First day of Lent evening service. Liturgy

Great Lent begins seven weeks before Easter and consists of fortecost- forty days - and Holy Week- Weeks before Easter. Forty days was established in honor of the forty-day fast of the Savior, and Holy Week - in remembrance last days earthly life, suffering, death and burial of Christ. The general continuation of Great Lent along with Holy Week - 48 days.

Received with particular rigor observe the first and Holy Week

In the not very old historical centuries in Orthodox countries during Great Lent, the life of citizens changed dramatically: theaters, baths were closed, the meat trade was stopped, and on the first week of Lent, as well as on Holy Week, classes in educational institutions, all state institutions were closed so that believers could go to the temple for very important Lenten services. According to historians, pious people in Russia in the first days of Great Lent did not leave their homes unnecessarily.

Last Sunday before Lent called forgiven or "Syropustom" (on this day the eating of cheese, butter and eggs ends). At the liturgy, the Gospel is read with a part from the Sermon on the Mount, which speaks of forgiveness of offenses to our neighbors, without which we cannot receive forgiveness of sins from the Heavenly Father, about fasting, and about collecting heavenly treasures. In accordance with this Gospel reading, Christians have a pious custom to ask each other for forgiveness of sins, known and unknown offenses on this day. This is one of the most important preparatory steps on the way to Great Lent.

Received with particular rigor observe the first and Holy Week Great post. great post implies the rejection of meat, dairy, fish food, as well as eggs, however, the measure of your fast must be agreed with the priest, in accordance with the state of health.

The first week of Great Lent is especially strict,
and Divine service - duration.

Holy Forty Day, which reminds us of the forty days Jesus Christ spent in the wilderness, begins on a Monday called clean. Apart from Palm Sunday, there are 5 Sundays in the whole of Forty Days, each of which is dedicated to a special remembrance. Each of the seven weeks is called, in order of occurrence: the first, the second, and so on. week of Great Lent.

The divine service is distinguished by the fact that, during the entire duration of the Holy Lent, on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays there is no liturgy(unless there is a holiday on those days). In the morning, Matins, the Hours with some inserts, and Vespers are served. In the evening, instead of Vespers, is performed great compline. On Wednesdays and Fridays takes place liturgy of the presanctified gifts, on the first five Sundays of Great Lent - the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, which is also performed on Maundy Thursday and Great Saturday of Passion Week. On Saturdays during Holy Lent, the usual liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated.

In the first four days, (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) in Great Belief is read canon of St. Andrew of Crete with refrains to the verse: "Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me." This canon provides numerous examples from the Old and New Testaments, in relation to the moral state of the soul of a person mourning his sins, the Canon is called great both by the many thoughts and memories contained in it, and by the number of its troparia (about 250, while in there are about 30 of them in the usual canons).

Orthodox believers try not to miss these services with the reading of the canon.

Friday of the first week After the Liturgy of Great Lent, the consecration of “koliva” takes place - this is boiled wheat with honey, in memory of the Holy Great Martyr Theodore Tyrone, who provided beneficial assistance to Christians to maintain fasting. In 362, he appeared to the Bishop of Antioch, Eudoxius, and ordered that Christians be informed that they should not buy food defiled by the blood of the emperor Julian the Apostate, but would consume kolivo.

First Sunday of Great Lent referred to as " The triumph of Orthodoxy”, established under Empress Theodora in 842 about the victory of the Orthodox at the Seventh Ecumenical Council. During this holiday, temple icons are exhibited in the middle of the temple in a semicircle, on lecterns. At the end of the liturgy, the clergy perform prayer singing in the middle of the church in front of the icons of the Savior and the Mother of God, praying to the Lord for the confirmation of Orthodox Christians in the faith and the conversion to the path of truth of all who have apostatized from the Church. The deacon then loudly reads the Creed and pronounces an anathema, i.e. announces separation from the Church of all who dare to distort the truths of the Orthodox faith, and "eternal memory" to all deceased defenders of the Orthodox faith, and "many years" to those who live.

