Explanations of church and home prayers. Divine Liturgy

What to order to keep loved ones in good health, a prayer service or proskomedia? The best answer is to ask your confessor.

The order of the proskomedia

Priests prepare in a special way for the liturgy, after which the Orthodox can take communion, one of the seven Sacraments of the Church.

The parishioners bring bread and other offerings to the first part of the Liturgy, the clergy prepare wine and special bread for communion.

The clergy put on an outfit corresponding to the Liturgy in order to perform a special ceremony in the altar - the presentation before the Lord of people for whom relatives and friends ask.

The rite takes place behind closed gates, in the altar, emphasizing the sacrament of the Savior's coming, invisible to many. The priest proclaims each name aloud, while saying "Remember, Lord (name)."

After reading the entrance prayers, the priest puts on festive clothes and performs the washing of hands.

From the first lamb prosphora, the priest cuts out the middle part in the form of a quadrangle - the Lamb.

Before the birth of Jesus Christ Old Testament only the sacrifice of a slain animal could atone for sins. A man sinned, but an innocent creature was killed. God no longer wanted the blood of innocent animals, sent His Son to earth, who became the last Lamb sacrificed for the sins of the world. Only those who believe in Jesus Christ, who accept his sacrifice for their sins, will be saved.

Taking out the middle recalls both the birth and death of Christ.

Discos, chalice, star, spear, liar

The Significance of Objects in the Liturgy

Every thing used in the first part of the Liturgy has a special meaning. The diskos, on which the cut out middle of the first bread is placed, symbolizes the manger in which the Savior was born, and the thunder, where He was buried.

The piercing of the right side of the middle of the piece taken out with a spear is done in memory of how the guard pierced the right rib of Jesus, and Blood and water poured out of it.

For pouring wine diluted with water, a special bowl is used - a chalice.

From the second, the Mother of God prosphora, they take out the middle in the form of a triangle, while commemorating the Mother of God. The triangular part is placed to the right of the quadrangular part - the symbol of the Lamb.

From the left side of the Lamb, 9 parts of the "ninefold", the third sacred bread, symbolizing the saints, are ironed out.

Under the "legs of the Lamb" are placed 2 parts taken out of the fourth prosphora. Part of it is the living clergy, the second is all the laity of the Orthodox Church.

Part of the fifth bread is a symbol of the memory of the dead.

For reference! From the bread served by the laity, the priest takes out as many particles as there are names on the memorial lists. Next is a prayer for health.

Remember, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, Thy mercy and bounty from the ages of existence, for their sake, and incarnated, and crucifixion and death, for the sake of the right of those who believe in You, deign to endure; and you rose from the dead, you ascended into heaven and sit at the right hand of God the Father, and look down on the humble prayers of those who call on you with all your heart: incline your ear, and hear the humble prayer of me, your indecent servant, in the stench of spiritual fragrance, bringing you for all your people . And in the first place, remember Your Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, which you have provided with Your honest Blood, and confirm, and strengthen, and expand, multiply, die, and keep the gates of hell forever and ever; Calm down the tearing of the Churches, extinguish the pagan vacillations, and soon destroy and eradicate the heresies of rebellion, and turn into nothingness by the power of Your Holy Spirit. ( Bow)

Save, Lord, and have mercy on our God-protected country, its authorities and its army, protect their power with peace, and subdue every enemy and adversary under the nose of the Orthodox, and speak peace and good in their hearts about Your Church of the Saints, and about all Your people: yes let us live a quiet and silent life in orthodoxy and in all piety and purity. ( Bow)

Save, Lord, and have mercy on the Great Lord and Father of our Most Holy Patriarch Alexy, His Grace metropolitans, archbishops and bishops of the Orthodox, priests and deacons, and all the church’s reckoning, even set you to shepherd Your verbal flock, and with their prayers have mercy and save me a sinner. ( Bow)

Save, Lord, and have mercy on my spiritual father (his name), and forgive my sins with his holy prayers. ( Bow)

Save, Lord, and have mercy on my parents (their names), brothers and sisters, and my relatives according to the flesh, and all the neighbors of my family, and friends, and grant them Your peace and peace of good. ( Bow)

