Litany for the Dead. Litany about those preparing for Baptism. Where is the best place to order the reading of a prayer
A litany is a common prayer during a divine service. At this time, the priest usually utters prayer petitions, and the choir sings along with him, they say such words - “Lord, have mercy” or “Give, Lord.”
The litany usually ends with an exclamation from the priest himself. If there is a deacon in the temple, the church, then he leads the litany. If there is no deacon, then one of the priests conducts such a service.
Types of litany
This service comes in several forms. Let's talk in more detail about each of them. The great (as it is called) litany begins with the words "Let us pray to the Lord in peace." The strengthened litany (as the next type of this prayer to the Lord) begins with such words - "Rzem all, with all my heart ...". Moreover, the words "Lord, have mercy" are said three times after each petition.
Usually the Lord hears all prayers and helps people. The main thing is to believe in it. The last but not least type of litany is the small one. There are three total petitions in this service, which begin with the words - "Packs and packs ...". "Paki and paki ..." translates as "again and again."
Some churches serve litanies such as litanies for dead relatives. They are called restful. Many church leaders say that the litany is a special service.
There are no preparations for it, but it is not aimed at calming the attention of a person, a servant of God, but at constant arousal of attention. Usually the litany is divided into several small petitions, but in each one they say the words - "Lord, have mercy", "Give, Lord."
The History of Prayer
Litany is a Greek word. Then, and even now, this prayer was considered deep, sensual. Believers serve diligently, very concentrated. Back in Ancient Times, only deacons were allowed to conduct litanies. There used to be more of them than now.
But at the present time, it is allowed for the litany to be conducted by an ordinary minister of the church, a priest. He must be of advanced age, in years. It is believed that it is adult, experienced priests who know how best to conduct this or that service than to help parishioners after it.
After all, some people do not go home at the end of the litany, but want to talk to the priest in person. It can be just talk: about the church, its influence on a person, modern society as a whole. And someone makes a specific request for help, advice.
Who is a deacon
As you know, a deacon cannot be fully called a clergyman. But since a litany is not exactly a prayer, but only a call to it, it is allowed for a deacon (this is even desirable) to conduct this event.
Different churches have different canons and foundations, each church itself determines and sets the rules. But what is common, known to all, important and necessary to all parishioners is the same everywhere.
What is a "Special (Substantial) Ektiniya"? When is this prayer service ordered and what does it serve? Thank you. Irina.
Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko answers:
Hello Irina!
First, let's define the meanings of the words "litany" and "prayer".
Litany (from the Greek “zeal”, “stretch”) is a series of prayer petitions pronounced by a deacon or priest on behalf of all those who pray during the service. The litany begins with a call to prayer, followed by various petitions, and ends with an exclamation praising God (pronounced by the priest). After each petition, depending on its content, the choir sings “Lord, have mercy,” “Give, Lord,” or “Thee, Lord.”
According to the content and number of petitions in Russian church practice, they distinguish between great, small, special and petitionary.
The Augmented Litany (from the Slavonic “sugubiti” - “strengthen, double”) - begins with the words “receive everything with all our soul, and from all our thinking, recem” (“recem” means “we will speak”). The name of this litany refers to intense prayer (which is why it is called the "litany of diligent prayer"). It contains, in the main, petitions about persons: the Patriarch, the ruling bishop, the country (rulers and the army), about the deceased Christians (first of all, the creators of the temple), as well as about all those who perform divine services in it and perform various obediences, and also about the upcoming ones. For each petition made by a deacon or a priest, the choir responds with three “Lord, have mercy.”
Prayer is one of the types of private worship. It is short and has a pleading or grateful character. Prayers ask the Lord, the Mother of God or a saint to send down mercy, or give thanks for receiving blessings.
There are public and private prayers. The first ones are performed, as a rule, on the days of temple holidays, on the New Year, before the start of the school year, during natural disasters, epidemics, etc. Private prayers are performed at the request of individuals: for example, to bless the house, to consecrate and bless food, about the sending down of spiritual and bodily health. In different churches there are certain days for performing such prayers.
Thus, a special litany is not a prayer service, but may be included in the sequence of a prayer service. In some parishes, there is a tradition to insert petitions for the sick, for travelers, etc., into the following of a special litany.
Sincerely, Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko.
A litany is a combination of several petitions pronounced by a deacon one after another, to each of which the choir sings: “Lord, have mercy,” “Give, Lord.” There are four such litanies: great, small, severe, and petitionary. The great litany includes twelve pardons. It begins with the exclamation of the deacon: "Let us pray to the Lord in peace." Let us pray, reconciled with all our neighbors, let us pray with a calm spirit, free from all anger and enmity, for otherwise our prayers will not be accepted by God.
The Lord said: If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go, first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift (Matt. 5, 23-24). The exclamation of the deacon is followed by petitions: “For the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.” With these words, we pray that the Lord will establish peace in us, which is not only the necessary basis for our prayer, but the basis of salvation itself. “For the peace of the whole world, the well-being of God’s holy churches and the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.” We pray thus for the tranquility of the whole world, for the good condition of the Christian churches, for the union with us in spirit and peace of those who do not belong to Orthodoxy. “For this holy temple and with faith, reverence and the fear of God entering it, let us pray to the Lord.” With these words, we pray to God for the preservation of the temple in which we gather, as well as for all those reverently visiting it. “O our Great Lord and Father, His Holiness the Patriarch (name), and about our Lord, His Eminence Metropolitan (name), an honest presbytery, deaconship in Christ, about all the parable and people. Let's pray to the Lord."
Thus we pray for the supreme bishop of the Orthodox Russian Church, His Holiness the Patriarch, and for the leading bishop of our diocese; we pray for our good shepherds, priests appointed by the Lord Himself to enlighten us with the Word of God, sanctify us with the grace-filled Sacraments and guide us; we pray for the diaconate, for all the clergy, and, of course, for the people standing next to us as our brothers in Christ. “For our God-protected country, its authorities and army, let us pray to the Lord.” We pray with these words for the country, which, we believe, the Lord protects, we pray for the authorities working for the good of the Fatherland, we also pray for the army, sacrificing their peace and often their very lives for the Church and the Fatherland. “For this city, every city, country, and by faith living in them, let us pray to the Lord.” We pray here not only for the city in which we ourselves live, but, out of the feeling of Christian love, also for all other cities and surrounding villages, named in the litany by the common name of the country. “For the well-being of the air, for the abundance of the fruits of the earth and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.”
We pray for all these blessings, as for those, the lack of which a person feels from the moment of his fall into sin. “For those who are floating, traveling, sick, suffering, captive, and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.” With these words, we pray to God that He, who knows the need and petition of everyone, would give them all a hand of His help. “O deliver us from all sorrow, anger and need, let us pray to the Lord.” So we pray that the merciful God will deliver us from all evils and disasters. “Intercede, save, have mercy and keep us, O God, by Your grace.” We pray that the Lord will intercede and keep us not according to our deeds, but only by His mercy. “Our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commit ourselves and each other, and our whole life to Christ our God.” Let us commit all our needs, all counted petitions, and our very life to God, for only He knows what is really needed for our salvation. The face, which in response to all previous petitions cried out: "Lord, have mercy," now sings: "To you, Lord." The priest concludes all these prayers with a doxology to the Most Holy Trinity: “For all glory, honor and worship befits You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever.”
These words mean that we turn to God with prayers and hope to receive the blessings we ask from Him, solely because of His infinite perfections, prompting us to give Him all glory, honor and worship. To the exclamation of the priest, the face answers: "Amen", i.e. verily, so be it.
Litany
The song of praise to God, which Psalm 103 is, is not only accompanied and replenished by the secret prayers of the priest, but is also replaced by the prayer of all believers. Such a prayer is the litany following the initiatory psalm. The litany is a prayer of a very special character. It is designed for the least possible fatigue of attention, for its constant excitation. In view of this, the whole prayer is divided into a series of short fragmentary petitions, which are interrupted by the singing of even shorter prayer exclamations "Lord, have mercy", "Give me, Lord." The name of this prayer "litany", εκτενή - intense, diligent prayer, in Greek liturgical books, however, is assimilated only by the so-called "extra litany" among us; litany is generally called there συναπτή (meaning ευχή) - a compound prayer. The name litany is adopted for this kind of prayers because they are especially fervent prayers offered by all believers. In order to attract everyone to participate in them, they are pronounced not by a priest, a person, according to the original custom, of advanced age (“presbyter”), but by a deacon, which is why the litany in the ancient monuments of worship was called τα διακονικά, “deaconships”. In view of the fact that the deacon is not a clergyman in the proper sense, the litany is composed not in actual prayerful expressions, but in expressions inviting to prayer and indicating its subjects. But from time to time (on the great litany at the end, in the last petition, and on the special and petitionary at the beginning), this invitation to prayer rises to a real prayer (“Intercede, save ...”, “Have mercy on us, God ...”) .
Great Litany. The nature and content of it
The first litany at the most important daily services is the great litany (ή συναπτή μεγάλη), which in ancient times was also called τα ειρηνικά, “peaceful,” that is, petitions (αιτήματα, see Enter, ch., p. 345). It differs from the other three types of litany in its completeness of content: not to mention the small litany, which is a simple abbreviation of the great one, while the deep litany prays exclusively for persons, and the petition for needs is indifferent to persons, the great one combines both prayers, so that the special and the pleading is only a further disclosure of its content, which is why it is placed at the very beginning of the service. In addition, it differs from other litanies in its loftiness and, as it were, in the mysteriousness of its content. She begins her prayer not with any private and ordinary, at least spiritual needs, but with that higher (της άνωθεν) world, which the apostle calls "surpassing every mind." From these truly cloudy heights, the great litany in its 14 petitions (with exclamation 15) gradually descends to circles closer and closer to us: to the world, to the Holy Churches, their primates and ministers, to secular power, to our city (or monastery) and the country and their needs, to those most in need of God's help ("On the floating" - calculus according to the ascending severity of the situation) and only at the very end to ourselves. The prayer ends with a call to seek intercession in our needs, for which we prayed, to the saints, and especially to the Mother of God, to Whom the same 7 high titles are attached to her, which are attached to her in the liturgical exclamation “Fairly about the Most Holy” (why, see below ), turn in sweet and calm hope for the fulfillment of prayer. The conclusion to the litany is the glorification, in which the glory of God is presented both as the highest foundation for the fulfillment of our petition (as well as the glory of God in general, the foundation and goal of the world) and which, as the highest, angelic kind of prayer (see Enter. Ch., p. 27 ), which, moreover, includes the naming of Rev. Trinity (ibid., p. 17), says the priest himself.