On the second Sunday of Great Lent committed memory St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonite, who lived in the XIV century. According to Orthodox faith he taught that for the feat of fasting and prayer, the Lord illuminates the faithful with His grace-filled light, which the Lord shone on Tabor. For the reason that St. Gregory revealed the doctrine of the power of fasting and prayer and it was established to celebrate his memory on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

On the third Sunday of Great Lent at the Vespers after the Great Doxology the Holy Cross is carried out. All believers worship the Cross, at this time we sing: We worship Your Cross, Master, and we glorify Your Holy Resurrection. In the middle of Lent, the Church exposes the Cross to believers in order to strengthen those who are fasting to continue the feat of fasting as a reminder of the suffering and death of the Lord. The Holy Cross remains for worship for a week until Friday. Therefore, the third Sunday and the fourth week of Great Lent are called "worshiping the Cross."

On the fourth Sunday I remember the great ascetic of the VI century - Saint John of the Ladder, who, from the age of 17 to 60, labored on Mount Sinai and in his creation “The Ladder of Paradise” depicted the path of a person’s gradual ascent to spiritual perfection, as a ladder leading from the earth to eternally abiding glory.

Thursday in the fifth week the so-called " standing of St. Mary of Egypt”, on which the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, the same one that is read on the first four days of Great Lent, and the life of St. Mary of Egypt. The service on this day lasts 5-7 hours.). The life of St. Mary of Egypt, formerly a great sinner, who left the world and was bound to live in the wilderness in fasting and prayer, and through this acquired not only forgiveness from God, but also holiness, should serve as an example of true repentance for everyone and convince everyone of God’s inexpressible mercy to repentant sinners.

Saturday in the fifth week is done " Praise to the Blessed Virgin Mary': read great akathist Mother of God. This service was established in Greece in gratitude to the Mother of God for Her repeated deliverance of Constantinople from enemies.

On the fifth Sunday of Great Lent succession is made venerable Mary of Egypt.

Saturday in week 6 Matins and Liturgy commemorate the resurrection of Lazarus by Jesus Christ.

Sixth Sunday of Great Lent- the great twelfth holiday, on which a solemn Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem to free suffering. This one is called differently. palm Sunday, Week of Vai and Flower-bearing. On the eve of the All-night service, willow branches (vaya) are consecrated, with which believers come to church. Then candles are lit, with which the faithful stand until the end of the service, marking the victory of life over death.

Palm Sunday ends Lent and Holy Week begins.

Holy Week dedicated to the memories of suffering, death on the cross and the burial of Jesus Christ. Christians should spend this entire week in fasting and prayer. This period is mourning and therefore the robes in the church are black. According to the greatness of the remembered events, all days of Holy Week are called Great. Especially touching memories, prayers and chants of the last three days.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week are dedicated to remembering the last conversations of the Lord Jesus Christ with the people and disciples. The features of the divine services of the first three days of Passion Week are as follows: at Matins, after the Six Psalms and Alleluia, the troparion is sung: “Behold the Bridegroom is coming at midnight,” and after the canon, the song is sung: “I see Thy chamber. Save mine." All these three days the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is served, with the reading of the Gospel. The Gospel is also read at Matins.

AT Great Wednesday Holy Week commemorates the betrayal of Jesus Christ by Judas Iscariot.

Divine Liturgy(from Greek λειτουργία (liturgy) - common cause) - the main Christian, during which either the Eucharist is celebrated (from the Greek εὐχαριστία (Eucharist) - thanksgiving, gratitude).

The first Liturgy was served by our Lord Jesus Christ in the Upper Room of Zion, and each Liturgy is a mysterious continuation of this event.

• Wednesdays and Fridays
• on Thursday of the 5th week of Great Lent,
• on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,
• in the days of St. John the Baptist (March 9 in a non-leap year, March 8 in a leap year) and the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (March 22), if these holidays fall during Great Lent and do not fall on Sunday,
• on the temple feast and on the feast of the revered saint (except for the feast of the Annunciation), which occurred during the specified period.