Save, Lord, and have mercy, according to the multitude of Thy bounties, all the holy monks, monks and nuns, and all in virginity and reverence and fasting living in monasteries, in deserts, in caves, mountains, pillars, gates, stone clefts, sea islands, and in every place of Your dominion, faithfully living and piously serving Thee, and praying to Thee: ease their burden, and console their sorrow, and give them strength and strength to the feat of Thee, and grant me forgiveness of sins by their prayers. ( Bow)

Save, Lord, and have mercy on the old and the young, the poor and orphans and widows, and those who are in sickness and sorrow, troubles and sorrows, situations and captivity, prisons and imprisonments, rather in persecution, for the sake of Thee and the Orthodox faith, from the tongue of the godless, from the apostate and from the heretics, who are your servants, and remember, visit, strengthen, comfort, and soon by your strength I will weaken, give them freedom and deliver. ( Bow)

Save, Lord, and have mercy on him who does good to us, who has mercy and nourishes us, who gave us alms, and commanded us unworthy to pray for them, and reposes us, and do Thy mercy with them, granting them everything, even for the salvation of petition, and eternal blessings perception . ( Bow)

Save, Lord, and have mercy on those who are sent to the service, traveling, our fathers and brothers, and all Orthodox Christians. ( Bow)

Save, Lord, and have mercy on them with my madness of temptations, and turn away from the path of salvation, lead me to evil and unlike deeds; By Your Divine Providence return the packs to the path of salvation. ( Bow)

Save, Lord, and have mercy on those who hate and offend me, and those who do misfortune to me, and do not leave them to perish for my sake, a sinner. ( Bow)

Apostates from the Orthodox faith and blinded by fatal heresies, enlighten with the light of Your knowledge and honor Your Holy Apostles of the Cathedral Church. ( Bow)

After the prayer, all the particles symbolizing the people given in the notes are laid out on the diskos. The created image symbolizes the unity of the Church, both earthly and heavenly, whose heart is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

As in the world, the diskos represents the living, the dead, the sick, the lost - the people of the world who are so loved by God.

After the end of the Liturgy, all the pieces, symbolizing the people for whom they prayed, are lowered into the chalice with wine. This is a prototype of a unique action - everyone who is near Jesus will be cleansed by His Blood from all sins, will receive forgiveness.

How does proskomidia end?

The sacred rite ends with the removal of an asterisk, the symbol of the Star of Bethlehem.

The asterisk covers the Lamb and does not allow His touch with the linens covering the chalice and diskos with bread at the end of the proskomedia. Three canvases remind the laity both of the baby's swaddling clothes and of the burial wrappings that Jesus was wrapped in after death.

Watch a video about proskomedia

Today, a lot of people believe in God, but everyone understands the rituals differently. You can talk about how to properly observe them for a very long time. In fact, any person has the right to independently make a decision about faith in God. Most importantly, in absolutely any life situation be a real person and not hurt anyone.

If you have only recently started attending church, it will be difficult for you to understand the meaning of all the rituals. Proskomidia is one such action. This rite raises many questions. Next, we will consider how this ritual takes place and how it differs from a simple prayer for loved ones.

Proskomedia: what is it?

What are proskomedia? By this serious term today they mean the first part of Mass or the Divine Liturgy. Lunch at Ancient Russia called the morning church service. It got its name because it ended before lunch. One of the main activities at the proskomedia is the preparation of wine and bread for the sacrament of communion. Baking at this ceremony is a symbol of the flesh of Christ, and wine is the blood of the Savior. There is a sacrament in memory of the Last Supper. On it, Christ for the first time performed the rite of communion for his followers. This sacrament reminds us that the Savior gave his own for our life. After the rite of communion, we receive grace and feel unity with God.

In addition, the Eucharist is a symbol of the unity of Christians. This is evident even in the fact that Jesus broke from one piece of bread, treating his followers. The parishioners brought various types of bread, wine, sugar, butter and other products to the service. The best food was used for the liturgy. The rest was eaten after it was over at the common table. This rite emphasized the commonality of all people present in the temple.

Many, looking for an answer to the question “what are proskomedia”, try to find a literal translation of this word. It means "to bring" in Greek. The bread used during the ceremony is called prosphora. This word in Greek means "gift".

Wine and bread: requirements

Proskomedia about health: what does it mean? How is it carried out? Today, no one follows the tradition, according to which it is necessary to bring food to the temple for the liturgy. Usually the wives of priests and widowed parishioners are engaged in baking bread.

