On Sundays, a special service is celebrated in all Orthodox churches - the Divine Liturgy. It occupies a special place among all Christian divine services.
The peculiarity of the Divine Liturgy is that it is during this service that the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist (communion) is celebrated. This sacrament contains the essence of Christianity - the restoration of the unity of man with God.
The Liturgy consists of three parts - the Proskomedia, the Liturgy of the Catechumens and the Liturgy of the Faithful.
Proskomidia
The priest and deacon in front of the closed royal gates read prayers called "entrance", then enter the altar and put on the sacred vestments.
The priest performs over five special loaves - prosphora - actions symbolizing the sacrifice. It is at this time that the Transubstantiation is accomplished - wine and bread become the Holy Gifts, the blood and flesh of Christ.
At the end of the Proskomidia, the priest blesses the censer and asks God to bless the Holy Gifts - bread and wine. All this time, the altar remains closed, and the reader on the kliros reads the Book of Hours.
Liturgy of the catechumens
Announced is a person who undergoes the announcement - preparation for the Sacrament of Baptism, during which he learns the basics of the Christian faith. At present, people are most often baptized in infancy, therefore the question of the announcement is not raised, but the name of the second part of the liturgy has been preserved. Everyone is allowed to attend this part of the liturgy - both baptized and unbaptized.
"Bless, master!" - exclaims the deacon. In response, the priest, still in the altar, utters words glorifying the Holy Trinity, which the choir ends with the word "Amen."
The priest prays in the altar, the deacon calls on the audience: "In peace let us pray to the Lord." Then he recites the great litany, which lists various petitions to God.
The choir sings psalms and hymns, after which the royal doors open, and the priest and deacon leave the altar through the northern entrance, carrying out the Holy Gospel. This is called "small entrance".
The choir sings several prayers, then the priest exclaims: "Let us listen!" (let us listen carefully), and the reading of a passage from the Acts of the Apostles begins. The priest at this time bypasses the temple, making censing. Then the choir sings: "Hallelujah!", And the central moment of the Liturgy of the catechumens comes - the reading of a fragment from the Gospel.
The reading is followed by a prayer for the living and dead Christians.
The Liturgy of the catechumens ends with the priest's appeal: "Announced, go out!"
Liturgy of the faithful
Only the baptized can attend the Liturgy of the faithful.
This part of the service begins with the recitation of a short litany, after which the choir sings the "Cherubic Hymn." During her singing, the priest and deacon carry the cup through the northern entrance and pray for the hierarchs of the Church, priests, monks and everyone present. This is called the "great entrance."
Among the prayers that are sounded during the Liturgy of the faithful, two stand out: "The Symbol of Faith" and "The Lord's Prayer" ("Our Father …"). The first of them is a summary of the Christian doctrine, and the second is given by the Savior himself. As a sign of special reverence, these prayers are sung not only by the choristers, but also by all parishioners with a priest at their head.
The culmination of the Liturgy of the faithful is communion. First, the clergy receive communion in the altar, then the chalice is taken out of the altar, and the communion of the parishioners begins. Children are the first to approach the bowl, then adults. Approaching the chalice, Christians fold their hands in a cross-like manner on their chests, partake of the Holy Gifts and kiss the chalice, and then go to the table to drink the sacrament with diluted wine ("warmth").
Having thanked God for the sacrament, the priest announces the end of the Liturgy with the words: "Let us leave in peace!", And the choir sings: "Blessed be the name of the Lord from now on and forever."
As a rule, at the end of the Divine Liturgy, the priest delivers a sermon. It explains in detail the content of the passage from the Gospel that was read during the service.
The parishioners take turns approaching the priest and kissing the cross, which he holds in his hands. After that, Christians leave the temple.
