Answers to tickets according to the Liturgical Tradition.
The concept of worship. Purpose of worship. Sacrifice and prayer as the main elements of worship. The concept of the Church.
worship- service, or service to God, consisting of reading and singing prayers, reading Holy Scripture, rituals performed according to a certain rank (order), headed by a clergyman. The rites of worship are the outward expression of faith. Through worship, Orthodox Christians enter into a mysterious communion with God, through the performance of the sacraments, and it is the most important of them - the Sacrament of Communion (Eucharist), the sacrament of the union of a person with God, and receive from God grace-filled forces for a righteous life. aim worship is also the edification of believers in the teachings of Christ and their disposition to prayer, repentance and thanksgiving to God. Orthodox worship very symbolic, not a single action takes place “for beauty”, everything has a deep meaning, incomprehensible to casual visitors. As the composition and structure of the service is studied, an understanding of the depth, meaning and greatness contained in the liturgical actions comes. All church services are divided into three circles: daily, weekly and annual. The liturgical church year begins on September 1, according to the old style, and the entire annual cycle of worship built for the Easter holiday. About the Victim I asked the theologians, it would be better not to ask, I forward the answer: “well, you can simply say that worship can include prayer and sacrifice (special cases in Christianity: the Eucharist (!), incense; in other religions, think of it yourself; in the OT - burnt offering , bringing fat, libations). What kind of prayers there are - you yourself know. Church of Christ- The body of Christ, the place of meeting and spiritual unity of God and man; The Church is heaven on earth.
Divine service is the religious feeling of a person, like all his other thoughts, feelings and experiences, cannot remain without external detection. The totality of all external forms and actions expressing the internal religious mood of the soul, or, to put it more plain language- Worshiping God or pleasing God with good thoughts, words and deeds, that is, the fulfillment of the will of God, it externally reflects the inner content of faith itself and the religious mood of the soul. Its fulfillment by the first people in Paradise consisted in the free glorification of God (His wisdom, goodness, omnipotence). Worship services are classified into public and private:
1) Public - this is a circle of services performed during the day, week, month and year. All the fullness of the members of the Church participates in it, coming to numerous temples. At the center of these services is the Divine Eucharist. All other services: Vespers, Compline, Midnight Office, Matins, the hours with commemorations of the saints and great feasts celebrated every day, spiritually prepare the members of the Church for a worthy participation in the Eucharist.
Daily circle: The daily circle of divine services are those divine services that are performed by the Holy Orthodox Church throughout the day. The names of the daily services indicate at what hour of the day each of them should be performed. For example, Vespers indicates the evening hour, Compline indicates the hour following the "Supper" (that is, the evening meal), Midnight Office indicates midnight, Matins indicates the morning hour, Mass indicates lunchtime, that is, noon, the first hour - after ours means the 7th hour in the morning, the third hour - our 9th hour in the morning, the sixth hour - our 12th hour, the ninth - our third hour in the afternoon. The custom of prayerful consecration of these particular hours in the Christian Church is very ancient origin and was established under the influence of the Old Testament rule three times during the day to pray in the temple for offering sacrifices - morning, afternoon and evening, as well as the words of the Psalmist about glorifying God "in the evening, in the morning and at noon." The discrepancy in the account (the difference is about 6 hours) is explained by the fact that the eastern account is accepted, and in the East, sunrise and sunset differ by 6 hours compared to our countries. Therefore, the 1st hour of the morning in the East corresponds to our 7th hour, and so on. Vespers, performed at the end of the day in the evening, therefore it comes first among the daily services, because, according to the image of the Church, the day begins in the evening, since the first day of the world and the beginning of human existence was preceded by darkness, evening, twilight. With this service, we thank God for the passing day. compline- a service consisting of reading a series of prayers in which we ask the Lord God for forgiveness of sins and that He would give us, coming to sleep (going), peace of body and soul and save us from the wiles of the devil during sleep. Sleep also reminds of death. Therefore, in the Orthodox service at Compline, those praying are reminded of awakening from eternal sleep, that is, of the resurrection. Midnight Office- the service is intended to be performed at midnight, in remembrance of the night prayer of the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane. The “midnight” hour is also memorable because “by the midnight hour” in the parable of the ten virgins, the Lord timed His second coming. This service calls on believers to be always ready for the Day of the Last Judgment. Matins- a service performed in the morning, before sunrise. The morning hour, bringing with it light, vigor and life, always arouses a grateful feeling towards God, the Giver of life. With this service, we thank God for the past night and ask Him for mercy for the coming day. In the Orthodox divine service at the morning service, the coming into the world of the Savior is glorified, bringing with Him new life people. First hour, corresponding to our seventh hour in the morning, sanctifies the day that has already come with prayer. At the first hour, the trial of Jesus Christ by the high priests is recalled, which really took place around this time. At the third hour corresponding to our ninth hour in the morning, we remember the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, which took place at about the same time. At the sixth hour corresponding to our twelfth hour of the day, the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, which happened from the 12th to the 2nd hour of the day, is remembered. At the ninth hour corresponding to our third in the afternoon, we remember the death of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, which occurred at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Mass or Divine Liturgy is the most important service. She remembers all earthly life Savior and the Sacrament of Communion is performed, established by the Savior Himself at the Last Supper. Liturgy is served in the morning, before dinner. All these services in ancient times in monasteries and with hermits were performed separately, at the time set for each of them. But then, for the convenience of believers, they were combined into three services: evening, morning and afternoon. Weekly circle of worship: On Monday (the first day after Sunday), incorporeal forces are glorified - Angels, created before man, the closest servants of God; Tuesday - St. John the Baptist is glorified, as the greatest of all prophets and righteous; On Wednesday, the betrayal of the Lord by Judas is remembered and, in connection with this, a service is performed in memory of the Cross of the Lord (fasting day). On Thursday, St. Apostles and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. On Friday, the sufferings of the Cross and the death of the Savior are remembered, and a service is performed in honor of the Cross of the Lord (Lenten Day). On Saturday - the day of rest - the Mother of God is glorified, Who is blessed every day, the forefathers, prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, the righteous and all the saints who have reached rest in the Lord. All those who have died are also commemorated. true faith and hope for the resurrection and eternal life. Annual cycle of worship: As the faith of Christ spread, the number of Holy Persons increased: martyrs and saints. The greatness of their deeds provided an inexhaustible source for pious Christian songwriters and artists to compose in memory of their various prayers and hymns, as well as artistic images. The Holy Church included these emerging spiritual works in the composition of church services, timing the reading and singing of the latter to the days of memory of the saints designated in them. The range of these prayers and hymns is wide and varied; it unfolds for a whole year, and every day there are not one, but several saints being glorified. The manifestation of God's mercy known people, area or city, for example, deliverance from floods, earthquakes, from attacks by enemies, etc. gave an indelible occasion to prayerfully commemorate these incidents. Thus, every day of the year is dedicated to the memory of certain saints, important events, as well as special sacred events - holidays and fasts. Of all the holidays of the year, this is the biggest holiday of the Light Christ's Resurrection(Easter). This is the feast of the Feast and the Celebration of the festivities. Easter occurs not earlier than March 22 (April 4, NS) and not later than April 25 (May 8, NS), on the first Sunday after the spring full moon. Then there are twelve great holidays in the year, established in honor of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Mother of God, which are called the Twelve. There are holidays in honor of the great saints and in honor of the incorporeal Forces of heaven - angels. Therefore, all the holidays in the year, according to their content, are divided: into the Lord's, the Theotokos and saints. According to the time of celebration, the holidays are divided: into fixed ones, which happen every year on the same dates of the month, and mobile ones, which, although they happen on the same days of the week, but fall on different days of the month in accordance with the time of the celebration of Easter. According to the solemnity of the church service, the holidays are divided into great, medium and small. Great feasts always have an all-night vigil; average same holidays - not always. Divine services are built in relation to the Easter holiday.
2) Private - this is a circle of worship that takes into account the personal needs of each Christian and adapts to the environment and the possibilities of each person's life. This type of worship encompasses the Sacraments and rites of the Church, during which the pastor has to individually influence the life of each believer, bringing God's blessing to him and spiritually renewing him.
