About the order of church readings of the gospel. Scripture every day

You can learn about the life of Jesus Christ from a series of writings called the Gospel. It talks about the life of the son of God, about his deeds on earth. New Testament The Bible consists of four parts. But before reading one of the sections, the church recommends reading a prayer. You can read the Scriptures at home, the main thing is to believe in what you are reading.

Prayer before and after reading the gospel: how to read the gospel correctly?

The gospel is nothing but the Good News. By reading this holy book, a person gets a unique opportunity to know God and love him. Therefore, while reading it, it becomes possible to be freed from sin and be punished for it.

In the gospel, it is possible to single out several main provisions.

1. What surrounds us includes people, created by the Creator - God.
2. God is holy and has no sins.
3. People should obey God, as he is their creator.
4. For what has been done, eternal punishment awaits a person.
5. Avoid punishment, perhaps with the help of good deeds.
6. Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
7. A trusting relationship between Jesus Christ and humanity. Willingness to follow him under any circumstances.

How to read the gospel at home and when to read prayers?

The gospel is not a simple book, but a sacred one. Therefore, in order to get the maximum benefit from it, you need to do it right. In order to pray before reading, you need to follow some basic rules.

1. Take this matter seriously. In the event that you take a holy book, then you must sincerely believe what is written there. With an unbiased attitude to reading, proper results will not be obtained.
2. Man's desire to study the Bible. A person must want to read the holy book, otherwise he will not understand what is written there. The gospel is holy scripture, the book is not fiction.

You can read the holy letter alone or in a group of people, but must read the prayer. Prayer before reading the gospel can be addressed for your loved ones or relatives. It is worth noting that, picking up a holy book, it is worth reading at least one chapter. In this case, do not interrupt in the middle of the text. You need to read it all the way to the end!

Many who want to understand the gospel with all their hearts summarize the essence of what they have read, highlighting important points for themselves. According to church rules, the gospel is read only while standing. But at home, it is best to take the position that will allow you to escape from extraneous matters and immerse yourself in the essence of Holy Scripture. If a person listens to the gospel in the temple, then he should give up.

How to read the gospel and when?

The church recommends praying daily. But in order for the study of the holy book to be successful, it is recommended ask for a blessing in church from your spiritual mentor. The best ways to study the holy book for yourself can be:

• Daily reading one chapter a day.
• Reading scripture according to Orthodox calendar. Daily, looking through what chapter today, read in the church, and study it.

The first way is optimal for those who do not know the basics of gospel history. But at the same time, it will take a lot of time to read one chapter. The second option is optimal for understanding the scripture. The next time a person comes to the temple, he will carefully and consciously listen to what the clergyman says.

But in order to avoid additional misunderstanding of what they are reading. It is best to know the historical moments. The Church recommends reading additional ecclesiastical literature that presents correct interpretation the writings of God. Recommended reading of the following ecclesiastical explanations.

1. Interpreter from John Chrysostom.
2. Interpretation from Theophylact of Bulgaria.
3. It is recommended to read Bishop Mikhail Luzin, as well as Averky.
4. Authoritative is the explanation of Professor Alexander Lopukhin.

After reading the first two authors, it may seem that the interpretation is unclear and inaccessible to the common man. The clergy suggest that you first read Seraphim Sloboda, and only after that proceed to the study of Chrysostom and Bulgarian. For a better understanding of the gospel, it is recommended to study it in your own language. After all, Church Slavonic is sometimes considered difficult to understand.

How to read a prayer before and after the gospel at home and when?

In order to correctly understand what you read in the word of God it is recommended to read a prayer before and after reading. It is worth noting that the desired result will not come immediately. You will need to spend enough time on this issue. To better understand the gospel, you need to start living according to the commandments of God.

Many note that when reading the gospel, there is no realization of what is being read, and one does not always want to continue what has been started. Church leaders note the story of Ignatius Brianchaninov about a disciple. He read the Gospel for a long time and did not understand what he was reading. Then he came to his teacher with questions, what to do if you read and do not understand anything?! The teacher answered him that the word of God purifies the thoughts of a person and his life. Therefore, reading the gospel is necessary for self-purification. In addition, it is important to be aware of which book you are holding in your hands. You need to pray before and after reading the holy book at home. To read the gospel at home, it is best to ask for blessings in the church.

Many priests give some recommendations so that the effect of reading prayers and scriptures can be enhanced. Applying simple rules you will be able to achieve purification in a fairly short time and allow you to improve in your life. The main thing in this is faith in what you read and faith in God. Consider the main advice that the church offers.

How to read prayers for yourself and for loved ones and when?