Indestructible Psalter
History of the Great Litany
Already from the 1st century, a prayer has been preserved, not only close in content to the current great litany, but also called εκτενή την δέησιν. Such “intense prayer” is advised by St. Clement, Ep. Rimsky, in his epistle to the Corinthian Christians, written c. 90-100, and cites this prayer, which must have been taken from the practice of the Roman Church. “We ask (άξιοϋμεν), Lord, be our helper and intercessor; intercede from us in sorrow, have mercy on the humble, raise up the fallen, appear to those who ask ... (indistinctly) heal, turn your wandering people, feed the hungry, free our prisoners, raise up the sick, comfort the faint-hearted, may all the nations know you, as you are God is one and Jesus Christ is Your servant and we are Your people and the sheep of Your flock. You are the ever-flowing creation (σύστασιν) of the deed (δια των ενεργούμενων) of the world; You, Lord, created the universe, faithful in all kinds, righteous in judgments, marvelous in strength and splendor (cf. exclamation), wise in creation and well-known in everyday work, good in those who are visible and ... trusting in Thee; have mercy and have mercy, forgive us our iniquities and unrighteousness and falls and delusions; do not impute any sin of Your servants and children, but cleanse us with the purification of the truth and correct our steps in the reverence of the heart to walk and do good and pleasing before You and before those who rule (αρχόντων) us. Yes, Lord, shine Your face on us for good in the world in a hedgehog to cover us with Your strong hand and deliver us from sin with Your high arm and free us from those who hate us unrighteously. Grant unanimity and peace to us and to all who live on earth, as if you were given by our fathers, who call upon Thee in faith and truth, to be obedient ... and all-good (παναρέτφ) to Your name. Our chief and ruler (τοις τε άρχουσι και ήγουμένοις) of ours on earth, You, Lord, have given Thou the power of the kingdom by Your magnificent and inscrutable fortress in the hedgehog who knows us from You given them the glory and honor to repent of them, nothing opposed to Your will; Lord, give them health, peace, unanimity, prosperity (εύστάθειαν) in the hedgehog to rule them (διεπεΐν) from You, the guidance given to them is not blasphemous; You are the Lord of Heaven, the King of the ages, giving the son of men glory and honor and power over those who are on earth, You, Lord, correct their advice to the good and pleasing before Your face, but ruling in peace and meekness from You the power given to them, merciful You will find . The only strong one to do this and the good things with us, we confess to you the bishop and representative of our souls Jesus Christ, to whom glory and majesty are both now and forever and ever, amen.
Origin of the Great Litany
It is possible that this is a Eucharistic prayer; the intercessory prayers of the ancient liturgies are reminiscent of it. From these last prayers, which some liturgies had before the consecration of the Gifts, and others after it, litanies arose. In later liturgies, both Eastern and Western, the intercessory Eucharistic Prayer was said only by the priest. But the most ancient liturgies must have attracted the deacon to it. The diaconal exclamations at this prayer, inviting the people to participate in it, announcing for this purpose a summary of the content of certain important parts of this prayer, and gave rise to litanies. The way and degree of this participation of the deacon, and after him of the people, in intercessory Eucharistic prayer varied in different liturgies. In the most ancient liturgies, if we consider them as representatives of the liturgy of the eastern culturally immovable Christian outskirts (Abyssinians, Copts, Persians, Syrians), this participation was very wide. The deacon in his exclamations gave long paraphrases of the priestly prayer (in the form of an invitation), and the people responded to these invitations to prayer with whole prayers, and not only with short exclamations, like "Lord have mercy."
Litany at the Abyssinian Liturgy
So, in the Ethiopian (Abyssinian) liturgy, after the part corresponding to our proskomedia and the initial exclamations of the priest, “the deacon says: Stand up for prayer. Priest: Peace to all. People: And with your spirit. E. Stand up for prayer. Holy Peace to all of you. N. Lord have mercy on us. With your spirit. Priest - a prayer similar to the next exclamation of the deacon and interrupted by the invitation of the priest: Pray. Deacon: Ask and pray that the Lord would have mercy on us and spare us, and accept the prayer and prayer that happens for us from His saints, so that always showing favor to us, He will make us worthy of receiving and partaking of the blessed sacrament, and forgive us our sins . And all the people will say three times: Lord, have mercy. Priest - a prayer for those who brought gifts. E. Pray for those who bring gifts. Holy a prayer of the same content. After the Gospel, deacon: Get up for prayer. Priest: “Peace to all of you,” and reads a prayer, whose petitions for various classes of believers or needs are interrupted by the deacon with exclamations: Pray for this Holy Church, one Catholic and Apostolic, Orthodox in the Lord. People: Lord our God, grant us peace; Christ our King, have mercy on us. E. Pray for the archpastors, our Patriarch Abba N, the Lord Archbishop of the Great City of Alexandria and our Metropolitan Abba N, and all Orthodox bishops, priests and deacons. Pray for this Holy Church and our congregation in it. N. Bless our congregation and keep it in peace. After the Creed, the priest "prayer for a perfect world", interrupted by the exclamation of the deacon: Pray for a perfect peace and mutual apostolic kiss.
This sheds light on the original meaning of the first petitions of the great litany: they were petitions for the peace that is necessary for the offering of the Eucharist and the outward expression of which was the kiss before this offering. In the Persian-Nestorian liturgy, attribution. app. Thaddeus, before the prayer for the consecration of the Gifts, the deacon: “In your minds, pray for peace with us”; before communion: “Let us pray for our peace among ourselves”, after communion - the same (Collection of ancient liturgies. St. Petersburg, 1874-1878, IV, 22, 30, 36). In the Liturgy of Nestorius at the beginning of the "canon" her deacon: "Let us pray for our peace among ourselves" (ibid., 47). In the Gallican and Mozarabic liturgies, instead, the priest or deacon: "Give peace to one another." Chorus: “I give you my peace” three times with a refrain of a small doxology and then a priest: “Give the kiss of love and peace, so that you may be ready for the Holy Mysteries of God” (ibid., GU, 106,144).
Embrace one another, those who do not receive Communion, come out... The priest continues the prayer, to which the people answer: Christ our God, make us worthy to honor Thee. and a heavenly kiss, so that we may glorify You with the Cherubim and Seraphim and cry out, saying: Holy ... Priest - a short prayer of thanksgiving content. Deacon: O blessed, and St. our Patriarch N and Metropolitan... who in their prayers glorify You and thank You. Holy - a prayer in remembrance of St. and faithful. People: Have mercy, O Lord, on the souls of Thy servants, who have eaten Thy Body and drank Thy Blood, and have received rest in Thy faith.
Litany at the Coptic Liturgy
A further step in the development of the litany can be recognized as the form that the deacon's exclamations have in the Coptic liturgy attributed to St. Cyril of Alexandria. Here, at the intercessory prayer before the consecration of the Gifts, when the priest begins petitions for one or another class of believers or their needs, the deacon makes exclamations for them, after which the priest continues the prayer, prefaced, interrupted, or ended with his "Lord, have mercy." The diaconal exclamations are as follows: Pray for the peace of the one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, for the salvation of peoples and the security of every place, and for the remission of our sins. Pray for our fathers and brothers. Pray for the fathers and brothers of our travelers. Pray for heavenly air and fruits. Pray that Christ our God... (about the king). Pray for fathers... (archbishops of the departed). Pray for those who have made sacrifices and offerings of themselves. Pray for the life and prosperity of the Patriarch and venerable father of our Archbishop Father N, so that Christ our God preserves his life for many years and quiet times and spares us. Pray for other Orthodox who are on the whole earth, so that Christ our God will be merciful to them and have mercy on them and spare us. Pray for the safety of this place and all the places of the Orthodox fathers of our hermits and hermits and those who live in them, and for the safety of the whole world, so that Christ our God preserves them from all evil and spares us. Pray for those who are coming here, who are participating with us in prayers, so that Christ our God will keep them and have mercy on them and spare us. Pray for all those who have instructed us to remember them in our prayers and petitions, so that Christ our God will deliver them from all evil. Pray to God with fear. Pray for this holy priestly assembly and for the entire rank of Orthodox priests, so that Christ our God will confirm them in the Orthodox faith even to their last breath. Pray for this congregation of ours and for every congregation of Orthodox peoples, so that Christ our God will bless them and make them in the world and forgive us our sins.
Litany at the Sirian Liturgy
At the same stage of development are the diaconal exclamations in the Sirian Liturgy of St. James, common among the Melchites (Orthodox) and Jacobites, therefore, appeared before the heresy of the Monophysites, and in the ancient Mozarabic (Southern Spanish) liturgy. In the first, after the part corresponding to our proskomedia, and the exclamation of the priest “Glory to the Father...”, the deacon: “On the tranquility and peace of the whole world of those who believe in Christ from the limits and to the limits of the universe, about the weak and oppressed and the souls of those who suffer, about fathers, brothers and our mentors, for the sins, sins and transgressions of all of us, and for the faithful departed who have departed from us, we pray with the offering of incense, Lord. ”The priest is a prayer of a different, general content. The same proclamation by the deacon is somewhat later. After the consecration of the Gifts, the deacon: Bless, Lord. Let us pray and ask the Lord our God for a truly great and holy day. for a minute for our fathers and rulers ... (i.e., the patriarch and bishops), let us pray to the Lord. The priest - a prayer for them and the whole world. People: Amen. Deacon: Again and again we remember our faithful brethren, true Christians... (who now asked to pray and were burdened with temptations and calamities). Priest - a prayer with the answer of the people: Amen. Deacon - a prayer for the kings: Again and again we commemorate all the faithful kings, true Christians who built and founded the churches and monasteries of God in the four countries of the world, and the entire Christian community and the clergy and the faithful people, so that they prosper in virtues, let us pray to the Lord. Priest - prayer; people - amen. Deacon - commemoration of the saints: Again and again we commemorate ... (The Most Holy Theotokos and the faces of the saints with the name of John the Baptist and Archbishop Stephen) ... let us pray to the Lord for all of them. Priest - prayer. People, amen. Deacon - commemoration of mentors: We also commemorate before You, Lord God, mentors, interpreters of the immaculate faith ... (precisely the dead of them), let us pray to the Lord. Priest - prayer. People: Amen. Deacon - commemoration of the faithful departed: We still commemorate ... (with an ending): Therefore, we will cry out and say: Kyrie eleison 3. Priest - prayer for the departed. People: Grant them rest, God have mercy and forgive sins ... all of us ... Priest - a prayer for the absolutions of sins and a shameful death with a doxology at the end. People: As it (Your name) was and is in the generations of generations and in the ages to come, amen.