The purpose of worship is to receive eternal life, i.e. establishing a connection with God that was lost due to the fall of man. In the same way, worship teaches believers, edifies, and spiritually educates, giving them the richest spiritual food, both for the mind and for the heart. The sacrifice was to constantly remind people of their guilt before God, of the original sin weighing on them, and that God can hear and accept their prayers only in the name of that sacrifice, which will later be brought to atone for sins by their seed of a wife promised by God in paradise , that is, having to come into the world and make the redemption of mankind, the Savior of the world Messiah-Christ. With the advent of the Savior into the world, who offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, the ritual Old Testament worship lost all meaning and it is replaced by the New Testament, which was based on the greatest Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, which is called the Sacrament of the Eucharist (Sacrament of Thanksgiving). This is the Bloodless Sacrifice, which replaced the Old Testament bloody sacrifices of bulls and lambs, which only represented the One Great Sacrifice of the Lamb of God, who takes upon Himself the sins of the world. From this celebration of the sacraments, prayers and preaching of the Gospel, the New Testament Christian worship was formed. Its composition and character were more fully defined by St. Apostles. Prayers are usually read or recited by a bishop or priest and are the center or pinnacle of every liturgical act. They express the meaning of the entire service (prayers at Vespers and Matins) or, when it comes to the sacraments, perform and perform secret actions (the great Eucharistic prayer of the Divine Liturgy, the permissive prayer of the sacrament of repentance, etc.). "The Church is a society of people established by God united by the Orthodox faith, the law of God, the hierarchy and the sacraments. This catechetical formulation cannot be considered an exhaustive definition of the Church, since it gives only an external description of what the Church is. The Church, even in its earthly aspect, cannot be reduced to a community of believers, because with such a definition it is impossible to understand how the Church differs from other religious organizations, for example, from the Old Testament Church. The founder of the Christian Church is the God-Man, and He has a completely different relationship to His Church than all other founders of religious societies have to the organizations they have created. The Church of Christ is created not by the teaching, not by the command of the Lord, and not even by the external action of Divine omnipotence, but is built from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Christ is not only the Founder of the Church, but also its "cornerstone" (Eph. 2:19-20), not just the Head of the Church, but the Church Itself, which is built on the Body of the Lord Jesus Christ and from His very Body. Having founded the Church, the Lord really, though invisibly, abides and will abide in it "always to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20). Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of a church building, but every foundation only makes sense if the building is built on top of it. The Church is the Body of Christ, but every living organism must grow and develop. Christ is the Founder and Architect of a church building, determining the laws of its life, its internal structure, but there must also be a builder. Such a builder of the Church is the Holy Spirit, Who directly carries out its growth, joining believers to the Body of Christ, and He also animates the Body, ensuring the coordinated functioning of all its organs. Thus, the Church in her earthly aspect is a society of believers established by God, united by the Orthodox faith, hierarchy and sacraments. This society is headed and governed by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself according to the will of God the Father and animated, alive and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. All members of this society are united with the Lord as their Head and in Him with each other, as well as with the celestials. Thus, the Church has two inseparable sides. From the inside, the Church is a treasury of grace and truth; from the outside, it is a human society that exists in earthly conditions. Nevertheless, from the outside, in addition to the random features inherent in any human society, the Church has a positive foundation, rooted in the invisible and not dependent on any subjective principles. And in its earthly aspect, the Church has its own structure, established by God, since the invisible presence in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is revealed through visible and tangible forms. In other words, even in its outer, earthly side, the Church is a Divine institution.
About worshipand church calendar
9.1. What is worship?
– The worship of the Orthodox Church is the service to God by reading prayers, hymns, sermons and sacred rites performed in accordance with the Charter of the Church.
9.2. What are worship services for?
- Worship as the external side of religion serves as a means for Christians to express their inner religious faith and reverent feelings for God, a means of mysterious communion with God.
9.3. What is the purpose of worship?
– The purpose of the worship service established by the Orthodox Church is to give Christians the best way to express petitions, thanksgiving and praises addressed to the Lord; to teach and educate believers in truths Orthodox faith and rules of Christian piety; to bring believers into mysterious communion with the Lord and communicate to them the grace-filled gifts of the Holy Spirit.
9.4. What do the names of Orthodox services mean?
– Liturgy (common cause, public service) is the main divine service during which Communion (Communion) of the faithful takes place. The remaining eight services are preparatory prayers for the Liturgy.
Vespers is a service celebrated at the end of the day, in the evening.
Compline - service after the supper (dinner) .
Midnight Office – a service meant to be performed at midnight.
Matins – service performed in the morning, before sunrise.
Clock Services – commemoration of the events (by the hour) of Good Friday (the suffering and death of the Savior), His Resurrection and the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.
On the eve of major holidays and Sundays, an evening service is performed, which is called the all-night vigil, because among the ancient Christians it lasted all night. The word "vigil" means "awake." The All-Night Vigil consists of Vespers, Matins and the First Hour. In modern churches, the all-night vigil is most often performed in the evening on the eve of Sundays and holidays.
9.5. What worship services are performed in the Church daily?
- In the name of the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church daily performs evening, morning and afternoon services in churches. In turn, each of these three divine services is composed of three parts:
Evening Divine Liturgy - from the ninth hour, Vespers, Compline.
Morning - from Midnight Office, Matins, the first hour.
Daytime - from the third hour, the sixth hour, the Divine Liturgy.
Thus, nine services are formed from the evening, morning and afternoon church services.
Due to the weakness of modern Christians, such statutory services are performed only in some monasteries (for example, in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery). In most parish churches, divine services are performed only in the morning and evening, with some reductions.
9.6. What is depicted in the Liturgy?
– In the Liturgy, under the external rites, the whole earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ is depicted: His birth, teaching, deeds, sufferings, death, burial, Resurrection and Ascension to heaven.
9.7. What is called lunch?
– In the people, the Liturgy is called Mass. The name "mass" comes from the custom of ancient Christians after the end of the Liturgy to use the leftovers of the brought bread and wine at a common meal (or public dinner), which took place in one of the parts of the temple.
9.8. What is called lunch?
- The service of the pictorial (Lunch) is the name of a short service that is performed instead of the Liturgy when it is not supposed to serve the Liturgy (for example, during Great Lent) or when it is impossible to serve it (there is no priest, antimension, prosphora). The liturgy serves as some image or likeness of the Liturgy, is similar in composition to the Liturgy of the catechumens, and its main parts correspond to the parts of the Liturgy, with the exception of the celebration of the Sacraments. There is no communion during lunch.
9.9. Where can I find out about the schedule of services in the temple?
- The schedule of services is usually posted on the doors of the temple.
9.10. Why isn't there a censing of the temple at every service?
– Burning of the temple and worshipers happens at every divine service. Liturgical censing is complete when it covers the entire church, and small when the altar, the iconostasis and the people from the pulpit are censed.
9.11. Why is there censing in the temple?
- Incense raises the mind to the throne of God, where it goes with the prayers of the faithful. In all ages and among all peoples, the burning of incense was considered the best, purest material sacrifice to God, and of all types of material sacrifice accepted in natural religions, Christian church she kept only this one and a few others (oil, wine, bread). And appearance Nothing is more reminiscent of the grace-filled breath of the Holy Spirit than the smoke of incense. Filled with such lofty symbolism, censing greatly contributes to the prayerful mood of believers and its purely bodily effect on a person. Incense has an uplifting, excitatory effect on the mood. To this end, the charter, for example, before the Paschal vigil prescribes not just incense, but an extraordinary filling of the temple with a smell from the placed vessels with incense.
9.12. Why do priests serve in vestments of different colors?
- A certain color of the vestments of the clergy has been assigned to groups of church holidays. Each of the seven colors of liturgical vestments correspond to spiritual meaning the event in honor of which the service is celebrated. There are no developed dogmatic institutions in this area, but in the Church there is an unwritten tradition that assimilates a certain symbolism to various colors used in worship.
9.13. What do the different colors of priestly vestments mean?
- On the holidays dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ, as well as on the days of the memory of His special anointed ones (prophets, apostles and saints), the color of the royal vestment is gold. In golden robes they serve on Sundays - the days of the Lord, the King of Glory.
On holidays in honor of Holy Mother of God and angelic powers, as well as on the days of remembrance of the holy virgins and virgins, the color of the vestments is blue or white, symbolizing special purity and purity.
Violet is adopted on the feasts of the Holy Cross. It combines red (symbolizing the color of the blood of Christ and the Resurrection) and blue, reminiscent of the fact that the Cross opened the way to heaven.
Dark red is the color of blood. In red vestments, services are held in honor of the holy martyrs who shed their blood for the faith of Christ.
In green vestments, the day of the Holy Trinity, the day of the Holy Spirit and the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday) are celebrated, since the green color is a symbol of life. Divine services are also performed in green vestments in honor of the saints: the monastic feat revives a person by union with Christ, renews his whole nature and leads to eternal life.
In black vestments, they usually serve on the weekdays of Great Lent. Black color is a symbol of renunciation of worldly fuss, crying and repentance.
White color as a symbol of Divine uncreated light is accepted on the holidays of the Nativity of Christ, Theophany (Baptism), Ascension and Transfiguration of the Lord. In white vestments, Paschal Matins also begins - as a sign of the Divine light that shone from the Tomb of the Resurrected Savior. White robes are also relied upon for Baptisms and burials.
From Easter to the Feast of the Ascension, all divine services are performed in red vestments, symbolizing the inexpressible fiery love of God for the human race, the victory of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ.
9.14. What do candlesticks with two or three candles mean?
“These are the dikirium and the trikirium. Dikyriy - a candlestick with two candles, signifying two natures in Jesus Christ: Divine and human. Trikirion - a candlestick with three candles, signifying faith in the Holy Trinity.
9.15. Why in the center of the temple on the lectern, instead of the icon, sometimes there is a cross decorated with flowers?
– This is what happens during the Holy Week of Great Lent. The cross is taken out and placed on the lectern in the center of the temple, in order to inspire and strengthen those who are fasting to continue the feat of fasting as a reminder of the suffering and death of the Lord.
On the feasts of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord and the Origin (Deposition) of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, the Cross is also brought to the center of the temple.
9.16. Why does the deacon stand with his back to those praying in the temple?
- He stands facing the altar, in which the Throne of God is located and the Lord Himself is invisibly present. The deacon, as it were, leads the worshipers and on their behalf pronounces prayer petitions to God.