This liturgy is called so because they partake in it, consecrated earlier in the liturgy or.
The universal celebration of the Presanctified Liturgy on the days of the Holy Fortecost is approved, and has the goal not to deprive the faithful of mystical communion with the Lord and, at the same time, not to break fasting and repentance by celebrating a solemn full liturgy.

Three Parts of the Liturgy

2. Liturgy of the catechumens, which begins with the words of the priest: "Blessed be the kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever" and ends with the words: "announcement, get out".
This part could be attended by catechumens who listened to readings from the Gospel and the Apostle.

3. The Liturgy of the Faithful, which begins with the words: “Faces of faith, packs and packs, let us pray to the Lord in peace ...” and ends in retirement.
“Currently, the requirement for the presence at the Liturgy of faithful only church people ( faithful) is not implemented in practice; however, at a deeper level, it is nevertheless realized, because everything that will happen next at the Liturgy is completely closed from the uninitiated, non-church consciousness. Liturgy is perceived and understood only after entering the tradition of church life and becoming acquainted with the teachings of the Church.
At the Liturgy of the faithful, the most important moment in the Liturgy is performed -). It begins with the words of the priest "The Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ Be With You All" and ends with the words "And may the mercies of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ be with you all".

Anaphora - the core of the Liturgy

The central part of the Christian Liturgy, during which the transfer of the Holy Gifts takes place, is the Anaphora (Eucharistic Prayer, Eucharistic Canon). Ancient in origin, it is the most important point of Orthodox worship as a whole.

In all Anaphoras, several main parts can be distinguished:
1. Praefatio ( lat. introduction) - the initial prayer containing praise and thanksgiving to God.
2. Sanctus ( lat. saint) - the anthem "Holy, Holy, Holy ...".
3. Anamnesis ( lat. remembrance) - the remembrance of the Last Supper with the pronunciation of the sacramental words of Jesus Christ.
4. Epiclesis ( lat. invocation) - the invocation of the Holy Spirit to the "present" Gifts.
5. Intercessio ( lat. intercession, intercession) - prayers for the living and the dead, constituting, with the remembrance of the Virgin and all the saints.

Times and Days of the Liturgy

Liturgy is celebrated in large churches daily (with the exception of days when it cannot be celebrated), in most others - every Sunday. The beginning of the Liturgy is usually at 9-10 o'clock in the morning, in churches where there is more than one, an early liturgy (at 6-7 o'clock in the morning) can also be performed. The duration of the service (depending on whether it is performed by a priest or a bishop): 1.5–2 hours.
As for the Typikon (), it gives the time for the beginning of the Liturgy and the time for setting the meal on various days (Sat, Sun, holidays). The difference between the two is 1 hour.

Liturgy is not allowed in the following days.
1. Wednesday and Friday of Cheese Week (the week before Lent).
2. On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of the weeks of Great Lent.
3. On Good Friday, if this day does not coincide with the Feast of the Annunciation Holy Mother of God(April 7), when the Liturgy of the saint is laid down.
4. On the Friday preceding the feasts of the Nativity of Christ and the Epiphany of the Lord, if the days of the feasts themselves fall on Sunday or Monday.

Liturgy and Sacrament of Holy Communion

Those who wish to take communion at the Liturgy of the Holy Mysteries of Christ must first cleanse their conscience in. Also put before Communion. The meaning of the Sacrament is revealed in prayers to St. Communion, which can be found in . One must prepare for Communion, but no one can be fully prepared for it.

Note. In modern parish practice, on holidays and liturgy, the service is served after midnight (in this case it is 6 hours).

Great is the temptation to fall into despondency: “How can I live without delicious food! Now no fun! What a long service! – while there is no reason to be discouraged. Long services are both high examples of medieval spiritual poetry, and philosophical reflections on the place of man in eternity, and a sense of unity with other worshipers, and communion with God Himself.