The criteria for bread are:

• it must be leavened or white;
• when making bread, yeast must be used, because it was precisely such a dish that Jesus offered his followers;
• the dough should be well kneaded;
• only fresh pastries are used for food;
• the shape of the prosphora is made round. They should also be two-tiered, thereby emphasizing the duality of the earthly and heavenly nature of the Savior;
• in the preparation of prosphora, seals with the image of saints are used. For communion, the prosphora of the Lamb is used. It must be marked with the letters NI KA (which means the winner) and ICXC (which means Jesus Christ). These symbols are separated by a cross. In fact, this means the following: just as Jesus saved mankind by dying on the crucifixion, so the wheat, after its death, allows a person to survive;
• wine for proskomidia must be taken grape red. Jesus also drank this wine at the Last Supper. In temples, Cahors is used for this purpose. It was the wine of this brand that was considered the best at all times;
• wine for the ceremony is usually diluted with water. It serves as a reminder of the moment when Jesus was pierced on the cross with a spear.

Church notes

When proskomidia is performed, the dead and the living are commemorated. The tradition of praying for loved ones is rooted in ancient times. In order for the clergyman to read the names of your loved ones in the altar, a note on the proskomedia is handed over to him in advance. They are usually served in the evening or in the morning before the start of the service. It is permissible to write the names of only those who were baptized during their lifetime. It is forbidden to submit notes with the names of suicides. In some temples, the inscriptions are even divided into customized and ordinary ones. When submitting a simple note, slices of bread are made according to the number of names indicated. After that, these pieces of prosphora are placed in wine. This ritual symbolizes the purification through the blood of Christ of the commemorated souls.

Also, the names written in the notes sound additionally during litanies. The clergyman pronounces them in front of the altar. Prayer for the health of the living continues during the prayer service after the liturgy. The dead are prayed for during a memorial service.

How to prepare health notes

Many are bewildered by such terms as liturgy, proskomidia, mass. church prayer in and of itself is very powerful. During proskomedia, it is required to indicate only the names of those people who suffer from a serious illness or who need God's help. By the term "health" the church means not only the mental and physical health person, as well as his spiritual aspirations, well-being, material wealth. The note on health should contain, first of all, the names of the Right Reverend Bishop, Archpastor, Patriarch. It is on them that the well-being of the entire flock will depend.

Next, the name of the spiritual father who will instruct the person is indicated. After that come the names of close people and relatives. In the final part of the note, you can write the nicknames of ill-wishers and enemies. Prayer for their health will bring peace and harmony to their souls, which will help others come to reconciliation.

Prayers for repose

Another common rite is the proskomedia for repose. Commemoration of the dead helps their loved ones to feel unity with them. According to the canons of Orthodoxy, there is no death as such. The souls of people are eternal. The prayer of the living will help the souls of the departed find their place in heavenly life, just as they can help us from there. Priests recommend submitting notes of repose with regularity. They are especially important on the birthday of the deceased, on the name day, the day of death and baptism.

How to write a note on proskomedia

There are a number of rules for writing a note.

We list just a few of them:

• the note is written on a special form that can be taken in the church, or on a plain piece of paper. In the event that you write on your paper, you must definitely indicate what it is for: for prayer for repose or for health.
• the note should be written in large legible handwriting;
• one piece of paper indicates 5-10 names at once;
• you can submit several notes at once;
• writing down the name of a person, it is necessary to wish him all the best from the bottom of his heart. This will already be a prayer for him;
• prayers indicate the name received at baptism;
• the name is written in full, there should not be any abbreviations;
• the nickname must be written in the genitive case;
• indication of surnames, patronymics and degree of kinship is not allowed;
• if the note lists the names of children less than 7 years old, they are called babies during prayer.
• indicate the rank of the spiritual person. It is also permissible to write the following words for a prayer for health: sick, warrior, prisoner, traveler;
• in commemoration notes they write such words as “eternally memorable”, “killed”, “warrior”;
• if 40 days have not passed since the day of death, the deceased is called the newly deceased;
• Notes for proskomidia are sold separately from notes for requiems and prayers.

Proskomidia: order of conduct

Often there are the following situations: a parishioner ordered a proskomedia, but she does not know how it is carried out. In order to prevent such curiosities, it is necessary to have basic knowledge about the ceremony.