9.17. Who are the catechumens who are called to leave the temple during the service?
- These are people who are not baptized, but who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. They cannot participate in the Church Sacraments, therefore, before the start of the most important Church Sacrament- Communion - they are called to leave the temple.
9.18. What date does carnival start?
- Maslenitsa is the last week before the start of Lent. It ends with Forgiveness Sunday.
9.19. Until what time do they read the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian?
- The prayer of Ephraim the Syrian is read until Wednesday of Passion Week.
9.20. When is the Shroud taken away?
– The shroud is taken to the altar before the start of the Easter service on Saturday evening.
9.21. When can one venerate the Shroud?
– You can venerate the Shroud from the middle of Good Friday until the beginning of the Easter service.
9.22. Is there Communion on Good Friday?
- Not. Since the Liturgy is not served on Good Friday, because on this day the Lord Himself sacrificed Himself.
9.23. Does Communion take place on Great Saturday, at Easter?
– Liturgy is served on Great Saturday and Pascha, therefore, there is also the Communion of the faithful.
9.24. How long does the Easter service last?
- In different churches, the end time of the Easter service is different, but most often it happens from 3 to 6 in the morning.
9.25. Why are the Royal Doors open during the entire Liturgy during Paschal Week?
– Some priests are awarded the right to serve the Liturgy with the Royal Doors open.
9.26. What days is the Liturgy of Basil the Great?
- The Liturgy of Basil the Great is served only 10 times a year: on the eve of the feasts of the Nativity of Christ and the Baptism of the Lord (or on the days of these holidays, if they fall on Sunday or Monday), January 1/14 - on the day of memory of St. Basil the Great, on five Sundays Great Lent ( Palm Sunday excluded), on Great Thursday and Great Saturday of Holy Week. The Liturgy of Basil the Great differs from the Liturgy of John Chrysostom in some prayers, their longer duration and more drawn-out singing of the choir, which is why it is served a little longer.
9.27. Why is the liturgy not translated into Russian to make it more understandable?
– The Slavic language is a grace-filled spiritualized language that the holy church people Cyril and Methodius created specifically for worship. People have lost the habit of the Church Slavonic language, and some simply do not want to understand it. But if you go to the Church regularly, and not go occasionally, then the grace of God will touch your heart, and all the words of this pure spirit-bearing language will become clear. The Church Slavonic language, due to its figurativeness, accuracy in the expression of thought, artistic brightness and beauty, is much more suitable for communication with God than the modern crippled spoken Russian language.
But main reason the incomprehensibility lies not in Church Slavonic, it is very close to Russian - in order to fully perceive it, you need to learn only a few dozen words. The fact is that even if the entire service were translated into Russian, people would still not understand anything in it. The fact that people do not perceive worship is a language problem in the least; in the first place - ignorance of the Bible. Most of the chants are highly poetic retellings of biblical stories; without knowing the source, it is impossible to understand them, in whatever language they are sung. Therefore, whoever wants to understand Orthodox worship must first of all begin by reading and studying Holy Scripture, and it is quite accessible in Russian.
9.28. Why are the lights and candles sometimes extinguished during worship in the temple?
- At Matins, during the reading of the Six Psalms, candles are extinguished in churches, except for a few. The Six Psalms is the cry of a penitent sinner before Christ the Savior who came to earth. The absence of illumination, on the one hand, helps to reflect on what is being read, on the other hand, it reminds of the gloom of the sinful state depicted by the psalms, and that external lightness does not suit the sinner. By arranging this reading in this way, the Church wants to incline believers to self-deepening, so that, having entered into themselves, they enter into a conversation with the merciful Lord, who does not want the death of a sinner (Ezek. , Savior, relationships broken by sin. The reading of the first half of the Six Psalms expresses the grief of the soul that has moved away from God and is seeking Him. Reading the second half of the Six Psalms reveals the state of a repentant soul reconciled with God.
9.29. What psalms are included in the Six Psalms and why these particular ones?
—The first part of Matins opens with a system of psalms known as the Six Psalms. The composition of the Six Psalms includes: Psalm 3 “Lord, that thou hast multiplied”, Psalm 37 “Lord, let not rage”, Psalm 62 “God, my God, I will morning you”, Psalm 87 “Lord God of my salvation”, Psalm 102 “Bless my soul is the Lord”, Psalm 142 “Lord, hear my prayer”. The Psalms are chosen, probably not without intention, from different places of the Psalter evenly; in this way they represent it all. The psalms are chosen to have a uniform content and tone, which dominates the Psalter; namely, they all depict the persecution of the righteous by enemies and his firm hope in God, only growing from the increase in persecution and in the end reaching a rejoicing calm in God (psalm 102). All these psalms are inscribed with the name of David, except for 87, who is the "sons of Korah", and sung by him, of course, during the persecution by Saul (maybe psalm 62) or Absalom (psalms 3; 142), reflecting in themselves spiritual growth singer in these disasters. Of the many psalms of similar content, it is these ones that have been chosen here because in some places they mean night and morning (ps. ”, v. 14: “I will learn from the flattering all day long”; ps. in the days I called out and in the nights before you”, v.10: “all day long my hands were lifted up to you”, vv.13, 14: “the food will be known in the darkness of your wonders ... and I call to you, Lord, and pray in the morning mine will precede Thee"; ps.102:15: "his days are like a green flower"; ps.142:8: "I hear you do me Thy mercy in the morning"). Psalms of repentance alternate with thanksgiving ones.
9.30. What is a "polyle"?
- Polyeleos is the most solemn part of matins - the divine service, which is performed in the morning or in the evening; polyeleos are served only at festive matins. This is determined by the liturgical charter. On the eve of Sunday or the Feast of Matins, it is part of the All-Night Vigil and is served in the evening.
Polyeleos begins after reading the kathismas (Psalms) with the singing of laudatory verses from the psalms: 134 - “Praise the name of the Lord” and 135 - “Confess to the Lord” and ends with the reading of the Gospel. In ancient times, when the first words of this hymn “Praise the name of the Lord” sounded after the kathismas, numerous lamps (oil lamps) were lit in the temple. Therefore, this part of the All-Night Vigil is called the "multi-eleon" or, in Greek, polyeleos ("poly" - a lot, "oils" - oil). The Royal Doors are opened, and the priest, preceded by a deacon holding a burning candle, censes the throne and the entire altar, the iconostasis, the choir, those praying, and the entire church. The open Royal Doors symbolize the open Tomb of the Lord, from where the kingdom of eternal life shone. After reading the Gospel, all those present at the service approach the icon of the feast and venerate it. In memory of the fraternal meal of the ancient Christians, which was accompanied by anointing with fragrant oil, the priest traces the sign of the cross on the forehead of everyone who approaches the icon. This practice is called the anointing. The anointing with oil serves as an outward sign of participation in the grace and spiritual joy of the feast, communion with the Church. Anointing with consecrated oil on the polyeleos is not a sacrament, it is a rite that only symbolizes the invocation of God's mercy and blessing.
9.31. What is "lithium"?
- Lithia in Greek means fervent prayer. The current charter recognizes four types of litia, which, according to the degree of solemnity, can be arranged in this order: a) “litia outside the monastery”, laid on some of the twelfth feasts and on Bright Week before the Liturgy; b) lithium at the great vespers, connected with the vigil; c) lithium at the end of the festive and Sunday matins; d) Litany for the dead after everyday Vespers and Matins. In terms of the content of the prayers and the order, these types of lithium are very different from each other, but they have in common the procession from the temple. This exodus in the first form (of those listed) of lithium is complete, and in the rest it is incomplete. But here and there it is performed in order to express prayer not only in words, but also in movement, to change its place in order to enliven prayerful attention; the further purpose of the lithium is the expression - removal from the temple - of our unworthiness to pray in it: we pray, standing before the gates of the holy temple, as if before the gates of heaven, like Adam, the publican, the prodigal son. Hence the somewhat repentant and mournful character of the lithic prayers. Finally, in the lithium, the Church proceeds from her grace-filled milieu to the outer world or to the narthex, as a part of the temple that is in contact with this world, open to all who are not accepted into the Church or excluded from it, with the goal of a prayer mission in this world. Hence the nationwide and ecumenical character (about the whole world) of lithic prayers.
9.32. What is the procession and when does it happen?
- A procession of the cross is a solemn procession of clergy and believing laity with icons, banners and other shrines. Religious processions are made on annual, special days established for them: on the Bright Resurrection of Christ - the Easter Procession; on the feast of the Epiphany for the great consecration of water in memory of the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan, as well as in honor of shrines and great church or state events. There are also emergency religious processions established by the Church on especially important occasions.
9.33. Where did the processions come from?
- Just like the holy icons, the processions of the cross got their start from Old Testament. The ancient righteous often made solemn and popular processions with singing, trumpeting and jubilation. Narratives about this are set out in the sacred books of the Old Testament: Exodus, Numbers, Kings, Psalter and others.
The first prototypes of the processions were: the journey of the sons of Israel from Egypt to the promised land; the procession of all Israel after the ark of God, from which came the miraculous division of the Jordan River (Josh. 3:14-17); a solemn sevenfold circumambulation with the ark around the walls of Jericho, during which the miraculous fall of the impregnable walls of Jericho took place at the sound of sacred trumpets and the cries of all the people (Josh. 6:5-19); as well as the solemn nationwide transfer of the ark of the Lord by the kings David and Solomon (2 Kings 6:1-18; 3 Kings 8:1-21).