Litany at the Mozarabic Liturgy
At the Mozarabic liturgy, there is something similar to the litany only on Great Saturday (Passion Week generally preserves the most traces of ancient practice). Here, after each of the 10 Old Testament readings (= proverbs), there is a prayer according to the next order. According to the 1st reading (Gen. 1, 2), “the deacon says: For (pro) the feast of Pascha. Let us kneel (flexamus genua). Get up (levate)." Inscribed "Prayer" (Oratio) is followed by a short prayer (of the priest), followed by the Responsorium (response of the people): Amen; then the conclusion of the priestly prayer, like our exclamation, and again amen. According to the 2nd reading, the deacon: For those who, being held back by various needs, cannot be at Pascha. Let's bow our knees. Stand up, etc. 3. For priests and ministers. 4. For the unity of the Catholic faith. 5. For the virgins (virginibus, - according to the priestly prayer: "as the glorious lot of Christ, in which the Catholic Church rejoices most"). 6. About those who do alms. 7. About travelers and sailors. 8. About patients. 9. About penitents. 10. About the world of the people and kings.
Litany at the Liturgy of the Evangelist Mark
The deacon's petitions in the Coptic liturgy of the Evangelist Mark are at the same stage of development, in which each of these petitions, having the form "Pray for this," is followed by a small prayer of the priest. The petitions are as follows: “Pray for the living, for the sick, for the absent. - For the goodness of the air and for the fruits of the earth, for the correct rise of the river waters (Nile), for favorable rains and shoots. - About the health of people and animals, about the well-being of the world and the city, - about Christ-loving kings. About the captives, about the dead and those who make an offering, about the mourners, about the catechumens. - About the world of the Holy One Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Church. - About our Patriarch Father N, Mr. Archbishop of the great city of Alexandria. About St. this church and our meetings.” The order of petitions here is the reverse of our current one - from bodily, private and most acute needs to spiritual and general ones. But the Greek lists of this liturgy correct this order, putting in the first place the petition for the peace of the Holy Church. This liturgy, like other Coptic ones, has deacon petitions after the consecration of the Gifts.
Much more reminiscent of our current litanies are the deacon's petitions in the ancient Greek list of the liturgy of the gospels. Mark, in the Rossani (in Calabria) codex of the 11th century. Here the liturgy begins "Peace to all", "And your spirit." Deacon: Pray (προσεύξασθε). People: Lord have mercy - three times. Priest - a prayer (of general content - gratitude for God's help and a petition for it and for preservation from evil and sin), the end of which (“Through whom and with whom glory and power to you in the Holy Spirit”) is public. People: Amen. Priest: Peace to all. N. And your spirit. E. Pray for a king. N. Lord have mercy 3. Priest - prayer. N. Amen. Holy Peace to all. N. And your spirit. E. Pray for the Pope and the Bishop. N. Lord have mercy 3. Priest prayer. Amen. Peace to all. And spirits. D. Stand in prayer. N. Lord have mercy 3. Prayer of entry. Amen. After entering: D. To prayer. Holy Peace to all. D. To prayer (Επί προσευχήν). Η. Lord have mercy. Holy - prayer (of the Trisagion) with an exclamation.Η. Amen. After the Gospel, the deacon litany (?), Priest. prayer for various (bodily) needs. After the Symbol, the deacon: Stand up for prayer (στάθητε). Holy Peace to all. E. Pray for those who bring. Holy - a prayer for them.
Litany at the Nestorian Liturgy
Even closer to our litanies are the litanies (as they are called there) in the later redactions (but generally very ancient) of the Mesopotamian-Persian Nestorian liturgies, the oldest redactions of which have absolutely nothing corresponding to our liturgies (as from other liturgies, only Roman and Liturgy of St. Peter). Thus, the liturgy of the Malabarians (Indian Nestorians) has two litanies: one after the Trisagion before the reading, the other after the consecration of the Gifts, the first corresponds to our great and special, the second is petitionary. First. “Deacon: Let us all become good and with joy and vigor we ask and pray: Our Lord, have mercy on us. People: Our Lord, have mercy on us (the same answer to each of the 12 deacon's proclamations). 2. Father of mercy and God of all comfort, we ask you. 3. Our salvation, and our salvation of the giver, and the things of all the leader, we ask you. 4. For peace and the unification of the whole world and all the Churches, we ask You. 5. We ask you for the goodness of the air and summer, the abundance of fruits and every kind of decoration. 6. About St. our fathers, our patriarch, pastor of the entire Catholic Church, and the bishop, may they enjoy good health, we ask you. 7. Merciful God, as if by His love everything rules, we ask Thee. 8. By the grace of the rich and the favor of the abundant You, we ask 9. A good being and all the gifts of the giver, We ask You. 10. In heaven glorious and on earth exalted, we ask Thee. 12. Immortal nature, and in the brightest light of the living You, we ask: save everyone, Christ Lord our God, by Your grace and multiply peace and love in us and have mercy on us. This is followed by the petitions of the deacon, already without an answer from the people, among 17, beginning with the words “Let us pray”, then “Let us remember”, “Let us make a memory”; “Remember”, “Pray”, “About this”, to which all together the people answer amen. These petitions, of which the first “Let us pray, peace be with us,” conclude a prayer for hearing and mercy, for the Church, her eternal peace, for bishops, patriarchs, presbyters, deacons, the whole assembly, then “remembrance” of “Blessed Mary the Virgin Mother of Christ and the Savior" with a prayer that the Spirit dwelling in Her would sanctify us too, the remembrance of the prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors with a prayer for imitation of them, the remembrance of the "fathers" Nestorius, Diodorus, Theodore, Ephraim, Abraham, Narcissus and all others with a prayer for the preservation of their teachings in the Church, then the remembrance of the departed, a prayer for the country and the state, for those who have strayed from the faith, for the sick, the sick and the demon-possessed, for the poor orphans, widows, the unfortunate and persecuted, and an invitation to especially fervent prayer ("cry out with all your heart. ..”) about our sanctification, and in conclusion, the glorification of the mercy of God (corresponds to our exclamation, but pronounced by the deacon).
Litany of the Armenian Liturgy
Already very close to our litanies are the deacon's petitions at the Armenian liturgy attributed to St. Gregory, Enlightener of Armenia (4th century). After several short litanies (such a term is not used) at the beginning of the liturgy, here, after the Trisagion, before the “psalm of the day” and readings, a litany is laid, replacing our great and special, consisting of 12 petitions, with an answer to the first 9 “Lord have mercy”, on 10th “O Lord, we give ourselves up to you”, on the 11th “Lord have mercy” 3 and on the 12th a short prayer of the priest for the acceptance of the prayer (corresponding to the exclamation). 1. Again and again in the world let us pray to the Lord. 2. About the peace of the whole world and about the affirmation of the Holy Church (“Let us pray to the Lord” until the 9th Ave.). 3. About all St. and Orthodox bishops. 4. About our lord, the most holy patriarch, about the health and salvation of his soul. 5. About the archbishop. or ep. ours. 6. About vartapeds (episcopal council under the catholicos), priests, deacons, subdeacons and all church clergy. (7. Here, our current petition is used for the king and the reigning house, but only among the Russian Armenians). 8. About the souls of the departed, who died in the true and Orthodox faith in Christ. 9. More about the unity of our true and holy faith. 10. Let us commit ourselves and each other to the Lord God Almighty. 11. Have mercy on us, Lord our God, according to Your great mercy, we will all say unanimously. 12. Bless, Master. The priest pray secretly.
Litany of the Ambrosian Liturgy
This litany is closer to our great litany of prosphonesis (proclamation) in the ancient rite of the Ambrosian liturgy. “Deacon: Out of obligation to Divine peace and forgiveness (Divinae pads et indulgentiae mune-re), imploring with all our heart and all our mind, we implore You (precamur te). People: Lord have mercy (Domine miserere, and so on for every petition). Deacon: O (pro) Holy Catholic Church, which is scattered here and throughout the world, we pray to You (every petition ends like this). About our pope N and our high priest (pontifice) N and all their clergy and all priests and ministers (ministris) ..O Thy servant N the emperor and Thy servant N the empress and all their army. About Your servant N the king and prince (duce) of ours and all his army. About the peace of the Churches, the calling of the Gentiles and the peace of the peoples. About this city (civitate) and its preservation and about all those who live in it. On the goodness of the air (aeris temperie) and fruits (fructuum) and the fertility of the land. About virgins, widows, orphans, captives and penitents. About floating, traveling, in dungeons, in bonds, mines (in metallis), in exile. About those who are possessed by various ailments, who are tormented by unclean spirits. About those who in Your Holy Church are generous with the fruits of mercy. Hear us in every prayer and supplication, we pray to You. Rcem everything. People: Lord have mercy (Domine miserere). Kyrie eleyson 3.
goar. Εύχολόγιον, 38. At the Gallican liturgy, after the Trisagion, before the readings, Kyrie eleyson or rogationes is laid, by which they understand the litany and restore it according to Eastern patterns (what?) in the following form. Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord in peace. Chorus: Lord have mercy. E. Let us pray for the peace of the whole world, for the prosperity and unity of God's Holy Churches. X. Lord have mercy. E. Let us pray to the Lord for church pastors, bishops, deacons, for all the clergy and all the Christian people. X. Lord have mercy. E. Let us pray to the Lord for sovereigns and all those who have power, so that they do the deeds of their government in truth and love. X. Christ have mercy. E. Let us pray to the Lord to grant us the goodness of the air and the abundance of the fruits of the earth. X. Christ have mercy. E. Let us pray for the salvation of travelers, the sick, the captives, all those who suffer. X. Christ have mercy. E. Let us pray to the Lord for the preservation of peace among all peoples. X. Lord have mercy. E. Let us pray to the Lord to deliver us from all evil, spiritual or temporal. X. Lord have mercy. E. Let us pray to the Lord to forgive our sins and make us worthy to live holy and receive eternal life. X Lord have mercy. Then a prayer (collectio) with the answer of the choir: Amen (Sobr. other lit. GU, 97).