Proskomedia is held behind the closed Royal Doors, hidden from the parishioners. This is due to the fact that Jesus Christ also came into our world in secret. During the proskomedia, the Hours are read according to the Book of Hours. Before the ritual, entrance prayers are read. The priest washes his hands and puts on special clothes.

Cooking the Lamb

What are proskomedia? How is it carried out? Five loaves of special bread are prepared for the Divine Liturgy. This number should remind believers of the five loaves with which Jesus was able to feed 5,000 people. Bread plays the role of a symbol of satiety, which is available only through the Savior. However, for the sacrament of the Eucharist, only the prosphora of the Lamb is used.

As planned, this piece of bread should be enough for everyone who undergoes the ceremony. Approaching the altar, the priest cuts out a quadrangular part from the prosphora. She is called the Lamb. In Old Testament times, a lamb was given as a sacrifice to God for the atonement of sins. A meek and pure being suffered for the sins of others. John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God. He came into this world to die for humanity. This part of the ceremony symbolizes birth and death.

What is done with other prosphora?

All other prosphora also have their own purpose. They are used when a proskomidia (mass) is held. From the second, the Mother of God, a triangular part is taken out. This is a symbol of the remembrance of the Mother of God. From the third, nine-part, nine parts are taken out. They symbolize the saints and are laid out on the left side of the Lamb. Only two parts are taken out of the fourth. The first is for living clergy, and the second is for the health of Orthodox laity. They are laid out below the Lamb. Lastly, a part taken out of the fifth bread, which is a symbol of commemoration of the departed, is placed on the paten.

Completion

We have almost figured out what proskomedia are. The rite ends with the installation of a star. It is the symbol of the Star of Bethlehem. The chalice and paten with wine are covered with canvases symbolizing the swaddling clothes of the infant Christ and funeral robes.

Many today are interested in proskomedia. What does this mean in a deep sense? The completion of the proskomedia signifies the death of Jesus.

Proskomedia is the most important commemoration of the living and the dead. At the Liturgy, the priest takes out particles from the prosphora about the health and repose of those for whom the faithful submitted notes.

At the end of the Liturgy, the particles taken out of the prosphora are immersed in the Holy Chalice, at which time the priest pronounces the words: “Wash away, Lord, the sins of those who are remembered here by Your precious Blood, by the prayers of Your saints.” Particles come into contact with the Body and Blood of Christ the Savior.

This is the strength and effectiveness of removing parts from prosphora.

This is not just a prayer for this or that living or dead, but the cleansing of sins by this very bloodless Sacrifice. Here each part, imbued with the Blood of the Savior, becomes an intercessor before Him for the one about whose name it is taken out.

That is why to remove from the prosphora a particle about the living or dead at the Liturgy in Orthodox Church has always been considered the most salutary and fruitful action.

Proskomidia also symbolizes the birth of Jesus Christ and is performed in the altar secretly for the believers who are in the temple - just as secretly, unknown to the world, the birth of the Savior took place.

So SUBMISSION OF NOTES TO THE ALTAR IS POSSIBLE ONLY FOR THE BAPTIZED IN ORTHODOXY! Also 40 mouths are not accepted for suicides.

In OUR TEMPLE, in addition to a one-time commemoration at the proskomedia, you can also apply for a LONG-TERM REMINDER. The difference of such remembrance is only in time - the period of remembrance (PARTICLE FROM THE PROSPORA IS REMOVED). In some other temples, the particle is not removed for a period longer than magpie.

IT IS POSSIBLE TO SERVE SORKETS IN SEVERAL TEMPLE

How to order magpie, remembrance for six months, a year?

To do this, you need to come to the temple, go to the shop where they sell candles and say: “I need to order a magpie / for half a year / for a year for health / repose and give the name of the person.

How to order a one-time commemoration?

To do this, you need to write a note yourself (you can do it at home, you can take a form in a church shop), in which you can enter up to 10-15 names.
"About repose" and "About health" are submitted separately. This note must be given to the seller in the shop. Memorial notes are always paid.

Commemorations of health are ordered not only about the sick, but also healthy people - so that the Lord would keep them, help them in their good deeds, grant them health of mind and body, and also help in correction.

Why is such a period of time as forty days chosen for some commemorations? We know from Holy Scripture and Traditions that often in order to achieve a certain spiritual result, a feat is needed that lasts exactly 40 days. Here is a secret.