At least, if not more often, back side Lenten despondency: “I cannot fast according to the Rule. I skip services. I am distracted by worldly vanity.

Trite, but no less true: remember that God does not need a stomach and legs, but a heart, He sees in the human soul a sincere desire to serve Him, and sees infirmities.

This constant remembrance of God will be our unceasing joy in Him.

No, of course, we all do not need to become hesychasts for fasting, but we can try to become half a step closer to the ideal.

Prayer should be given a little more time than usual. More attention to the services - sometimes it is worth taking a book with the texts of the service with you. Perform more carefully prayer rule- get out of the computer half an hour earlier and read the evening prayers. Add the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian. On the way, listen or read the Psalter.

It is useful to fight against numerous Lenten temptations with prayer: to respond to irritation, anger, and despondency in oneself with a brief Jesus Prayer.

Household chores, rush-hour travel, noise at work - even if we were able to organize our lives in such a way that we only eat permitted food, read the entire prayer rule and even pray during the day, we are terribly tired of all this fuss. And this is where the temple comes to the rescue.

In monasteries and in many parish churches in large cities, Lenten services are celebrated every day in the morning and evening. It is worth visiting at least part of the service before or after work - this sets you up for a completely different from surrounding reality fret.

There are divine services for which it is not a sin to take time off from work early. These are the Great Canon of Andrew of Crete on the first four days of Great Lent, Mariino Stoyanie on Wednesday evening of the fifth week, the Akathist to the Mother of God on Friday evening, the services of Passion Week…

It’s good to visit the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at least once during Lent; by the way, in some churches it is sometimes performed in the evenings (for example, in the Sretensky Monastery, several times during Lent, the Presanctified begins at 18.00).

It is common knowledge that fasting is needed not by God, but by us. Great Lent consists of two parts: Lent and Holy Week. The first is the time of repentance, the second is the time of purification, preparation for Easter.

It is not for nothing that the Church offers us the reading of the canon of St. Andrew of Crete twice for Lent. It is not in vain that every Lenten Saturday during the All-Night Vigil we hear the chant “Open the doors of repentance, Giver of Life.” It is not for nothing that three weeks before Lent the Church calls for repentance: the parable of the publican and the Pharisee, the parable of the prodigal son, a reminder of the Last Judgment and the expulsion of Adam from paradise.

It is precisely for repentance that we need the time of Fortecost. If you are not going to repent, you should not start and fast - a waste of health.

By the way, health. If during the fast there are problems with well-being, the degree of abstinence should be immediately discussed with the confessor.

According to the charter, or even close to the charter, there can be no talk of any unauthorized fasting if there are diseases associated with the stomach or metabolism. In modern conditions, even monasteries in rare cases fast with dry eating - the Lord will not condemn a working person who does not shine with health.

(It is worth remembering that the sacrament of Unction is performed in churches during Great Lent - anointing with specially consecrated oil with a prayer for the healing of the sick.)

In no way will a stomach ulcer bring you closer to God, and it can even significantly distance you - an extremely thin line between sincere striving for obedience to the church charter, not sparing your stomach, and pride in your diligence.

“I fast - I am conceited, and I do not fast - I am conceited,” mourns the Monk John of the Ladder in his “Ladder”.

“Vanity by fasting” is dangerous in its obviousness and goes hand in hand with condemnation. A brother eats fish during the first week of Great Lent, while you sit on bread and water? None of your business. He drinks milk, and you don't even put sugar in your tea? You don't know how his body works (by the way, seminaries often give dairy products to students). I ate a sausage and the next day went to take communion, while you started the Eucharistic fast even before the All-Night Vigil? This is the business of him and the priest who admitted him to the sacrament.

“Vanity through impunity” is a more subtle passion. In our time, there is such a character as the publican, who is proud that he is not a Pharisee. And here another trend already arises: he does not eat vegetable oil - but on the other hand, I put a hundred prostrations at home before going to bed! He does not drink any alcohol - but I repent every weekend!