Litany of the Testament and Apostolic Ordinances
But in direct genetic dependence, our litanies accompany the deacon's prayers at the liturgies of the Syrian-Antiochian and Jerusalem redactions. The first are given by canon-liturgical monuments of the 3rd century BC. "The testament of our Lord Jesus Christ" and IV-V centuries. “The Apostolic Ordinances” (see the Introductory Chapter, p. 70, etc.). Here and there such a diaconal prayer is laid down after the catechumens are removed; in the second monument, it is repeated after the consecration of the Gifts (the absence of a number in the second column means that the petition is in the litany after the consecration of the Gifts).
Indestructible Psalter
The indestructible Psalter is read not only about health, but also about repose. From ancient times, the ordering of a commemoration on the Unsleeping Psalter is considered a great almsgiving for the departed soul.
It is also good to order the Indestructible Psalter for yourself, support will be vividly felt. And one more important point, but far from the least important,
There is an eternal commemoration on the Indestructible Psalter. It seems expensive, but the result is more than a million times more than the money spent. If this is still not possible, then you can order for a shorter period. It's also good to read for yourself.
Will
1. Let us pray to the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
2. Let us pray for peace from heaven, that the Lord with His mercy will appease us.
3. Let us pray for our faith, that the Lord may grant us faithfully to keep faith in Him to the end.
4. Let us pray for consent and like-mindedness, that the Lord, in like-mindedness, will preserve our spirits.
5. Let us pray for patience, that the Lord in all misfortunes will give patience to the end.
6. Let us pray for the apostles, that the Lord will give us to please him, as they please him, and make us worthy of their heritage.
7. About St. let us pray to the prophets, that the Lord may number us with them.
8. About St. let us pray to the confessors, that the Lord God will give us the same thought, as if they had died (life).
9. Let us pray for the bishop, that our Lord will keep him long in faith, as if correcting the right word of truth, the Church will be pure and without blemish.
10. Let us pray for the presbyters, that the Lord will not take away from them the presbytery of the spirit, and grant them diligence and piety to the end.
11. Let us pray for the deacons, that the Lord will give them the course of a perfect mother-in-law, make a holy thing, and remember their labor and love. accept with patience.
12. Let us pray for the elders, that the Lord will hear their prayer and fulfillment in the grace of the Spirit, save their hearts and help their work.
13. Let us pray for the subdeacons, readers and deaconesses, that the Lord will give them recompense
14. Let us pray for the faithful of the world, that the Lord will give them the faith to keep it perfect.
15. Let us pray for the catechumens, that the Lord will give them worthy of being the bath of abandonment and sanctify them with the sign of the shrine.
16. Let us pray for the kingdom, that the Lord may give it peace.
17. Let us pray for those in power, that the Lord may give them understanding and His fear.
18. Let us pray for the whole world, that the Lord will provide for anyone, giving to one who is even useful.
19. Let us pray for those who sail and travel, that the Lord may direct them with the right hand of mercy.
20. For those who endure persecution, let us pray that the Lord give them patience and knowledge, and grant them perfect work.
23. We are all the same, even though we require prayers, let us pray that the Lord will cover, and keep us in the meek spirit.
24. Let us pray, let us beg the Lord to accept our prayers.
25. Let us rise in the Holy Spirit, so that anyone who has become wise, grow in His grace, sometimes be glorified in His name and build up on the basis of the apostles, and praying, we will implore the Lord, that our prayers will graciously receive.
Apostolic Ordinances
1. Let us pray to God through His Christ; let us all pray according to God through His Christ.
2. For the peace and well-being of the world and the Holy Churches, let us pray that God of all kinds give us His unceasing and inalienable peace, and in fullness, even in the piety of the virtues of those who remain, He will observe us.
3. For the Holy Councils and Apostles of the Church, even from end to end, let us pray, as if the Lord would keep me unshakable and unwavering and keep until the end of the age based on stone.
4. And about the existence of St. Let us pray in the region that the Lord of all kinds will vouchsafe us unremittingly to pursue His most heavenly hope and unceasingly repay Him the debt of prayer. Let us remember the holy martyrs, as if we were worthy of being partakers of their feat.
5. Let us pray for every bishopric that is under heaven, the right of those who rule thy word of truth, and let us pray for our bishop Jacob and his regions, let us pray for our bishop Clement and his regions, God is merciful to His Holy Churches who are healthy, honest, long-living, and will give them an honest old age in piety and truth.
6. And let us pray for our presbyters, that the Lord will free them from every placeless and crafty deed and give them the presbytership sensibly and honestly.
7. Let us pray for all the deaconship and ministry (υπηρεσίας) in Christ, that the Lord grant them a service without blemish.
8. For readers, singers, virgins, widows and orphans, let us pray, for those in marriage and childbearing let us pray, may the Lord have mercy on all of them.
9. Let us pray for the reverend walking eunuchs.
10. Let us pray for others in abstinence and reverence.
11. About those who bear fruit in St. let us pray for the church and those who give alms to the poor, and let us pray for those who offer sacrifices and the firstfruits to the Lord our God, that the All-good God will reward them with His heavenly gifts and give them a hundredfold in the present, in the future, eternal life, and give them instead of temporary eternal, instead of earthly heavenly.
12. Let us pray for our newly enlightened brethren, that the Lord may confirm and strengthen them. Let us pray for kings and others like them in excellence (υπεροχή), that they may even peace with us, as if we would live a quiet and silent life in all piety and purity. Let us pray for the well-being of the air and the ripening of fruits.
13. Let us pray for our brethren who are in weakness, that the Lord deliver them from every disease.
14. Let us pray for those who are sailing and traveling.
15. About those who are in ores and imprisonments and in dungeons and prisons that exist in the name for the sake of the Lord.
16. Let us pray for those who labor in bitter work (δουλεία).
17. For enemies and those who hate us, let us pray, for those who persecute us for the sake of the Lord, let us pray, that, having tamed their furious, the Lord will dispel their wrath upon us.
18. Let us pray for those who are outside and who have gone astray, that the Lord will convert them.
19. Let us remember the children of the Church, so that the Lord, having accomplished them in His fear, will bring them to the measure of their age.
20. Let us pray for each other, that the Lord will keep and keep us with His grace to the end and free us from the evil one and from all the temptation of those who do iniquity and fall into His Heavenly Kingdom.
21. Let us pray for every soul of Christians.
22. Save us and raise us up, O God, by Thy mercy.
23. Rise2. Having prayed diligently, let us commit ourselves and each other to the Living God by His Christ. For every petition, the choir and the people, according to the Apostolic Decrees, answer "Lord have mercy."