The gospel is an integral part of the basis of the life of a Christian person. There is a lot of spiritual literature that the church recommends. But the first source and foundation, is the word of God which should constantly resound in the heart of a person. That is why it is necessary to read the gospel and prayers daily and without fail.

Even in antiquity there was a tradition of reading the gospel. It may be different. People perceive the holy book in different ways, and everyone chooses for himself how best to say a prayer and how best to read the holy book. Some begin to read the sacred words a chapter a day. Others, on the contrary, read only passages that sound in the Divine, following the church year.

Many recommend reading three chapters of the New Testament and one chapter of the Gospel after prayer a day. Some people still practice to read two chapters from the Apostle, and then pray. In addition, the main rule of a Christian is to read the psalter. You need to read one kathisma a day or one of the parts. At the same time, it is necessary to read not depending on the needs of the human heart. Each of us can find a few minutes to read one or more chapters of Scripture.

Prayer in a person's life and when to read it?

In addition, priests insist that a person's life should pass under the read. Seraphim of Sarov, argued that the human mind should revolve around writing. That is, everything that a person reads is deposited at an unconscious level. The Bible can be reread several times a day, and with each reading a new meaning will be revealed.

In the event that a person begins the day with prayer and reading the scripture, then during the day he will definitely use in practice what was conveyed to his heart. In order to receive spiritual benefit, you will need to constantly remember what has been read. And also make every effort in order to embody in life what was said by God.

Pray before and after anything. In the prayer word, you can find prayers that must be said before starting to read the holy book. But if it is not possible, then you can ask God for blessings in your own words. In addition, you should ask him for understanding and help in any other matters. And especially in the awareness and understanding of the Holy Scriptures.

In addition, the church insists that a righteous person read daily Old Testament. Despite the fact that the Old and Old Testament is quite difficult to read. They can be accepted and understood with special interpretations. You can find out which interpretations are best for you from your mentor in the church. Ignorance of the Old Testament, as a basis, it is not possible to understand what the New Testament is about.

A person may be offered different ways to read the Old Testament. The simplest one is reading from start to finish. You need to do this calmly and not dwell on any details. Especially when it comes to the history of the Jewish people. If it is possible to skip this part, then this will be optimal for you. But despite this, you will need to fully study the old part of the holy book.

It is up to you to decide for yourself whether you need constant reading of the Old Testament daily. It is worth noting that it is advisable to read it from beginning to end. Because there is a lot of useful and edifying. In addition, a person can learn a lot of instructive things from this. Many Christians admire what is written in the old part of the sacred book.

It is worth noting that before each reading of the Old and New Testament it is recommended to read a prayer. The main thing in this is that between the Old and New Testaments you can draw a line between the soul of man and God. At the same time, there are wonderful images that can help a person take the right path and explain what he should not do.

The Old Testament is an instructive part of life in which you can find your own special meaning. But over time, this part of the old book becomes uninteresting to a person. At the same time, a Christian can draw a lot of useful things from it. The Old Testament has a positive effect on each of us.

Prayers, reading a holy book- this is what a believer should do daily. Therefore, before embarking on the true path and immersing yourself, it is recommended to come to church and ask for a blessing from a mentor in this matter. He will help, as well as give advice on how to act in a given situation, and also direct you on the right path. Be sure to read the prayer before and after reading the gospel so that the understanding of the scripture goes better.

During the divine services of the Christian Church, the books of the Holy Scriptures are always read. In the Orthodox Church, for this purpose, since ancient times, collections of selected readings have been used - sacred liturgical books - the Gospel, the Apostle, the Psalter, the Parimiion (the ancient name is Parimeinik).

Gospel

contains four gospels, or gospels, from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The gospel for church reading is divided into conceptions. Under the conceptions are understood the sections that are appointed to be read at Divine services on certain days of the week and number of the year. In each gospel, a special account was conceived. An asterisk is printed before conception, but under the line it is written when this conception is read, and the words with which the reading of this conception should begin are also indicated, for example: “During it”, “The Lord spoke”.