We also know from patristic revelation that on the fortieth day after death, the soul of a deceased person receives a determination about his fate at the private judgment of God. That is why we especially pray during this period. From the foregoing it follows that there is a point in continuous forty days of prayer.

The elder Schema-Archimandrite Zosima noted that the entire history of mankind is measured in "weeks and forties." “For forty days Christ appeared to his disciples, staying on earth until the feast of the Ascension of the Lord. The holy feast is the fortieth day of the Ascension of the Lord. We celebrate Easter on the eve and we will celebrate the great annual holiday on the fortieth day after Easter - the Ascension of the Lord. Sorokoousty - forty days of fasting, forty days of Easter, everything goes by forty, weeks and forty. And the history of mankind also goes by weeks and forties.

How is the offering of the Sacrifice performed in the temple according to our notes?

Preparation for Her begins during the proskomedia.
Proskomedia is a part of the liturgy during which bread and wine are prepared for the sacrament.

Translated from Greek, this word means "bringing" - the ancient Christians themselves brought bread and wine to the temple, which were necessary for the liturgy.

The proskomidia, symbolizing the birth of Jesus Christ, is performed in the altar secretly for the believers who are in the temple - just as secretly, unknown to the world, the birth of the Savior took place.
For proskomedia, five special prosphora are used.

From the first prosphora, after special prayers, the priest cuts out the middle in the form of a cube - this part of the prosphora is given the name Lamb. This prosphora, "lamb", relies on a paten, a round dish on a stand, symbolizing the manger in which the Savior was born. The lamb prosphora actually serves for Communion.

From the second prosphora, "Mother of God", the priest takes out a part in honor of the Mother of God. This particle is placed on the diskos on the left side of the Lamb.

Nine particles are taken out of the third prosphora, “nine-fold”, in honor of the saints: John the Baptist, prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs and saints, unmercenaries, Joachim and Anna and the saint whose name the liturgy is celebrated. These taken out particles are placed on the right side of the Lamb, three particles in a row.

After that, the clergyman proceeds to the fourth prosphora, from which particles are taken out about the living - about the Patriarch, bishops, presbyters and deacons. From the fifth prosphora, particles are taken out about the deceased - the Patriarchs, the creators of temples, bishops, priests.

These removed particles are also placed on the paten - first for the living, lower - for the dead

Then the priest removes the particles from the prosphora given by the faithful.

At this time, commemorations are read - notes, commemoration books, which we filed in a candle box for proskomedia.

After reading each name indicated in the note, the clergyman takes out a particle of prosphora, saying: “Remember, Lord, (the name we wrote is indicated).”

These particles taken out according to our notes are also placed on the diskos together with the particles taken out from the liturgical prosphora.

This is the first commemoration, invisible to those who pray, of those whose names are written in the notes we submitted.

So, the particles taken out according to our notes lie on the diskos, next to the particles taken out from special liturgical prosphora.

The particles lying in this order on the diskos symbolize the entire Church of Christ.

“On the proskomedia, it is figuratively represented as gathered around the Lamb, who takes away the sins of the world, the whole Church, heavenly and earthly ... What a close connection is between the Lord and His saints, between Him and those who piously live on earth and those who died in faith and piety: remember what a close connection is between us and the saints and the dead in Christ, and love everyone as members of the Lord and your members - writes the holy righteous John of Kronstadt about the particles taken out of the prosphora and laid on the paten. - In what proximity to each other are both celestials and earth dwellers, and Mother of God and all the saints, and all of us, Orthodox Christians, when the divine, universal, pre-heavenly, universal Liturgy is celebrated! Oh my God! What a delightful, life-giving fellowship!”

Many believe that the particles offered for the living and the dead are a cleansing sacrifice for our sins.

It's a delusion. One can be cleansed from sin only by repentance, correction of life, mercy, good deeds.

The particles taken out of the prosphora given by us are not sanctified into the body of the Lord; when they are taken out, there is no remembrance of Christ's suffering: during the offering of the Holy Lamb, during the pronouncement of “Holy to the Holy,” these particles do not rise for the mysterious exaltation to the cross with the flesh of the Savior. These particles are not given in communion with the Flesh of the Savior. Why are they brought? So that through them the believers, whose names are written in our notes, receive grace, sanctification and remission of sins from the cleansing sacrifice offered on the Throne.