Great Litany at the Liturgy of St. Jacob
In the proper sense, the first edition of the present great litany was the litany for the Jerusalem-type liturgy attributed to St. James, - the liturgy, in relation to which the entire liturgy of the Asia Minor-Constantinople edition (Basil the Great and John Chrysostom) is a simple abbreviation. Here the litany must have first received its Greek name συναπτή (already the 11th century rkp), καθολική συναπτή, or simply καθολική (14th century rkp). The litany corresponding to our Great Litany is read here in its entirety after the kiss before the Eucharistic Prayer (anaphora), in an abbreviated form at the beginning of the liturgy, and among several petitions with petitions of the special and petitionary litany before the Gospel and after the Gospel. In the oldest Greek list of the liturgy, St. James from the Bible. University of Messina, 10th century and in rkp. Sinaisk. bibl. No. 1040 XI century. in place of the first litany - a defect. The great litany of the RKP is read in full at all four places of the liturgy. from the Rossani (in Calabria) Basilian monastery of the 11th century. and Paris. National bibl. No. 2509 XIV c. Rkp. last bible. No. 476 XIV century. has only the first words of the petitions, and for the litany after the kiss he gives only the beginning with reference to the previous exposition. In full (after the kiss), the litany looks like this (the crosses in front mark petitions included in the initial litany of the liturgy). + “Let us pray to the Lord in peace. Save, have mercy, have mercy (Syn. rkp .: + intercede) and save us, God, Thy grace. + For the peace from above and God's love of mankind (Syn. rkp.: + like-mindedness) and the salvation of our souls let us pray to the Lord (Paris. rkp. No. 476 does not have this petition). + Let us pray to the Lord for the peace of the whole world and the union of all the Holy Churches. About St. this monastery (italics not in Paris, rkp. No. 2509), the Catholic and Apostolic Church, even from the end of the earth to the end of it, let us pray to the Lord. (Syn. rkp. instead of this petition: For the holy monastery, catholic and αποουσης (?), every city and country and in the Orthodox faith and reverence for Christ living in them, peace and their approval to the Lord, let us pray - cf. below). + For the salvation and intercession of N of our most holy patriarch (in the initial lit. Russian rkp .: our most reverend fathers N and Ν, the most holy patriarch; Paris. names names), all the clergy and Christ-loving people, let us pray to the Lord (this petition is not on the litany after kissing in Sin. and Paris.). (+) About our most pious and God-crowned Orthodox tsars (Mass: About our most pious and Christ-loving king), their entire chamber and their army, help from heaven, protection (course. not in Mess. and Paris.) and let us pray to the Lord for their victory (there is no petition in Sin.). (+) About St. Christ our God in our city and in this reigning and divinely named city of ours, in every city and country and Orthodox by faith and the fear of God living in them, let us pray to the Lord for peace and approval (course. not in Par.; first course. ; everything is not in Sin., but see above). About those who bear fruit and do good in St. God's churches, remembering the poor, widows and orphans, wanderers and the needy, and for those who commanded us to remember them in prayers to the Lord, let us pray (in the Mass. in the margins and the first communion in the past tense: "bearing fruit"). About those who are in old age and infirmity, those who are sick, those who suffer, the spirits of the unclean possessed, about the hedgehog from God, their speedy healing and salvation (Syn.: and about every soul of Christians, grieving and embittered, God's mercy and help requiring, about the healing of the sick) to the Lord let us pray (there is no petition in the Mass). About those who live in virginity and purity, in ascetic labor and honest brotherhood, about those who live in the mountains and caves and in the abysses of the earth, St. let us pray to the Lord, father and brothers (in Mass. in the margins). For the floating, traveling, coming (ξενιτευόντων - emigrants) Christians and for those in captivity and exile and dungeons and bitter labors of our existing brethren, for a peaceful return to their homes with joy let us pray to the Lord (not in Mass). - About co-ownership and praying to us in this St. hour and at all times, father and brethren, let us pray to the Lord for their diligence, labor and diligence (there is no petition in the Mass, but instead of it: For the Christians who have come and come to bow in these holy places of Christ, the peaceful return of each of them with joy soon in Syn. instead of the last two petitions before the petition for the old and sick is this: For the coming Christians, bow down in the holy places of Christ, floating, traveling, coming and in captivity, our existing brethren, each time peacefully returning them to their own si) . For every soul of Christians, grieving and embittered, demanding the mercy and help of God, the conversion of the lost, the health of the weak, the deliverance of the captives, the repose of the previously deceased fathers and brothers of our Lord, let us pray (there is no italics in Syn., but see above; instead of italics in Mass : “diligently” (εκτενώς) and ahead of the petition: “O our fathers and brothers who are sick and laboring and possessed by unclean spirits, from God speedy healing and salvation of them”). + For the forgiveness of sins and the forgiveness of our sins and for the hedgehog to be delivered to us from all sorrow, anger, adversity (the course is not in Syn.) and need, the uprising of tongues, let us pray to the Lord. More diligently (έκτενέ-στερον; not in Mess. and Sin.) for the goodness of the air, peaceful rains, dews (course. not in Mess.) good, (Mess: blessed) fruits in abundance, accomplishment of good fortune and for the crown of summer, let us pray to the Lord. (Only in Mass and Sin .: On the memory (Sin .: and repose of all) of the saints (Sin .: and blessed) our fathers, even from St. James the Apostle and brother of the Lord and the first archbishop to (a number of names that are different in both rkp .) and other reverend fathers of ours and brothers). For a hedgehog to be heard and favorable to our prayer before God and for a hedgehog to be sent down to us with His rich mercy and bounty for all of us and for a hedgehog to vouchsafe everyone the Kingdom of Heaven, diligently (Mess, Par.: The Lord) we will pray (1st and 2nd course not in Par., "diligently" not in Mess. and Par.). + Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Glorious, [(Pre)] blessed Our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, [(honest bodiless Archangels)], the holy and blessed John the glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, Stefan the First Deacon and the first Martyr, Moses, Aaron, Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, David, Daniel, (saints) [divine, sacred and glorious (apostles)], (glorious) prophets (and victorious martyrs) and all [with all] saints and righteous people, let us have mercy on their prayers and intercessions we will (usual brackets mean available only in the Mess. rkp., broken ones - in Syn.; italics - in Ros. and Paris., a rare font in Ross; for the initial litany, instead of the names of the prophets after the Baptist, “divine and all-praised apostles, glorious prophets, victorious martyrs and all saints...”). People: Lord have mercy 3 (not in Mess. and Syn.; in the initial litany Ros. also after the 1st petition: “People: Lord have mercy”; on litany 4 it is also Paris. No. 2509 at the end of the litany: “People : You Lord). Syn. he also has a petition for the Gifts offered, and after “Let’s become good,” he indicates to the deacon standing to the right to read the diptychs of the living and gives 2 petitions: the first is about bishops listing the names of the patriarchs, the second is about other clergy and Christians of various states; the deacon standing on the left then reads the diptychs of the dead from 2 petitions: the first is about the saints with a list of many names, starting with the Mother of God, the second is about the departed Christians of various states, starting with the presbyters, listing the names of the kings; “And again the deacon on the right: About the world and the state of the whole world and the union of all the Holy Orthodox Churches of God and about them each one brings or in thought to them and about the upcoming Christ-loving people. People: And everyone and everything.
Ancient versions of the great litany
Since the liturgies of Basil the Great and John Chrysostom were an abbreviation, it must be the Jerusalem liturgy of St. James, the litanies on them were an abbreviation of the last litany. At the liturgies of Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, the great litany appears in its present form from the most ancient of the complete lists known today, the oldest of which, however, do not go back higher than the 11th century. (lists of the 8th-10th centuries contain only priestly prayers). Compared with the current text of the litany, the manuscripts and old editions of the Missal give only the following minor discrepancies for the great litany. 5th petition in Greek. rkp. XI, sometimes XIV-XVI centuries, begins: "Our bishop, honest presbytership ..."; in Greek rkp. 12th century and most of the XIV-XV centuries, in print. Greek and in glory. rkp.: “About our archbishop, honest presbytery…”; printed glory. they put in front here: “On the patriarch”, the later ones: “On the patriarch, the name of the rivers ...”, even later: “O St. right. Synod". 6th, 7th and 8th petitions in Greek. rkp. 11th century do not have, from the XII century. they appear in the form: “O our most pious and God-protected (nek.: “and Christ-loving”) kings of ours, the whole chamber ...”; as well as in print. Greek, but late Greek often omitted (due to Turkish rule); glory. rkp. the oldest - XIV century: “O noble princes, all the boyars and his warriors”; somewhat later - XV century: “On our pious and God-protected princes (others: name) ...”; or: “O blessed and God-protected Grand Duke”; later ones: “About the faithful (others: and God-protected) Tsar and Grand Duke Namer”; and the most ancient printed ones; late: + “and about his blessed queen and grand duchess name and about the right-believing princesses”; “Our pious and God-protected tsar named name and about the pious and God-protected queen name name and about the noble prince name name and about the noble princess name name”; “About our Sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Namerek, Empress Empress and Grand Duchess Namerek, Our Sovereign Tsarevich and Grand Duke”; still later, besides this: "about the most pious, quietest, most autocratic and God-protected ... and about his most pious ... and about the whole chamber ...". 9th petition in most Greek. rkp. XI-XVII centuries and some glory. 15th century: "About St. this monastery and every city"; in some Greek rkp. from the 15th century and glory. from the 13th century: “About this city and every city”; in some Greek: "About St. monastery or city"; in some Slav.: “If there is a monastery: O St. cloisters; if there is in the city: About this city”; in others: “About this city and St. this abode"; “About this city, if there are in monasteries: and about St. this abode." In the 12th petition "For deliverance" many rkp. and oven. ed. after "anger" they also have "misfortunes", κινδύνου, besides "and need". After this request, the cargo. rkp. 13th century they also have a petition: “And for all those who demand help from God and for their mercy” (or “our souls”). The 13th and 14th petitions: “Intercede” and “Most Holy One” omit one Euchologion, probably XII-XIII centuries, one XVII century. and the first Greek ed., placing the exclamation of the great litany after the first small one. In the 14th petition (“Most Holy”), only certain people have the “glorious” one. Greek rkp. 16th century, printed. Greek since 1838 and glory. from 1655; some Greek 12th century have before “with all the saints”: “who in St. our father N” (temple or day saint?); cargo. rkp. 13th and 17th centuries have here: “St. Heavenly Powers”, on the next small litany here: “St. glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John", and on the next: "St. and all-praise apostle.
"Lord have mercy" on the litany
Since the petitions of the litany are for the most part only an invitation to prayer, the actual prayer at the litany comes down to the repetition of a brief "Lord have mercy." Such a form of prayer cannot but seem poor. But it is hardly possible to find a more direct and vivid expression for our basic and everlasting relationship to God, from whom a person in any religion first of all seeks mercy - help in needs and redemption from sins. Being so comprehensive, this prayer formula is also the simplest and most understandable form of prayer for all, the most suitable for believers of all positions, needs and developments. Without a doubt, this prayerful exclamation owes its wide application and distribution in Christian worship to such merits of its content.
The extent to which this prayer formula meets the basic religious needs of a person is shown by its use in pagan religions. “Calling on God,” says Epictetus, “we ask him: Lord have mercy (Κύριε ελέησον).” Virgil has an appeal to the gods: “have mercy on me (miserere mei)”, “have mercy”. In the Old Testament, this exclamation was heard in prayers almost as often as in ours. It is not surprising that in the Christian Church we immediately encounter such a wide application of it during worship, which it has in the Jerusalem and Syrian Churches of the 4th-5th centuries, where they are answered by the choir and the people for every petition of the litany, according to the testimony of the pilgrim of the 4th century. and Apostolic Constitutions (see: Introductory chapter, p. 142 and note 2 on the same page). It is remarkable, however, that the “Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ,” a monument also to the Syrian Church, but earlier than the Apostolic Decrees, does not speak of the answer “Lord have mercy” to the petitions of his litany. Similarly, in the liturgy of St. James "Lord, have mercy" is placed only at the end of all petitions with the remark: "thrice." Nevertheless, this prayer exclamation is becoming more and more widespread not only throughout the East, where it is common among the Syrians, Armenians, Abyssinians (see Introductory chapter, p. 299; above, p. 475, note), but also in West, as can be seen from the Ambrosian liturgy and a number of other testimonies. By bliss Augustine, it was also used by the Goths. According to later reports, it was transferred to the Roman liturgy by Pope St. Sylvester I (314-335). The Wyson Council of 529 defines: “since on the apostolic throne, as well as in all the eastern and Italian regions, a pleasant (dulcis) and extremely saving custom has been introduced very often to say Kyrie eleyson with great feeling and contrition, it is pleasing for us to in all our churches this so saving custom was introduced for matins and for masses and for vespers. Pope Gregory the Great (590-604) in a letter to John, ep. Syracuse, justifying himself from reproaches that he allowed some changes in worship in imitation of the Greeks, says: “We did not and do not speak Kyrie eleyson, as among the Greeks: the Greeks pronounce it all together; but in our country it is said by the clergy, but the people answer it, and Christe eleyson is said as many times alternately, which is not pronounced at all among the Greeks. The laws of Charlemagne and Louis the Pious require that “Christians on Sundays, instead of standing at crossroads and streets and spending time in conversations, dances and secular songs, go to Vespers and Vespers and sing their Kyrie as they go back and forth eleyson"; also at funerals, instead of various pagan rites, "so that if they do not know the psalms, Kyrie eleyson, Christe eleyson, alternately men and women, sing loudly." In Rome, in the procession on the feast of the Assumption, the people sang antiphonally 300 times Kyrie eleyson and Christe eleyson.