In order to find which conception should be read on a certain day, it is printed at the beginning of the book, before the Gospel of Matthew, “The legend, which receives the number of the gospel throughout the summer and is accepted by the evangelist, from where they begin and to where the flock? t”, that is, it is shown from what day of the year and for how many weeks and weeks is one or another Gospel read in a row. At the end of the Gospel there is a “Legend, how every day there should be honor the Gospel of the weeks of the whole summer.” In the first Legend, in general, it is indicated in what order the reading of the evangelists follows one after another, and in the second, in particular, the ordinary conceptions themselves are indicated for all days of weeks and all weeks of the year. The stories complement each other. The first, theoretical, indicates exactly how to use the second, practical (reading schedule). On the Saturdays and weeks of Great Lent, the readings of the Gospels follow a special order; therefore there is also a special chapter called "The Tale of the Saturdays and Weeks of Holy Great Lent" and placed after the second index. The Orthodox Church appointed, in addition to ordinary readings, that is, daily readings that make up a series of readings of the church year, also special readings on holidays and days of remembrance of the saints, and therefore the Gospel also contains the “Collection (collection) of the twelfth month - the legend of the feasts of the Lord, the Theotokos and the elect saints - the morning gospel and the gospel at the liturgies. This is the Monthly Book, in which there are special instructions about those saints, on the days of whose memory, according to the Charter, it is not supposed to read special Gospels at all. In the latter case, it is indicated to which rank, or face, of the saints this saint belongs and what general service is assigned to him: venerable, hierarchal or otherwise. This is indicated for the fact that if a saint needs to read the Gospel, for example, on the day of a temple feast, and meanwhile he is not supposed to have a special Gospel in the Sobornik, then in this case the common Gospel of that rank, or face, of the saints to which this saint belongs is read. . In this regard, there is also a special chapter in the Gospel, which contains references to the Gospels common to the saints, “for whom we always serve.” The conception of the Gospels and "for every need" are also indicated.

The readings of the Gospel begin with the liturgy of Holy Pascha, in other words, on the day of Pascha, the church Paschal year (or circle) of readings of Holy Scripture opens. The schedule of these readings is placed at the end of the liturgical gospel, in an index called "The Tale of How Every Day the Gospel of the Weeks of the Whole Summer Should Be Eaten" (also printed in everyday editions of the Gospel and in editions of the New Testament). Readings, or conceived, are given in the index for 50 weeks, which can be arranged into the following groups or departments: I. Triodion of color - the period from Holy Pascha to Holy Pentecost - 7 weeks. II. The period from Pentecost to the Week (Sunday) after the Enlightenment (Theophany) is 33 weeks. The weeks, in turn, are divided into the weeks of Matthew - the Evangelist Matthew (17) and the weeks of Lukin - the Evangelist Luke (16). III. Lenten Triodion: 10 weeks (3 weeks of preparation for Great Lent and 7 weeks of Great Lent with Holy Week).

The Evangelist John rises as the first luminary above the firmament, already in the Paschal Liturgy, illuminating us with the first words of his gospel: "In the beginning was the Word." The Gospel of John is read during the seven weeks of Pentecost, with the exception of three days: Easter Tuesday, the Week of the Myrrh-bearing Women and Thursday - the Ascension of the Lord, when the conceptions from other Gospels are read.

The reading of the Gospel of John ends at the liturgy of Pentecost (Trinity). On the Day of the Holy Spirit, the luminary of the Evangelist Matthew ascends and reigns supreme for 11 weeks. In the next six weeks (12-17) Evangelist Mark announces with his gospel the weekday (week) days (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday), leaving the Evangelist Matthew all Saturdays and Weeks (Sundays). These 17 weeks in the Charter are called Matthew.

Evangelist Luke preaches the gospel for 18 weeks after the Evangelist Matthew: first for 12 full weeks alone, then with the Evangelist Mark, who takes weekdays, leaving the Evangelist Luke all Saturdays and Weeks.

The combination of the Gospels of Luke and Mark continues until the Lenten Triodion, week 13-16, then during the period of the Triodion in the week of the publican and the Pharisee and the prodigal son, and ends on Saturday meat-fare. These 18 weeks in the Charter are called Lukin.

They are followed by a cheese week with conceptions from the Gospels of Luke and Matthew; on Saturdays and Weeks of Great Lent, the Evangelist Mark predominates, hitherto read only on weekdays.

The gospel holiday readings are given for 50 weeks because in the annual circle of holidays the Church combines the solar and lunar astronomical calendars. According to the solar calendar (it has 52 weeks), the fixed holidays of the church year are located, and according to the lunar calendar (it has 50 weeks), the feast of Easter, from which other holidays are counted - mobile.

According to ancient church regulations, Easter is celebrated after the 14th day of Nisan, the first month of the lunar calendar, on the first Sunday after the first spring full moon. Sunday this either coincides with or immediately follows spring equinox(21 March). Due to the mismatch of the lunar calendar with the solar one, this is the first Sunday after the first spring full moon in different years turns out to be on different dates of March and April of the solar year - from March 22 to April 25. From one Easter to another there are no 52 weeks - there are either fewer or more - 50, 51, 54 and 55. Since the circle of gospel festive readings is associated with the Easter holiday, celebrated according to the lunar year, consisting of 50 weeks, then the readings are given according to the number of lunar weeks - 50.