9.34. What does the Easter procession mean?
- Celebrated with special solemnity bright resurrection Christ. The Easter service begins on Holy Saturday, late in the evening. At Matins, after Midnight Office, the Paschal Procession is performed - the worshipers, led by the clergy, leave the church to make a solemn procession around the church. Like the myrrh-bearing women who met the resurrected Christ the Savior outside Jerusalem, Christians meet the news of the coming of the Holy Resurrection of Christ outside the walls of the temple - they seem to be marching towards the resurrected Savior.
The Paschal procession is accompanied by candles, banners, censers and the icon of the Resurrection of Christ accompanied by a continuous ringing of bells. Before entering the temple, the solemn Paschal procession stops at the door and enters the temple only after the jubilant message has sounded three times: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and bestowing life on those in the tombs!” The procession enters the temple, just as the myrrh-bearing women came to Jerusalem with joyful news to the disciples of Christ about the risen Lord.
9.35. How many times does the Easter procession take place?
- The first Paschal procession takes place on Easter night. Then, during the week (Bright Week), every day after the end of the Liturgy, the Paschal procession is performed, and until the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, the same processions are performed every Sunday.
9.36. What does the Procession with the Shroud on Holy Week mean?
- This mournful and deplorable procession takes place in memory of the burial of Jesus Christ, when His secret disciples Joseph and Nicodemus, accompanied by the Mother of God and the myrrh-bearing wives, carried Jesus Christ who died on the cross. They went from Mount Golgotha to the vineyard of Joseph, where there was a burial cave, in which, according to the custom of the Jews, they laid the body of Christ. In remembrance of this sacred event - the burial of Jesus Christ - the procession is performed with the Shroud, which represents the body of the deceased Jesus Christ, as it was taken down from the cross and placed in the tomb.
The apostle says to believers: "Remember My Ties"(Col. 4:18). If the apostle commands Christians to remember his sufferings in chains, how much more strongly should they remember the sufferings of Christ. During the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus Christ, modern Christians did not live and did not then share the sorrows with the apostles, therefore, during the days of Passion Week, they remember their sorrows and lamentations about the Redeemer.
Anyone who is called a Christian, who celebrates the mournful moments of the suffering and death of the Savior, cannot but be a participant in the heavenly joy of His Resurrection, for, according to the words of the apostle: "But joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him"(Rom. 8:17).
9.37. On what emergencies are religious processions performed?
- Extraordinary religious processions are performed with the permission of the diocesan church authorities on cases of particular vital importance for the parish, the diocese or the entire Orthodox people - during the invasion of foreigners, during the attack of a devastating disease, during famine, drought or other disasters.
9.38. What do the banners with which the processions are performed mean?
- The first prototype of the banners was after global flood. God, appearing to Noah during his sacrifice, revealed a rainbow in the clouds and called it "a sign of an everlasting covenant" between God and people (Gen. 9:13-16). Just as a rainbow in the sky reminds people of the covenant of God, so the image of the Savior on banners serves as a constant reminder of the deliverance of the human race at the Last Judgment from the spiritual fiery flood.
The second prototype of the banner was at the exit of Israel from Egypt during the passage through the Red Sea. Then the Lord appeared in a pillar of cloud and covered all the army of Pharaoh with darkness from this cloud, and destroyed it in the sea, but saved Israel. So on the banners, the image of the Savior is visible as a cloud that appeared from heaven to defeat the enemy - the spiritual pharaoh - the devil with all his army. The Lord always wins and drives away the power of the enemy.
The third type of banners was the same cloud that covered the tabernacle and overshadowed Israel during the journey to the promised land. All Israel gazed at the sacred cloud cover and with spiritual eyes perceived the presence of God Himself in it.
Another prototype of the banner is the copper serpent, which was erected by Moses at the command of God in the wilderness. When looking at him, the Jews received healing from God, since the bronze serpent represented the Cross of Christ (John 3:14,15). So while carrying banners during the procession, believers raise their bodily eyes to the images of the Savior, the Mother of God and the saints; with spiritual eyes, they ascend to their Archetypes that exist in heaven and receive spiritual and bodily healing from the sinful remorse of spiritual serpents - demons that tempt all people.
Worshiping God or pleasing God with good thoughts, words and deeds, that is, the fulfillment of the will of God, is generally called worship.
Worship began on earth from the time of the creation of the first people - in Paradise. The worship of the first people in paradise consisted in the free glorification of God, His wisdom, goodness, omnipotence and other God's perfections, revealed in the creation of the world and in providence for it.
After their fall, people had to pray even more to God, begging Him for their salvation. In the worship of people, after the fall, in addition to prayers, the Lord established sacrifices. The sacrifice expresses the idea that everything we have is not ours, but God's. The combination of prayers with sacrifices was, along with this, to remind people that God accepts their prayers for the sake of the sacrifice that was later made for all people by the Son of God, the Savior of the world, who came to earth.
At first Divine services were performed freely in open places. There were no holy temples, no sacred persons. People sacrificed to God where they wanted, and prayed with such words (prayers) as prompted them own feeling and mood.
By the command of God, in the time of the prophet Moses, was arranged tabernacle(the first Old Testament temple to the One, True God), were elected sacred faces(high priest, priests and Levites) have been identified victims for different occasions and were installed holidays(Easter, Pentecost, New Year, cleansing day, etc.).
The Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth, teaching to worship the heavenly Father in every place, nevertheless often visited the Old Testament Jerusalem temple, as a place of special, grace-filled presence of God, took care of the order in the temple and preached in it. His holy apostles did the same, until an open persecution of Christians by the Jews was raised.
In the time of the apostles, as can be seen from the book of the Acts of the Apostles, there were special places for the meetings of believers and for the celebration of the sacrament Communion, called churches, where worship was performed by bishops, presbyters (priests) and deacons appointed through ordination (in the sacrament of the priesthood).
The final organization of Christian worship was accomplished by the successors of the apostles, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and according to the commandment given to them by the apostles: " everything should be decent and decorous"(1 Cor. 14 , 40). This established order of worship is strictly preserved in our saint of the Orthodox Church of Christ.
Orthodox church service called service or service to God, consisting of reading and singing prayers, reading the Word of God and sacred rites (rites) performed according to a certain rank, that is, in order, led by a clergyman (bishop or priest).
Church services differ from home prayer in that they are performed clergy, lawfully set for this through the sacrament of the priesthood by the holy Orthodox Church, and is performed primarily in the temple.
Church Orthodox-public worship has the goal of edifying believers in reading and chants expound the true teaching of Christ and incline them to prayer and repentance, and in faces and actions depict the most important events from sacred history that took place for our salvation, both before the birth of Christ and after the birth of Christ. This means to arouse in those who pray thanks to God for all the benefits received, to strengthen the prayer for further mercy to us from Him, and to receive peace for our souls.
When a person "from the street" enters the temple, he hears singing and reading, many still incomprehensible words and expressions, among which one comes across, however, that turns out to be quite recognizable. If he lingers here for some more time, he will see how, at certain specific moments, the light turns on or goes out, the royal doors open and close ... All this for him is not yet filled with a specific meaning. However, this is precisely the center of all church life, this is worship.
Books and manuals on the study of the liturgical charter of the Orthodox Church give approximately the following definition of the concept of "worship": "Worship is the main means for Christians to express their inner religious faith and reverent feelings for God, as well as the means of our mysterious, intimate communion with God. Therefore, the goal worship is to give Christians the best way to express petitions, thanksgiving and praises addressed to the Lord. At the same time, worship is the best way to guide and educate believers in the truths of the Orthodox Church and the rules of Christian piety.
It contains all Orthodox theology, the doctrine of moral ideal. It contains the highest examples of holiness and at the same time evidence of the weakness and depravity of human nature.
And all this is expressed, contained in the word - in those prayers and hymns that are read and sung in the church. How to learn to understand them? First of all, to assimilate one simple and immutable truth: Church life cannot be known "from the outside", it is revealed only from within. Therefore, in order to understand the divine service, it is necessary to attend it more often, to come to the church regularly (at least on Sundays and holidays). And, being present at the service, to delve, listen, think about what is happening on it. Ask the clergy and more church-going people about things that remain incomprehensible. And be sure to read books that give an elementary idea of worship, the order of its celebration and its symbolism (see the list of such books below).
However, before talking about the divine service itself, it is probably necessary to say at least a little about the place of its celebration.
Place of worship
The place of worship is the temple, which is duly called "the house of God" (we will tell you more about the temple and what is in it in one of the subsequent issues of the "School of the Spiritual"). The Lord is present everywhere and in everything, and everything is the creation of His hands, but at the same time, the temple is a completely unique place on earth, a place of special Divine presence, a place specially consecrated by the bishop for the performance of church services in it: Sacraments and rites.
If we talk about traditional church architecture, then the temple consists of three parts: the altar, the temple itself and the vestibule. The altar is what in the Old Testament church was called the phrase "Holy of Holies". He symbolizes the sky, where the Lord dwells in His inexpressible glory; here the main Sacrament of the Orthodox Church, the Eucharist, is celebrated, and then the altar becomes that tidied and lined room where the Last Supper took place almost 2000 years ago, at which the disciples and apostles of Christ for the first time in an incomprehensible way partake of His Body and Blood. Only clergy and clergymen have the right to enter the altar, that is, the clergy and those who carry the altar (or, as they say differently, sexton) obedience in the temple. In front of the altar, separating it from the rest of the temple space, rises the iconostasis.