Therefore, I would like to repeat the call of educators in kindergarten: "Look at your plate!"

And in general, talk less about food. No matter how tired this simple truth is, Great Lent is only to the least extent a change in diet.

Vegetarians never eat animal food - it neither brings them closer to God nor removes them, exactly in accordance with the words of the apostle.

Continuation famous quote: “but with every word of God,” is ideal for the Lenten period, when reading the Bible - the word of God - is given special attention.

During Great Lent, it is customary to read the entire Gospel. Also during this period, the Old Testament is read daily in temples.

It would be good to combine a decrease in interest in the contents of other people's plates with an increase in attention to others in general.

Focusing on one's own spiritual state should not turn into indifference to others. Fasting should benefit the cultivation of both virtues in oneself: love for God and love for neighbors.

St. John Chrysostom called for spending money saved on a Lenten meal to help the poor. Having dined for several days in the dining room with a side dish without a cutlet, you can buy gloves for a freezing beggar or an educational game in an orphanage.

It is not at all necessary during fasting to interrupt communication with people who may need it - a pregnant friend, a sick neighbor, a lonely relative. Chatting with them over a cup of tea is not entertainment, but helping one's neighbor.

A kind attitude towards our neighbors sometimes turns into the most unpleasant side for us: human pleasing. In fact, as a rule, there is no good attitude here - there is one's own weakness of character and dependence on someone else's opinion. It is during Great Lent that this passion intensifies.

"Let's meet on Friday after work at the cafe!" - offers a friend, and now you are already ordering a cake with her - you can’t offend!

"Come visit on Saturday night!" - the neighbors call, and you miss the service instead of apologizing and rescheduling the meeting to a later time or Sunday.

"Eat a piece of chicken, otherwise I'll be offended!" - the relative is frankly capricious, and here you can even hide behind respect for the elders, only it will be cunning: unwillingness to go into conflict is far from always connected with love for one's neighbor.

In order to free ourselves from the sin of pleasing people, we can recall the advice given by Elder Paisius the Holy Mountaineer: we must hide our personal fasts so as not to fast for show, but a general church fast is standing in faith. We must not only respect our neighbors ourselves, but also strive to be respected for us and our faith.

Most often, people understand polite explanations and get into position. And even more often it turns out that our tricky interpretations are far-fetched. A friend in a coffee shop is not at all embarrassed by our empty cup of espresso, the neighbors will be happy to meet after the service, and a relative will gladly treat the fasting guest with potatoes and mushrooms.

Finally, the most important rule of Great Lent is to remember why this period exists.

Lent is a time of concentrated expectation of the Bright Resurrection of Christ. Active expectations: together with the Lord we will try to go through forty days of fasting, together with the Lord we will approach the tomb of Lazarus, together with the Lord we will enter Jerusalem, we will listen to Him in the Temple, we will commune together with the Apostles at His Last Supper, we will follow Him on the Way of the Cross, with Let us mourn with the Mother of God and the beloved Apostle John of Christ on Golgotha...

Finally, together with the myrrh-bearing women, we will come to the open Tomb and again and again experience the joy: He is not here. Christ is Risen!

Great Lent precedes the Easter holiday - in 2019, Christians celebrate the Holy Resurrection of Christ on April 28.

The meaning of fasting is not just a rejection of meat and dairy food, it is self-restraint, that is voluntary refusal from everything that makes up a noticeable part of our earthly life. But first of all, in deep self-knowledge, repentance and the fight against passions.

Fasting provides an opportunity to think about a lot and rethink a lot spiritually. This is the time when we can force ourselves to stop, interrupt the endless, daily run, look into our own heart and understand how far we are from God, from the ideal to which He calls us.

But fasting without prayer is not fasting, but just a diet. During fasting, first of all, you need to take care of the purification of the soul and thoughts, and for this it is necessary to pray daily at home and, if possible, attend church services all seven weeks of Great Lent.