If there are 50 or 51 weeks in the year from Easter to Easter, then in solar year, consisting of 52 weeks, there are two Easters, since the subsequent Easter falls within one solar year. This Easter is called Inside-Easter. The Intra-Easter triod begins either on the Week of Enlightenment, or on the first or second Sunday following it.

Easter years with 54 and 55 weeks are called Out-Easter. In such cases, in the solar year there is one, the previous Easter, and the subsequent Easter goes beyond its limits, outside. In these cases, between the Triodion of the future Easter, that is, the beginning of the next Easter year, and the Week of Enlightenment, a time interval of three to five weeks (two to four Sundays) is formed.

According to the Gospel index of readings, the Week of Enlightenment from January 7 to 13 falls on the 33rd Sunday from Pentecost; the Sunday of the publican and the Pharisee falls on the same Sunday, which is listed as the 33rd in the index. Such a coincidence occurs only at the earliest Inside-Easter: the previous one is April 6, 7, 8, the next one is March 22, 23. In other years, both with Inside-Easter and Outside-Easter, the Week of Enlightenment happens on the 33rd Week, earlier and later than it: on the 30th, 31st, 32nd, 33rd (with Inside- Easter) or on the 33rd, 34th and 35th Weeks after Pentecost (at Out-Easter); and the Week of the publican and the Pharisee (January 11 to February 14) may be in the 34th, 37th and 38th Week from Pentecost.

The table (at the end of this chapter) lists all 35 dates in March and April on which Easter occurs, and the beginning of the Triodion for each Easter. A semicolon in the table separates Easters, the beginning of the Triodion of which differs from each other by one week, and a dash mark - Easters, in which the beginning of the Triodion differs by almost a month.

1. With the next Pascha on March 22, 23 or 24, there is no interval: in the Week of Enlightenment (33rd after Pentecost) there is also the Week of the publican and the Pharisee.
2. At Easter from March 25 to March 31, the interval is one week: the Week of Enlightenment (32nd or 33rd after Pentecost) is followed by the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee (33rd or 34th after Pentecost).
3. At Easter, from April 1 to April 7, the interval is two weeks: between the Week of Enlightenment (31st or 32nd after Pentecost) and the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee (33rd or 34th after Pentecost) there is one more Sunday.
4. At Easter from April 8 to April 14, the interval is three weeks: between the Week of Enlightenment (30th, 31st, 34th, 35th after Pentecost) and the Week of the publican and the Pharisee (respectively, the 33rd, 34th, 37th and 38th after Pentecost) are two Sundays.
5. At Easter from April 15 to April 21, the interval is four weeks: from the Week of Enlightenment (33rd or 34th after Pentecost) to the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee (37th or 38th after Pentecost) three more Sundays.
6. During the future Pascha from April 22 to 25, the interval is five weeks: from the Week of Enlightenment (33rd after Pentecost) to the Week of the publican and the Pharisee (38th after Pentecost) four Sundays.

AT leap years data for March 24 are the same as for March 25; for March 31, as for April 1; for April 7, as for April 8; for April 14, as for April 15; and for April 21, as for April 22.

For the weeks included in the time interval, there are no readings in the index. In this case, they return, retreat to the beginnings, previously read. Such a technique in the Church Charter is called apostasy.

When the need arises for a digression, then when compiling a new series of readings, one should distinguish between weeks and Sundays. The rule for apostasy on the days of the week is given in the Typicon, under January 7 (6th "see"): "It is necessary to know that the Gospels and the Apostles from the Meat-Feast Week, counting backwards, until the Week of the coming, even there is the first after the Enlightenment of the Week. Having seen it is known , on a certain date of the month before the Meat-Feast Week there will be a Week about the publicans and Pharisees, and back counting for the past Weeks, having returned, begin a series of reaching the Week about the publicans and Pharisees. Based on this indication of the Charter, the counting of weeks is carried out according to the size of the gap, going backwards from the 33rd week. If the gap, for example, is three weeks, then the readings of the weeks 33rd, 32nd and 31st are taken for retreat.

These three weeks open a new series of readings, which begins on the Monday after the Week of Enlightenment and continues until the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee, linking the distant Paschal years with each other.

There are no retreats on Sundays. Although on these days the Gospels and the Apostles of the past Weeks (Sundays) are also read, these readings, however, are not a repetition, as in the weekly retreat, but are read as if they were missed in due time. There are Sundays in the church year when, in addition to readings according to the index, or, as they are often called, ordinary readings, there are also special ones: readings of the Week of the Holy Forefathers, Holy Fathers before Christmas, after Christmas, before Enlightenment, after Enlightenment. The Charter prescribes ordinary readings of these Weeks either to be omitted altogether, as in the Week of the Holy Forefathers and Holy Fathers, or it allows reading under conception, that is, two in a row, in the event that "if there is no retreat" (see Typikon under December 26, 9th "see"). On the holidays of the Nativity of Christ and the Epiphany of the Lord, which happened on Sunday, the ordinary Sunday conception is not read. All these unread ordinary Sunday conceptions are read during the retreat. If these conceptions are not enough (with a gap of four Sundays), then, according to the Charter, the conception of the 17th Week after Pentecost is read, about a Canaanite woman.