The middle part of the temple, what is called the temple, marks the world of people, but the world has already been justified by the Savior's sacrifice on the cross, sanctified by Him. Here, during the service, believers stand and pray.
And, finally, the vestibule - the space from the entrance to the temple to its middle part, as if the threshold of the temple, the area of contact of the earthly and heavenly. In ancient times, penitents and catechumens stood here (people preparing for the Sacrament of Baptism), and now the vestibule has actually "merged" with the temple. As a rule, spiritual literature and candles are sold here.
Due to various circumstances, some types of worship, with the blessing of the hierarchy, can also be performed outside the church, however, the Sacraments of the Eucharist and the Priesthood must be performed only here (during the period of persecution, the liturgy was sometimes served in private homes and in camps, but these are special, exceptional conditions).
Types of worship
According to its type, worship is divided into public and private. About public we can say that it is performed on behalf of the entire Church and according to the needs of all Christians (even if only a few people were present in a particular church, except for the priest and the choir). First of all, it is the Divine Eucharist, or, in other words, the Liturgy, as well as Vespers, Compline, Matins, Midnight Office and the Hours.
Private worship is performed according to the needs and desires of specific people. These are the so-called rites: baptism, wedding, unction, burial and commemoration of the dead, blessing of water, prayers and smaller rites, the meaning of which is to sanctify all aspects of the life of a believer.
Undoubtedly, public worship, both in meaning and content, is immeasurably more important. But at the same time, it is more difficult, "more incomprehensible." Private worship is less important, namely private, subject to certain private needs. However, at the same time, it is simpler and therefore more accessible. Therefore, one can sometimes see how, after the liturgy, people who are not distinguished by deep, conscious churchliness revive in the temple - they revive when, after the dismissal, a memorial service or prayer service begins, that which is "understandable." There is a profound wrongness in this, a distortion of the correct understanding of church, liturgical life. And the reason most often is that a person turns out to be unprepared for the most minimal work: the work of understanding, recognizing the "new", "complex", the work of learning and growth. In addition, unfortunately, the most common and at the same time terrible disease manifests itself here. modern man- egoism: service - general, and treba - "personal". And it turns out that "personal", "mine" - much more expensive.
Meanwhile, the very word "liturgy", which in a broader sense can be applied not only to the Sacrament of the Eucharist, but also to the whole church service, means nothing more than "common cause". This is the common cause through which we in the Church can really become a single whole, really feel like living "cells" of the mysterious Body of Christ. This is the common cause that unites the Angels of God and the saints in their heavenly glory and us, sinners and the weak, on earth with them.
Some Books on Worship:
- All-night vigil and liturgy.
- Rule of worship in questions and answers.
- Priest Konstantin Subbotin. A guide to the study of the Rule of Divine Services of the Orthodox Church.
- Priest Konstantin Nikolsky. A guide to the study of the charter of worship of the Orthodox Church.
- Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann. An introduction to liturgical theology.
gradual ascent
In order to understand the course of worship, a person needs to understand its structure: what it is made of, what is the system according to which a single, seemingly completely monolithic, service is formed from various prayers and hymns.
"Lord have mercy"
More than once I have heard from people of little church commonplace words: “No matter how you go into the temple, everything is the same there - everyone sings: “Lord, have mercy!”. This is so and not so. Indeed, these very simple, but filled with the deepest meaning, words are heard behind every divine service. Moreover: perhaps the whole meaning of worship as such could be reduced (moreover, without its significant impoverishment) to this brief petition. We ask God for mercy, mercy, and this is everything: our well-being on earth, our eternal salvation, the Kingdom of Heaven and the never-ceasing joy of communion with God.
But in reality, worship is not some kind of frozen, monotonously repeated form from day to day. More precisely, we can say this: it consists of both unchanged and mutable parts. And if you find out what, on the one hand, is its permanent structure, and what, on the other hand, is the principle of "changes", then it is much easier to follow the service and, most importantly, to understand it. And what we understand ceases to be "alien" for us, becomes much closer, dearer.
About Worship Circles
There is in liturgy (the science of worship) the concept of circles of worship. There are three of them: daily, weekly and annual.
The daily circle is formed by those prayers and chants that refer to a certain time of day - evening, midnight, morning, etc., in accordance with the sacred events remembered at that time.
The weekly circle consists of prayers and chants that are associated with one or another day of the week (or, if it is more understandable, of the week. Here we must immediately make a reservation that in the liturgical plan the word "week" corresponds to the concept of "week" accepted in secular life, and the word "week", in turn, is a synonym for "Sunday").
And, finally, the annual circle consists of prayers and chants adapted to the days of the year in accordance with the events celebrated on these days (a holiday in the church sense is both Easter and Christmas, and, for example, the memory of any saint. And since there is no such day, If there is no memory of any saint, then it would not be a mistake to say that every day is a holiday in the temple, but the holidays are different in their significance).
Naturally, these three circles do not exist separately from each other, but are combined in each church service: after all, any day is at the same time a day of the day, a day of the week, and a day of the year.
"Seventeenth day of praise for You"
(Ps. 119, 164)
Those who read the Psalter, the God-inspired creation of the king and prophet David, probably know the words of the 118th psalm: "In the day of the Septenary, praise Thee about the destinies of Thy righteousness." In them, liturgists see an indication of the plurality of prayer appeals to God during the day or, which is the same in this case, the plurality of church services.
Gradually, over time, the following liturgical sequences developed, which, however, have been known for a very long time. These are Vespers, Compline, Midnight Office, Matins, 1st Hour, 3rd Hour, 6th Hour, 9th Hour, and Liturgy.
Naturally, it is very inconvenient for people living in the world (as, by and large, in a monastery) to gather in the temple nine times during the day. For this reason, already in the ancient Church it was customary to celebrate divine services three times a day: in the evening - Vespers, in the morning - Matins, and in the afternoon (around noon) - Liturgy.
To these three main services were added the remaining six short services, for which they originally met separately. Thus, the 9th hour (before Vespers) and Compline (as the very name of the service implies, after Vespers) are attached to Vespers; for Matins - Midnight Office (before Matins) and the 1st hour (after Matins); to the liturgy - the 3rd and 6th hours (before the liturgy). Thus, the liturgical structure turned out to be consistent with other words of the psalmist: "Evening and morning and noon we will sing and proclaim, and my voice will hear" (Ps. 54, 18).
However, it must be said that in modern liturgical practice, not three, but two times - in the morning and in the evening - the gathering of the people in the temple for prayer has become more common (in general, you should know that with a single general principles liturgical practices not only of different Local Churches, but even of different dioceses or parishes and monasteries can differ significantly from each other in details, which sometimes creates certain problems for understanding the service if a person has not had time to properly understand the Charter. In this case, we try to reflect the most common practice of parish worship in order to make our explanations accessible to the maximum number of our readers).
"And there was evening, and there was morning, one day"
(Gen. 1, 5)
It is not by chance that the daily liturgical circle begins with vespers: the church day, like the Old Testament day, begins precisely in the evening, as the Bible says about the first day of the world's existence: "And there was evening, and there was morning, one day." And it is no coincidence that it closes with the Divine Liturgy: this is the most important of all church services, all the rest serve as a preparation for it. Here is a very deep image or thought, expressed by the deed itself: through prayer, a person gradually prepares, ascends to the highest point of communion with God, unity with God in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
We will talk in detail about each of the services included in the daily cycle in subsequent issues of the "School of the Spiritual", and here we will briefly talk about how the liturgical day is built in most parish churches of the Russian Orthodox Church. At the same time, we will also make some necessary reservations.
First, Midnight Office and Small Compline are virtually excluded from parish services today (Great Compline is also served in parishes, but exclusively during Great Lent or as part of the All-Night Vigil before some of the great feasts), constituting an attribute of monastic worship.
Secondly, Matins, which, as follows from its name, should naturally be celebrated in the morning, in the vast majority of churches (including monastic ones) are currently celebrated in the evenings. This rightly seems completely illogical, especially since both the prayers and the hymns of this service contain many references specifically to the morning hours. However, under the conditions modern life such a defect in the Charter must be tolerated, following the principle that of two evils, of course, one should choose the lesser.
The fact is that if Matins were celebrated in parish churches at the right time, that is, immediately before the liturgy, then the morning service in its total duration would be quite long (3-4 hours). This would make it very difficult or even impossible for very many parishioners to attend the service and, accordingly, Communion, at least on weekdays. And, most likely, as a result, Matins would have undergone very strong reductions, as can sometimes be observed in the parish practice of other Local Churches. The unjustified reduction of individual moments of the service is, unfortunately, a disease of modern church life that is already difficult to get rid of. And I would not like to give unnecessary reasons to aggravate it.
So, today's liturgical day looks like this. Evening - the 9th hour, Vespers and Matins with the 1st hour joining it. Morning - 3rd and 6th hours and immediately after that Divine Liturgy.