Commemoration at the Divine Liturgy (Church note)
Those who have Christian names are commemorated of health, and only those baptized in the Orthodox Church are commemorated of repose.
Notes can be submitted to the liturgy:
At the proskomidia - the first part of the liturgy, when for each name indicated in the note, particles are taken out of special prosphora, which are subsequently lowered into the Blood of Christ with a prayer for the forgiveness of sins
exclamation
Exclamations at litanies, which were once the endings of priestly prayers pronounced before or after a litany, now, when such prayers do not occur at litanies or they are said secretly, stand in connection with the petitions of the litany, indicating the basis for their fulfillment, either in the glory of God, or in power. then in His goodness. The exclamation of the great litany indicates such a basis precisely in the glory of God, therefore, in general, in the perfection of the being of God, which causes involuntary admiration for itself (thus, in comparison with other exclamations, as the first in the services, it is distinguished by a common content). At the same time, he returns our thought from our needs and concerns, which were occupied by the prayer of the litany, to that glory of God, which alone is the goal of the world and ours, and the sublime confession of which the Orthodox Church puts at the head of all her services in their initial exclamations.
Exclamation development
The exclamations in the litanies, as noted above (see p. 462), have a common origin with the small doxology, being, in the original form of the doxology "Glory to you forever," an extension of its second member "glory", while the current small doxology is an extension the first member of "You". Such a distribution is already given on the pages of the apostolic epistles. One-term formula, except for the one: "To this power (κράτος) forever." Two-term formulas: "Honor and glory" (τιμή και δόξα), "Glory and power", "Glory and power eternal"; later two-term formulas: "Glory and greatness" (μεγαλωσύνη), "Glory and power" (δύναμις), "Glory and veneration" (σέβας), "Glory and worship" (προσκύνησις). Trinomial: “For Yours is the Kingdom (βασιλεία), power and glory”; "Glory, honor and veneration", "Glory, veneration and thanksgiving (ευχαριστία)". Quadruple: “Glory, greatness, power and power (εξουσία)”, “Blessing (ευλογία) and honor and glory and power”, “Glory and greatness, power, honor”, “Glory, honor, power, greatness”, “Glory , honor, greatness, throne (θρόνος) eternal. Fivefold: "Glory, honor, power and greatness, eternal throne", "Glory, honor, praise (αίνος), doxology (δοξολογία), thanksgiving", "Glory, praise, magnificence (μεγαλοπρέπεια), veneration, worship". Seven-term: "blessing and glory and wisdom (σοφία) and thanksgiving and honor and strength and strength (ισχύς)". A further stage in the development of exclamations, apparently, is the glorification of the grace, mercy and love of God, which is not found in the liturgy of the Apostolic Decrees and is very common in the most ancient of the so-called. "Apostolic Liturgies", the liturgy of St. Jacob. The formula "Glory and power" was especially common among the Egyptians: the liturgy of Mark has it about 10 times, the liturgy of James once, the Apostolic Ordinances - once, but not at the liturgy, but at the dinner prayer, the conversations of Chrysostom - more often.
Great Litany at Vespers
The use of prayers at Vespers and Matins with content such as the Great Litany is based on a well-known admonition, expressed moreover with special force (παρακαλώ - “I pray”, I conjure), Ap. Paul "first of all, make prayers, prayers, petitions, thanksgiving for all people, for the king and for all those who are in power." “What does this mean,” asks St. John Chrysostom - when does the apostle say "first of all"? This means at the daily meeting. The faithful know this when they pray in the morning and in the evening for all people on earth, for kings and all in power, for the faithful.
Prayers for Peace and the Tsar at Ancient Vespers
But it was not from Chrysostom that the daily morning and evening prayer of such a comprehensive content entered into the custom among Christians, moreover, with special attention in it to the ruling persons. Already in the Old Testament, special importance was attached to prayer for the authorities. According to the testimony of the prophet Baruch, the Babylonian Jews sent a certain amount of money to the high priest in Jerusalem for sacrifices and prayer for King Nebuchadnezzar and his heir Belshazzar, "so that their days would be like the days of heaven on earth." According to Josephus, in Jerusalem twice a day a sacrifice was made for the Roman Caesar. Ancient Christian apologists, such as Tertullian (see Introductory Chapter, p. 84), refer to the custom of daily, and, moreover, twice, prayer for the whole world and kings, in refutation of rumors about the misanthropy and unpatriotism of Christians. St. Cyprian says that Christians "daily in the morning during the morning service and in the evening during the evening service pray for the kings." Against the Donatists, who brought out prayer for kings and authorities, Optatus of Milevitsky says: “Absolutely right, Paul teaches to pray for kings and for all authorities, even if the king was a pagan; even more so if he is a Christian” (the same thought is expressed by St. John Chrysostom in a conversation on the appropriate place in 1 Tim.). With the adoption of Christianity by Constantine the Great, the names of the emperors began to be entered in diptychs, therefore, they were commemorated at the liturgy before or after the consecration of the Gifts; Thus, the name of Constantine the Great was included in the diptychs of the Church of St. apostles, built by him; on the column of the ancient Constantinople church of St. Lawrence near the ambo, the names were written, which the deacon read from it in the litany, and at the head of them was the name of the emperor, then the bishop. Popes Felix III and Gelasius I (4th century) say that the names of kings were entered in the West, as in the East, in diptychs. When the emperor Anastasius “was condemned by some as an opponent of the Council of Chalcedon, they turned him off from the sacred. tables". Maximus, abbot of Chrysopolis (7th century), speaks against the Monothelites: “between the sacred offerings to St. at the meal after the chief priests, priests and deacons and the entire consecrated rank, emperors are commemorated with the laity when the deacon says: “and those who reposed in the faith, Constantine, Constans and others”; also creates remembrance of living emperors after all sacred persons. In the most ancient Roman sacramentaries - for example, Gregory the Great - in the prayer on the canon of the liturgy it is read: "pro pontifice nostro N et pro rege nostro N". Charlemagne at the Diet of Worms 781 exemption from military service of bishops and priests justifies on the fact that “they must perform prayers, masses and litanies for the king and his army”, and in the laws it requires that all priests “make constant prayers for the life and power of the lord emperor and the health of sons and his daughters."
Over time, however, in the West, the commemoration of the king disappeared in the canon of the liturgy, perhaps with the appearance of non-Christian kings in many states (or because the reading of diptychs at the liturgy ceased altogether), why Pope Pius V did not include this commemoration in his edition (1570) Missal (Missal), reviewed and approved at the Council of Trent8. There is no such commemoration in the canon of the present Latin mass; nevertheless, on royal days, a special mass is celebrated for the king or queen, even those of other faiths. But at the beginning of the liturgy, at the prayer after the doxology (Gloria), as well as at the special Sunday and holiday prayers, the king is commemorated, in some countries alone, in others with his wife and family, and the psalmic words “Lord, save the king, or the emperor” are used. - our N and hear us stink, even if the day we call on Thee.
The East, however, remained truer to the apostolic commandment in this respect. In all Eastern liturgies there are prayers for the king and authorities; only in the Coptic liturgy of Basil the Great this petition is not in the intercessory prayer for the consecration of the Gifts, but it is in the prayers of the liturgy before its canon; in all the rest, such a petition is in the intercessory prayer, whether it was pronounced after the consecration of the Gifts (as in the Armenian liturgy, in the Coptic Gregory the Illuminator, in the Jerusalem Apostle James, in the liturgies of Basil the Great and John Chrysostom), or just before the consecration of the Gifts (as in the Alexandrian Liturgy of St. Mark, in the Abyssinian, Coptic St. Cyril of Alexandria, in the Mesopotamian St. Thaddeus and Mary). The omission of the petition for the king and the authorities in the intercessory prayer of some liturgies caused the fact that in the great litany composed of this prayer, such a petition is placed after the petition for the clergy and people. Now petitions for a king on litanies are omitted only in Turkey. So, in the Ίερατικόν "ε of the Constantinople edition of 1895, at the litanies of the great liturgy, Vespers and Matins, it was put in place of the petition for the king: “Let us pray to the Lord for pious and Orthodox Christians.” And the petition for kings was placed after the archbishop in brackets; at the liturgy of Basil There is no great one.In the Euchologion of the Athens edition of 1902, there is a petition for kings in the Great Litany, but not in the Special Litany.