When reading during the apostasy, these conceptions are arranged in such a way that before the Week about the publican and the Pharisee, the 32nd Week (about Zacchaeus) necessarily falls, that is, as it is given in the index, so that the countdown can only begin from Week 32- th. From the Week of the 33rd index (Lk., 89 credits), it is impossible to count: this conception is read only on the Week of the publican and the Pharisee. The conception of a Canaanite woman, according to the Rule, should be placed before Zaccheev. If there are not enough readings for four Sundays, then the conceptions of the 30th, 31st, 17th and 32nd Weeks after Pentecost are sequentially read in them.

The Easter circle of readings ends, according to the Charter, with the beginnings of the 33rd week before the Week of Enlightenment. But since this Week is not always the 33rd after Pentecost, by the end of the Paschal year there may be 33 weeks or less: 32, 31, 30; and more - 34, 35.

At early Easter current year by the end of the Paschal circle of readings there will be more than 33 weeks, that is, there will be a lack of conception of the index.

With a late Pascha of the current year, by the end of the Paschal year there will be less than 33 weeks, that is, there will be a surplus of conceptions.

By the Sunday of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the reading of the Gospel of Matthew ends, and on Monday after it, the reading of the Gospel of Luke begins.

During the early Pascha of the current year, the Matthew weeks end long before the Exaltation, so that until the Week after the Exaltation, there are no Matthew conceived; if you start reading the Gospel of Luke before this Week, then by the end of the circle of readings, there will not be enough conceived index. To avoid this, they make the Vozdvizhensky retreat. Until the Week after the Exaltation, one or two fives of seven days may not be enough. “The legend that accepts the gospel number of the whole summer, and the acceptance of the evangelist, from where they begin, and to the place they melt,” placed at the beginning of the liturgical Gospel, explains: when Easter is on March 22: and when Easter is on April 15 and up to 25, it is read in Lukin's weeks before the publican and the Pharisee: then the meat is empty, and there are no Saturdays and weeks in Lutsa. When both of these weeks are read, it is fitting to return, and we want five days of honor ... "(Official Gospel. M, 1904).

The words "have only Saturday and Week" mean that the readings of the 17th week coincide with the readings of the 32nd, differing from them only in the beginnings for Saturday and Sunday. They are read during the winter retreat, when the upcoming Easter is very late.

The Exaltation Retreat allows the readings from Luke to begin exactly on the Monday after Exaltation Week, so that the whole circle of readings will end with the beginnings of the 33rd week because of this.

The account of the Weeks from Pentecost must be kept.

At the late Pascha of the current year, the 17th Week, which ends the Matthew series of the index of readings (from September 6 to October 10, see table), goes far beyond the Week of the Exaltation, preventing Luke's conceptions from starting at the time set by the Charter. The gap between the statutory and actual beginning of the readings of Luke can reach up to three weeks, during which instead of the statutory Luka's conceptions, there are Matthew's conceptions that have not yet ended.

This continuation of the Matfeevs was conceived a week after the Exaltation - a phenomenon not statutory. It is necessary to strictly follow the instructions of the Charter about the end of the Matthew Readings and the beginning of the Luka Readings, making crimes of the Matthew Readings in the event of such a transition in a week after the Exaltation, that is, not reading, transgressing them.

Without the Vozdvizhenskaya crime, all the beginnings of the reading index will not end by the Week of Enlightenment, but will continue after this Week.

Thus, during the late Pascha of the current year, the winter retreat would never have happened if it were not for the Vozdvizhenskaya crime, but then not only the instructions of the Charter about the end of the Matthew series and the beginning of Lukin are grossly violated, but the meaning of the Week of Enlightenment as the end of Paschal is also abolished. reading circle. During the past Easter on April 23-25 ​​and the upcoming April 8-9 (Inside-Easter), the Week of Enlightenment will be the 30th, and the Week of the publican and the Pharisee will be the 33rd from Pentecost. Before the Week of Enlightenment, there are readings only from the 30th week, so that even after this Week the reading of the index has to be continued. There is an excess of readings, but in the meantime there must be a digression, since the Week of Enlightenment has come, and the future Triodion will begin only in three more weeks.