Hieromonk Nectarios (Morozov)
The image of the unity of the Church - heavenly and earthly
Every day is filled with meaning
The daily liturgical circle is distinguished by its immutability: the sequence of church services always remains essentially the same, with the exception of minor differences that certain holidays introduce into it. The components of its prayers and hymns are also constant.
But to this circle, unchanging in its composition, special prayers and chants are added for each day, relating to sacred memories connected precisely with this day of the week.
Her first day is Sunday. In liturgical books, it is called a week, since it replaced the Old Testament Sabbath, the day of not doing ordinary everyday things. This day is dedicated to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Sunday worship is notable for its special solemnity, in its hymns the great mystery of the dispensation of our salvation is revealed with amazing power and depth, the coming to earth, the crucifixion and the three-day resurrection of God the Word are sung.
On the first day of the week, Monday, the incorporeal forces, that is, the holy Angels, are glorified, on Tuesday - the Old Testament prophets and, for the most part, the highest of the prophets - St. John the Baptist. These two days are characterized by special penitential, or touching, hymns and prayers - canons, stichera and sedals. In them is the realization that without God, His living and saving grace, we are nothing, dust taken from dust. They contain lamentation for those sins with which we have offended and offend our Creator, despair in ourselves, in our weak human powers. And in them is a daring hope for the inexpressible Divine love.
Wednesday and Friday are the days of remembering the most mournful events of the New Testament history. Wednesday - the day of the betrayal of the Savior by His "disciple and swindler" Judas, Friday - the day of the crucifixion and death of the Son of God. Therefore, on Wednesday and Friday, prayers and hymns so often sound in the service, in which the saving sufferings of Christ are remembered, His Honest and Life-Giving Cross is sung.
On Thursday, the holy apostles and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker are glorified as a kind of image of the ideal bishop, the apostolic successor. In the hymns of this day, we turn to the apostles and St. Nicholas, asking them to intercede before God for us and our spiritual and material needs.
And, finally, on Saturday, as on a day of rest, all saints who have reached eternal rest are glorified, and especially martyrs. In addition, on this day, a commemoration is made of all those who have died in faith and hope for the resurrection and eternal life.
Prayers and hymns in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos rely on every day of the week, so there is no divine service in which the Mother of God would not be glorified.
Meeting with saints
If we open the Orthodox calendar, we will see that there is practically no day in the year that does not commemorate this or that saint or an event in sacred and church history. Moreover, under almost every date we see the name of not one, but several and even many saints who are celebrated on this day.
Stichera, troparia, canons, composed in honor of saints or sacred events, join the prayers and chants of the daily and weekly liturgical circles and constitute the divine service in its finished form.
How is the day on which the memory of a saint is celebrated? This may be the date of his death or glorification in the face of saints, the acquisition or transfer of relics. In the words of the stichera and troparia of the canons, as a rule, they speak about the life of the saint, revealing the essence of his feat - martyr, venerable, saintly or some other.
Thus, these days we really meet in the temple with that saint of God to whom the celebration is being celebrated: we meet in prayer addressed to him, we meet because he is spiritually present where his name is called; this is the most eloquent evidence of the unity of the Church - Heavenly and Earthly. And that is why it is so important for a person to be in the temple on the day of his name day or on the day of memory of the saint whom he especially reveres. It is even important to just regularly look at the calendar to see: what day is it today?
A very telling example can be found in the biography Athos elder Paisia (Eznepidis, †1994). Once, the elder tells, he had to move to another cell, and therefore all his liturgical books were packed: according to the custom of the Athogorsk cells, he used to perform the daily service himself. For this reason, Father Paisios could not perform divine services on time. And then a certain saint appeared to him, who explained that today is his memory. And he called himself: "Martyr Lukillian." Father Paisios did not hear: "Lucian?" "No, old man," the saint corrected, "Lucillian!"
Elder Paisios did not calm down until he found a calendar in the packed books and became convinced that on this day the memory of the holy martyr Lukillian was actually celebrated.
Holidays and… Holidays
As noted in the previous issue of The Spiritual School, it would not be an exaggeration to say that in the Church every day is a holiday. But in their significance, the holidays differ from one another. According to the Typicon, there is a special gradation or "hierarchy" of holidays.
The first place is occupied by "holidays" - Easter. She is beyond all "categories", this is the only day of its kind in the liturgical year.
This is followed by the great twelfth Lord's and Mother of God feasts, marked in the Typicon with a special icon - a red cross in a red circle. Twelve - because there are only twelve of them. These are the so-called non-passing holidays (non-passing - that is, always taking place on the same day): the Nativity of the Mother of God (September 8/21), the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (September 14/27), the Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos (21 November/December 4), Nativity of Christ (December 25/January 7), Epiphany (January 6/19), Presentation of the Lord (February 2/15), Annunciation (March 25/April 7), Transfiguration of the Lord (August 6/19) , Assumption of the Mother of God (August 15/28) and passing (the date of their celebration depends on which Sunday Easter falls on in the current year): The Lord's Entry into Jerusalem, or the week of Vay (a week before Easter), Ascension (40th day after Easter) and Pentecost (50th day after Easter).
Then come the great non-twelfth holidays: the Nativity of John the Baptist (June 24/July 7), the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (June 29/July 12), the Beheading of John the Baptist (August 29/September 11), the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos (October 1/14 ), Circumcision of the Lord (January 1/14). In the Typicon they have the same designation as the great twelfth.
It should also be said about the days of the so-called prefeasts and afterfeasts, which are hallmark great holidays. On the days of the feast, hymns are sung in the temple, preparing the faithful for the celebration of the holiday, and on the days of the afterfeast, they continue to reveal its content, giving us the opportunity to live this event, remembrance of it. The days of the afterfeast usually end with the "giving away" of the holiday, when practically the same service is performed as on its very day, but less solemn (the same holiday hymns are sung, but instead of the all-night vigil, doxology is served).
On all great holidays, the Charter provides for the performance of a vigil service. It also relies on middle holidays, namely on those that are marked in the Typicon with a red cross in a red semicircle. According to the Church Charter, there are few of them: the death of the apostle and evangelist John the Theologian (September 26/October 9), St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople (November 13/26), St. Savva the Sanctified (December 5/18), St. Nicholas, Archbishop Mir Lycian, miracle worker (December 6/19). But they are also joined by temple holidays (of the saint in whose honor the temple altar is consecrated), those saints whose relics rest in the temple, as well as saints who today enjoy special reverence in the entire Russian Church (or in a specific region).
There are middle holidays marked with a red cross without a semicircle. There are a lot of such holidays, and according to the Charter, an all-night vigil is not supposed to be held on their days, but a polyeleos service is performed (in subsequent issues of the "Spiritual School" we will definitely explain such concepts as "vigil", "polyeleos", "doxology", etc. .).
There are small holidays, and also of two types. Holidays of the first type are indicated by a red bracket sign with three red dots in the middle; on such days a service with doxology is performed. The second kind of small holidays are marked in the Typicon with a black bracket with three black dots. Saints who have this sign are called "sex" (they are supposed to sing six stichera in "Lord, I have called").
There are days in the Typicon that do not have any sign; according to the Charter, they are not counted as holidays. However, from the moment when the latest edition of the Typicon appeared, the Church has glorified many saints, who are already traditionally (and not according to the Charter) celebrated with a festive service.
Hieromonk Nectarios (Morozov)
9.1. What is worship? The worship of the Orthodox Church is the service to God by reading prayers, hymns, sermons and sacred rites performed in accordance with the Charter of the Church. 9.2. What are worship services for? Worship as the external side of religion serves as a means for Christians to express their inner religious faith and reverent feelings for God, a means of mysterious communion with God. 9.3. What is the purpose of worship? The purpose of the worship service established by the Orthodox Church is to give Christians the best way to express petitions, thanksgivings and doxologies addressed to the Lord; to teach and educate believers in the truths of the Orthodox faith and the rules of Christian piety; to bring believers into mysterious communion with the Lord and communicate to them the grace-filled gifts of the Holy Spirit.
9.4. What do the names of Orthodox services mean?
(common cause, public service) is the main divine service during which Communion (Communion) of the faithful takes place. The remaining eight services are preparatory prayers for the Liturgy.
Vespers- a service performed at the end of the day, in the evening.
compline- service after supper (dinner) .
Midnight Office – a service meant to be performed at midnight.
Matins – service performed in the morning, before sunrise.
Clock Services – commemoration of the events (by the hour) of Good Friday (the suffering and death of the Savior), His Resurrection and the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.
On the eve of major holidays and Sundays, an evening service is performed, which is called the all-night vigil, because among the ancient Christians it lasted all night. The word "vigil" means "awake." The All-Night Vigil consists of Vespers, Matins and the First Hour. In modern churches, the all-night vigil is most often performed in the evening on the eve of Sundays and holidays.
9.5. What worship services are performed in the Church daily?
– In the name of the Most Holy Trinity, the Orthodox Church celebrates evening, morning and afternoon services in churches every day. In turn, each of these three divine services is composed of three parts:
Evening worship - from the ninth hour, Vespers, Compline.
morning- from Midnight Office, Matins, the first hour.
Daytime- from the third hour, the sixth hour, Divine Liturgy.
Thus, nine services are formed from the evening, morning and afternoon church services.
Due to the weakness of modern Christians, such statutory services are performed only in some monasteries (for example, in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery). In most parish churches, divine services are performed only in the morning and evening, with some reductions.
