive a crown in heaven. A cross is placed in the hands, symbolizing faith in the crucified Christ and the hope of receiving the promised blessedness in the life to come, along with a lestovka.

The entire body is covered with a cloth, symbolizing that the deceased was under the protection of the Holy Church of Christ. The body is laid in the grave according to the church Typikon (regulations), as described in the Trebnik (service book), and the grave itself, along with the body, is placed in such a way that the face of the deceased is turned toward the icons. Then, the Psalter is read to comfort those mourning the death of the departed, and Panikhidas (memorial services) are served, during which the clergy pray for the forgiveness of the sins of the deceased and for their rest in the heavenly kingdom with all the saints.

The order of burial, as set forth in the Trebnik, is filled with prayers for the deceased and comfort for the surviving relatives and acquaintances. In the prescribed readings from the Epistle and the Holy Gospel, the resurrection of the dead is proclaimed, offering consolation to the mourners and the hope that all believers will be united in the life to come. At the end of the burial service, a prayer of absolution is read by the spiritual father or another priest, in which, by the authority given by the Lord Himself, the priest forgives all the sins of the deceased, removes any curses or prohibitions, and releases the soul in peace to the afterlife. This prayer is placed in the hands of the deceased as a testimony that the prayers of the Church are powerful before God, and that what is forgiven on earth will be forgiven in heaven. When accompanying the coffin to the grave, according to ancient custom, the clergy walk behind the coffin, not ahead of it, while the singers chant the angelic hymn “Holy God.” After the burial and the dismissal, 15 prostrations are made, with the troparion: “Grant rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant,” and so on.

The Holy Church cares for her children even after their death, and so special days have been set aside for their commemoration. Specifically, according to the 14th rule of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, it is commanded that Christians observe “thirds” for the departed, in remembrance of Christ’s resurrection on the third day; “ninths” in remembrance of the souls of the departed here on earth; and “fortieths,” following the example of the Jews, who mourned for forty days after the death of Moses. The rule also commands that on each anniversary of their death, the memory of the departed should be honored, and alms given to the poor from the deceased’s possessions, in remembrance of them (Kormchaya, page 28 verso). It is also the custom of the Old Orthodox Christians to offer prayers for a departed relative each year on the day of their death and on their name day. St. John Chrysostom, in his homily for Pentecost Saturday, “On Not Grieving for the Dead” (Homily 76), says, among other things: “It is of great benefit to the souls of the faithful when alms are given for them and when the priests and deacons pray and often serve the Divine Liturgy for them” (page 200 verso). Hence, it is the custom of Christians to serve the Liturgy every day for 40 days after death in memory of the deceased—this serving of Liturgies is called the sorokoust.

During memorial services, as at the time of burial, kutia (boiled wheat) with honey is placed before the faithful. The grains of wheat symbolize the resurrection, and the honey symbolizes the sweetness enjoyed by the righteous in the Kingdom of Heaven. Since, with the passage of time, distant relatives of the deceased may, due to human weakness and forgetfulness, not always be able to commemorate them, the Holy Church has established certain Saturdays of the year for the general commemoration of all the departed from all ages who died in the faith and hope of eternal life. These commemorations are called universal Panikhidas, and the days themselves are called Parental Saturdays. Such days include Meatfare Saturday, the second, third, and fourth Saturdays of Great Lent, the Saturday before Trinity Sunday, and the Saturday before the feast of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica (October 26th—Demetrius Saturday). If October 26th falls on a Saturday, the Panikhida is served on the evening of Friday and the morning of Saturday in the previous week, i.e., October 19th. If the Saturday before the feast of St. Demetrius falls on the feast of the Kazan Icon of the God-bearer (October 22nd), then the Panikhida is held even earlier, on October 15th.

In addition to Saturdays, memorial services are also held for the departed on Tuesdays, and in some places on Mondays, during Thomas Week, during which these prayers are conducted in cemeteries (at the graves of the deceased). For memorials at universal Panikhidas, Old Orthodox Christians have special synodika or memorial books (pamyaniki), in which the names of spiritual figures, particularly the deceased spiritual father, and all relatives by blood and close friends, are recorded.

The end, and glory be to God!

source