Place of the Great Litany at the Ancient Vespers
Since Vespers and Matins borrowed their litanies from the liturgy, the composition of the first great litany was exactly the same as that of the second. But not always at Vespers the great litany or the prayer corresponding to it occupied its proper place - the very beginning of the service. And at the liturgy, it originally stood not at the beginning, but in the middle - after readings from Holy Scripture; so also in the Apostolic Constitutions; as well as in the liturgy of St. James, where it has its full form after the Creed, but at the beginning of the Liturgy it is in an abbreviated form. At Vespers of the Apostolic Ordinances, the above litany takes place after a series of litanies for the catechumens, the possessed, the enlightened, the penitent, before the petitionary litany itself; at the Jerusalem Vespers of the 4th c. - after the readings and the entry of the bishop into the altar (Enter. Ch., p. 136,142). There are monuments even from the 16th century, where Vespers begins with 3 antiphons with small litanies and only after the prokeimenon does it have a litany, which is the current special litany with the beginning from the great one, approximately in the form that the special litany has in the liturgy of St. James (see Introductory Ch., p. 377; see below, "The Special Litany"). So it must have been at the ancient Vespers of the Church of Constantinople, or song; but already under Simeon of Solun (XV century) the song Vespers also had a great litany at the beginning. Vespers, on the other hand, of the Studite-Jerusalem type, received the great litany in its initial part, probably much earlier: the Studian-Alexian Rule of the 11th century. suggests it, apparently, at its current location.
Who pronounces the great litany at Vespers?
Although the litany is a diaconal prayer, the current Typicon directs the priest to pronounce the great litany, as well as the next two small ones. And only the third small litany - according to the 3rd antiphon of the kathisma - according to the Typicon, is pronounced by the deacon. Having said about the reading of the prayers of the lamp by the priest, the Typikon continues: “To the psalm that has died, he says the great litany: Let us pray to the Lord with peace, and after the litany, the exclamation: For it is fitting for Thee.” Thus, according to the Typicon, the participation of the deacon in the celebration of Vespers, which communicates special solemnity to the service, should begin only with the Lord cry, as in the morning from the polyeleos or from the reading of the Gospel, if there is no polyeleos (see below). In view of this, the initial censing at Vespers takes place without a deacon, whose duties are performed by the paraecclesiarch.
The demand for such a late appearance of the deacon at Vespers comes from the Order of Patr. Philotheus (XIV century), where it is said: "After the prayers of the lamp are fulfilled, the great litany (the priest) speaks, the deacon puts on the third antiphon of the Psalter and says the small litany." But this requirement is alien to the ancient Greek and Slavonic lists of the Typicon, which entrust all litanies to the deacon: “the great litany from the deacon; and the priest proclaims: “As it befits ...”, on each antiphon (1st kathisma) he creates a small litany, and the priest proclaims. So it is in the Georgian list, and in the Greek printed ones. But in later glory. rkp. and the Old Believer statute: "Speak to the priest or the great diaconate."
Litany - one of the main components of worship, is part of most of the services in the Orthodox Church.
Types of litanies
Depending on the moment and nature of the service, the litany can take different forms or types:
- Great (peaceful)
- Special
- Malaya
- pleading
- Some other types: at the litia, at the Liturgy (for the catechumens, thanksgiving for Communion), funerals, at prayer services and others.
General procedure for committing
The litany is read, as a rule, by the deacon, standing on the pulpit facing the altar. Stretching out his right hand, he holds an orarion in it, and after each petition he makes the sign of the cross. Sometimes, in the absence of a full-time deacon in the service, a priest may read the litany. In the Greek Church it was so historical, and only in the Russian Church it was always customary to also have a deacon in the service.
The litany is always read in dialogue with the choir. The response words of the choir are called acclamations. There are four different acclamations on the litany:
- "Lord have mercy"
- "Give, Lord"
- "You, Lord"
- "Amen" is the final one.
The litany ends with the exclamation of the priest, to which the choir answers: Amen!". The exclamation of the priest in most cases is a loudly voiced ending to oneself read the prayer laid down at this time.
Thus, the general scheme of the litany looks like this:
Deacon - Choir - Deacon - Choir - ... - Deacon - Choir - Priest - Chorus
In some cases, there are minor deviations from this scheme, especially when the litanies follow one another, in particular, at the liturgy.
Great (peaceful) litany
Anticipates most services of the Orthodox Church.
The Great Litany contains prayer petitions for the needs of the entire Church and society. The deacon accompanies each petition with a bow from the waist. Prayer begins with the most exalted subjects (“the world from above”) and gradually decreases to general church needs, then to earthly, public, and finally to personal needs.
It ends with an appeal to the faithful to completely surrender their lives to God, with the hope of the intercession of the Mother of God and all the saints, and in peace to abide in the general church prayer in the temple. The exclamation of the priest points to the glory of God as the highest foundation and goal of the world order.
| clergyman | choir |
|---|---|
| Deacon or Priest: 1. - Let us pray to the Lord in peace. | - Lord have mercy. |
12. - | - You, Lord. |
| The priest says: - As all glory, honor and worship befits You, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever. | - Amen. |
* Until the beginning of March 1917, instead of the 5th and 6th current petitions, the great litany contained 4 petitions for spiritual and temporal power and for the royal house:
** In special cases after the 9th application ( About floating...) The charter indicates to insert additional petitions:
| Priest: |
|---|
| 9a. - O hedgehog merciful is the present thanksgiving and prayer of us, unworthy of His servants, to accept His most heavenly altar and have compassion on us, let us pray to the Lord. 9b. - Do not disdain the hedgehog with thanksgiving to us, His indecent servants, which we bring in a humble heart about the blessings received from Him, but as a fragrant incense and a fat burnt offering is favorable to Him, let us pray to the Lord. |
| Priest: |
|---|
| 9a. - Oh hedgehog do not remember the iniquities and unrighteousness of His people and turn away from us all His anger, righteously moved against us, and do not kill us with hunger and thirst, let us pray to the Lord. 9b. - For the hedgehog of favorable air and rains in time for fruitfulness, graciously send the earth and your people, let us pray to the Lord. |
Prayer for the New Year
In the process of writing
Prayer singing at the beginning of the teaching of the youths
In the process of writing
The follow-up of prayer singing to the Lord our God about our God-protected country, its authorities and its army, sung during the battle against adversaries
In the process of writing
Prayer singing for the sick many or for the one
In the process of writing
The following prayer singing to the Lord our God Jesus Christ, sung in times of lack of water, when it rains a lot uselessly
In the process of writing
Chin of blessing on the journey
In the process of writing; other In the process of writing
Small Litany
The small litany is an extremely abbreviated version of the great litany (without losing the main meaning). The 1st, 2nd and 3rd petition of her coincide with the 1st (with the addition "Paki and paki"), 11th and 12th petition of the great litany, respectively. This is the second in importance and the first in frequency of appearance at the service of the litany.
The small litany is read after the kathismas while reading the Psalter; on polyeleos after censing; 3, 6, 9 canons of the canon of Matins; after the 1st and 2nd antiphon (more precisely, immediately after the "Only Begotten Son") at the liturgy.
Exclamation after kathisma- According to the first kathisma: ».
- According to the second kathisma:
- According to the third kathisma: As if You are our God, God of mercy and salvation, and we send glory to You, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever».
- « ».
In the morning canon, the small litany is read mainly three times: after the 3rd, 6th and 9th odes. However, on Paschal Matins, a small litany is read after each song of the canon, each with its own exclamation. Here are all 8 exclamations. The most commonly used exclamations are highlighted.
- After 1 song: " As Your power, and Yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever».
- After 3 songs: " For you are our God, and we send glory to you, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever» .
- After 4 songs: " For God is good and philanthropic, and we send glory to You, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever».
- After song 5: As if holy and glorified, Thy most honorable and magnificent Name, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever».
- After 6 songs: " You are the King of the world and the Savior of our souls, and we send glory to You, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever» .
- After 7 songs: " May the power of Your Kingdom be blessed and glorified, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever».
- After 8 songs: " For bless Thy Name, and glorify Thy Kingdom, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever».
- After song 9: " For all the powers of heaven praise Thee, and we send glory to Thee, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever» .
| exclamation | on the 1st | on the 3rd | on the 4th | on the 5th | on the 6th | on the 7th | on the 8th | on the 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| According to the 1st kathisma | + | |||||||
| According to the 2nd kathisma | + | |||||||
| According to the 3rd kathisma | + | |||||||
| At Vespers (on the teaching of the world after the petitionary litany) | + | |||||||
| At the polyelee | + |
- After 1 antiphon: As Your power, and Yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever"- as after 1 kathisma.
- After 2 antiphon with "Only Begotten Son": " For God is good and philanthropic, and we send glory to You, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever”(as after a petitionary litany).
Special Litany
Sugabaya means "strengthened". After the first two petitions, the choir sings “ Lord have mercy» 1 time, then for each petition 3 times. At its beginning, the deacon calls on the faithful to pray with special concentration, resorting to the mercy and philanthropy of the Lord.
| clergyman | choir |
|---|---|
| Deacon or Priest: 1. - Rtsem all with all my heart and from all our thoughts, Rtsem. | - Lord have mercy(1 time). |
3. - Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great mercy, we pray to You, hear and have mercy. | - Lord have mercy(3 times). |
| The priest gives a shout. At Vespers, Matins and Liturgy:
At the prayer:
| - Amen. |
Pleading Litany
This litany is called a petitionary litany, because in it the believers primarily pray to God for blessings, temporal and eternal. It is based on petitions ending with the words " we ask the Lord”, after which the choir sings “ Give me Lord". The first two petitions end with the kliros in the usual way: Lord have mercy", and the last words" You, Lord».
The petitionary litany is present in the following Orthodox services:
- At all types of Vespers, except for a small one.
- For all types of matins.
- At all types of liturgy.
- At prayers; when performing certain sacraments, for example, weddings.