A particle taken out of our prosphora, reclining near the most pure Body of the Lord, being brought into the chalice, drunk with Divine blood, is completely filled with shrines and spiritual gifts and sends them down to the one whose name is exalted. After all the communicants have partake of the Holy Mysteries, the deacon puts into the chalice the particles about the saints, about the living and the dead, lying on the paten.

This is done so that the saints, in the closest union with God, rejoice in heaven, while the living and the dead, whose names are indicated in the notes, having been washed by the most pure blood of the Son of God, receive remission of sins and eternal life.

This is also evidenced by the words uttered at the same time by the priest: "Wash away, Lord, the sins of those who are remembered here, by Your Honorable Blood."

That is why it is necessary to commemorate the living and the dead precisely in the Church, at the liturgy - after all, it is here that the cleansing of the sins we commit every day takes place by the Blood of Christ. The sacrifice offered by our Lord Jesus Christ on Golgotha ​​and offered daily during the Liturgy on the Holy Throne is a complete and completely exhaustive payment for our debt to God - and only it, like fire, can burn all his sins in a person.

Submit a church note (commemoration)

Brothers and sisters, now you can order trebs from the list offered to you right here on the site.

Nowadays development information technologies allows you to submit donations for commemoration remotely. The site of the Holy Resurrection Church (old) in Vichuga also has such an opportunity - submitting notes via the Internet. The application process only takes a few minutes...

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"Proskomedia"- the word is Greek and means bringing. This is the name of the first part of the Liturgy from the custom of the ancient Christians to bring bread, wine and everything necessary for the celebration of the Liturgy; therefore, the very bread used on it is called prosphora, What means offering. Bread (prosphora) should be leavened (raised), clean, wheaten. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself took leavened, not unleavened bread to celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion. The prosphora should be round and consist of two parts in the image of the two natures of Jesus Christ - Divine and human; on the upper part of the prosphora there is a seal with the image of a cross and in its corners - initial letters name of Christ the Savior: IC-XC and the Greek word NI-KA; it means: Jesus Christ conquers. Wine for the Sacrament requires grape, red, because the red color resembles the color of blood; wine is mixed with water in remembrance of the fact that blood and water flowed from the perforated rib of the Savior on the cross. For proskomedia, five prosphora are used in remembrance of the miraculous feeding of more than five thousand people by Christ with five loaves, which circumstance gave Jesus Christ a reason to teach the people about spiritual nourishment and about incorruptible, spiritual food served in the Sacrament of Holy Communion (John 6, 22-58) . But actually for communion one prosphora (Lamb) is used, according to the word of the apostle: "One bread, and we many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread"(1 Cor. 10, 17), and therefore, in its size, this prosphora should correspond to the number of communicants.

PERFORMANCE OF PROSCOMIDE

Having prepared, according to the church charter, for the celebration of the Liturgy, the priest and deacon read the so-called "entrance" prayers in front of the closed royal doors and put on the altar in sacred garments. Approaching, then, to the altar, the priest, having blessed the beginning of the proskomedia, takes first(lamb) prosphora and with a copy makes an image of the cross on it three times, saying: "In remembrance of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ". This means proskomidia is performed according to the commandment of Jesus Christ. From this prosphora, the priest cuts out with a copy the middle in the form of a cube with the pronunciation of the words of the prophet. Isaiah: "Yako(how) leading the sheep to the slaughter, and as the Lamb is blameless, straight shearing it is dumb, so does not open His mouth; in humility His judgment will be taken; but his generation who confesses; like the belly will take off from the earth(a life) His"(Isaiah 53:7-8). This cubic portion of the prosphora is called the Lamb (John 1:29) and relies on the paten. Then, the priest cross-cuts the Lamb from the underside with the pronunciation of the words: "Guzzled(sacrifice) Lamb of God, take up(took over) the sin of the world, for the worldly belly(a life) and salvation", and pierces the right side of the Lamb with a spear, pronouncing the words of the evangelist: "One from the warrior with a copy of His rib, perforated and abie(immediately) out blood and water; and who has seen the testimony, and verily is his testimony."(John 19:34); in accordance with these words, wine mixed with water is poured into the cup (chalice).