9.6. What is depicted in the Liturgy?
– In the Liturgy, under the external rites, the whole earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ is depicted: His birth, teaching, deeds, sufferings, death, burial, Resurrection and Ascension to heaven.
9.7. What is called lunch?
– In the people, the Liturgy is called Mass. The name "mass" comes from the custom of ancient Christians after the end of the Liturgy to use the leftovers of the brought bread and wine at a common meal (or public dinner), which took place in one of the parts of the temple.
9.8. What is called lunch?
- The service of the pictorial (Lunch) is the name of a short service that is performed instead of the Liturgy when it is not supposed to serve the Liturgy (for example, during Great Lent) or when it is impossible to serve it (there is no priest, antimension, prosphora). The liturgy serves as some image or likeness of the Liturgy, is similar in composition to the Liturgy of the catechumens, and its main parts correspond to the parts of the Liturgy, with the exception of the celebration of the Sacraments. There is no communion during lunch.
9.9. Where can I find out about the schedule of services in the temple?
- The schedule of services is usually posted on the doors of the temple.
9.10. Why isn't there a censing of the temple at every service?
– Burning of the temple and worshipers happens at every divine service. Liturgical censing is complete when it covers the entire church, and small when the altar, the iconostasis and the people from the pulpit are censed.
9.11. Why is there censing in the temple?
- Incense raises the mind to the throne of God, where it goes with the prayers of the faithful. In all ages and among all peoples, the burning of incense was considered the best, purest material sacrifice to God, and of all the types of material sacrifice accepted in natural religions, the Christian Church withheld only this and a few others (oil, wine, bread). And outwardly nothing resembles the grace-filled breath of the Holy Spirit so much as the smoke of incense. Filled with such lofty symbolism, censing greatly contributes to the prayerful mood of believers and its purely bodily effect on a person. Incense has an uplifting, excitatory effect on the mood. To this end, the charter, for example, before the Paschal vigil prescribes not just incense, but an extraordinary filling of the temple with a smell from the placed vessels with incense.
9.12. Why do priests serve in vestments of different colors?
– The groups have adopted a certain color of the vestments of the clergy. Each of the seven colors of liturgical vestments correspond to the spiritual meaning of the event in honor of which the service is performed. There are no developed dogmatic institutions in this area, but in the Church there is an unwritten tradition that assimilates a certain symbolism to various colors used in worship.
9.13. What do the different colors of priestly vestments mean?
On holidays dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ, as well as on the days of memory of His special anointed ones (prophets, apostles and saints) the color of the royal vestment is gold.
In golden robes serve on Sundays - the days of the Lord, the King of Glory.
On holidays in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos and angelic forces, as well as on the days of memory of holy virgins and virgins dress color blue or white, symbolizing special purity and purity.
Purple adopted on the feasts of the Cross of the Lord. It combines red (symbolizing the color of the blood of Christ and the Resurrection) and blue, reminiscent of the fact that the Cross opened the way to heaven.
Dark red color - the color of blood. In red vestments, services are held in honor of the holy martyrs who shed their blood for the faith of Christ.
In green clothes the day of the Holy Trinity, the day of the Holy Spirit and the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday) are celebrated, since the green color is a symbol of life. Divine services are also performed in green vestments in honor of the saints: the monastic feat revives a person by union with Christ, renews his whole nature and leads to eternal life.
In black robes usually serve on weekdays. Black color is a symbol of renunciation of worldly fuss, crying and repentance.
White color as a symbol of the Divine uncreated light, it was adopted on the holidays of the Nativity of Christ, Theophany (Baptism), Ascension and Transfiguration of the Lord. In white vestments, Paschal Matins also begins - as a sign of the Divine light that shone from the Tomb of the Resurrected Savior. White robes are also relied upon for Baptisms and burials.
From Easter to the Feast of the Ascension, all divine services are performed in red vestments, symbolizing the inexpressible fiery love of God for the human race, the victory of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ.
9.14. What do candlesticks with two or three candles mean?
“These are the dikirium and the trikirium. Dikyriy - a candlestick with two candles, signifying two natures in Jesus Christ: Divine and human. Trikirion - a candlestick with three candles, signifying faith in the Holy Trinity.
9.15. Why in the center of the temple on the lectern, instead of the icon, sometimes there is a cross decorated with flowers?
– This is what happens during the Holy Week of Great Lent. The cross is taken out and placed on the lectern in the center of the temple, in order to inspire and strengthen those who are fasting to continue the feat of fasting as a reminder of the suffering and death of the Lord.
On the feasts of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord and the Origin (Deposition) of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, the Cross is also brought to the center of the temple.
9.16. Why does the deacon stand with his back to those praying in the temple?
- He stands facing the altar, in which the Throne of God is located and the Lord Himself is invisibly present. The deacon, as it were, leads the worshipers and on their behalf pronounces prayer petitions to God.
9.17. Who are the catechumens who are called to leave the temple during the service?
- These are people who are not baptized, but who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. They cannot participate in the Church Sacraments, therefore, before the start of the most important Church Sacrament - Communion - they are called to leave the temple.
9.18. What date does carnival start?
- Maslenitsa is the last week before the start of Lent. It ends with Forgiveness Sunday.
9.19. Until what time do they read the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian?
- The prayer of Ephraim the Syrian is read until Wednesday of Passion Week.
9.20. When is the Shroud taken away?
– The shroud is taken to the altar before the start of the Easter service on Saturday evening.
9.21. When can one venerate the Shroud?
– You can venerate the Shroud from the middle of Good Friday until the beginning of the Easter service.
9.22. Is there Communion on Good Friday?
- Not. Since the Liturgy is not served on Good Friday, because on this day the Lord Himself sacrificed Himself.
9.23. Does Communion take place on Great Saturday, at Easter?
– Liturgy is served on Great Saturday and Pascha, therefore, there is also the Communion of the faithful.
9.24. How long does the Easter service last?
- In different churches, the end time of the Easter service is different, but most often it happens from 3 to 6 in the morning.
9.25. Why are the Royal Doors open during the entire Liturgy during Paschal Week?
– Some priests are awarded the right to serve the Liturgy with the Royal Doors open.
9.26. What days is the Liturgy of Basil the Great?
- The Liturgy of Basil the Great is served only 10 times a year: on the eve of the feasts of the Nativity of Christ and the Baptism of the Lord (or on the days of these holidays, if they fall on Sunday or Monday), January 1/14 - on the day of memory of St. Basil the Great, on five Sundays Great Lent (Palm Sunday is excluded), on Maundy Thursday and on Great Saturday of Holy Week. The Liturgy of Basil the Great differs from the Liturgy of John Chrysostom in some prayers, their longer duration and more drawn-out singing of the choir, which is why it is served a little longer.
9.27. Why is the liturgy not translated into Russian to make it more understandable?
– The Slavic language is a grace-filled spiritualized language that the holy church people Cyril and Methodius created specifically for worship. People have lost the habit of the Church Slavonic language, and some simply do not want to understand it. But if you go to the Church regularly, and not go occasionally, then the grace of God will touch your heart, and all the words of this pure spirit-bearing language will become clear. The Church Slavonic language, due to its figurativeness, accuracy in the expression of thought, artistic brightness and beauty, is much more suitable for communication with God than the modern crippled spoken Russian language.
But the main reason for the incomprehensibility is still not in the Church Slavonic language, it is very close to Russian - in order to fully perceive it, you need to learn only a few dozen words. The fact is that even if the entire service were translated into Russian, people would still not understand anything in it. The fact that people do not perceive worship is a language problem in the least; in the first place - ignorance of the Bible. Most of the chants are highly poetic retellings of biblical stories; without knowing the source, it is impossible to understand them, in whatever language they are sung. Therefore, whoever wants to understand Orthodox worship must first of all begin by reading and studying Holy Scripture, and it is quite accessible in Russian.
9.28. Why are the lights and candles sometimes extinguished during worship in the temple?
- At Matins, during the reading of the Six Psalms, candles are extinguished in churches, except for a few. The Six Psalms is the cry of a penitent sinner before Christ the Savior who came to earth. The absence of illumination, on the one hand, helps to reflect on what is being read, on the other hand, it reminds of the gloom of the sinful state depicted by the psalms, and that external lightness does not suit the sinner. By arranging this reading in this way, the Church wants to incline believers to self-deepening, so that, having entered into themselves, they enter into a conversation with the merciful Lord, who does not want the death of a sinner (Ezek. , Savior, relationships broken by sin. The reading of the first half of the Six Psalms expresses the grief of the soul that has moved away from God and is seeking Him. Reading the second half of the Six Psalms reveals the state of a repentant soul reconciled with God.