The set of petitions for the litany at Vespers and Matins differs in two words (literally). The voices are also different. The features of the petitionary litany in the liturgy are more complex and are discussed in the next section. Below is a table of petitions for Vespers. Corrections for the petitionary litany for Matins are contained in the tooltips of the highlighted words.
| clergyman | choir |
|---|---|
| Deacon or Priest: 1. - Execute evening our prayer to the Lord. | - Lord have mercy. |
3. - Evenings everything perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless, we ask the Lord. | - Give me Lord. |
9. - Our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Lady Our Lady and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the saints, remembering ourselves, and each other, and our whole life to Christ our God. | - You, Lord. |
| The priest gives a shout. At the evening:
In the morning:
| - Amen. |
Litany at the Liturgy
Features of the petitionary litany at the liturgies of three types
Two petitionary litanies for the liturgy of John Chrysostom, two for the liturgy of Basil the Great, and one petitionary litany for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (consisting of modified petitions of the 1st and 2nd petitionary litanies of the ordinary liturgy) have additional petitions. The basis of the petitionary litany remains constant. In the following table, the standard petitions of the petitionary litany are shaded (grayed out) for ease of comparison. Also, for ease of understanding, the litany for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is divided into 2 logical parts, the column "Chorus" is omitted.
| John Chrysostom and Basil the Great | Presanctified Gifts | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preparing to make a bloodless sacrifice.
| After the great entrance. The Eucharistic canon is absent here, therefore, petitions for preparation for communion immediately follow. |
||||||||||
Litany of supplication 2nd. After singing “It is worthy to eat” or a worthy person.
| This part completely coincides with the corresponding petitions of the 2nd petition (on the left). At the end, "Our Father" is sung. |
Litany for the catechumens
Proclaimed at every liturgy, at the end of the so-called liturgy of the catechumens(after reading the Gospel and the special litany).
| clergyman | choir |
|---|---|
1. - Pray, Announcement, Lord. | - Lord have mercy. |
7. - Announcement, bow your heads to the Lord. | - You, Lord. |
| The priest says: - Yes, and these with us glorify Your honorable and magnificent name, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever. | - Amen. |
| - Yelitsa announcement, go out; announcement, come out; Announcements, come out. Yes, no one from the catechumens, faithful figurines, again and again, let us pray to the Lord in peace. | - Lord have mercy. |
Litany for those preparing for Baptism
It follows immediately after the Litany of the Presanctified Gifts announced at the Liturgy, beginning on Wednesday of the Adoration of the Cross (4th) Week of Great Lent.
| clergyman | choir |
|---|---|
1. - Yelitsa announcement, go out; announcement, come out; fir-trees to Enlightenment, depart; pray, like the Enlightenment. | - Lord have mercy. |
10. - Even to Enlightenment, bow your heads to the Lord. | - You, Lord. |
| The priest says: - As You are our Enlightenment and we send glory to You, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever. | - Amen. |
| At the end, the deacon proclaims: - Elitsy to Enlightenment, depart; ilk to Enlightenment, depart; Announcements, come out. Yes, no one from the catechumens, faithful figurines, again and again, let us pray to the Lord in peace. | - Lord have mercy. |
Litany for the dead (for the dead)
It is celebrated on all days of the church year (except Sundays, Twelve and Temple Feasts) after a special litany at the liturgy, with the royal doors open, usually with a censer in the hand of the proclaiming clergyman. It is also performed at separate funeral services.
| clergyman | choir |
|---|---|
Pop-up hints indicate the modification of petitions in the case of praying for one / one deceased | - Lord have mercy(3 times). |
4. - Mercy of God, the Kingdom of Heaven and the remission of their sins from Christ, the Immortal King and our God, we ask. | - Give it, Lord. |
5. - Let's pray to the Lord. | - Lord have mercy. |
| The priest at the end of the prayer for the departed gives an exclamation: - As You are the Resurrection and the life, and the rest of the departed Thy servant (name), Christ our God, and we glorify You, with Your Father without beginning, and the Most Holy, and the Good, and Your Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and forever and ever. | - Amen. |
Prayer is a conversation between a person and the Lord, a thread that connects the believer with God. In some ways, prayer is akin to visiting a psychotherapist's office, because a person shares in it the most painful, hidden, deeply personal. It is not for nothing that after visiting the temple and saying a prayer in front of the images, people feel a surge of spiritual strength, peace, and confidence in the future.
There are many options for prayers in Orthodoxy, but each of them is pronounced for a specific reason. Many of them are, as they say, “on hearing”. For example, it is rare that a person has not heard about the prayer "for health." But what exactly this prayer is, is not clear to everyone.
About prayer
An individual prayer to the Lord, pronounced during a church service, is a pure litany. It is one of the traditional prayers that make up the liturgy. In the part of the service in which individual petitions are read, far more than one or even two such prayers can be uttered. Accordingly, these petitions affect the duration of the church service.
The special litany at the liturgy is pronounced not only for health. This prayer can affect almost any aspect of life that is important to the believer. You can order a reading before serving in any Orthodox parish - a temple, a monastery, a chapel, a cathedral.
How is a litany different from other prayers? The opinion of the priests
The main difference is obvious even to a person far from Orthodox culture. It is contained in the title, it is enough just to read it with attention - "a special litany", that is, personal, individual and special, special, thematic. In such a prayer, the believer turns to the Lord purely, that is, on a specific, specific occasion, in connection with the need that has arisen.
According to the priests, another nuance is an important difference from other prayers. Petitions on the special litany are read by the ministers of the church in the order corresponding to the needs of the believers. That is, the more terrible a person’s problem, the more desperate he is, the sooner his petition will be read. Also, the time devoted to reading depends on the complexity of the problem with which a person turns to the Lord.
On what occasions is such a prayer read?
Of course, it is absolutely not necessary to get into a difficult life situation or wait for something terrible to happen in order to come to church and order such a prayer.
As a rule, a special litany is read in accordance with the following topics:
- health;
- admonition;
- family preservation;
- instruction of children;
- the gift of a child;
- help in life;
- protection;
- redemption;
- deliverance.
Prayer can also be ordered in connection with other needs. Each such prayer is a request of a person addressed to God about what is important for a believer. Of course, there are no restrictions on the reason for the petition.
The clergy today are concerned about the attitude of some parishioners to the special litany of health. That this is a kind of financial offering, many new believers sincerely believe. By submitting a note and paying the required amount, people believe that their own participation in prayer ends there. Not everyone can even remember what exactly they applied for in the petition they submitted.
The clergy complain about the misunderstanding of the very essence of a special prayer by the newly converted parishioners. Like any other prayer, it cannot be effective without the direct participation of the believer. Special petitions at the special litany will be completely useless for people who are not trying to improve themselves spiritually, to make efforts to solve life's problems.
Modern people, according to the opinions of many clergy, are losing their spirituality or are not at all familiar with this concept. Coming to the temple, as if in a supermarket, and buying a place in the liturgy, and sometimes additional petitions for a special litany, one should not expect that life circumstances will change. Prayer, even ordered, will not be effective if there is no faith in the soul of a person. In prayer, a person trusts in the Lord, and does not acquire a miracle from him.
Is it possible to pray without submitting a note? On one's own?
Questions about whether a special litany, the sheet music for which was purchased in a church shop, can be read or even sung independently, outside the church, are often asked by priests. As a rule, this question worries church-going people who understand the details and intricacies of worship.
Such reading or singing of the litany is not forbidden. Especially in those situations when a person is not able to come to the temple. For example, if we are talking about a disabled person who is unable to move, or about an oncological patient who does not get out of bed. However, in such very difficult circumstances, those close to the one who needs prayer should talk with the priest. The clergy, if necessary, never refuse to visit the faithful and pray with them.
How long should a litany be read?
The effectiveness of prayer depends on the strength with which the believer trusts in it. It is impossible to say how long it takes to read this prayer. In one case, a single reading is sufficient, while in another, months are required.
As a rule, a litany is ordered for twelve liturgies. Many believers claim that petitions on the special litany to Peter and Fevronia are heard much earlier than the twelfth service. However, the duration of reading is individual. In the event that any questions arise when submitting a note with a petition, you should ask them to the clergyman.
In some situations, if the problem in the life of a believer is very difficult, the priests advise a long reading. Sometimes it takes thirty liturgies, forty, or even more. For example, if the one who asks the Lord cares about delivering a loved one from addiction - alcoholism, card games, drug addiction, then, of course, a significant number of readings will be required.
A very important point is the understanding that the effectiveness of prayer does not depend on the number of its repetitions, but on the strength with which the believer hopes for the litany. Repetitions only strengthen the faith of the supplicant, strengthen this person spiritually, give firmness to his intentions.
Do you need to take any action?
After the special litany was ordered, many people feel confused and wonder what they should do now. Maybe something needs to be done, or is it necessary to be present at the reading, to make some kind of vow? These disturbing questions visit people filled with anxiety.
Anxiety, as a rule, arises not because of doubts about the power of the Lord, but from the lack of information about how to proceed when ordering a prayer service.
The Lord Himself does not require any action from man. God needs only boundless, unconditional and absolute faith. But the person himself really needs daily actions that strengthen his spirit and give strength to faith.
What to do after ordering a litany?
It is important for a believer to feel his participation in prayer, to express zeal, to join the reading spiritually. If nothing is done, then anxiety begins to absorb the soul, and after it doubts come.
Church officials often advise parishioners to do the following:
- cleanse and sanctify your own home;
- reflect on everyday actions, emotions and compliance with their commandments;
- commemorate the dead by placing a candle in front of the image;
- confess;
- visit the temple.
These are fairly simple actions that can fill a person’s heart with confidence, peace and tranquility.
Where is the best place to order a prayer reading?
But if a person does not go to church, does not pray, and in principle does not consider himself a deeply religious person, then the choice of place becomes important. In this case, the temple must be "prayed". The spiritual energy of the room itself, in which believers have been asking the Lord for something and praising him for centuries, will give strength to prayer.
The best option for choosing a place is a kind of “insight”. As the people say - they brought the legs. This means that a person unconsciously, wandering in thought through the streets, suddenly notices that he has approached the entrance to the temple. Such accidents cannot be ignored. You can call such a situation in different ways - a sign from above, an accident, a combination of circumstances, or in some other way. But no matter how a person calls the fact that he was in front of the entrance to the church, one should not pass by this temple. It is in it that the litany must be ordered.
Of course, the temple does not always "find" the person who needs to visit it. Usually, however, the believer himself has to decide on the church, if he wants to order a prayer service or the need for this action.
Although the place is not of great importance, we should not forget that most of the temples in our country have completely lost their special aura. Churches have been desecrated for decades. And the need to order a litany, as a rule, arises in very difficult life circumstances. How many will trust the treatment of their illness to an ailing doctor in a hospital devoid of equipment? Probably no one. This example is also true for the church premises. A special special prayer should be ordered in a temple that has spiritual energy, and not in one that is being restored after desecration.
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