From second prosphora, called "Mother of God", the priest takes out one particle in honor Mother of God and places it on the right side of the Lamb on the diskos. From third prosphora, called "ninefold", nine particles are taken out in honor of the saints: John the Baptist, prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, reverends, unmercenaries, the Godfather Joachim and Anna, the saints whose memory is celebrated on this day, and the saint whose name the Liturgy is celebrated; these parts rely on the left side of the Lamb on the diskos, three particles in a row. From fourth prosphora particles are taken out for the living and rely below the Lamb on the paten; from fifth - for the dead and rely below the particles taken out for the living. Finally, particles are removed from the prosphora served by the faithful; at the same time, the corresponding "remembrances" about the health and salvation of the living and about the repose of the departed servants of God are read; particles from these prosphora are placed together with particles taken from the fourth and fifth prosphora.

At the end of the proskomedia, the priest blesses the censer with incense and, after shaking the star, puts it on the diskos over the Lamb and the particles in order to keep them in the proper order, covers the diskos and the chalice with two small covers and on top of them one more, several large sizes, called "air", censes before the Gifts and prays to the Lord to bless the offered Gifts, to remember those who brought these Gifts and those for whom they were brought, and to make him himself worthy for the sacred service of the divine Mysteries.

The sacred objects used on the proskomedia and the actions performed have symbolic meaning: the discos marks both the Bethlehem cave and Golgotha; asterisk - star of bethlehem and cross; covers - Christmas shrouds, shrouds and a shroud that were in the tomb of the Savior; chalice - the Chalice in which Jesus Christ served as a priest; the preparation of the Lamb is the judgment, suffering and death of Jesus Christ, and the perforation of it with a copy is the perforation made by one of the soldiers on the Body of the Savior. The combination of all the particles in a certain order on the diskos means the entire Church of God, whose members are the Mother of God, the angels, all the saints of God, all believing Christians - living and dead, and its Head is the Lord our Savior Himself. Incense marks the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, whose grace is communicated in the sacrament of Holy Communion.

The proskomedia is performed by the priest on the altar, with the altar closed, in an undertone. It ends when the 3rd and 6th (and sometimes the 9th) hours of the Book of Hours are read on the kliros.

The Orthodox faith has so many nuances and special rites that it is simply impossible to know them all, and it can be extremely difficult for an ordinary person to understand them. So, proskomedia: what it is and what this action is - this is exactly what I want to talk about in the article.

Designation

It is worth saying that the most important church service is mass, or liturgy, where the sacrament of communion is performed. For this ceremony, red grape wine is required, as well as bread, or prosphora. They must be prepared before the beginning of the liturgy in a special way. To do this, the priest, together with the deacon, dressed in elegant sacred clothes, perform special actions on the altar, the altar and read special prayers. It can be concluded that certain preparations are necessary before the liturgy, which by their very nature are very important. That is precisely what they are called proskomedia. It is worth mentioning that there is a proskomidia about repose, as well as about health.

About the word

You also need to understand the concepts. So, proskomedia: what is it? Translated from Greek, this word means offering. However, it is very difficult to draw any conclusions based on this. Indeed, in the first part of the mass, no mysterious offering was made to God, but special preparations were made, thanks to which bread and wine became not ordinary, but sacred. Already at the stage of proskomidia, they could not be mixed with ordinary products and consumed together.

About preparing for proskomidia

Having dealt with the concept of "proskomedia" - what it is and what language it came from - it is also worth considering the very preparation of wine and prosphora. As it has already become clear, these are the products that Jesus himself used when establishing the sacrament. It is worth talking about prosphora. In translation, its name means "bringing gift." Where did this word come from? In ancient times, for the preparation of sacred bread, people brought to church its various varieties and types, so that the best one could be chosen for church action. Part was used in the selection, the rest was consumed at a friendly meal, which always happened after the liturgy, and where all the laity present at the mass were invited. At the same time, other products were brought to the church, such as wine, etc. All this was combined in one word - prosphora. Today, things are a little different. It is not customary to bring all sorts of dishes to the church, therefore only bread is called prosphora, which is no longer brought by believers, but baked at churches in special rooms of prosphora (women from among the wives of priests or honest widows).