9.29. What psalms are included in the Six Psalms and why these particular ones?
—The first part of Matins opens with a system of psalms known as the Six Psalms. The composition of the Six Psalms includes: Psalm 3 “Lord, that thou hast multiplied”, Psalm 37 “Lord, let not rage”, Psalm 62 “God, my God, I will morning you”, Psalm 87 “Lord God of my salvation”, Psalm 102 “Bless my soul is the Lord”, Psalm 142 “Lord, hear my prayer”. The Psalms are chosen, probably not without intention, from different places of the Psalter evenly; in this way they represent it all. The psalms are chosen to have a uniform content and tone, which dominates the Psalter; namely, they all depict the persecution of the righteous by enemies and his firm hope in God, only growing from the increase in persecution and in the end reaching a rejoicing calm in God (psalm 102). All these psalms are inscribed with the name of David, except for 87, who is the “sons of Korah”, and they were sung by him, of course, during the persecution by Saul (maybe psalm 62) or Absalom (psalms 3; 142), reflecting the spiritual growth of the singer in these disasters. Of the many psalms of similar content, it is these ones that have been chosen here because in some places they mean night and morning (ps. ”, v. 14: “I will learn from the flattering all day long”; ps. in the days I called out and in the nights before you”, v.10: “all day long my hands were lifted up to you”, vv.13, 14: “the food will be known in the darkness of your wonders ... and I call to you, Lord, and pray in the morning mine will precede Thee"; ps.102:15: "his days are like a green flower"; ps.142:8: "I hear you do me Thy mercy in the morning"). Psalms of repentance alternate with thanksgiving ones.
Six Psalms listen in mp3 format
9.30. What is a "polyle"?
- Polyeleos is the most solemn part of matins - the divine service, which is performed in the morning or in the evening; polyeleos are served only at festive matins. This is determined by the liturgical charter. On the eve of Sunday or the Feast of Matins, it is part of the All-Night Vigil and is served in the evening.
Polyeleos begins after reading the kathismas (Psalms) with the singing of laudatory verses from the psalms: 134 - “Praise the name of the Lord” and 135 - “Confess to the Lord” and ends with the reading of the Gospel. In ancient times, when the first words of this hymn “Praise the name of the Lord” sounded after the kathismas, numerous lamps (oil lamps) were lit in the temple. Therefore, this part of the All-Night Vigil is called the "multi-eleon" or, in Greek, polyeleos ("poly" - a lot, "oils" - oil). The Royal Doors are opened, and the priest, preceded by a deacon holding a burning candle, censes the throne and the entire altar, the iconostasis, the choir, those praying, and the entire church. The open Royal Doors symbolize the open Tomb of the Lord, from where the kingdom of eternal life shone. After reading the Gospel, all those present at the service approach the icon of the feast and venerate it. In memory of the fraternal meal of the ancient Christians, which was accompanied by anointing with fragrant oil, the priest traces the sign of the cross on the forehead of everyone who approaches the icon. This practice is called the anointing. The anointing with oil serves as an outward sign of participation in the grace and spiritual joy of the feast, communion with the Church. Anointing with consecrated oil on the polyeleos is not a sacrament, it is a rite that only symbolizes the invocation of God's mercy and blessing.
9.31. What is "lithium"?
- Lithia in Greek means fervent prayer. The current charter recognizes four types of litia, which, according to the degree of solemnity, can be arranged in this order: a) “litia outside the monastery”, laid on some of the twelfth feasts and on Bright Week before the Liturgy; b) lithium at the great vespers, connected with the vigil; c) lithium at the end of the festive and Sunday matins; d) Litany for the dead after everyday Vespers and Matins. In terms of the content of the prayers and the order, these types of lithium are very different from each other, but they have in common the procession from the temple. This exodus in the first form (of those listed) of lithium is complete, and in the rest it is incomplete. But here and there it is performed in order to express prayer not only in words, but also in movement, to change its place in order to enliven prayerful attention; the further purpose of the lithium is the expression - removal from the temple - of our unworthiness to pray in it: we pray, standing before the gates of the holy temple, as if before the gates of heaven, like Adam, the publican, the prodigal son. Hence the somewhat repentant and mournful character of the lithic prayers. Finally, in the lithium, the Church proceeds from her grace-filled milieu to the outer world or to the narthex, as a part of the temple that is in contact with this world, open to all who are not accepted into the Church or excluded from it, with the goal of a prayer mission in this world. Hence the nationwide and ecumenical character (about the whole world) of lithic prayers.
9.32. What is the procession and when does it happen?
- A procession of the cross is a solemn procession of clergy and believing laity with icons, banners and other shrines. Religious processions are made on annual, special days established for them: on the Bright Resurrection of Christ - the Easter Procession; on the feast of the Epiphany for the great consecration of water in memory of the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan, as well as in honor of shrines and great church or state events. There are also emergency religious processions established by the Church on especially important occasions.
9.33. Where did the processions come from?
- Just like the holy icons, the processions of the cross got their origin from the Old Testament. The ancient righteous often made solemn and popular processions with singing, trumpeting and jubilation. Narratives about this are set out in the sacred books of the Old Testament: Exodus, Numbers, Kings, Psalter and others.
The first prototypes of the processions were: the journey of the sons of Israel from Egypt to the promised land; the procession of all Israel after the ark of God, from which came the miraculous division of the Jordan River (Josh. 3:14-17); a solemn sevenfold circumambulation with the ark around the walls of Jericho, during which the miraculous fall of the impregnable walls of Jericho took place at the sound of sacred trumpets and the cries of all the people (Josh. 6:5-19); as well as the solemn nationwide transfer of the ark of the Lord by the kings David and Solomon (2 Kings 6:1-18; 3 Kings 8:1-21).
9.34. What does the Easter procession mean?
- The Holy Resurrection of Christ is celebrated with special solemnity. The Easter service begins on Holy Saturday, late in the evening. At Matins, after Midnight Office, the Paschal Procession is performed - the worshipers, led by the clergy, leave the church to make a solemn procession around the church. Like the myrrh-bearing women who met the resurrected Christ the Savior outside Jerusalem, Christians meet the news of the coming of the Holy Resurrection of Christ outside the walls of the temple - they seem to be marching towards the resurrected Savior.
The Paschal procession is accompanied by candles, banners, censers and the icon of the Resurrection of Christ accompanied by a continuous ringing of bells. Before entering the temple, the solemn Paschal procession stops at the door and enters the temple only after the jubilant message has sounded three times: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and bestowing life on those in the tombs!” The procession enters the temple, just as the myrrh-bearing women came to Jerusalem with joyful news to the disciples of Christ about the risen Lord.
9.35. How many times does the Easter procession take place?
- The first Paschal procession takes place on Easter night. Then, during the week (Bright Week), every day after the end of the Liturgy, the Paschal procession is performed, and until the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, the same processions are performed every Sunday.
9.36. What does the Procession with the Shroud on Holy Week mean?
- This mournful and deplorable procession takes place in memory of the burial of Jesus Christ, when His secret disciples Joseph and Nicodemus, accompanied by the Mother of God and the myrrh-bearing wives, carried Jesus Christ who died on the cross. They went from Mount Golgotha to the vineyard of Joseph, where there was a burial cave, in which, according to the custom of the Jews, they laid the body of Christ. In remembrance of this sacred event - the burial of Jesus Christ - the procession is performed with the Shroud, which represents the body of the deceased Jesus Christ, as it was taken down from the cross and placed in the tomb.
The apostle says to believers: "Remember My Ties"(Col. 4:18). If the apostle commands Christians to remember his sufferings in chains, how much more strongly should they remember the sufferings of Christ. During the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus Christ, modern Christians did not live and did not then share the sorrows with the apostles, therefore, during the days of Passion Week, they remember their sorrows and lamentations about the Redeemer.
Anyone who is called a Christian, who celebrates the mournful moments of the suffering and death of the Savior, cannot but be a participant in the heavenly joy of His Resurrection, for, according to the words of the apostle: "But joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him"(Rom. 8:17).
9.37. On what emergencies are religious processions performed?
- Extraordinary religious processions are performed with the permission of the diocesan church authorities on cases of particular vital importance for the parish, the diocese or the entire Orthodox people - during the invasion of foreigners, during the attack of a devastating disease, during famine, drought or other disasters.
9.38. What do the banners with which the processions are performed mean?
- The first prototype of the banners was after the Flood. God, appearing to Noah during his sacrifice, revealed a rainbow in the clouds and called it "a sign of an everlasting covenant" between God and people (Gen. 9:13-16). Just as a rainbow in the sky reminds people of the covenant of God, so the image of the Savior on banners serves as a constant reminder of the deliverance of the human race at the Last Judgment from the spiritual fiery flood.
The second prototype of the banner was at the exit of Israel from Egypt during the passage through the Red Sea. Then the Lord appeared in a pillar of cloud and covered all the army of Pharaoh with darkness from this cloud, and destroyed it in the sea, but saved Israel. So on the banners, the image of the Savior is visible as a cloud that appeared from heaven to defeat the enemy - the spiritual pharaoh - the devil with all his army. The Lord always wins and drives away the power of the enemy.
The third type of banners was the same cloud that covered the tabernacle and overshadowed Israel during the journey to the promised land. All Israel gazed at the sacred cloud cover and with spiritual eyes perceived the presence of God Himself in it.
Another prototype of the banner is the copper serpent, which was erected by Moses at the command of God in the wilderness. When looking at him, the Jews received healing from God, since the bronze serpent represented the Cross of Christ (John 3:14,15). So while carrying banners during the procession, believers raise their bodily eyes to the images of the Savior, the Mother of God and the saints; with spiritual eyes, they ascend to their Archetypes that exist in heaven and receive spiritual and bodily healing from the sinful remorse of spiritual serpents - demons that tempt all people.
A practical guide to parish counseling. St. Petersburg 2009.