Thanks to the Vozdvizhenskaya retreat or crime, sunny and lunar calendars in the annual circle of holidays they are united in the Week of Enlightenment. To unite them in this Week, 17 weeks are assigned in the index for readings from Matthew and 16 from Luke, since from mid-September, from the Week of the Exaltation, which marks the transition from the summer order of worship to the winter, to the Week of Enlightenment, 16 weeks pass.

Professor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy N. D. Uspensky explains the emergence and practice of the September crime of the gospel readings in this way.

The first Christian holidays were established as the Church's testimony to the world about the Divine dignity of the Lord Jesus Christ and the historicity of His incarnation. None of the evangelists has revealed so deeply divine personality Jesus Christ, as the Apostle John the Theologian, and nothing confirms the Divine nature of the Lord with such force as the fact of His Resurrection. Therefore, the Church established that from the Feast of Easter throughout the entire period of Pentecost, the Gospel of John should be read.

Of the holidays celebrated on fixed dates of the year, the most ancient is the feast of the Nativity of Christ. The establishment of this holiday on December 25 soon caused the appearance of the feast of the Annunciation on March 25. Holy Mother of God as the day of her conception of Jesus Christ. But the event of the Annunciation took place in the sixth month after the appearance of an angel to Saint Zacharias, John the Baptist was conceived (Luke 1:26). Based on this, two holidays were established: the Conception of John the Baptist - September 23 and his Christmas - June 24. Only Evangelist Luke narrates about these sacred events that preceded the incarnation of the Son of God. Therefore, the Church established that on the Monday after the Week after the Exaltation, regardless of which Week of the Gospel was read before, to read the Gospel of Monday of the 18th week (Luke 10) and from there continue ordinary readings from the Gospel of Luke. This is called the September (Vozdvizhenskaya) crime of the gospel readings. (If, long before the Week after the Exaltation, the conceptions of the Gospel of Matthew run out, then the Gospel of Luke should still not be started earlier than the above date, but it is necessary to go back to the conceptions read by Matthew, taking them as needed, and from Monday after the Week after the Exaltation, start the reading of the Gospel of Luke. This is called the September apostasy.) It must be remembered that the September transgressions and apostasy do not concern the apostolic readings, because the Epistles of the Apostles, from the point of view of their content, had nothing to do with the history of the establishment of the above-mentioned holidays. Therefore, for all the Apostolic Epistles, beginning with the book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles, there is one general account of conceptions, while each of the four Gospels has its own, special one.

The question of the September crime does not have a single solution among liturgists.

One of the starting points in compiling a series of readings of the Four Gospels has always been the concern that the Holy Scriptures be read in full during the year.

Table of Gospel and Apostolic Readings

The Gospel is no more valuable book for a Christian. Four books written by the apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the Theologian describe the life, teaching, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. And in worship Orthodox Church the reading of the gospel occupies a special place. The liturgical gospel, usually richly decorated, always lies on the Throne, and only occasionally is it brought out for veneration by the faithful. The reading of the Gospel always falls on the semantic peaks of worship. The main place for reading the Gospel is the Liturgy. For ease of understanding, the Liturgy is usually divided into three parts, the second part, beginning with the exclamation of the priest: "Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" and until the dismissal of the catechumens: "Depart the catechumens," is called the Liturgy of the catechumens, or the Liturgy of the word. In the ancient church, this part of the Liturgy was allowed to be attended by those who were penitent and not baptized, but preparing to be baptized (catechumens). The pinnacle of this part of the Liturgy is the reading of the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament (the Apostle and the Gospel). These readings and the sermon that followed them edified both the church community and the people preparing to enter it. The gospel is read both at Sunday matins and at festive matins, when the polyeleos are served. Reading the Gospel at Matins can be unusual: let us recall the following of the 12 Passion Gospels, which we usually celebrate on Maundy Thursday in the evening. But there are other cases when the Gospel is read at less important services, and then its reading puts these services in a very special position. For example, the Gospel can also be read at Vespers, but this is the rarest case: Vespers on the first day of Pascha, Vespers on Great Friday. Of course, these days are very special, having an exceptional liturgical charter.

There is an even more amazing case - reading the Gospel on the clock. The Hours is the humblest service, but three times a year a special service is performed, which in the Russian Church is called the Royal Hours. These unusual hours are performed on the eve of Christmas and Epiphany, as well as on Great Friday. But, calling these hours Royal, the church charter suggests that they be performed on the eve of the greatest holidays. They read the Gospel on the clock and in the first three days.