Prayer for Great Lent

Prayer in Lent should be given more time than usual. You can read the usual morning and evening prayers or something else, for example, the Psalter, but during fasting you need to add one more prayer to these prayers - a short and capacious prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian.

The prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian is one of the most frequently recited during Great Lent.

© Sputnik / STRINGER

"Lord and Master of my life, the Spirit of idleness, despondency, lust and idle talk, do not give me. The spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love grant me, Thy servant. She, Lord King, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother, for blessed art thou unto the ages of ages, Amen."

In the short lines of the prayer of St. Ephraim, the message of the path of spiritual perfection of man is captured, in which people ask God for help in the fight against their vices - despondency, laziness, idle talk, condemnation of others. And they ask to crown them with the crown of all virtues - humility, patience and love.

morning prayers

Publican's prayer: "God, be merciful to me a sinner." (Bow). According to the Gospel of Luke, this is a prayer of repentance, which was said by the publican in the parable of the publican and the Pharisee. In this parable, Christ cited the publican's prayer as an example of repentance and petition for God's mercy.

The preparatory prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother and all the Saints, have mercy on us. Amen. Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee."

Trisagion: "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Read three times, with the sign of the cross and bow from the waist). Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen."

Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity: "Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Your name's sake. Lord, have mercy. (Thrice) Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and now and forever and forever and ever. Amen."

The Lord's Prayer: "Our Father, Who art thou in heaven! Hallowed be thy name, may thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth. Give us our daily bread today, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen." This prayer can be read at any time, including before meals and in the evening.

Evening prayers

Prayer to God the Father: “Eternal God and the King of every creature, having made me even at this hour to sing, forgive my sins, even if I have done this day in deed, word and thought, and cleanse, Lord, my humble soul from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit And grant me, O Lord, in this night's sleep to pass away in peace, so that, having risen from my humble bed, I will please Your most holy name, all the days of my life, and I will overcome the enemies of the flesh and the incorporeal who fight me. And deliver me, Lord, from thoughts vain, defiling me, and the lusts of the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever Amen.

Prayer to the Holy Guardian Angel: “Angel of Christ, my holy guardian and patron of my soul and body, forgive me all, the fir-tree I have sinned in this day, and deliver me from all the wickedness of my enemy, but in no sin do I anger my God; but pray for me a sinful and unworthy slave, as if I were worthy, show me the goodness of the mercy of the All-Holy Trinity and the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ and all the saints. Amen.

And right before going to bed, you should say: "In Your hands, Lord Jesus Christ, my God, I commit my spirit: You bless me, You have mercy on me and grant me eternal life. Amen."

About repentance

One of the greatest Saints, the Monk Macarius of Egypt, said, if you look deeper into yourself, then everyone from the bottom of their hearts will have to say the words of prayer: "God, cleanse me a sinner, for I will never (that is, never) do good before you."

You can say prayers not only during worship or at home - in the morning and in the evening. Lay people can pray at any time - when negative and sinful thoughts arise. A short prayer will allow you to spiritually cleanse yourself and tune in a positive way.

© Sputnik / Alexander Imedashvili

God, my God! Give my heart the ignorance of passions and lift my eye above the madness of the world, from now on create my life not to please them and grant me pity for those who persecute me. For Thy joy in sorrows is known, my God, and a straight soul will improve it, but its fate comes from Thy presence and there is no diminution of its bliss. Lord Jesus Christ, my God, make straight my paths on earth.

Priests advise reading all four Gospels on your own during Lent, as it is difficult to be a Christian without knowing Holy Scripture. It is recommended that you read the Scriptures every day, in a quiet environment where you can concentrate, and after reading reflect on what you have read and think about how to relate the Scriptures to your life.
The time of Great Lent is specially given by the Church so that we can gather, concentrate and prepare for the meeting of the Easter holidays.

Material prepared on the basis of open sources