About bread

So, proskomidia (what is it, we have already figured it out) - milestone preparations for the liturgy. It is worth saying that the bread itself for this is necessarily made from wheat flour (this is what the Jews consumed during the life of Christ). Its meaning was very important: it represented the atoning death of Jesus Christ. According to beliefs, everything can be known in comparison: after all, only by dying and becoming bread, wheat can bring many benefits. However, if it simply crumbles on the field, it will not fulfill its most important purpose. The same applies to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The very preparation of prosphora is considered a sacred action: the bread must be white, not anointed at the cooking stage (milk, eggs), moderately salty. It is served only fresh, not moldy, not hard. Another interesting fact is that the bread consists of two halves, which symbolize the human and divine likeness of Christ.

About wine

Along with the bread for the sacrament of the Eucharist, wine must be prepared. It is sure to be red (representing the blood of Christ) and grape (because such wine was consumed by the Installer Himself, as stated in

prosphora

It is worth mentioning that the particles in honor of all the saints, clergy, as well as people living and dead, are removed from four prosphora: the Theotokos, ninth, salutary and funeral. If we take into account the obligatory prosphora of the Lamb, then the service will be performed on five units. Other prosphora can also be brought, however, in total amount today they should not be less than five. Bowing three times, the clergyman picks up the first prosphora, which is usually larger than the others, and cuts out of it a quadrangular-shaped Lamb, pronouncing special words and placing it on the diskos. From the second prosphora, the priest takes out a particle of the Mother of God. The third prosphora is nine-fold, intended for the memory of nine saints: prophets, apostles, martyrs, as well as saints who are revered in a given church or city. It is worth saying that during the entire liturgy the names of the living and quite often. And for the first time this happens at the proskomedia. First comes the proskomidia about health, then about repose. After the commemoration of the living and the dead has ended, the priest almost always takes out a particle for himself, while reading special prayers.

Note

In church terminology, there is such a thing as a note on the proskomedia. What is it? Before the liturgy, everyone can submit a specific petition written on paper about those people for whom the priest will pray. More than once, everyone has seen that from a piece of bread that the priest gives at the sacrament of the Eucharist, as if a piece was taken away. There will be exactly as many such holes throughout the prosphora as there are names on the note. All these crumbs are collected on a diskos, during the liturgy they are next to the Lamb (large prosphora), and after that such symbolic “souls” are immersed in a bowl of wine. At the same time, the clergyman must read a special prayer. It will be important that the names of only Orthodox baptized people can be entered in the note. There are also simple and customized notes. Information about this must be clarified directly with the church itself. However, in general, according to a simple note, the name of a person will simply be taken out on the proskomedia, according to the custom one, it will also sound at the prayer service.

Types of notes

It is worth saying that there are two types of notes. First, proskomidia about health can be ordered. Before the start of the service, it is necessary to write down the names of people for whose health you need to pray on a special sheet, which will most often be located near the candle counter. According to the same document, a proskomedia for the repose is performed. When writing down the names of people, it is important to carefully read the inscriptions on top and not confuse the leaves. If you need to order a commemoration at the proskomedia, you can submit a note in the evening, simply indicating the desired number.

About the Living and the Dead

The commemoration at the proskomedia for the living and the dead is performed by virtue of the bloodless sacrifice prepared for the proskomedia. It is worth saying that it is of paramount importance not only for those living on earth, but also for dead people. There is a legend about a brother who, for certain sins before the church, was deprived of burial and reading prayers for 30 days after his death. At the end of this time, when everything was done according to Christian laws, the spirit appeared to the living brother and said that only now he had found peace, only after a bloodless sacrifice had been made.

Preparations for proskomedia

The priest and the deacon must carefully prepare for such a sacred action as the proskomedia. There are several important points to be made here.

1. Prayers are obligatory before entering the altar and in front of the altar itself.
2. Priests must be dressed in special clothes.
3. The procedure for washing hands with the reading of verses from the 25th psalm is obligatory.

Proskomedia itself

In various ways, you can find out how proskomidia goes: photos will help you with this. However, it is better to know in advance what will happen at this time. The main part of the proskomidia consists of a short duration of action. The priest and the deacon stand in front of the altar, where the sacred vessels are placed: chalice, diskos, spear, star, covers. Under the reading of prayers, rituals are performed with prosphora (sacred bread).

End of proskomidia

After the end of the proskomedia, the clergy prepare for the more solemn part - the liturgy. However, all this must take place according to certain rules.

1. Burning of the holy meal and the whole church by the deacon.
2. Reading special prayers.
3. The deacon's petition to the priest for permission to begin the next part of the liturgy.