It is not always possible for a modern believer to attend Lenten services. If you go to the temple during Great Lent only on Sundays, then it is difficult to feel the Lenten features of worship, through which the spirit of Great Lent is communicated to us. Weekend service, at least, is no different from the usual. But, if you visit the services on weekdays, then there is some bewilderment - the Gospel is not read at the services. Yes, paroemias are read at Vespers and at the sixth hour - special Old Testament readings from the books of Genesis, the Wisdom of Solomon and the prophet Isaiah. But there is no habitual reading of the Gospel, at least in the first weeks of Great Lent. This has a special spiritual meaning. great post- the time is not for ordinary human joy about earthly things. By fasting we refuse fast food and amusements, and through repentance and fasting we prepare ourselves for the feast of feasts—Holy Pascha. And this has a direct bearing on the reading of the Gospel. The gospel is an indispensable joy, good news, as the title of these books is translated into Russian. And the Church wisely judged that the Gospel, as well as the celebration of the full Liturgy, is possible only on Saturday and Sunday of Great Lent. But still, we begin to hear the Gospel on the clock on weekdays of Lent. This happens differently in different temples. Somewhere only from the sixth week of Lent, somewhere on Wednesdays and Fridays, starting from the second week, and somewhere we hear the Gospel on the clock for almost the entire Great Lent.

The Typikon prescribes to read all four Evangelists (the Gospel of John is not read to the end) at the hours of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Passion Week. This tradition appeared in the XI century and gradually spread throughout the Orthodox world. Holy Week has a pronounced pictorial character, and this is very different from the services of other days of the church year. Each service marks some event in the history of the Passion of the Lord. For example, the Liturgy of Holy Thursday depicts the Last Supper, Matins of the 12 Gospels and the hours of Great Friday - the events of the night and morning of the Passion and the Crucifixion of the Lord, and the Gospel readings of Vespers of Great Monday and Tuesday tell about the teachings of Christ, delivered by Him on the Mount of Olives, then the daytime of the first three days of Holy Week remained devoid of any specific symbolism. Since it is known from the Gospel that during these three days the Lord taught in the Jerusalem temple during the day, then as a remembrance of these events, the reading by the priest (thus depicting Christ Himself) of the Gospel (as the Word of Christ) in the temple (pointing to the Jerusalem temple) was chosen ) during the whole long daytime of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (for this the Gospel is read in its entirety).

The filling of the readings of the hours does not matter, in contrast to the Gospels of Matins and Vespers, where specific conceptions speak of specific events of the Passion. The tradition of reading the Gospel at the hours of the first three days of Passion Week is historically relatively late; but in the minds of people it has become an obligatory element, and some transformation has also taken place: many now already think that it is necessary not only to depict the preaching of Christ in the temple, but to be sure to read all the Gospels from beginning to end. Since it is difficult to do this in the first three days of the Passion Day, since you will have to spend a lot of time in the temple (although this was precisely the idea of ​​those who introduced this practice: to portray Christ’s sermon in the temple from morning to evening, to depict it as literally as possible) , then many begin to read the Gospels in advance, before Passion Week, during ordinary Lenten weeks. This practice is widespread today in Russia. But, of course, the reading of the Gospel outside of Passion Week gives the weekday Lenten services a solemnity that is unusual for them according to the Rule. The best variant of reduction, but with the preservation of an exceptional place in the hours of only Holy Week, is the practice of reading only one Gospel of John the Theologian. This is done in some theological schools of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Protodeacon Dmitry POLOVNIKOV

Sermon by Archpriest Alexander Shargunov

In., 52 credits, 15, 17-16, 2, credits 52

Sermon by Archpriest Alexander Shargunov

In., 52 credits, 15, 17-16, 2, credits 52

The Lord said: This I command you, that you love one another. If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, sweat...

Sermon by Archpriest Alexander Shargunov

In., 52 credits, 15, 17-16, 2, credits 52

The Lord said: This I command you, that you love one another. If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If I was persecuted, you will be persecuted; if they keep my word, they will keep yours. But they will do all these things to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them works that no one else had done, they would not have sin; but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But let the word that is written in their law be fulfilled: They hated Me in vain. When the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me; and also you will testify, because you are with Me first. This I have said to you so that you will not be offended. They will drive you out of the synagogues; even the time is coming when everyone who kills you will think that he is serving God.

Christ is love incarnate. Having loved His disciples to the end, He gives them the commandment to love. "This I command you, that you love one another." He speaks as if he wants to entrust much to them in their ministry, but he calls only this one thing: "Love one another."

But there is hatred in the world, which is the seal of Antichrist, the kingdom of the devil, just as love is the seal of Christ. Those in whom this hatred is the world, they are the children of this world, in contrast to the children of God. The world is a human society organized without Christ and against Christ. It is made up of Jews and Gentiles who find agreement in opposing Christ and His servants. Christ surrounds His own with great care, but they are given a "thorn in the flesh" - persecution for Christ. Christ gives those who believe in Him a service filled with many labors and sorrows, and a consolation that surpasses everything - the commandment to love one another. The more the world hates us, the more we should love each other. When we are surrounded on all sides by enemies, we must stick together.

Great is the enmity of the world towards those who belong to Christ. The world hates them. Those whom Christ blesses, the world curses them. The world never looks favorably on the heirs of heaven. "They will persecute you," says Christ. All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. The Lord sends them out like sheep among wolves. The world will reject them because they do not belong to Him. "If you were of the world, of its spirit, the world would love you as its own." But they do not belong to the world, because Christ chose them out of the world. For this reason the world hates them. The world hates them because their life is a condemnation of the world. It is truly not safe to be truly pious, it is not safe to openly affirm an incomparably higher standard of living than that which everyone adheres to. We remember the words of St. Anthony the Great, said in the 4th century: “The time will come when they will say: you are mad because you do not want to take part in the general madness. But we will force you to be like everyone else. The word "agios" - saint - is translated as "different from others." A Christian is one who has the courage not to be like everyone else, when "everything" means practical atheism and even Satanism.

The world will hate Christians also because they belong to Christ. "For my name," says the Lord. Under whatever pretext the persecution of the Church is carried out, it is based on hatred for Christ, for those who bear His name in this world. “But if you suffer for His name,” says the Apostle Peter, “then you are blessed” (1 Peter 4:14). And the apostle Paul: “If we suffer with Him, then we will be glorified with Him.” If the world so hated Christ, can we expect that any of our good works or services to the world will save us from its wickedness? “Remember the word that I have spoken to you,” says the Lord, “a servant is not greater than his master. If I was persecuted, you will be persecuted; if they kept my word, they will keep yours.” Just as at the beginning of Christ's ministry there were few who accepted His preaching, so at the end of the Church's path there will be few who will accept it.

In Scripture, "peace" is always what a Christian must reject. And he can have no greater reason for this than that the world hated Christ. And the Lord says that He aggravates the guilt of those who hate Him. "If I had not done among them works that no one else did, they would not have sin." But now they have no excuse for their sin. The more a person knows, the more he is given, the more responsibility falls on him. Christ exposed sin. He showed that this is the way of death. And by His love on the Cross, He revealed that there is forgiveness of sin and eternal life. But they hated Him in vain. Can anything be compared with such a sin?

The world hates the disciples of Christ, because, says Christ, "they do not know Him who sent Me." The world will not recognize God, even by uniting all existing spiritualities into one, if it does not recognize God in Christ.

In Christ Jesus the world hates God. "He who hates Me hates the Father." Can there really be people who hate God? Will not the fire of shame burn them, or the horror of what inevitably follows such apostasy? Speaking of the great opposition of the world to His gospel, Christ shows what power of witness of the Holy Spirit and the apostolic Church will be present in the world. Here the mystery of the Holy Trinity is revealed to us. “When the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” The Holy Spirit is not only a Comforter, but a Witness about Christ. He is the Spirit of truth, in Him is the fullness of the truth about Christ, and no human testimony of the Cross and Resurrection is possible without inner Divine enlightenment, which will be given to the Church on the day of Pentecost. “The Holy Spirit will testify and you will testify,” Christ tells the apostles. Could there be greater comfort and greater glory for them, could there be greater strength than the presence of God Himself in their opposition to the hatred and contempt of the world?

Therefore, may His Cross not be for any of the disciples of Christ a stumbling block and a stone of temptation - a temptation to turn back. We should never expect anything from the world. Among the inevitable persecutions that await us in a world lying in evil, the greatest test will come when "everyone who kills you will think that he is serving God by doing so." Was it not so with the Christ-killers themselves? The work of the devil can, as history shows, be done in the name of God. This does not reduce the sin of the persecutors, but immeasurably increases the suffering of the persecuted faithful, who are dying in the eyes of the world by the enemies of God. So it was when the Jews crucified Christ, so it will be in the time of the “man of lawlessness,” whom Christ, appearing in glory, will kill with the breath of His mouth. Christ offered to His disciples and still offers to all those who listen to Him, not the way to make their life easier, but the way of glory.

at the same time, the Lord says "love your enemies" ... in the practice of the modern church, this commandment extends even to the enemies of Christ the Lord. This means that "the world" is the spirits of wickedness in high places, the rulers of the darkness of this age... and people do not "know that...

"The world never looks favorably on the heirs of heaven"
at the same time, the Lord says "love your enemies" ... in the practice of the modern church, this commandment extends even to the enemies of Christ the Lord. This means that "the world" is the spirits of wickedness in high places, the rulers of the darkness of this age... and people do not "know what they are doing"...